Inadvisable

[Madeira Dusk]

75th of Fall, 518

Everybody in the Hunter's Guild that morning knew the girl sitting at the long bar did not belong there. Though her garb of dark pants and sturdy white blouse were fairly appropriate, and it was clear she at least knew her way around the unarmed crossbow in her lap, the seasoned hunters couldn't help but share looks with each other behind her back. Something about her neatly coiled hair and stiff, upright posture made her seem more suited to the kind of work that involved padded chairs in dimly lit libraries than the harsh wilds. Besides, who in their right mind would insist on wearing their large, gaudy rings on a hunt?

But it wasn't until they saw her from the front that the full scope of her foolishness really shined through. The girl's high trousers could do nothing to hide the rise between her skinny hips. Anybody could guess that she was pregnant.

Madeira could feel their stares and could guess at the looks being exchanged in the bustling Guild, but her focus was on the two men who shared the bar with her. The full power of her icy blue eyes were trained on the young hunters, who fidgeted with their whiskies while her lukewarm glass of water sat untouched.

"I understand your hesitation", she supplied reasonably, her voice smooth and persuasive. "But you must admit I'm not asking for miracles. I'm just a customer asking for a simple contract job, and my only condition is you take me with you."

One of the men, the taller, darker of the two, finally raised his head. "But wouldn't you be more comfortable at home? Or even waiting here? You know, given your... condition." He cleared his throat, blood rising in his cheeks, and suddenly found something very interesting in the bottom of his glass.

The smaller, paler one, with sandy blonde hair flopping in his eyes, came to the rescue of his friend. "It might be different if we were, you know, If we were bringing you out to find a rabbit or-"

"I'm not interested in rabbits, deer, or woodland critters", Madeira cut him off, struggling to keep the exasperation out of her voice. "Bring me something with claws."

"But why", the dark one choked back the last of his whisky. "Why do you need to come?"

She shifted her weight and crossed her legs the other way. Both men glanced at her lap with the movement, and with a tap and sparkle off her bejewelled finger she made sure she brought their attention to her weapon. "I'm a burden, I know, but I'm not helpless. If you keep the pace slow I'll do my best to keep up. And of course you'll be well compensated for the trouble." She smiled demurely. "How does a hundred kina sound?"

"But, miss..."

“Each”, she insisted.

Both men paused and looked at each other, their sense of reason suddenly gummed up by the promise of what was nearly a quarter of their seasonal earnings. The blonde man was the first to shake the stupor.

"Ok, but why a predator? There are plenty of animals in the forest that don't want to rip your face off."

This time it was Madeira's turn to pause, her lip between her teeth and eyes shrewd as she looked each hunter up and down. It went against every instinct to speak of magic, especially one as universally mistrusted as malediction. In Alvadas wielding any magic was a punishable offence. But Lhavit was different. It was not only open about magic, but the art in it's many forms was revered and even celebrated. If anybody would be accepting of it, this city would. Still, old habits died hard. She dodged the brunt of the question with a knowing wink over her answering smile. From deep inside her core she willed her dijed forward, she let it sit on her tongue and weave through her words like barbed wire. Aiming her hypnotism at more than one person was a sloppy process, and much of the effect dissipated around them, but she wasn't looking to overwhelm. She pushed out a simple emotional response out on the back of her words. With magic on
her tongue she encouraged curiosity into their minds.

"It's for a very old, very rare type of magic they don't teach in your schools. I'd be happy to tell you all about it when you take me."

She was tired of working with rabbits and mice. If she was ever going to grow as a maledictor she needed more powerful materials. And she knew from experience what could go horrifically wrong if the one practicing the magic wasn't there to collect the body themselves. She could not trust a corpse she didn't see. But more than that, she was working under a punishing time limit. Her pregnancy was not cumbersome yet, but it would be soon. Between that and the approaching winter her opportunities to traipse around in the woods were numbered. She must go now or not at all.

x

[Raeyn]

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He'd grown quite fond of the Guild. The sense of belonging, a community he had been so very much in need of, a true camaraderie; after a long day of whatever it was that Raeyn had been Raening-up this time, to put his feet up on the counter and have a mug of ale (or six), was something he'd grown to look forward to. It was more than just an excuse to get drunk. An excuse to hear another one of Stan's stories for the millionth time counting, to see his father, to feel his pride, to have a natter about the newest fashions with Rhemy who still didn't quite seem to get Lhavit all that much whilst Zach was... well... Zach. An odd ball that one. Then again outlanders were welcome in Lhavit. In a way it was a city of outlanders. Even Raeyn was one... in a way.

As the door bell chimed, the red haired hunter stepped though the door, accompanied by the stench of pipe weed smoke. Dressed in a white tunic, embroidered by gold, was he, and a fine cloak lined with fur, his hair hung loosely draped over one shoulder. A single strand of white poked though the red. Ivory white fingers clenched a pipe that wasn't quite his. He was in good spirits, clearly a little under the influence but not quite so much that he'd been falling over furniture and making a fool of himself. A thin line of scarlet blush in his cheeks betrayed his condition however.

With little fuss, he made his way to sit beside the pipe's owner at the bar, returning the instrument into the man's hands. A peer of Raeyn's, he was. A handsome lad, albeit very rough around the edges, with a head of auburn and a few thin scars across his jaw. His right had had been propping up his cheek whilst the other, gently petting a cat, asleep on the counter. By his elbow two mugs had loitered, empty, although they were certainly not left as such for long.

"You buying another round?" he asked, not at all abashed by his demands of such favours.

Raeyn sighed, running his fingers though his hair. Another round it was. "Yes, Liard. Seeing as you helped yourself to mine already." He didn't really know why he was obliging to such requests with so little hesitation. Perhaps if the man had been any other, Raeyn would have told him to shove it a while ago. But there was a certain charm to Liard that none could deny. Certainly not Raeyn. He held keys to the past, answers to questions Raeyn had feared to ask yet. A connection to something that grounded him. No matter how much the two butted heads, Raeyn couldn't just go back to pretending the hunter didn't exist.

Gleeful at the prospects of intoxication ahead, Liard waved down the barman before making a gesture of two with his fingers and a dumb grin on his face. Quickly enough he turned back to his partner in crime. There was gossip at hand. Gossip that lingered within earshot. Liard lowered his voice considerably, leaning in to Raeyn before speaking again. "You seen her? Some new girl demanding to be taken into the woods and hunt her down a beast or two. Fancy that."

Suffice to say the sudden turn the conversation had taken had left Raeyn blinking a little in confusion, much in the way one would blink after snapping out of some particularly vivid dream to find himself back in reality. Or perhaps it was the other way around. Only then had his eyes come to lay on Madeira just for a lingering moment before he to lowered his voice. To say she looked a mighty odd ornament on the simple wooden chair of the tavern would be an understatement. Perhaps they were the same in that regard. Both stood out like sore thumbs among the simpler folk.

"I overheard her offer a hundred Kina to those two bafoons for the favour... each. Shyke, I'd have volunteered the two of us in their place by now if she wasn't pregnant. Batty girl. She's got a death wish or something." Liard's hushed whispers followed by a muffled snort of amusement relayed the information that left Raeyn struggling to catch up with the unexpectedness of it all. It wasn't often after all that they had customers at the guild. Especially not ones requesting such things as an escort. "A hundred Kina though..."

Perhaps it was the euphoria of alcohol surging though his veins, perhaps curiosity, or perhaps a single scrap of the outlander's conversation that had fallen on Raeyn's ears, but in that moment the mage made a decision. And it was one neither completely thought though nor perhaps a wise one. "Money is money." he said, rising to his feet just as his drinks came. Silently he strolled over into the centre of it all with the eyes of the barman and Liard following him, thinking him a fool. And perhaps they weren't wrong in the slightest.

"You're talking to the wrong men, miss." he said politely enough, leaning against the counter beside the blonde. He took notice of her crossbow, the way she held herself. The cold in the way she spoke. It marked her out as a person of interest. A demeanour behind which curious secrets were hidden and Raeyn was a damn sucker for secrets. "Simple folk don't care for such things as magic. You're wasting your time."

If she was to look up at him, Raeyn would smile politely, softly. The way he carried himself matcher her in formality. His attire alone would have marked him out to be hardly a simple hunter. Yet in so many ways he was. "I'm certain they mean you no disrespect by their hesitations. It is simply that we are very much used to doing things a certain way around here and it seems your request is hardly an ordinary one. I'm sure you can understand that."

"But.. I want to hear about this magic!" protested one of the men. A hypnotic spell did prompt his curiosity indeed.

But as soon as the protests came, they were once more shot down by a glare of disapproval. Sometimes hunters were the best of friends. Other times they were sharks in a fish tank, ready to fight to the death for the best pray and best pay. And Raeyn did know the ways of the shark indeed. "If you want to make yourself useful, go get the lady a drink. You've wasted enough of her time."

Getting involved in such petty squabbles wasn't something he did often and certainly money wasn't a factor in it at all. The mention of magic. That was the true treasure at the end of the rainbow. And like a blood hound Raeyn had zoned in on the peculiar promise of it, ready to chase it till his legs give out, in his own way. A charming smile and a genuine interest went a longer way than barking however. And he could prove of use to her, that was a certainty. Perhaps they could help each other out.

"So, if I may ask. What is it exactly that you're after, miss?"

*Boxcode by Allassanachassanya

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[Madeira Dusk]

"You're talking to the wrong men, miss.”

A young man sidled up to the bar on Madeira’s other side. Leaning on his elbow he was cocky, casual, bold as brass and twice as bright with his white robes and fan of fiery hair. She swivelled in her stool to face him, catching the full force of that gentry smile. Well spoken and assertive, he had no trouble shooing away the men she was trying to persuade, and she didn’t bother turning back to watch them slink away like scolded puppies. Instead she eyed this new man up and down, taking in the patchwork of his skin and the crystal blue of his eyes, the lean muscle slipping from under his sleeve and the sure, steady way he held himself. A soft, nonthreatening smile was turning the corners of his alcohol flushed lips as he asked her exactly what she was after.

But a Spiritist was nothing if not familiar with the concealing powers of bullshyke. She took that charmingly handsome smile and politely interested look and wiped it away like a pair of curtains, trying to see what exactly he wanted from her. She was not shy about throwing money around for this quest, could that be what he wanted? The honeyed way he spoke and his fine dress made her think he did not need it. No, he spoke of magic and ‘simple folk’ like he wasn’t one of them. If nothing else, she guessed he was spurned by the mention of the arcane.

Her own smile wasn’t so subtle. She let her eagerness and hope shine through as she motioned the new contender to sit.

“I’m after as big a beast as you can find for me, mister hunter. I’m Madeira Craven, it’s a pleasure to meet you.” She extended her hand and paused, expecting him to offer his own name and a social platitude of his own. “Though I must admit you don’t strike me as a hunter cut from the same cloth as these folks.” Wether that was a good or bad thing she couldn’t tell. In her limited knowledge hunters were grizzled, outdoorsy types that smelled like woodsmoke and fur. This man was too refined, to poised and too pretty to fit her expectations of what the occupation was. But she was an Avalad, and to an Avalad judging by something as transitional as appearance, race and gender was seen as hopelessly quaint. She would assume he knew what he was doing unless he proved otherwise.

“There can be some impressive animals in these woods, I hear. Bears and cougars and wolves and all kinds of dangerous things. I need one of them, and I don’t quite care which, for a certain kind of magic-“ she cleared her throat and stumbled to a stop. Sipping her water, she tried again. “Do you know of Malediction? It’s the practise of drawing dijed out of organic material to make talismans, fetishes, charms…” She let the thought linger for him, hoping it might be enough to catch his interest. “I’m only a beginner myself, but I need help acquiring materials, and an extra pair of hands in the process would be very helpful. If I can count on you for help now and in the future of my studies I would be happy to tell you all I know, and pay you handsomely for the trouble.”

Because if she was going to let someone in on the highly suspicious and widely distrusted art of Malediction, she wasn’t going to let them wander away after throwing one corpse at her. In his interest she saw an opportunity for a more permanent relationship. So she let the honestly slip from her tongue, let it show in her openly hopeful gaze, and waited to see if he would do the same.

“Forgive me if I’m wrong, but you strike me as a mage of some sort. What practise do you know? And, more importantly, how good of a hunter are you?”

x

[Raeyn]

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Many things surprised Raeyn and they did so often. Few things however were as surprising as the smile of utmost charming eagerness that came to meet his words. A strange charisma of the outlander who'se very presence almost drew him in, invited a curious mind to peek onto the darkness of her secrets.

Quickly he committed the name to mind, Maderis Craven, Although to a native born Lhavitian the last name of a high born family from Alvadas had little significance. Her decorum however gave some weight to that name from appearances alone. He reached his own hand of pure white ivory, to shake hers. The roughness of his skin, bitten and splintered nails were perhaps the only thing that betraid the reality of his occupation as a hunter. Everything else was pristine.

"You may call me Raeyn Mrs Craven. A pleasure to meet you." he replied, not for a moment shaking off the politeness in his manner nor betraying the surprise at her request by anything other than perhaps the sparkles in his eyes. And when she made the comment about him being cut from a different cloth, Raeyn truly hoped that Liard overheard it like the dirty little eavesdropper that he was. It would have brought Raeyn's ego much happiness.

Soon enough however all thought of his peer had been left in the dirt where they belonged for wholeheartedly, the Inarta's attention had shifted to the curious new acquaintance he had made. And before he'd even managed to ask what use such a beast could have to a pregnant woman who hardly looked like she knew her way around tanning skin, Madeira was already one step ahead.

"Male - what now?" murmured Raeyn, listening almost starry-eyed as she explained. And she did say just enough to make him hungry for more. It was all over his face. He was positively salivating at the prospect of learning about something few had knowledge of. From the word go, Raeyn was as good as sold. But it seemed the outlander had full intention of sweetening an already delightful deal.

Wordlessly the hunter nodded. How could he refuse such an offer?

But it was what she said next that brought him the greatest surprise. And bringing a finger beneath his chin, crossing his legs and narrowing his eyes a little as the polite smile turned into a smirk of suspicion, Raeyn asked a little dumbfounded. "How... how did you know?" In his time at the Twilight Tower Raeyn had seen mages of all sorts come and go and come again before departing once more. And it made him realise one thing. There was no such thing as the look of a mage. Some were refined people of status whilst others simple unwashed pigs with fat pockets and ideas of grotesque grandeur. And Raeyn indeed fancied himself one in a million, even if such he was not.

Was she just that good? Had she some sixth sense for sniffing out mades like a hunter sniffed out prey? Those were questions for another time, however.

Chuckling to himself, choosing to interpret the comment as a complement, Raeyn did yield his not so closely hidden secrets. "I am indeed. I'm an alchemy student at the Twilight Tower. Albeit I doubt that knowledge will help you much in your quest. As for how good a hunter I am, let me put this plainly. A bear I can promise you and wolves I'd recommend avoiding." He paused for a moment, furrowing his brow once more as he looked Madeira up and down. "Is it wrong of me to suppose that, since you demanded to accompany on this hunt, there is no way of avoiding it? I'm sure you understand that in your condition you're not the ideal hunting partner. Nor would I want to be responsible for the needless endangerment of the lives of you and the little one on the way."

*Boxcode by Allassanachassanya

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[Madeira Dusk]

Raeyn. She committed the name to memory as she shook an amiable hand. He offered no last name, she noted. But as this was not the first time an Inarta had only offered a given name she was starting to think there was some sort of cultural significance she was missing. His hand was rough and weathered from what might have been a lifetime of bowmanship, made all the more striking against hers, which had never worked an honest day of labour in her life.

At the mention of him being an alchemist she raised an inquisitive brow. She knew the practice only as the stuff of old stories. It was said those mages had the power to play with the very essence of things. Ald'gare Dusk had given her a brief summary of the Towers and their practices, and knew that this is where the heavy hand of the Twilight tower lied, but she had never seen it in person.

He advised they stay away from wolves, but he could deal with bears. Frankly they both sounded terrifying, but she was determined to see this through. Swallowing around the dryness in her throat, she forced out a tight little smile. ”Duly noted"

It was as he retread the old ground she had spent most of the morning going around and around in with the other hunters that her eagerness began to stutter. It was a logical query. Why would a pregnant woman with zero survival skills want to flounce around in the wilderness? And that logic was exactly what made it so hard to break through. Explanations and reasoning would get her nowhere. If she wanted his help she was
going to have to find a way around it.

"Mmm," she hummed, the corners of her mouth turning down in disappointment. "I'm afraid it's necessary to this magic that I come along. I'll do my best not to burden you, but as I am hiring you to be my guide, you will be responsible for my and my 'little ones' wellbeing. It would be your obligation to keep us safe. But, if you don't believe yourself up to the challenge, perhaps you could point me to someone who is. Your friend back there, perhaps?" She leaned around Raeyn to wave coyly at the handsome, auburn-haired man surrounded by empty mugs further down the bar, who was alternatively staring at Raeyn's back and pretending not to. Truthfully, she did not want that drunken fish. The more they spoke the more she wanted Raeyn. She sensed that what they wanted from each other could extend deeper than an exchange of Kina for corpse. Besides that he was well spoken, a hunter, a mage, and had an easily exploitable want.

Yet its as she made eye contact with the man further down the bar that she realized she had made a big mistake. She didn’t just want Raeyn, she needed him. Any of these hunters could get the job done if she threw enough money and pretty words at them, but this red head was unique. If she had misjudged how much he wanted her magic and walked away, she was in trouble.

x

[Raeyn]

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Raeyn's expression did little to change as visible disappointment wrote itself between the many layers that was Madeira Craven. A woman who by her very request seemed more puzzling to him than many secrets of the wilderness. His eyes remained on her, politely impassive. If they had different ideas of this venture, so be it. That didn't make Raeyn any less right.

Son enough Liard's presence was once more brought into the thick of it all. And Raeyn could not help but wonder if she was trying to sow seeds of jealousy, ignite the flames of testosterone filled competition in him with her remark. A poor tactic, making the comparison between a man and his ex lover, but not necessarily one that didn't work.

Raeyn quirked a brow, momentarily tossing his attention to the drunk before flashing him a charming grin. Once he looked back to Madeira Raeyn seemed very much entertained by the notion, thinking himself indeed the superior hunter. And shall the privilege of this ridiculous task be out of his hands and in those of the mixed blood, he'd find a way to get his teeth on her secrets either way. To Raeyn that was a certainty.

"If you're convinced he's the better fit, then by all means, allow me to introduce the two of you. He's a talented hunter, indeed." the Inarta smiled. "Although, do take it from somebody who'd been on many hunts with him over the years. I'd trust him with many things. My life is not one of them. But if you insist, my lady, who am I to stand in your way?"

He thought briefly of waving for Liard to come and join them but quickly reconsidered. This wasn't a job for a man like him; impulsive, short tempered and something of a loner in his art. As a curtsy to his friend he decided to give her a few chimes to reconsider, make the better choice. Choose Raeyn instead.

*Boxcode by Allassanachassanya

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[Madeira Dusk]

Madeira inwardly cursed. She was right to think she had pushed it too far, and predictably Raeyn had seen right through her bluff. She should work on her acting skills, or at least learn new negotiation techniques that didn't involve lying through ones teeth. It seemed she had become complacent in that regard. Striking a deal with the dead was a much simpler matter when she held all the cards.

Since lying wasn't going to work, perhaps she could strongarm him. Nothing was more battering than honesty. Maybe she could try drowning him in it.

"Don't be cute with me, you know I want you." she dropped the act and did nothing to hide the sting of being played. Evident in the worrying of her lip and the way her tongue rolled over the roof of her mouth with a sharp popping sound. Pride was radiating off the hunter, slipping through his careful indifference and shining directly into her eyes like the break in the sky on a cloudy day. Entertainment sat in the quirk of his lips, perhaps amused by the lie or the ease with which he dismantled it.

The barman came by and topped up her glass of water on his way to bringing Raeyn's friend another pint. With the distraction Madeira took a moment top gather her thoughts, ready to opened herself up like a chest wound. If she was going to throw the honesty at him she was going to lay it out with gory detail first.

"Alright, I won't dance around you again. Let me be clear: I need you to take me into the woods to catch a large predator. At your recommendation it'll not be a wolf, and thankfully I'm at least capable of defending myself. From you I'd expect my safety and your expertise. If afterward you'd prefer to hand over the animal and be done with it, you'll have a hundred kina and my sincere thanks." She made a point of looking him in the eye as she spelled it out for both of them. It wouldn't do to have a misunderstanding on something this important.

"If you want something more, I can teach you at least the very basics of Malediction, and offer you a run of my private magic lab. But for that I'd expect your discretion and a hand at butchering the animal. This is the best I have to offer, and I won't negotiate. But if you refuse I'll have to wait until the baby is born to find someone else willing to take me, and frankly I'm loathed to wait that long."

She was not used to speaking the full, uncensored truth. It was a rather vulnerable feeling. But at the same time there was a finality to it. Whether he said yes or no she could walk away sure that she couldn't backtrack, dress it up, and change his mind. It was far too late for that.

"As much as your friend back there looks like a lot of fun," she tried to keep the snideness out of her voice and failed, "I want you. If you want me too lets make this deal."

She held out a hand to shake, holding it in the air between them like the proverbial olive branch, and for the first time in her career she truly couldn't guess if he would take it.

x

[Raeyn]

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Raeyn was taken aback a little by the sudden shift in her tone. The sincerity that sipped from her petal pink lips like a song to his ears. That was more like it. Before making any kind of a reply of his own, the hunter cast his eyes past her to his auburn haired companion once more just to make sure he heard those three sweet words 'I want you.' To a hunter that indeed was a complement. And Raeyn would be damned if he had indeed not let them go to his head.

"Your wish is my command my lady." he chuckled quietly. Honestly she had him at the mention of magic. But as he listened to the woman outline her expectations clear as day she only sweetened an already honey sweet deal. For at the mention of the lab his eyebrow would perk up and his mind would start racing with the possibilities like a drunk philosopher at the edge of the world. He'd be a fool not to take the olive branch. Opportunities like this did not just sprout up like mushrooms after rain.

He hesitated for a split tick before reaching out to join Madeira's porcelain pale hand in a firm shake. Perhaps he was naive to expect this promise to be held sacred by a complete stranger. Perhaps she too was a fool to trust him having just met him. But sometimes one had to gamble their safety to reap great rewards. There would be time to get to know this woman on their way and the Inarta was all but defenceless himself. Perhaps time would prove that not all things that sound too good to be true, are.

"We have ourselves a deal, mrs Craven. I believe we can indeed help each other out." More honest words have never been spoken, veiled by hope and determination that was obscured somewhat by a calm and collected exterior. "So when shall this adventure begin?"

*Boxcode by Allassanachassanya

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[Madeira Dusk]

He hesitated before taking her hand, and behind his impassive eyes she imagined the flurry of reasoning and calculations and greed. His acting was impeccable, but not foolproof. He couldn’t hide his longing any more than she could disguise her need.

But finally, to her deep relief, his scared, calloused hand enclosed her own, and she had him. Raeyn said he believed they could indeed help each other out, and Madeira smiled knowing it was true. He had only agreed to hunt with her, but her mind was already turning to a more lucrative arrangement. She had to find out about his family, his standing, his magical provocations and most of all what his goals were. But once she did, she could see all kinds of uses for a beautiful, refined man.

“This adventure begins tomorrow, just after Dawn rest. I’ll meet you here.” She waved the barman over and ordered Raeyn another drink before sliding off her stool. “Have a good night, hunter. I’ll see you in the morning.” She nodded, keeping eye contact just long enough to convey a simple suggestion: be there. It started as a pull of dijed in her soul, to a prickling behind her eyes, then shaped into thought and pushed through the connection of their contact. She hoped to see it slip into the spaces between his thoughts as something simple, unobtrusive. It wouldn’t be enough to change his mind if he had already decided to stand her up, but if he was on the fence, she could hope to tip his decision in her favour. She blinked away the sting in her eyes and smiled kindly for her new partner. But as she passed Liard on his stool she kept her head down and made a concerted effort to avoid his gaze.

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76th of Fall, 518

The night came and went, and the dawn poked its sleepy head over the towering peaks of Lhavit. It found Madeira just where she had been the night before, sitting at the bar, with a sweating glass of water at her elbow and her crossbow across her lap. Her dark trousers and buttoned white shirt were covered in a black wool cloak. With her hair neatly pinned and heavy rings on her fingers, she did not give the impression that she was prepared for a dangerous hunt. The men and women there to trade gossip over a hearty breakfast, preparing for their own hunts, largely ignored her. It was clear she was waiting for someone; but who, and for what, they neither wondered nor cared. The day was young and there was money to be made.

Madeira had laid her red notebook on the bar, open to a page dense with strange symbols. Circles of ink were laid out, filled with words and pictures made in thick, hurried lines. Inkstick tapping on her lip, Madeira was mapping out another circle. She had spent all night at this, planning malediction charms for cougars and bears and badgers and eagles, unsure of what she would be bringing home and too excited to sleep.

What if it’s a badger? Her thoughts immediately move to Jomi, and she sighed inwardly. If only she could have acquired the Kelvic’s corpse before they left Alvadas. That would have been rife with potential. Mastering herself, she turned her thoughts to the animal. What did she know about badgers? If the ghost was any indication they are aggressive, territorial, and possibly work in pairs or small groups. Though admittedly that may be more a Kelvic trait than badger. Unwilling to take chances, she decided to focus on the aggression part of a badgers behaviour.

With her inkstick she drew the common word for anger, and placed it in the centre of a mouth with wicked incisors pulled back into a snarl or a smile. Around the edge she wrote a very simple poem full of possessive imagery. She was sure she was making something cursed at this point, but she didn’t care. The results would be interesting regardless.

WC: 684

x

[Raeyn]

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An exquisitely good mood was a plague on him. Into his very dreams it snuck, filling them with wondrous visions of forbidden magics so fantastic that Raeyn's mind simply could not hold onto the many details as morning came to lay an end to the wonder. But how sorry could one be to wake, when waking in the arms of a lover? Tender kisses were magic of their very own nature.

Raeyn had gotten himself ready in quite a hurry that morning, speaking very vaguely of the adventure ahead. He had a habit of assuming Sasha intuitively knew all details of his life, forgetting which things he spoke of and which he had yet to reveal. After all the Kelvic did know his heart better than even Raeyn himself could. Still, as Sasha made pretty work of his hair, braiding it and then pinning it up in a neat bun, the name of Madeira Craven did indeed come up.

The hunter chose a far simpler attire than that which he wore the day prior. Neutral coloured clothes that his beneath a black, fur lined cloak. A quiver of arrows across his back and a bow in hand. The other grasped the voiding bag off the bed on his way out the door, filled with all things a hunter might need, most important of which was a hunter's knife and enough rope to lasso a bear. One last kiss he placed on the lips of his lover, followed by a sweet word or two before disappearing out the door. Though the moment they parted, Raeyn found himself wishing he'd brought the Kelvic with him, if only to provide a very unnecessary sweet distraction. Alas, a dog had to suffice as an apt replacement.

He had no expectation to stay outside the walls of Lhavit past sunset. With luck the two of them, the adventurers, would make it home in plenty of time to cook up some of whatever they catch for supper. Silly men count of luck.

A polite greeting would reach Madeira's ears a tick or two before their agreed time. It would have been foolish to stand up such a truly interesting client, after all. Though in all his curiosity, Raeyn couldn't help himself but look over her shoulder as she scribbled in her notebook, committing the circles, which his eyes laid upon, to memory in more or less detail. A quiet hum escaped his lips, but that was about all the acknowledgement he would muster, so eager was the hunter to get going. The sooner they managed to get this hun over and done with the quicker would Madiera have the chance to pay her half of the deal. And no matter how much Raeyn loved to commune with nature in a way only a human could, it was magic where his heart lay.

Before departing, Raeyn nipped upstairs to grab the remaining part of the equipment needed for this hunt; a sturdy spare spear from the depths of the room of crap. And locating the damned thing took longer than he wished. Just like that, soon enough, the two of them were off into the wilderness and down the path that would lead them to quite the adventure ahead.

As the hunter and the guide, it became Raeyn's job to lead the way. Thus following familiar paths he lead them down the mountain and into the forest. This eyes followed landmarks invisible to the eyes of the uninitiated; the rock that poked out from the soil over which he had once many years ago, tripped, a cluster of trees that has broken in past storms. It was experience that lead him. Memories of how it once was, and how it now is. Nothing about his voice, nor his body language would lead on that the man wasn't entirely sure of what he was doing. Overestimating one's skill came easy to him.

"Forgive me if I'm overstepping my boundaries here, and believe that it is not my intention to do so, but I must ask. Are you married, lady Craven?" spoke Raeyn, half a step ahead of her as Lhavit disappeared behind the two, out of sight though thick branches. "I find my self wandering what kind of a man would let his wife face vicious predators, at the side of a complete stranger, whilst in your condition. Then again I've got no children of my own, so what do I know."

Keep eyes caught the sight of an ungulate track in the mud. Visible signs of teeth on the trees and shrubbery around them. "This way." he murmured, changing course to follow in the direction of the track, seeking out another one close by. It was a long shot but where there was prey, there would be predators. A better place to start looking than hiking aimlessly, after all.

"So what brings you to Lhavit?" he asked, keeping his eyes peeled, his voice a little lower but still audible enough at their close proximity. His hunger to knowledge span out further than just the magic she could teach him. Madeira sparked his interest that now glowed a bright fire that wouldn't so easily be put out. And something about the way she insisted on his companionship that made Raeyn think the curiosity wasn't all that one sided. "I guess you're not from around these parts."

*Boxcode by Allassanachassanya

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