Open Chronicles Flowers In The Ash

[Perrine Urahil]

Perrine set the small goblin down. "You are safe, alright?" She smiled, without showing teeth. Her gaze followed Edric, tensing as he went to the door and let in a small child. Her first thought had been whether or not the fugitive had time to father a child, but upon closer inspection, she noticed the Tyrian features.

And the name did not match a Tyrian.

She frowned when he returned to the back room, wrapping the blanket tight around the small thing to keep them warm and feeling protected as she stood to her full height. "One moment."

Her hands went to touch a spot on the floor that was not pooled with blood, reading the magical ley line that gave her some information about what happened here. Dark intentions hit Perrine so hard, she shot back up to standing and looking paler than her natural pallor. She was not used to feeling such an evil trace, and it sickened her to her stomach. "Right. Let us get going then." Her gestured for the small thing to lead the way, not wanting it to be found by whoever was outside.

 

[Edric]

"We didn't have time." Edric complained, not bothering to remember that he was the one that had set their time.

His eyes flickered down towards the small Goblin Boy as Perrine set him down. He looked back up at the Rogue Dreadlord with no small amount of trepidation, and yet when told to go forward...he did.

Strange.

Kids weren't so usually trusting of strangers, least not smart ones. "Chas."

As Perrine and the Goblin quickly went through the back of the shop, Edric leaned down towards his short companion.

"The boy will know what happened." Behind him, he could hear movement at the door. The echoing knock followed quickly by the call of one of the Death Watch Guards. Someone had likely reported the suspicious behavior, or perhaps the smell. "Try to talk to him."

Edric said before gently nudging her forward. The two Anirian's quickly joining the others in a small back alleyway behind them shop. "This way."

The Dreadlord said, remembering the path he had taken with Alistair the last time he'd been here. Not bothering to see if Perrine would follow along.

 

[Chasmine]

Didn't they? Hm, he had been in a bit of a rush to leave the camp. Well, it was too late now for cold tea.

The little Chas-girl looked up at the much larger Dreadlord exile with a curious blink, "Boy?" she asked, her eyes then skating around the shop. She'd been a bit distracted by all the blood to notice the bundle in the strange woman's arms, but if Edric said there was a boy then there must be!

"He must be quite frightened..." she noted as she was nudged along toward the back and out the secondary egress on Edric's heels, "where is he? And who is the lady?"

 

[Perrine Urahil]

Perrine waited five strides before making the call to scoop the youngling from the ground, for something so small was not making as much haste as she had expected. In her arms again, she cooed at them while navigating an exit.

She paid not much attention to the other child, the one that seemed to know Edric closely. Tyr was unfamiliar territory for her, but she could speak the Common Tongue enough to communicate with them. Perrine could easily take her leave whenever she would like, but there was a duty of care that needed her here. "Do you know where you are going, Rogue?"

It felt better to use such title than to air his name aloud.

Her main concern was to get this youngling somewhere safe, and she was not about to leave him in the care of Edric and the Tyrian child.

 

[Edric]

"Yes." Edric had been to Tyr before, and though he wasn't the most learned Graduate of the Academy, he was damn good at remembering things.

Part of being the hammer, was knowing where to strike.

Though he wasn't entirely sure why, he remembered the Temple District as being a place people avoided. For now it seemed like a good place to get lost in, if only so they wouldn't run into anyone asking them questions. With surprising Alacrity Edric moved, stepping through the dark back alleyway of Tyr as though it were his own home.

As they moved, the Goblin boy squirmed. He seemed to almost be glad to be away from the shop, though it was clear he was still uncertain of the strangers around him. "Who...who are you?"

He asked finally, his common surprisingly clear.

 

[Chasmine]

Though Chasmine disliked taking possession of people and preferred to use it as a last resort, she'd learned a over the years that when doing so it came with certain... caveats.

Strong willed persons were exceptionally hard to control - it had taken her several minutes of bouncing between bodies before finding the child. Tyrians seemed to be quite hard-headed, but the child had been happily distracted with an afternoon treat and paying little heed to those around her. This in any other setting would have spoken volumes about the safety and sanctity of children in Tyr, but Chasmine hadn't the time or the mind to think on it.

When consciously occupied, Chasmine was granted access to memory of the last several hours or even days of the vessel. This child, though she knew not homeless or without family, seemed to spend a lot of time on the streets of Tyr while her parents worked. Some days she sold herbs from a basket that she'd picked in the volcanic hills. Other days she went from shop to shop, pestering extended family members and friends of her parents. While much of the time in between she simply spent exploring, playing with other children, and getting up to no good.

So while Edric lead the way, Chasmine had a perfectly good idea of where they were and where they might be going.

"I'm Chasmine!" pipped the young girl, skipping and bounding after Edric in a way only a child might. Her youthful exuberance wasn't easy to shake and much unlike most of the adults Chasmine had inhabited over the years who she often felt the effects of fatigue, drunkeness, drugs, arthritis, and more... this child had what felt to be a boundless fount of energy.

"We're going to take you somewhere safe, do you know what happened in the shop?"

 

[Perrine Urahil]

Familiarity struck Perrine at the name of the girl, for being a Proctor, she had certainly heard things about past Initiates and talk amongst the other Proctors. She was not here to play Anirian, nor did she care to even invoke any laws while leagues away from home.

When the youngling said nothing, Perrine turned her words softer and quieter. "We want to help. Do you want to speak once you are far away from the shop? Maybe something to eat?"

And before she could begin to think that this young goblin was indeed mute, the small thing murmured something small. The second time he spoke, he was much louder.

"Sweets?"

 

[Edric]

The Goblin was speaking at least, that was something. They would probably need it if they were going to get anywhere with this.

He had no idea if Ugrith had left anything behind that might be of help to them, but for now the place for be crawling with Death Watch. Better to avoid them when his face was already hanging everywhere around town. Though at least his likeness was an old one.

The beard really did help. "I-I saw t-two men."

It was stuttered in it's speech, but the goblin was slowly forthcoming.

Edric glanced back for only a brief moment, letting Chasmine and the Proctor woman handle the interrogation as he continued to lead them. Tyr's back alleyways were like a winding maze, small short bridges extending over flows of lava. Buildings pressed tightly together. Sudden bright spring garden fed by volcanic ash.

A strange place, Ed thought, but before long they entered the tall monuments of the Temple district. from there heading into one of the many taverns that doubled as Inns. "They were tall..taller than men."

The goblin whispered finally as they stepped into the warmth of their rented suite,

 

[Chasmine]

"Tall men?" the young girl asked curiously as she skipped a long. It seemed to her that a goblin living in Tyr would know the difference between an ogre and a man and wouldn't confuse the two unless his vocabulary was very limited.

Orcs maybe?

"What color was their skin? Did they have big teeth and claws?"

 

[Perrine Urahil]

Sweets. Perrine's hand went to the small travel bag she had kept on her person for the day while the Initiates were touring. Inside she had a box of hard sugar treats that would satisfy the young goblin. Producing them, she was rewarded a smile that she returned, watching as they popped it into their mouth and began to answers questions happily.

Edric can thank her later for being instrumental in getting answers.

The young goblin then looked to the young Tyrian. Hesitated, but Perrine was quick to supply another sweet to encourage them.

"No, no claws! Angry face... I remember the angry face..."

 

[Edric]

Edric was only half listening to the conversation, mostly because he was busy picking his way through the Tyrian streets. But he did hear the questions asked, and the answers given.

"...Blue...no...gray!" The boy said as he took another sweet. Chomping down on it with all the veracity of a mountain lion. "They only looked blue in the dark."

He explained, and Edric realized something. "Blue Orcs."

It made perfect sense. They were the general size of men, their skin a pale grey, and their faces were rather...angry.

Blue Orcs weren't common outside of the Blightlands, but Maui had a few runaways in her tribes. As a general rule the orcs of the blight tended to be a bit more aggressive, meaner, and stronger than their Steppe Cousins but why they would be here in Tyr was a mystery in it of itself.

"Maybe he did some business with them that went bad?" Edric asked as they entered the Temple district, cutting one more corner before they reached a building. A small sign hanging out front, painted with a Black Orchid.

"Nuh uh!" The boy complained so loudly that it practically forced them to stop. "My Uncle doesn't do bad business!"

Shrill voice turning more than a few heads.

 

[Chasmine]

Chasmine had no idea that blue orcs even existed. She'd seen a motley variety of colored skins among Maui's band; green, sandy or earthen, black and grey, but nothing she would have described as blue. Perhaps they were cold-weather orcs? Blue like the ices of the tundra?

The young girl looked to the small goblin, frowning at his outburst, "I think what he means is... the orcs were bad. They are a rather rowdy bunch."

Beyond what she'd seen and heard between Ed and Maui, the orcs of Maui's clan were not shy about their desires. Be it a fight or a romp with a bedmate.

"Do you remember what the angry men wanted or what they talked about?" she asked the young gob.

 

[Perrine Urahil]

Perrine was unfamilar with blue orcs. As an Anirian, she was far more accepting of those that were not human, more than the average Anirian hailing from the great city found on the continent of Liadain. The young goblin was content in her arms, answering the questions with ease after her sweets as persuasion.

"Treasure!" He smiled, one that could be seen as endearing if it were it's mother looking upon it.

She was about to open her mouth to say something, but at in the crowd ahead, she recognised their speech, and the Proctor's head standing above those around him. Perrine gasped, running forward to grab hold of Edric and pulled him with all her might to throw him against the wall to an alley way. There was no need to hide if it were just Perrine, an excuse for carrying a goblin ready on her lips, but for the Anirians to see Edric? That was a headache she was not ready to endure.

"We need to go another way. Dreadlords up ahead, from my group."

There were shouts now, in Tyrian, coming from behind where they had been coming from. Whoever had been at the shop, were they following them even now?

 

[Edric]

Treasure could mean a thousand things. Gold, maps, hell even a sword would have worked on this occasion. Ugrith had been a renowned smith, and here in Tyr that meant something. This city held tight to it's mastery of metal.

Even he knew that. "Maybe something he made. Ugrith was one of the best smiths in Tyr."

The Dreadlord offered up as his boot rose...but never managed to touch the ground. His body suddenly swung unexpectedly by Perrine. His nature to stop her overcome only by the knowledge of who it was touching him.

Edric was not one to be manhandled, and in truth it was only the presence of Chas that kept him from throwing Perrine into the nearest roof. His lips turned a scowl, only forming tighter when she mentioned the other Dreadlords. "But I know the lady who runs this one."

He protested quietly, grimacing, and then adding as he remembered.

"There's a back way." That was how he and Alistair had gotten out. "Come on."

Edric said as he shifted away from her and quickly moved into the alleyway next to the building.

 

[Perrine Urahil]

Perrine stepped back to let him pass, following him closely as she readjusted her hold on the youngling. "Been to Tyr before, then?" She asked, quickly keeping conversation up so the young goblin would not sense the pressing dangers closing in on them.

She had been here once before, as an Initiate. She had been after shears sharp enough for the frontline, to cut through cloth and gauze better than knives. They had been tailored to her hand and touch, to the familiarity she would hold and use them. Nearing a decade now, she still had them in her field kit.

"Last place I expected to see you."

 

[Chasmine]

In the crowd of the area they had been walking, not-Chas did not notice when Perrine pulled Edric back into the alley and instead continued moving forward in the direction of the purported Anirians.

"But who would call a blade treasure?" she wondered aloud to Edric's point, and when he didn't answer she looked around to see that he was not there. The other lady was gone, too, along with the young goblin. It seemed that Chasmine blended in so well with the crowd that Perrine had not thought to ensure she came along.

Jostled along by other people, the young Tyrian girl found herself getting pushed smack into one of the Anirian Initiates as they rudely shoved their way through and toppled to the ground with an oof.

 

[Edric]

People were asking him too many question lately. Life on the ship had been easy, quiet, at least when Chas hadn't been putting holes in the ship. He'd almost enjoyed laying in the hammock and enjoying some of the books that odd professor had brought along.
He didn't hear Chas as he wandered down the alleyway.

He remembered there being a door along the back, mostly because he had been shoved out into the alleyway here. Knuckles began to knock along the wall, thudding again and again until he finally found a sound that was hollow.

"I happen to like Tyr."' The Rogue finally replied to Perrine. "It's war-"

Edric stopped, not finishing his thought as he noticed something. "Where's Chas?"

There was a sound behind him, someone calling out, but he didn't care. Focus had already drawn on Perrine, she was supposed to have been watching both of their wards.

 

[Perrine Urahil]

She furrowed her brows. "Why are you looking at me like that? You told me to take this one." Perrine patted the arm of the youngling in cradled to her.

But she sighed. Rolled her eyes and shoved the goblin into him to take. "Stay here. Do not let the Anirians see you."

Perrine then dipped out from the narrow street, returning to see that an Initiate had shoved Chas aside. Others laughed, some onlookers watching silently and moving on as fast as they could. She sighed, watching the Initiates snicker and sneer.

"We are here on a diplomatic mission or has your stupid privilege made you forget?" Anger did not show on her face. Proctor Urahil rarely punished the Initiates, but they were smart to back off quickly after three classes had to go through interrogation training and were subjected to her true magic. The feel of her bare hand on Lansell's hand that reached to pretend to help the young Tyrian up retracted at the sound of Perrine's voice, fear and worry crossing his features as he stiffened.

"P-Proctor... I.. we...."

"Go back to the group. I better check she is not injured or else I am reporting your name." The frustration in her voice was real. She crouched to help Chas up, the cascade of pale gold hair shielding her face as she gave a sheepish smile. "I am sorry we left you. Are you hurt?"

"Urahil?"

Perrine swore under her breath.

"Everything all right?" Another Proctor asked, and when Perrine turned to see them behind her, she offered a smile.

"Just a sore arse I expect. I should get her checked out and probably help her home."

The Proctor made a disapproving face, but she was used to such. "We will expect you for dinner tonight be sure to return and leave the... locals to their day to day."

 

[Chasmine]

The little girl looked up with a flash of angry amber colored eyes and began spitting equally angry Tyrian at both the offending Initiate and the woman that dared to touch her. Several Tyrian slurs for outsiders was thrown at all of them, as easy as it was to tell who belonged and who did not (it was the red hair) before she picked herself up, dusted herself off, and darted off into the crowds to find her way back home.

Ed might pick up the sense of Chasmine's presence moving from beyond the alleyway and into the building he was presently trying to gain entrance.

 

[Perrine Urahil]

"What on..."
"That's the sort of people that live in thi—"
"I did not ask for your commentary, Initiate." Perrine turned around and narrowed her eyes at Initiate Lansell. "You should be respectful. This is a city worlds apart from Vel Anir, and if your words get you into strife, then I will not be helping you out from a Tyrian prison." In all honesty, perhaps the Initiate would get a slap on the wrist and verbally abused, but there was nothing like putting fear in someone so young.
"I still have my own errands to run..." She sighed.

"Perrine, we have the schedu—" The Proctor began to speak, but Perrine interrupted with a sheepish smile.

"Sorry, you do not really need my help. I am just a Healer, after all!" And she darted away, lifting her hood to hide the brilliant pale gold of her hair, the only defining feature of her Great House. She made her way back to the alley way, frowning before her eyes laid upon Edric.

"Your friend ran off. That is on you. I will take my charge back..." Perrine practically snatched the youngling from him. "Right, which door are we taking?"