“Anything else that you need mistress Web?” the young boy asked her, the girl had returned and fulfilled her portion of requests some time ago now.
“Pardon lad?” she asked, thought broken b his words.
“Anything else?”
“No lad, you did well. And I am nobody’s mistress, just a woman”
“Pardon me mistress but you are ours, till you leave. Nan always said that”
“She did, did she?” she stated with amusement, “very well then. I will be the mistress, but only if you will be the brave knight hmmm?”
“I’m no-”
“And I said I was no mistress. Humor an old woman. Go on, go play with a stick and pretend” she ruffled his hair and watched him push her off before dashing out of the door.
She looked at the end result of her request and found herself surprisingly pleased, she knew how much a good word and decent treating could buy you but she had not expected things to be done so well, nor so quickly. It had taken time though, too much time and there was a growing nagging concern within. Fallon was a smart woman, held talents that should have made her request easy as breathing for her. She had a sharp mind, silver tongue and the knowledge of libraries like Zandelia never would possess she suspected. But to take this long over it? She had been tired and waning but was she so easily overcome by the flames of Syna? She sat, drumming a pattern with her fingers upon the table top for a while in consideration. She had told her to come but perhaps she had become lost, strange as that sounded. She looked at the setup around her and snorted - it was typical wasn’t it? She sighed and pushed herself upwards before buckling the broadsword to her hip - it was for show mostly.
I can handle myself well enough without weapons but having a big sword does tend to make some matters far easier than without she counseled herself before slipping out through the door and pacing through the corridor.
She stepped out into the gathering darkness, it was not much cooler yet but soon the heat would begin to fade from the packed dirt streets as Syna gave way to Leth. Perhaps three Bells of true light left, fading ever faster as time slipped away. She had bargained upon having quite a bit of time but this much? And now, if there were trouble, she had less time than ever before. She closed her eye and mentally mapped out the city, the most likely routes that could have been taken from the Library. It was difficult really, she knew the back alleys and side streets and so never really used the larger avenues anymore - too open and too many eyes. She knew Fallon didn’t know a lot of them though so she reversed her thinking, or attempted to. Wide avenues, major through fares - there were a few of them in this portion of the city. One was the opposite side from Stumble so unless she had been delirious it was unlikely, it was ruled out. That left two possibilities. One closer but the other more obvious as it fed towards Castle Commons way. She made her choice and hoped she was just being paranoid.
It was not overly far and the fact that she was wearing but a blouse and trousers made the walk almost enjoyable but for the growing disquiet within. She followed the people, thinning now as the day wound down and seeking shelter within which to real and no doubt sate whichever of their proclivities took their fancy. She frowned at that, at least they were having fun. Soon she told herself, soon the relaxation and amusement would begin but first…finding the woman. It was easy enough to pick out the way but as she walked she saw no familiar face, not even a tired bobbing mane of red. She walked back and forth a time or two paying the crown no mind before she stopped, thinking and watching instead. Perhaps it was not about where but where not she mused, noting that the crowd had backed away from a portion of the street branching off into an alley.
“Miss, miss!”
“What do you want child?”
“Someone fell over I saw it”
“Very inte- what? Where?”
“Over there, was slipping everywhere but no one was helping them”
“Show me and there’s a coin in it for you boy”
“There’s a bad man! I saw!” his face was an o of scorn.
“Show. Me. Quickly now” she snapped at him and he gulped and tottered off.
This was becoming sinister now and she liked it not one whit as she followed the boy, slower than she approved of but she wouldn’t disregard something that all but yelled an alarm. It was to the side alley that people were consciously giving a berth to that she was led and that merely served to raise the tension within - clearly they knew something was wrong but were not willing to risk their own lives. As she was led in she saw the crumpled form but couldn’t make it out clearly for the man in the way, crouching over and searching the fallen. Likely a two-bit thief seeking an easy target. She slipepd a gold into the boy’s hand and pushed him away as she signaled him in the universal sign for silence. She puleld out the broadsword and slipped up behind the would be thief. She palced the blad upon his shoudler and pressed it into his jaw.
“I wouldn’t make any sudden moves if I were yo-” she began but then the form of Fallon became apparent and anger coursed through her, “bastard!” she snapped before smacking him over the heand with the blade.
A clumsy swing, she was inexperienced with the blade, but enough to send him sprawling just from the sheer anger behind the blow. There was an exclamation and a curse as he scuffled away, eyeing the sword as he went. She watched him with a dark glare as he went on his way for a moment before she darted after him and smacked him in the back for good measure. He stumbled and turned upon her but she puleld the blade back, its balance was off but true enough to stab inwards as she lunged and sliced into his shoulder. She blocked a wild flail with he felt arm before grabbing his shirt and throwing him with a pivot of her hip. He sprawled to the floor and she held the point to his throat.
“What did you take?”
“Nothing I swear!”
“Liar”
“Just some pretty fabric please!” his hand pulled out the ribbons and threw that at her.
“Go, before I change my mind about killing you” she snapped at him as fingers gripped tightly around the handle of the blade. He ran off and she picked up the ribbons she had given Fallon and tucked them into her boot.
Sheathing the broadsword she approached her fallen partner and rolled her onto her back tog et a better look at her. She checked for injury but to her mind she didn’t seem to have any. No bruises, cuts of blood to suggest a fight. So not combat felling her but something else she reasoned. The heat? Did it get that bad for her? She knew she needed to act quickly, water and shade she had said - they were the things needed most. Well she had plenty of both at their rented room it was just getting there. She frowned and felt the leather of the armor, the boots and gloves - they were pulsating with heat. She took a split second of thought to decide to remove them, what pieces she could. Better to stop the heat at the source perhaps. She pulled at the gloves and they came of with a wet sound and were tucked into her belt. Boots came next and she pressed them together, she would be able to carry them with Fallon over her shoulder. Se stirred but it was all murmurs and shaking of the head. It was when she tried to fiddle with the buckles of the armor that things turned sour. Eyes flared open, wide and roaming over her but not seeing her there she noticed.
“It’s me Fallon” she whispered back softly, “ getting you back to th-” and that was when a weak flail of the arm caught her on the jaw.
There was no strength behind it really, the movement had been slow and almost half-hearted but had also been a complete surprise. She shook her head and leant back as another flail went for her. She batted them away as best she could as she tried to see how to get some sense into the woman. She was clearly delirious, moaning about random things that seemed to hold no bearing upon the situation. She resolved then and there to bloody well drown her in liquid and buy her a fan before she was allowed into the daylight again.
“For the love of the gods, it’s Web! Zandelia, remember? Friend, partner and so on?” she held a wrist then as she finally managed to get a grip on one. It was a loose one and she just held it in mid-air. This caused further weak protest before she just gave up and threw it aside causing the woman to roll onto her side slightly.
“You do have a knack for getting into trouble when I have a nice day planned. Gods be good you do. I swear by Eyris I’m going to make it so you can’t sit down for a week. Children flail, women know when to be sensible” she snapped to the world in general.
She left the armor alone then and the struggling slowed, ceasing altogether with pants - her energy was clearly spent. She sighed and decided to brave the hits if they came and levered Fallon into a sitting position. It took a long time but she managed it, from there she stepped on her toes and heaved her up, dipping to get the woman over her shoulder. It was agony considering she was almost a dead weight and armed too but it was what needed to be done. She felt the batting on her back and smiled grimly.
“You can struggle all you want, you are coming with me Wolf and I’m going to soak your head don’t tell me I didn’t warn you” she promised as the boots were taken up in her free hand and the journey back began.
Arduous and painful it was, she was not accustomed to labor she knew. Her job lay elsewhere upon the spectrum of employment and she liked that just fine. She could swing weapons but haul cargo? Forget it. She was panting and covered with sweat herself as she finally managed to get back to the apartment, answering the expected questions as best as she could, and almost collapsing Fallon onto the bed. She sat upon the floor, chest heaving as her forearm dragged the moisture from her face and the crook of her elbow mopped up the rest when that had soaked through. She turned tiredly and pushed herself up, her back was aching and her arse and thighs had taken a beating from the weak swatting that had mounted as time passed.
“Now, that armor is coming off, and the rest, and no arguments. You need to cool off and stop being so contrary,” she stated directly as she pulled a cup of water she had poured before leaving from the table and took a sip, “water. Drink” she pressed the cup to Fallon’s lips and tilted it so that she could drink until the last drop was gone.
“Better? You like water do you?” she asked, there would have been a noted danger in the tone if the other were fully aware.
Further time passed spent undressing the woman, she had apparently given up fighting at this point, and finally the moment of nudity came and she enjoyed it as best she could under the circumstances. That done she picked her up and smartly dropped her into the cold water of the tub that had been prepared before hand. Some sloshed over the sides but that was immaterial, the rags beneath would soak up the majority.
“Good, have water. Cold water” she splashed some at her face in a bid to wake her up which, she had to admit, did give her some amusement.
It was then that she collapsed backwards onto the bed herself with a sigh, the first decent bed in a long time indeed. Seasons actually if she didn’t count the Pig’s Foot.
“Well, that was an unusual adventure my dear, cant say I’ve heard of minstrels singing a tale of saving a dehydrated warrior but perhaps I could be the first” she smiled up at the ceiling, laughter bubbled up despite herself.
“Pardon lad?” she asked, thought broken b his words.
“Anything else?”
“No lad, you did well. And I am nobody’s mistress, just a woman”
“Pardon me mistress but you are ours, till you leave. Nan always said that”
“She did, did she?” she stated with amusement, “very well then. I will be the mistress, but only if you will be the brave knight hmmm?”
“I’m no-”
“And I said I was no mistress. Humor an old woman. Go on, go play with a stick and pretend” she ruffled his hair and watched him push her off before dashing out of the door.
She looked at the end result of her request and found herself surprisingly pleased, she knew how much a good word and decent treating could buy you but she had not expected things to be done so well, nor so quickly. It had taken time though, too much time and there was a growing nagging concern within. Fallon was a smart woman, held talents that should have made her request easy as breathing for her. She had a sharp mind, silver tongue and the knowledge of libraries like Zandelia never would possess she suspected. But to take this long over it? She had been tired and waning but was she so easily overcome by the flames of Syna? She sat, drumming a pattern with her fingers upon the table top for a while in consideration. She had told her to come but perhaps she had become lost, strange as that sounded. She looked at the setup around her and snorted - it was typical wasn’t it? She sighed and pushed herself upwards before buckling the broadsword to her hip - it was for show mostly.
I can handle myself well enough without weapons but having a big sword does tend to make some matters far easier than without she counseled herself before slipping out through the door and pacing through the corridor.
She stepped out into the gathering darkness, it was not much cooler yet but soon the heat would begin to fade from the packed dirt streets as Syna gave way to Leth. Perhaps three Bells of true light left, fading ever faster as time slipped away. She had bargained upon having quite a bit of time but this much? And now, if there were trouble, she had less time than ever before. She closed her eye and mentally mapped out the city, the most likely routes that could have been taken from the Library. It was difficult really, she knew the back alleys and side streets and so never really used the larger avenues anymore - too open and too many eyes. She knew Fallon didn’t know a lot of them though so she reversed her thinking, or attempted to. Wide avenues, major through fares - there were a few of them in this portion of the city. One was the opposite side from Stumble so unless she had been delirious it was unlikely, it was ruled out. That left two possibilities. One closer but the other more obvious as it fed towards Castle Commons way. She made her choice and hoped she was just being paranoid.
It was not overly far and the fact that she was wearing but a blouse and trousers made the walk almost enjoyable but for the growing disquiet within. She followed the people, thinning now as the day wound down and seeking shelter within which to real and no doubt sate whichever of their proclivities took their fancy. She frowned at that, at least they were having fun. Soon she told herself, soon the relaxation and amusement would begin but first…finding the woman. It was easy enough to pick out the way but as she walked she saw no familiar face, not even a tired bobbing mane of red. She walked back and forth a time or two paying the crown no mind before she stopped, thinking and watching instead. Perhaps it was not about where but where not she mused, noting that the crowd had backed away from a portion of the street branching off into an alley.
“Miss, miss!”
“What do you want child?”
“Someone fell over I saw it”
“Very inte- what? Where?”
“Over there, was slipping everywhere but no one was helping them”
“Show me and there’s a coin in it for you boy”
“There’s a bad man! I saw!” his face was an o of scorn.
“Show. Me. Quickly now” she snapped at him and he gulped and tottered off.
This was becoming sinister now and she liked it not one whit as she followed the boy, slower than she approved of but she wouldn’t disregard something that all but yelled an alarm. It was to the side alley that people were consciously giving a berth to that she was led and that merely served to raise the tension within - clearly they knew something was wrong but were not willing to risk their own lives. As she was led in she saw the crumpled form but couldn’t make it out clearly for the man in the way, crouching over and searching the fallen. Likely a two-bit thief seeking an easy target. She slipepd a gold into the boy’s hand and pushed him away as she signaled him in the universal sign for silence. She puleld out the broadsword and slipped up behind the would be thief. She palced the blad upon his shoudler and pressed it into his jaw.
“I wouldn’t make any sudden moves if I were yo-” she began but then the form of Fallon became apparent and anger coursed through her, “bastard!” she snapped before smacking him over the heand with the blade.
A clumsy swing, she was inexperienced with the blade, but enough to send him sprawling just from the sheer anger behind the blow. There was an exclamation and a curse as he scuffled away, eyeing the sword as he went. She watched him with a dark glare as he went on his way for a moment before she darted after him and smacked him in the back for good measure. He stumbled and turned upon her but she puleld the blade back, its balance was off but true enough to stab inwards as she lunged and sliced into his shoulder. She blocked a wild flail with he felt arm before grabbing his shirt and throwing him with a pivot of her hip. He sprawled to the floor and she held the point to his throat.
“What did you take?”
“Nothing I swear!”
“Liar”
“Just some pretty fabric please!” his hand pulled out the ribbons and threw that at her.
“Go, before I change my mind about killing you” she snapped at him as fingers gripped tightly around the handle of the blade. He ran off and she picked up the ribbons she had given Fallon and tucked them into her boot.
Sheathing the broadsword she approached her fallen partner and rolled her onto her back tog et a better look at her. She checked for injury but to her mind she didn’t seem to have any. No bruises, cuts of blood to suggest a fight. So not combat felling her but something else she reasoned. The heat? Did it get that bad for her? She knew she needed to act quickly, water and shade she had said - they were the things needed most. Well she had plenty of both at their rented room it was just getting there. She frowned and felt the leather of the armor, the boots and gloves - they were pulsating with heat. She took a split second of thought to decide to remove them, what pieces she could. Better to stop the heat at the source perhaps. She pulled at the gloves and they came of with a wet sound and were tucked into her belt. Boots came next and she pressed them together, she would be able to carry them with Fallon over her shoulder. Se stirred but it was all murmurs and shaking of the head. It was when she tried to fiddle with the buckles of the armor that things turned sour. Eyes flared open, wide and roaming over her but not seeing her there she noticed.
“It’s me Fallon” she whispered back softly, “ getting you back to th-” and that was when a weak flail of the arm caught her on the jaw.
There was no strength behind it really, the movement had been slow and almost half-hearted but had also been a complete surprise. She shook her head and leant back as another flail went for her. She batted them away as best she could as she tried to see how to get some sense into the woman. She was clearly delirious, moaning about random things that seemed to hold no bearing upon the situation. She resolved then and there to bloody well drown her in liquid and buy her a fan before she was allowed into the daylight again.
“For the love of the gods, it’s Web! Zandelia, remember? Friend, partner and so on?” she held a wrist then as she finally managed to get a grip on one. It was a loose one and she just held it in mid-air. This caused further weak protest before she just gave up and threw it aside causing the woman to roll onto her side slightly.
“You do have a knack for getting into trouble when I have a nice day planned. Gods be good you do. I swear by Eyris I’m going to make it so you can’t sit down for a week. Children flail, women know when to be sensible” she snapped to the world in general.
She left the armor alone then and the struggling slowed, ceasing altogether with pants - her energy was clearly spent. She sighed and decided to brave the hits if they came and levered Fallon into a sitting position. It took a long time but she managed it, from there she stepped on her toes and heaved her up, dipping to get the woman over her shoulder. It was agony considering she was almost a dead weight and armed too but it was what needed to be done. She felt the batting on her back and smiled grimly.
“You can struggle all you want, you are coming with me Wolf and I’m going to soak your head don’t tell me I didn’t warn you” she promised as the boots were taken up in her free hand and the journey back began.
Arduous and painful it was, she was not accustomed to labor she knew. Her job lay elsewhere upon the spectrum of employment and she liked that just fine. She could swing weapons but haul cargo? Forget it. She was panting and covered with sweat herself as she finally managed to get back to the apartment, answering the expected questions as best as she could, and almost collapsing Fallon onto the bed. She sat upon the floor, chest heaving as her forearm dragged the moisture from her face and the crook of her elbow mopped up the rest when that had soaked through. She turned tiredly and pushed herself up, her back was aching and her arse and thighs had taken a beating from the weak swatting that had mounted as time passed.
“Now, that armor is coming off, and the rest, and no arguments. You need to cool off and stop being so contrary,” she stated directly as she pulled a cup of water she had poured before leaving from the table and took a sip, “water. Drink” she pressed the cup to Fallon’s lips and tilted it so that she could drink until the last drop was gone.
“Better? You like water do you?” she asked, there would have been a noted danger in the tone if the other were fully aware.
Further time passed spent undressing the woman, she had apparently given up fighting at this point, and finally the moment of nudity came and she enjoyed it as best she could under the circumstances. That done she picked her up and smartly dropped her into the cold water of the tub that had been prepared before hand. Some sloshed over the sides but that was immaterial, the rags beneath would soak up the majority.
“Good, have water. Cold water” she splashed some at her face in a bid to wake her up which, she had to admit, did give her some amusement.
It was then that she collapsed backwards onto the bed herself with a sigh, the first decent bed in a long time indeed. Seasons actually if she didn’t count the Pig’s Foot.
“Well, that was an unusual adventure my dear, cant say I’ve heard of minstrels singing a tale of saving a dehydrated warrior but perhaps I could be the first” she smiled up at the ceiling, laughter bubbled up despite herself.
