Private Tales Reckoning

[Emilie]

That snap of a twig was all it took for her to remember why she was here at all. She froze, and every memory, every worry and fear came rushing back to her. Her fingers curled tightly around the basket, as though she might use it to lob at somebody as she slowly turned to look back down the apparently empty path.

She could feel her heart quicken in her chest. It might've been the breeze, an animal perhaps, but she found herself regressing to that same level of paranoia that she and her family had lived by some weeks ago. They'd been too incautious lately..

Em thought of calling out, and then thought better of it. She turned back to continue along her path, but before she could reach the buildings ahead she turned to take another path across the meadow in the hope that, if she was being followed, that she'd lead whomever it was away from the workshop and out into the open.

 

[Mako]

Oh Fuck me. Mako thought to himself as the girl suddenly took a beeline away from the workshop and down another trail.

His head picked up barely over the range of the underbrush, his lips thinning as he watched her go. Now the question was of she had been headed towards the workshop or If this was her intended path all along. There was no real way to tell, and if he went to the workshop and lost her she might never be back at all.

It was obvious the sound had spooked her, but just how much?

Lips thinned for a brief moment, and as she passed further along Mako slowly pushed himself off the ground. Slowly he crept forward, moving even more deliberately now as to not make a single sound. As the trees began to thin out around the meadow he hesitated, lingering against a large willow to see how far she would go along the path.

Why can't this shit be easy. He thought. I didn't leave the swamp just to end up crawling around a forest.

As he crouched low he saw that Emilie wasn't slowing down, and with a sigh he lay flat on his belly and began to inch through the grass.

 

[Emilie]

She paused as she spotted a thick, broken branch no doubt blown from the single tree in the centre of the meadow. She bent to drop the basket and pick up the branch with both hands as she turned to cast her gaze across the dark grass. Arethil's moons didn't offer much light tonight, and so her eyes struggled to see much else other than dark shadows.

"I know you're there!" she didn't. She might have been being a little over-dramatic but, it wasn't worth the risk not to be. "What do you want?!" she demanded with as much conviction as she could as she stood her ground and suppressed the rolling shudder that came with the feeling of being watched.

 

[Mako]

Mako froze in the grass.

In his head he played over half a dozen different scenarios. He thought about standing up and simply coming clean, but quickly did away with that thought as he realized it would likely lead to him being strung up by a noose. Then he considered standing up and rushing her, but her screams might carry and there was no guarantee he would be able to catch her.

So he did the sensible thing.

The Rogue simply laid there. It was as though he had become frozen, utterly and completely still. His breathing was shallow enough that his chest did not rise and fall, and he cloaked himself with the dark of a bare moon and the tall grass of the meadow. Mako didn't move.

His hope that she would think herself paranoid and simply wander home.

He would have to try again tomorrow. If she left anyway.

 

[Emilie]

The longer she waited, the more the shadows and breeze played their tricks on her mind. She left the basket and continued to walk backwards through the meadow, opting to occupy her hands with the branch instead. She turned to continue back toward home, walking with much more urgency.

The thought that she'd spooked herself made her curse under her breath, but she'd rather her father and brother go without supper for the night than risk the possibility that she'd been followed by one of those people.

When she returned to The Inn, the place was in darkness, and Em rushed to her room and barred her door and window, the curtains quickly drawn. She paced back and forth for a moment, unable to calm herself. Was she being ridiculous?

She perched in the arm chair by the window to peek through the shabby drapes onto the street, watching for movement, convinced that it had not been nothing.

 

[Mako]

Mako stayed there on the forest floor for near enough an hour after Emilie left. He had done this often enough to learn patience in that regard. He wanted to be sure that she had actually left and wasn't lurking on the edge of the woods watching to see if anyone would pop up.

Eventually, after enough time had passed the Rogue popped up from the tall grass. He glanced around for a moment, then walked towards the basket she had left behind. Crouching he inspected the contents, noting the food.

Feeding someone
The killer? Had to be. Mako frowned for a moment and then began the trek back towards the inn.

He wasn't any less careful on the journey back than he'd been while trailing the girl. He kept close to the shadows, moved beneath windows, and trailed beneath the canopy of darkening trees. A few times he heard voices, but he ignored them.

By the time he returned to the Inn it was well past midnight, and he crept quickly through the shadowed streets. With a quick lithe hop he pulled himself onto the edge of the roof, crawling over it and then slipping back into his room the same way that he had first gone out.

 

[Emilie]

Nothing had moved, other than the occasional cat, but she'd kept her eyes on the street below until she could no longer keep them open. Her mind raced even in sleep, validating her worries with cruel reminders of the events that they'd run from. Hands groped at her, the knife bit into her neck, a meaty hand pushed against her mouth, muffling her cries. And then blood, it sprayed over her face, into her eyes and mouth, drenching her skin and torn clothes.

Run.

She woke with a start to the sound of her father's voice in her mind, her hands wiping at her face, though they came away clean. Her heart hammered in her chest and she took a moment to calm herself before getting up and stiffly getting herself ready for work. She was still half asleep as she wandered downstairs and into the kitchen to help prepare breakfast, her mind too preoccupied to take in much of Sissy's latest gossip.

 

[Mako]

Mako never went to sleep.

It wasn't paranoia that kept him up, but planning. He knew now that Emilie had to be connected to whomever had killed Charos, was certain that at the very least she was hiding them. Helping to feed them anyway. That meant she knew where his query was.

The workshop was a good bet, but he couldn't be sure. If he made the wrong move it might very well end up with him hanging in the town square. He had to play this carefully, especially now that she would be spooked.

So over the course of the night he decided on his path.

Mako wouldn't do it Radic's way, wouldn't go directly for the throat. Instead he'd apply a bit more...charm to the situation.

After a bit of searching within the small room he found a pad of paper and an ancient probably unused inkwell. There was on Quill, and the well had gone all but dry, but that was fine. When dawn came Mako waited a little while more, and eventually he broke free from the confines of his room and stepped into the common area.

There he quickly went to the table he'd occupied the night before, setting down the ancient paper and inkwell as he waited for Emilie to appear.

 

[Emilie]

"GODS BE DAMNED GIRL!!" Sam, the portly cook's voice bellowed from the kitchen as Emilie smashed her second plate of food this morning. She was quite obviously on edge and more than a little jumpy, and she quickly apologised and got to clearing up the mess. "Get out! Have some damned coffee and eat somethin'!" he demanded.

"Go on, I'll clear this up.. Then you can tell me what's got you so wound up.." Sissy's brow quirked.

"I'm fine." she assured.."Sorry Sam.." she sighed and the man sighed with a shake of his head, his lips twitching as they fought a fond smile. She took the jugs of tea and coffee out to the tables, smiling faintly at sleepy greetings as she filled cups here and there.

"Tea or coffee?.." she asked Mako with a small smile, holding up the appropriate jug in gesture as she spoke to allow him to point.

 

[Mako]

In truth he'd never been much of a fan of either beverage.

He hadn't grown up with coffee like others had, and tea was expensive back in the bayou. Usually his mother had given him a cup of Ora Milk in the morning and then told him the rest of the day was down to him. She'd never been a kind woman.

Radic had started with grog, but that had usually been accompanied with a cut of meat and a few eggs.

Mako stared for a moment and then pointed to the jug with coffee in it. The drink would at least help a little bit with his lack of rest, though he'd likely not enjoy the taste. He rarely did.

After choosing the beverage Mako picked up the Inkwell and gestured to it, turning it upside down and making a sad face. After a moment he then mimed writing something on the parchment, rolling his shoulders a second later before taking out a few coopers. He pointed to her, then the instruments of writing.

 

[Emilie]

Em's eyes creased slightly with a smile as she poured a coffee for him. She watched as he picked up the empty inkwell and her brows rose. "Need some ink?" she asked, and shook her head as she saw him take out more coppers.

"Oh, don't worry about it, you don't have to pay." she laughed quietly, and poured some coffee into another cup for herself. "One moment." she nodded, and left.

She returned promptly with a tray, on it were two plates of bacon, eggs, toasted bread and those 'great' sausages she'd told him about. As well as a jar of ink and a new quill. She set the tray down and gestured to the empty chair..

"You mind?.." she asked, her stomach grumbling.

 

[Mako]

The coin was slipped back into his satchel as Emilie stepped away to fetch his supplies.

For a brief moment he wondered how much gold a tavern like this saw, he suspected not much at all. A frown touched his lips, and he reminded himself not to be too flashy with his coin. Such things could easily lead to him getting a knife in the back.

These folk had already shown themselves more than a little ornery.

When the girl returned and asked for a seat he motioned for her to take the chair, smiling as the inkwell and quill slid into his hands. As she placed his own plate beside him Mako took up the fork and unceremoniously stabbed one of the sausages.

Radic had never been all that big on manners.

As he chowed down Mako quickly scribbled something down on the paper, his letters far more legible now than when he had tattooed himself.

What is the name of this town?
​

The words said as he flipped the page for Emilie to see.

 

[Emilie]

She smiled softly and flopped into the chair, lifting her coffee to blow the steam from the surface before sipping with a deep sigh, watching him over the rim of the cup she hid her smirk behind. There was something endearing about the fact that he couldn't speak. That he was as handsome as he was helped too, obviously.

Her gaze fell to the parchment and her head tilted slightly as she silently mouthed the words he'd written. "Oh, this is Old Ashton.. Where did you travel from, and where are you travelling to?.." she asked curiously as she set the coffee down and started on her breakfast.

 

[Mako]

He'd known the name of the town of course, it had come from the mouth of a screaming neighbor when he'd asked where Erik Grayson was.

I came from Oban.​

That was, of course, a lie. He'd been to Oban two or three times, though only with the Red Crow. Radic had always said there was good business to be done up there, as long as you knew the right nobles to talk to. It was a nice enough city.

Bit fancy for his own liking.

I'm not really sure where I'm going. To Alliria, maybe.​

The words were written with a surprising swiftness, and it was obvious that Mako likely communicated this way often.

Have you ever been there?​

 

[Emilie]

She read as she chewed and swallowed with a shake of her head "Never been to Oban. I've heard it's nice though, and that there are knights who ride on gryphons..Is it true?" she asked and shovelled some eggs into her mouth with a casual shrug. "I've been to Alliria. It's alright, bit busy for my tastes." she gave a short smile.

"What is it that you do?" she asked, quickly changing the subject as she dropped her gaze to her food and continued to eat.

 

[Mako]

Hm.

For a brief second Mako considered, using a few mouthfuls of food to stall for time. This approach wasn't what Radic would have used, but The Rogue didn't exactly have an army of pirates at his back to burn this town to the ground.

Yes. There are Knights and Gryphons.​

He only knew that because Radic had told him to avoid them at all costs.

Apparently they were quite the opponents, and fighting them would have been difficult for even most Reckoners. It took a lot to make Radic weary, and Mako had followed his mentors advice every single time they'd been to Oban.

I used to be a farmhand, but now I like to think of myself as an adventurer.​

A rather romantic notion, if not a complete lie.

Were you born in this town? It seems...quiet.​

 

[Emilie]

She dragged the back of her hand across her lips as she read, her brows rising. "Hm, I'd like to see them someday.." she smiled with her eyes as she sipped at some more coffee and watched as he wrote some more.

Em chuckled. "That sounds excitin'. I don't get to have many adventures." her lips pursed, and she glanced over her shoulder to find Sissy grinning at her. Her eyes rolled and she jerked her chin at the woman to piss off before turning back to read the next question.

"Oh, no. I was born in a town just as quiet, out in the reach. I don't mind it so much." she shrugged. "I like the country, I find it soothin'.."

"You travel alone, then? Don't get much quieter than that, does it?.." her head tilted.

 

[Mako]

I'm good at being quiet.​

Mako quickly scribbled, the quip hopefully landing in the way that he intended.

It was rare that he actually got to make jokes. He thought that he was pretty funny, though of course actually proving that was about as impossible as hearing the sound of his own voice. A smile flickered over his lips, showing the intention of his joke.

He was almost entirely sure now that Emilie was not the killer.

Their conversation now combined with how she'd acted last night convinced her. She was a face, a person that could operate out in the open in this village for whomever she was hiding. He would have to dig further, but there was time enough for that.

But I don't think I fit in here.​

Mako added eventually.

 

[Emilie]

Em blushed furiously and she grimaced.. "That, wasn't what I meant.." though he was smiling at her and so she laughed and shook her head, rubbing at her brow awkwardly. She chewed idly on her lip and her head tilted as she read again.

"Would you want to? There are three hundred people in this village and I'm certain not a single one of them have made it as far as the reach in their entire lives." she smirked. "But, it's an easy place to fit in, if you enjoy a borin' life." she mused with a shrug, her cheeks still as pink as ever.

 

[Mako]

Mako smiled at Emilie. There was something charming about her, an innocence that he did not often encounter in his day to day life.

Ever since he'd climbed aboard the Red Crow things had not been easy, and there had been not a second of room for any sort of naivety. Emilie reminded him of a more innocent time in his life, those brief moments back home where he could be a child.

Not that there had been many of those.

I don't know. It doesn't seem so bad.​

He wrote, pausing for a second before adding.

Given the current company.​

It wasn't true of course. He had gone on the run from his home for a reason, had left behind his parents and everything he'd ever known. A small town like this...it was a cage in it's own making, just inviting misery and abuse.

 

[Emilie]

Was there no end to this ridiculous blushing? She cleared her throat, her lips twisting as she tried and failed to suppress an answering grin at his compliment.

"Ah." she shrugged with a quiet laugh. "I fit in pretty well here. I'm really quite borin' myself." she smirked. "But, thank you." she smiled, and finished the last of her coffee. At that, Sissy appeared at the table, her hand on her hip as she looked between the two.

"Ain't this adorable? Anythin' I can get you, a drink, more eggs..some work to do?" she added as she looked down at Emilie with a half glare, half grin. Em's eyes rolled and she looked back to Mako as she stood, gathering empty cups and plates onto the tray.

"I should get back to work.. Nice, uhm..chattin'." she smiled. "Let me know if I can get you a drink or anythin'.."

 

[Mako]

Mako smiled up at the other girl, but just offered a simple shrug in answer to her.

When Emilie stood up he considered for a moment, watching as the other girl stepped away. He caught Sissy looking over her shoulder, but that didn't really much worry him. His quill shifted for a moment, and he tore off a small piece of the parchment.

A quick scribble, and then he tapped Emilie on the shoulder.

Would you show me around town after your work?​

He offered her the small piece of torn parchment, looking up with a smile that spoke of nothing less than the utmost innocence.

Old Ashton wasn't a big town of course, hell, one could probably throw a penny across the market square. That wasn't the point though, was it? A fact that he doubted Emilie, nor Sissy, would miss.

 

[Emilie]

She turned at the tap on her shoulder and looked down as she took the parchment. She wasn't entirely sure what colour her cheeks were now, but she could feel heat radiate from her skin. "Oh, I.." she curled her hair around her ear and looked over her shoulder to Sissy who was frantically waggling her eyebrows at her. She snapped her attention back to Mako and gave a flustered laugh.

"Sure, yes.. I can do that." she nodded in agreement, rocking back and forth on her heels for an awkward moment before stepping back into another table. "Oof, aha. I'll just, let you know when I finish then." she nodded and turned away, shaking her head at herself..

"You're a clumsy bit--" Sissy started, but was quickly cut off with a barked 'Shut up.'

 

[Mako]

Mako just smiled.

It was rare that things went his way. The night before certainly hadn't, and sometimes it felt as though bad luck just seemed to stalk him. In this moment at least things went his way, and he couldn't help but feel pleased as he leaned back in his chair.

He watched as the two girl bandied between one another, his smile turning into a smirk as Emilie quickly rebuked her friend. The two went scurrying off a second later, Mako looking away.

As soon as he did he noted one of the other men in the tavern glaring at him. It was not the same man as the night before, though his features were close enough that they might have been mistaken for one another. Mako offered a smile, and then quickly returned to his parchments.

The Rogue had nothing to do, at least not for the next few hours, but he could busy himself.

A bit of writing, a bit of reading.

It would have to do until Emilie finished her work.

 

[Emilie]

Her mood had improved significantly, and she'd shoved all thought of worry to the back of her mind. She had spooked herself last night, nothing had followed her, she was just being ridiculous. The Inn was busy as usual, and her working day passed quickly. She wouldn't have been surprised if Sissy had bruised ribs from the amount of times Em had dug an elbow into them.

'I'd like to get a peek under all those clothes, see what he's working' with under th--oof'

"He's mute, not deaf. Nor blind, stop oglin' at him will you?"

'Possessive much? He's only asked for a tour, not invited you to bed--oof.'

Marcus must have felt sorry for her, and told Em that she could finish up early so long as she picked up the extra hours tomorrow, to which she happily agreed and Sissy's ribs rejoiced. She rushed to her room to change out of her grubby clothes and into a fresh dress, quickly fixing her hair and giving herself a stern talking to in her mirror before casually wandering back into the tavern.

"Ready?.." she asked Mako with a small smile.