Completed Fish Bait (Yoona)

[Inoadar]

Inoadar

Vera started, "Don't shake those! Some of them will give off gases. We don't want them building pressure too much inside." She relaxed as she spoke, not wanting to alarm the strange, dark-eyed woman. "I'm sorry, it's not like it'll burst just from that, but they're going to be shaken up just by carrying them, so let's not start now." She smiled reassuringly, but inside she was still curious why "Master Nolan" was having this done. It was no challenge for her to observe that not a single vial of the inhalation type toxins were being designated for removal.

She went over to Inoadar and stood by him as he counted off various packets and jars. Burke came over to her and gently guided her back. "I learned long ago, young mistress..." he knew this term always charmed her, and her smile showed that it did not fail to do so this time either. "...that if you make someone else' business your own, you make their problems your own as well. Everything is done for a reason, and that includes keeping one's own counsel. When Master Nolan has cause to inform us of anything, he will." He gave an odd look at Yoona though, wondering what her part was in all this.

They spent that night and all the next day in a series of ravosala trips to the NMSS and back, depositing several crates. Inoadar made a point of using several different sized crates in the process, so anyone taking undue notice of this effort would not easily guess what was inside. Part of this was simple necessity, since he WAS also taking several books and some of the better pieces of gear as well. He also had the ravosalaman take several different, round-about routes. In the end, his fifty-gold gratuity for the extra effort not only pleased the boatman, it also served to "cloud" his memory of these trips, were he to be asked.

Back at the shop, Inoadar made called Vera and Burke together to announce that he was going to purchase the "elaborate" crafting set of laboratory gear. After the hoopla, mostly Vera's squealing and bouncing, he went on adopt a more serious tone, emphasizing the need to rearrange the shop. He explained that this was the cause for the transfer of so many items to the other facility.

"We may well have to move everything! But we've done enough moving for tonight. I have to see someone tomorrow about making the final payments. I'm hoping they will accept the set we've got as partial payment, it's still in excellent shape, thanks to my wonderful assistants. As well, despite my earlier troubles, we have made a grand profit this season so far!" He gave a nod to Burke and a hug to Vera, whose face was near to splitting for the smile stretching it.

He gave a knowing, sidelong glance to Yoona, who returned a very subtle nod. He also shook Burke's hand. If Yoona was looking for such a thing, she may have noticed the hand-off of a scrap of paper. She would probably never see the note, but maybe someday, someone would tell her that all it had said was 'You will need to go home sick tomorrow.'

Everything was set. Tomorrow, Inoadar was expecting the "Fish Feeders" to keep their end of the "bargain" he had struck with them. He and Vera would be conspicuously gone, leaving early for townsfolk to see as "Master Nolan" took his young protégé out for a celebratory dinner on the other side of town. Sadly, Burke would become ill shortly after they left and need to go home, leaving only Yoona to watch the shop. This, of course, would not occur until she detected the "Fish Feeders" surveillance and told Burke it was time. She would give no outward sign that she was aware of them.

The spying "Fish feeders" would likewise see Yoona, and know they came to the "right place". When she also suddenly left, due to some "unforeseen complication", she would have noticeable trouble with the lock, grow frustrated and leave in a huff. The way would thus be clear for the "Fish feeders" to rifle through the shop, find the scrolls, and "earn their reward".

x

[Yoona]

55th Day of Summer, 514 AV

The last few days had been spent packing up the important contents of Nolan's shop and sending them off to another, much larger facility. Yoona had also taken up the temporary "role" of Observer; she'd come to feel non-threatened, at the very least, around the poison-crafter and his workers, but that didn't put a damper on her vigilance. The Chaktawe woman upheld her wariness around them, tossing occasional glances their way as she helped haul boxes and crates into ravosalas or pack away beakers and vials with thin wads of protective paper. She kept to herself mostly, though the avoidance was more out of a habit than it was from her mistrust. And both Burke and Vera seemed to respect her wishes by leaving her to her own devices. Communication with Nolan himself seemed limited to looks and gestures and, though Yoona had her curiosities about the man, she made no attempts to change that.

Around midday of the second day, when the sun began its retreat behind the horizon as the sky became full of oranges and purples, Nolan had called the Chaktawe woman aside for a chat. Yoona half-dreaded another lecture but sat and listened, anyway, and became attentive after a while as the man explained to her his true plans. 'Finally.'

It seemed as though her role in things was more important than she'd realized. And while the fate that the man had assigned to the "Fish Feeders" differed from her version of their ideal punishment, the Chaktawe woman had to admit that it was wonderfully cruel. She'd lure them into the abandoned, booby-trapped shop and fwoosh! Retribution in the form of merciless flames.

Around the sixteenth bell of the next day, the poison-crafter and the young girl, Vera, headed out. Presumably they were going off to have dinner, but Yoona didn't have to ask to know that that was a boldfaced lie, as far as intentions went. The man was removing himself from the area. Left behind to watch over the shop was herself and Burke.

Having nothing else to do but wait, Yoona let herself wander the shop's interior, making sure to keep herself near windows so that she could peek out whenever she wanted to. Nolan had arranged for a good amount of his colored concoctions and science-y tools to be transferred out, so she assumed that all the items that he'd chosen to leave behind were of no real importance to him. He'd definitely be loosing them by the time the day's events had ended. Ruki was keeping the Chaktawe woman company, at the moment, and had taken it upon himself to go snooping through as many things as his nose could reach. The hyena went pushing his muzzle through vials on shelves and getting on his hind legs to paw at things that were especially high up. Yoona couldn't help but wonder if the guardian was endangering himself by being so nosy. Nolan was a poison-crafter, after all. Could guardians be poisoned...? Could they even be hurt? Yoona wasn't sure, but had no desire to find out, either, so she stayed close to Ruki and kept an eye on him as he went about his business. 'Are the smells really that interesting?'

"There's a lot of them. They're mostly bitter ones, though...and if all of this stuff is poison, it looks like that man has stockpiled enough to kill off the entire city."

Yoona frowned a little at the hyena's words. 'I'm thinking it must have taken many seasons of work to produce this much.'

"He's had help, hasn't he? That man and that little girl," Ruki said, nosing a deep blue, opaque bottle. The Chaktawe woman watched as it wobbled, then tipped and rolled completely off of the shelf, hitting the floor with a thud. The hyena watched it, too, but after a moment he turned his head so that he could look at her, a questioning glint in the bronze pools of his eyes. "Do you think something bad would happen if all these poisons burned?"

'What do you mean, "bad"?'

"Well, you told me what the scrolls are supposed to do. That means all these poisons will be up in flames. What if it...what if it poisons the air or something...?"

Blinking at him, Yoona was silent for a couple of ticks. She hadn't really given the bottles and beakers any thought. Perhaps Nolan had intended on leaving them behind to further seal the deaths of the heartless Feeders...? And if he hadn't, was there any danger in them going up in flames? He'd have warned her by now if there was, wouldn't he?

She pondered these thoughts for a few chimes, skirting around stools and counters before deciding to make her way outside. She gestured for Burke to follow her out, and once they were both out she closed the door and applied the faulty lock. Nolan had taken a normal lock and altered it to be easier to pick open; this way, the Feeders wouldn't have too much trouble slipping their way inside of the shop when they arrived which, judging by the poison-crafter's predictions, should be soon. Yoona would need to be extra alert, now. She turned to Burke and gave him a curt nod, signaling to the man that it was time for him to leave. The confusion was clear in his young-ish face, but he seemed to will it away and merely nod back before walking away.

And then there was one. Or two, if the Chaktawe woman was counting Ruki as an additional presence.

It wasn't long before Yoona became aware of a foreign presence that seemed to be approaching. The movements were light and few, as though she was skimming the surface of a brook with her fingertips, but there was definitely more than one, and they were approaching at different sides. As she was told to, she remained near the door for a while. Then she turned and fiddled with the door's lock, pretending to have trouble with it. After a few ticks of half-hearted trying, Yoona gave a loud, exaggerated sigh and turned to leave both the lock and the shop behind. She even stomped a little to make herself more convincing. The Chaktawe woman kept going until she was a few yards away and surely out of their sights. She then managed to find her way onto the roof of a nearby building, careful to avoid attracting any sorts of attention as she moved. Lying down on her stomach, Yoona got herself as comfortable as she could and rested her chin on an open palm as she stared out at Nolan's distant shop.

Even from this distance, she could recognize the same scruffy trio of men who had tried to chase her down back at the docks. She assumed that the remaining two men were what was left of the Fish Feeders. All five of them trickled out from their hiding places and pooled around the door, talking amongst themselves and gesturing towards the shop, itself. Yoona was too far away to make out what they were saying, but it looked as though the men were assigning each other roles. A chime or two later, one began to toy with the door's lock as the others babbled on, jabbing fingers at one another. The metal gizmo fell apart without much tampering, much to the surprise of the Feeders, but the men didn't seem too put off. Without further ado, they made their way inside; two of the men, however, remained outside by the door, as though standing guard.

Chimes passed. Yoona could feel herself growing bored and impatient, wondering what was taking the men so long. Nolan had left those potent scrolls in an inconspicuous place. Shouldn't they have been found by now? It was impossible for the Feeders to have figured out that something was wrong, by now...they were too money-hungry to give what they were doing any real thought. Her eyes began to wander, momentarily resting on the door as it creaked inward, one of the Feeders trotting out with something bundled in his arms.

Just when she'd begun to zone out, there was a great roaring sound that pierced the air around her, making her start. The poison-crafter's shop erupted in a bright ball of orange light as the flames surged from within, practically making the building glow, and the force was so great that it blew out the windows.

Wide-eyed and unable to will herself to move, Yoona could only sit and stare.

"Tawna" | "Common" | 'Thoughts' | Ruki

[Inoadar]

Inoadar

Inoadar sat with Vera at one of the outdoor tables at the Malt House. Vera was absolutely animated with excitement. She'd never been to the Merchant District except as the slave of the fat herbalist from whom Inoadar and Vanari had "bought" her. She could not sit still or stay quiet for more than a chime with the news of remodeling and refurbishing the shop. She asked Inoadar over and over again about what advances the elaborate lab had over the basic one.

Inoadar played to her mood, leaning in conspiratorially, "It has a multi-filtering series-boiler alembic flow-reverse pipe bubbler, with condensing coils that can divert drips into THREE separate sections simultaneously. Each with their own burner array and infusing press. The pressure chamber has quick-release valves and air-sealers that can pump ten pounds of pressure with each pull. It'll have a larger charge generator than that one I had to make from scratch, and the spinner has a dual-gear ratio to spin faster with less effort..."

Her mouth hung open with fascination as he went on, describing gear he himself had been enraptured with the day he'd first set eyes on them. Of course, HE had been enjoying the use of such equipment since the NMSS had been completed. But he was truly eager to see this little chemist grow into it. "But hey, sweetheart, you're neglecting your pot roast, and this is not to be wasted. How often do you get anything besides fish, when you even get THAT, eh?"

"Oh, Uncle Nolan! This is so exciting! I'm so glad you and Aunt Vanari found me! I know it was Lord Rhysol that really rescued me, and I'm very glad that I was worthy of his mercy. But even more, I'm glad it was YOU that he sent to do it!" she bounced right out of her seat and came around the table and hugged him. "I love you, Uncle Nolan...You and Aunt Vanari both! Oh and I know to call you 'Master' Nolan when others are around."

It was a very strange range of emotions Inoadar was inundated with at this. He was naturally pleased with affection the girl had for him, while also feeling that he needed to separate himself from it to reduce the liability of having someone he cared about that also cared for him. He was proud of her eagerness to work with new and better equipment, while also regretting the disappointment his scheme was going to cause her, if only for a short while. He was angry at Clyde Sullins and the Fish Feeders for putting him in this position, while also grudgingly acknowledging their part in motivating him to make the jump to a better lab.

But more than that he was ashamed to lie to the girl this way, but also proud of how he knew that she would realize it had been necessary to further what he assumed was Rhysol's will. What small and temporary sacrifice he had to make in the way of equipment and convenience would be more than made up for with a new shop and lab. He already knew he'd make enough money to pay back the influx of new debt. He envisioned her brief sag of sorrow, followed by her admirable stiff-backed acceptance and embracing of what was, and what needed to be. She was an inspiration to him.

Sh deserved better than this deception. Yet he knew she would be the first one to tell him he only did what was necessary. Even now, her look suggested just a hint of suspicion that more was going on here than she was being told. But she did not press, instead reverting to giddy, eager little girl form. Inoadar redirected her attention to her plate. "Eat up, honey, I think we're actually past the time where it's supposed to be adults only here."

Another annoyance with the result of the Fish Feeders actions in keeping the monster near the city was the increase in prices. Where two fine meals would normally have been four gold, five with the tip. It was now an extra eight silver, so five gold would only be a petty two silver tip. He paid the waiter six, and they began heading back by ravonsala.

Vera looked lovingly over "her" city, delighting in the lake borne nature of it, the mild weather, the starry sky, the gentle splash, the wavering reflections of torches and candles on the surface of the water, the moonlit clouds wafting overhead. She suddenly got a curious and overly attentive look on her face. Inoadar watched her carefully. "The clouds, Uncle Nolan...there's a darkness under them, blotting them out...What's going on?"

Inoadar gave her a reassuring smile, "I'm sure it's nothing that isn't supposed to be going on. This is Rhysol's city." He turned to the boatman when they reached their platform and handed him twenty gold mizas. "There's nothing I want you to forget, sir. In fact, I specifically want you to remember that you picked us up in the Merchant District and dropped us off here and now."

"You had nothing to do with whatever happened here, gotcha." the boatman replied with no change to his expression.

"What DID happen, Uncle Nolan?" Vera asked, more curious now than worried.

Inoadar looked at her, and shook his head as he put his arm around her shoulder. "I don't know yet sweetheart, Let's go find out. It could be anything."

x

[Yoona]

The flames spewed forth from the newly-broken windows and licked at the building's outer walls, as though they were trying to claw their way to the roof. The door, having been partially opened, served as yet another path for the fire to take, and the men who'd been standing near it were quickly smothered, the fire engulfing their clothes, their hair, their flesh... Yoona couldn't recognize them as human, anymore. They were living, breathing torches, and the screams that were being torn from their throats as they ran were anything but human.

The Chaktawe woman couldn't get herself to move, at the moment; it felt as though her palms and knees were glued to the roof's surface, while her eyes were stuck on the scene far ahead of her. And at this distance, it was too far for her to be able to feel the growing heat, but she could envision it. She could imagine the feeling, could imagine the stifling energy that radiated off of the flames. Like the combined heat of a hundred, desert suns.

The two men who'd been right outside the door had thrown themselves to the ground, one trying to tear off his burning shirt while the other was thrashing about, the entire left side of his body consumed by fire. The one who had been walking out of the door seemed to be doing the worst; his entire body had gone up, and he was yowling and shouting with all of his might as he ran from the flaming shop.

'You won't get very far, wretch...burn with the rest of them.'

The rest of them...the screams coming from the shop's inside were just as loud as the ones from the outside, if not louder. Yoona imagined that the ones inside were being boiled alive. Would the heat kill them quickly, or would they be forced to endure every fiber of their being turn to ash before they were allowed to leave this world?

And then Yoona looked up, her gaze following the roaring flames upwards. There was a colossal, black cloud that seemed to be spilling into the sky above, filled to the brim with whirling embers. She stared up at it, narrowing her eyes and ignoring the slight itch that seemed to be in the back of her throat. 'Ruki. Are you there? Come and look at this.'

The hyena appeared beside her, crouching a little and crawling forward a few steps before he replied. "It worked, right? The trap? Did the men get stuck inside? Are they dead, yet?"

'Look.'

Ruki blinked at her, then slowly turned his head to observe the scene. His eyes noticeably widened, and Yoona could see his ears perk up, going still after a single twitch. The rest of his body went rigid. "...Okay, then. It worked. ...I still can't believe that that Nolan guy is fine with letting his own shop burn to the ground. I guess he's got the money and resources to replace it—"

'Look up, Ruki. At that smoke cloud.'

"Ah...what about it?"

'Doesn't it look strange to you? Too opaque, too thick?'

The hyena didn't respond to this, staring at the Chaktawe woman for a few ticks before he turned his attention back to the growing smoke plume. Frowning, Yoona decided to keep pressing him. 'Remember those things that you'd said, before...? About the poisons that Nolan had left behind, and how there were so many of them?'

It dawned on him, finally. "You don't think...?"

'I do,' Yoona mused in response. 'That cloud...it's probably poisonous. And it will spread. We'll need to move, soon.'

"Or now. Wouldn't now be good?"

'Now. Right. A better idea.'

"Tawna" | "Common" | 'Thoughts' | Ruki

[Inoadar]

Inoadar

Vera grew more and more alarmed as they approached the location where she knew the shop to be. It seemed that the smoke was coming from that very spot. Her grip on Inoadar's hand grew tighter and tighter, and he patted hers in return, telling her not to worry, reminding her that everything happened for a reason.

Still, she gasped and thrust her hands up over her mouth as the turned the last corner, seeing the devastated husk of the building, several coughing and choking citizens sitting around or lying overcome by the toxic fumes, and four charred heaps that looked to have once been bodies. There was a fifth body, that looked to have been put out of its misery with a cut throat. Inoadar covered Vera's eyes, put she pushed his hand away. He felt a surge of pride as she said firmly that she wanted to see.

There were a number of Ebonstryfe nearby, aiding or supervising the bucket brigade quenching of the remaining flames and dowsing the neighboring buildings. Someone pointed at him and a trio of the soldiers marched his way. He quietly mentioned Yoona's need for protection, and the probability of her having gone to the NMSS facility. As the guards arrived, he shushed Vera's protests as they grabbed him roughly, pinned him to a wall and began rifling through his clothes to find his papers.

Still, she gave a shrill cry of injustice, "How can you DO this to him? Why should "Uncle Nolan" be treated like this when thieves obviously just burned his shop down. Why are you punishing HIM? You should be GLAD that such bad men died by their own evil. It serves them right." and burst into tears, looking back again at the ruin of his shop.

Inoadar beamed inside, but showed no outward expression. Her innocent tirade inspired more than a few looks of sympathy and regret from the soldiers. It gave Inoadar the perfect opportunity to garner even more by telling her gently but firmly to be still and stop crying. He went on to offer his support of what the soldiers were doing, that this terrible event needs to be investigated and that it's only logical that he would need to be questioned. That whoever was responsible for this would be punished. He maintained an expression of shocked, but stoic, acceptance.

He wanted to remind her about Yoona, but felt it best he make no further mention of her where the soldiers would hear. He DID say, however, that she should see if Burke was at home. This would bring no suspicions, since Burke was already known to be his assistant. She spun in horror at the thought that Burke might be one of the bodies. She started to open her mouth, but he flashed her a stern look and gave his head a slow half shake "no".

She narrowed her eyes, realizing that he was trying to tell her something, and said no more. 'Smart girl.' Inoadar was confident that she would figure it out soon, as he was led away for questioning. He knew his earlier reference to Yoona, mentioned upon their initial arrival, and her need for protection, would register in Vera's memory soon.

x

[Yoona]

The Nitrozian Moletta Sanitary Station. It didn't sound like a safe haven, but Yoona had seen enough of the place to figure that she could head there to keep herself hidden away. At least until the commotion over at Nolan's shop had died down. And that massive, poisonous cloud...the Chaktawe woman wondered just how long it would take for those toxins in the air to disappear. Ruki's words had instilled a certain fear inside of her that lingered about in her head long after she'd left the burning building behind. Just how deadly were those toxins? And what if they remained in the air surrounding the shop for days, or...or entire seasons? What if the poisons spread to other areas of the city? Had she inadvertently created a wide-scale catastrophe?

The concept made Yoona a little worried. Up until this point, she hadn't garnered any sort of empathy for the Ravokians. From what she could see, they were scheming, self-centered, cruel little liars that couldn't, shouldn't be trusted. And the ones who could always had ulterior motives to go along with their generosity—Nolan was only a slight exception to this. With these truths in mind, the Chaktawe woman had no real issues with being involved in the deaths of a few choice roaches; the Fish Feeders' fates were imminent, after all, and she'd only sped up the process. Still, if people died from inhaling the toxic air, she had a part in it. And being involved in the deaths of innocents made her uneasy, no matter how much of a shyke-hole Ravok was or how much a majority of its citizens didn't seem to be worth the oxygen they breathed.

Yoona willed the thoughts away as she walked, with Ruki trotting alongside her. She remembered how to get to the NMSS on foot, and was moving at a brisk pace, head lowered and her right hand curled into a fist at her thigh. Once they got there, she supposed she could think of an actual plan, though for now the plan was to hang around the station until...something happened. Nolan hadn't actually told her what she'd need to do once the Feeders had been taken care of, if anything.

"Is everything alright, Yoona?" The guardian ventured, turning his head to look at his unnerved friend.

Yoona merely clenched her fist some more, the bloodied fingers digging into her flesh.

The Chaktawe woman hadn't intended on heading back to the burning shop when she'd made her way down from the rooftop of the other building, but it seemed that an overwhelming pull sent her wandering back over. Thankfully, the screams of pain and terror had died down once she'd gotten there, which could only mean that the Fish Feeders were gone.

Or so she'd thought. One of them had managed to drag himself out of the shop and was on his side in front of the door, wheezing and hissing in pain. Yoona winced a little when she saw him, noticing how charred his skin was, and how his entire body seemed to be enveloped in a sort of crust. She then took a few steps toward him, tilting her head and wondering how the hell he wasn't dead yet, when the man's bugged eyes shifted up to her. There was a pleading in them, when she forced herself to meet his gaze. A near-embarassing one, considering the hell the man had put her through mere days ago, but she couldn't ignore it, despite how hard she tried to just ignore him and walk away.

In the end, Yoona had fallen victim to a mercy that she didn't think the man deserved. Taking a dagger from underneath his burnt jacket, she scowled down at him for a moment before a saddened frown took its place. Then she slit his throat, tossed the dagger beside him, and left. Some of that blood didn't seem to have wanted to leave her fingers, no matter how hard she dragged them across her leg wrap.

She'd never killed someone, before. Not directly, at least. Even if it was a mercy-killing, even if he'd deserved to die either way, it counted. And she wasn't sure how to feel about it.

After a while of walking, Yoona and Ruki finally reached the NMSS, recognizing the unassuming, unimpressive building that sat in the midst of a line of plain-looking houses. She let herself in and found a couch to sit on.

Now all there was left to do was wait.

"Tawna" | "Common" | 'Thoughts' | Ruki

[Inoadar]

Inoadar

As fate, and Rhysol, would have it, everything fell into place at once. One of the Ebonstryfe soldiers remained behind to see to it that Vera was safely taken to her NHC unit. Before being led away, Inoadar claimed her to be a citizen-in-waiting, serving her two year probationary status, but that the papers were fortunately not kept in the shop that had just been destroyed.

"You should keep them ON you at all times, young miss..." The soldier advised sternly, with a cross look at Inoadar, for failing to have ingrained this practice into this child's mind. "...just for situations such as this." he looked again at Inoadar, "Didn't you inform her of how vulnerable she would be to slavers without your protection, Mr..." now he added a look of suspicion that even this man might not be a citizen.

Inoadar looked down with guilty remorse. "Parnell." Inoadar responded, automatically handing over his papers. "Of course you are right. He is right, Vera. I was inexcusably lax in my duty. It is again only Rhysol's mercy that we are blessed with such competent protection as our noble Ebonstryfe. I would thank you greatly, sir, if you would take her to the new Nitrozian-Moletta Sanitary Station. The good doctor there will let her in."

The guard scowled at the papers, not impressed in the least with 'Mr. Parnell"s attempt at flattery. But he handed them back, clearly disappointed that he had no cause, beyond the report of the shop's destruction, over which to harass the man. "But why take her there? Surely she has a home, if she is a citizen." his eyes narrowed. "Why should I take her to that place? It would be nothing out of the sphere of my duty to see her home."

Apprehension began to stir in Inoadar's guts. Not only in the sudden unexpected difficulty of this last stage of his plan, simply getting Vera back to the NMSS to safeguard Yoona with her citizen's status, but the clear resentment this soldier was now displaying toward the NMSS in general. "Sir..." he started hesitantly, "The NMSS is where her papers are. So I'm just trying to do right by my earlier mistake."

The guard altered his stance somewhat to a more appraising posture, and not one the hinted at favorable appraisal. "So...you DID consider her papers important enough to safeguard, yet you did not allow her to keep them on her person, nor did you keep them in her home, nor your home, NOR your shop...I must confess, I find this curious."

Inoadar stood, confounded. 'DAMN the man! Why does he have to be making such an issue of this?' He made a special effort to keep the anger from his voice. "Sir, I have a stake in "that place". I am one of the founders, and keep many private items there. I have answered all the questions and signed all the papers required. At every level of authority. No one had any issue with my association with Miss Moletta OR Mr. Nitrozian!" He made a point of dropping the name of Ravok's premiers family. He wanted very much to throw the name of the Warden of the Black Hole at this man as well, and see if THAT was not sufficient for him. But he dared not antagonize him further.

The soldier's eyes narrowed dangerously, his voice ripe with scorn, "Yes, I'm sure that such a staunch citizen as Mr. Nitrozian would place his profits ahead of loyalty to those that guard his home. There's a reason we do not allow non-citizens at the Healing Hand, sir. Devotion to our Lord Rhysol merits special benefits and considerations. These advantages should not extend to just anyone. You and your Mister Nitrozian should consider the insult such practices visit upon your 'Noble Ebonstryfe!"

It took all of Inoadar's acting ability to act remorseful in the face of this sneering recrimination. "Sir. I apologize. I can see how it could appear that we take you and your gallant soldiery for granted. Nothing could be further from the truth, I assure you. My associates and I only wish to see to it that slave prospects are kept in good condition for the sake of long servitude, for the benefit of good citizens."

The guard's demeanor softened slightly and his appraisal looked to have taken a small step up. "Citizens like you, for instance?" he tested.

Inoadar quickly gauged the effect of several answers, and made his decision. "That...is for my Lord Rhysol to judge." He added a slight conciliatory head nod.

The Stryfer appeared mollified for a moment, but his eyes again narrowed. "That was well said, Mr. Parnell. But seeing as my Lord Rhysol is to judge me as well, I had best see to it that I do my job to the best of my ability. I believe I will accompany you to this NMSS and be sure there is nothing of a subversive nature going on there. The men who died in your shop were perhaps not the sharpest blades in the armory, but their loyalty was unquestioned."

Inoadar gave a nod of concession, and took a few backing steps before turning to head to the NMSS, with the Ebonstryfe soldier beside him. He now considered this just a formality. He knew there was nothing of a subversive nature to be found there. He knew it was an extremely long shot for there to be any issue with a marked slave at the facility. There were many such all over town. There was no reason to suspect that this particular soldier would recognize Yoona as a supposedly drowned offering to the lake. He did not know that Yoona was this soldier's slave just days earlier. He did not know this Stryfer's name was "Isaac"...

x

[Yoona]

Seated on one of the lavish couches that populated the station's lobby, Yoona found that there wasn't much that she could do besides look at all of the gaudy, colorful decorations. There sure as hell were plenty to capture her attention, if only for a few ticks at a time. The carpets, the patterned walls, the silken, embroidered curtains...everything shrieked color and wealth. Before long, the Chaktawe woman began to feel a bit overwhelmed by it all, and shifted uncomfortably in her seat. 'All of this shyke probably costs more than a hundred of me,' Yoona mused, her eyes drifting down to her toes. She stared for a moment, then wiggled the digits, stretching out the thin webbing between each toe. Then she sighed.

Waiting was tedious. And it was worse when you didn't even know what you were waiting for.

Eyes drifting once again, Yoona stared at just about every inch of fabric and thread that her void-like gaze could center itself on. Ruki had decided to embark on another exploration, and was trotting his way around the lobby with his nose pressed to the ground, searching for new, interesting smells. "Did Nolan tell you anything else you'd have to do once the shop burned down?" the hyena asked, stopping by a ruffled piece of drapery to lift his head and look over at her.

The Chaktawe woman shrugged a little. 'No. That was my only task.'

"So...now what?"

'I have the slightest idea.'

Ruki seemed to frown at this; that is, if she could take the slight twitching of his ears as an actual frown. Then he lowered his head, again, and went back to his searching. Yoona was content with watching him trot around for a while, but as the chimes dragged on and on, she became more and more restless. Perhaps Nolan had been held up, somehow; maybe he'd had a run-in with some Stryfe soldiers on the way, and had been taken away for questioning on the sudden combustion of his building. And what about the girl, Vera? Was she someplace safe?

Was that poisonous cloud still leaking into the air?

Some time later, Ruki suddenly lifted his head and stared at the front door, his ears perked straight up. Blinking at him, Yoona watched his expression for a moment before she deemed it unreadable and turned her gaze to the door, as well. At that moment it suddenly swung open, and a small cluster of people came walking through. Yoona was quick to recognize Nolan's figure, and was admittedly relieved to see that he looked unharmed and non-poisoned. The man walking alongside him, however, threw her off guard. A Stryfe soldier, by the looks of his uniform. What was a Stryfe doing here...?

Narrowing her eyes, the Chaktawe woman waited until the man had turned his face a little so that she could search his features, an unconscious tension beginning to seep into her muscles. Then it seemed to click in her head, like a key fitting perfectly into a lock.

'Isaac...?!'

The man was distracted at the moment, sending penetrating glances around the station's lobby as though he was trying to find some fault or blemish. Yoona could only stare at him, her eyes widening in confusion and horror. One of her hands seemed to sprout a mind of its own and went reaching for the farthest corner of the couch; as stunned as her own mind was, her body seemed to be taking control of itself, telling her that she needed to get out of the man's field of vision, and quickly. He couldn't see her, he wasn't going to see her...she needed to hide herself, to slip behind the couch and curl up so that she couldn't be spotted, to crawl underneath the expensive, embroidered carpet, to—

The Stryfe soldier's eyes finally fell upon her, stopping the Chaktawe woman in mid-retreat.


At first, the expression that came upon his face was of a shock and confusion that mirrored her own. The man didn't know what to do or say, and Yoona merely stayed put, a sudden twinge of fear assaulting her senses and making her unable to move. At one point her gaze flicked over to Nolan, and she gave him an accusing, incredulous look, wondering if this whole thing was actually a set-up. Wondering if the man had been plotting with the soldier all along. Wondering if he'd decided that she'd outlived her usefulness, and had brought her previous owner to the NMSS so that he could retrieve her.

The immediate betrayal that Yoona felt was almost enough to make her cringe. But as quick as it came, she was just as quick to fight it down. The man, Nolan, he was her savior...he wouldn't go and completely obliterate her trust like this. ...would he?

'No, no...he wouldn't. This isn't on purpose...'

As Yoona continued to sit and stare, Isaac took it upon himself to take a few steps toward her. "You...but...how...?" he muttered, looking for all the world as though he was facing a ghost. "I saw you...the lake took you, I saw it with my own eyes. And yet, here you are..."

Then his eyes hardened, and his jaw seemed to stiffen as an anger grew within him. "What is this...? What in Rhysol's name is going on here?!" he demanded, whipping around to face Nolan. "I need an explanation, Mr. Parnell, and I need one now. What the hell is that slave doing in this facility!?"

Slave. The word carried so much burdensome weight, and somehow Yoona was aware of it all by hearing it practically spat at her. All of a sudden she was looking at the man with a new light, as though his outraged tone had shocked her brain back into functioning. Slowly, gradually, she could feel the shock and fear of the soldier's arrival melt away like the chill that had slid itself into her veins. In its place came a red haze that she couldn't place, yet the more she focused on it, the more she felt as though it was coming from some familiar place deep down inside of her.

What was its name? Ah yes, now she could remember.

Fury.

Fury, coupled with an overwhelming hatred that surprised even herself. The Chaktawe woman's gaze began to sear into the back of Isaac's head as the haze grew, and it took him a moment to notice. By the time that he'd turned to look at her, she'd already gotten to her feet, her fingers digging violently into the wrap around her legs.

This man...this was the man who had condemned her to a watery grave, who'd simply tossed her aside to be fed to a man-eating monstrosity that lurked about the lake. He'd stood on the docks and watched as she'd struggled for her life. Yoona could recall with clarity the cold, uncaring look that his brown eyes had held as he'd stood there, murmuring prayers and waiting for her to drown. Waiting.

From afar, Ruki was looking over at Yoona with his ears pressed against the back of his head. He'd never seen the Chaktawe woman so angry, before, and half-expected flames to start spewing from her nose as she breathed.

She started toward Isaac, taking slow, uncertain steps before her pace quickened. Isaac instinctively backed away from the advancing slave, but his hand went to a slightly-hidden scabbard at his side to grip at the hilt of a sword. "Don't you even dare...! Keep back, you demon! I said keep ba—"

With a resonant screech, Yoona broke into a full sprint and launched herself at the Stryfe before he could pull his weapon from its sheath.

"Tawna" | "Common" | 'Thoughts' | Ruki

[Inoadar]

Inoadar

Inoadar had expected nothing beyond the pointless posturing and empty threats of a man looking for transgressions that would not be found, and then falling back on harassment which could not HOPE to equal that which Inoadar had come through while imprisoned in The Black Hole. 'If this clown thinks he's going to intimidate me more than that Druvin Warden of the Black Hole did, he's fooling himself.' he said to himself, wondering if this soldier was not aware of his recent incarceration and interrogation. But of course, he had already decided to play the part of a contrite citizen, nervous to distraction lest any departure from propriety be found.

But once inside the door, it took only moments for him to see there was much more going on here than he'd realized. Before the soldier's gaze fell upon Yoona, he could see her shock and terror. Her eyes flashed to Inoadar in a puzzling blend of desperation and suspicion. 'What is wrong? She has no cause for such a reaction. She's safely enslaved and where her master wishes her to be. What could be her problem? She certainly didn't seem like the sort to be easily frightened up until now.'

The direction of her gaze made it obvious that it was this soldier that was the focus of her fear. As Inoadar looked back at the man, he saw a transformation come over him as well. The words stammering in broken fragments from the man's mouth gave a quick, unsettling clue as he blabbered about "the lake...took you...saw with my own eyes...yet..."

'Vitrax' Voice!' Inoadar gasped inwardly, 'He's the soldier that was there when those fools threw her in!' Even as he began formulating his half-truths and gauging the proper degree of attitude, the man whirled on him. Inoadar noted that the man was still off guard from shock, he had not drawn his weapon. There was a shard of separate consciousness, praising Rhysol for the ordeal he'd put him through, because he found he was truly was not in the least bit scared of this man. Again, the one benefit of his time in Nyka, with The Second Edict: the truth of the philosophy of Strength Through Suffering.

And he knew he could simply hand this woman over. But for now, it would not do to smugly ignore the man's rage. As an Ebonstryfe, with admittedly legitimate reason to suspect subversive actions, he could execute Inoadar on the spot. but the poisoner had long grown beyond that worry. Every aspect of his life in Ravok was as intriguingly exciting as it was dangerous, AND completely on borrowed time. He no longer feared death.

This probably was what allowed his defensive response to carry some weight as he shouted back at the man that he was doing what Rhysol had ordained him to do, "...to stop this foolish feeding, which only serves to keep the monster near the city! I have no idea what that has to do with this woman. I found her crawling from the canal days ago, and found no claim on her as an escapee! Why should I be compelled to scour ay further than THAT for some impropriety? And why should even BEGIN to believe that a soldier would fail to report her lost? there's no reason I should be suspect over claiming a loose foreigner, already marked and discarded as "Fish Bait", as my own slave?"

Inoadar was in his element; his foe clearly stymied by his reasoning, the enemy's own anger causing him to lose focus on his own point of view. It was strategy at its most basic level...And then it was ruined...So smug had Inoadar been, he'd failed to see that the man was no longer addressing him, but rather the approaching woman, whose face was now contorted with fury.

The woman suddenly launched herself at the soldier, with an unsettling screech of manic retribution. If not for the few retreating steps the soldier had taken, there would not have been room for Inoadar to interpose himself between them. But they still went down in a three-fold heap.

Evan as Inoadar managed to shout at the woman to stop, and ask loudly if she'd lost her mind, the soldier, likewise, railed at him to keep her away from him, that she was a freak, a crazy desert freak gone insane, and that she should be put to death.

Inoadar was more than ready to agree, now that his agenda had been served, and the destruction of his shop and ensuing poison cloud could be blamed on Clyde Sullins. But a voice slipped in with a random element, a voice forgotten in the melee...Vera. Little Vera. Not screaming and wailing like the child she was, but a voice calculating and opportunistic, two of Ravok's most endearing qualities.

"But Uncle Nolan, you said you would buy me a slave for my very own. Why can't it be her? I like her."

It was astounding the quick grinding halt her dear sweet little peep applied to the struggle. Everyone froze, eyes looked at each other in shock and disbelief, then turned as one to look at the ten-year-old olive-skinned girl, her brown eyes wide, with strategic innocence.

Isaac suddenly erupted in laughter as Inoadar pulled the no-longer-struggling Yoona to her feet, away from the soldier. Isaac stood, brushing himself off, a cruel grin sharpening his features. "Perfect!" he cried gleefully, looking affectionately at Vera, "I like you, child. You have a gift for timing."

He turned back to Inoadar, whose uncertainty with this development only urged Isaac to see it done. "You, on the other hand, I don't much care for. However, I DO think you are basically an asset to this city. But I doubt that what benefits this city is your greatest motivating factor. But I suspect it mostly goes along with it. Let's just see, shall we?"

Inoadar's apprehension grew as a scowl formed on his face. The soldier's grin expanded in direct proportion. "Since she says that you 'would' buy a slave, I think it's reasonable to assume you have not yet paid." he chuckled as Inoadar closed his eyes in a grimace. he turned with a newly appraising look at Yoona, disregarding completely her fierce loathing. "And the cost of such a lovely specimen..." his voice sang with sarcasm, "...exotic race, young, ripe, alluringly foreign and mysterious, yet entirely human-like...I recall that nine hundred to nine-fifty mizas is the asking price."

Inoadar choked a protest, and Isaac roared with vindictive delight. "Priskil's Piss! I feel like being generous. Let's make it an even thousand! You can pay up right now!" For all his enjoyment of Inoadar's discomfiture, his hand stayed near his sword, knowing that some men would loose control under such insult. His estimation of the poisoner actually went up when Inoadar simply sighed, shrugged and said "Done."

"A man that knows when he's beaten and accepts it graciously. A rare commodity. Maybe there's hope for you after all." Then his malicious ribbing turned serious. "Now don't forget, I know you are on record as this girl's guardian. If this slave..." he said the word with pointed disdain, "...harms this dear child in any way, it is YOU that will suffer."

Inoadar was expressionless, "I expect no less from such a gracious winner." The two men glared at each other. Their faces both turning slowly to grins, the sort of grins fueled by inner visions of present hate and future vengeance. Then Inoadar turned to go retrieve the payment for Vera's new slave.

x

[Yoona]

The combined shouts of Nolan and the startled Stryfe soldier seemed to fall into the back of the Chaktawe woman's mind. She heard them as if she were in a tunnel, the words distant and muffled, overwhelmed by the red haze that had seized control of her thoughts and the very muscles in her limbs. Yoona was honestly surprised that she wasn't seeing red, by now, what with how her anger seemed to be overflowing within her. She'd forced Isaac to the ground with a tackle, a motion that one could have possibly mistaken for a vicious hug if the rage wasn't so clear upon the woman's face.

Through the haze, Yoona could only see the Stryfe soldier's vulnerable throat, as if it was some sort of beacon calling to her. The attack had been on a whim, her mind having commanded her body before she was fully aware of what she was doing, but now that she was grappling with the man she wasn't sure on what she planned to do.

Did she want to kill him? Surely he deserved to be killed, after what he'd tried to do. And she did want him dead.

Could she kill him? There were certainly no qualms about it, and Yoona was fairly certain that she could strangle the man if she felt up to it. And if she acted quickly enough. Then again, he was most likely armed, and Yoona doubted that Nolan would simply stand to the side and let her squeeze the life out of the heartless man. Right now, he probably thought that she'd gone feral.

Fed up with thinking so much, Yoona kept her arms wrapped around the Stryfe soldier's upper body, intent on keeping him on the ground no matter how strongly he kicked or how loudly he yelled. Instead of defending himself against her, Isaac seemed to be trying to scramble away from her, all the while shouting for the poison-crafter to pry her off of his body.

'Afraid of me, now? Ha! Too late. I'll grab that sword of yours and drive it right through your putrid, blackened heart—!'

And then, seemingly from nowhere, a small, innocent voice brought everything to a screeching halt. Isaac's thrashing and yowling stopped, and Yoona's gripping limbs were stayed. Turning her head to look back at the girl, the Chaktawe woman could only stare at her in bewilderment, not even protesting as Nolan came over to drag her away from the other man. The sensation of being touched, albeit handled, caught up with her a few ticks later, though, and she reacted by pushing his hands away. Once she was safely on her toes, Yoona huffed a little and brought her attention back to the girl. Squnting a little, the Chaktawe woman found that she couldn't quite decipher her. Had those been the simple words of an innocent, curious child? Or was the girl more sly and scheming than she looked?

'Ravokians. There's an underlying motive to everything.'

Yoona didn't know whether to feel impressed or unnerved. The good thing about all this was that Isaac seemed to be vulnerable to the child's charm, his previous fear and anger vanishing from his face like he'd simply dropped a mask that he'd been wearing. When he happened to look over at her, she was sure to glare back at him, but Yoona's mind was working on a bit of a delay, at the moment, so there wasn't as much malice in it as there would have been. The soldier was discussing payment with Nolan. Payment for...her.

Right. Because she'd just been sold. To the child.

Again, Yoona wasn't exactly sure how to feel about all this. Vera had stepped in and stopped any potential bloodshed from happening, which was...supposedly good, in the long run. For Isaac, because he was able to come away from this unscathed. And for the Chaktawe woman, who hadn't really thought over the consequences of murder until the act had been averted. She still believed that she would have killed the man, had the girl kept to herself. Either that, or she would have at least been able to land a few scratches on his face before promptly being killed, herself.

As much as that should have bothered her, it didn't.

So now what? She was once again property, which made her frown. It also put a damper on any wishes she'd come up with, hopes and goals of what life would be like once she'd completed the poison-crafter's task.

Having stood still ever since she'd been pried away from the Stryfe, Yoona couldn't help but look a bit despondent, her shoulders slumping in a near-defeated manner. And she had lost, in a number of ways. She couldn't even bring herself to look over at the girl.

Isaac seemed to take advantage of this, unable to resist jabbing at her when Nolan went to go and retrieve some money. "Oh, don't look so down-trodden. As much as I would have preferred the latter, this beats getting eating alive, doesn't it?" he said, his tone dry. "Perhaps Rhysol has some sort of plan in store for you, after all. And I've profited. Success all around."

'Oh yes. Everyone wins. Goody goody...'

"Tawna" | "Common" | 'Thoughts' | Ruki