Where Opportunity Might Lay

by **Kaie** on January 3rd, 2014, 7:56 pm

31st of Summer, 511 AV

Morning was something far more suitable to loath than to welcome in the strained, bloodshot eyes of the Myrian. With Syna's rise over the castle came her throbbing migraines and foggy thought process. Fingers rose to her bronze face to rub her eyes and make futile attempts at completely blocking the sun. When she did rouse herself from the cold street (which served as her bed throughout the torturous night prior) she found that strangely, nothing was looted off her body. Had she been in any other city, there would be no doubt thieves would prowl about her for coins during her alcohol induced slumber. Perhaps the Syliras Knights were useful to her in some way after all.

Once she had gotten herself relatively together, she glanced out from the alley into the bustling street. Few eyes cared to gawk at her with disgust with so much crowding toward the Bazaar. People had things to do and none would be hindered by the sight of a hungover savage woman who took shelter in a despicable place. If any had stopped to scold her, they'd have a great point. Passing out in the alleyway beside the Rearing Stallion (a known hook up spot for the drunken couples) would give anyone the wrong idea about her circumstance.

Edging toward the opening to the streets and lifting a hand to once again block Syna's assault, she tried to recount the night before. As the nightmares and flashes of grief filled memories electrified her conscious, she immediately shied away. However, she did recall one man who wouldn't leave her alone. A guy who had tried to offer her some sort of gig she didn't really bother listening to. But she did remember he made some kinds of promises...Some promises she couldn't turn down. All she could recollect was at some time she believed she might've actually needed him. That whatever he had to offer was what she needed to get a start in Syliras.

Shyke...What was his name...Drake? Rex? Petch me...

Kaie ran her hands down her face and shook her head. How was she supposed to find the guy if she couldn't even remember his name? She reached into her cloak pocket to see what coin she hadn't foolishly spent, but her fingers teased at something else instead. There was the sound of rustled paper, the feel of worn parchment against her skin. Withdrawing it, she found it was some sort of tiny map. It had lines and boxes all over the place, and labeled margins whose words she couldn't read well enough to comprehend their meaning. At least there was one word she did know: tavern.

Looking around the corner at the sign, she found the words that named the building the Rearing Stallion also appeared on the map. And running from it was a dotted line down what seemed to be the street she was facing. Kaie followed it slowly with her finger until it stopped at a fat X within a space. It was a path. Where the man had wanted her to go? And like the clever man he was, he had written something over the X. If only she knew what the location actually was...She supposed she'd just have to follow and find out. So without another thought, she plunged into the sea of people where her imaginary trail headed.

Kaie weaved through bodies, sometimes gently shoving them out of her way, other time squeezing through tight spaces without a care. Before long, she had reached the outside of the designated location. The end of the road. But why did she hesitate to enter? The answer was simple. The barbarians already labeled her as a savage incapable of complex thought outside massacre. She didn't want ignorance to be added to that stereotype as well.

"Wait. Question. You can read Common, yes?" She blurted out to the next passerby after having swallowed her pride, a hand shooting out to grasp the man's arm before he could walk by her. The disgruntled guy with only a decade on her spun with surprise and insult to her touch.

"Aye. I can read Common. I'm educated."

"Ah, good. This place here on map, what is it called?"

"Stone Gardens."

"And what it say here. Over the mark?"

"It's a name I think. Drrrr...Drexel. Yes, Drexel Winslow."

"Thank you!" She said after quickly releasing him and turned to stride into the apparent gardens. Considering the mysterious Drexel Winslow was clever enough to be so thorough and leave his name (no doubt banking on her blackout), he seemed like a safe bet. Then again, he could just be a great con artist of some kind.

Upon stepping through the wall entrance, she found herself in a sea of decorative shrubbery and flower beds, all to be expected since it was indeed titled "garden." Aligning with the title as well, she found the walkway was an endless tide of stones. Already she could observe the marking that appeared in a similar manner to Drexel's on paper. Names maybe? But why so many etched onto these stones? What honor gave them leave to be made immortal in the form of a walkway?

"I almost thought you'd never show."

by **Kaie** on January 5th, 2014, 5:42 pm

He was slightly different than he appeared in her mental lapses from the night before, granted such a discovery was to be expected when she had worn beer goggles the entire meeting. Drexel Winslow was a clean shaven man with a strong jaw line and visible cheekbones. His body was slender and thin, but toned in a way that suggested he might've once been something other than a well dressed, wealthy businessman. The moment she met his dark grey eyes, Kaie knew there was some powerful ambition in him. He had secrets, but she doubted from what she remembered that she would ever be privy to them.

"Well. You drew me good map, and my Mizas running low," She explained to him uneasily, though she was certain he was taking pride in his cleverness. Not to mention he still knew he had a significant advantage over her. Drexel was exploiting her needs and she knew it. Still, there was so little she could do without setting flame to her only life line. "In business, it is not good to leave a man waiting."

Her father taught her that.

"Indeed. Do you know where we are, Kaie?"

"No."

"The Stone Gardens. It's a place to remember those who had fallen while trying to return the city to its former glory. It's easier to burn the bodies and honor them later with their own special place among the others that also made great sacrifice. Most are Syliras Knights, but not all..."

Sorry, Drexel, but I don't really care about stones and gardens. You know this. Where are you going?

"But how does this apply to you, is what you're wondering," He said after a momentary pause as if he had read her very mind. Drexel was intuitive, she'd give him that much. "I wish to show you why the position I'm offering to you is so significant."

He began to walk, bidding the Myrian to follow him in his patterns among the stones. His place was painfully slow. Nothing more than a leisurely stroll. A hand lifted to his chin in thought, the other brought across his chest to connect with the opposing elbow.

"I gather you remember little from last night, so I'll recount my reasoning again. My wife and I have a daughter, Molly. She'll be turning twelve this season. A beautiful little blonde girl who should be engaging in sewing circles with other children her age, someone whose suitor should be an excellent provider. Or so my wife says. But Molly...Molly has other plans," He began steadily, nodding his head in agreement with his own facts. Kaie simply followed along and listened carefully. Though to him it might not have seemed so, the life he described for his child was a terrifying thought to the Myrian.

What a pitiful existence that would be...

"Molly is insistent that she becomes a Syliras Knight. She doesn't want the lovely cotton sheets from Kenash or a wealthy partner to give her everything she could ever desire. She wants to swing swords and ride horses. My wife fears he being sent to an early grave and joining the stones here in her youth despite the honor. Our family has fought over it for some time now and it seems we cannot sway her decision. If we don't back her, Molly will simply run off and become a squire herself. Rather than lose my daughter and any chance at changing her mind, I had a thought."

He stopped suddenly and Kaie mirrored his pause. Drexel turn to her then with a brow raised. The woman knew what was to come next in the story whether she comprehended every detail or not.

"And that is where I come in."

"Precisely. I have a theory that if I entertain her little fantasy, she'll see the reality of it and go back to being the proper lady all women of our status should grow to be."

by **Kaie** on January 5th, 2014, 5:45 pm

"So why not get a knight to do it? You seem like you have the Mizas."

"Gods, Kaie, I want to entertain the absurdity not whisk her off like a child soldier!"

The Myrian's expression darkened into a cold scowl at the implication. Something told her he was making an off hand reference to her own culture, and the way he said it, she wanted to rip his throat out for such blasphemy. Strangely, Drexel didn't seem to notice. That or he didn't mind. Apparently he was one of the many citizens thoroughly enjoying the comfort and security the mere presence of the knights provided. Slaughtering him in the street for slander would only cause her more pain in the long run.

"So you pick savage me to make it bad for her?" She asked coldly, arms crossing in disdain. It was an easy job at least. All she had to do was put a soft barbarian girl through the cold, hard machine that was Myrian training. Kaie would give her no more than two days of abuse before she ran screaming for the nearest gossip circle, and back to the comfort of her luxurious lifestyle.

"I'm her father, not a prison warden. I need you to just be objective. Don't sway her back to me, and don't you dare push her anywhere far toward the knighthood. Just teach her how to hold a sword and swing it around or something. Work her hard like you're readying her for a patron. And when you hit her, don't do it hard. I would hate for people to get the wrong idea when I parade her around in public later on."

"And the pay?

Best not to forget the only thing keeping her standing there before him. This was not a charity job. He promised Mizas and she would get them before making such a deal.

"My quote still stands. I'll find you a place to stay and teach how to properly conduct yourself. This isn't a permanent arrangement, and teaching you social trades will be worth more than I can ever reward you when we're through. I'll give you enough for food and what not when we begin, but nothing more. Take it or leave it. If you inquire from me, I'll be the first to tell you that you looked bloody pathetic sleeping in that alley. Accept my deal."

She had no choice. She had to take it. The coin purse was light as a feather to begin with, and she knew no petty job could last long for her. Not with the way she treated foreign authority already. Kaie knew not how to handle this new world and its inhabitants. Drexel was backing her into a corner, and like any animal, she could either see him as a person to work in her favor or as a threat. The latter was a notion she literally couldn't afford.

"I accept deal. When do I start?"

by **Kaie** on January 5th, 2014, 6:00 pm

"Tomorrow would be perfect. Naturally, Molly had no knowledge of this agreement. It'll be a sort of surprise. Best to do it at the end of the day around the...Fifteenth bell?" Drexel began to plan, looking up at the sun and making some kind of calculation in his head. Oddly enough, he never mentioned the most important detail.

Where?

"I hear open arena for all is in city. I meet you two there?" She offered, silently thinking it odd herself that she hadn't ventured to the Fighter's Arena yet. It was right up her alley and something more common of home.

Well maybe if you could drag yourself out of the taverns from your pity free fall into alcoholism once in a while, you'd have more time for things like that.

Petch off.

"No, no! I don't want this that publicized. Training a little girl like you're her nanny wouldn't quite smooth over well with that crowd either. No. One of my best men owns a small cottage outside the city. His property is lightly fenced and would be an excellent sparring ring. I know he'll keep watch over you two while you're distracted. The woods aren't the safest but he's a skilled man and he owes me quite a few favors. I'll have him escort us from the gates."

"Fine. I look then?"

"Yes. You will encounter us there," He said with emphasis on the new word, his look meaningful.

Is he...Is he trying to force me to expand my Common vocabulary?

Maybe he'd make good on his promise afterall. Regardless, he placed a hat on top of his head and gave a respectful nod to her before he left. And just like that, Drexel Winslow was gone. Kaie was left only to her thoughts and the wake of what had just happened.

What did I just get myself into...

by **Kaie** on January 5th, 2014, 6:00 pm

"Tomorrow would be perfect. Naturally, Molly had no knowledge of this agreement. It'll be a sort of surprise. Best to do it at the end of the day around the...Fifteenth bell?" Drexel began to plan, looking up at the sun and making some kind of calculation in his head. Oddly enough, he never mentioned the most important detail.

Where?

"I hear open arena for all is in city. I meet you two there?" She offered, silently thinking it odd herself that she hadn't ventured to the Fighter's Arena yet. It was right up her alley and something more common of home.

Well maybe if you could drag yourself out of the taverns from your pity free fall into alcoholism once in a while, you'd have more time for things like that.

Petch off.

"No, no! I don't want this that publicized. Training a little girl like you're her nanny wouldn't quite smooth over well with that crowd either. No. One of my best men owns a small cottage outside the city. His property is lightly fenced and would be an excellent sparring ring. I know he'll keep watch over you two while you're distracted. The woods aren't the safest but he's a skilled man and he owes me quite a few favors. I'll have him escort us from the gates."

"Fine. I look then?"

"Yes. You will encounter us there," He said with emphasis on the new word, his look meaningful.

Is he...Is he trying to force me to expand my Common vocabulary?

Maybe he'd make good on his promise afterall. Regardless, he placed a hat on top of his head and gave a respectful nod to her before he left. And just like that, Drexel Winslow was gone. Kaie was left only to her thoughts and the wake of what had just happened.

What did I just get myself into...

by **Una Tanta** on January 26th, 2014, 6:46 am

Kaie :

Please don't be afraid to PM me with any questions ^-^ and please don't forget to edit your grading request to "graded"

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