Derin was asleep as soon as she lay down, far too exhausted to bother with the security of her position. She was inclined to trust Saruna, anyway; it seemed that the woman genuinely wanted her around. Whatever Saruna's plans were, she clearly thought that Derin was useful to her alive, or she would've killed her or asked her to leave by now. She was looking for a protector, probably; her physical frailty was too well-performed, too consistent, to be an act. She was probably highly knowledgeable and skilled, and thus able to live safely on her own, but becoming uncertain of her position. After all, the first time she'd met Derin had been moments after Derin had disciplined a child... had Saruna seen that? Either way, Derin was sure that she was safe, and the situation suited her purposes.
Derin didn't puzzle through any of this that night, of course, falling asleep immediately. She puzzled through it the next morning. Well, not quite morning, as it was still dark. It looked like her time in the desert was working to her advantage; normally, the sun would wake her, and she would be late for work.
The bed was very comfortable in comparison to the days spent on a thin blanket in the sand, and Derin really wanted to lie back for a bit longer. She ignored the feeling. She had had sufficient rest, and anything her body tried to tell her otherwise was an illusion, a throwback to tendencies that used to ensure survival generations ago; irrelevant. She got up.
Derin got dressed, washed her face and remembered to comb her hair (you're among people again, you need to act like it, she told herself) before tying it out of the way in her customary tight braid. By the time she was done with the time-consuming task (she knew that she should just cut the stuff off, really, but she hadn't the heart), it was almost sunrise. She worked quietly; her experience had told her that country people were early risers, but Saruna probably wouldn't want to be woken before the sun was up.
After her habitual check that all of her possessions were still in her pack (which made sense in the desert, but really, who was going to break into somebody's house and steal a shirt or a waterskin?) she headed out into the rest of the house. Assuming that Saruna was at least basically literate in the language she spoke (her bottles of dye had labels on them, didn't they?), Derin left a note to explain where she had gone, and headed to the inn. If she walked quickly, she could make it there with the sunrise. She didn't know what time she would be back, but if Saruna wasn't home then it shouldn't be hard to find her. It was just a village, after all.
Food, rest, shelter, job... it looked like Derin was set. All she had to do was not slip up.
Among the Graves
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Derin Edala
- Citizen
- Posts: 340
- Joined: Thu Feb 26, 2009 6:12 am
- Name: Derin
- Race: Human
Re: Among the Graves
Saruna woke more or less around dawn, though as she aged and without overeager children and husband around her times had begun to slip. Not that she was elderly, necessarily; she felt old more than she actually was. Perhaps she had simply run herself down, over time, so that with each morning she was less and less likely to want to swing her feet over the bed, onto the floor, the only pair of feet she would see within the confines of her home. The only footsteps, and her own sighing breaths the only to disturb the quiet air.
She remembered yesterday, but it wasn't until she saw Derin's note that it became reality and not just a soap bubble dream. It was an exciting thought, and immediately her mind filled with all the things she might do to make her guest at home, all the food she might cook, fresh vegetables ready to be picked, new linens she might make for the old bed in her old children's room. She was filled with herself, the spirit of a robust country woman and not a lonely old crone she felt like from time and circumstance wearing her down.
A smile bloomed across her face, glorious as any morning ever had been.
_____________________________________
Gustel was the sort of man you might see in any civilized country. His hair was neat, combed, and coiffed in a rather late but genteel fashion. His smile was perhaps a bit absent minded, but kind. He dressed in the accepted ways, neither poor nor rich. His bearing was comfortably unassuming, but with enough spine to have good posture. A pleasant, boring sort of man, who had a regular, dull job, and a monotonous life. Unless, of course, one knew about his tendency of spying on others. Which was, coincidentally enough, what he'd been doing. All night.
He was a mostly patient person, with a distaste bordering on disdain for most other people. He was not a very sentimental sort, and was upstandingly practical when it came to emotional matters. He prided himself as a man of logic and reason, and was a rather learned man, having had lessons for mathematics, which he devoured with a rapidity that might be seen as unbecoming in a gentleman.
But Gustel was not a gentleman, nor did he have any aspirations to become one. He was far too practical to see any sort of point in that.
He had waited near Saruna's home for several hours, occasionally dipping into light dozes and coming awake at the slightest provocation. Such a one occurred when Derin left the house. Gustel did not know the young woman's name, or where she was going, but he didn't need to. He could follow her easily on his own, even long after she had left; being a werewolf was a handy thing indeed.
He was wary of being discovered, so he stayed still and motionless until her footsteps had faded, and then he too stirred from his position, and trailed after. He would watch her, see her mettle, and then he would make his move so that she and the older woman would be trapped, ensnared, and unable to do a damn thing.
And then, after he'd ruined their lives, he'd be paid most handsomely.
She remembered yesterday, but it wasn't until she saw Derin's note that it became reality and not just a soap bubble dream. It was an exciting thought, and immediately her mind filled with all the things she might do to make her guest at home, all the food she might cook, fresh vegetables ready to be picked, new linens she might make for the old bed in her old children's room. She was filled with herself, the spirit of a robust country woman and not a lonely old crone she felt like from time and circumstance wearing her down.
A smile bloomed across her face, glorious as any morning ever had been.
_____________________________________
Gustel was the sort of man you might see in any civilized country. His hair was neat, combed, and coiffed in a rather late but genteel fashion. His smile was perhaps a bit absent minded, but kind. He dressed in the accepted ways, neither poor nor rich. His bearing was comfortably unassuming, but with enough spine to have good posture. A pleasant, boring sort of man, who had a regular, dull job, and a monotonous life. Unless, of course, one knew about his tendency of spying on others. Which was, coincidentally enough, what he'd been doing. All night.
He was a mostly patient person, with a distaste bordering on disdain for most other people. He was not a very sentimental sort, and was upstandingly practical when it came to emotional matters. He prided himself as a man of logic and reason, and was a rather learned man, having had lessons for mathematics, which he devoured with a rapidity that might be seen as unbecoming in a gentleman.
But Gustel was not a gentleman, nor did he have any aspirations to become one. He was far too practical to see any sort of point in that.
He had waited near Saruna's home for several hours, occasionally dipping into light dozes and coming awake at the slightest provocation. Such a one occurred when Derin left the house. Gustel did not know the young woman's name, or where she was going, but he didn't need to. He could follow her easily on his own, even long after she had left; being a werewolf was a handy thing indeed.
He was wary of being discovered, so he stayed still and motionless until her footsteps had faded, and then he too stirred from his position, and trailed after. He would watch her, see her mettle, and then he would make his move so that she and the older woman would be trapped, ensnared, and unable to do a damn thing.
And then, after he'd ruined their lives, he'd be paid most handsomely.
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Derin Edala
- Citizen
- Posts: 340
- Joined: Thu Feb 26, 2009 6:12 am
- Name: Derin
- Race: Human
Re: Among the Graves
The Red Chalice squandered any lingering respect that Derin may have had for humankind in general.
It wasn't that the people she worked with were mean. Beyond the usual testing and suspicion of a newcomer, they were perfectly polite. They were just so lazy -- they'd barely been scrubbing dishes for two hours when the other scullery girl, whose name Derin had learned was the remarkably fitting Rosemary, began to slow down. Derin felt her arms ache and her hands blister in the hot, harshly soaped water, but she kept up her initial pace. The pain was irrelevant; any damage would heal within days. She supposed that Rosemary was more cautious about pain because it was more important that she take care of her body than Derin.
After a mere six hours, Jast came by, gave her some money, and told her to go home. He also told her to come back the next morning, which Derin took to be a good sign.
The fact that she was being paid pocket change didn't worry Derin. She was fully aware that her sense of monetary value was skewed from her life in a manor, she was financially secure for a short while, and her monetary needs were simple. She did buy herself an apple bun for lunch on the way home.
She also took a detour to the graveyard.
She brushed some grass away from a tombstone and crouched down to read it for the benefit of anybody walking by, but the person inside was irrelevant. The graves themselves were irrelevant. There might be a tomb that showed promise, but that wasn't worth analysing until she had basic confirmation... until she had somebody capable of sensing magic.
Derin headed back to Saruna's house and wandered inside. "Hello?"
It wasn't that the people she worked with were mean. Beyond the usual testing and suspicion of a newcomer, they were perfectly polite. They were just so lazy -- they'd barely been scrubbing dishes for two hours when the other scullery girl, whose name Derin had learned was the remarkably fitting Rosemary, began to slow down. Derin felt her arms ache and her hands blister in the hot, harshly soaped water, but she kept up her initial pace. The pain was irrelevant; any damage would heal within days. She supposed that Rosemary was more cautious about pain because it was more important that she take care of her body than Derin.
After a mere six hours, Jast came by, gave her some money, and told her to go home. He also told her to come back the next morning, which Derin took to be a good sign.
The fact that she was being paid pocket change didn't worry Derin. She was fully aware that her sense of monetary value was skewed from her life in a manor, she was financially secure for a short while, and her monetary needs were simple. She did buy herself an apple bun for lunch on the way home.
She also took a detour to the graveyard.
She brushed some grass away from a tombstone and crouched down to read it for the benefit of anybody walking by, but the person inside was irrelevant. The graves themselves were irrelevant. There might be a tomb that showed promise, but that wasn't worth analysing until she had basic confirmation... until she had somebody capable of sensing magic.
Derin headed back to Saruna's house and wandered inside. "Hello?"
Re: Among the Graves
Gustel had followed Derin to her place of hire, and had even gone inside. After drinking for an hour or so, he determined that she would not make contact with him at any point during which he might stay there. Disappointing, but it left him no choice but to make contact with the woman. At the least, he reckoned, as he walked back to the residence, befriending the older woman would not be difficult. Hanser knew much of Saruna; it was the other that was concerning to the wily old merchant, which was why Gustel had tried going through her first.
No matter. It was two hours past dawn when he knocked on Saruna's door, looking a mixture of crestfallen, hopeful, and desperately hungry. He had fasted through the night just for this reason, and the occasional growls from his stomach did not hurt, certainly. The motherly urge to feed him, and help him, on Saruna's face was gratifying to see, and six hours later when Derin entered the residence, she would see his blocky shape on a rough straw pallet in front of the open fire oven, over which a collection of more scones and bread was baking. The small house was close to stifling, but it didn't seem to bother the slumberer or Saruna, who walked with a spring in her step.
"Good to see you, dear! Are you hungry? Were you fed? Treated well?"
No matter. It was two hours past dawn when he knocked on Saruna's door, looking a mixture of crestfallen, hopeful, and desperately hungry. He had fasted through the night just for this reason, and the occasional growls from his stomach did not hurt, certainly. The motherly urge to feed him, and help him, on Saruna's face was gratifying to see, and six hours later when Derin entered the residence, she would see his blocky shape on a rough straw pallet in front of the open fire oven, over which a collection of more scones and bread was baking. The small house was close to stifling, but it didn't seem to bother the slumberer or Saruna, who walked with a spring in her step.
"Good to see you, dear! Are you hungry? Were you fed? Treated well?"
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Derin Edala
- Citizen
- Posts: 340
- Joined: Thu Feb 26, 2009 6:12 am
- Name: Derin
- Race: Human
Re: Among the Graves
Saruna's comments gave Derin the strong impression of the chatty handmaids at her old mansion, the difference of course being that their livelihood had been entirely dependent on Derin's mood at any given point, so their concern was hardly genuine. Derin had never been good at making friends. Those women had just been irritating, but Saruna seemed genuinely nice. That was suspicious.
Taking in the sight of their guest, she nodded, smiling. "I'm fine, although I haven't eaten." Old instincts had her scan the stranger, conclude that he wasn't physically attacking them at the moment, and dismiss any concerns; in Saruna's residence, such fights were Saruna's problem. Derin had survived her childhood by staying out of the way when those more powerful than her had territorial issues. "Is there anything around the house you would like help with?"
Taking in the sight of their guest, she nodded, smiling. "I'm fine, although I haven't eaten." Old instincts had her scan the stranger, conclude that he wasn't physically attacking them at the moment, and dismiss any concerns; in Saruna's residence, such fights were Saruna's problem. Derin had survived her childhood by staying out of the way when those more powerful than her had territorial issues. "Is there anything around the house you would like help with?"
Re: Among the Graves
"Perfect, neither have we. And settle, dear, you've been hard working all day. Go now, take a seat for a time." Saruna offered Derin a warm smile -- though not as warm as the heat the fire was putting out -- and took her breads out. "Once that cools we can snack on that."
She took out a pot and a few smallish vegetables, and a knife to cut them with. She glanced at the slumped form on the floor, and then back at Derin before she focused on the task at hand. "You're very polite for not asking questions, but I'm sure they're in your head regardless. That's no acquaintance of mine, before today." Carrots were skinned, potatoes skinned, all with efficiency of long practice. All the extra parts were set aside to boil down later for gravy. Saruna was never one to waste. "Came some time after you'd left, been here with me most of the day, poor thing. I think. . .I think maybe . . . he has problems similar in nature to. . .things we've talked about." Her hands stilled, but she didn't turn around.
"Marn's guards are after him for being a magic user."
She took out a pot and a few smallish vegetables, and a knife to cut them with. She glanced at the slumped form on the floor, and then back at Derin before she focused on the task at hand. "You're very polite for not asking questions, but I'm sure they're in your head regardless. That's no acquaintance of mine, before today." Carrots were skinned, potatoes skinned, all with efficiency of long practice. All the extra parts were set aside to boil down later for gravy. Saruna was never one to waste. "Came some time after you'd left, been here with me most of the day, poor thing. I think. . .I think maybe . . . he has problems similar in nature to. . .things we've talked about." Her hands stilled, but she didn't turn around.
"Marn's guards are after him for being a magic user."
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Derin Edala
- Citizen
- Posts: 340
- Joined: Thu Feb 26, 2009 6:12 am
- Name: Derin
- Race: Human
Re: Among the Graves
Derin nodded absently at Saruna's words, but she was listening carefully. They said an awful lot about the woman's intent. "You're very polite for not asking questions, but I'm sure they're in your head regardless." Saruna's going to offer unrequested information; she wants a favour. "That's no acquaintance of mine, before today. Came some time after you'd left, been here with me most of the day, poor thing." She wants me to drive the intruder out for her. "I think. . .I think maybe . . . he has problems similar in nature to. . .things we've talked about." 'Talked' about? Yep, definitely calling in a I'm-putting-a-roof-over-your-head favour. "Marn's guards are after him for being a magic user."
Well, that was different. Even if Saruna wanted him out, Derin needed him. A magic user was just too good an opportunity to waste.
She eyed the stranger. He looked a bit like Shar, which annoyed her. She had hoped to be done with greedy, fussy old magicians. Well, perhaps he'd have a better personality, or at least keep to himself. She touched the bracelet on her wrist. He didn't have power over her... nobody did.
Does... your guest have a name? Do you know why he's come here?
Well, that was different. Even if Saruna wanted him out, Derin needed him. A magic user was just too good an opportunity to waste.
She eyed the stranger. He looked a bit like Shar, which annoyed her. She had hoped to be done with greedy, fussy old magicians. Well, perhaps he'd have a better personality, or at least keep to himself. She touched the bracelet on her wrist. He didn't have power over her... nobody did.
Does... your guest have a name? Do you know why he's come here?
Re: Among the Graves
It took everything Saruna had to not turn around and beg for Derin to not become upset, or accusatory. . .or worse, take it to the guards. She'd bet her life on Derin's willingness to see the thing through without panicking. She thought she knew the younger woman's strength of mind. She didn't want to be wrong.
"I-I didn't ask for one. For a name. He was so distraught, I couldn't. . .he reminded me of my father. I thought, well, I hoped maybe if he could, if he was kind he might help me find out what happened to my father. Where he was, I know he's probably dead, well, it's been a long time and he'd be so very old but there's . . . I don't have a whole lot left. I'm sick to death of Marn's tired old views and how they chase good people out just because they use a talent. I want to help him. I hope you don't mind." I hope you don't leave.
"I-I didn't ask for one. For a name. He was so distraught, I couldn't. . .he reminded me of my father. I thought, well, I hoped maybe if he could, if he was kind he might help me find out what happened to my father. Where he was, I know he's probably dead, well, it's been a long time and he'd be so very old but there's . . . I don't have a whole lot left. I'm sick to death of Marn's tired old views and how they chase good people out just because they use a talent. I want to help him. I hope you don't mind." I hope you don't leave.
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Derin Edala
- Citizen
- Posts: 340
- Joined: Thu Feb 26, 2009 6:12 am
- Name: Derin
- Race: Human
Re: Among the Graves
Sick to death of Marn's tired old views and how they chase people out just because they use a talent? She either knows, or would be sympathetic -- tell her! No... the risk was too great. Nobody needed to know who Derin was. Nobody.
Derin frowned. "You... want to help him?" Of course; good old family ties. They appeared to be the weakness of everyone around here, although Derin herself couldn't really understand them. Saruna probably felt she owed her father a debt; that, or she wanted to find him and make sure he was dead.
Of course, all that made things rather a lot easier for Derin. She only needed a small favour; she was sure that she could squeeze the man's help in somewhere. And helping Saruna, at this point in time, was the best thing that she could do for herself; Derin hated being indebted to someone.
"Alright; what do you need me to do?"
Derin frowned. "You... want to help him?" Of course; good old family ties. They appeared to be the weakness of everyone around here, although Derin herself couldn't really understand them. Saruna probably felt she owed her father a debt; that, or she wanted to find him and make sure he was dead.
Of course, all that made things rather a lot easier for Derin. She only needed a small favour; she was sure that she could squeeze the man's help in somewhere. And helping Saruna, at this point in time, was the best thing that she could do for herself; Derin hated being indebted to someone.
"Alright; what do you need me to do?"
Re: Among the Graves
After the happy breath Saruna exhaled, from Derin's positive query, there was a stone cold silence. Saruna had no idea what she was going to do, how she might help the strange magic user. It seemed quite boorish of her to request someone's help and then stare at them blankly when they agreed to assist. Saruna reflected, again, about her sorry state as a host. She was beyond rusty, she was rusted out. How awkwardly embarassing.
"Well, you see. . ." She started to say, and stopped. She turned around and presented a humbled face to Derin. "I'm not really sure." She stared at Derin, self-recriminating smile picking up at the corners, and sighed. "I didn't use to be so useless, I promise. Just give these old bones some time to think, and we'll figure out something. I'm not really sure how to keep the guards off him, but he said he doesn't want to leave Thar Shaddin unless he has to."
Saruna finished chopping her vegetables, and set the scraps in a small pot with some of the water she'd fetched that morning, ready to go over the fire and boil down. The other vegetables went into a larger pot, along with some chicken pieces she'd traded one of her dyed homespun cloths for. She filled it with water, ready to start it cooking.
"Well, you see. . ." She started to say, and stopped. She turned around and presented a humbled face to Derin. "I'm not really sure." She stared at Derin, self-recriminating smile picking up at the corners, and sighed. "I didn't use to be so useless, I promise. Just give these old bones some time to think, and we'll figure out something. I'm not really sure how to keep the guards off him, but he said he doesn't want to leave Thar Shaddin unless he has to."
Saruna finished chopping her vegetables, and set the scraps in a small pot with some of the water she'd fetched that morning, ready to go over the fire and boil down. The other vegetables went into a larger pot, along with some chicken pieces she'd traded one of her dyed homespun cloths for. She filled it with water, ready to start it cooking.
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Derin Edala
- Citizen
- Posts: 340
- Joined: Thu Feb 26, 2009 6:12 am
- Name: Derin
- Race: Human
Re: Among the Graves
"He wants to stay in That Shaddin but he's on the run from the guards?" Derin glanced at her wrist for a moment before realising how stupid that instinct was. Her one supernatural talent was of no use whatsoever here. Sure, she could permanently disguise herself as a fugitive, but that wouldn't really improve the situation for anyone. "That might be a bit tricky. The real issue is, did anybody see him come here?" Derin thought for a moment, She felt that she should be pacing, but her feet hurt from work, so the world was just going to have to deal with her staying seated. "If not, I guess it's feasible to hide him in the house, but I'm not sure how he's going to earn his keep cooped up inside and one innocent peek from a stranger would condemn us all. What sort of magic does he have? Some sort of shapeshifting or illusion might help... if worst comes to worst, there's forest along the river, isn't there?" No, that train of thought was going nowhere. Hiding him was useless. "If he wants to stay in Thar Shaddin, there's no point in him spending the rest of his life hiding, I guess... maybe there's a way to prove his innocence..." whether or not he was actually innocent was a detail she considered irrelevant. "Is he accused of a real crime, or merely failing to report having magic? Perhaps it will be easier to sort this out when he wakes up and we can talk to him."
Derin's mind shot back to the tidy sum that the sale of her gems had netted. A fugitive would need money, no matter what he decided to do, and Derin needed a small favour from a magic-user. Derin was looking forward to sorting things out with him.
Derin's mind shot back to the tidy sum that the sale of her gems had netted. A fugitive would need money, no matter what he decided to do, and Derin needed a small favour from a magic-user. Derin was looking forward to sorting things out with him.
Re: Among the Graves
Derin's questions swam over Saruna's mind, the things Saruna hadn't considered, and she swung around to stare at Derin with some sort of amazement. Dizziness at the volume of the task undertaken swamped her down, and she blinked at each point Derin made. "Um. . ." she'd say, until another question reared up, "Um. . ." until there were no more, and Saruna felt quite the rat stuck in a barrel.
"I think he maybe has no where else to go." Saruna said lamely, flushing red at her own inadequecy. "He wanted waking for dinner, that's a good time as any to ask." She spoke hesitantly, feeling right stupid.
Dinner, luckily, did not take too long to get going. The scent of the breads blossomed as Saruna set them out to cool, avoiding looking at Derin in her embarassment. Lucky enough to have the sharp young woman around, else Saruna was like to get her other guest killed. Harboring a criminal, Saruna thought in a daze, she'd get herself killed yet.
Gustel was alarmed, half asleep, at the sight of Derin, and cowered down by the fire until Saruna hastily explained the who and why of Derin's presence. Relief or something else caught at his expression, and his eyes watered badly enough that he had to scrub at them with the back of his arm, to keep his face dry. After a few moments of discomfort on both sides of the fence, Saruna hastened to explain Derin's own concerns -- that she could remember from the rush of Derin's words.
"How did you want to stay in Thar Shaddin? Um . . . why are you running from the Guards, if it doesn't pain you to tell us?"
Gustel looked at them wide eyed and frightened. "I won't stomach gettin' caught. I'll run if you try to turn me in." He said in a voice gone high. He seemed to Saruna to be quite young and inexperienced; a soft boy used to being pampered and cared for in turn. It took a scone to settle him down so he didn't twitch so readily.
"Will you tell us?" Saruna asked, giving a worried look at Derin.
Gustel huddled into himself. "Make her promise to not tell." He said in a voice worn down to a whisper. Saruna's response was a helpless shrug at Derin.
"I think he maybe has no where else to go." Saruna said lamely, flushing red at her own inadequecy. "He wanted waking for dinner, that's a good time as any to ask." She spoke hesitantly, feeling right stupid.
Dinner, luckily, did not take too long to get going. The scent of the breads blossomed as Saruna set them out to cool, avoiding looking at Derin in her embarassment. Lucky enough to have the sharp young woman around, else Saruna was like to get her other guest killed. Harboring a criminal, Saruna thought in a daze, she'd get herself killed yet.
Gustel was alarmed, half asleep, at the sight of Derin, and cowered down by the fire until Saruna hastily explained the who and why of Derin's presence. Relief or something else caught at his expression, and his eyes watered badly enough that he had to scrub at them with the back of his arm, to keep his face dry. After a few moments of discomfort on both sides of the fence, Saruna hastened to explain Derin's own concerns -- that she could remember from the rush of Derin's words.
"How did you want to stay in Thar Shaddin? Um . . . why are you running from the Guards, if it doesn't pain you to tell us?"
Gustel looked at them wide eyed and frightened. "I won't stomach gettin' caught. I'll run if you try to turn me in." He said in a voice gone high. He seemed to Saruna to be quite young and inexperienced; a soft boy used to being pampered and cared for in turn. It took a scone to settle him down so he didn't twitch so readily.
"Will you tell us?" Saruna asked, giving a worried look at Derin.
Gustel huddled into himself. "Make her promise to not tell." He said in a voice worn down to a whisper. Saruna's response was a helpless shrug at Derin.
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Derin Edala
- Citizen
- Posts: 340
- Joined: Thu Feb 26, 2009 6:12 am
- Name: Derin
- Race: Human
Re: Among the Graves
Derin nodded at Saruna's blustering, cursing herself for being so slow on the uptake. The woman was good. But Derin supposed that you had to be good to survive here so long; paradoxically, people seemed to get physically weaker the longer they were around, so presumably the idea was to become mentally strong to survive.
A test. Saruna wanted to see how Derin would handle the situation; whether she was worth keeping around. That was no problem; continually proving one's worth was the staple means of survival for children in Derin's home, and she'd had a lot of practice. But it had been so long...
It only reflected on Saruna's confidence in her own strength that she would foist such a task on Derin; she had to have a backup plan to save herself if Derin failed, and this was the sort of thing that it was possible to fail quite spectacularly at. The mere fact that Saruna had allowed any of this to happen was a declaration that she was a match for the guards of Marn. Was it a deliberate declaration for Derin's benefit, though? Either way, it didn't matter; Derin would be thrown to the wolves if she brought them down on Saruna's territory. She could worry about Saruna's plans after she'd passed.
Darin observed Saruna's questions and the man's defensive posturing with interest. When attention turned to her, she smiled, hurriedly estimating how she presumed Marn's legal system to work based on the other towns she'd been through.
"Sir, the mere fact that you've been taken in by our lovely Lady here makes us accessories. I doubt that Marn is interested in explanations or protestations of innocence. Rest assured that neither of us have any intention of seeing the guards take you from us. I won't tell. My name is Derin, by the way."
A test. Saruna wanted to see how Derin would handle the situation; whether she was worth keeping around. That was no problem; continually proving one's worth was the staple means of survival for children in Derin's home, and she'd had a lot of practice. But it had been so long...
It only reflected on Saruna's confidence in her own strength that she would foist such a task on Derin; she had to have a backup plan to save herself if Derin failed, and this was the sort of thing that it was possible to fail quite spectacularly at. The mere fact that Saruna had allowed any of this to happen was a declaration that she was a match for the guards of Marn. Was it a deliberate declaration for Derin's benefit, though? Either way, it didn't matter; Derin would be thrown to the wolves if she brought them down on Saruna's territory. She could worry about Saruna's plans after she'd passed.
Darin observed Saruna's questions and the man's defensive posturing with interest. When attention turned to her, she smiled, hurriedly estimating how she presumed Marn's legal system to work based on the other towns she'd been through.
"Sir, the mere fact that you've been taken in by our lovely Lady here makes us accessories. I doubt that Marn is interested in explanations or protestations of innocence. Rest assured that neither of us have any intention of seeing the guards take you from us. I won't tell. My name is Derin, by the way."
Re: Among the Graves
Derin's reply seemed to soothe the man, and Saruna continued to corner him with sweet breads until he gave up most of his insecurity. He was still not looking either of them in the eye, and Saruna felt a deep welling of pity. He was rather like an abused child, in that sense.
"Gustel. That's my name, er." He pulled himself tightly together, crumbs scattered across his lap and floor. "They caught me," he said, and hesitated, looking miserably at his toes through the thin leather of his old shoes, "cheating at gambling." He said it lamely into his knees.
Saruna's look was one of confusion, though she had shot an approving look at Derin's smooth answer. "Come now dearie, no need to be shy. How does the magic work into that?"
Awkward pause. "I can see uh. . .uh, motives. Of people. In glimpses, but I don't go looking, swear! I wouldn't be rude, I mean. And that would be. Rude. So I don't."
"Gustel. That's my name, er." He pulled himself tightly together, crumbs scattered across his lap and floor. "They caught me," he said, and hesitated, looking miserably at his toes through the thin leather of his old shoes, "cheating at gambling." He said it lamely into his knees.
Saruna's look was one of confusion, though she had shot an approving look at Derin's smooth answer. "Come now dearie, no need to be shy. How does the magic work into that?"
Awkward pause. "I can see uh. . .uh, motives. Of people. In glimpses, but I don't go looking, swear! I wouldn't be rude, I mean. And that would be. Rude. So I don't."
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Derin Edala
- Citizen
- Posts: 340
- Joined: Thu Feb 26, 2009 6:12 am
- Name: Derin
- Race: Human
Re: Among the Graves
Derin's immediate reaction was one of panic, but a moment's thought quelled it. Why would sensing motives be a problem? His skills couldn't be sophisticated enough to pick out anything important or he wouldn't have asked her to promise not to tell; he would've known she wouldn't already. So he'd get... what? That she was looking for a magic-user? That'd save some time. She had no intention of cheating or killing him and he obviously wasn't averse to magic, so that talent was a bonus, if anything.
"This might be an odd question, but can you... sense magic being used, at all?" That'd make sense, wouldn't it? Maybe. Magic around here didn't seem to obey any sort of logical rules. She missed home. A practitioner should be able to recognise their own art iwthout a problem, but that didn't seem to apply here. Still, there had to be somebody around here who could sense the damn stuff. No harm in asking.
Except for the whole paranoid anti-magic law enforcement thing. Well... no harm in asking fugitives.
"This might be an odd question, but can you... sense magic being used, at all?" That'd make sense, wouldn't it? Maybe. Magic around here didn't seem to obey any sort of logical rules. She missed home. A practitioner should be able to recognise their own art iwthout a problem, but that didn't seem to apply here. Still, there had to be somebody around here who could sense the damn stuff. No harm in asking.
Except for the whole paranoid anti-magic law enforcement thing. Well... no harm in asking fugitives.