Fable - Ask Shedding Skin

[Samantha Black]

Oh gods ... was he about to cry? Ralene's posture went rigid as she watched him croak and struggle with his words. Felt the fire of something dredge itself up in the pit of her stomach like a meal that wouldn't sit right. Too many hot peppers. The warrior made a noise of consternation at it all, the tight line of her jaw barely holding back a grimace that desperately wanted to show. It was her turn to look away for a brief second of respite from the intensity of the moment.

Felt a bit like coming up for air from being pulled into a rip tide. Ral could swim, but these were uncharted waters.

She disliked how unsettling it felt to stand still and as a woman of action the need to do something urged her feet to move down the steps of the porch to come to stand before Davi. Her eyes and resolve returned, as strong as any metal crafted Arethil over, to look at him directly and raise a hand to clamp upon his shoulder.

"Never," she said, "I will never leave you behind," her hand squeezed at him, "I swear it, Davi."

A tight breath slowly eased itself out through her nostrils as Ral decided that breakfast was no longer an issue, "Get the horses ready. I have a few things to tie up here. I'll meet you in the stables shortly."

 

[Davi]

Relief made his shoulders slump. She knew everything now; that he was fae and broken so badly that he couldn't even stomach food at times when he desperately needed it. And she still accepted him - she wouldn't make him leave.

He didn't trust himself to speak so he nodded at her orders and turned on his heel to head for the stables.

It took him longer than necessary to saddle the horses and lead them out but he hoped she would not begrudge him the time he needed to compose himself. He held her stirrup for her as she mounted up then swung himself onto his own roan.

"So... West?"

 

[Samantha Black]

Could've been down to the stables in less than ten minutes had she hustled at her usual speed, but somewhere in the back of her mind Ralene felt that a casual pace for the morning would be better. Ral made sure none of Davi's meal went to waste - by eating it herself. It was a bit more food than her usual appetite called for, but she hated seeing it cold on the plate.

Helping Jules clean up and setting the old woman's concerns about their tiff aside, she made the time to say her thanks and goodbye properly. Gave Jules a rolled missive to send by raven ahead of them to Holstag and stepped out into the pale morning light. Still arrived before he was ready, but said nothing of hurrying or making haste, even if that's what her restless self wanted. Her own sting of anxiety quieted once she settled into the saddle.

Her frigid gaze shifted from her company to the darkness of the western horizon. Someone more poetic might've taken that shadow as a foreboding sign, but Ralene had never been afraid of the dark.

"West," she affirmed, and nudged her mare onwards down the road.

Bit early for a conversation, Ralene contently rode on in the quiet of the morning hours, enjoying the coolness of the air and the feeling of lightness that waking up and knowing she'd never have to look at the accursed Academy again if she didn't want to. It felt good.

That good feeling lasted about a minute before noise from behind them on the road caught her attention. The sound of swiftly moving hoofbeats and a voice calling for them to wait. Brow furrowing, Ralene looked askance at Davi and pulled her horse round to face what was coming, left hand holding the reins while the right moved to the pommel of her shortsword sheathed at her mare's shoulder.

Her eyes narrowed as she spied the first inkling of a shape cresting the hill they had only just finished descending, and with the morning light to the back of the rider it was impossible to see who or what rode at them in such a hurry. Judging by the shape of the outline, it was one of the robed monks. Most of them were decent horsemen, but she couldn't recall the last time she'd seen one riding with such poise or on a horse as gangly looking as that. The gait was odd, to say the least, and it was strangely tall and misproportioned.

And then, as the rider called one last time, she knew exactly who it was and her eyes slivered to a dangerous point.

Rolan rode up to them astride a large rackless grey elk.

The elf huffed and the elk grunted as he pulled it up from its hasty ambling, "We were not expecting your departure so early."

"Is something... wrong?" Ralene raised a brow at him as she let her eyes glance over the strange sight before her. It was clearly a relic of his time living among his own kin - everything from the elk to its strappings screamed elf. If he meant to travel incognito, he was failing on all accounts.

"Preferentially speaking, yes," Rolan replied, his expression taking on the image of someone who'd stepped in shit with good shoes on, "morally and factually, no. Brother Markim has requested I accompany you on the road to Vel Castere. I have some business to see to there and he believed this to be the ..." the elf looked them both over with clean disinclination, "safest option."

 

[Davi]

"No."

It bordered on a snarl as Davi sat his horse as it pranced sideways, eager to be off across the inviting fields and not standing still.

"Absolutely not," who knew how long this journey was going to take and he would now have to spend it with the elf? Rolan glanced in Davi's direction and his lips curled in unmistakable disgust. "I'm not playing bodyguard to an elf who looks as though he was dragged through a yuletide shop backwards," who wore bells?

 

[Samantha Black]

An answer had presently been churning through various stacks of thoughts in Ralene's head when Davi barked out his own. Seven thousand hells, Davi. Dropping her grip on her sword pommel, Ral lifted the same hand to rub at the bridge of her nose.

"I am a citizen of your Vel Anir now," Rolan responded in kind, matching the bite of Davi's tone, "and a member of the Anirian Monestary Brotherhood. I have read the laws of your new Republic and I know the duties you hold. You cannot turn me down."

Well, he wasn't wrong. She didn't like the idea anymore than Davi, but she was about to tell him the same thing. Her hand dropped back to her lap and her gaze drifted over to Davi with a pointed look, "He's right. We can't. We are sworn to serve the people...humans, elves, and everything else."

A long-suffering sigh left her lips as she rounded her horse back to their path, "We move at our pace, can your...mount keep up?"

"With ease and grace," Rolan replied, at once both pleased and disgusted with the turn of things.

 

[Davi]

Davi stared at his friend as though she had grown another head but instead of a smart mouthed response like most of their class would have given, he merely grunted and spun his horse back to the West.

"We'll see," he muttered quietly enough only Ralene could hear and then stopped holding his horse back. The roan shot forward gleefully into a gallop and soon the group were eating up leagues of road. He might have wanted to test Rolan but he would not do it to the detriment of his horse and brought the steed back down to a sensible speed then a walk to cool them down. Rolan was a spec in the distance. Using the moment of privacy he finally turned to Ral.

"This can't be serious, Ral. Look at him he looks ridiculous. He was probably some lord in the Falwood more used to cushions beneath his arse than a saddle."

 

[Samantha Black]

Hadn't really intended to test the elk or Rolan for that matter, Ralene was keen to keep things copacetic and spend as little time bickering as possible. But - with Davi's horse taking off - there wasn't much holding the mare back now that they had been traveling together. Even if she didn't care for his gelding. The Nag took off after him and Ral set herself into her saddle to stick.

When Davi pulled up, the mare blew past him with a squeal and a kick, throwing her head as Ralene reined her around in a tight circle. She pranced and pitched a fit, throwing teeth at Davi's mount in displeasure just because.

"It doesn't matter - knock it off," Ral gave her a sharp nudge in the side, "doesn't matter what he looks like. The Guard serves the people, no matter who or what they are. That's how it's going to be from here on out, Davi."

With her horse stiffly settling beneath her like a ticking timebomb, she sighed and looked back at the shape of Rolan in the distance as he caught up. Didn't seem to be particularly fussed to make his elk move as quick as it could - she'd seen them cover ground out in the wild and knew they could keep pace with a horse, but the elk wasn't herd bound like their mounts. It had a great sense of smell and a keen instinct.

She was irritated at the situation but not for the same reasons Davi was.

"Would it kill you to give him the chance you were never given in the Academy? We can't afford to hold on to old prejudices anymore."

 

[Davi]

"The same chance he's given me?" Davi replied coldly. "You saw how he reacted to me - to just my eyes - do you think he hasn't made up his mind that I'm less?" Just like the Proctors had. The gelding wisely walked a far enough distance away from the mares teeth and cast her forlorn looks that seemed to say what did I do wrong? Davi patted the horses neck reassuringly.

"Besides, my issue isn't that he's an elf. My issue is he's a dick - the way he spoke to you," his jaw clenched. Yes, Davi could take the hate on his broad shoulders but not his behaviour towards Ralene "He doesn't want to be here with us that much is clear. Let him make his own way if he thinks it's such a shame on him to walk with Dreadlords."

 

[Samantha Black]

A smirk tried to implant itself on her face for various reasons. The comment about his eyes she almost let slip that maybe the elf was jealous. Davi had nice eyes and, so far as Ralene had generally thought about him, wasn't a bad looking fellow all things considered. Needed more meat on his bones - though she understood that a bit more now.

"Yeah," she said as she tongued the smirk from her cheek with a stretch of her jaw, "he's a dick," the amusement lingered still as she looked back to Davi, "but he's our dick now until we reach Castere. Then he's someone else's dick. I owe a lot to brother Markim and the monks, not gonna burn them for a few churlish words from an elf. Got thicker skin than that."

"What do you care what he thinks of you anyway, eh? You got bigger dragons to slay now."

 

[Davi]

Davi glowered at the road ahead. Anger was his most natural state of being and it was far easier to handle than the complicated cocktail he had been feeling for the past few hours. The unfortunate thing was that this time, his anger was directed at a man very much caught up in those complicated feelings.

"I don't," he muttered and hunched down in his saddle. Then his scowl turned into more of a frown. "What do you mean dragon--" he got no further for Rolan drew up finally beside them looking red in the face, though clearly from anger than any real exhaustion.

"You left me!" He accused, glaring in Davi's direction who studiously refused so much as to give him a look.

"Perhaps if you didn't have bells on your elk, you would have heard me say canter on."

 

[Samantha Black]

"What do you mean dragon-"

That earned a knowing and wry side eye from Ral, but she held any remark as Rolan finally caught up and scoffed at Davi's response, "They are not bells, they are ancuil," he said in retort.

Ral leaned forward to give the baubles a closer look and discovered that they were not bells at all, but small beads of metal that rang together with movement.

"And the difference is?" she asked with a dubious look as she leaned back into her saddle.

"Ancuil are crafted by our ancestors for their descendants to travel with them in life and bring good fortune in spirit. I realize such a sentiment is foreign to most humans, but we of Loriden place great value in the blessing of our forbearers." His elk gently shook its head and set the tiny trinkets a ringing again. Judging by the vast amount of ancuil, he was quite spiritually wealthy indeed. Or had been. Did exile break that blessing?

"Yeah," Ral rolled her jaw in thought, "my forbearers were assholes." Turning her horse once more to their path, she clacked the reins on her neck to set her on a marching pace.

"A truer shame than exile," Rolan replied and, for once, sounded earnest, "they have failed you deeply."

"It's fine," she said with a sigh, all signs of her previous good mood falling under the shadow that conversation of her family always beget, "I choose my own family now," her eyes slipped to Davi as she nudged her horse into a trot to pass by him and set the speed, "we don't stop until high noon. Try to keep pace, Rolan."

 

[Davi]

Rolan was complaining of his aches almost an hour after he had caught up with them and a good two hours before Ralene eventually let them stop. At times the elf had tried to draw his mount up closer to them but Davi had let the gelding swing his head to snap at the animal and in the end he seemed to relent the war horses would not put up with a foreign creature. Which, of course, turned into a sighing, torturous lecture about how well elven horses were trained in comparison.

When Rolan didn't lecture he lamented; the ground was too hard, they didn't stop for enough breaks, the food was bad. The only good bits were when he complained about the pain he was in from riding so much.

On and on the days dragged past and Davi tried to avoid the elf as much as possible but the snide comments still came. Rolan caught him practising his shifting one day and sneered something about his human blood making it ungraceful. After that Davis sensitive hearing had picked up more than a few slurs for half breed muttered under the elfs breath. He had politely asked Ralene if he could slit the elfs throat.

It was not until the fifth day they saw the smoke of campfires up ahead and plenty of them signalling a large group travelling together. An army.

"Thank Kress," Davi whispered.

 

[Samantha Black]

Ralene surprised herself with how well she was able to simply tune out Rolan's grumblings during the journey. For the most part he became like a droning of bees in the background and aside from the few instances where the elf yelped as his elk took a mistep or got thwacked in the face by a well timed and aimed tree branch from Davi ... she barely paid him any mind.

Still, even she could share the relief at placing eyes on the shadows of a contingent making camp just off the road. The flags of Vel Anir and the Western Army flew gently in a southward breeze, and though she couldn't make out Holstag's flag specifically, she thought she spied the enormous silhouette of one member of his Company.

"That's Western Army," she nodded, her expression leavening just short of an eager smile, "looks like we caught up."

Wasn't long before they were met by sentries on the road, two soldiers she did not personally know but recognized the insignia of the General's men on their right pauldrons. Now more than ever she felt naked without her armor - it would have been recognizable perhaps, but it also had her emblem from Holstag's company on it.

"What's your business on the road?" asked one of the soldiers, his tone far sharper than the normally casual approach of her Captain's people.

"Dreadlords Black and Wolf reporting to Holstag Company," she answered, leaning to offer the man her assignment papers.

He unfolded the sheet, "This is marked for Academy Initiate Ralene Banick...fucking Aionius, a Banick?"

Ral's expression soured as she drew a slow inhale through her nose, "Yes. We just graduated. It's Dreadlord Black now."

"There's nothing on here about a Dreadlord Wolf."

"Wolf is a new graduate and recruit. He doesn't have papers yet."

"And the other?" he asked, leaning to peer at Rolan and his elk behind them. Rolan thankfully stayed silent.

"This is Brother Rolan, he is a member of the Vel Draza Monestary. We are escorting him to Vel Castere Monestary on brotherhood business."

"An elf in the brotherhood?" asked the Guard curiously, shook his head and handed Ralene back her papers, "Now I've seen everything. Get on through and get your papers in order."

Ralene silently willed Rolan to hold his tongue as she nudged her horse forward.

Rolan waited until they were out of earshot before speaking up, but quietly, "I can see my welcome here will be thin."

"Revolution's still fresh for most Anirians," Ral replied to him without looking back, "especially those who weren't home for the battle. New laws are slow to fix. Stick near me, I'll make sure everyone knows your welcome is equal."

The elf was quiet for a moment, staring curiously at the back of Ralene's head before he nodded, "Thank you."

"Just keep your shitty comments to yourself, eh?"

Rolan sniffed and tugged his hood back over his head for a bit more anonymity, not that it would help the attention his mount would garner, "Duly noted."

 

[Davi]

Davi only partially paid attention to the conversation going on beside him as they rode through the camp. His focus was captured instead by the army. Each of Aniria's great armies operated in a different way; in the East their camps were much smaller and more suited to remaining undetected; in the South the armies focused on forts and key cities. Most of his initiate life had been split between the East and the South, his missions focused on stealth and information gathering. He realised he had never seen such a giant force such as this out in the open on the move.

The Army of the West was a city. Made up of tents and dirt trodden pathways but a city nevertheless. They passed the stables and smithys where they were busy reshoeing horses or fixing weapons, then came the laundry quarter that seemed to merge with general camp followers. Soldiers were split into different quarters with their units and at the centre of it all was the Generals tent where people were constantly coming and going.

Davi took it all in with slightly wild eyes and his fingers tightened on the reins.

 

[Samantha Black]

After taking some time to gather her bearings for the camp, Ralene lead them off in the direction of where she thought she'd seen that giant mass milling about. Sure enough, Holstag's black stag and white crow emblem flew out in a fresh wind that blew in from the south. She dismounted along the way and upon entering the company's quarter found herself beset by familiar and eager faces.

Men and women soldiers and Knights looked up to greet her, a few even walked up to squeeze her shoulder and exchange greetings. Davi was given some polite nods while Ronan received a very resounding silent eyeballing. While she knew most everyone in Holstag's company by name, she'd yet to see any from his smaller squadron she usually ran with on missions. Must be on the outskirts of the quarter.

"Come on," she said back to the other two, "we'll check in with the Captain first."

Following the flag brought them easily enough to the Captain's tent where one Knight stood outside on duty. Ral tied her mare up to a hitching post off to the side and moved to enter the tent only to be barred from passing through.

"Black," said one of the Knights, a dark-skinned woman bearing the sigil of both Holstag's company and the minor House Ashforn who served the Luana's on her armor, "good to see you. The Captain's been waiting for your arrival."

"He naked or something?" Ral jested, taking the woman's hand to shake with a half grin.

"Arrow's inside," she replied knowingly, "getting a sound berating."

"Sounds like a story for later... I've brought a new recruit with me from the Academy. Wolf," Ral nodded to Davi once he approached, "this is Sparrow. You two will get on just fine I think. Sparrow's got a thing with animals as well."

"A pleasure, Wolf," Sparrow held her hand out to him as well, brow raised over curiously bright blue eyes before looking to Rolan as he emerged. Sparrow's jaw went slack momentarily before she collected herself, "I don't suppose that one's from the Academy as well?"

 

[Davi]

"Standards haven't slipped that low yet," Davi said dryly. Roland hissed.

"Your Academy--"

"Does not match the standards of your kind, your kind would never bother to step inside, blah blah blah," he waved the elf off who had turned a purple shade of rage. Davi wondered if he was more outraged he had lost his composure or that Davi despite pretending to not have been listening had indeed heard every part of his lecture on the Academy whilst they were on the road - and remembered it well enough to make him look a fool in front of others.

Point to Davi.

The Dreadlord returned his gaze to Sparrow and canted his head to one side.

"Thing with animals?"

 

[Samantha Black]

Sparrow offered a wincing smile at the exchange between the young man and the elf, giving Rolan a bare glance before turning her attention back to Wolf who, in his chastising, had failed to take her offered hand.

"Right," she said with a look to Ralene who only rolled her eyes in return. Sparrow withdrew her hand and planted it, instead, on a cocked hip, "I'm a Warg. Bit of elven ancestry way back in the family but you didn't hear that from me. I can tap into local creatures and people's minds, use their senses and move them around, that sorta thing. Prefer the animals, if I'm honest, people's minds are disgusting."

"That is a gift common to the southern elven clans, if I am not mistaken," Rolan remarked.

"That's right," Sparrow smiled to him, "I don't know much about them myself. It's never been a good topic of discussion in Vel Anir, learned that when we moved here about ten years back."

"This is Rolan," Ralene nodded to their hooded charge, "he's joined the Monestary Brotherhood. We're escorting him to Vel Castere."

"Is that right?" Sparrow raised a brow, "one of my uncles is with the Brotherhood. I'll introduce you when we get there. He'll be tickled with an elf Brother. Want to talk your earpoints off I imagine."

"Rolan won't have any trouble with that," Ral snickered.

Rolan sniffed indignantly but nodded his thanks, "That would be most welcome indeed to confer with someone interesting for a change."

"So you've a thing with animals then?" Sparrow looked to Davi with intrigue.

 

[Davi]

Davi only noticed the hand as it was retracted and a faint blush brushed across his stubbled cheeks. Pleasantries were so uncommon it appeared he didn't even notice them anymore. His embarrassment was soon forgotten however when she mentioned her own talents. Was she a Dreadlord? His eyes flickered to Ralene with the unspoken question before back to Sparrow. Yes... those eyes... eyes similar to his own that had made Rolan look at him so oddly that first day.

He noted, with a scowl, he didn't look at Sparrow in the same way.

Davi at least made sure to wipe the scowl off his face before returning his gaze to hers only for them to instantly slide to Ralene for quiet guidance. He had asked, so why would she not ask in return? Ralene had said they needed to trust him... Taking a breath and courage from her nod his eyes suddenly seemed to glow then settled into the eyes of a wolf, before back again.

"I would give a fuller display but I'm quite attached to this coat."

 

[Samantha Black]

Sparrow blinked at the curious change of his eyes, a questioning glance going to Ralene as well, "You're a ... changeling then?"

"Shapeshifter," Ral corrected, though honestly she couldn't say the difference between the two if asked. Changeling just seemed not quite right - the word brought to mind visions of werewolves which Davi decidedly was not.

"Fuck me sideways," Sparrow gave a huff of laughter, "Big Guy is going to love you. The twins, too. Can you do any shape?"

But before Davi could answer Sparrow felt a sudden shove at her back as a man came bursting through the tentflaps and walked directly into her backside.

"Bloody rivers-" Sparrow exclaimed as she caught herself before plowing face first into Davi.

"Don't stand in the way," spat the man at her. He was tall, aggressively lean, shaved bald, and held a severe look of contempt about him, which only seemed to boil more fervently as he laid eyes first on Ralene and then on the elf behind her. He gave the former a prickly sneer, "Survived your Graduation then, Banick?"

Ral's hands rolled into fists at her side, but she held her cold gaze on him, all evidence of warmth from the prior encounter now frozen over, "I'm a woman of my word."

"Flint, get on with your business," Sparrow shot at him, "the Captain's been waiting to see her for a week and you're interfering with my job."

The man shot Sparrow a glare, scowled with the menace of an offended bear, then turned and left without even bothering to acknowledge Davi.

"Don't bother with him," Sparrow said to Davi as she watched him go, "he's got an iron rod shoved so far up his ass I'm surprised it hasn't come out an eye socket yet."

"Complete savagery," Rolan replied with shock on his face as he watched the man go, "why would anyone do such a thing to themselves?"

 

[Davi]

There was a moment of panic as Sparrow rattled off three people in the space of a breath who would soon learn of his magic, but he smothered it. He didn't need to be afraid anymore of what others would think when they discovered his talents. Not with Ralene at his side. Not once he had accepted what he was and owned it. The latter was his next challenge, he knew, along with... He was saved from those dark thoughts by the man barrelling out of the tent. Instinctively he reached for Sparrow as she stumbled forward, catching her by the elbow before she could slam into him and a second before she could catch herself. There was only a flicker of his eyes shifting that gave away how exactly he had reacted so quickly.

His jaw clenched whilst this man - Flint - sneered at Ralene. What he wanted to do was snarl and sink his teeth into the man's throat but part of working as a team was knowing when not to step in as much as it was knowing when to help. So he raged to himself and marked every detail of the man so he might find him later when he was alone.

Unfortunately his self control only stretched so far so at Rolan's words Davi's frigid eyes cut to the elf's then snorted.

"You're a fucking idiot."

 

[Samantha Black]

Sparrow tried very little to withold her laughter and it came out in snorting delight.

"What?" Rolan blinked furiously as he looked between the three, "Why are you-"

"It's a figure of speech, Rolan," Ralene smirked at him and clamped a heavy hand on the elf's near shoulder, "means he's full of piss and whinge. Makes you look friendly."

This did not seem to abate the elf's confusion on the matter and he clearly did not know how to feel about being called friendly. He thought he was perfectly friendly.

Sparrow continued hooting and stepped to the side to wave them in, "Go in-" she managed between laughs.

Ralene shook her head in amusement and pushed through the tent flaps with Rolan in tow and Davi bringing up the rear. It was decently spacious inside the tent - far bigger than it looked to be from the outside. Small comforts could be found here and there in the way of actual furniture, dishware, braziers and additional appointments that one would come to expect of Holstag's rank and station. He sat at a field desk off to the side near a larger basket brazier, peering down at a map and making notes with a well pen upon a sheet of parchment to the side.

Arren Holstag was the sort of man you might envision when hearing the tales of a griseled war veteran. He had the look about him of many long years under his boots and the grey in his dark hair and beard to hint at his age. He was not unkind looking, but of the more serious nature most wouldn't chance to disrespect. As he looked up the sharp glint of a very terse come-to-Nykios conversation dissipated from his gaze like dew in the morning sun. A smile readily pulled at his beard and he stood from his desk to meet Ralene halfway.

A hand instantly went to her shoulder and squeezed - Davi might just recognize the gesture Ralene had performed on him many times already. It was the closest thing to a hug she'd offer and she picked it up from Holstag at a young age.

"I was wondering when you'd catch up," the man spoke, his voice deep and gravelly.

"Apologies Sir," Ral replied, "I had not received the updated DP. Landed in Draza not long after you departed."

Holstag nodded and released his grip from her, "That is my fault. I had not been given a chance to send a message. But you found us and you're here," he gaze shifted then to Davi with some curiosity before moving to linger on Rolan, "with company."

Back to Davi, "Tell me who you are, son."

Ralene took a short step back, looked to Davi and nodded that this was his moment to make his case.

 

[Davi]

Davi had allowed himself a small smile when Sparrow had begun her roaring laughter, especially when Rolan's face had turned a delightful shade of purple. The smile quickly faded however as they were ushered into the tent and a weight pressed down upon his shoulders. It only grew worse as he watched the touches of familiarity between Ralene and the General. It all slotted in with how easily she had spoken with Sparrow, the nods with the men in the camp. Family, Ralene had called them, and it became painfully clear in that tent. Was he deserving of that chance for himself?

When Holstag's eyes finally swept towards him the young lad straightened himself up smartly like an cadet would beneath a superiors gaze. He even snapped off a smart salute before glancing briefly to Ralene for any hint of what he should say or do. What did he say? That he had nowhere else to go, that he owed this woman his life and would walk by her side until he had paid it tenfold? He swallowed, returning his gaze to that of the General.

"Dreadlord Nevarro, Sir," Dreadlord. The title still sat wrong but... After that day, they had earnt it. All of them. He rolled his shoulders as if it could somehow lessen that weight. "I owe Black here my life, Sir. I'd.... I'd like your permission to stay, so that I can repay that debt and learn be worthy of the second chance she gave me." He didn't dare cut her a look. Instead he took a deeper breath. "I'm a skilled fighter, a decent enough archer, but a better tracker or... infiltrator. My magic," he hesitated for a beat. Forced himself to plough on. "Is Shapeshifting, Sir. In the Academy I primarily focused on taking on the forms of important Statesmen, Nobility etc. but I can transform into animals... creatures too, after studying them. In person is better, but I've done so from sketches too. And if that's of no use to you either, Sir, I've been told I'm a fast rider, I'd make a good messenger for you."

 

[Samantha Black]

Holstag listened attentively to the young man before him, a look of weathered consideration playing in the dancing shadows of his face. The Captain's eyes took the boy's figure in, his expression hardly shifting at the mention of shapeshifting or how the powers could be put to use. After Davi finished speaking, Holstag turned his gaze to Ralene who after only a beat gave him a single nod.

"Very well," he said after a moment, slowly turning back to his desk to take up his seat again. After some shuffling through papers he glanced to Davi again, "I'll have your papers drawn up by the morning. For now, Dreadlord Wolf, you'll report directly to Sargeant Sparrow. She'll conduct your onboarding and testing to see where you'll best fit among the Knights. Welcome to the Company."

A small but satisfied smile played about Ral's face, enough to give Davi a reassuring glance before her attention was swiftly pulled back to the Captain.

"Brother Rolan, welcome. Brother Glaves of Castere is in attendance, you can share a tent with him," Holstag looked to the elf, "you'll find him to the north of my company's encampment. Black can escort you there once I'm finished with her."

"Thank you, Captain," Rolan gave a short bow of his head.

"Dismissed ...not you, Black."

 

[Davi]

Davi hesitated.

Those vivid blue eyes cut to Ralene with a silent question. He knew it was not the right move - certainly not the smart one - to not instantly file out of the tent when a Captain had given him an order. Yet it was not the Captain who held his loyalty even if he had agreed to take him on. Only at her nod did he finally snap off the salute and leave the tent.

"I give you a week," Rolan said, reins of his elk in his hands. He'd left before Davi and had waited it seemed to sneer. The Dreadlord ignored him entirely and turned his eyes instead to Sparrow.

"The Captain said I'm to report directly to you," his brow raised slightly. "I hope that isn't a punishment for you," he knew some Dreadlords would have thought babysitting duty was as such.

 

[Samantha Black]

"Punishment?" Sparrow gave a bark of laughter, "Course not! I love taking fresh recruits under my wing. Black was a riot when she was kid."

There was a look of nostalgic humor on her face as she took a moment to think back on those missions, both hands planted on her hips, "Yeah, we're gonna have some fun you and I. Can't wait to see what you can do - though I won't be able to get you going proper until we reach Castere. For now we'll just get you settled with the rest of the crew. Do you like spicy food? Fern's making her special rub tonight!"