PM to join Night Watchers ( Isolde Seibold )

[Kyra]

Kyra bent her knees, lifted up and hugged them to her chest. She peeked out over her arms and stared into the shadows. For humans it may have been hard to see, but she could see things, the stone walls, the cracks and dent created over time and in the past. She thought that she understood the woman easily enough, but the play on words didn't explain why the thug was after her. In the time that she had been inside the city, the first and second, she had done things that people didn't like, and things that others were willing to pay for.

It would be impossible for her to figure out who she had upset and what she had done to upset them. There was always something going on and things that seemed like nothing to some were everything to others. To her most of it just appeared as a difference in opinion and the human's quirky way of being overly picky. The young kelvic didn't have any friends in the city, and she had met so many people each day, that they soon turned from sentient beings to faces with coin, and happy meals with legs.

In truth, Kyra had never eaten a person, though she never had too. She could get her hands on food when she was hungry, and when it came to places like Syliras most of them were just skin and bone, not enough to satisfy hunger even if she did prefer them to beef or deer. She didn't, the kelvic had been raised dining on fine meats and had been pampered enough to where it stuck. Although by nature, she could eat anything if she had to, but the girl had done well enough for herself that she wouldn't have to for a long time.

A weak smile rose upon her full lips as she was reminded of her past and of her parents. "I understand.." Kyra started. "My mother used to punish me whenever I used to get my dresses dirty or my hair tangled. She did not like it when I played so rough and she would become very crossed with me."

Lifting her head, the girl gaze rose to meet the squirrel crawling across the trim on the underside of the roofing. "I understand that now, I do. But this...this is not the same at all. There are people like you..like me who don't want to fight, then there are others who live for it. There are people who would do anything for coin and those born with more than enough. Some people enjoy physical closeness so much, that they try and force it upon others, even if they do not want it."

In two years, the young kelvic had seen more than her share of the darker side of human nature, and it had left her confused and lost. "Perhaps I'll never know what she wanted, and who sent her. Maybe it is better this way."

With the change in subject came a change in moods, and the kelvic wasn't up for talking about bandits, life, or anything else for the moment. Kyra stood up and lifted herself to stand on the tip of her toes, as she stretched her arms above her head. A soft purring sound slipped from within her as she arched her back and her legs turned inward as her heels swung out. "I wonder if that could be a bad thing, I think in this city if it gets too quiet, something must be wrong."

OOCOh no lol that would be horrible. Kyra can't go in the mines they'd eat her alive!

[Isolde Seibold]

"My mother used to punish me whenever I used to get my dresses dirty or my hair tangled. She did not like it when I played so rough and she would become very crossed with me."

Strangely enough, Isolde found herself sharing the Kelvic's smile. The girl's words reminded her of Wynry. Wyn had been just like that, rough-housing with the boys, that ornery pair of twins who'd lived right next door. They'd been older than the girl by a few good years, and nasty to boot, jealous little things whose parents never paid them mind and let them run completely wild. Isolde had never approved of her little Doe going off with those two, chasing the chickens, blowing off chores (but never lessons), sword-fighting with sticks and pestering the Knights stationed at the Outpost. She would almost always come home hurt. Scraped knees and palms, like she'd been pushed down; or hair yanked from her braids; or dirt smudged on her face, like she'd been held to the ground; on one memorable occasion a bloody nose, with her new toy sword --a gift from her father that he'd picked up in Syliras-- snapped completely in two, and that had been on purpose, a malicious attack. Vaughn had been unconcerned about the whole thing, of course. He'd never worried a day in his life. Whenever Wyn would come home with a new injury he'd ask if she'd dealt out as much as she'd got, and the girl would always laugh and nod her head, and then the two of them would head in to patch her up...

The Nuit was brought from her reverie as the Kelvic spoke again. As as the young woman talked, Isolde felt the smile slip from her face. Perhaps Vaughn had never worried... but Isolde. She was an entirely different matter. She worried about everyone and everything. It gave her something to do, to waste time and occupy her mind. And what the Kelvic was saying was certainly worthy of it.

"Wait--" the Nuit said, forgetting, for the moment, her injuries, and the fight, and how bad she'd been feeling all day. She could feel, more than see, the Kelvic stretching in the dark, having gotten back to her feet. "Do you m-mean there are people like th-that after you? That that was the sort of person that w-woman was--?" Up to this point, Isolde hadn't really considered the other woman's motives. She knew the woman had attacked the Kelvic. At least, that was the Kelvic's side of the events... and Isolde had really no reason to believe that the girl was lying, so she was willing to believe her.

But that begged the question: why would someone like that be after this girl? If the Kelvic really was nonviolent, then why would they--? Had it been something she'd done? Or just a random occurrence, like that time with those two men at the Spinning Coin--

The Nuit could practically feel the warmth of the man's fresh blood as it oozed between her fingers, around the knife in his back. She grimaced, forcing the feeling away, wiping her prickling hands on her vest. No. Isolde didn't want to think about that. Keep on topic. This Kelvic might be in trouble, after all, and current trouble was a lot more pressing than trouble past.

Okay, so. Tonight's attack wouldn't have been a random occurence. The Kelvic might not have said that, but she had unintentionally given the Nuit that impression. Because the Kelvic knew too much about what sort of person the woman had been. Which implied that she knew something about her. Even if she didn't think she knew anything.

To the dark, Isolde said speculatively (and not without a certain grain of suspicion, though she tried to shove that down), "W-Well. You know what t-type of person she... is. There m-must be a limited number of people who w-would wish to do you harm--" And saying that, the Nuit wondered just who she was with. Someone who claimed not to like fighting, but then what else could possibly irk off the 'wrong types' in this city? Isolde wanted to believe the girl was innocent, and whether or not she was... well, she deserved another chance. But how could the Kelvic convince those harassing her to stop, if she didn't know anything about them? She had to have some idea, deep down...

"Are you c-certain you couldn't figure out who s-sent her?" This was almost like a mystery game. Like the ones Isolde herself had played with her own Knights at the Outpost, when she was a girl. Her family had been close friends with some of them, would invite them over for dinner... and afterwards, when it was getting dark, the Knights would agree to play a strange form of hide-and-seek, a game they had all cooked up one dark evening. Someone would be dead, and the others would have to figure out who was the murderer from clues, going out into the night to search for suspects... before the murderer could kill again.

Yes, this was reminding her of that, this strange mystery that she had stumbled upon. Not with murder, gods she hoped not-- Though perhaps that woman is dead, now. You attacked her, you did, and then you left her to die, injured, alone, in the dark~

No. No. Isolde shook her head mutely, trying to clear the distressing, accusing thoughts from her brain, trying to focus on the matter at hand. Her own mind was getting to be a problem. She had always had nagging thoughts, ones that just wouldn't leave her alone, no matter how hard she tried to make them... but not like this. Not so... accusatory, and blunt, and angry.

OOCHah, let's turn it into a crime-solvers thread! Haha! XD Detectives!

[Kyra]

"I do not know if anyone is after me, besides that thug, but I hope not. But that woman, I've never seen her before and I don't think she knows me...Or well.... Maybe it was someone else who sent her, like a job? I am unsure of what kind of woman she was, but she did not seem angry. I think she was smiling...or trying too." Kyra had slipped off into a tangent for a tick, but was quickly brought back by the woman's questions. The Nuit seemed to think there were a group of people after her, news that Kyra found very unsettling.

If there really was a group of people after her, there was no telling of whom the group consisted and when and where they would strike next. It was a puzzle, and one the kelvic was becoming more interested in the more the Nuit continued to question it. "I really don't know who she is, or what she wanted...I didn't even know it was a she." The Nuit was an inquisitive one, and the questions wouldn't stop. The words spurred on Kyra's own curiosity and made her want to know the truth behind it all for herself.

Being a spy was a good job choice for her, given her curious nature. She would seek out information, and follow leads and people easily and without feeling bothered by it. But there was an unknown side to it. As much as she was a shadow, others were shadows to her. The job of a spy were many, and at times she'd have no idea on who's feet she were stepping. If the information on her got out, it could lead to enemies that she didn't even know existed. And then some...

"Is there no one to stand against you? Is your life so easy?"

She had to ask, given the way the woman had responded so far to her actions and answers. The life of the Nuit must have been sheltered or in the least normal, but for the kelvic all she knew was chaos now. Kyra was growing more interested as the moments passed, and more irritated that she didn't have the answers already. Finally, she realized that there was only one thing that she could do. Turning back around Kyra faced the Nuit and peered at her through the darkness.

"Well then, I suppose there is only one way to find out. We must go back and find her and demand that she explain herself." She didn't like the idea, and going back to a crime scene wasn't the smartest thing for her to do. But if she and the Nuit were going to spin the night questioning the event, it was best to seek out those answers.

OOCOh this could only get worse

[Isolde Seibold]

OOCNo, this is going to be GRAND.

"I am unsure of what kind of woman she was, but she did not seem angry. I think she was smiling...or trying too."

Quick to help was the Nuit, and as the Kelvic said the last bit Isolde grimaced, shaking her head. "Sometimes a s-smile can be used deceptively in conversation. If a person is smiling, but also feels threatening--" Most Kelvics could sense threats with some sort of innate ability, probably having to do with body language or scent, and so that's why the Nuit kept going back to that to use as a base for her explanation, "--then the smile could be thought of more as a baring of the teeth, not a happy or pleasant response at all." She would do her best to explain to the Kelvic any minor slips in conversation that Isolde thought she was picking up. Honest to the gods, it wasn't a condescending thing. If anything, the Nuit was trying to assist the girl.

"Is there no one to stand against you? Is your life so easy?"

At this, the Nuit titled her head back. For a long, quiet moment she struggled with her words, trying to come up with an appropriate response and being unable to formulate one. What could she say, that pretty much the whole civilized world was against her, simply because of what she was? But not to worry, because that was okay, that was alright, because Isolde deserved their enmity? Their hatred? Their abuse? Could she say that even she was against herself, more than any of the rest? That it was a constant struggle not to just-- just-- just give up, to succumb to the feeling of self-loathing that seemed to be coming more and more readily every day that she kept on?

No. She couldn't say that. Not aloud. That wasn't anyone's problem but her own. It shouldn't be. She couldn't help how anyone felt about her, and most times she couldn't help how she felt about herself. And really, she couldn't blame the living for disliking one such as she. Because she was something of a monster, wasn't she? A gruesome body-snatcher, cloaking her congealed soul in dead meat and hoping to pass as a person. Gods. How hideous that soul must be.

Finally she just said, "L-Life isn't easy for anyone." Even the false-life that Isolde saw extending before herself into eternity. Perhaps especially this tortured, borrowed existence. "B-But I do try to d-do my best. And I t-try to give those who st-stand against me chances to redeem themselves. To become... b-better than what they are." Yes, that was right. Living people could grow in a way that she, Isolde, could not. They could heal. They could get better, and move on in their lives. Become something more.

"Well then, I suppose there is only one way to find out. We must go back and find her and demand that she explain herself."

At first the Nuit wanted to disagree. The statement didn't come much as a shock to her. She wasn't feeling like anything would come as a shock, at the moment. But she still wanted to reject the idea. First and foremost --and selfish as usual-- the Nuit's body hurt. Her shoulder would hurt when she walked, or ran. Her muscles had gone back to aching, a dull and irrepressible annoyance that had fast become a incessant distraction.

Secondly, the Knights. Wouldn't they be there? The Knights might be a problem. She could only hope that they had overlooked the scream, or already passed through and went on their way, clanking back to their patrols and posts. If the thug really was the nasty sort, she might have even refused help from the Knights, hoping to protect herself from their scrutiny and deal with her problems independently.

Thirdly... the woman. Isolde didn't want to have to face her again, the threat of violence once more--

Still, thought of the woman brought Isolde to her feet quickly enough. If the Knights hadn't found her, yet, and she was still unconscious, or injured, needing help to get to the closest healer... maybe Isolde could help her more. Plus, if it got the Kelvic the answers she needed, then it might be worth talking to the woman. Talking to her. The Nuit had no intention of beating answers out of her. Bribing, perhaps, was a different matter. Assuming the lady would be in the condition to carry out a conversation at all.

"O-Okay. W-We'll go. But--" And she made sure to stress that word, holding up her right hand in a placating gesture, "I don't w-want to hurt her, okay? This is not going to be an interrogation. W-We'll get our answers... but nonviolently. Alright?" Gods, she was hoping this wasn't going to turn into a case of what her brothers had called 'good-Knight, good night'. No. She wouldn't let it go that direction. Though she didn't know what she would if it did. If the woman was uncooperative, and the Kelvic got angry and tried to 'teach her a lesson'. It wasn't like the Kelvic had any reason to listen to the Nuit when Isolde said to stop.

"L-Lead the way." The Nuit gestured forward, back the way they'd come. She hoped the Kelvic wouldn't want to sprint back to the Gardens as fast as she could. "Also... w-what's your name? I don't think I c-caught it." Isolde wanted to have a name for the Kelvic's face. After all, they might be Tank mates together soon enough... Introductions would be more welcome outside of imprisonment.

Okay, so probably it wouldn't come to that. Probably everything would be hunky-dory. But if things did go south, like if they got caught... well, Isolde couldn't very well send off the Kelvic to go sniffing around the crime scene without her. If the Kelvic was nabbed by the Knights and Isolde had refused to go, and hence got away... well. That wouldn't be fair at all. Isolde owed it to her new companion to stick with her. At least for now.

OOCGood-Knight, good night. Like good-cop, bad-cop, but with more punches and head-slamming.

[Kyra]

"Baring of the teeth?" she asked arching a brow. She could remember her time in the Wild Lands, where animals had bared their teeth to her, when she got close to their homes, or just too close to them in general. The young kelvic understood that they didn't want to be bothered and that she wasn't invited to stay. But these were humans, and at times she was sure that they were smiling even when they were hurting others. They were a strange race, a strange and violent race.

"So I see...she was angry then? I suppose it makes sense, and she wasn't very nice to me."

Kyra listened to the woman speak about how she handles her enemies and it wasn't what she expected to hear. Even her mother, a woman who was far too kind and giving, didn't share whine with those who sought to take what was rightfully hers. "Do you not fear death, or getting hurt? I find people can be very cruel and don't deserve my friendship." This woman wasn't normal by any account that she could think of. Her scent, the coldness, the way she acted, things she said. "Have you..by chance, lived in the forest?" There had been another she had met seasons ago, a woman who lived in the forest alone with no friends. She too was different, talked funny, and seemed to know things that Kyra had never heard of.

It was like the stories that she had heard when she was little. Stories about forest witches who roamed the lands and slept with the animals. Her mother had told her that they were simply stories but now she wasn't so sure. The kelvic wondered if this woman could also be one of them. "Do you like animals? Talk to them perhaps? Do they follow you around?" She tilted her head as she watched the woman, a curious smile on her lips.

It had been decided to go back and speak with the woman. There was no other way to satisfy their curious minds than to seek out the answers. Kyra was relieved to hear that the woman would come back with her. Having to go back alone was even less of a good idea than going back period. But, Isolde had a condition, she didn't want to fight again, or to cause anymore harm to the woman, than they already had. Kyra turned back to face her, lifting her hands to rest upon her slender hips and speaking in a serious voice.

"Do you think me so cruel? I did not want to hurt her, but she forced my hand. And if she does it again, I'll put my boot to the other side of her head." With that, Kyra turned and stormed off towards the location. The kelvic walked at a faster pace, but she didn't run which made it easier to catch her should Isolde quicken her steps. "I am Kyra.." She said simply and continued on. At this point the only conversation she wanted to have was with the woman who had started the whole tasteless night.

By the time they made it to the garden,Kyra had slowed her pace and looked around them to make sure that no one was near, or following them. It was quiet and she couldn't hear anything which gave her the impression that the garden was empty. However, after taking a few more careful steps, she heard voices. Soft voices being carried upon whispers from ear to ear. "Someone is inside..." she said in a lowered voice to the Nuit.

Crouching down, Kyra started to slowly move into the garden, keeping her head low and her footsteps as soft as possible. There were two sets of voices, one she remembered as the woman's and another..male. Kyra stopped and hid behind a bush and waved to her companion to do the same. "They are talking about coin, and..something about..a blonde twat. Oh and..something about a painting..or painter." Then suddenly the girl's eyes widen as a thought snapped into her mind. "Wait a moment...."

"What's going on here..?" a deep voice asked from behind them. He was talk, medium broad shoulders and wore short hair with a thin beard. His clothing looked normal, though a on the pricier side, as well as the sword he carried in a sheath at his belt. "I am Squire Sanso of the blue quad. What are you two doing here?"

OOCDun dun DUN!

[Isolde Seibold]

"So I see...she was angry then? I suppose it makes sense, and she wasn't very nice to me."

The Nuit considered, then corrected thoughtfully, "Not n-necessarily angry, though that is one reason to smile in such a way. A l-lot of the time it has to do with i-intimidation. A smile like that is another way of threatening someone, only without having to actually say a-anything aloud." Isolde hoped she was explaining this right; Kelvics may not be human, but they were just as smart as anybody else. Any confusion the Kelvic girl had with the explanation would then be Isolde's fault, for being a poor teacher. She wished she knew that she was saying the right things; she had some experience with such matters, but that had all been a long, long time ago.

"Do you not fear death, or getting hurt? I find people can be very cruel and don't deserve my friendship."

"W-Well~" The Nuit's entire false-life was a testament to her fear of death; she'd been willing, when it came down to it, to do the worst thing that she could have ever possibly done in order to continue her existence in this body-changing form, simply so that she could postpone the torment that she knew she would face in the next life. "I am afraid," the Nuit said, "B-But... even cruel people need s-someone, you understand? Pr-Probably they need h-help, need friends, more than anyone else. Need f-forgiveness." That was the best way she could put it.

"Have you..by chance, lived in the forest? Do you like animals? Talk to them perhaps? Do they follow you around?"

The Nuit struggled to change gears, answering in confusion, jumbling her responses together and hoping the Kelvic would be able to pick out the right details for the right questions, "Er. No to the f-first. I like some animals, and all of the o-ones that like me back. Especially b-birds. I might talk to them in a, er, passing manner... Th-Though I can't say for certain that they understand... And as for them following m-me, well, I d-don't think they do...? Uh... Why?" This was a strange conversation to be having, and especially with a Kelvic. Technically wasn't Isolde talking to an animal right now...? Though she supposed she was the one following the girl, and not the other way around--

Soon enough they were off, the Nuit heavier with the knowledge that the Kelvic's name was Kyra, and that Kyra would harm the woman if she thought it necessary. Isolde wanted to protest that last bit, offering out that the lady would probably be in no condition to fight again... but she was forced to hurry to keep up, and the words soon faded away from her lips. It took enough energy simply to follow without making any sounds of discomfort, holding her left arm stiffly across her midsection, looping her fingers into her vest's right-side pocket to help keep her arm-position steady. Every step brought about a low-grade burst of startled pain, as if her shoulder detested the way that she strode and was imploring her to just stop for a while and rest. Her legs weren't quite as bad, but the muscle aches were still there, still insistent... what was there to do about it? Nothing could be done; she'd just have to bear it all. The Nuit kept herself as close to the Kelvic as possible without causing them both to trip; she didn't want to lose sight of her in the dark and risk falling behind or getting separated. It was Isolde, after all, who had started questioning Kyra about the woman, driving her to want those questions answered... so she felt as if perhaps she had a duty to try to help, to see this through and hopefully keep Kyra out of trouble.

The pair made it to the Gardens fast enough, considering that they weren't forced to take quite as long as a route as when they'd been fleeing. Then it was time to duck down behind Kyra, creeping along in the shadows, squinting through the dark... Kyra said she heard voices, but the Nuit didn't catch anything until they'd actually entered the Gardens, slinking behind a bush at the Kelvic's instruction, cocking her head and listening with all her might, hoping to catch some detail. But the whispers were impossible to decipher, her ears simply not as sensitive as her companion's... Until she picked up the tapping of heavy boots on stone from behind her, the Nuit whirling with her eyes opened wide-- the better to see, and no, it was not because she was suddenly terrified, trembling and fearing that they'd been caught and it was a Knight going to-- to--

Wait a moment.
The Nuit lurched into an upright position as she turned, coming face-to-face with a man. She could barely make out details in the dark, Leth's light only serving to stretch shadows and cast features into those of demons. "I am Squire Sanso of the blue quad. What are you two doing here? What's going on here..?"

Isolde wanted to blurt out the answers to his questions, she really did, it would make everything easier if she cooperated... but there was something not right. She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but there was something... off about this squire. Something nagging at her, telling her that he was lying, and that he was no squire after all. Perhaps the set of his shoulders. Perhaps the sound of his voice, as if he was meaning to cast a tone of authority that he did not usually uphold. Frowning now, still shaking and taking a step back from the man in front of her out of instinct, the Nuit's mind ran through possibilities. There were only two that were plausible.

One. This man really was a squire, perhaps one that was brand-spanking new, unused to exercising his post, or just one that had never learned the proper way to project authority.

Or two. That this man was pretending to be a squire in order to scare them off. If that was the case... then he was probably helping the two whisperers in the Gardens. Either the Nuit was getting really good at reading people, or else she was getting even worse at it, and suspicious to the point of paranoia. But something just seemed wrong with this guy. Like there was not one grain of truth hidden within him. He wasn't even wearing any sort of armor that she could see, and, when she peered closer... not even the Syliran insignia, for gods' sakes.

So the Nuit looked up at the man towering over her --probably just brushing six foot in his boots, which was still plenty taller than both she and Kyra-- and she quavered out, voice lowered, "I-I'm sorry, sir. B-But I don't understand. A-Aren't the Gardens open... to the public?" She let her confusion --real enough-- cover her face, and technically she wasn't lying since she wasn't answering any of his questions. The Nuit didn't like to lie. It was bad, and she was terrible at it, regardless. This was a slightly different sort of deceit, and though it made her uncomfortable, well. If the man really wasn't a squire, then he had no right to be pretending to be. "I-Is there some reason we sh-shouldn't be here?"

OOCPlot twist, IMPERSONATOR, he's in cahoots with the others!
Or maybe my Nuit is just bad at reading people, who knows?

[Kyra]

"She wanted to intimate me, with a creepy smile?" Kyra took a tick, and thought over the woman's words. "I think that was the least intimating thing she could have done. I find that daggers work plenty." the kelvic added while brushing her fingers across the one at her belt. She had been known to intimidate people as well, though she used a very different and real type of persuasion. "I may be small, but I'm not so easily frightened." Others had tried to intimidate her in the past, but as far as she could remember, this was the first time it had been done in such a way.

"Forgiveness?" her voice whispered with an air of venom. The Nuit's words fell on death ears. Kyra had in her past, more than her fair share of cruelness and had witness a lot of cruelty done to others. Once, the girl's life had been perfect and she lived with two people who loved and adored her, but it was all taken away. For greed, jealousy, wealth, all of these things, and the same reasons that she had witnessed others destroy lives. She had swore revenge, and although she never found the man who destroyed her family, she did find the man who killed Marcelo, and for him it was death. There were many things that she could do, but forgiving and forgetting weren't possible. "That is something I can not do.."

Kyra listened closely as the woman fumbled to answer her question. The thought did occur to her by the way the woman reacted, that she could be lying. The young kelvic remembered that the woman in the forest had claimed not to be a witch either. It didn't matter however, and if the woman had admitted to being a witch, Kyra would only have more questions, though nothing beyond that. "I was only curious." She left the questions for the moment, but if she were to see the Nuit wandering the forest anytime soon, she would also have her answer.

The scene at the garden ended just as the one before it had, by interruption. Kyra was sure that she would find the answers that she sought this time, and she had been as careful as she could when they snuck back in. But once again, the garden was more busy than she had wanted, and there was now a squire behind them. Kyra frowned, and quickly sprung up next to her partner in crime. She didn't say anything at first, and listened while Isolde talked with him. He said he was a squire, but she wasn't sure of what to believe. It seemed possible, and squires were the types to stick their noses in other people's business.

It was still dark, even in the clearing with the aid of Leth to illuminate the garden. The man couldn't see any traits that showed Kyra as a kelvic, or Isolde as a Nuit, as far as he could tell they were just two young women who were in the wrong place at the right time. "The garden is open to the public, but you didn't answer my question. What are you two doing hiding out? Are you trying to make trouble, watching someone maybe?" He held back a smile, he was enjoying himself and if his authority wasn't challenged he could have a lot of fun with them.

"We weren't hiding out, we were resting. It was a very long jog. Wasn't it Isolde?" Kyra replied and glanced towards the woman. For the moment, the kelvic's mind was more on the two they had been spying on. Had they heard or saw them? If so, it could put them back in the same position they were in at the start. "We are rested now and we should be getting home. Let's go." Kyra nodded to the Nuit and started to walk off. "I don't recall saying that you two could go anywhere." The man snapped and moved to intercept both women.

OOCOh no, what if they're all working together?!!

[Isolde Seibold]

"We weren't hiding out, we were resting. It was a very long jog. Wasn't it Isolde?"

The Nuit, a terrible liar but not required to actually say anything in this instance, simply nodded her head. And, not that the man would be able to see in the dark but... she really was tired, practically ready to start limping. She wasn't used to feeling so worn out or beat up, her shoulder hurt, and now this petcher was being a total hardass. Gods. How was it the Knights found people like him? That is, if he even really was a squire at all. She was believing his claim to authority less and less, and somehow it was making her as angry as much as it was frightening her, if not more so. What was wrong with her today? Why was she so easily upset and angered, she who never got angry at anyone but herself? It'd happened when she'd run into the Kelvic and the woman and their fight, because she'd just wanted them to quit it. And now again. Was it because she just wished the man would leave them be? He was starting something that he really didn't need to and it rankled at her, along with the suspicion that he was not who he said he was. The Nuit knew she should be more afraid. There were two in the Gardens and one out, and the one out had just stepped in front of them and was trying to stop them from leaving. What if the other two heard and came running? Surely Isolde and Kyra wouldn't be so lucky this time. Three against two, and one of the two a Nuit who could barely swing a dagger, who was already hurting, and who would probably never do well in real combat. She should be more afraid. She should be. Something was going on here, she was near certain, but about all she could feel was irritation. That didn't bode well.

"I don't recall saying that you two could go anywhere."

"I don't recall doing anything wrong. Let us go. Or I will report you to your superiors for harassment. We've done nothing to indicate guilt of any crime, and still you block our exit. It is not within your duties to stop us from leaving, in fact, doing so goes against your code of honor. The last time I checked, misbehaving squires don't get very high in the ranks, do they?" The words came harshly from her mouth before Isolde could contain them, and wow, she really was suddenly feeling very cranky, wasn't she? Gods, she hadn't smarted off like that in ages-- probably since even before Kale had left the Outpost as a boy for those few long years, back when she still had to ditch chores to hang out with him because her father didn't approve of the sort of company he was.

Worse yet, she felt like she should be feeling regret or dismay at what she'd said... but she didn't, oddly, just tiredness, exasperation, and more of the same vexation. She gave the man a long, hard stare, thrusting out her chin, obviously belligerent and not backing down... and then she said, "Come on. Let's go," to the Kelvic, and made to step past the man one more time... left hand snaking into her left pocket as she did so, fingers nudging open a small bag of flour. If he tried to stop them again she was going to throw a fistful of flour in his face and eyes, and while he was clearing his vision she was going to grab the Kelvic and hightail it out of there. Hopefully they'd be able to vanish into the shadows of the city before he could even draw his weapon.

She'd had a bad day ever since leaving the Fighter's Pits, this liar was only making it worse --either that or he was the most pretentious squire she'd met yet and he deserved to get a face full of flour-- and she was quickly getting fed up. Even more so when she realized it was unlikely they'd be able to question the woman because of this loudmouth. Not here, at least. Isolde was determined to get to the woman one way or another. But she wasn't going to stick around and try to duke it out with a maybe-squire intent on pissing her off.

OOCThat's one feisty Nuit, so unlike her!

[Kyra]

"A jog? In the dead of night? You girls looking to work off a sweet roll? It must have worked because..."

He smirked as he looked them over. Even without the details, the young women seemed appealing in Leth's glow. His gaze strayed closer to the Nuit than the kelvic. The pale blonde seemed younger and the way she spoke also reminded him of someone perhaps in their late teens. The other woman appealed to him more, and there was a darkness about her that stirred a certain muscle within him. Then Isolde had to speak, her new cranky attitude rearing up as she fought the man's intimidation. He didn't like the fact that she was seeing through his lies, but at the same time he liked her feisty style.

"Mind your tongue, there's no need for an outburst. I was doing my job, making sure that you two were ok. You should be thanking me, but now I'm wondering if there is something more to this with that attitude of yours. You could be hiding something."

Kyra had been surprised by the Nuits sudden change in attitude. The once shy woman who had for a time, seemed nervous, was now taking control and back talking a man who could be a squire. It wasn't like her and it also stirred Kyra's mischievous side, and in the current situation that might not be a good thing. "It is as she said. We have done nothing wrong, you can not arrest us." The young kelvic glanced towards her companion and nodded when she said they should leave. Surprisingly he didn't try and stop them, not until...

"Hey stop them!"

A familiar female voice called out. It was the woman from before and someone else coming with her. The woman didn't run, instead she lightly jogged while still holding her hand against her head. The person with her was dressed in the same style as she was, but it was an older man with grayish hair. Kyra spun around to see them approaching and realized what a bad idea coming back had been. "Out of the way." She demanded and tried to push passed him. "Where are you going!" the man spat and quickly turned around and wrapped his arms around her and tried to pick her up.

"Stop it! Release me!" Kyra growled as she struggled to break free, but the man wasn't having any of it and only squeezed her tighter. "Get the other one!" He called out to his comrades. Suddenly Kyra leaned forward and slammed the heel of her boot down into his foot. The man hissed and leaded forward where it was met with the back of Kyra's head with a thud. The pain in his face caused him to lose his grip, and the kelvic pushed herself free. Kyra took a step forward with her back towards him and planted her feet together side by side. With an arch in her back, Kyra flipped herself over backwards, allowing one of her boot to slam into the side of his head. There was a loud smack as his world began to spin, and the man stumbled sideways just as Kyra landed on the ground.

By this time, the other two had arrived and were repairing to aid their fallen, dizzy friend. Kyra rolled over and pushed herself off the ground, while pulling her dagger from her belt again. "If you really want more of the same then come on!"

OOClol Kyra seems to draw the darker nature out of people she meets. It's a gift...and a curse.

[Isolde Seibold]

No, no, no. This was going badly. Very badly. Gods, they'd almost gotten away. If it hadn't been for the thug-woman calling out...

The Nuit readied herself to bring out her left hand as the woman shouted to stop them, a nice handful of flour already cupped between her fingers and palm, ready to be launched into the man's face. But, before she could do anything, Fake-Squire had already grabbed Kyra, and she couldn't very well 'flour' him without getting the Kelvic too, something she didn't want to do. Fortunately, the girl seemed able to handle herself, stomping painfully on the man's foot and smashing the back of her head into his face, before --what the petch?!-- flipping in some sort of crazy acrobatic move that ended up with her boot smacking firmly into the poor fool's head. The Kelvic landed on the ground, and Isolde leaned forward to grab her up, to help her get to her feet-- but then there was a hand seizing tight to the Nuit's left arm, yanking her away from Kyra, and the Nuit almost screamed from the sudden pain of the grasp, her left shoulder flaring to agony once more with the rough movement.

Isolde writhed like a snake, trying to squirm away from whoever had grabbed her. But they had her by the crook of the elbow, fingernails digging into her arm and latching on like a bird's talons, and the Nuit could feel the nails poking even through her sleeve. She turned her face towards her attacker, getting a look at who it was--

It was the woman. A familiar snarl smirked back at her, and if Isolde could've found the time she would've told Kyra to come get a look at the nasty grin stretching across the thug's face, because it was a perfect example of a baring-of-the-teeth smile used for intimidation--

And then it was smothered in white powder as the Nuit thrust her left arm forward with the woman's pull, not against it, and the lady certainly wasn't expecting that. The thug sucked in a mouthful of the stuff, coughing and hacking, releasing the Nuit's arm to claw in panic at her eyes--

Allowing Isolde to perform a move that just seemed to make sense, leaning forward and slamming her cupped palms over both of the woman's ears.

The lady let out a nasty keening squeal of pain and clutched at her head. Without much thinking the Nuit finished her off, easy pickings: simply stepping forward and giving her a shove. She went down easily, almost as if she was giving up. The thug rolled into a ball on the ground, moaning piteously, covered in flour, holding her head as if she thought letting go might make it fall apart. And there Isolde was, standing over her, clutching her injured shoulder in a death grip. The Nuit's breaths were coming harsher and harsher. Sudden illness roiled to life inside in response to the pain she'd just caused. She put a shaking hand to her mouth, suddenly feeling about ready to throw up, a strange, slippery sensation in her long-dormant
stomach--

And then someone clubbed her in the back and she staggered forward, letting out a yelp of pain. Feeling disoriented and icky and no longer angry, the Nuit turned. She found the older, grey-haired man approaching her, hands clenched into fists at his side. His face had twisted into something ugly and hating, and the look he gave Isolde as he stepped over the fallen woman was enough to make her recoil, backtracking. There was gross, total malignance in that expression... but when he flashed his eyes towards the injured woman his enraged expression faltered, taking on an unspoken, ailing sorrow. Look what you've done, it hurts him, don't you see that? You did it to her, you targeted her injuries ruthlessly, barbarically. Where's your mercy now? Your forgiveness? Where?

The man was still coming, approaching almost hesitantly, and in the dark Isolde didn't know where Kyra and the other man had gotten to. She snatched her dagger from her belt, flicking the sheath off to the ground. The blade shone smug and silver in the moonlight and Isolde wanted to drop it, this was not like training with Razkar and Fallon, this was much, much worse. Another wracking wave of nausea skittered uneasily through her, making her shudder, and then she found herself pleading gently.

"Stop and help her. That woman. You don't have to d-do this. Pl-Please, let's stop it. Please. J-Just help her. I p-promise I w-won't try to hurt you. I d-don't want to fight you. She needs your help. Can't you hear her?" Isolde could, the thug brought to wretched, dry sobs by her head wound, lying where she was and making no move to get up. Somehow her cries came across as confused, as if she didn't know what had happened to her. Probably she didn't. All she would've seen was a puff of white and then BAM. No warning. No explanation. Just head-splitting, unbearable pain.

"Please. Please."

OOCMaybe this grey-haired man will turn out to be nice and cooperative...? And then they can ask him questions? Or maybe he's pulling on the Nuit's strings and playing on her weaknesses! Only time will tell.