Private Tales Coinciding Paths

[Anverth Kettlewhistle]

The young halfling's skull felt as if it were about to crack from the blow to his temple, keeping his lips sealed through the long groan that welled up involuntarily from somewhere deep in his chest. The slurs against elves must have been false, since a diet of leaves and wine wouldn't have given Magnus a strong enough arm to impart that much pain with such little effort. Anverth heard Valerie as if he were under water, senses dulled and muddled by pain as they were. He wanted to bite back a quick retort about how mutts were renowned to be better at certain things than pure-breeds, but the white-hot feeling coursing through his brain and the welling of red in his mouth kept the quip at bay. After all, if his plan to be a living distraction fell through, what was all this suffering for?

So the young man waited, staring at Calamys with a hardly restrained fury in his eyes. The elvish man prated on about how he was blessed by the Gods or some other such horse shite, but the halfling didn't respond. He knew, after all, that the elf was simply going on about senseless blather, and- rather unlike the halfling himself -he wasn't even being remotely clever about it. So Anverth waited for his opportunity, biding his time until-- A-ha, there it was. Magnus went into a tirade, wrenching the mutt's neck back even further and leaning down to look him in the eyes. The halfling grinned through pursed lips, and with a quick, harsh puff of breath, sent a horrendous globule of crimson spittle straight into the elf's bloodshot eyes. The elf's grip on the short-hairs of Anverth's neck fell away as his hands clawed towards the half-viscous fluid that clung to his lashes and stung his eyes.

The halfling pulled himself free of Magnus' grip, though he was still very much pinned under the elf's full weight from the knee planted between his shoulder blades. So, the musician did what any rational person would; He grabbed the soldier's dropped dagger as it plinked to the ground dangerously close to his throat, squirming under the larger man's pin. He wriggled for a few seconds, vaguely noticing Valerie breaking free from her own grappler before propelling Magnus' own knife back into his thigh. The elven soldier screamed aloud, startling Anverth into releasing the dagger and letting it drop to the floor, but not before he managed to give his adversary a rather jagged cut above the knee.

Anverth pulled himself free as Magnus crumpled away, aided along by Valerie as she helped him to his feet. She shouted at him, but his ears were still muffled by pain and the faint rushing sound of his own blood being pumped, filled to bursting with adrenaline. The captain tried to grapple with the young woman once more, but she was having none of it. Valerie expertly dodged Calamys' swing, sending him toppling backwards with a kick. Anverth blinked the shock from his eyes, realizing that maybe, just maybe, he'd gotten himself into a pot of trouble he had no place being in.

Before thoughts of cutting his losses could linger and plant their roots, the pair was off, running down alleys getting themselves very thoroughly lost. The grid-like streets of Vel Anir functioned somewhat like a maze, winding around right angle after right angle, and yet the soldiers remained hot on their tails. Between Valerie's injured knees and the laceration upon Magnus' leg, the two pairs' paces matched remarkably well, though this came as no comfort to either party.

Valerie and Anverth took a corner at as quick a pace they could manage, coming into yet another alleyway that at first seemed barren of any potential hiding spaces. The halfling cursed under his breath, throwing his gaze about rapidly until his eyes fell upon a door. It was half-hidden from the way they'd been approaching, sitting just behind a small stack of crates. The hinges were speckled with rust, and the wood was similarly rotten at points that saw much use, but it was their best bet. After all, Anverth was no runner, and Valerie was working with an injury anyone not in a life-or-death situation would find crippling.

"In here," the halfling practically hissed in a whisper, pulling Valerie aside and throwing the door inward. They only had a few seconds before Magnus and Calamys would round the corner behind them, and there was no time for gentleness. The young man took two steps quickly past the unknown doorway, pulling his friend in behind him before delicately closing the door. They stood upon an unlit staircase which lead down into darkness, close to one another upon the first few steps. The young man tried to control his breathing, holding his friend so close that she could hear his heart racing through his chest.

A pair of footfalls grew closer to the door, one graceful, quick, and padded while the other fell with the irregular lope of an injured leg. Anverth held his breath, gently squeezing Valerie without really meaning to.

 

[MJK]

Her legs burned and her heart was banging like a ceremonial drum against her ribs. The thud was kept in time with the slapping of her feet against the road, every step sending a jar straight up through the female's appendages and letting her know the extent of the damage she had suffered. She knew she couldn't go on like this forever, it would be sooner rather than later that her muscles would give up on her and crumple beneath the pressure she was putting them under. Valerie and Anverth took a corner sharply, sending dust and stones flying as they tried to skid around without toppling over their own limbs or each other.

They were only just ahead of the soldiers chasing them, so the wall blocking off the one end of the alleyway that suddenly loomed ahead made Valerie suck in a panicked gasp. Where do we go now? What do we do? Running back is only going to make us have a head on collision with the people we're trying to rid ourselves of. It was Anverth though who found their saving grace, a partially concealed doorway coloured almost the same as the stonework around it. Muttering out a prayer of thanks to whatever deity was listening, the female eagerly joined him inside the doorway which was hastily closed. Valerie was only just able to discern the shape of stairs from the faint moonlight outside just before the door shut them off into a thick darkness. The stairway was narrow, barely able to hold the width of a person with a thin figure. As such, it barely fit the two of them in without squeezing the elf and halfling together,

As pounding footsteps sounded outside, signaling the soldiers closing in on them, Valerie couldn't help but seek the presence of the male beside her. She met him halfway as he pulled her close, her hands balling his clothing into her fists as she held him as tightly as he held her. The thudding of his own heart, racing with the fear that they shared, was tangible from where her head was stooped to rest against the spot just below his neck. The footsteps outside slowed, Valerie holding her breath and closing her eyes as she listened with all the focus she had on determining what was going on outside.

Their voices were muffled but close, sending goosebumps along Valerie's skin and making her freeze solidly against where Anverth held her. He squeezed her gently, reminding the female that whatever happened next he had remained with her, a feat far beyond what Valerie had ever expected or experienced from any single other person. "Where did they go? Their tracks lead down the alleyway before the paving turned to bricks!" Calamys was infuriated, audibly pacing outside. Magnus threw one of the crates nearest to him, sending the wood splintering into thousands of pieces against the stone. "I want to find that half-breed and cut him down!" The two continued searching and by some miracle did not manage to examine the darkened wall close enough to see the door. Growling Calamys voiced a new plan to his companion, saying "They must have used the tracks to confuse us, Valerie would do such a thing with her training and skill set. They're probably long-gone by now. We need to get your leg sorted out and find a place to lay low, the sun will be coming up soon." Magnus merely grunted in response, his irregular stomps making a better point of showing his agreement than a verbal response ever could. With one last angry moan Calamys stalked off, his voice disappearing as he said last "When I get my hands on her again I might just break her feet to keep her from even thinking of -" They did not get to hear the rest, the pair, disappearing back up the alleyway.

Valerie didn't move for a while even when the sound of their feet and voices had faded. Instead she stayed clinging to the halfling, not willing to move or breath until she was absolutely certain the close was clear. Eventually she could hold her breath so tightly for no longer, letting out a strangled-sounding exhale before dragging in a breath. Opening her eyes but not releasing him she slowly looked up, fear still dilating her pupils when she mouthed to him silently, "Do you think they're gone?" Now that she had a moment to breath again the pain was growing tenfold, her legs shaking beneath her as she sucked in a breath through her teeth.

 

[Anverth Kettlewhistle]

The halfling tensed even further as angry voices shouted just outside the door, holding his breath as Calamys made his presence abundantly clear. Anverth's ears pricked slightly in what little light managed to filter past the door as the captain shouted about how he'd like to 'find that half breed and cut him down', and his head turned slowly to stare intently at the closed door. Valeries was close to his chest, then, but he hardly noticed over the much more stressful stimuli out in the alleyway. Somewhere in the din of thoughts that rushed through his head, under the current of fight-or-flight instincts that thrummed through his mind like a river, he was afraid she'd hear that he wasn't breathing.

The halfling held his breath for what felt like a long time, only taking the occasional ragged breath to keep himself conscious as the pair of soldiers continued their seemingly endless search. First their footsteps fell away, then their voices, too, faded into nothing. Their parting sentences, however, were no comfort to the two people huddled on the highest steps. Anverth looked down to Valerie, who stood still as stone in his embrace. Slowly, his breathing returned to normal, but his heart rate still thumped so quickly that it sent tremors throughout his extremities. The halfling first held tighter to Valerie to simply steady himself, but it quickly became a thing of personal comfort as the reality of his situation fell into place. Shock faded, and the young man was struck by the realization that he could have been bleeding out in the gutter if he had been more careless. While he'd snapped quips at the time, the lingering pain in his head and the faint sting across his throat forced comprehension that he'd been incredibly lucky to escape without serious injury.

Valerie looked up to him, pale moonlight reflecting off of her fair skin and allowing him to read her lips. "Do you think they're gone?" Anverth turned to the door once more, screwing his head to the side and raising his ear. A few moments passed without any sound from beyond the threshold, and he gave his friend a slow nod. "... Yeah, I think so," he said aloud, voice coming out as a hoarse whisper. His gaze fell on her once more, and he thought back to the fact that they'd only met little over a day ago. It wasn't long ago that she was little more than a stranger with a lovely accent, a nice smile, and nice lips to match, but he'd nearly died by her side. If not for her kicking every square inch of the elvish soldiers' asses, he might not be alive.

Without another moment's hesitation, Anverth leaned down and gave Valerie a quick kiss on the forehead. It wasn't some great, passionate thing, because realistically, how could it be? They'd only been acquainted a day or so, yet they'd almost died with one another, and nothing forges friendships quite like adversity. He pulled away after only a brief moment, giving Valerie a concerned look. "Are you alright, culver? Your legs looked beat to hell... I don't know if it'd be wise to go looking for a place to sleep in the dark, and I don't think we'd be lucky enough to find another hiding place quite like this." The halfling's gaze turned to the cellar below them. It was dark, but he knew that if it had any inhabitants, they would've certainly come to investigate the pair by then.

 

[MJK]

His voice broke the silence before hers did, the halfling answering her. Hearing him speak only managed to help her feel more relieved, the female unable to ignore the incongruity when comparing her reaction to hearing Calamys' voice compared to hearing his. His words were a salve to her scattered nerves caused by the elven males. He looked down at her gently, Valerie feeling safer for the first time since their run-in with the soldiers. That's the second time they've caught me off guard. I need to be more careful and watchful....especially since now it's not just me that they're after. Holding his gaze intently she stared right back at him, letting the softest of sighs release slowly and carefully from her lips. It was strange, thinking back to the fact that they had known each other for just over a day now, yet she felt more at ease with him towering over her than she had after the sweetest nights rest following a court event. Even with her legs aching, lungs still spewing fire and her heart struggling to normalize, being with Anverth in that moment felt better than many other things she had experienced so far in her short life.

The realization of the fact caused her to embrace him carefully, laying her head against him once more as a show of gratitude that they had both made it out, together. The kiss on her forehead when she released him again came as a surprise to her, the female's eyes widening first from the stupefaction of it while her ears perked up. However, after a second of letting the sensation it had caused sink in, her expression instead relaxed into a soft smile that drew attention to the rosy hue that touched her cheeks.

He asked after her legs, Valerie chuckling sardonically. "They are as you say, but I'll take a sorely bruised knee cap over the company of that man any day. I'll be sporting a couple of purple flowers over the flesh there, but I'm sure it will mend itself in a week or two. We're just going to have to be extra careful until then, I won't be able to put up a good enough fight with an injury like this." He indicated that they should stay in the cellar, Valerie all too happy to accept the idea if it meant she did not need to trod much farther on legs that did not feel like they belonged to her anymore. "The cellar will be fine for tonight. Anything is better than simply sleeping in the streets."

She finally separated from him, breaking away somewhat reluctantly to turn and slowly make her way down the stairs. Each step jarred her knees on impact, making her suck in a pained breath as she tried to clench her jaw through the pain. Anverth was worried as it is, she did not want to make it any worse for him. After making her careful descent, the elf hobbled her way into a small room filled with crates much like the ones outside the door. The was the slight squeak of a mouse or rat somewhere nearby, as well as a persistant dripping, but the place looked far homier to the elf than the thought of being trussed up and spending the night with Calamys.

Thinking back on him made Valerie run through the events that had happened again, the memory of the man pulling he chain from under her shirt making her shiver all over again. The elf limped over to one of the stacked crates, easing herself using the wood as support before lowering herself onto the ground. She muttered a curse or two on the way, but eventually made it down. Now that she had time to think and reflect on what had gone wrong, she couldn't help but worry about what Anverth must be thinking. Surely he was angry at her for keeping something significant enough from him that it might put him in danger? She gulped quietly as she mused on what his opinion of her might be, especially considering she had almost gotten him killed for it.

"I...ah....guess I have some explaining to do." She muttered, rubbing the back of her neck to try and ease some of the tension already building there.

 

[Anverth Kettlewhistle]

Anverth winced as Valerie detailed the budding bruises on her knees-- While her language was (quite literally) flowery in its description, he couldn't help but feel brief pangs of sympathetic pain. Injury meant slowness, and after her displays of physical prowess over the past day, Anverth wasn't certain he wanted to be the quickest one between them. It all seemed rather taxing. Questions sprang to mind about just who those two ruffians were, but he cast the thoughts aside for the moment; There were the more pressing issues of finding shelter and nursing wounds, after all.

A smile managed to crack once more across his face when they agreed to stay in the cellar for the night. There, that was one issue handled. The halfling half-mourned their separation as his friend spun away, turning far less elegant that before thanks to her bruising knees. She painstakingly made her way down, taking the stairs step by step and muttering quiet curses to herself. Anverth followed from a few steps behind, being careful not to rush her descent into the room below. His eyes flitted quickly about the cellar's dark interior, sparsely populated by crates as it was. It seemed there were no further doorways to be found. Only one entrance they had to keep an eye on; Good. On the other side of the scale, though, there was only one exit if things went poorly in their temporary abode.

Valerie lowered herself carefully to the ground, leaning back against a stack of wooden boxes and groaning on her way down. She looked to him with what he interpreted as a calculating gaze, gauging his response to the all around terrible time they'd had on the streets only a handful of minutes prior to finding their ramshackle sanctuary. If there was any anger in him, neither his posture nor expression showed it. Instead, his shoulders carried the tension of someone concerned for their friend's well-being as he dropped slowly to a floor at her side. The halfling didn't quite relax as the elf spoke, instead slinging the pack from his back and setting it beside him on the floor. Rummaging through the bag's side pockets, his hand bumped briefly against the bottle of alcohol he'd purchased from the tavern- No, that wouldn't do. He rifled through the pocket on the bag's opposite side, coming across the small pack of road-snacks he'd never gotten around to eating on their way to Vel Anir.

"Here," he said, holding out the sack of cheesecloth to Valerie without quite making eye contact, his gaze focused on a wall over her shoulder. "It's probably a bit stale, but it's the best I've got. Seems we missed supper, and all-- Talk while you eat, if you'd like." His eyes finally met hers. There was no smile on his face, but his features weren't unkind. "But you don't have to explain if you don't want to."

Behind his facade of ease, Anverth's mind raced with possibilities. Perhaps Valerie was much older than she let on? Maybe that man was her husband, and she'd ran away from a long-standing relationship to find a new life on the road? Or, stranger yet, she could be a creature of the Fae as Anverth had first suspected; Nobody that beautiful just 'arrives' from the dark of the forest, after all.

 

[MJK]

He pulled food from his pack, Valerie's somewhat forgotten stomach riling up immediately at the mere thought of being satiated. After she carefully took the cheese-cloth from him, she unwrapped it to break of a small chunk of the leftover dairy product which was flung straight into her mouth. Other than that she took a small portion of nuts, then handed the rest to him. "You need to eat too, Anverth. I'll be fine with this."

His lack of direct eye contact was already making her nervous, the girl almost relieved to hear that he held no expectation for her to explain herself. However, she knew that even if he did not want to pressurize her into spewing the information she had hidden, it would do no good to keep him in the dark. Now that Calamys and his lackey had their eyes set on both of them, keeping her secret would only put Anverth in more danger. Besides, if she told him now he might get the opportunity to make a run for it before Calamys and Magnus made an effort to find them again. Considering the defeat the soldiers had suffered this night, Valerie knew their retribution would be grand indeed and if Anverth did want to make a break for it while he had the chance she wouldn't stop it. It had been unfair and selfish of her to even drag him into her messy situation in the first place.

For this reason, she sighed deeply. The action involved her whole body, which visibly seemed to slump over as she pondered how to go about explaining everything. "I think it only fair to tell you. You almost died because of me and my actions tonight so you deserve to know." She leaned down, shifting her one leg by cupping her hands behind her knees before lifting it up and slightly right. The movement caused a small burst of pain, but it was bearable to her knee into a more comfortable position. It also placed her leg besides Anverth's, Valerie lying to herself by thinking that the slight warmth of his skin she could feel was only a secondary reason for her wanting to move in the first place.

"I am an elf. I didn't lie about that....but I'm not just a common elf. My father sits on a council of nobles which makes me of a high social ranking among my people." Pausing for a moment, the elf pulled the necklace out from it's hiding place and showed him the pendent. "I wear my family crest around my neck." She continued, going slowly so Anverth could process what she was saying. " The man who attacked me tonight, he's from a different elven clan near mine and they are trying to obtain resources we have through threatening war. They're able to do this because although we have resources, our army is not as strong as theirs. One way to prevent war though, is by joining clans. So, my father arranged for me to be married to the son of one of the rival clan's councilors. The elf I was promised to was the spoiled, militant, self-absorbed elf who had his cold hands around me earlier. His name is Captain Calamys Daedalus, son to Lord Daedalus."

Stopping for a moment she drew her cloak closer around her, not wanting to look at him in case his reaction was one of distrust and judgement. For some reason she was fearful of what he was going to say about the incident, worried that he might want to leave. Thus, she kept her gaze on her lap, finishing with the last bit of her story. "I did not want to be married to him. He has no kindness that I know of and wishes for nothing but power and wealth like his father. The city I am in feels like a cage as it is and marrying him will force me to move away from the only home I've ever known to a completely new elvish court where I'll be an outsider. So I ran. The same night I found out, to be specific. I just wasn't willing to accept that that's all my life would be."

Only once she was done did she look up, searching his face for any emotion that might indicate what he was thinking as she added, "If you want to leave, I'll understand. You don't need to be in the danger I've put you in now, on the run from a well-trained soldier who always gets what he wants."

 

[Anverth Kettlewhistle]

Anverth stared off with a look of intent thought as Valerie explained her situation, long fingers idly toying with the sack of leftover food. A look of deep thought crossed his features as she went on, as if he were thinking of how to best get himself out of the mess he's in.

She finally looked to him after she'd gotten her explanation out into the air. Her gaze held that same calculating look, as if she were trying to guess what he was thinking, but he stared intently at a stack of crates across the room from them. When he spoke, he still didn't quite make eye contact. "Well, with our money combined, I think we'd be able to get a wagon and a mule or two to pull us..."

His eyes finally turned to her, hazel hue looking almost orange in the dim moonlight. "Food might prove problematic, but I could work while we go, stopping in taverns and towns and such. Rations aren't cheap and all, but I trust you're as good a hunter as you seem." His lips cracked into a smirk, not quite fitting to the intense circumstances they'd only narrowly escaped from. "You're a good person, Val-- And if you're not, you're a good enough liar to have fooled me."

His hand reached out and carefully took hers, as if he were afraid to bump or tug any bruises he might have missed. "And I think I rather fancy you, so, there." His shoulders gave a brief shrug, as if they hadn't nearly been taken or, worse yet, killed less than ten minutes before. "So if you wouldn't loathe it too much... Wish to be travelling partners?"

He cocked an eyebrow to her, briefly dipping his gaze to the necklace she'd tried to show him before. It wasn't familiar, but the craftsmanship was admirable and the crest seemed legitimate enough. After the fight the night brought on, he had no reason to doubt her story.

 

[MJK]

She awaited his response, feeling more on edge the longer there was silence between them. What was most likely only a few short seconds felt to her like a lifetime. When he finally spoke she listened with bated breath while expecting the worst, only to have his words not echo what she was expecting to hear. Instead, he spoke of staying, helping her even by finding a wagon and ways to make money.

Valerie's features softened, eyes closing in a slow blink while a held-breath was slowly exhaled from her pursed lips. He's not going to leave. Despite everything he's been through tonight and the danger I've put him in, he's not leaving me. Relief was like a salve to her beating heart, the girl almost unwillingly to believe what was happening. It seemed too surreal. Yet, here he was, taking her hand in the gentlest of grasps and holding it like she was made of glass.

His next words only proved to surprise her further. He spoke a small confession, nothing holding any form of grandeur or fanciful words. However, it was true to his character nonetheless: honest and simple, said with enough tenderness to melt her stony facade and carefully built walls she had perfected in her time at court. She knew better than most that letting people know how you felt was dangerous. Yet here, with Anverth, she felt the safest she had ever been to allow herself to freely speak without first thinking through her words.

Placing her hand on top of his she gave Anverth the smallest but most genuine smile since she had met him. Then, she spoke, almost in a whisper as if she feared that speaking too loudly might shatter the strange private world they had entered which contained only the pair of them. "I quite fancy you too Anverth. You're the best soul I have met in my lifetime, however short it is relative to most other elves. I would greatly appreciate becoming your travelling partner. I promise to keep us well-stocked with whatever game strikes your fancy."

Chuckling, she gently lay her head on his shoulder before speaking again. "Now that you've made it clear you're staying, I think we need to come up with a plan of sorts. Firstly, I think we need to leave Vel Anir...how depends on what tomorrow provides us. I think we could find a ship leaving, or we could purchase two horses or a wagon with mules as you suggested. The combined tips we made earlier should be enough to do any of those options."

 

[Anverth Kettlewhistle]

Anverth cracked yet another smile, trying to laugh. What came out was a bit more hoarse than he would have liked, but after the night they'd had, he couldn't blame himself. "A plan it is, then," he said, leaning his head down to rest light atop hers. His hand gave hers the gentlest of squeezes, as if he were afraid she'd shatter should his grip get too tight-- In actuality, he wasn't sure where her body had been damaged during their scuffle. As adrenaline lowered, his nose began a steady throb of pain, but he was only vaguely aware of the purple spreading over the bridge of his nose.

"I'd really rather not cross the savanna, personally. Heat might just be the death of me." In spite of his slightly harsh words, the tensing of his cheek revealed a smirk that played nicely across his face. "There's Alliria to the east. From there, we can take the portal stone to, well, just about anywhere." He gave a small shrug with one shoulder, favoring the one that didn't have Valerie resting on it.

"I think we could make it anywhere, personally, except perhaps the Falwood. Seems there's some rude folk back that way, or so you say... Honestly, I quite enjoyed traveling with the caravan. We could find one heading east tomorrow morning and catch ourselves a ride to, well, somewhere far away from all this trouble." He pulled away from her just slightly, raising his head from hers and giving her a smile so wide that it hurt the bruise of his nose. "How's that sound? I mean, I would've preferred to visit a bathhouse before getting my feet dusty on the road again, but there are better places to get clean than Vel Anir."

In truth, Anverth was still slightly in shock from the trouble that night had wrought, but his words were earnest. It might take him a few spans to realize the depth of Valerie's troubled past, but if he was going to be walking to world's breadth anyways, why not bring a friend for the ride? Especially when that friend can keep you fed on the road.

 

[MJK]

He began to offer destinations to her, Valerie's thoughts jumping from one prospect to the next with mind-boggling speed. She was excited to say the least, but the events of the day had been beyond exhausting. Stifling a yawn she gave her opinion on where they could go, trying to stave off any worry that tried to consume her while she included the aspect of avoiding Calamys.

"There's so many places to go....almost too many to even fathom when I've been stuck in the same stretch of forest for so long. Portal stones could be useful, but I've also read that they can be dangerous? I really don't know, we could always take a visit there just to see if the stories about them are true." The shrug of his unoccupied shoulder sent a slight movement through to the one she rested on, although Valerie hardly noticed. The scent of his leather vest had momentarily distracted her beyond noticing the minor disturbance, but she forced herself to continue on. "Avoiding the Falwood seems like a grand notion. Elves tend to be able to recognize when they have visitors from other elven regions. I would be spotted pretty quickly unless I wore a mask which seems impractical and dangerous. The caravan could work, but it's slow. Calamys will be finding steeds of some kind to catch up to us and they'll be the best money can buy. Caravans also leave obvious tracks that are easy to follow and can only be used on main roads. Horses would be better, they can take narrow paths which are made by other wilder animals which may cover our tracks and are quicker too."

She lifted her head from his shoulder, rubbing at her eyes softly to try and keep her fatigue at bay before glancing at him. "We can bathe in the first stream we find. I can handle some dust for a little longer if it means putting some distance between Calamys and ourselves." Her eyes were growing heavier, the lids creating a hooded-gaze as she slowly lowered her head back to it's previous spot before they closed completely. "We'll find transport in the morning, for now, I desperately....need....some sleep...." She drifted off towards the end of her sentence, soft sleepy breaths escaping her a few moments later.

****************************************************************************************
The next morning the elf woke with a groan. Whatever damage had been done before had dulled to a barely tolerable, constant pain. Some areas throbbed while others only hurt when she moved, but regardless of what she did there was always some sort of twitch or stabbing reminder of what they had been through the night before. Once her eyes had fluttered open, she looked off to the side to see Anverth sleeping quietly . His nose by now had developed a dark-purple hue, a shiner also prominent and attention-seeking under and around his left eye and towards his temple from where Magnus had struck him with his dagger hilt.

Valerie winced at the sight, fingers carefully grazing the marred flesh with a feather-light touch so as not to wake him. I need to make sure he never gets hurt like this again. This is all my fault and I need to get better at watching out for both of us. Sighing softly she retracted her touch, straightening slightly when he began to stir awake. Once his eyes were open she smiled tenderly, saying in a whisper, "Good morning. Glad to see your injuries did not keep you up last night. I think we were both too tired to care."

 

[Anverth Kettlewhistle]

Anverth just smiled as he watched his bravest friend slowly dozing off at his side. She made more than a few goods points with her planning, and he didn't see a reason to object her until the very end of her thought. The musician, being a musician first and a field-hand second, had never once ridden horseback. Just another difference between their pasts, he mused.

Before he felt the need to interject with that perhaps rather crucial fact, Valerie gave a small stretch before trying and failing to rub the sleep from her eyes. Without realizing just why he was doing it, Anverth leaned closer to her, one hand arm trailing around the small of her back to fill the void left when she briefly pulled away. A quiet sigh of contentment left the halfling as she rested back into her place on his shoulder. Though he was just as eager for sleep, he knew that it would be unwise to leave them without a few minutes worth of watch. "Rest well, Val. Dream of peaceful autumns."

He stayed awake for what felt like hours, but it must have only been a matter of minutes before his own eyelids grew heavy with exhaustion. Valerie's soft breathing kept a nearly perfect time, lulling the musician slowly into a sleepier and sleepier state. Before long, his own eyes shut completely from where he'd been watching the room's sole door. He slumped against the stack of crates behind his back, Valerie still tucked carefully into his arm, and fell deeply asleep.

=-*-=
​

Anverth's dreams were tormented by the cruel, hard eyes of a well-trained killer. He felt the cold, damp stones of Anirian streets pressed tightly against his chest, wetting his shirt and crushing his breath from his lungs. He managed to peel his eyes open, catching sight of the cold blade pressed bitingly tight against his throat.

In the cellar, a movement at his side stirred the musician from his sleep. One eye cracked slightly open, spotting Valerie as she slowly retracted her hand from where she'd been examining his wounds. He gave her a small smile, opening his other eye and fixing her with a bleary, sleepy wink. "Good morning to you, too, culver. I think your assessment's spot on; 'too tired to care,' indeed."

He pushed himself up along the wall, giving his back a careful stretch. Evidently, sleeping propped up against a crate lends itself towards waking up stiff as a board, and his back took to the stretch much the same way a brick takes to a stained-glass window. "Ow," he mumbled tiredly, rubbing a hand gently over his knotted side. He fixed Valerie with a cheeky smile, cocking his head off to the side. "If I told you I was dreaming of you, would you hit me?" While the half-compliment wasn't exactly true to reality, friendly flirtation came naturally to him in times of stress. A nervous habit, he'd say.

 

[MJK]

He greeted her in return, voice cheery as ever while he gave her a sly wink. The term of endearment he seemed to be using more frequently had an effect on the sullen elf, causing her worry over having accidentally woken him up to morph instead into a pleasant awake-ness. Anverth rose from the cold ground, stretching like a sun-bathing cat. He seemed to get some pain from the experience, but not enough to dull his cheeky demeanor as he spoke to her in a flirtatious manner.

Valerie rolled her eyes playfully, using the crates behind her as support while she lifted herself off the ground. It took but a single tentative step towards him for her to be reminded of the previous night's events, pain shooting up like an electric shock. Gritting her teeth, she subdued the shriek of pain wanting to run from her throat. Instead she leaned down to unlace her boots, carefully peeling up her trouser pants to investigate her knees. True to her prediction, mottled purple-blue patches were blooming on both kneecaps.

Great. Just great. Her thoughts were quite sarcastic, but she refused to dwell on the obvious impairment her injuries would provide and instead focused on providing an adequate response to Anverth's teasing. She fixed her pants and boots before straightening, placing her hands on her hips before looking at him with a raised brow. "You dreamed of me you say? Well, whether or not I hit you depends on the context of this dream. I see no need to do you undue harm if we were simply hunting through the wood for elk." She could only guess as the the type of context he was insinuating, but she found it interesting to instead cater to his cheeky sense of humor.

The elf gathered together her things, running her hands through her now dirtying hair as she tried to gather her thoughts on what they would do now. Pulling her bow and arrow bag onto her back she raised this issue with Anverth, saying "So, any sort of certainty with how we are going to leave pop into your mind? We're close to the ship yard if you wish to check there first. Otherwise, we can head back up to the gate to look for some horses."

 

[Anverth Kettlewhistle]

Anverth looked on in a gut-wrenching daze of empathetic pain as Valerie peeled up her trousers to reveal the heavy bruising she'd taken to her knees. The halfling hissed a breath out between clenched teeth, glancing back to her face with a sympathetic stare. "That all seems rather terrible, then." Little did he know that he'd taken similar injuries across his face, though it would explain the harsh stinging pain that smiling spread like static over his wounded skin. The bridge of his nose had gone deep purple, nodding to the abuse his cartilage had suffered however many hours before. The same bruise trailed up to his temple, fading into a faint yellow-brown splotch that disappeared behind his hairline.

The musician carefully swept his hair back behind his ears, wincing noticeably as his fingers less than gently graced his wounded temple. In spite of his efforts, his unruly hair was not to be contained, springing back from where he'd prodded with an air of indignation. This time, however, his hair at least had the common courtesy to stay out of his face. "Oh, no, not hunting elk," Anverth said through his pain, donning an attempt at his cheeky smile that came off as something of a pained grimace. "You and I were out under the starlight, talking about what was, what will be, what is... Until we both rather abruptly turned into rib-eyed steaks."

The musician turned from Valerie before he was finished talking, stooping to the ground once more and gathering up his bag. "Any significance is admittedly lost upon me." After gathering his things, the halfling rose to find his friend had done the same. He gave her a small smile, pain thrumming into a more bearable backing track. "Well, I've never ridden horseback nor taken a ship before, but I think travelling by way of land is much more familiar to me by now." His hand dipped to his side, giving his coin purse a brief heft to test its weight. It was heavier than it had ever been before, and he didn't doubt that it was more money than he'd ever held before. That didn't mean that he'd be able to find a horse at the peak of its breed, though, nor would he be able to afford it. Granted, a crafty tongue had always warranted discounts in the past, and perhaps this deal would be no different. "So I suppose horses it is. Though I do like the safety of a caravan, I think I've got an able-bodied friend who'll keep me safe." He flashed her another brief wink, though this one was neither cheeky nor flirtatious; He simply believed that, yes, he was far safer in her company.

 

[MJK]

The simple gesture of the male moving his hair from his face revealed more of the bruise Valerie had been examining earlier. She furrowed her brow with obvious concern, but knew that there was very little she could do about it unless there was an apothecary of sorts around. If they could find one of those, or even better if they could head out to the forest, then she might be able to mix-up a salve of sorts to help both of them out with their injuries. Hmmm....perhaps some yarrow and arnica might do the trick? She continued musing to herself about the possible options she might use to assist him, but it was dependent largely on what was available in the area.

After retrieving his items he rose much like her, admitting honestly that he had never ridden a horse before but was willing to try. That fact made Valerie nervous, since she had known a couple of experienced horseman who had broken a limb after a bad fall. Plus, if there was any sort of high-speed chase in their near future (a more than likely possibility with Calamys now pursuing them), having him need to cling for his life to a sprinting steed was a thought that made her stomach twist into knots. However, they were left with little options since a wagon would be too easy to track as she had said the night before.

Nodding confidently though she pushed aside her worries, instead forcing a smile which not only would help him to be more assured in their decision but which also made her feel better. Valerie led the way, needing ascend the stairs carefully but with less obvious tenderness than the night before. Opening up the exit brought Valerie to a blinking stumble, her eyelids fluttering rapidly as they adjusted to the brightness of the outside world.

She soon adjusted, holding up her hand to block the sun as she turned to watch Anverth exit before closing the door behind me. With that done the pair headed off, Valerie's eyes scanning the area around them constantly like a hawk searching for a meal. In actual fact she felt more like a frightened dove the hawk preyed on, but knew that showing any external weakness would only bring more hardship to them both.

**********************************************************************************************

A lengthy wall back the way they had walked through the city the day before eventually brought them back to the main gates of Vel Anir. The caravan group they had arrived with had seemingly vanished, nothing but deep grooves in the sand and patches of disturbed grass giving any indication that they had been here in the first place. Striding on through the exit to the city outskirts, the elven woman stopped to try and find the nearest stables where they could acquire a horse. Off to the far right, nestled against the slope of a large hill with a dirt road leading up to it, stood a rickety looking wooden structure where the four-legged beasts they sought could be seen grazing outside. Setting her sights on it, Valerie pointed the place out to her companion. "I think that is what we are looking for. Lets hope they have something within our budget although the appearance of the place would suggest that our coins should be enough."

Another walk, much shorter than the first, allowed them to enter into the dusty, hay-strewn establishment where the smell of manure and alfalfa clung to the air. Valerie peered her head into the darkened stable, needing to squint in order to try and see. "Hello?", she called out loudly, taking a few more tentative steps inside. A straw-hat covered head popped out from above one of the stall doors, a short man with a piece of straw stuck between his lips turning to see the visitors who had entered. Dropping the rake that had been in his hand he strode out towards them, dusting off his hands on already soiled pants littered with unknown brown stains.

"Hey there. What can I do for you?" His voice was strangely well articulated considering his appearance, the female clearing her throat before speaking. After giving a strange look to Anverth, eyes focusing on the bright purple mess spread over his face, he turned back to Val once she started speaking. "Uh, do you perhaps have any horses for sale?" Valerie asked, her eyes hopeful as she looked from the man to some of the occupied stalls that stretched out before them. The man scratched at his beard, taking the piece of straw out and tucking it behind his ear before answering. "Well, most of this are retired cavalry horses, so their not exactly pedigree or about to win any medals for sprint speed." Valerie gave a quick look to Anverth, his words being the encouragement she needed that they might be able to afford the travelling animals.

"That works out perfectly for us. What two horses do you have for around 50 copper and two silver pieces?" The man blew raspberries, putting the straw back in his mouth before answering. "For that you could have any two of the four younger horses out in my left paddock. They're a little scrawny, but they perform just fine." Valerie gave an eager smile, pointing to the paddock they had passed on the way in. "That paddock?", she queried, the caretaker nodding his head before putting his hands on his hips. "That's the one. Choose any two and I'll be waiting here for you when you're done." He turned, going back to the stall he had been mucking out while Valerie left with Anverth.

Waving away the dry dust road they kicked up with their shoes, the pair made their way over to the paddock fence where Valerie stepped up onto the lowest wrung and leaned herself over the top pole. Her eyes narrowed, scanning the grassy area and the four horses that grazed there. "See anything you like?" She asked Anverth first, shielding her eyes by tucking her hand against her brows while she observed the steeds.

 

[Anverth Kettlewhistle]

Anverth glanced politely around the low-roofed stable-house, though his nose wrinkled at the eye-biting scent of hay and refuse that had its run of the place. His expression smoothed out once more once he realized they weren't alone in the room, assuming his usual friendly demeanor as the stable hand turned to address them. The side of Anverth's face positively lit up with pain as he stretched his lips back into a smile, flashing the stranger a brilliant look in stark contrast to his rather grisly wounds. "Lovely place you've got here, s--" The musician was cut off as a sneeze rocked his entire body forward. He was only narrowly able to block it with his arm in time, slightly muting the loud outburst of noise that still served to startle a nearby horse. Anverth gave the stable hand a sheepish smile, continuing with his previous thought. "Sorry, ah... Like I was saying, lovely place, sir."

Thoroughly embarrassed with his own allergies, the musician kept quiet throughout the rest of the sale. Valerie handled herself well, though Anverth thought that offering fifty-on-two out of the gate might have been a bit much. Given the state of the stable, though, he didn't feel too bad about giving the man a fair price for his horses. Besides, he could try to perform for money wherever they stopped first. Might just make enough to get something nice, too.

The halfling drank in the somewhat fresher air once the pair had left the stable-house, letting his breath out in a quiet sigh before sneezing yet again and muttering a curse under his breath. Valerie clambered to the lowest crossbar of the paddock fence, and Anverth simply leaned his forearms against the uppermost plank while examining the four steeds grazing upon the grass. A shadowy lump moved near the back of the enclosure, hidden in the shade beneath a lean-to of wood. Gradually, the fifth creature entered the lighter area paddock, looking only a few months older and a fair bit smaller than the pen's other occupants. Its ears stood out a bit longer than the other horses, and its muscles were far smoother. Through the fur on its side, one could almost make out the lines of its ribs where undernourishment had run its course. Subconsciously, Anverth wrapped his arm over his chest, running his index finger carefully along the ridge of his underfed ribs.

"Well, there's one I quite like..." The musician spoke vaguely, but his gaze was rather fixed upon the mule. The creature moped about its enclosure, grazing from the leftover bits of its larger and more obviously muscled brethren. "How about you?" He gave Valerie a glance from the corner of his eye, turning only slightly towards her while keeping the steed in his peripheral. "Anything standing out?"

 

[MJK]

Valerie watched Anverth from the corner of her eyes, not wanting to interfere with his thinking by looking directly at him but instead let him make his decision without any influence. She followed his gaze to where a fifth option entered into the paddock - a hybrid of sorts, in a much poorer state than the other animals in the enclosure. She did not see his hand brushing over the side of his torso, instead turning her attention to the other animals when he turned the her question on her.

Green eyes narrowing she scanned through the four horses, stopped for a few seconds longer on a slightly smaller steed she assumed to be a mare. Her mane was knotted and flanks flecked with mud, but the she-elf could still see the dappling of white spots on the dark grey coat of the animal. The pattern reminded her of flowers dotting a field, which brought a smile to Valerie's face. "See the small-ish one? The grey on the far right? I think she might be the choice I make. Her size might actually be an advantage too, means she'll be cheaper to feed than the other more brutish looking horses."

Without much thought as to whether or not she was allowed to Valerie ducked under the fence, striding confidently over to where the group was feeding. With her approach all four raised their heads from where they had been grazing, freezing in their chewing to instead watch her getting closer. When she was a certain proximity three of the horses bolted, heading towards the safety of the lean-to the mule had previously been using. The mare was all that remained, her ears swiveling back and her head lowering in an aggressive and defensive stance.

She stomped her foot loudly, sending up a spray of red dust. It seemed to almost be a warning, one Valerie paid no mind to.

As she took a few more steps closer the stable hand emerged from the building, dropping his rake in a nearby wheelbarrow before looking up to where Anverth stood. Upon moving his sights in looking for his female companion he found Valerie striding towards the now snorting mare, the man suddenly sprinting to the fence-side while shouting. "Is she stark-raving mad? These horses are ex-military, they're either spooked easily or defiant and aggressive to their very bones! Is she trying to lose a fight to an animal much heavier than she? That mare was put out to pasture after nearly killing a rider!"

His shouts would be audible to Anverth, but not with enough time for either of them to climb through the gap in the fence they could enter the paddock to stop the inevitable. The mare gave one final snort of warning, just as Valerie took one more step too close. The horse reared and then charged, much to the horror of the stable hand.

Rather than running or darting to the side as any normal person would Valerie simply raised a hand towards the charging steed, not moving as the horse sprinted towards her at full speed. In the blink of an eye she was nearly upon her, the elf still as stone. The stable hand prepared for the worst, crawling through the fence in a bid to pull out what he assumed would be Valerie's unconscious body after being hit at full-speed by the animal. Instead, what happened next shocked him.

The horse ground to a halt just in front of the female, staring in an almost shocked manner at the elven woman whose hand was a few mere inches from her snout. The stable hand froze where he stood, not even wanting to breath as he watched the events unfold before him. Not moving her hand Valerie spoke, speaking in calm, hushed elvish to the animal. "No need for such anger you poor thing, why the unnecessary huff and puff, hm? I'm not some wolf you need to fear...." She continued on, the horse frozen except for it's ears which swiveled around while it listened. After a pause which felt like an eternity the animal suddenly lowered it's head, fitting it's snout snugly into Valerie's palm.

"See? All that fuss and you're actually just a gentle baby..." Her words to the stable hand sounded like some sort of elvish spell since he could not understand a word of it, the male turning to Anverth and muttering quietly, "As I live and breath I have never seen anyone do what she just did and manage to walk away on two feet. Is she some sort of sorceress?"

 

[Anverth Kettlewhistle]

Anverth watched in stunned silence as Valerie entered the pen, spooking all but one of the more noble steeds into hiding among the shadows of the lean-to. He was only vaguely aware of the stable hand's presence as he shouted his way to the fence, for the musician's focus was entirely on the display happening just within the paddock.

His breath was held, bated back for fear of spooking the animal any further. The halfling watched in a mix of awe and fear, hairs standing atop the back of his neck as chills ran down his spine. In another instant, Valerie crossed whatever line the mare had set, and it began a full tilt charge towards the offending elf. It stopped just short of knocking her to the ground, but Anverth didn't see- By then, his eyes were already clenched tightly shut. The soft-spoken syllables of Elvish spoken from beyond the fence were the first sign of Valerie's well-being after the crescendo of threat and violence, sparking the halfling to peel one eye open and examine the scene. There Valerie stood, hand out, softly admonishing the animal for acting out so harshly.

The stable hand spoke up again, this time in a hushed mutter of reverence for the elf's display of animal-handling prowess. Anverth turned his gaze to the man, who might have looked younger under all the dirt than clung to his face. "A sorceress? No, no... Druid, maybe. Fae? Most likely."

The halfling turned his attention back to the pen, then, and gave the back of his friend's head a smirk. "Are you two alright in there, then?" His voice was soft, as if one syllable too harsh might shatter the peace Valerie had forged in the face of fear.

 

[MJK]

Valerie tutted softly, moving slowly closer to the horse. Being mindful of pushing the creature too far she watched carefully for any signs of discomfort the horse might display. However, the mare seemed rather content and perhaps even curious as the elf moved around to the side of her neck. "Pity such a pretty thing is so caked in mud and dirt. We'll have to sort that out won't we?" Valerie continued to mutter soothing words, patting the horses neck and sending a cloud of dust flying up from her coat.

Back at the fence the stable hand whistled under his breath, unable to take his eyes off of the scene before him even as he responded to Anverth. "Fae or not, that is a sight to behold. By golly I think I want three of her to help me round with this lot. They're a handful as it is but she makes the rowdiest of them as supple as a freshly bloomed daisy. You're a lucky man." He shook his head, still meek with disbelief as he eventually turned his sights back on the musician.

"I didn't think I was ever going to sell that mare, she was too much of a handful to be desirable. So you can have her for a mere ten copper pieces. Whatever else you pay depends on the other creature you want to purchase. Have you made your choice? Not much else in the paddock with those frightened pansies hiding in the shelter. " He was oblivious to the mule, the only other four-legged being which had not scurried to the wooden cover as the other three horses had. It simply stood in an unfazed stance, long ears swiveling as he too watched the interaction between Valerie and the dappled grey mare.

The stable hand turned to continue watching Valerie and the mare, whispering to himself in a tone that was audible to Anverth, "By the Gods if she's Fae then perhaps I need to become a warlock of sorts...."

 

[Anverth Kettlewhistle]

Anverth watched on as his disbelief reforged itself into admiration for Valerie's apparent abilities, only half listening to the stable hand's muttering as he concentrated on translating the elf's soothing murmurs. His brow did furrow at the comment about him being a lucky man, though, and he gave the stable hand a well trained glance of side-eye. "Yes, well, she's abundantly talented. Bit of a natural gift honed in Elbion, I'm sure you'd understand." Anverth threw in the last detail on a limb, hoping to confuse the stranger's story just in case two elvish soldiers came asking after they'd left.

Safe in the knowledge that Valerie could handle herself with the skittish mare, the halfling turned his attentions back towards the mule that had garnered his interest before the spectacle of horse-and-rider took place. The other halfbreed seemed to watch the elf go about her soothing babble, as if it, too, were intrigued by her rapport with the battle broken mare. "How kind of you to offer us a discount then, sir... One of your other steeds caught my interest, as a matter of fact." The musician extended his arm past the paddock's fence, pointing out the midweight mule that the stable hand had apparently forgotten. "How much for that one, there? With the funny ears and the short mane?"

Before his question was answered, Anverth heard the stableman mutter yet another comment under his breath-- Something about becoming a warlock of the Fae. Now, the musician wasn't exactly versed in the rites necessary for such a deal to be struck, but he'd picked up a few details from the fairy stories he'd heard over the years. The halfling turned his back to the fence, leaning his shoulder blades against its highest bar and giving the man a toothy smile. "Sorry, friend, but the Fae tend to take one Knight apiece. I believe this position's been taken in her case." It was a cheeky comment at its core, more meant to subtly dissuade the stable from making deals with faeries than it was to inflate the halfing's ego.

 

[MJK]

The stable hand shook his head sadly, giving a slight chuckle before responding to Anverth. "Guess I'll just be resigned to my dreams then. Boy, you should thank your lucky stars though. She must come in handy quite often with her ability to get along so well with any sort of beastie. As for your other steed..." He cast a clance over at the mule, raising one brow before frowning. "You sure you want that guy? The other horses are far more sturdy and better trained. I mean, he's cheaper for sure, but I was honestly expecting to just keep him around until he was too aged and had to go up to the slaughter house."

Valerie went further down the horse's side, stopping at it's centre where she grabbed a handful of it's mane and agilely hoisted herself up onto it's back. With the lightest tap of her heels she guided the animal towards where the other two were standing, the stable hand backing away from the fence out of past experience with the mare. As a final answer to Anverth he lifted his two forefingers to his lips, blowing a lyrical whistle that got the mule sprinting to the fence side where it stood next to the mare Valerie had mounted. "If you want him, you can have him for ten copper pieces. So in total, that's about twenty copper. Never thought I'd earn even a tenth of that from either of these animals so I'm mightily pleased."

The she-elf dismounted, accepting the reigns that the stable hand gave her from where it was hanging on a nearby post. He gave a set to Anverth as well, giving Valerie the time to dig through her leather pouch to produce the miniscule amount needed to pay for the animals. It had barely made a dent in her earnings from the previous night, the female smiling happily as she dropped the coins into the stable hands palm. "See you round folks. Be careful now, wherever you're headed." As he turned to leave he gave a slight wink to Valerie, then whistled while striding back towards the barn.

The female removed a dirty saddle from a nearby post, buckling it onto her steed before helping Anverth with his. If he didn't know how to ride, then she hardly expected him to know how to put on the saddle. Then, she prepared to mount, her hands on either side of the leather seat when she stopped. Instead, she turned to Anverth, a gently smile on her features as she said, "You need help getting on? I think there's a log somewhere near here..."

Once they were all set, the pair headed off into the forest. Valerie chose one of the winding deer paths that cut through the foliage, not caring much to look back at the city which had brought her so much trouble before the forest swallowed them up.

 

[Anverth Kettlewhistle]

Anverth could only roll his eyes at the stable hand's continued admiration of Valerie, hoping that she might catch the expression from the corner of her eye. Her attention was rapt upon the mare, though, and his effort was sadly wasted. "Well, yes, I'm quite sure he'll do just fine." The halfling said, addressing his choice of steed. His coin purse was heavier than it had ever been before, but purchasing any sort of mount would undoubtedly set him back substantially. For now, the mule would have to do. "Training may be important, but if he's half as stubborn as an ass, I trust it wouldn't have imparted much anyhow. As far as 'sturdiness' goes, well, I suppose he'll just need to prove you wrong, sir."

The young musician was happy to see Valerie returning to the fenced side of the paddock once more, and he gave her a broad smile even as the stable hand backed away. "Glad someone's made a friend, culver." His voice was happy, though there was a double meaning to his words; The gaze he gave Valerie further cemented his double meaning, consolidating the fact that he really wasn't jiving with the stable hand all too well. Nevertheless, the halfling took his offered reigns in hand, looking them over close enough to nearly miss the elf paying for their joint deal. His mouth fell open to interject, but he decided that it may just be best to pay her back later on down the road.

Anverth struggled to get a saddle situated on his mule. His arms hurt from the previous night's fighting, and his head still bore the throbbing pain of the morning's headache. He tried to copy the method he saw Valerie employ, but he only wound up tangling the straps and frustrating himself. Once she began to assist him, though, the pair made short work of what would have been a hassle for him to handle alone. When she asked him if he needed help getting on, though, his pride just about broke. "Nope, nope, I think I can handle this part myself, thanks."

The halfling took a pair of quick steps to build momentum, leaping elegantly into the air and swinging one leg along the saddle until he rested gently into the leather seat. The mule gave a frustrated sound, but Anverth managed to lull it back to calmness with a few quiet murmurs and a stroke of its mane.

Before long, they were off, though the halfling felt a slight pang of guilt for just how cheap they'd managed to purchase their respective rides. Sure, most of the money weighing him down was in the form of iron pennies and drabs, but the stable seemed destitute. Even paying for the saddles and rigging would have helped to assuage the musician's remorse slightly, but he kept these feelings held behind a thin gate, keeping up his smile as the pair rode off into the woods. "So, with all the people entering and leaving a place like Vel Anir in a day, do you really think those two bastards'll be able to find us? I mean, I like the security of a caravan is all, so I'm wondering if all these deerpaths and rough-rides are worthwhile."

 

[MJK]

Valerie was following the path carefully, guiding her mare as to not lead it along any winding roots or deep ditches that might hurt the animal and cause it to injure itself. She was also watching around them carefully, somewhat nervous about the other two elven soldiers sneaking up on them again. It would be much more difficult to outrun them in the forest. There was less places to hide and Anverth wasn't exactly experienced in riding at too strong a pace. For this reasons she almost didn't catch watch Anverth had said, ears pricking up suddenly when she realized he had been speaking to her.

"Hm? Oh, you were asking after Calamys and Magnus..." She chewed her lip for a moment while she thought, eventually shaking her head before twisting in the saddle to look at him better. "If they had any of the training I did, they know how to track. Part of that is thinking like your prey would. I'm trying my best to do things that are unexpected and against what any noble elf would do, hoping that that might steer them off our path. However, Calamys is very, very good at what he does. What we're doing will help us stay a few steps ahead of him, but for how long I'm unsure. All I know is that they tracked us down way quicker than I expected because I stuck with the caravan troupe, so my thinking is that it would be best to try a different method of travel."

**************************************************************​

Back in the city, the two men the elf and musician spoke of were stirring from their sleep. Magnus woke with a groan, waking his captain who also proceeded to hiss under his breath at the pain that seeped from his chest. The man rolled off from the bed he had rented for the night, standing before a rusted mirror to remove his shirt and gaze at the boot-shaped bruise silhouetted on his chest. He breathed out angrily, buttoning his undershirt back up while Magnus sat up in his own cot. "She got in a lucky shot. We will have to stop at the apothecary before heading off..." Calamys was fuming, pulling on his boots in a rush while his companion was still rubbing the sleep from his eyes. "Captain, are you already eager to leave? Would it not be best to rest, heal and gather some more information on where she could be going before heading off?"

The seething glance that Calamys shot his way sent Magnus' mouth shutting tightly, the man instead wordlessly gathering his things with a quickened pace. "The sooner we head off, the less time she has to get ahead of us. I want her trussed up and back in my city before the end of the week. It will be all the proof my father needs to promote me as head of his forces for when he retires soon." Calamys revealed some of his ulterior motives, buckling his sword to his waist and heading out the door to pay for the room and leave. Magnus hopped on along behind him, trying to pull on his boot and buckle on his own weapon before Calamys left without him.

 

[Anverth Kettlewhistle]

The halfling hummed a jaunty tune as he thought, content to let his mule guide itself after Valerie and her mare. Anverth was never one to sneak around, so part of him knew to take the elf's word on good faith; After all, being the daughter of a noble, trained to track and hunt, she had infinitely more experience in this field than he did. Still, he hated to relinquish the security of having others around, especially the armed guards popular among caravans. Nevertheless, he knew that anyone searching for them could ask around Vel Anir and get some pretty pointed answers. The pair had stuck out like sore thumbs amidst the city's primarily human populace, and their battered states would undoubtedly make information easy to come by.

"I suppose you're right." He said finally, nodding twice in affirmation. "Let's just hope those few steps are enough to keep us ahead." If the pair of soldiers were already on their trail, Valerie and Anverth would need to make good time to keep ahead- A caravan of slow moving carts and wagons would only hold them back. Perhaps, in time, the opportunity to shake off Calamys completely would present itself. In the meantime, however, the musician kicked himself for not purchasing a weapon of some sort while he had the chance.

The trail ahead wasn't particularly challenging over the course of the next hour or so, taking the duo across easy slopes and sparse woods for the most part. As time wore on, however, inclines only got steeper and trees grew closer and closer together. Still, the mule kept walking as stubborn as any ass, and Anverth found himself thankful he had Valerie to follow. "You know, I hate to ask, but where exactly are we planning to go?" The halfling spoke up, head cocked to the side. "I can't exactly perform for the woodland creatures. Well, ah, I can, but they're not the paying sort, and I definitely can't buy us rations off of them."

 

[MJK]

"Technically, we need to stay ahead of them just long enough for us both to heal up a bit. Then, Once I'm recovered, I'll feel a bit less cautious about having another potential run-in with them again. I'll not be caught out. Especially not after what they almost did-" She paused, realizing what she was about to say. A blush formed on her cheeks, the obvious rosy hue hidden when the female swiveled back around to face the front. She cleared her throat, pushing some hair out of her face before she finished what she had been saying. "Especially what they almost did to you. That was uncalled for."

She clucked to her horse, urging in on once more when it lagged slightly after being distracted by a flock of birds passing overhead. He queried on where they were heading, the girl relieved that she could change the topic of conversation. "We're heading towards a coastal town which is absent from most of the maps. It's a days ride, so we'll have to make camp come the evening."

****************************************​

The pair did just that, the hours soon growing long as well as the shadows, indicating to Valerie that it would soon be time to stop. Eventually finding a suitable glade she halted her steed, climbing off with stiff, aching legs which had been battered the night before and then been forced to stay in the same position for the entire day while riding. Before setting up camp she tended to her horse, removing the saddle before hitching it to a nearby tree next to a large patch of grass. Once content that the animal would be satisfied for the night she went about unrolling her bed roll beneath the tree among it's large, winding roots. Occasionally she stopped to check on Anverth's progress, finishing a little before him which gave her time to gather a few sticks and logs to build a fire. "I'm going hunting- should be back shortly." Her words were serious as she strung her bow over her back. After the previous' night's events, she wanted to be back at the camp before night fell. The thought of leaving Anverth alone was unsettling to her.

 

[Anverth Kettlewhistle]

The young halfling bit his tongue as Valerie brought up an urge for retribution. Not rooted in the soldiers' mistreatment of her, but rather due to the abuse leveled at Anverth in their brief run in. His cheeks flared red, and he toyed nervously with the reigns he only half gripped out of courtesy to his mule. Part of him was thankful that she turned around-- If he was meant to become a debonair bard someday, he'd hate for Valerie to know just how mad she drove him. So, he muttered a quiet thanks before relinquishing his attention to the elf's answer, glad to have the distraction from his romantic predicament.

"Well, a coastal town couldn't be a bad idea," He wagered, though his voice carried the faint upward lilt of a question. "Perhaps we could find a vessel to take us over the seas?" He didn't know where exactly the oceans could take them; As far as Anverth knew, the nearest ports would be at Vel Anir or back into the Falwood, and either case wouldn't be great for them. Of course, there might be a trade vessel leaving for Alliria; Helping tend the deck with a ship's crew might be enough to earn them passage, too, or so he mused.

~-=-~
​

Anverth's struggle with his mule was about as rough as one might expect, but at least the stubborn beast had taken some shine to the young man during their day of riding. His legs ached worse than they had ever ached before, and he could only imagine Valerie's pain. Of course, she had a substantially greater deal of experience riding than he did, and his joints had not built up the fortitude for so many hours spent riding.

The musician went about doffing the well-worn saddle from his mount, laying it near the center of the glade. Making his way back to the mule, he hitched it to a tree that was hopefully near enough to grass that the animal could graze throughout the night. Luckily, Anverth had learned a fair few knots in his days, easily hitching the mule with perhaps a little bit too much flair. He gave his yet unnamed friend a few strokes along its short mane, cooing something polite before making his way to Valerie. She had already gathered branches and kindling, more than enough to start a flame, but said she'd be leaving to hunt for dinner.

"Alright, culver." The halfling spoke with more confidence than he had, swallowing his nerves about being left alone and putting on a brave face for his friend's sake as well as his own. "I'll get the fire going while you're gone. Don't be too long, though; I might just start to miss you." With a charming little smile, the halfling turned and got to work setting up the framework of a decently built campfire, humming a tune as he worked.