Private Tales Trusting Thieves

[Acteon Cass]

This woman, Silver, still wanted a fifty-fifty split. Did she not understand he was going to get more out of this deal if she did that? Also she was the one in need of coin more than he was. Oh well. He was not going to argue on this. He had tried to be fair. She was strangely more open now and talkative. Also curious as she asked about Forelle. Interesting. He already figured she was smarter and more observant than she looked but this confirmed it for him a bit.

With a smile Acteon took her offer of wine. A single, long drink was had then he handed it back over to her. "Forelle does not care about coin. Everyone in Alliria knows that they are worthless unless you spend them. A hoarded coin is a wasted coin. Their value only goes up if you can get more of them flowing and you can only get more flowing if you spread them around. So he does like everyone else in the city and spends them on things that actually have value outside of being spent. Clothing, jewelry, trinkets, fancy houseware, and works of art. It is a display of wealth that doubles as a way to retain your wealth. Coins fluctuate in value but a locket of gold and sapphires will always be worth something."

And here he went going into explaining the mentality of merchants and the more prominent members of Allirian and Reach society. Acteon did stop himself a bit and got refocused. "But Forelle does not value those things the most. He sells jewels after all so it is not difficult for him to get his hands on the best ones for their cheapest price. No, he values his reputation the most. And you my rather attractive dear harmed it tonight. Not only did you reject his advances but you ended up running off with the trinket he was flaunting around to others. You got away as did your two associates who I let live. If word of both these things gets out then it will only further impact his reputation. And what if his wife finds out about it? Well it will further spiral his reputation into nothingness. And for a merchant your reputation is one of your more important assets. You can survive near devastation if your reputation is good enough or meet ruin during the best of times if it is not. Forelle wants to keep his reputation good so customers will continue to flock to him like crows on a corpse. If it becomes bad then he will be the corpse scavengers feast upon."

Silver Romani

 

[Silver Romani]

She took another drink as he handed the wine back to her, listening with interest as he spoke of the Alliria people and their values. It had been the second time in her life that she'd set foot in Alliria, but her family had always spoken of the wealth of their merchants and glorious markets. If there had been a place she'd have liked to have settled when she was still entirely human, she'd have liked it here.

"That makes sense..I've never thought of value that way.." she pursed her lips thoughtfully and listened as he went on, and a small smirk curled on her lips as he spoke of her damaging Forelle's reputation. "I suppose I should feel bad for preying on the weak minds of men. Some alcohol low cut fabric and they turn into scoundrels. I hope to one day find out that you are not all cut from the same cloth." she lifted a brow, and her smirk remained.

"But... I don't feel bad. He was a swine and he called me a whore. I may be a gypsy but I do have self respect." she shrugged and settled back against Raksha as she lay down behind her again, the wine offered back to him after she took another drink. "Have you always lived in Alliria?" she asked curiously, he seemed to know much about the city and it's people, she could only assume he was in with the bricks. He certainly seemed well off, and Silver clearly didn't. She'd lost her belongings and trinkets after the last full moon, she'd never made it back to collect them, and she was very aware that she wore someone else's clothes. "I had hoped to do a little shopping whilst I was here.." she cleared her throat. She had four coin purses, and the large sapphire, she just hadn't had time to spend them yet.

 

[Acteon Cass]

The Allirian caught the smirk at the end of gypsy's comments about Forelle and the men of the city. Was that an invitation or just an attempt to be playful? He could not say yet as he did not know this woman enough. So it was best to assume the later and play along with her little jest in his own way.

Acteon gave her a predatory smile as he leaned in a bit closer to her. "There are as many kinds of men in Alliria as there are kinds of cloth my dear. Some alcohol and low cut fabric hardly gets my desires growing. I have always been a man of the hunt and chase. Make the journey entertaining and then I will pounce."

With that said he leaned back up. One last squeeze of her shoulder then he slide his hand off to take her offer of the wine. The man took his drink as she spoke once more. Questions about himself. It made sense. She would want to know something of the man she was putting her life in the hands of. They might both be werewolves but he knew personally he was far more likely to kill one of his kind than he was to ever help them. They were a plague that must not spread and he was fortunate enough to be in a position to prevent the spread.

A friendly smile was back on Acteon's face as he held the wine out for her. "My family is as old as the city itself. We were one of her original settlers. While we have never taken a seat on the council for our own reasons, that does not mean we should be less proud of our history. We focused on our business and people is all."

Then Acteon remembered this woman was not from Alliria or the Reach so likely did not know what he meant. He chuckled a bit before adding, "Excuse me. I forgot you are not from here for a moment. The Cass family is from Alliria but we split our time between here and another city. Cassica. It is to the north. Where the Strait and the Savye river meet there are large islands. On the largest of them is the city of Cassica. It was named after our family as we are the reason she was able to build up. Likely the most important port in the region behind only Alliria herself."

Acteon motioned above their heads to indicate the city. "But my family is in a bit of some hard times right now. Some of the merchant lords got upset when my father bested them at their own games and so abused their power to strip everything from us. I was away working as a sellsword at the time so did not find out about any of it till it was done." He gave her a look with a bit of amusement in it. "Remember what I said before about reputations? The Cass family is still respected and feared even with everything being forced from us. And those who fear should. We are about to take it back and when we do it will leave those who tried to take it from us exposed. Exposed like a rabbit in a meadow to a hawk."

Silver Romani

 

[Silver Romani]

Silver laughed under her breath at his comment and rolled her eyes.. "A different kind of scoundrel but a scoundrel all the same. Keep your hunting and chasing and pouncing for the rabbits and deer." she grinned at him as he held his face closer to her, and her head and tilted back another long drink of wine once he'd returned it again.

She listened curiously as he spoke of his family, and couldn't help but think of how complicated city life seemed, particularly to someone who had travelled around her entire life. They had no councils or Lords or lands. It was freedom, pure and simple. There seemed to be so many things to think about living in the city, especially high born families like his.

Her brows lifted as he spoke of Cassica and she straightened up a little "You're saying you have an entire city in your name? You must be some sort of Prince, no? Forgive me, Your Grace, I wasn't aware that I was in the company of a royal Cass." she smiled and dipped her chin, a hand on her chest as she feigned embarrassment.

Silver rarely came into contact with high borns, she'd spent only fleeting moments in passing whilst she relieved them of a coin purse or trinket, but even that was on rare occasions. She'd never seen the likes of the grandeur she'd encountered at the event she'd crashed earlier. Still, she wasn't sure she'd trade her life for it, her old life at least. And she really hated wearing shoes.

 

[Acteon Cass]

"I am not Prince or noble. The Cass family just did a lot to help what was once a town primarily surviving off of fishing and the fur trade become one of the most prominent cities in the region. Our company allowed for it and our family served the city as their merchant lord from time to time. Others have held the position as well that were not from our family. It was just something they did out of respect to us." Acteon responded to her little jest with the first bit of true seriousness he had shown this entire time. But it quickly shifted back into his more friendly and cheerful edge from earlier after he finished speaking.

"Now as for the chasing and hunting and pouncing I can make no promises. I am a wolf in man's clothing after all." Acteon said as he gave her a toothy smile.

The man rolled his shoulders a bit. He had not had time to stretch out and train that day due to the party. Things needed to be prepared before he and his father arrived after all. As he did this he said, "So is this all of your belongings? A single fancy dress, some men's clothing far too big for you, a horse, and then the bag?"

Silver Romani

 

[Silver Romani]

Her lips twisted thoughtfully as he spoke so seriously. Apparently she’d touched a nerve. He was smiling soon after however and she relaxed again, and handed over the last of the wine with a smirk at his words. “Hm.. I suppose you are. But I am not a lamb.” she quirked a brow.

“Gods, take it easy. We don’t all bathe in wealth and finery Cass.” She laughed under her breath as he pointed out her lack of belongings.

“I fled my camp before the last moon.. I didn’t have time..” she paused and decided to leave that story alone. “What I did have I left in Falwood before my last shift, I intended on returning for it but I got into a little trouble and didn’t make it back. So. My belongings are somewhere in Falwood.” she huffed. She’d never find it. “Not that it was much, but at least the clothes were mine. I stole these in the last town I passed through. And the dress isn’t mine.” She wrinkled her nose.

“I have enough coin to purchase some new wears tomorrow..” she tilted her head back to rest it against Raksha. “Besides. Raksha here is all I need.“

 

[Acteon Cass]

"Falwood you say? Perhaps we can try to find your lost belongings after our lunar trip. We will be heading in that direction anyways and I imagine you must have had something personally valuable to you in there." Acteon began to speak as he considered their next moves. There was nothing pressing he needed to do. The festival of Alliria and Panae was coming up in a day or two but outside of that there was nothing to be ready for.

Acteon looked Silver up and down once more. The clothes needed to go. They fit so poorly that it was a wonder they did not slide right off of her. As much enjoyment as some would surely have in the sight of that he would rather his new companion not be in such a scandalous position. Attract the wrong kind of attention and he would have to explain things to the guards. They might still view him as one of their own, and he them in a lesser way, but it was best not to have to keep relying on their good favor for every little thing. And the woman would likely be more comfortable and look better in proper fitting clothing.

"Do not worry about your coins. I will cover it. Not out of kindness or to win your favor though. Think of it more as an investment. I would like to make you more of a proper citizen of Alliria and one who is able to be helpful to me later on. For mutually beneficial prospects." Acteon said with a bit of amusement in his eye. He clearly already had ideas on how she could help him. "But before any of that I will help you control this curse and get your feet back under you. You and your horse will need a place to stay. A proper place to stay. A reliable source of income that is not going to get the guards after you eventually. I have some leeway with the guards and can get them to over look a bit, but I may not always be there and can only get you out of so much. So instead we will find a proper job for you that you find acceptable."

The Allirian just smiled at her with all of these plans. She might not enjoy the idea being someone use to more freedom but until she got that curse under control she would never be free. And Acteon was going to do his part to get her to a place she could be useful to him in his goals.

Silver Romani

 

[Silver Romani]

Silver shrugged at him and shook her head.. “Not really. A few weapons and trinkets but they can be replaced. The guards that held me managed to find Raksha, the rest is replaceable.”. She’d left a little of her mind in Falwood too, she thought, perhaps not as replaceable but there was nothing she could do about that now.

Her brow slowly started to knit as he spoke, and she laughed with a smile that didn’t meet her eyes, as though he’d been telling a very terrible joke. “You’re completely serious aren’t you? Do you honestly expect me to part with my own ways so quickly and fall to your beck and call, become a respectable member of society and hold down a job. How is this to both of our benefit? I am a gypsy, Acteon. It is a way of life, my heart simply wouldn’t allow me to stay in one place for too long, I don’t belong in a city, I don’t know how to work. I am a free woman, and this life you describe might as well be a prison... No.”

The thought of it has raised her pulse and she felt her chest tighten. “I don’t need your help with any of that. I didn’t realise the cost of your help with my affliction would be my free will. I might as well have stayed with Talus.” She folded her arms.

 

[Acteon Cass]

The mention of her belongings made it sound like the stuff was not worth the effort going for. If she had no attachment then it was best just to leave it behind. But what followed took him a bit by surprise. She had a very negative reaction to the idea of a job and even the prospect of settling down to some degree. It was as if her own body was rejecting the very notion. That got a sigh from him and he waited for her to finish with her little tantrum over not wanting to work.

After Silver had finished Acteon said in a serious although still relaxed tone, "Do you like to eat?" He shifted how he sat so he could look at her directly without having to twist his neck around. "If you like to eat and would like to not have to worry about where your food is coming from all the time then you need a job. Everyone has some kind of job. Even housewives and beggars are doing something so they can eat. Be it asking for coin or keeping the house in order so their spouse can focus on bringing in coin for the both of them. A job does not mean you are locked down to one place for the rest of your life. There are plenty of jobs that require you to be up and about on the move. I am a sellsword after all and it has taken me all over the Reach as well as out to Amol-kalit and other places. It is not the only job like this. Bards, traveling traders, sailors, and more. All of them are jobs and can move about. But they all have a place they call home that they return to. That is what I am proposing for you. You would never survive life as a farmer after all. I did say one acceptable to you."

The Allirian waited a moment to give her some time for things to sink in on that front. He had another topic that needed to be addressed and right away. Once he felt she had the time to at least get those concepts processed a bit it was time to tackle the more important matter.

"You have to change Silver. I am trying to help you with that. You say my help comes at the cost of your freedom and free will, but I say my help gives those back to you. You are a werewolf now. A werewolf. Say it. Say what you are with your own tongue and your own voice." Acteon said with a more serious edge to his voice than before. This one came with a threat to her life if she did not listen but not from him. It was rather the natural end if she did not heed his words.

She was given a bit of time to either say the word or not, although not much time. "You have not been able to call yourself what you are as we have spoken. Do you call that freedom and free will? I do not. I call it the wolf having control and power over you. You are hiding in a cave wearing clothes you stole from a very large man with more belongings you only own because you stole them. The belongings you rightfully owned and you could truly call your own you abandoned because of the wolf. Gypsies may roam and may steal and may not fit neatly into most people's ideals of a proper way of life, but even your own people own the clothes on their back and get to mingle amongst others freely. They get to dance and sing and drink without this fear that keeps you hidden down here."

"Silver you either change and accept what you are or the wolf will change you into what it wants you to be. You need to take control from the wolf if you want your freedom and free will back. But from the way you are right now I doubt you will. Instead you will try to run and hide. But the wolf is always there. Always in control." Acteon said to her then got up onto his feet. The man dusted himself off. After that he looked at Silver once more.

"I can help you regain control but everything has its cost. You are not the same as before and can not go back to how you use to live. I can help offer you a new way that is better for who you are now. I can help you take back control of yourself and your life. I told you that helping you helps me in many ways. It will cost you some of your time and I would like your help in return with my own goals. It is only fair. Nothing is free. But I will not be making the decision for you nor will I force it upon you. If you want to take back some of your free will then you have to make that first choice yourself. And the last bit I have is just to simply ask you this: how did the wolf react to me and what was it telling you to do? Will you listen to the wolf or decide for yourself what you want here?"

With that Acteon began to walk back to his horse. He was here to help but he was not going to hand out charity. That benefited no one. It was this woman's problem anyways and he was not about to force her into anything. If she wanted to keep living this incredibly risky way of life that would only end in tragedy then that was her choice. For now he was just going to give her a bit of space to think.

Silver Romani

 

[Silver Romani]

She huffed at him irritably "I can eat just fine, I've survived this long in my own line of work.." she frowned as she paused. It hadn't been the same since she was without her family but, she'd still managed to make plenty of coin in the past few days. Of course it wasn't exactly a savoury line of work but thieving and conning was all she knew other than dancing in the streets. Her eyes were tearing at the thought of travelling alone for the rest of her life however, she'd been travelling on her own for just over a month now and she craved her old life to the point of heartache. But her old life would not have her back this way, and she was too stubborn to admit that.

Silver looked away from him as he attempted to get her to accept what she was, and her jaw clenched shut, unwilling to allow her to utter the word. It would only catch in her throat and she'd gag on it.

"I know what my people do.." she growled through gritted teeth as he berated her further and reminded her of what her life with her people had been like, as if he knew. She wasn't ready to let go of it, not yet. The woman looked down and held her head in her hands, running her fingers into her hair to grip it in frustration.

"You can't just...tell someone to change and let go of everything that they are and expect them to do so happily. I need time." she frowned and closed her eyes as her muscles ached, her anger and fear stirring something a little more dangerous.

His question about the wolf's reaction to him had her lift her brow as she thought about it, trying to feel what the wolf had felt and understand it... "She wanted to rip your throat out..." she lifted her tired gaze to him.. "But there you stand, unharmed. She has control over me on one night Acteon, and only one night. Otherwise I am entirely capable of living my life." she lied defiantly and returned her head to her hands. It was too much to take in and consider. She needed him to help her gain some sort of control, or at least stop her from killing people again.. But the reality of having to make such a huge change to her life was unsettling, and she was quickly losing her identity entirely.

 

[Acteon Cass]

While the woman was feeling sorry for herself and giving him those few lines in response to his rant, Acteon was petting his steed. The horse was getting annoyed at still being up this late but he was too well trained to just lay down. A true former soldeir, just like his owner. This companion had come from desert sands so at least the sand beneath them was more like home for him.

After Silver had finished Acteon turned to look at her. His amber eyes seemed to glow in the fire light against the darkness beyond. They seemed to peer straight into her and know the truth of her words. In reality the man just knew what she was going through. She was flailing against her fate still. None of it had sunk in just yet, which was in part to her actively fighting against it. So she was pushing her frustration at him. Just like everyone did. Something about people and their emotions. He could not fully understand why they had to feel so much.

"You have had time. I never said you should be happy about changing and I never said the change needs to be immediate. What I said was you need to change. You need to take control from the wolf because the wolf is in control and changing you. The change is already happening. You are a gypsy yet here alone. The roaming is not because you wish to roam. It is because you have to roam to avoid all the trouble you are stirring up and because of your fear of when you turn into a wolf. It is not your choice but rather a reaction to the wolf. You say you are only under the control of the wolf for one night yet here you are having the wolf telling you it wants to rip my throat out. I imagine you probably feel the same now too do you not? Funny how what the wolf wants finds a way to creep into your thoughts." Acteon said to her in that serious tone of voice.

"Bit by bit. Bite by bite. Eventually the wolf will swallow you whole. There is no running and hiding. There is no disguising it. There is only accepting what you are now and changing yourself so that the wolf listens to you." Acteon turned his head away from her and mounted his horse. He took the reigns and then looked down at her.

"Now if you want help so the wolf does not swallow you whole I suggest you get on your horse and follow me. You might also get to sleep on an actual bed if you do too." Acteon gave her a quick, wolfish grin then got his horse turned towards the entrance of the cave. Slowly the horse began to walk on out into the night.

Silver Romani

 

[Silver Romani]

"I don't want to rip your throat out. Not yet at least.." she growled quietly. He was infuriating, but his words frightened her as much as they enraged her. She didn't want to become controlled by the wolf any more than she already was, and horrible images replayed in her mind which made her jaw clench as she resisted the urge to scream at him. Her muscles were aching again, and she wondered if the wolf really had been prowling into her thoughts without her knowledge. She had never really considered that it was now part of her always, and not just the nights when the moon was full.

Fear gripped her and she looked up at him, she wanted to tell him to fuck off, and her face probably said so. But she stood.. "If I do as you ask will you stop talking?.." she growled and took Raksha's reins. The horse stood with an irritable rumble, and she saddled her again and packed her things away before kicking sand over the fire.

She climbed up onto the massive mare, and gently kicked her heels at her sides to follow him... at least the prospect of a comfortable bed was a pleasant one.

 

[Acteon Cass]

While Acteon's mount was slowly walking his way out of the cave his rider glanced back to the woman still in there. Silver's face told him she was not happy at all but her words told him she was going to follow. She asked for him to stop speaking and it got an impish smirk out of him. He yelled to her as she got herself ready, "No promises Silver. My words are a treasure and it would be treasonous to deny it from others."

When she finally joined him Acteon made sure to pick up the pace. The lack of lights at this time of night did not bother him like it would his horse, but the highly disciplined steed knew it just had to follow his instructions and he would take it back home. So off he went leading his horse and his new companion off to his home within the inner city.

=======

What Silver would come discover was that Acteon did not live in a mansion or estate or any other such building more fitting to what his family history might imply. Rather his home was modest and fit for someone well enough off not to worry about their meals. It was a two story house with a little court yard out that doubled as a garden and stable. A roofed structure with some fencing around it and troughs for food and water. It was big enough to house two animals although they would not have much room to roam.

As they approached Acteon said in a voice appropriate for the time of night in such a pleasant neighborhood, "So you are not surprised when we enter I live with my father. He is most likely asleep so try to keep your voice down. The old man is grumpy all the time and is worse when he is tired. Rather not deal with that right now."

Acteon would dismount and hold out his hand to help her dismount. He would take the horses to the stable and get them secured, which if she wished to help with he would not stop her. That now done he looked to her before they headed inside. "The plan for tomorrow is to get you new clothes. Think on what you might need for being in town, on the road, and what you might wear to a festival. Alliria has one coming up that is renowned world wide for how splendid it is. Lots of alcohol. Lots of food. Lots of music. Lots of goods from all over to find. Be a bit of fun before we have to get on the road after."

The Allirian would wait for her to have time to think over the plans. A smile was directed her way after then he said, "Now would you like to share my bed or use the guest room?" It was obvious which she would pick but he wanted to have a bit of fun before going to bed.

Silver Romani

 

[Silver Romani]

Silver has had never lived in a home that didn’t move. Caravans were small, and so Acteon’s home might as well have been a palace in her eyes.

She chewed on her lip gently as he spoke of his father, she felt like a teen again, sneaking around with boys behind their parents’ backs, but she smirked with some amusement and shrugged. “As long as I’m not intruding. I’m happy to sleep in the cave.” She answered quietly. And she was. Sleeping rough had been something she was used to after all.

She settled Raksha who appeared unhappy about being left in a stable, but Silver had given her what was left of her bread and she thought better of her complaining.

Silver huffed quietly as he spoke of buying new clothes and she rolled her eyes “I can afford my own clothes you know. Though I may not look it right now.”she had to give him that one. The mention of the festival and it’s music peaked her interest and it showed, she loved festivals. “That sounds fun.” she agreed reluctantly.

She scowled at his words and reached a hand to shove him hard against the shoulder. “How about I take your bed and you take the spare room?” She wrinkled her nose at him, and followed him quietly inside.

 

[Acteon Cass]

The Allirian just chuckled when Silver shoved him and gave him the sort of reaction he expected. But he was not done. It demanded further fun to be had. The man might be a werewolf but he was also a trickster by heart. He enjoyed treating people like toys and this woman was a new one for him to play with. He just needed to be sure not to push her too hard or she might break.

"So we will be sharing my bed then. Excellent choice. Just know I do not cuddle after." Acteon said as he let Silver into his home.

With the both of them through he locked the door up. Acteon smiled to Silver and said, "That room is the guest room." He pointed to a room up on the second floor to the right of the stairs. "That one is mine." He pointed to the left. "And my father is there." He pointed to a door on the first floor. "Go where you please and feel free to eat and drink what you like."

Acteon began to head up the stairs towards his room. At the top of the stairs he turned to Silver and said, "Good night Silver. Sleep well." With that he went into his room to sleep.

Silver Romani

 

[Silver Romani]

Silver groaned and her lips pressed into a thin line as she gave him an unamused glare. He was cheeky, she’d give him that, and a small smirk curled at the corner of her lips as she followed him inside.

“Hm... I bet your fathers bed is toasty warm right now..” She whispered and pursed her lip in amusement. “Doubt he’d mind sharing.”. She stood in the hallway and took in his home with curiosity, turning her attention back to him as he stood at the top of the stairs and bid her goodnight.

He wasn’t an idiot, but she couldn’t help but be surprised that he’d leave a gypsy to roam freely around his home. She knew he could track her if she betrayed his trust, and it wouldn’t be beneficial for either of them.

“Goodnight Acteon.” she gave a small smile, and wandered upstairs after his door closed behind him. The man was infuriating, but as she stood at the top of the stairs she looked between the two doors and chewed on her lip as she considered. He was handsome, and she did have needs that hadn’t been met in quite some time, but he did irritate her.

She stood in front of his door and reached hesitantly for the handle, catching herself and giving her frustrated little growl and taking the guest room instead.

 

[Acteon Cass]

At Silver's comment about his father Hector Acteon chuckled a bit. He looked to her and said in a voice she could hear but would not wake his father, "You certainly are a very attractive woman Silver but you are not my old man's type. He prefers his women to have more meat on their bones and more years under their belt. Likely you would just get grumbled at and told there is no coin for you in his bed."

Acteon went into his room and went about getting his now ruined clothes off. The nice material had been gotten blood on it and was not possible to be worn in a nice setting. Well not until the sleeves were replaced. He set it off to the side as he made a mental note to do just that later. The night had been long but he found himself still not yet ready for sleep. A lot of excitement had gone on there at the end of his day and he was still energetic because of it.

So the sellsword went about inspecting the items he had taken from those thugs. The first was the shortsword he had used to kill its previous owner. Dull edge with some chips starting to form. An annoyance but easy enough fix for a half competent smith. The main problem was the weapon was not well balanced and made from a cheap material. It was still serviceable but could not be relied on for the kind of work and opponents he might come across. Best to sell or trade it or perhaps gift it to the gypsy. She could no doubt use some protection and women wearing armor and weapons was rather common in Alliria.

The crossbow on the otherhand was in good condition. It was oiled, maintained, and build properly. The materials of it were not of the highest degree but they were decent. The wood and metal was light yet sturdy and the string was new. It made for something worth keeping for work, if a piece easily parted with.

The differences in the owners of the weapons was made clear by these facts and it made Acteon wonder how the one he had killed had gotten to be the leader. Perhaps raw aggression? Most likely given they were criminals and criminals rarely looked for more than aggression and some level of strength and intelligence in a leader.

Both weapons could use some maintaining however, although very little for the crossbow, so he got to it. Oil went on sword after he took a mesh of metal wire to scrub off the grim and dried blood that had built up on it. The crossbow was given a bit more lubricant to keep the gears turning smoothly and the string was checked for any points of breaking.

Silver Romani

 

[Silver Romani]

The room was spacious, and she was delighted to see it had a fire and bathtub. She hopped up onto the bed jumped a few times before flopping down into it’s feathery embrace. It was luxury in comparison to her usual choice of bed and she rolled herself up in the fresh blankets and grinned to herself. She could get used to it, but likely not for too long, she would crave the outdoors before long. Still, it was a welcome change.

She lit the fire in the hearth and set the water over it to heat whilst she explored the room and sat up on the windowsill to look out at dark Alliria, avoiding the notion to look up at the growing moon.

When her bath was full enough she threw off her clothes and sunk into the water with a quiet moan. A hot bath was a rarity to Silver, it was generally a cold dip in a river. It soaked into her aching muscles and she smiled, adding something from one of the small bottles that sat next to the tub, it bubbled and smelled like rose water.

She scrubbed her hair and skin clean, and when the water grew cooler she got, wrapped herself in a sheet and climbed into bed to fall into the most relaxed sleep she’d had in her life.

 

[Acteon Cass]

As he always did, Acteon woke up before the sun even rose. The lack of sleep was common for him. Between his time as a guard and a sellsword giving him odd and often limited hours of sleep to work with and a bit of insomnia after he was bitten he found his life less devoted to the activity. So he was up and got his morning hygiene taken care of.

Wearing only a pair of pants, Acteon left his room. He quietly went down the stairs and began to retrieve fresh water from the well. With no sun in the sky he was the only one out. Being able to see in the dark made his life easier in such common ways. A few trips saw all the water restored to full and fresh. The horses were even fed and watered as well. The tip of the sun was bursting through the horizon as well. It was time to take care of those inside.

Coming back in Acteon started to head towards the kitchen, but stopped as an idea came to mind. He shifted his position and instead made for the guest room. Not knocking, the man entered the room quietly and went to the bed. He said as he did, "Silver it is time to bake bread and cook our morning meal. Get up."

Acteon was greeted with the sight of a woman barely covered by a towel and wrapped in a sheet. It got a bit of a smirk out of him knowing she would hate that he saw her like this. But he was not interested in her state of dress, or rather lack of it, right now and just went to grab her clothes that had been thrown about the room for her. He got them folded up tidy and set down so she could reach them. Then he got her a bowl prepared so she could wash her face and hands. As he did this he noted the full tub of cold water with the scent of rosewater. A slight frown crossed his lips for half a second that easily could have been missed if she was not paying attention to his face.

"Are you better at baking bread or cooking beans? Or do you prefer more of a morning mash?" Acteon said as he went about getting the room as a whole tidied up. It was clear he was doing his best to not look at her as she changed into her clothes even though she likely would have preferred him to have left instead.

Silver Romani

 

[Silver Romani]

Silver's brow furrowed as his voice roused her from a deep state of sleep, she groaned in response before realising where she was and she sat up quickly and pulled the sheets against her, puffing a strand of her wavy red hair out of her face. Her expression was a sleepy scowl and she yawned as she watched him fuss around "Mh.. I've never baked bread." she sighed and rubbed at her face to try and wake herself up a little.. "Morning mash?" she questioned and groaned again. He was using too many words.

"Who asks this many questions in the morning?.." she huffed, and reached for her clothes to pull them on since he seemed to be making an effort not to look at her. Her head tilted as she watched him wander around the room on a mission of tidying and making things neat again and her lips twisted in amusement but she said nothing.

 

[Acteon Cass]

The Allirian sighed as he listened to Silver seem to be lost to sleep still. When he figured she was done getting dressed her turned around to look at her. Pointing to the bowl of fresh water he said, "Wash up."

Assuming she did as he asked Acteon continued on. "Morning mash. Grains boiled until they are soft and squishy with things mixed into it. Cut up fruit, cheese curds, meat. Whatever you feel like throwing into it. Then drizzled honey over it all. Have you never had morning mash before?'

With barely a pause Acteon went on. "Might be a Reach thing. But how have you never baked bread before? Did your parents never show you or did you just always skip out on learning? Everyone bakes bread so I know even gypsies do. Everywhere I have gone in the world has baked bread in the morning. Even soldiers learn how to bake their own bread."

Another sigh followed from Acteon. "No matter. Follow me and I will teach you. After we eat we can get you those new clothes and anything else you need. I will be paying for it. Your coins are better off being saved for now. I have a stable income. You do not."

The Allirian motioned for her to follow him and then he headed down the stairs towards the kitchen.

The Cass kitchen was rather normal for the three bedroom house. It held a hearth and an open pit that connected to the chimney. There was all the needed cooking utensils as well as various food items to be cooked. The most impressive thing however was it contained its own baking oven so that the use of the community one was not required.

As Acteon went over to get started he said, "Roll up your sleeves and secure them. Your hands are going to get messy." He already had begun to do so himself.

With his sleeves rolled up Acteon went about gathering all the needed ingredients for the bread and made sure to tell Silver what each of them was. As the man went about making the dough he made sure to tell her what to do and why to do it. Every task he started he would let her take over if it did not require anything special and he would get the next step ready. When the dough was finally in an acceptable state he said to her, "Now we need to let the dough rest so it will rise when it is baked. I have the oven warming up. Wash your hands then we will get to our pottage."

Silver Romani

 

[Silver Romani]

Silver blinked at him as he demanded that she wash, and she spitefully refused. The way in which he'd told her what to do had irked her, she wasn't used to it, and her jaw clenched.

Still he went on. He had a way of making her feel tiny and stupid. She wasn't tiny and stupid, and she resented the fact that he'd made her feel that way at all. "Fuck. I've never baked bread okay?!" she blinked at him and held her hands up and huffed at him. Such a pleasant night's sleep and she'd awoken to this badgering tyrant harping on at her about breakfast and barking demands.

She rolled her eyes and followed him reluctantly to the kitchen, not bothering to argue with him as he insisted that he was to buy her clothes. She simply shrugged and wandered around the room, exploring things.

She did as he asked with a quick glare, and rolled her sleeves to her elbows and followed his instructions as she he taught her how to make the dough. His request that she was her hands was a reasonable one, but she thumped the ball of dough down onto the surface and slammed her hands down after it as she glared at him. "Will you stop barking orders at me and treating me like a child?!". It'd been a building frustration, and her eyes burned a furious amber for a moment before dimming again.

 

[Acteon Cass]

Acteon was busy getting the stuff for the pottage ready when he heard the slam and her outburst. It caused him to stop what he was doing and he turned to look at her. He was not bothered by the frustration directed his way. It was how she had said he was treating her like a child. It brought to mind some memories and caused him to frown. Was he? This was how he had been taught to cook when he was in the guard and it was how most people were treated in his experience. Servants, workers, soldiers, sellswords. It did not matter who you were someone was barking orders at someone else. It was something to reflect on and it gave him a bit of insight into who this woman was.

The Allirian fully turned to face Silver Romani after a moment. With a serious look on his face he said to her, "I apologize if I made you feel that way. This was how I was shown how to cook when I was in the guard. If it bothers you then I will make sure to be kinder in the future. You can go back to sleep if you like. You are a guest and I should treat you like one."

With that said Acteon turned back around and got back to getting all of the peas out of their pods for the pottage he was going to make. It was a simple yet very time consuming task. Because of this it left him with a lot of time to think and his mind began to drift to reflecting on that comment from before. What did they mean he was treating them like a child? He could not place how he was doing so. He had no experience dealing with children himself. As a sellsword without them he had no chances to ever interact with them. Which things exactly were the ways children were treated? It was a mystery he needed to solve.

 

[Silver Romani]

She honestly hadn’t expected an apology. He hadn’t seemed the apologetic type, more a ‘my way and no other way, and if you don’t like it then tough shit’ sort of man. She calmed a little and sighed a sound of mild frustration.

“It’s nothing to do with the cooking, Acteon. I’ve known you less than a day and you’re trying to change me into an entirely different person to suit your perception of what a person should do, what they should look like, where they should live, why they should bake fucking bread.” she huffed and rubbed at her brow, leaving a floury smudge. “In the past six months I’ve lost my entire family, my way of life, my mind. I’m trying to cope with it as well as I can do and you’re the first person I’ve met who can help me with it just.....” She broke some of the dough and threw it at him.

“Just lighten up and go a little easier would you?”

 

[Acteon Cass]

The Allirian listened to what all Silver had to say to him. She had valid complaints but it also all just sounded like excuses. It was clear she did not wish to change even though circumstances demanded she did now. That was going to make her life far more difficult in the future if she continued on this way. He had seen people break from it both as a guard and as a sellsword. But she still had a point that he could approach her in a softer fashion.

"I am well aware of what all you have lost Silver. It is why I wish to help you." That and she could help him in the future. "And you saying all of that sort of contradicts what you first said. You said I am trying to change you yet it sounds like you do not even know who you are. Is it possible to change someone who is already in such flux?"

Acteon chuckled a bit. "And yes I know I sound all high and mighty right now. It is just some philosophical thinking. We do that in this house and it is something you will need to learn to do yourself if you want to take back control of your life and your mind. Life is cruel. It is unfair. It is brutal. All of this you see is barely a fraction of what my family once had. This is what I earned with my own hands and skills over the years. What my family earned and built up was taken from us by force. So I do understand you. I was turned and I have lost much. But I am getting back what is mine. I can show you how to do the same if you will listen."

The man stopped messing with the pea pods, which were nearly done by this point anyways. He turned to face Silver and looked her directly in the eyes. "I will make a deal with you. I will do my best to ease up and be easier if you will do your best to actually listen to what I am saying. We come from different paths but have ended up at the same place. It is best we help each other out right now. Lean on me more. I mean who else do you have to get help from? As terrible as that might be to hear."

Silver Romani