Completed Crime and Reparation

[Amalia Rosethorn]

"I-I know that I've... I've... Blundered, Gronwick, but but but! I've the coin to repay you! I promise!"

"COIN DOES NOT BRING ME BACK MY MEN, NOR DOES IT PAY BACK LABOR. SHOULD YOU NOT GIVE YOUR BODY AS RECOMPENSE?"

In the underbelly of Alliria, these two men bickered back and forth. If you could call it a back and forth. More so a one sided berating of the other.

Germaine Howerton, a human and a smuggler, one filled with cowardice, connections and coin. A weakling who jumped into the criminal underworld in hopes to line his own pockets.

Throe Gronwick, a half orc mercenary with his hand in hallucinogen drug trafficking, assassinations, and many other heinous deeds. Yet he still retained a sense of hardwork and honor that Germaine had long forgotten.

The gist of it is, Germaine fucked up. He was supposed to help some of Gronwick's men reach Elbion safely. Instead his greed got the better of him. He was offered a hefty amount of gold in exchange for the delivery of some of Gronwick's goods and took the bribe without thinking. What he'd expected was a rival gang to come in the midst of moonlight and steal the caravan which he could just pass off as a random theft, where he could keep his job money and his bribe money. What he did not expect was that these rival gang members would cut the throats of all but Germaine. In summary; Germaine got all of Gronwick's men killed and his goods stolen for money.

The mercenary was understandably livid and now demanding that Germaine either die or give his life to working for him in order to make reparations for his atrocity.

Amalia also liked coin, however. She was hired by Mr. Howerton in order to provide protection. He paid handsomely and upfront. She stood by his side with several other sell swords as he tried to weasel his way out of this debacle. Gronwick had much less protection with him as he was a warrior himself, but did have some hired blades near him. She kept her eyes on the opposing mercs as she listened to their ramblings.

"Ther-there has to be some other way, Gronwick! Please I beg of you! I let myself be fooled and it shan't happen again!" The smuggler whined towards the uninterested half orc.

"YOUR GROVELING DOES YOU NO GOOD YOU SPINELESS WORM. I DEMAND YOU CHOOSE: DEATH OR SERVITUDE!"


(OOC: Please feel free to speak as either NPC)

 

[Leyus]

Leyus was here... Well, to learn a lesson in a way. Not that he really required such means of gaining this most valuable piece of education, but, unfortunately his opinion had little value here. The story was truly quite simple: recently he had found a new roof here in Alliria. A metaphorical one, of course, one that let him earn generous amounts of coin by doing some less legal deals. Not that he ever stained his hands with downright murder, he had no skill in that field, but selling some goods was right down his alley. Even if those goods could land you a few years in prison.
Leyus generally didn't worry about that all that much. Even if some recent events had made him more wary of the world around him, he still trusted his own abilities of running away and hiding in places where nobody would find him.
Gronwick did as well. And therefore he also trusted his ability to disappear if one of his operations went south. Thus he had invited Leyus here this evening to show what could happen to him in such case.

To be honest, he just wanted to leave this conflict to be and go home, or rather go to whatever place he had taken up calling home this week, but that would mean a lot of trouble. And Leyus wanted to keep his temporary home for at least few more days. Obviously, he could have left Alliria in a whim and traveled to some far away place for long enough that interest in him would die down, yet all of that seemed like too much empty trouble.
So he stood there, in between the few mercenaries Gronwick had hired, trying to look as one of them the best he could. Which really meant a lot, since Leyus had a large control over his own appearance. He had even constructed a really nice scar down the left side of his face.
The only thing that could give him away was the lack of any visible weapons. Although, maybe it would only serve to make him seem more dangerous. That would be nice.

"Gronwick, I guarantee that nothing like this will ever happen again! But-but there has to be another way," the man still clung desperately to his last hope, his voice slowly withering away. It was almost enough to make Leyus feel pity.

"YOUR DEATH WILL BE THE BEST GUARANTEE!"

At this point Leyus really started to consider how many people would step out of here alive tonight.

 

[Amalia Rosethorn]

"If I may be so bold, sir Gronwick." Amalia interjected once the room's atmosphere shifted down a step. The half orc merc leader was showing signs of ever increasing impatience and it would not be too long before he stopped the conversation in order to take Germaine's head right then and there. She wouldn't normally care if a weasel such as this smuggler who hired her had lost his life, but he was paying her to be helpful. If she wanted her cut she needed to step up now. She offered Gronwick a curtsy before she stepped forward. He snorted angrily.

"You may proceed." He stated plainly.

"I thank you." She rose. "I cannot disagree with your frustrations, only your requests. Even as a servant to you Germaine loses his worth as an asset. His strengths obviously lay in his connections. Those who have the power to offer more allies and manpower than he could ever muster himself. If you killed him you would lose those connects for good."

"A mediocre point. If he was under my command he would be forced to make those connections work for me regardless."

She shook her head in protest. "I don't think that would work the way you expect it to. He may be an honor devoid cretin but those he has in his pocket may not hold the same standard. It is possible they would only respond to demands from their direct employer, despite his current situation."

The half orc rubbed his chin with a large "Hmm..." Amalia was trying to take advantage of the fact that Gronwick was not the debating type. It was his helpers she would have to worry about. Germaine offered her two thumbs up and a creepy, sweaty smile. She responded with a roll of her eyes as she stepped back from her position of talking.

 

[Leyus]

Leyus had planned to stay aside and only listen this evening, unless the situation went out of control, in such case he would simply flee as he did the best. Yet the talking seemed to become more and more heated, as the conflict approached as an inevitable storm cloud, and with this Leyus began to consider that maybe taking the most passive route of action wasn't in his best interests.
Especially as a woman from the opposite side gathered enough courage, or maybe cunning brought by knowledge unknown to him, to speak to Gronwick himself. And the half orc allowed that, which possibly meant that this conversation could lead to something other than bloodshed.

As the woman stepped back, Leyus shuffled closer to Gronwick, speaking up loud enough that he would be heard by both sides. "If I may," he hoped to use the fact that the woman had seemingly managed to cool his employer's anger a bit.

"Speak," Gronwick answered sharply. Well, Leyus still had his permission, whatever the tone.

"She might not be wrong. Our friend Germaine here might become a servant to you, but at a cost of those underneath him being as good as lost. Having their employer in such position might make them wary of their own possible faith," he tried to make his tone as even as possible under the glare of the half orc.

"Are you trying to protect this worm? Who has your loyalty here: him or me?" Gronwick's tone gained a heated edge once more, as Leyus raised his hands quickly, taking half a step back.

"You, boss, only you. I'm merely thinking of your best interests."

Gronwick huffed at that, but no immediate reply came from him. Leyus truly started to wonder if speaking his mind had been the best course of action, or whether it had done nothing but make himself seem to try and pave a safer road for his own future. He had no doubts that Gronwick had doubts in him, even if his skills and experience outweighed those.
Leyus shot a look at the woman and Germaine. They would have to choose their words carefully now.

Otherwise somebody would most certainly die tonight.

 

[Amalia Rosethorn]

Gronwick was a meathead, that was definite. That didn't mean the mercenary was a belligerent fool however. What it meant was he had his pride. While keeping his pride in mind, all she was required to do was make sure his end of the deal was something that either rejuvenated or at the very least leveled out that pride. She had to think. In a result of bloodshed, she would likely be payed less. Though she knew she could guarantee Germaine's survival she still wanted to walk out of this with as heavy a pocket as possible.

Leyus stepped forth and earned a bright smile from Amalia. The man seemed to want to avoid destruction as well. Different reasons, same goals. Her eyebrows raised with her lips to indicate a silent thank you. He was somewhat silly to speak in defiance of what his superior wanted but guts like that were gonna be what won this.

"You see Gronwick, buddy?! W-We've both got too much riding on this right now! I can split my coin with ya, and you'll still be able to get hired swords outta' me!" Germaine was letting his confidence build too quickly. He kept repeating what was smarter than whatever his own mind conjured rather than showing anything of value. This earned him more scowls from the half orc.

"I already told you, your coin matters not to me! DO NOT CONTINUE TO INSULT ME!" The mercenary standing from his chair. Amalia stepped forward again to try and address the situation but Gronwick promptly put his hand up.

"YOU HAVE ALREADY SPOKEN!" He bellowed at her. She offered a curtsy anyways and turned her back to hide her anger. She looked towards her fellow mercs to see if any of them had anything to say. None of them stepped to the plate.

"Is that it then?" Gronwick scoffed. "Replacement soldiers is all you have to offer? It is decided then." The half orc drew his sword. Germaine frantic and sweating bullets now. Amalia turning to stand in front of her cowardly employer.

"Stand down, woman."

"I am hired to not do that, sir Gronwick. I mean you no disrespect, but I implore you to hear all your options before you take his head."

The half orc's impatience did not falter.

 

[Leyus]

The woman actually smiled at him, somehow taking Leyus aback by such a direct gesture of gratitude, although he hoped that he masked his own reaction well. It was, after all, good. There were people on both sides wishing for the same things, the same peaceful resolution, and he wasn't going to go against that. Support was good. Allies were good.
In the end it just meant an additional chance of survival if a fight did break out. Some positive feelings could make him the last target to kill, and that could very well give him the time necessary to get out of here.

And it started to seem more and more that a fight would break out here very soon, because as successful as he and the woman had been in calming Gronwick's rage and trying to nudge this whole things towards a deal that would be very lucky for Germaine, the man himself proved to lack in the skill of diplomacy in an instant. Really, how had he come so far in this business without the skill of coaxing any failure in promised future successes? Leyus was only left to wonder.
Meanwhile Gronwick's fury grew again, even as the woman tried to get some reason into this conversation. Quite a hopeless thing to do, if you asked Leyus himself.

Yet, he had already become quite invested in a positive outcome for this whole deal. And it would be very unlike Leyus to step away instantly from something he tried to achieve. No, it was more in his style to turn around when everything was lost for sure.
And, truly, hadn't they, he and the woman, become allies even if for a few moments, in this shadowy place? It would have been terribly rude to leave a lady alone, even one that could probably try to kill him very soon.

"Gronwick," he started slowly, carefully, hoping that the half orc wasn't too far gone in his rage not to listen to him.

In retrospective, that was probably the biggest mistake of the day.

"DO NOT SPEAK AGAINST ME!" he snapped at Leyus, very little reason left in his eyes now.

And with that he raised his sword.

Leyus gritted his teeth. Well, he had tried at least. Poor Germaine. All the worst people just had to go so soon.

 

[Amalia Rosethorn]

The blade was raised and Gronwick had officially lost all sight of a reasonable outcome. The bribery did not go as planned even with her well executed phrasing. Even his own allies couldn't keep the man's rage contained. Many of the mercs on Gronwick's side looked ecstatic that this was concluding in such a way. Which made sense as to why they didn't aid Leyus in trying to simmer the situation down.

The weight of the blade began to crash towrds Germaine's head, who was crying in fear and holding his hands up in hopes of doing... Something. Amalia exhaled sharply and stepped forward, grabbing the blade out of the air. The steel from it froze instantly, and shattered into flakes of ice in moments. She then stood in front of Germaine matching her eyes to Gronwick's

"YOU WOULD INTERFERE?!"

"As I've stated before, sir Gronwick, I was hired to protect Germaine. If you continue this any further your lungs will be frozen next."

The two stared at each other in contempt. Mercenaries on both sides drew their weapons in preparation. It looked as if it was going to end in war despite their efforts. She offered one last glance at Leyus, hoping he could think of anything that might help, as she had dug her grave already.

 

[Leyus]

Oh skies damn him, trouble really followed him anywhere he went, didn't it? His mom had always said that those who seek adventures always find more of the dreary than noble ones, but had the scales tip this far on the dreary side? After all, those weren't really the adventures he was looking for, just a way to make some coin, to travel some. Maybe find out something more about himself, even if that wasn't always all that pleasant as well.
He had never signed a deal that he would stand in the middle of nasty conflicts like these. Well, fine, to be honest, engaging in dirty matters meant, well, not ironically at all, getting your hands dirty as well. And just getting into sticky situations.

Leyus had to think fast, as the woman froze Gronwick's blade in the air, making a part of his mind whistle. She was good. And he had no doubt that she could kill the half orc. Maybe with a bit of trouble, but she could. And she could probably get out of here with that lousy bastard as well. In short term it meant some trouble for him, in long term, it meant fights for power in Alliria, which would mean a lot of trouble for Leyus. The other option was somehow getting the three of them: her, Germaine and Leyus himself out of here, and then getting as far from this city as they could. Leyus could do that. It wouldn't be pleasant or easy, but he had put up with worse.
Maybe he needed to get away, instead of sinking back into his old life of small crime and mediocre trade deals. Perhaps a change would do good for his yearning to... simply learn, really.

As one of the icy shards slid towards him, Leyus knew what choice he had made. Probably a bad one. But, honestly, at this point he only had bad and worse ones, so who was here to judge him? He ducked down, as if to avoid getting hit by some sharp fragments, as his fingers got hold of the shard at his feet. It was cold. Freezing. The feeling of it made his decision settle down completely.
Now he only needed a voice for this spell, to channel it through. Grit would fit it the best. He had never used this aspect of lithomancy before, but this was no time for second guessing, he would have to trust his gut. After all, hadn't he learnt to survive no matter what for something?
So he quickly scrambled a single word on the stone floor:
FREEZE.
In the next moment, all in the room, except the woman, were frozen. Not by literal ice, but frozen in place and mind, as flies in honey, as people in deep thought. The spell had done what it had to: freeze those that could, in his own mind, interfere his escape.

"Quick, we've got a couple of minutes at most," Leyus breathed out, scrambling up to his feet, the surroundings a bit blurry in front of him. The spell had drained him quite a bit. And it would be very short lived. He could already feel the people around getting back to life, slow as it was. "The deal is lost, take him and let's get out of here," there was a distinctive sense of urgency in his voice.

Some people might say that what he did was extreme. Stupid. Reckless. Leyus would simply reply, that any means of stopping a furious half orc had to be a little bit mad.

 

[Amalia Rosethorn]

It took her a couple moments post Leyus' words for her to process in her head what had even happened. The people were still moving and breathing and eyes still shifted, yet it was abundantly clear to her that they would be unable to stop his plan. At least for now. She let out a small giggle in glee from this. She even found herself uncontrollably giving Leyus a big hug.

"You are absolutely incredible! I knew you'd pull through!" She said. Her intentions may be unclear on the surface but she was actually extremely grateful for his intervention. That being said had there been no coin involved she probably wouldn't have show her more eccentric side. She took Germaine by the hand as he stood there a shell, and fled out the door with he and Leyus.

As they exited, there was an interruption. A guard who wasn't accounted for watching the exit door.

"I don't think s-"

The man tried to stop them but before he could draw his blade, let alone finish his sentence, he was already choking on his blood. Mid sentence the cryomancer had stepped forward and conjured an icicle from her palm, splintering it through the man's throat. The eeriest part being the lack of emotional change. She seemed equally as cheery as she had when Leyus had casted his spell.

Amalia looked back to Leyus with an ominous smile; "Come now, like you said, we haven't much time!" She let out another giggle and continued to run with Germaine in tow.

 

[Leyus]

Leyus usually had very vivid dreams. It had been like that throughout his whole childhood, youth and the same thing had slipped into his adulthood as well. He often recalled them, as chaotic as they could be, and in great detail as well. This fact, along with the surreal nature of what was actually starting to happen around him made him wonder for a moment: was he dreaming right now?
Because as much as he could have anticipated different kinds of emotions and responses the woman might give him, this was more than just unexpected. When had the calm, collected and highly reasonable woman turned into... this?

Well, she wasn't trying to use her powers against him. She seemed rather pleased, grateful even, judging by the fact that Leyus found himself suddenly being hugged. "Ah, well, yes," it was rare for somebody to make him stumble over his words or make him feel awkward, but this woman had managed to, "I do my best."

At least she was swift to grab her employer and get away from this damned place before his spell could come to a rather unpleasant end, and that was enough for Leyus for now. He had faced a lot worse than overly cheerful, odd ladies, even if this was rather unnerving.
The same feeling grew as the woman didn't hesitate at all before killing a guard that had been left out of the effect of his magic, remaining as cheerful as before. And it wasn't just some acting or other cheap trick, Leyus, after all, could very well feel the emotions of those around him, and this lady really seemed quite unfazed and even amused by his and her own actions. "Lead the way," he called back, quick to follow her, despite the conflicting feelings he had about this.
He would get out of immediate danger and then think about other things.

At least his face could betray very little of his true emotions, as, with them starting to rush away, Leyus focused his powers, or, rather, let them slip out of focus, fudging his appearance more and more. The scar slowly washed away, other features becoming somehow blurred. He had to change his looks as soon as he could.

 

[Amalia Rosethorn]

They found themselves out of the building now. The basement they'd been in held most of the wayward deal making, the above was fronted as a weapons shop. The man selling these said weapons didn't ask questions when they left. He knew it was always better to avoid situations with those he let taint his store. Amalia offered the man a quick wave and smile as they left. He was visibly confused but still refraining from speaking on the matter.

In the streets, she let go of Germaine's hand and exhaled, signalling for them to follow her. Her pace was brisk yet collected. One that said they were trying to get through the city, not get away from anything. Her current employer was showing signs of recovering and would soon be a nuisance to her again with his mouth. She tapped a finger to her lip and looked over at Leyus' echoing form.

"While we still have the time, I thought I should ask, how did you get wrapped up in all of that?"

 

[Leyus]

Leyus could relate to the man in charge of the weapon's shop very well, resonating with both his confused expression and the same feeling that came from him in tangible waves. All he did, however, was nod at the man in his most encouraging manner. Hell would soon break loose here. His well-intended gesture didn't do its job properly, since his face was a bit deformed at the moment, and the seller only leaned back a bit, clearly not appreciating such a view. Well, people usually didn't react well to this part of his nature.

The woman however didn't seem to loose even a bit of her light mood as they marched through the streets of the city. Leyus kept track of their location well enough, having studied this part of Alliria for quite some time, but for now he followed the woman. It was the best thing to do, short term. If they were found soon, she was a good ally to rely on for additional protection, and she seemed to have some kind of idea of where she was taking them. Obviously, sticking with her for too long would be dangerous, especially when he would finally manage to change his appearance enough and find a suitable change of clothing. Then he could easily get lost in anywhere, given that he was alone, finding the best route away.
Elbion. He could go to Elbion. Of even Vel Anir. Somewhere where he could use his real name without risking immediate retribution.

"Oh, the usual," he replied to the woman, still focusing more on shifting his looks, "I was in need of some coin and knew Gronwick before. We go back a few years, actually. Well, he gave me a job. I guess that today he wanted to show me what would happen if I did it poorly," he snorted at the absurdity of that statement in the light of previous events, his long held tension giving up to some twisted amusement. Very suiting to this new, almost light tone, came his newly forming appearance. His hair got lighter, his eyes reflected the clear blue of most radiant summer sky, and the face that had recently belonged to a rough mercenary now looked like that of a young son of some lower nobility or, perhaps, a student. If one wanted, they could still find enough resemblance between the two. Resemblance that would completely disappear in an hour or two.
"And yourself?" he asked even if the answer was probably clear enough already. Although maybe the woman would surprise him again. Women were very peculiar beings after all.

 

[Amalia Rosethorn]

Amalia watched in amusement as Leyus' form shifted. She was never one to speak on another's race as she never really cared. She had never met a shapeshifter before however. She'd known of their existence and the prejudices against them she had never been able to meet one in the flesh and thought herself better off for the experience. There was a enigmatic beauty attached to being able to change your appearance on the fly, and his wispy nature intrigued her to no end.

"Coin." She stated bluntly, giving the almost conscious Germaine a tousle of his hair. "This cowardly lout has pockets deeper than any Allirian noble and he's going to pay me handsomely for the exquisite protection I gave him, isn't he?" She held his chin in her hands giving him an ominous smile, Germaine's plastic face showing very faint signs of horror.

They continue to meander deeper into Alliria and eventually molded with the crowd, finding them would be a struggle at best at this point.

"What are your plans then, shapeshifter? Oh, I'm Amalia, by the way."

 

[Leyus]

Her answer really did match that which Leyus might have assumed, which wasn't a surprise. Coin, after all, was one of the moving forces of the world, even if some people might try to argue against that. Obviously, there were other things that made sentient beings who they were and caused their actions, but precious metals and other goods were there, at the very top. Money was just a form the promise of passing hardships took.
"Oh, he better," he gave Germaine the best cheerful nod he could muster, given the circumstances. The fool better pay this woman whatever she demanded, otherwise, Leyus assumed, the death from the half orc will become one of his most treasured dreams. Women, especially ones like this one, gave Leyus the chills mostly for the reason that they had very little trouble killing and knew how to go about it in very... creative ways.

The further they went from the meeting point, the more relaxed Leyus' posture grew. The crowd of the giant city was a good guarantee of safety, and he himself was far better off looking as carefree as he could. Less suspicious. Even if his company could still give him away.
There was a bit of tension that flowed back into him at hearing the name woman addressed him with, but he pushed it down once more. There was seemingly hardly any malice in her words. Hopefully, this wouldn't end up with him in a cage again. "Leyus," he smiled as best as he could, "Pleasure to make your acquaintance. And I'm planning to get as far from here as soon as I can. They say Elbion is very charming this time of the year."
And he knew the roads that led there very, very well. Maybe he would even manage to find somebody who could help him with using a portal stone. There were some favors he could still cash in before leaving Alliria.

 

[Amalia Rosethorn]

"I cannot blame you for that desire. It'd be best for me to do the same, probably." She shifted as Germaine regained his consciousness fully, looking confused at the situation.

"W-what happened..?" He asked, deliriously.

"We won, darling, no worries. You'll be off the hook once we get you through the portal stone." She gave his cheek a light slap in jest. She shifted her eyes back over to Leyus.

"I think we'll follow you through. It'd be best if Germaine stayed away from Alliria and as much good as a fight may do for my blood, I'm really not looking for more right now." That was honest, she wanted to take her reward and have a few days to relax for a little bit. Lately it's been job after job. Maybe she'll get her hair cut while she's in Elbion.

 

[Leyus]

His spell had lost its effect on Germaine, which meant that it was definitely fully gone now, leaving Gronwick and his men free to try and find them. Maybe even with some of Germaine's men now. People like that were easily bought and traded.
Leyus forced himself not to be too worried about it just now. Distance and hundreds of people separated them from that basement. Nothing would come after them just now, unless they had some very powerful mage on hand, which Leyus doubted quite a bit. In a while it would get trickier.

But then again, they wouldn't be here in a while.

"Good, great, then it would be wise to arrange our travel as soon as possible. There should be plenty of groups going through Allir Reach this time of the year, so it shouldn't be to much of an issue," Leyus found himself slipping quite easily from the shock of previous events into his usual travel state of mind. It was in his blood after all.
Reaching the nearest portal stone could take a two or three weeks, the same went for reaching Elbion later on. If everything went well, they should see Elbion in a month or two. A very reasonable time. Traveling by a simple caravan or even by water would take a lot longer. He was the one to know that. After all, Leyus had tried all of these options in his years of constant travel.

 

[Amalia Rosethorn]

"Two to three weeks?!" Germaine cried out in confusion and fear. He had clearly not prepared very well for the coming circumstances. Not that Amalia had expected him to. She flicked his forehead.

"Perhaps you'd be better off in a different field, my dearest Germaine. Once you've paid me in full I believe you'll have a lot to think about and a lot of people to answer to. I don't have unlimited time to spare you either. Payment comes soon or I'll make it so escaping Gronwick's clutches had no meaning, mmmkay?" She said in a delightful tone. Clearly threatening the man but retaining some sort of cuteness to her words.

"B-bu-"

"Ah ah ah! No buts. You made your bed. Now rot in it." She sounded much harsher this time around. She turned her attention to Leyus again.

"I'm low on provisions as well so we should stock up. Disguises wouldn't hurt either. I also feel I owe a stud such as you a drink, if you'd let me." She offered the shapeshifter a quick wink and a chuckle. To clarify, if he hadn't allowed her to continue on this mission, or intervened against her wishes, it would have taken her zero time to try and dispense of Leyus. Her favor was easily won, yet easily lost.

"Shall we go shopping then?"

 

[Leyus]

"If we're lucky," Leyus added with a sadistic kind of cheer. If there was one thing in this world which he gloated about with pleasure, it was people who couldn't handle a bit of travel. A few weeks, months even, was nothing in the grand scheme of things. It was simply a price which getting from one place to another had.
"But don't you worry, we'll travel through some of the most civilized parts of this world. It's not Blightlands or something," he added after Amalia was done scaring the light out of the poor man. To be honest, he had never been in Blightlands and didn't intend to, but nobody had to know that. Especially with him feeling this good, having mirrored a huge part of the woman's positive emotions, as he understood now. That explained a sudden lack of existential terror.

Not that he had anything against it.

"Not too big on drinking, not to offend your generous offer," Leyus raised his hands apologetically. Well, if he wanted to be more precise, he wasn't too big on literally almost dying. Oh, he had had to learn of his relationship with alcohol the hard way. "But you could treat us to lunch, if you wish. And then I could lead us to some of the best places in Alliria for buying travel supplies."