Answering a Call for Extra Protection (Sliver)

[Valkyrie]

Winter 26, 512

Sliver wandered through the Icewatch Barracks with a cooked fish fillet in her hands. The hot grease burned and dripped down her fingers but the hot meal was welcome on her tired stomach. With the increased crimes in the city the Icewatch had been training harder than ever and a break for a bite to eat was welcome indeed.

The wolverine Kelvic lazily nibbled at the hot fish, occasionally spitting out a tiny bone. The Winterflames sure could cook a fish but apparently whoever had filleted this one hadn’t done a very good job of getting rid of the bones. The fish was only seasoned with a little salt allowing the natural flavors of the fish to be the main tongue tantalizer.

Sliver’s blissful moment enjoying her fish came to a sudden halt as a scrap of parchment caught her eye. Occasionally new musicians or traders would hang parchments advertising their skills in the Holds but never did they post them in the Icewatch Barracks. It probably seemed redundant since the guards patrolled in the Holds very frequently and could easily find the notices. Sliver approached the parchment and flattened the crinkled scrap with the palm on her hand, the fish grease staining the paper.

Snow Stained Bows needs your help!
Many stores have been broken into recently and we do
Not want to be one of them. We are looking to hire night guards
On a per night basis. 2 gold mizas per night! Please see Laerchel
At the shop if you are interested. Help us stay in business
And providing the city with beautiful bows by protecting us!

Sliver growled softly to herself as she thought it over. Two gold mizas a night was a good price, and she could always use a little extra spending money. It would also be a good chance to put to use some of the training she had been doing for Icewatch, a chance to hide stealthily in the shadows and capture a criminal. But then again, it would mean giving up some precious sleep. Could she still perform well in her training without adequate sleep? It was a tough choice and Sliver took a moment to think it over thoroughly.

[Sliver]

Licking the last traces of grease from her finger tips, the wolverine struggled to read the letters on the sign. Her lessons with Coren couldn't have been said to be going well, but she could always just feel his smirks of pride beneath that face mask whenever they finished. If he were here right now he'd probably be gloating at how useful petching reading could be. She shook her head angrily and cleared her mind. The bloody business of translating chicken scratch was a hard one, and Sliver was bent to figure out what they meant. She knew the word for 'guard' and she could recognize Snow Stained Bows because the letters matched the sign, even if she wasn't precisely sure what they said. The smaller words were easier and so Sliver knew that someone at the store was paying so they wouldn't be stolen from, even if half of her figuring it out had to do with the rising crime sprees.

Now to sort it all out. Mizas were always good. Mostly she just spent her extra coin on good food, but there wasn't a problem with wanting good food was there? Of course not. But the effect it could have on the rigorous training regime could be horrible. Eyrwen had no sympathy for her trainees unless they were deathly ill or severely injured, and Sliver didn't see either of those things happening just guarding a shop for bows. She just couldn't turn down an opportunity to help however. Perhaps this one action would put to rest a few criminals, making her city just a little safer...plus she'd be able to buy those wonderful pies on the corner opposite the shop, which would be a reward in and of itself.

Having made up her mind, and being quite pleased with her altruistic and mutually beneficial decision, Sliver made her way out of the barracks at a casual pace towards the city, ears and eyes opened as she walked. Generally no serious crimes took place in broad daylight, but it was always good to remain vigilant.