Private Tales A Long Way From Home

[Cillian]

Jamar tugged on his beard and looked thoughtfully down at the young woman. Cillian didn't look too happy about it, which the larger man noted, but he also noted that his friend was not stopping her. And he did like rings... One hand absentmindedly brushed over the scores already adorning his plump fingers then he gave a hurmph and nodded.

"For pretty girl, maybe men not so cruel," he spread his hands and gave an exaggerated shrug. They all knew her looks would have nothing to do with how they were treated, of course. "I meet you at the Fuzzy Duckling after market closing, I will bring you to them and you will talk, yes?"

Cillian nodded reluctantly but Jamar was looking at Kailyn was a hungry eye.

 

[Kailyn]

She couldn't help the sharp look she gave Jamar. Cruelty of men did not waver among beauty. If anything, it only increased.

"Deal," she breathed and offered her hand to seal the promise. A quick shake with Jamar's grubby hands. "I'll bring what I promised at the meeting." And with that, more customers came up to Jamar and he turned to give his attentions to them. Kailyn kept her expression hidden as she and Cilli turned to slide back into the flow and throng of the crowded streets.

There was a small overhang that offered a brief reprieve from the sun. Kailyn stepped through a break in the people to stop there.

"Don't be mad," she began. "I don't want to drag you into anymore trouble. Call it providence or luck when we met in the desert but you don't owe me anything else, Cilli."

 

[Cillian]

Cillian wasn't exactly mad more like...

"Mad?!" he threw his hands in the air and paced the little alleyway filled with different coloured fabrics for it was not an alleyway of stone but rather one amongst the stalls themselves. He ran his hands through his hair then fisted them there. "I'm fuckin' terrified for yiz lassie - ye cannae go trapsin' across the city meetin' these guys alone for a start," they would kill her if they thought they could get away with it. Out of sport. It was the type of people Jamar ran with.

He let out a strangled laugh.

"If ye think I'm lettin' ye go alone tonigh' ye got another thing comin'," he shook his head and then sighed, putting his hands into his pockets. Just like that all of his other emotions seemed to roll away. "Naw, we started this together lass, let's finish it."

 

[Kailyn]

"Who said I would be alone? Frank could always shadow me."

The giant blue orc that was left. Who would probably be beyond mad to find out she'd wandered so far from the accommodations. Arms crossed beneath her chest. Bright buckets of spice tickled her nose a stall away.

"You have a life to live, Cilli. I can tell you're a compassionate man but you don't need to be dragged into my problems. You don't owe me anything. Why're you being so stubborn?"

Pot calling the kettle.

 

[Cillian]

The thought of Frank being her only protection made him wince. The large blue orc was probably going to be as useful as a bullseye painted onto her chest so the Bandits had something to aim for clearly.

"T'aint stubbornness lassie," Cillian had always caved pretty quickly to the whims of his friends and family over the years. He had lost many an argument simply because he didn't have the stomach to hold to his points when he could see someone he cared about getting upset. Like now. But that had been centuries ago and he held on tightly to that little bit of stubbornness he had grown over the years.

"Not in tae way yer thinkin' anyways. I just..." he looked around awkwardly. "I dunno lass, it just wouldnae sit well wit me if I let ye go off doin' this wit'out me. I feels responsible."

 

[Kailyn]

"You weren't the one who made the bandits camp out along this route. You weren't the one who made them attack us yesterday."

She took a steadying breath. Fingers pinched the bridge of her nose.

"But, I won't stop you from coming."

In truth, it meant a great deal to her. He was truly proving himself a friend. Perhaps someone she could trust. She'd just wanted to give the man an out. She didn't want to feel like an obligation to anyone. And she was certainly no child.

"I hope you know where I'm coming from," voice was quiet. Head turned, looking over his shoulder. "I should get back to the Inn before Frank tears the city apart looking for me. Should we meet back up outside the Fuzzy Duckling?"

 

[Cillian]

Cillian had an expression about his face akin to that of a stray dog who had just been told he could stay for the night by a warm fire. He nodded smartly then said no more on the topic of whether or not he should come; it had been decided in his mind and she hadn't told him to fuck off. That was all Cilli really required in the way of permissions.

"Aye, at the Fuzzy Ducklin', around the 5th bell toll?" it would give them a bit of time before they were due to meet these illusive men who spoke on behalf of the Bandits, providing them ample enough time to come up with some for of strategy and scope out the place should they need to leave suddenly.

"I best ge' goin' with my actual job, as much as I love helpin' a distressed woman," the easy disarmingly charming smile was back and he hitched his bag up a little further on his shoulder and looked out over the market. He would need to find his pitch and then get selling. "I'll see ye later lassie," and with a nod he was off.

 

[Kailyn]

"Oh, I'm distressed now am I?" Lips curled into a smile as she asked the question.

"5th bell toll," she agreed and headed her separate way.

__________________________________________________________________________________

Frank was already inside. His hulking frame tucked awkwardly into a corner booth seat. Back to the wall and eyes to the door. Eyes to see the entire room. Kailyn sat separately at a four-person table near a side window. An full mug of ale sat in front of her. Fingers tapped against the outside nervously.

Not because of the atmosphere of the place. Anything at Cerak had been considerably rougher. Darker. Seedier. But because she didn't know if Cilli would show.

She took a sip of the ale and waited, turning her gaze toward the alleyway her window gave her a view of.

 

[Cillian]

He had been worried he would be late, but as luck would have it, Cillian stepped through the door on the 5th toll of the bell exactly.

He had had a profitable day on the stall, especially once word had begun to spread he had finally appeared and was selling a very limited amount of stock. There was of course the orders that others had placed with him too to collect. It hadn't been long before his little market stall had been a hubbub of activity which had steadily declined throughout the day as he worked through the orders and ran out of stock. He had sold his last pair before heading over.

Stepping into the Fuzzy Duckling he was a little apprehensive for what was about to come. The girl had proven to not be like anything he had first pegged her as. She was far wilder, far more determined than he had given her credit for being. When his eyes landed on Frank first, then down to Kailyn he couldn't help the little rougish smile that kept occupying his lips every time he had thought about her throughout the day.

A sensual riddle.

"I hope I dinnae keep ye waitin' long lass," Cilli sat down opposite her and motioned to the bar keep for his own drink.

 

[Kailyn]

"Right on time, as luck would have it," she commented with a narrowing of amber eyes as he joined her. Another sip of her own ale. A flicker of her gaze to the doorway.

Cilli's contact from earlier just entered, trailed by a fierce looking desert elf with glowing, golden eyes and wraps around his body and a burly-looking human with a jagged scar down one side of his face. Kailyn frowned.

An Abtati.

She thought the people sided with Lord Gerra. Was this one an outlier? A rebel? She knew it was more than probable. Was her own assumption wrong?

Ale set down on the table, a frown stretching across her lips. A wide-grin spread across Jamar as his beady eyes fell upon Cilli and Kailyn.

 

[Cillian]

"My friends, my friends," Jamar was his usual self, his booming voice filling the room and making Cillian wince and cast his eyes about. If anyone else was bothered they didn't show it, everyone was engrossed in their own loud conversations and the occasional clash of dice against wooden tables. The large man practically wobbled as he closed the remaining distance between them and slapped his hand on Cilli's back with tremendous force before turning to Kailyn and placing a delicate kiss on her hand.

The leprechaun thought he noticed the careful rearrangement of one or two rings to clear a suitable space for his latest prize.

"My friends, these are the men I was talking about earlier, who you wanted to see," he added hastily as if apologising in advance for what was about to happen. Cillian felt his hand automatically go to the hilt of his broadsword which lay across his lap beneath the table. "Come sit, sit, let us all be friends for Jamar is here, eh?!" he grinned and sat himself down.

 

[Kailyn]

She Abati slid silently next to Kailyn. Golden eyes flashing in her direction. The large and muscular human pressed in next to Cilli. That put her and Cilli against the wall and window. If it bothered her, she didn't let it show. Her entire life had been about masking her emotions and she leaned heavily on that skill in situations like these.

"I'm Kailyn," eyes captured those of their new...guests as she tipped her chin to them both. "Jamar has told us that you two might know a safe route through the desert along the Eastern route. Past the bandits."

She very much thought these two were with the bandits.

"I have connections to the Empire that would be willing to work out a deal for this information. Perhaps it would make all our lives easier if we worked...together?" Hands spread, palm-faced up across the surface of the table. Jamar greedily gave her a look, his fingers twitching on the table. She wasn't sure if he was that impatient to get his prized ring or if he was that nervous by sitting with the two he'd brought over.

 

[Cillian]

"Together.... how?"

Cillian glanced to the man who had spoken, the human who had come with Jamar. He noticed how the other man twitched a little as his companion spoke and he gave the faintest of frowns, barely a ripple across his perfectly blank face otherwise. Jamar was nervous and if Jamar was nervous it meant that these men really were some of his worse 'friends'. It took a lot to make a man who had power and money afraid.

Shifting his position in the booth he turned so that his torso was facing the other men, his back pressing to the wall now instead of the bench. It meant he could see everyone sat about the table and not just Kailyn. Kailyn, who was speaking as though this were some high tea with other traders. He couldn't quite believe how calm she was acting but there was enough of a panic in Cillian for the pair of them.

 

[Kailyn]

Those honeyed eyes of hers flickered briefly to Cilli. She knew he was on the edge of a knife. And so was she. But they couldn't afford to let it show. Not now.

And she was thankful he hadn't listened to her. That he'd stayed. That she wasn't here alone. Even with Frank, the overly large orc barely keeping himself back from tugging those three out of the booth from Kailyn and Cilli.

"Well," she tugged the promised ring from out of her pocket. Slowly. So they knew she wasn't about to draw a weapon and offered it to Jamar who eyed it greedily. His large fingers snapping across the space like a viper to snap it from her own grasp.

"What do you think would happen if the bandits continue to pick off travelers from the desert? Folk would stop traveling as much. Switch up their routes. Soldiers from the Empire might even appear more frequent on the roads." A shrug of her slender shoulders.

"Easy pickings could become harder all too quickly and easily. But what if the roads were known for their safety? More travelers flocked and business boomed. The Empire would be willing to pay grandly for safety guaranteed. Steady and reliable source of income. So let's just say," she studied her nails even though there was nothing on them to study, "the bandits wanted to change their careers. This might be an option for them. One that is far more lucrative. And potentially less work."

Eyes flickered up to find those of the sand elf's on her. He had a covering over his mouth and it was hard to read what his expression might be.

 

[Cillian]

The elf and human exchanged a look whilst Jamar rammed the ring onto his plump finger and admired the way it glistened. He seemed completely oblivious to the tone of the conversation for he slapped both Cillian and the human on the backs with a hearty laugh that caused two of out of his three chins to wobble.

"You see, you see my friends that Jamar was not lying and these were people you wanted to meet, eh?" Cillian glanced at the human and the tense way his jaw was set. He didn't look at all like he wanted to be sat at that table and he was pretty sure it was only the very subtle shake of the elf's head that was keeping Jamar's arm attached to the rest of him for daring to touch him at all.

"It does... seem that way," the elf spoke up finally and Cilli realised, with a start, that it was actually a woman behind the coverings. "But, if we were Bandits of course, I would suspect we would be worried the Emperor would go back on his words. He has not always been... kind."

 

[Kailyn]

"No," she frowned. She'd heard the stories. Hadn't seen it first hand. Surprisingly, she'd only seen kindness from the half-giant. "He has not," her voice lowered. "But he is a man of his word."

At least, it had seemed true to her.

He'd promised her, her freedom. And she had it. Didn't she?

A small frown pulled at the corner of her mouth. "But the choice is yours. Take what time you need and I'll wait for an answer here for the next few hours. If you don't return, then I'll assume we don't have a deal. And if you do return? I look forward to proving the word of the Emperor to you."

Kailyn held the gaze of the sand-elf. A she-elf. She imagined the other woman could kill her before she could blink, if she really wanted to. But luckily that didn't seem to be in the cards for the moment. The pair exchanged a look and the large human grunted, elbowing Jamar out of the way as they stood to leave.

Finally. Just for a moment, Kailyn let her eyes flicker to Cilli.

 

[Cillian]

Jamar made his own excused to leave, barely sparing the two of them much of a look as he hurried over to someone else he spotted. Probably someone who owed him money by the way he waddled quickly over to their table and made a loud exclamation of happening to chance upon them there. He shook his head slightly as he watched them all go. Cilli's body was still tense despite the casual way he was seated with his arm strewn over the back of the chair and one leg hooked over the other by the ankle. To the outside world he probably looked like a man with no care in the world, but the more astute would see the way his jaw was clenched and his muscles bunched as if waiting for an attack at any minute.

It was only when he was sure they weren't about to be interrupted straight away that the leprechaun turned his golden hues upon Kailyn.

"Gods lassie, where'dya learn tae speak like that?" he ran a hand that trembled slightly down his face and then gave her a wary grin.

 

[Kailyn]

She took a big gulp of ale, swallowing her nerves. Lowering the cup, she wiped the back of her hand across her face.

"From the different families I served," ambers snapped to Cilli's. "And I suppose it's always something that's just come...naturally. A way of survival." She'd never been a fighter. She could run when she needed to. But her hand-to-hand combat was laughable.

Since she wasn't good with physical weapons, her tongue became one, an essential weapon in her empty arsenal. It's what had kept her from the beds of greedy nobles and slave owners for so long. And only until recently had she discovered her magic. To think how much her life might've changed if she'd known about it earlier AND been able to use it.

"I suppose we'll find out soon if it did any good?" A helpless shrug his way. She found herself staring at him. Caught off guard by his willingness to stay again. Those eyes that she felt like she could fall into and burn up in.

 

[Cillian]

Cillian's face sombered a little as she explained where she had learnt to talk in such a manner. It made sense but it didn't make it any less painful to hear.

"I guess we will," he snuck a glance in the direction the others had disappeared but he couldn't see them in the shadowy tavern. He wouldn't have been surprised if they had left to go and talk to the others in their circle and see what their thoughts were on the matter before coming back to them. He was still uneasy about it all.

"Well," Cilli slammed his hand on the table and then motioned to the bar keep for a drink. "What shall we do wit ourselves in tae meantime, eh Lassie?" he grinned, trying to ease the tense atmosphere. It was much easier when his whisky was delivered.