Solo The Ruins of a Life

[Amunet]

64th day, winter, 515 av
10th bell
Endrykas, Shimmerstone Pavilion ruins

The red head probably shouldn’t be out of bed. The girl probably shouldn’t even be sitting up right but there she sat on an upturned chest in the middle of he burnt remains of what was her family’s Pavilion. Nehrar will probably have a fit but if she laid in that bed another moment she would scream. The thin hands fingered a burnt piece of leather in between her feet. The blood stains mingled with the soot and ash. What was of value was gone and it now laid an empty corpse. Amunet sat there staring at an empty spot on the ground as she fingered the worthless blood stained and burnt piece of leather as if it represented everything that was here. How long she stood there with her thumb rotating on this piece of leather or how long she had her eyes looked at the same spot was meaningless. The time spent was not clear nor were those chimes counted. No one bothered her and certainly didn’t begrudge her this solace. The girl sat on a half broken crate she had jammed into the soil and stared at the remains of the desecrated corpse of a pavilion tent that used to be where her family lived.

The blackened dead earth beneath her boots curled along the edges as it moved to scoot some of it away as if smoothing out this one spot. To make a rock or safe place, but there was no place here. The clothing she had on was falling off of her boney shoulders as she just stared at the black. There was a chill in the wind as it blew and cooled the tears that streamed down the gaunt face. All of the pain and effort it took to get back only to find this. The girl closed her eyes as the tears kept falling. The drops dropped into the ground below. The wet ground between her legs had formed a damp slurry. The eyes were bloodshot and red from the prolonged crying. She didn’t wail or scream as that was not her nature, but she freely shed the pain and anguish the loss of her family had caused.

One could blame the gods of this heart ache and the thought did cross the young girl’s mind of why they would allow such a thing. Then her weary head would drop down as there had to be something more than simply blaming the gods for this misfortune. Her mind was in such turmoil that sense and reason was either colliding or had left her mind. The tears started anew as she wept there, shoulders slumped over with her elbows on the knees staring at the start black edges within the large giant burnt hole of the pavilion of the Shimmerstones.

At some point the tears stopped dropping and it just left the red head staring into the black ragged edges of the burnt canvas. The girl had stared at it so long that each fleur of the crinkle of waste in the burn that faded into the sooty beige brown. The red color of the pavilion design was redesigned with black and brown in the deathly pattern that marked the savagery in which it was changed for all time. It flaked and moved with the breeze only to reveal more burnt layers and substances beneath it of this ruined life. The jingling of bells and booted feet could be heard behind her yet she didn’t turn her head. The procession of the Turningleaf Pavilion seeming to be on the move to a new location lead by Pratal himself was making their way.

[Amunet]

It was a gaudy display of color and wealth in this time of mourning as his two wives trailed six paces behind him in an orderly fashion, but Amunet did not turn her head. The Ankal of the Turningleaf Pavilion halted the procession as he looked towards what should be empty space and saw a lone red head sitting there. The man’s eyebrows lifted as this unexpected turn of events perhaps held opportunity where the shrewd man thought the little Shimmerstone woman was taken, but there she was. It was like the fiery red head kept returning from some unknown place whenever the man wasn’t looking. Pratal looked at the saddened girl and regarded her a few moments. His two wives whispered to each other quietly as did the others of his Pavilion. All of this stopped as their Ankal turned his head in their direction as they all looked at him to ready for him to speak.

“We must pay our respects.” He said smoothly. Desperation made for an interesting negotiation tool as he walked towards the red head. This would find her in a weak situation. She had value still as her bloodline was a good one.

The girl heard the steps as the blackened belongings crunched beneath the uncaring boots attached to an equally uncaring man as her head turned towards him. Those light sky blues immediately hardened into hardened blue topazes looking right into the man’s eyes boldly. The sunbursts even shimmered in her anger at him even thinking it was permitted to approach her. “What do you want?” She asked as she did not hide her displeasure of his presence.

The girl didn’t play the game. She never played the game, not like her grandfather or father did. That was a dangerous thing, but the direct strategy was not unknown to the man. “We are sorry for your loss, Amunet. I am surprised to see you as I had word you was captured by those pirates. “

The woman stood up as she looked him up and down and then over at his entourage. Her finger ran along the other finger in her other hand slowly and methodically as she turned around. Amunet paused as she wanted to be careful how she spoke to him. His very presence upset her sense of balance and center. He shouldn’t be able to do that and wondered why he threatened it by just standing there. “Thank you, Pratal. I was taken, but I managed to escape.” The girl said simply and lifted her chin and looked him straight in the eyes. The girl offered no further information. Less was better in this instance as the man could use anything she said as a promise or twist it into something else.

Her eyes were different. The gold in them now didn’t so much as mar them as they enhanced them. He didn’t recall that gold before. There was something more to this girl and he should have it. Why was she so difficult? His disarming smile was applied as he boldly stepped closer to the diminutive woman. “What will you do now?” He asked with a concerned expression. It was a well-marked and purposeful expression. “There are some Pavilions banding together with others. You may want to consider that.”

[Amunet]

The man was infuriatingly correct. “I will give that some thought.” She said in as neutral a voice as possible. The weight of her experience with the pirates still haunted those sky blue eyes. The high amount of awareness and paranoia was still fresh within the Healer.

Pratal saw this change. There was a sharpness to her that was not there before. The unpredictable pliable female was an unpredictable sharp blade at the moment. He offered a smile as a twinkle lit up in his eyes. “There are no hard feelings for not fulfilling the contract Amunet. There is an opportunity to join the Turningleaf. I have extended my hand to those stricken.” His chin lifted and nose uplifted as if he to say that offer was absolutely generous and charitable.

“Did you extend it to everyone? Or only those who would provide an advantage to your Pavilion. Did you offer that to women and children?” The girl countered rather harshly. The girl was in no mood to mind her words and there was no one to keep that in check. Those thin arms crossed as those gem hard eyes did not look away from his face.

His jaw clenched as the stubbornness of the woman reared its head. “Amunet, will you think for a moment? “ The man stepped forward. He kept his movements and stance careful and appearing to care. “Your wreckless and undisciplined behavior will not serve you now. You have no back up or anyone to lean on. Your little brother I have been looking at to adopt considering he comes from a good family line. “ The man said it as if it was an absolute and that he was being rather charitable to do so.

There was silence from the girl at first as her face didn’t change. The eyes were still as hard but those gold bursts in her eyes seemed to shimmer and flare. The girl’s eyes widened a little more as the thought that her brother was still alive. “Drak is alive? “ The girl breath drew in rapidly as she exhaled. There was a sense of relief, pride, exhilaration and urgency all mixed in one tornado of a passionate expression.

“You did not know? “ The man furrowed his brow and pursed his lips as his hand came to his chin to think on this turn of events. “Well you would be a welcome addition along with your brother. Your family has a lot of talent. It would require that you marrying me, for propriety sake.” He said it in a matter of fact way as if it was as simple as tanning a hide or weaving a basket.

Those eyes of the little woman hardened as they turned to that smug and arrogant face again. Fury replaced the emotions just a few moments before this. “My brother is my responsibility. I will assume that responsibility, not you.” The girl fired at him. “I would no sooner marry you than marry my donkey. “ Amunet was not going to dance with words. She didn’t play the game, it took too much time and energy. It was to her pointless and did nothing for the health and strength of a people. Her father played that game well. “There is no need for your offer. “

The girl got up to head towards the tent they kept orphaned children. The man stopped her by grabbing her arm. “Amunet you are not thinking. This is futile. How will you support a child?” He had no faith in her ability to do that. A woman alone was unthinkable to him. In his world, women did not belong on their own. They belonged pregnant and taking care of the pavilion.

The red head wrenched her arm free of his grasp. “I work for the River Flower. I have income and I have been looking after my brother since he was born. “

“Oh that’s right, there is that rumor of you killed your mother. Though nothing ever came of it.” He said in an offhand and with a superior tone of voice. That was the gossip anyway. His eyebrow raised at her audacity at such a thing to be blameless and the slip of a girl held no status.

[Amunet]

“You will never speak of my mother like that ever” she yelled at him turning on him like a the back draft of a raging fire. “You have no right to even discuss those matters. You are not my Ankal and you are no authority over me or my brother.”

“If I was, you would have been well in line and behaving properly.” He fired back as the red head had a way of bringing that out of him with her infuriating stubbornness. She dared to speak to him in a way unfitting and seemed to not care about his status or who he is.

No she didn’t care in the slightest. “You seem to be doing well for a city that has been ransacked by pirates. “ The girl fired at him. “You don’t seem to suffer as most of Endrykas and you dare to lord over me like you own me?” The girl stepped into his space boldy. “You will stay away from me and my brother. You are nothing, pratal, but a snake in the grass. A snake !!” She threw at him as her voice raised.

“I mean only the best welfare for Endrykas. There could be greatness if there is order and discipline.” He said firmly and was toe to toe with this little woman. How dare this little woman stand like that as if she was a man. This was man’s business not woman’s. “You should stick to children and caring for the sick, not the business of the city.”

“The people of the city are my business, Pratal. You are a disease among them. Your good is poison.” She fired back into his face.

His hand shot out as it went around her little throat. No one dared to talk to him like that. He squeezed as her hands went about his wrist trying to find breath. The struggle gave him satisfaction as his other hand came around to caress the back of her hair as he squeezed. Those gorgeous sky blue eyes bulged till a knee went sharply up. His hand released as she gasped for air. He would have let go in a tick or two, maybe but he doubled over. His entourage stayed there unmoving as they did nothing without his orders. One or two of the men drew blades as they saw him doubled over covering his family jewels.

Amunet put her hands around her throat and gasped for air. I took her a chime or two to get her breathing under control as she looked at the man. “Get away from me. Stay away from my brother.” The hoarse voice ventured out as she glared at him.

“You will regret this. “ He said ominously as he waved his men away and he straightened up to move back to his entourage. He straightened his clothing and assumed his rightful place at the head of the entourage and ordered it to move forward.

Amunet glared at him till they were well on their way. The girl then moved to head towards the tent that held the refugee children so she could

[Ssezzkero]

SKILLS

❖ Observation +4
❖ Intimidation +2
❖ Socialization +1
❖ Logic +1
❖ Philosophy +2
❖ Negotioation +2
❖ Endurance +1
❖ Brawling +1

LORES

❖ Not playing Pratal's games
❖ The demise of the Shimmerstone Pavilion
❖ Turningleaf Pavilion: Uncaring
❖ Captured by pirates and escaped
❖ Pavilions are banding together after the loss
❖ Pratal: Wants you to join the Turningleaf Pavilion
❖ Drak is alive
❖ Standing up to an Ankal
❖ Making enemies with Pratal