Closed Helping Hand

[Sinna]

1st, Winter 518av

Day one of Winter saw Sinna dragging his carcass-like self all across Sunberth in search of a certain boy in a shyke load of trouble.

It's an unquestionable fact that Sin loved his brother, adored him to the ends of Mizahar and back. Much like Syna and Leth revolve around one another, the hunter's life revolved around Zuko's. Still, he had long been well aware that he could not be around all hours of the day to watch over him. While he would much rather prefer that his brother were not always left alone, the mixed-blood trusted that Zuko was mature and quick-witted enough to watch out for himself. Most of the kids in Sunberth had a tendency to wander about, regardless, and Sin wasn't so dumb to think that his curious cat of a brother was any different. He knew the younger had a love for exploring and wandering about when Sin was out making a living, which was fine as long as he stayed within the boundaries Sin had set, and kept him aware of where he'd be going.

Which, by the way, was exactly what his dearest brother seemed to have decided to forgo. Sin had returned early and exhausted from a hunt to a quiet apartment, which hadn't raised any alarms until a few bells had passed and his brother had yet to set foot past the door. Past midday, Sin decided that he'd wait no more and unhappily took to the streets, first scouring his brother's favourite haunts nearby and subsequently hounding their neighbours and street lurkers on the whereabouts of a doe-eyed boy with wild chocolate curls.

There's a little runt like 'im running somewhere down tha' way, Bay-wards. Two bigger ones on hi' arse. Yuh'd best hurry - from the looks uh'v it, they ain't playin'.

Elsewhere along Baroque Bay, the missing cub was in a similar hurry, only, he was hurrying away from a pair of older youths. Slinking through the crowd and ducking past corners and stalls, breath burned in his lungs as his pursuers behind voiced the futility of all his running, sneering and promising a most painful retribution once they got him. He certainly did not doubt their ability to make him suffer, having already witnessed the aftermaths of past instances. Mangled corpses of creatures large and small, young and old. The pair after him was only in their teens, but were nonetheless notorius animal abusers that he'd crossed paths with a handful of times, and today he'd boldly acted against them. Proof of his defiance lay bundled up in his arms, patches of fur stained with grime and blood, tiny heart pattering loudly in tandem with the heavy pounding of Zuko's own.

Gods help me, send someone, anyone, he prayed in the silence of his mind. Ideally, said saviour would be in the form of his brother, who had had to pull his arse from a fire on more occasions than the young tailor would've liked to admit. Sin was awfully protective and a tad bit too overbearing, but at the very least reliable. Strong. Decisive. And at the end of the day, the boy had no doubt in his brother's love and concern for him. Except, he had been gone on a few days' hunt and was due to return the day after. This time, the younger was on his own, or so he thought.

Rounding a corner, he cast a fleeting glimpse behind, heart plummeting to the pits of his stomache as the blurred figures of his pursuers magnified, hoots and hollers increasingly loud as they drew closer, the sound of their heavy footfalls heralded Zuko's coming end. Time, they were running out of time. He, was running out of strength to maintain his current pace, and wouldn't be able to keep this up for much longer, not with the weight of two lives on only a single, scrawny pair of legs.

He had to think. Fast.

[Kelski]

Kelski cursed herself for her timing making a delivery to The Western Heights. When she’d passed from the Seaside Market, skirted the Gated Community, and headed into the Western Heights the tension in the air was almost palatable. Instinct told her it was a bad time to be where she was in Sunberth, but the package had been important and the delivery of a last minute birthing day gift needed to get there.

Kelski should have turned back, but instead, she made the delivery and decided to get out of the Western Heights as fast as she could. She was on foot, dressed casually, but armed to the teeth. She’d left Moth behind because she was just making a delivery and wanted to be out to stretch her legs, rather than pick up groceries at the market or supplies at the docks. Kelski truthfully hadn’t thought the trip would take long, but she’d walked right into the tension and before she knew it everything was chaos.

It was a unite of Dragoons from the Suns Birth.

The Dragoons had been ambushed and Kelski had walked right into it. She didn’t have a clue whom they were fighting. And she understood less why people would want to fight in masks that were obviously obscuring their view.

They were ambushed and the fighting was heavy between them and masked figures. Kelski couldn’t go around them after she’d made her delivery, and above was no option for there weren’t enough intact roofs to cross safely to and from. Truth be told, Kelski didn’t know who the masked people were. They fought hard, and cut down Dragoons right and left. It looked like a slaughter, and Kelski truthfully didn’t mind.

When she came upon them, there was no room to flee. Once moment the street was empty and eerily quiet, the next it was full of battling bodies. Kelski had no qualms about who’s side she was on once she was in the middle of the fringe fighting. Drawing her daggers, she cut high, engaged a Dragoon blocking her path to the freedom of an open street, and attacked. He defended with his blade, cutting high. But Kelski had the advantage of dual wielding and knew how to break inferior blades with both her daggers working in unison. She caught him in a downswing, locked her daggers around his length of steel and gave them an ugly twist.

Whether it was of inferior quality metal or whether it had been stressed too much from recent fighting, the steel gave up its secret flaw and snapped down the middle. As the tip fell, the Dragoon tried to step backwards, running straight into another pair fighting at his back. Kelski was able to slip a dagger into arm hole of his chain mail when he turned to see who he collided with.

The Dragoon went down hard, the masked man pressing his back fighting his own opponent tripping over him suddenly. And once the masked man tripped, it was over in a heartbeat for the Dragoon had his throat slit with his half blade before the man hit the ground. Kelski shrieked out, kicked the man in the side of the head, and leaned over sheathing one dagger and grabbing the fallen masked man. She dragged him out of the way, off to one side of the fighting, and fully dropped down beside him. His eyes were already lifeless though. His blood a slick streak leading back to the Dragoon who’s neck she’d snapped with her boot.

Who was this person? As the fighting raged, Kelski patted at the man’s body, looking for clues as to who he was. She checked both hands for tattoos or brands, finding nothing. And it wasn’t until the packet in his dark jacket caught her attention, that she ceased patting him down. Slipping her hand into his jacket, she extracted a leather pouch that had something large and round in it and the crinkle of parchment besides. Pocketing it, Kelski rose, knowing there was nothing else she could do for the fallen man and decided to extract herself from the fighting. She secured the packet, drew forth her spare dagger and walked into the fray dual wielding.

She cut and fought her way through until she could get to a side street and dart down an alley and free herself from the conflict. That didn’t mean she wasn’t covered with blood, and that didn’t mean she wasn’t winded. Kelski was, and she was satisfied to find the Dragoons cut down right and left. And she wasn’t truthfully any wiser who was doing the killing even after searching the man, nor could she tell who it was by how they fought.

So, she kept moving, the packet tucked under her shirt, darting between others that were fleeing the area. Soon she was in the market, weaving between vendors realizing she looked a mess. Kelski wasn’t alone. Others exiting the Western Heights looked just as rough and the market was all but swarming with people talking about the battle even though Kelski was certain it wasn’t over.

But the whole incident had put her on high alert. So when she noted the boy with something tucked under his shirt protectively fleeing from two obvious pursuers, Kelski switched direction and began following them. Her gut was kicking at her instinctively like it was trying to tell her of the danger involved, but she knew the odds and had seen trouble like this before. Teens were dangerous, but when they paired up against a third, the third often died.

Kelski took a chance, cut down an alley, got in front of the trio in a quick sprint through the shadows… and stepped back out on the street a bit ahead of them. When she saw the boy with some sort of burden, she smiled, waved brightly at him, and stepped closer to intercept. With an eye on what the boys were doing behind them, she opened her cloak a bit so they could see the throwing daggers decorating her chest in a weapons harness that held them securely, then slipped her arm around the fleeing boy. Loudly she said… “I’ve been looking for you everywhere! Glad I finally caught up with you.” She said squeezing the boy’s shoulders like she knew him, gave him a big kind relieved smile, and turned to glance at the pursuers with a sharp shrewd eagle’s glare.

Kelski would kill them in a heartbeat. Young male humans were dangerous in pairs, especially ones actively pursuing one that was openly fleeing.

She squeezed the boy again, pulled away, and drew a dagger which she tossed casually up and down in the air as she walked beside the boy. Nothing in her actions were threatening to the first boy with his burden. But everything about her was menacing towards the boys in pursuit. Kelski hoped to avoid a fight, but with as much blood as she already had on her from the Dragoon ambush, a bit more wouldn’t hurt.

“I see you found yourself a bit of trouble.” She said softly, trying to avoid the other boys from hearing her. “Do you need some help out of it?” She said, continuing to toss the dagger casually from hand to hand, as if she were bored and actually itching for a fight.

[Sinna]

1st, Winter 518av

Zuko would've been in disbelief, had he been an outsider, that no one so much as lifted a finger in his direction. Alas, such was the reality of a Sunberthian's daily life. Every man or woman for themselves. Buildings dovetailing into a market scene, the boy's untimely end seeming to draw nearer with each step he took away from his pursuants.

From the corner of his eyes, a woman of strangely exotic colouring appeared right ahead in the street, grey eyes of a metallic vibrancy not unlike his brother's. Salt and pepper hair, with poison-kissed lips and an exceedingly pale complexion, comparable to the fair Kontis of Mura. Lips pulled into a generous, warm smile. Streaked in blood, some fresh, some dried or drying a and rust brown. Waving. When he followed her gaze, he saw that she was looking right at him. Was she here to help? He clutched the wounded stray closer to him, the fabric of his shirt blooming with red patches as she stepped towards him, torn between taking a new direction and staying until she wound her arm around him. Zuko hadn't missed the glint of sharp silvers from beneath her cloak, nor the fierce look in her steel, predatory gaze, but he played along either way. None of that had been aimed at him. He was almost certain she'd intervened to help, and was grateful enough regardless of possible underlying intentions. One blessing at a time, he told himself. Glancing briefly towards the pair after him, he was glad to find hesitation in their expressions and stances. They had stopped a few feet away, unsure of whether to approach or give up and turn around while they still could.

Panting from his exertion, he flashed a sweetish smile back at his mysterious saviour, tugging the collar of his old shirt lower for a small black snout to poke out of it, sniffing at market air. Brown eyes looked to her pleadingly as she offered her aid. 'Please,' he mouthed to the woman in common with a small nod. He patted the inner pocket of his jacket, the muffled clinking of coins following each tap, meaning to say that he could pay for her help if needed.

Behind the pair of teens, Sinna finally caught up and rounded the corner, braid loose and face framed with stray wisps of hair, lips pressed firmly against each other in a thin line. He recognized Zuko first, stalking forward silently and snatching an empty glass bottle off the ground as he scrutinised the other three for signs of hostility. Seeing a strange, sharp-featured woman covered in blood with an arm wound firmly around his brother had defnitely come as an unnerving surprise, worrying even, but the smile he'd witnessed them exchange immediately eased the tension that stiffened his broad shoulders. Zuko held onto the arm Kelski had on him to show her alliance, once he'd caught sight of Sinna.

As he closed the distance, the hunter immediately recognised the pair facing off with his young sibling and the armed woman, and his expression morphed into one of disdain, lips pulling downwards into a scowl. He'd seen them loitering near the apartments as of late, and the mangled creatures they left behind by random doorsteps and alleys. The quiet sorrow and despair that accompanied his naive, dewy-eyed brother whenever he found another dead stray mutilated beyond recognition. Looking to Zuko himself, his gaze narrowed at the puppy tucked against the boy's chest, weary sigh escaping him. He knew at once, who had provoked the chase, and it was unfortunately neither of the teens. Awkwardly, the culprit cast his gaze aside, choosing to admire his unknown benefactor's knife-tossing skill rather than face his brother's ire. "You brats," he started with subdued annoyance, smashing the empty bottle against the sides of a stall, much to the owner's dismay. "Looking to take a dust nap?" The pair eyed each other silently, sunlight glinting off their own rusted knives that paled in comparison to those of the woman. Kelski war armed to the teeth, with musculature and a confidence only an experienced fighter could have. Not to mention, she looked fresh out of the Bloodpits, covered in blood that clearly wasn't hers. Sinna was not only an experienced hunter, but he also towered over them by a great deal, and even with only a shank as his weapon, he was easily stronger than either of them.

And they knew the rumours.

Eventually, the standstill ceased when they begrudgingly pocketed their weapons, spitting crudely on the ground as they walked away and grumbled their profanities. "I ever catch you lot near him again, I'll shove a pike up your arses and flay you." He added quite manner-of-factly, and they hurried along just a little faster.

With the situation diffused, Zuko removed the puppy from within his shirt, shame dovetailing into guilt in his reluctance to meet the hunter's accusing blue gaze as the latter approached the remaining pair, specifically addressing the stranger first. "Name your price." The youngest at the scene cringed. Blunt as an iron pipe, the boy grimaced inwardly, kicking lightly at the man's shin. 'Be nice, Sin,' he seemed to convey.

[Kelski]

The confrontation wasn’t lost on Kelski. She could tell immediately that the two troublemakers were familiar to not only the human with the puppy – she thought he was young – and the angrier taller human. Glancing between the two of them, there were signs apparent. The two pursuers were not willing to press a fight unless the advantage wasn’t in their favor. That made them dangerous and lazy. The other more angry man that seemed to know the one with the puppy was also unwilling to engage them if his threats worked just as well. What did that make him?

Kelski glanced between the three, the only one she truly had any interest in was the smaller male with the puppy. She even ignored the bantering until the man with the anger turned and addressed her. Kelski raised a black eyebrow, glanced at the smaller human, and then back at the man that seemed to know him. She didn’t miss the fact that he had kicked the taller male.

“My price for what? I would have killed them for nothing if there was a good enough reason. This one here, this small male, isn’t talking though so I’m not exactly sure what happened and if they are worth going after.” Kelski said, not understanding what the angry man wanted. Humans were complex creatures and she’d long learned not to try and second guess them. They were all dangerous, young and old, tall and small. But some where just flat out cruel and useless. She suspected the pair were such thugs, but she wasn’t certain.

“Why did you chase them off instead of teach them a lesson?” She asked, thinking that’s what he did rather than confront him because it was easier. Kelski reached up, pulled at a blood-stained lock of hair and squeezed the drying redness out of it.

“The Western Heights aren’t safe today. I’d steer clear. Some masked group is slaughtering Dragoons. Death is stalking the city today.” She said softly, glancing between the pair she was speaking too. Then she took a good look at the puppy in the smaller male’s arms.

“That animal is wounded. What happened to it?” She asked carefully, wondering if there was a healer that would see it or if puppies were treated differently … less important than humans in the city that was no real city at all.

While she waited for the answer, noise drew her attention back the way the pair of bully’s had fled. She raised a dark eyebrow and counted… six… seven more were returning, the two the stranger had chased off between them. They had what looked like clubs and lengths of chain and murderious expressions in their eyes.

The lead one - one that the stranger had addressed before as if he knew, grinned. “Ain’t so bossy now aren’t you?” He said with a sneer. He spit towards Sinna and glanced at the boy. “I would have settled for the puppy. But now? I think your piece of crap freak brother might be more fun to skin alive.” The boy said.

Kelski took a step back, not to try and escape, but to get all the men in her sightline as she counted hands, heads, and weapons. Three against seven. She glanced at the little human with the puppy and decided it was two against seven. They weren’t great odds, especially if any of the boys had any sort of skill. In a heartbeat, she pulled at her back, freeing a crossbow and locking its arms in place even as she thrust a booted foot through its stirrup and cocked it. Bringing it up with a bolt locked and loaded, she aimed it at the leader.

“You were doing good the first time you retreated. You should have stayed gone.” Kelski said softly, not sure what this conflict was about. She was quickly hoping someone would explain, because she was probably going to have to fight and she wanted to make sure she was on the right side.

[Sinna]

1st, Winter 518av

Grunting as Zuko's foot met his shin, Sin huffed in annoyance, reluctantly nodding in Kelski's direction. "Thank you for helping my brother. I'm Sinna, and if you ever need a reasonable favour or a hunter, you can look for me." Zuko gave a proud smile, reaching over to pat the man on his arm looking utmost pleased. "In fact, you could have that dog if you'd like." Added the hunter after a moment of contemplation, and the boy's smile fell, glee morphing into displeasure. The puppy was cradled closer to his chest.

When confronted and questioned for letting the pursuants off with merely a threat, Sinna eyed the other for a moment as she wrung blood from her salt and pepper hair. He wondered if it was him who should be questioning her, with how peculiar she was in general. Certainly, she was (or at least, seemed to be) a being of intellect who could think and verbalise said thoughts, but it felt as though there was a more... instinctive touch in the way she seemed to percieve and approach the world. Like she was not quite human. And perhaps she wasn't. It would certainly explain her unique colouring and the unexplainable, somewhat unnerving quality of her eyes. "I didn't feel like it. Waste of my time," he shrugged, callously brushing off the matter. Her warning was taken wordlessly, though he expressed no gratitude nor his decision to heed the advice.

The hunter snorted at the woman's cluelessness, guiding his brother closer to his side by the arm. Was it so difficult to figure out? "This is Zuko," the boy in question nodded as he was introduced, beaming up at his mysterious saviour. "He's mute. Can't speak even if he wants to." The younger brunet nodded, dark ringlets bouncing in wake as he bowed gratefully. "Knowing my brother, and judging from the situation I've found him in... He probably stuck his nose where I specifically warned him against and got into trouble with those brats. All that," he gestured towards the wounded creature, with lacerations and cuts that were all but waiting to fester. "Is their doing."

He should've known that pests never really went away without proper extermination. That mercy had a tendency to spit back in one's face when given in Sunberth. Here, Karma was incredibly distorted, unreliable, and proof of it manifested in the arrival of the litter of stupid, show-off youths that assembled in response to his threats. Armed, dark-eyed and all to eager to spill more blood into the sewage of the city. "Wanna bet?" Teeth bared at the one who had so boldly proclaimed his intentions, Sin's grip on the broken bottle tightened.

Zuko was in no way a fighter, in spite of his cunning wit and agility. Times like these, Sin had regretted not better equipping his brother for combat, but he alone had barely recieved any proper training of his own. Truthfully, he was more enduring than overpowering. Kuma's constant abuse had built an incredible tolerance for beatings, at least, a twisted blessing that the hunter just might consider a neccesity. But never one he would ever wish upon his brother. A gentle tug on his sleeve drew his attention to his side, where he was met with concerned, trusting brown eyes, in a boy that didn't belong in such a place, didn't deserve to know the worst of life or the world's cruelty. "Behind, Zuko. Stay out of this. I mean it. Shank whoever comes for you." He handed the glass bottle over as a sort of failsafe as he turned back to face the group.

As he plucked an arrow from his quiver and set it in his bow, a small part of him was deeply relieved that his unlikely ally had chosen to stay. The few passers-by, in sensing the brooding conflict, retreated from their immediate surroundings, either moving on with their daily lives in a more roundabout fashion or lingering a distance away to watch. From the group of seven, a single foot stepped forward, mocking sneer prudent on it's owner's features.

"You're dead. You, that ugly hag next to you, and your dumb, useless-"

Mid-sentence, he took an arrow straight to the thigh.

[Kelski]

Kelski dutifully studied the map when her turn to look at it came to her. She wasn’t exactly apt at reading or understanding maps, so mostly it just looked like a bunch of lines to her. When he offered her the dog, she saw something die in the boys eyes and she shook her head. “It looks like that puppy is already claimed.” She said firmly, glancing at the boy and wondering if the harder older brother would let him keep the dog. Probably not.

Animals didn’t usually stand a chance in Sunberth.

“Hello Zuko. Well met.” She said, offering the boy slightly more respect than she did his older brother. While she didn’t know what mute meant, having never met someone without the ability to speak, she deduced from what Sinna said that the boy couldn’t speak.

She glanced between the boy, the puppy and then the approaching young men. Kelski frowned, assessed the puppy one more time, and then clearly asked Sinna... “Do you mean those boys hurt that puppy? That defenseless small animal that has no way to fight back?” Her eyes narrowed and she turned on the boys approaching. While they were busy bantering, taunting Zuka, Kelski was busy acting at the same time Sinna notched his bow.

She was grateful for his distraction, because a bow drew the eye over distance far faster than a mere girl drawing daggers to launch. Kelski flung the first one, the target not even looking, pulling it straight from the bandolier of daggers across her chest. The Sea Eagle had six of them at her disposal and she intended to use them. The first one flung hard, hit its mark with the proper spin and dug itself deeply into the boys chest, the heart shot true. Three more went wide, not even remotely hitting their targets, and the fifth embedded itself in the target’s chest as well, not quite the kill shot but he went down quickly as well.

Fool. She was a cursed fool for trying to take them all on at once and not picking them off one at a time thoroughly. It was a lesson that might cost any of them their lives.

The seventh was Sinna’s thigh shot, which Kelski nodded her approval too, and drew her main dagger from the small of her back, pushing forward into the boys aimed at making contact. For all that she thought they were young, they had size on her. Actively engaged in drawing daggers and throwing, the first one that dodged her attack closed before she could react and punched her straight on in the face.

Pain exploded into Kelski’s awareness and she blinked even as she kicked out to try and push the boy back, bringing Pitch up and across the boys exposed arm instinctively. The Kelvic had taken lots of punches before, none quite to the face like this one though, and she backed off blinking and shaking her head even as she opened the boys arm wide up severing the tendon down to the bone.

He screamed and backed off as well, leaving the other two boys moving forward, both focusing on the bow, now that the woman with the knife had empty throwing sheaths across her chest and was frantically backing up shaking her head.

Kelski wished she hadn’t come alone, even as the raw pain in her face receded enough so she could see clearly. Her aim was to dispatch the youth in front of her that had at least six inches on her and at least fifty pounds. She wondered how these men in Sunberth grew so big… and what they were doing beating on animals when they should just be beating on each other and thinning out the herd of humans that infested the city.

The Kelvic tossed a short sentence over at Sinna. “I hope you draw fast. Another shot like that… or five would be appreciated right about now.” She dragged in a breath and planted her foot, waiting for the wounded boy to advance.

[Sinna]

1st, Winter 518AV

Claimed by Dira, I hope, Sinna thought sourly, rolling his eyes and blatantly ignoring Zuko's precious little smile. "Suit yourself." Came his curt response, and nothing more. As much as it pleased the elder to see the boy happy, the hunter couldn't bring himself to allow the mutt to stay. His lack of appreciation for such creatures was one issue, but for his brother's sake he could easily turn a blind eye to his own opinions. The true problem lay in their finances. Or, lack thereof. Despite their small household of a growing young boy and young adult male, Sinna was still just barely able to provide for them both. Zuko had started with work of his own as a clothesmender, but even then didn't quite earn more than a few coppers at a time. Bringing in another mouth to feed would worsen their already shabby lifestyle.

"What, you think that thing hurt itself? Carved off its own skin did it?" he answered snidely, noting her growing investment in their conflict. "Of course. They did it, and it's not the first of their victims. This one's lucky to be mostly whole still. Should've seen the other carcasses." Kelski must have been an animal lover, he concluded. Or a bleeding heart - but those were more or less one and the same. It might be beneficial for them to keep this fierce-eyed stranger interested. "Cats, dogs, 'brats, birds. They'll eventually move on to bigger ones, I'm sure. Maybe a child next. Then a woman. Who's to say they've not already killed someone? Kelvics don't always take human form." He listed in a voice far too monotonous and dispassionate.

With his bow as a timely distraction, Kelski had taken the small window of opportunity to skewer them with her cleverly-hidden knives. Impressively, the first shot met it's mark in the blink of an eye and immediately sent the young thug into Dira's embrace, and Sin whistled his approval only to be dissappointed when three more whizzed past their targets. The last one didn't quite seem as accurate, but did it's job regardless and sent another to the ground. Biting back a curse, he whipped out two more arrows, holding one between his teeth as he loaded the other. "Couldn't you have done it one by one?" He hissed when the first arrow was released and the second removed from his lips. The first arrow struck right in his chest, no doubt piercing a lung and taking him out of the fight too.

Looking over to Kelski as he notched the other arrow to his bow, he couldn't help the snicker that escaped him at the blatantly obvious differences in size and age. A small, adult woman facing off a taller, heavier-built boy many years her junior. Ooh, he winced as the kelvic took a fist right to her face, drawing back his bow and striking down the boy whose bone was there for the world to see. Zuko, somewhere behind the pair, grimaced and gagged at the gore, tucking his furry companion closer.

He clicked his teeth in annoyance. "Does it look like I'm Eyph- like I have that many hands?" Disregarding his complete hypocrisy, the hunter took two arrows to his bow as the remaining three approached. A pounding heart and focused mind drowned out the noise of his present surroundings, reducing the noise to a low buzz as anxiety dovetailed into pressure. One was a little further behind the pair that were dangerously close to the pale woman, but Sinna could only hope he'd be able to reload quickly enough to finish the last one off. As he pulled the arrows back and aimed for the pair approaching her fastest, someone rushed forward beside him and rolled an object that clattered noisily in Kelski's direction. "Zuko! I said stay back!" The arrows cut through the air and pierced flesh, one embedding itself in someone's neck and another in the other's ribs. The former fell to his knees immediately, gurgling and clambering at the arrow in his neck with clumsy, bloodied hands while the other was merely delayed, before he soldiered on with strained steps. "By your feet!" The broken glass bottle Sin had equipped his brother with earlier was now glinting on the ground next to Kelski's foot. As he drew his bow once more, he found himself unable to hit the one closest to her without risking skewering her in the head as well, and had to settle for the taller head of the last fighter behind the pair.

[Kelski]

Sinna had a different sort of demeanor from other humans Kelski had met. He had a forthright attitude that bled out his inner turmoil quite clearly to her. Where another human might see him as off putting or grouchy, Kelski saw it as refreshingly honest. She kept one eye on Sinna, in fact, as they dealt with the bullies bothering Zuko. She nodded at Sinna’s assessment of the offending human’s behavior. Humans often were monsters. They never surprised her with their violence, only with their kindness when they showed it. That he figured their violence would grow as they grew was no surprise to her, though she wondered why she hadn’t thought of that herself. “This is why I dislike humans so much… most all of them.” She said softly, glancing apologetically at Zuko who obviously wans’t in the same league as the other boys.

She half laughed when his hissing almost curse reached her ears. “Its more fun trying for them all, no?” The Kelvic said, then added… “Besides, its distracting for them opening them up to someone with evidently far more skill than I.” She admitted, distracted enough to take a fist to the face. This fight was going to be the death of her. Even as Sinna’s distracting snark kept coming.

“Shut your mouth and fight. You caw on and on like a petching blue jay.” She hissed back at him., distracted and now taking the battle seriously. Her face hurt, badly, but it was a blow she’d taken before repeatedly. And one eye was definitely going to swell shut before the day was out. But the bottle bounced off her heel, and she felt obligated due to Zuko’s risk to bend down and grab it. The sharp edge cut into her palm slightly and she hissed as she picked it up. The she slashed at the remaining guy, distracting him as she drew another dagger. With her off hand she inverted the dagger, and threw it almost point blank but with enough of a spin to bury the blade in the man’s neck. The bottled hand, bloody, was used to block the dying man’s attack.

When he was down, Kelski stepped back and surveyed the situation. The boys were dead, most of them, or dying and she walked among them and finished the job, tossing the bottle aside into other trash lining the cleared space they were fighting in. The Kelvic was panting hard, her hand bloody, and her eyes wide. “Your arrows struck true.” She said to Sinna, in the way of a compliment. He might be one snarky human, but at least he could shoot.

She glanced back at Zuko when she was done with her gruesome work, and walked up to the young man. “Thank you for the help.” She said politely. Then she stooped down, to his level, and nudged his arm with her head above where he held the puppy. “That dog is going to need medical attention. There is a place out in Baroque Bay. It’s where the Mudway flows into the Ocean. There’s a jewelry store there. The place has a large stables off to one side. If you clean the stalls there, the clerk in the Jewelry store will help your puppy. He’s a very good healer and even better with animals. Your puppy won’t like him much at first, when he smells him, because hes a Kelvic. Do you know what those are?” Kelski asked, tilting her head and studying him quietly.

For the moment, she ignored Sinna.

“Ebon is a Night Lion Kelvic. That means he looks like a man but can turn into a giant lion black lion. Cats and dogs generally don’t get along and your puppy will instinctively be scared. But Ebon is gentle and likes dogs. He lives with several. And he will take care of the puppy. Give him the puppy to heal before you do the stalls. And when you are done and the puppy is better, have him feed you.” Kelski added, looking thoughtful.

She paused, glanced at Sinna to see if he’d protest, then continued. “Then, later on if you ever need extra coin, come by the stable and clean any time. Someone there will give you coin for your trouble. But it must be good honest labor. And there is also an old woman sometimes there named Mosa. She looks older than the world. Sometime she camps in a tent near the stable by the Jewelry Store. Ask her if she needs anything to do. You don’t have to talk to ask her. She is a fortune teller. She simply knows things. Just show up and get in her attention and she’ll know what you want. She’ll have errands for you to run. Nothing too dangerous. Just notes to run or packages to pick up for her.” Kelski added, glancing at Sinna.

She looked over the bodies, trying to decide if she should search them or not. It was an abrupt change of subject, but she gestured to them. “You guys might want to search them. They might have something of interest on them. Otherwise, we’d better get out of here. They might have friends.” Kelski said softly, not at all happy there was more death, and indeed more bodies lying on the ground.

The Kelvic glanced at Sinna, half expecting him to protest or otherwise get her in way. And while she was studying him, she reached up and touched her face, rubbing at her slowly blackening eye. A crowd was starting to gather, and Kelski didn’t like witnesses to the situation.

[Sinna]

1st, Winter 518av

A smile teased at his stiff lips as Kelski proclaimed her disdain for humanity. Not quite human herself, then. "And yet you're in Sunberth, surrounding yourself with the lowest of them." He pointed out snarkily. "But we're probably all the same regardless of where we come. Human nature and all." His tone softened as he looked to Zuko. With some exceptions, he supposed. The pair of them weren't all quite human either when their ancestry was considered.

With a roll of his eyes, he shot a disapproving towards the woman for what he hoped was her attempt at lightening the mood of their predicament. Fun? This woman found being outnumbered and overpowered fun? Sin was a little more concerned of their wellbeings, particularly that of his brother and himself, than a good fight. The punch that Kelski took to the face brought some sort of satisfaction to him, like it proved him right, even when she snapped back at him for his unneccessary commentary. Rather than intervene, however, he trusted the pale stranger was capable enough to handle her own and merely observed, both admiring and curious of the prowess she moved with. A vicious, unforgivingly icy gaze and endurance that spoke of her experience. As handy as Sinna was with a bow, close combat had never been something he'd practiced as much. Which, in consideration of his Myrian heritage and the environment of his birth, was a little bit humiliating and a lingering worry of his; that someday, just his strength and viciousness alone wouldn't be enough. Perhaps it was due time he sought a mentor. Or at least, began considering.

The fight ended as quickly as it had begun, fortunately, and Sinna began salvaging his arrows as he too strode towards Kelski, Zuko following along behind once the coast was clear. "...So they did. You're not half bad with your knives yourself, and you sure can take a hit." It was as close as Kelski could get to a compliment from the rigid hunter. As her attention was turned to the younger of the males, Sin continued to purge the scattered bodies of his arrows, plucking out bits of flesh from the arrowheads as they were removed before swiping off the rest of the grime on their clothes. Whatever conversation Kelski had engaged Zuko in, he assumed it held little significance, though kept alert and glanced back every now and then, catching a minimal of words.

Zuko gave a proud smile and puffed up his chest when Kelski thanked him, head bobbing as she spoke in understanding. 'Kelvic,' he mouthed, nodding to show that he knew of the shapeshifting race as he listened to her speak intently. Sinna returned to where the pair stood just as Kelski glanced to him, a single brow quirking as he scrutinised her doubtfully. "That all sounds awfully convenient," he prodded lightly, holding out a handful of mizas and trinkets he'd looted off their opponents as he retrieved his arrows. "You did most of the work." Most, meaning some of it was rightfully his - a seperate, smaller portion was already snugly tucked away in his inner coat pocket.

"Lead the way, then. I'll take you back, for all your trouble. Baroque Bay, was it?" Heading straight home seemed like a more plausible and favourable idea, but Sinna had a feeling that Zuko would heed and seek whoever it was Kelski had prompted, against whatever warnings Sin might give. At the very least, he might as well accompany him while he could and ensure Zuko's safety for himself before the boy went sneaking off again. Grasping said cub's hand, he led Zuko in the intended direction, glancing past his shoulder with a slight upturn of his lips.

"I think your eye's starting to match your lipstick."

[Kelski]

Kelski couldn’t seem to get a good grasp of Sinna’s personality. Her disdain made him smile, but the smile was grudgingly given as if he suddenly knew a secret about her. His response was acerbic, as if he was defensive of his own kind and held no appreciation for her dislike of them. She met his disapproving look with one of her own, as they stood at a sort of even impasse. Instead of rising to his level of sarcasm, she simply shook her head. “There are good people here, even humans. It doesn’t have to do with where you come from. It has to do with what is in your heart.” She said gently, shaking her head and refusing to stoop to his level of bitterness. Sure, she didn’t like Humans in general. But they weren’t all bad.

Dead or fleeing, Kelski mimicked Sinna in that she collected her weapons, methodically and thoroughly cleaned them, and stowed them back on her person where they belonged. “I’m used to being beaten on. Wearing a collar and being someone’s property teaches toughness. Property doesn’t have feelings, after all, and certainly can’t feel pain.” She said with a wry self-depreciating bitter smile. She didn’t otherwise acknowledge the compliment. Kelski didn’t think a person of Sunberth would first and foremost need a reciprocated compliment nor one they paid out grudgingly acknowledged.

Kelski took the coin Sinna offered and in turn gave it to Zuko. “You were the one they targeted. It’s no compensation, but they should forfeit their things to their victims.” She said firmly, making sure the coin vanished into the silent boy’s pockets. Then she glanced up at Sinna, trying again to get another read on him. The Kelvic suspected his heart was as black as most of her hair, but she couldn’t prove it. And since she’d already told Zuko basically where she lived, refusing to let them take her home would be a situation that wouldn’t prevent them from knowing where she lived. Kelski glanced between Sinna and Zuko. Between the two, she’d take the deaf boy every time… but the older brother was something else…. something dark and frightening because she saw a wildness in his eyes that leant itself to darker things. It wasn’t the wildness of a feral hearted Kelvic. It was the wildness of a man driven to care for nothing and no one because that was the world he lived in.

Kelski finally nodded… turned, and began leading them out to The Bay. Sinna’s comment didn’t fall on deaf ears. She knew her eye was swelling and it wasn’t pretty. “I don’t wear lipstick, at least not usually… only to blend in when I want to look human.” She said with a snort. Looking human? Sure… once in a while. But being human? Never. She’d never trade her Kelvic Nature for Human wickedness. Something was wrong with each and every one of them unless they were young and already damaged.

The Nightstalker walked briskly, her eye burning, wanting to put as much time and space between herself and the fight as she could. With the two humans in tow, they soon made the short walk and found themselves out on the tip of the bay, out by the Midnight Gem, where Kelski cut through the yard and rather than head for the shop walked straight into the barn. There were ten stalls, five on each side, with one being converted to a tack room, and one being cleared with a table in the middle and medical supplies surrounding it. Kelski lead Sinna and Zuko into this stall, and patted the table. A young girl, about the age of Zuko or a bit older, was there passing out apples to the two horses that seemed to occupy two other stalls. Several more stalls were filled with hay, and others were empty. The place was brand new, looked actually newly built, and was well lit with lanterns on the walls. With a quick word, Kelski sent the teenager running. She darted out of the barn as the Kelvic turned and tapped the table..

“Zuko, put your puppy here. Ember went to get Ebon.” Kelski said simply, looking around not sure what supplies she could pull out before the Night Lion got there. Ebon had his triage stall set up nicely. There were supplies packed on shelves around the table within easy reach of whatever patient he was treating. There were salves and herbs laid in as supplies, both for treating people and animals. Kelski was careful about bringing people into the house, especially strangers, because the house was too awake, too alive these days to hide much of its nature from visitors. Finally, indecisively, Kelski pulled out a fluffy towel and laid it out on the table to cushion the puppy as Ebon looked at it.

Within just a chime or two, a full grown man – concern on his face – entered the barn and then the big stall. “Kelski, what happened?” He said, looking at her face in concern before he noticed the puppy and frowned. Glancing around, he took in Sinna and Zuko’s presences as well. “Okay, what happened?” He asked again, this time talking to Sinna and Zuko rather than the Sea Eagle.