Private Tales Finesse

[Rafael]

"Just a friend!" Rafael said with a wide smile, stepping away from Trix and immediately heading towards the bar.

"Picked her up on the side of the road." The way he moved towards the barman was entirely disarming. Thumbs tucked into his belt, shoulders relaxed, it was as though he were in the midst of a parade. A clear signal that no violence was going to happen, probably. "She's helping me out with a problem."

The Innkeep offered Rafael a dubious look, then glanced over towards Trix again. "Riiiiight."

He said.

"You get yourself into trouble, Greg?" The man asked with no small amount of caution in his voice. Rafael reached the bar, half leaning over it as he gestured to one of the bottles which stood arrayed behind the berkeep.

"No! Of course not!" Rafael said genially. "But, I do need a bit of info, on that fella who was mad I won his coin."

The Barkeeper frowned. "Lewis? Someone killed him, he ain't gonna come after you now."

Ah, so it seemed that the Barkeep had not heard about recent events. Probably too busy re-stickying his floor.

 

[Trix]

"What have you heard about the murder?"

Trix didn't realise she had stepped forward until the bartender stepped back and half raised his hands in a defensive manner. The Dreadlord paused and then checked herself, schooling her body into the perfect relaxed, unconfrontational manner she could. She couldn't erase the natural lethalness that radiated from her though, so she didn't bother to try. The man before her was no fool and perhaps the silent fret of her existing near him would help Rafael get the information they needed.

"Nothing, lady. Well, you know, just the usual crazy stories from drunks. I had one guy claim it was some giant monster."

 

[Rafael]

"Monster?! Ha! That's insane." He said with a chuckle, shaking his head as though the whole idea was utterly ridiculous.

Rafael glanced down at Tulio for a moment who had found what appeared to be some sort of bone on the ground. Quickly the werebat gently tapped the dog on the snout, whispering something about getting filth out his mouth before attentions were returned to the barkeep. "It was probably some drunk outsider!"

He glanced over at Trix, frowned.

"Or not...that. Probably not that." Another smile. "Anyway, we were really more interested about Lewis' money..."

The Barkeep laughed. "Money? That idiot couldn't find two pennies to pinch together. We all figured the bastard stole what he had that night."

"Did he?" Raf asked, to which the bartender immediately shook his head.

"Not accordin' to his sister." A shrug rolled over his shoulders. "Said he did a job, or somethin'."

 

[Trix]

Trix didn't laugh. In fact her lips turned down at the corners and her brows knitted themselves together. The barkeep couldn't tell if it was the jokes that were troubling her or something more. He nervously shuffled behind the bar and began to clean; keeping his hands busy always calmed him down.

"Where's his sister?"

The cleaning intensified.

"Oh, err, I'd imagine at her shop. She runs a little bakery a few roads over lass. She'll be there, I'm sure she'll be way more useful than Old Jim," he flashed her a smile. Or at least, he started to, then seemed to think better of it and went back to polishing a stain on his bar that had been there since before he was born.

 

[Rafael]

Rafael tapped the bar. "Ah, wonderful! I know that bakery."

He didn't, actually, but the room was starting to grow rather tense.

Even Tulio could feel it. The poor dog had now tucked himself behind Rafael's legs. Though that was probably because he had in fact picked up the bone after all and was now doing his best to conceal it from the werebats sight.

Dreadlords, so intense.

"I think..." Raf said, musing as peeling himself away from the bar. "That'll be all, eh?"

He shot a smile to Trix.

 

[Trix]

Trix gave a sharp nod as soon as the bartender had given them the required information. To her, this lead was now as good as dead. She had already begun to stride back for the door when Rafael asked if they were finished.

"Clearly," she frowned; why did he need to ask such an obvious question? He surely couldn't be that stupid. Trix had begun to believe the flowery words were an act that disarmed the more delusional women but now she was beginning to wonder if he was just... like that. She shouldn't have expected much else from a Cortosi she supposed.

"Good day," she nodded her head to the man and then stepped outside. She only knew of two bakery's in the town and only one of them was what she'd have said was a few streets over. "Let us hurry, if this sister helped in the job she may also be the monsters target."

 

[Rafael]

Rafael and Tulio followed on the heels of Trix, offering a quiet wave to the bartender and a few quietly mouthed words that amounted to; I'll be back later.

Once he was clear of the crimes, obviously.

"Oh dear, not the bakery!" Raf said with a mock semblance of fear, shaking his head as he fell into step behind the Dreadlord. As they moved a frown touched his lips for a brief moment, the scent they had earlier followed suddenly drawing his attention.

As they walked, Trix might notice the slight change in his demeanor. The genial loudness fell away, and for a brief moment the Cortosi's head swiveled left and right. Scanning the crowd of people which milled through the middle of the town.

He searched, but found no monsters nearby. A frown touched his lips, but said nothing as they turned the corner and found themselves on the street with the bakery. "Not for nothing, Belle."

Rfael said, once again putting on his more happy face.

"But perhaps we could do with a gentler touch on this one, no?" The werebat proposed with a smile.

 

[Trix]

Trix's response to Rafael's humour was a blank look that could have made a stone wilt. Sarcasm, in her opinion, was the lowest form of wit. She didn't lecture him on it though, nor make a comment about how the Cortosi's tongue hadn't really done him any favours, which she chalked up to a win for herself. She was showing growth. She gave Tulio a scratch behind the ears and then thought through her own battle plan if things went sour again and the monster was there.

Raf rudely pulled her from the last details when the bakery came into view, but his words made her eyebrows raise.

"I didn't tie him up with vines, did I? Information is not given when you are soft."

 

[Rafael]

He perked an eyebrow. "Ah yes, fear and torture work so very well. I forgot."

Raf said sarcastically.

From his own experience, the truth of that was more than questionable. Both methods lead to really only one thing alone; the person being threatened or harmed saying anything at all to make it stop. There were a dozen better ways to garner information, but leave it to a Dreadlord not to understand that.

Brutes.

With a roll of his eyes Rafael began to walk away from Trix, deciding that the conversation would likely be fruitless.

A little bell rung above the door as Raf pushed his way into the bakery. Three other patrons were already standing inside, waiting patiently behind a small counter as the woman behind it distributed pastries and bread. Tulio stepped in behind him, much to the dismay of the owner.

"AH! Excuse me! No pets inside!"​

She called, and Raf looked up at her. "Him? No, he's not pet, he's a...pest...control dog..."

He said with a smile.

 

[Trix]

Trix sighed; so much for his gentle method.

The woman behind the counter was positively scowling at Tulio and the Dreadlord was half tempted to see if she would actually use the rolling pin her hand was reaching for on the dog or on Raf. As long as it was the latter she wouldn't set in. But they didn't have time for that, they needed answers. The monster wasn't here which was a relief, but that didn't mean it wouldn't still show up.

The other customers in the shop gave the trio a mix of curious and disdainful glances.

"Miss, we need to ask you a few question. About your brother," her eyes flickered to the customers. The woman seemed confused for a moment, then annoyed, before settling on resigned.

"Shop's shut for fifteen minute break, can everyone wait outside?"

 

[Rafael]

The people inside all seemed to let out a collective clutch of grumbles, but none of them particularly objected. One by one they filed out of the small lobby, and as they did Rafael slowly scootched himself closer to the counter.

Leaning on the side as he, and Tulio both, stared at the assortment of breads and pastries. "What do you want?"

She asked, her tone surprisingly harsh.

"My good for nothing brother got himself killed." There was a venom in her voice that Raf hadn't expected, but from the quiver in her throat he could tell she was using it to bite back tears. There was no love lost on her sibling, it seemed, but even a great distance couldn't stop grief.

"Your brother took a job recently." The girl perked an eyebrow. "We need to know from whom."

A bitter laugh escaped her throat. "My brother? A job? You must be dreaming."

Rafael frowned. "Then how did he make money?"

She shook her head.

"He was a fence. Bought and sold stolen goods." The baker explained, shaking her head in disgust. "Never did an honest days labor in his life."

 

[Trix]

Trix tried not to let her frustration show.

"You told the bartender your brother had taken on a contract," she deliberately chose not to use the word job least the woman launch into another tirade about her brother being lazy. She could see it brewing there simply waiting for an excuse to unleash it. "Do you know who this contract was for? Or was the money he got stolen from someone?"

The baker was busying herself with a dough she had taken off the back counter that had obviously been rising for the last few hours. Tipping it out of the bowl onto the floury counter she began to pound it. Trix couldn't help but think maybe her brother was rather lucky he was dead.

"He said he'd been asked to retrieve some box - a kids music box - said it was the easiest gig he'd ever had but the biggest pay out. Said the man had had more money than sense."

 

[Rafael]

This was working out great!

Raf looked down at Tulio, the dog, clearly smiling back up at him. The two shared a nod, attention returning towards the Baker as she continued to knead her bread. "Wonderful. Great when the work is easy, Eh?"

He glanced at Trix with a smile before returning his attention to the goddess of patisserie.

"Do you happen to remember the gentelman's name?" Rafael asked kindly, ignoring that the woman hadn't shown any preposition to him. "It would really he-"

The woman stared at him. "No."

She said simply. "I don't remember."

Her fist landed in the dough, punctuating her point.

 

[Trix]

Trix's teeth ground together. Without a name this was another dead end. Then a sudden thought occurred to her.

"Did he do the job alone?" The monster had been looking for someone in that bookkeepers shop. If they were still alive...

The woman slapped the dough back down onto the counter with a frown.

"No, my brother didn't work well with others. Big headed lug," she muttered and Trix felt the irritation returning. "But, he said he knew someone who worked for the bloke he was stealing from. Jeoffrey, I think. He was a stable boy at this guys house or something."

 

[Rafael]

Rafael put two and two together almost instantly. It didn't take a genius to make the connection, and Trix's wheels were already spinning as well. "Lived with the Bookkeeper?"

He asked slowly, and the Baker frowned.

"Yeah? How'd you know?" She asked, and Rafael almost immediately let his gaze wander over towards Trix. It was very obvious that the monster, person, whatever, that accidentally framed him was looking for whomever the Baker's brother and Jeoffrey had been working for.

Why? Who could say, but that didn't matter matter.

"Where's the house?" He asked somewhat urgently. His facade falling away as he realized that if the monster killed it's target, that meant he would very likely be blamed for all of this.

Meaning he would be executed. "Outside of town, a few miles to the sou-"

Rafael turned on his heel, rushing passed Trix. "We need to go."

He urged.

 

[Trix]

Trix's brows rose as Rafael shot past her.

"Thank you," she nodded to the woman then left the shop on the heels of Tulio. Almost immediately the customers waiting outside poured in no doubt to ask what had brought a Dreadlord to darken her doors. If the baker talked it could be a problem; word would soon get back to whoever controlled the monster. Rafael was already halfway down the street but with long strides Trix caught up and then breezed past.

"You can't cover a few miles on your own two feet. My horse is this way, she can handle your weight as well as mine for a few miles," if the man had a stables for the way back they should take one of the other horses from there.

 

[Rafael]

Rafael and Tulio sped up to almost exactly meet Trix's pace. "Horse?"

Shit, horses hated him.

Most of the time they were scared shitless within one look, some just tried to bite him. Most of the time it was better to stay away, especially when someone perceptive was hanging around. Especially when that same person was inclined to ask questions.

"Not a good idea." He remarked. "If that monsters around it'll smell a horse form a mile away."

Humans weren't much better mind, but most horses had a rather particular scent. They would be slightly better off without the four legged beasts, though not like it really mattered. "Plus the noise."

He shook his head. "Better to walk."

 

[Trix]

"Don't be ridiculous," Trix dismissed his concerns with a wave of her hand. "We'll be there in half the time. It will take you all day to get there otherwise and our man could be dead," and with it your chances of salvation. She didn't say it aloud, of course, but the unsaid hung in the air between them anywhere. "Besides, the thing will smell humans just as much," she concluded much the same as Rafael already had.

There was not much time left for debate as they neared where they had started the whole thing.

Trix's black mare looked up at the sound of approaching familiar footsteps. Then promptly pinned her ears back at the mere sight of Rafael.

"Don't take it personally, she hates everyone," she explained as she untied the horses reins and checked the girth. "Well? Get on!"

 

[Rafael]

Rafael eyed the horse wearily. It wasn't as though the thing could talk, and even if it could the beast wouldn't exactly know what he was. His kind were rare enough that trying to pick them out of a lineup was difficult enough.

So with a sigh he simply walked forward.

Radiating a shocking amount of command, the young Mercenary stepped up to the horse with all the authority of a King. Just because most horses did not like him, did not mean he didn't know how to handle them. Before his affliction he had served with plenty of Cavalry.

Even worked with some Feiarans for a time.

Without further hesitation, and before the horse could object, Rafael closed the gap between them and swung himself up into the saddle. Moving with a surprising deftness.

Tulio quickly stepped to heel, his armor rattling as he came up besides them. Clearly more than well trained to follow along.

 

[Trix]

Trix paid no mind to the mare as she pinned her ears and attempt to turn and take a chunk out of Rafael as he got closer. The Dreadlord offered a sharp rebuke to which the mare responded with trying to bite her instead - or at least threatening to. She ignored her and instead bent to give Tulio's ears a ruffle.

"From your nervousness I thought you hadn't ridden a horse," she shook her head in amusement and put her foot in the stirrup, swinging herself up onto the mare's shoulders, just in front of the saddle. Turning the horse about, with a boot to the flanks, they set off at a steady trot down the streets. It was only once they were beyond the narrow winding streets that Trix let the horse have her head and they set off into a flat gallop.

As she had predicted the time it took them to reach the mansion was far less than if they had been on foot. Smoke curled from the building.

"A little early to be having a bonfire..."

 

[Rafael]

"Nerves?" He parroted the woman. "What gave you the impression of nerves?"

Better that she think him scared than a werebat, he supposed.

One was a judgment, the other was a death sentence.

Nevertheless, Rafael allowed himself and Trix some blessed peace and quiet as they rode towards the manor house. His thoughts preoccupied with the puzzle that surrounded them. He still did not understand any of this. The monster that was running around, why he was involved in any of it, or wha-

"Shit." He said as smell of smoke entered his nose, just a few seconds before Trix caught sight of the smoke. "Hurry."

Rafael said as they broke into a gallop, quickly cutting through the forest until they came upon the manor house. It's left side already on fire, figures moving through the windows on the right. "Up there!"

He called, practically throwing himself from horseback.

 

[Trix]

Hurry? Hadn't he been the one telling her they could take their time and walk up here? She huffed but spurned her horse on as fast as she could go with two upon her back. The mare was snorting and slick with sweat by the time Trix pulled her up in front of the blazing manor. The heat buffeted at them but she had taught her horse not to fear Dreadlord magic; a fire was nothing in comparison to the earth being blown up in front of you.

The Dreadlord grimaced as she hit the ground a moment after Rafael. The fire had the manor. It would take a team of people gifted in water and earth manipulation to have a hope of stemming it now. At least the building was not close to anything else so it would burn itself out without damaging the rest of the countryside. She thought briefly of sending the dog back to alert people but the smoke was already such that people would come to investigate with wagons. All she could do was try and save the people inside.

Taking a breath she focused on the ivy that already clung to the facade of the building. Pulsing her magic into them she asked them to do one simple thing; grow. The vines pulsed and seemed to bubble as they stretched down towards them.

"Hold on," she warned as she put a balancing hand under his below. The vines and leaves scooped them up acting like a platform and carried them up to the windows the figures appeared to be running towards.

 

[Rafael]

Rafael took two steps forward towards the burning building, crinkling his nose as the scent of smoke filled the air. Tulio reached out, nipping at his heel just a second before Trix called out for him to hold on. "What?"

The werebat asked.

"We need to get insiii-" As Rafael spoke, the vines upon the unburnt side of the building suddenly curled forward and reached out. They tumbled upon one another like a great palm, scooping the three of them up and carrying them towards the upper windows. "This is not okay."

Rafael complained, crouching down and grasping onto the intertwined vines as he desperately tried not to fall off the makeshift platform. Tulio pressing into his side with tail firmly tucked between his legs.

As they neared the window, the figures beyond rushed through the hall. One significantly larger than the other. "It's here!"

Rafael called, taking a deep breath before he jumped forward and threw himself through the window.

 

[Trix]

Trix didn't need to ask what 'it' was.

The same monster they had encountered in the alleyway earlier that day was a hard figure to miss. Had it grown since they had last seen it? Maybe it was just now it had to fit itself into the halls and rooms of a human's home that made it seem so monstrous. Its shadowy form made use of every possible bit of space it could as it chased its prey, sometimes even leaking out of open windows and spilling into the air beyond. Said prey was a boy on the cusp of manhood with a mop of scraggly red hair that was plastered to his face with sweat and a scraggily form that would have suited a scarecrow better than stablehand.

"HELP ME!" he screamed when he spotted the two would-be rescuers and changed his course to run directly for them. Unfortunately, with the boy, came the monster.

Trix's jaw set. Last time hadn't gone so well but it was not the first time she had sparred with shadows.

"Get him out of here, I'll distract this thing," she said calmly and stepped forward. The ivy that had lifted them up had tied itself off and now acted like a living bridge to the ground. The boy and monster hurtled round the last corner and as the monster reached out poisoned thorns shot up through its solidified hand.

 

[Rafael]

The beast's hand seemed to recoil as the thorns struck through its palms, though by how it moved it was clear that such was due to shock and nothing more.

Rafael, still without a weapon, didn't argue with Trix's orders. As the boy sprinted towards them he reached out and grabbed the back of his neck. Half preparing to shove him forward when suddenly he noticed the three large gashes on his back.

Blood spilling from them.

Pupils almost instantly shrank into pinpricks, and his nostrils flared. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Keep it together.

Rafael urged himself, shoving the boy forward.

"Get to the window!" If the moment had been less tense, the boy likely would have called him a fool but before he could argue he was practically shoved from the building. Letting out a string of curses as he desperately grabbed onto the makeshift vine ladder.