3 Days Remain: ‘Friendship’

Today wasn’t going well at all and the Telgradian wasn’t sure it was going to get much better either on current form. Shinsou couldn’t tell whether or not untying Amari would have the desired effect. He exchanged cursory glances with Philomel, who simply shrugged. Vaeron stood silently, casting a watchful eye over proceedings. As Osiris’s hands began to untie the ropes, the faun finally spoke up.

“Just be careful.”

No shit.

In no time at all, the Telgradian had the Amari in a small booth in the corner of the room, chatting amiably with her. The wounded woman, scrawny from months of malnutrition at the hands of her “guardians”, eyes watery and red, had leaned in close, whispering her situation and continuing to talk about the last few months. During the conversation, Shinsou found out a great deal about how things had turned out the way they had. He tried to find out everything she knew about the Crimson Hand and its current movements. They were the main reason for all this. Their agents were everywhere, garrisoning every major town and city, their loyal hands tackling every ‘problem’ that Ulroch designated to be removed. They had enslaved Amari and turned her into ‘this’. The only surprise was that Shinsou hadn’t come into contact with them more than a few times. Lately, Osiris was getting sick of them. Ever since he had taken control of the Brotherhood, the Telgradian had been combing every country he had travelled to, gathering intelligence on the myriad organisations in each one. From the Church of The Ethereal Sway in Salvar, to the Corone Rangers, to other, more clandestine outfits like the Tarot. But none were more slippery than Ulroch's men.

He idly ran a finger down his cheek.

So far, he had learned nothing he didn't already know about the Crimson Hand- the bastards had to be brought down, all of them. They bound every body they could get their nails into, they had kept Amari blind to the truth of her slavery and as long as Lye stayed in power, more would suffer under the weight of their organization. That was where he and his Castigars came in. Soon, they would infiltrate the larger organisation, getting their men deep inside. They would burrow into the flesh of the Hand like starving parasites looking for a meal and rot the whole damn thing from the inside out. But as yet, Shinsou Vaan Osiris was working alone. He had to pick and choose his targets a lot more carefully than he normally would.

After two hours of talking, it appeared Mari knew nothing of why she was the way she was now. The Telgradian, even with his heightened senses, struggled to hear her again over the ambient noise her soul was projecting. Though silent to everyone else, it was like someone drawing nails down a chalkboard.

"There must be something you can tell me about how you got this way." Shinsou said, a frown creeping up the corners of his mouth. “Come on Amari, think.”

Philomel meanwhile had negociated her way downstairs. Under the many eyes of the men at the bar she pushed her way through the crowds until she got behind the main portion of people. After an hour of the talking and listening to Amari's story - which by no means was the first time she had heard something that painful - she got up and left, twitching her braid of hair over her shoulder. Now she stood, behind the bar along with the matron of the house, speaking over business affairs and coming to an agreement to possibly properly enrol this pub into a safe harbour for the Gilded Lily.

Vaeron sat on a stool nearby, drinking from a massive glass, trying to seem interested in the girls who flirted with him. They were just ordinary residents, not whores in any way, but still seemed intrigued. He sat, unable to smile, and thoroughly not turned on, but clearly a man who was desired. With his shirt half open he showed his rippling muscles, perhaps a little too much. Acting back in the best way he knew how he tried to please the girls who wanted him, trying to get his attention, but eventually most of them turned their backs. It made the mage more morose as time went on, though he did not show it. But inside Philomel knew him as a man who just wanted to please everyone he could. Even though his attitude and expression may not speak it.

The matron finally agreed to a sort of agreement of safe housing. With extended hands her and Philomel agreed, and then the faun nudged off from the wall. It was just at this time when she saw a face peering in from the crowds, a small round face which indicated Gosling, her private secretary. Philomel raised an eyebrow, wondering why the young woman was here, but gestured to her and nodded over to the wall where the stairs up to the room began. Taking with herself a tray of drinks (a torquay of red wine, three tankards of beer and a bottle of whisky) Philomel started heading there herself.

Gosling talked in a hushed voice as soon as she arrived.

"We were wondering how long more you are going to be, my lady," Gosling said, "You have been a while, and it is dark now outside. Even Veridian is out there, hunting now."

Philomel nodded and then shrugged. "I will be as long as this takes," she told her friend and loyal soldier, "As long as it is needed. Now come and see for yourself what I have found belonging to Lichensith Ulroke."

Amari didn't exactly like the newest turn of events. She was untied, that was... something, but she had thought that it was just going to be her and Shinsou having a discussion. Why the hell did Philomel the 'great and almighty leader of the Gutted Lillies' or whatever join them? Amari sat in a small wooden booth across from the two of them with sticky stains upon the table and wool jutting out from the leather cushioned seats. The place wasn't very clean and not only that, but it seemed like the place was some sort of brothel. Amari wondered if Philomel was the one to choose the place.

With Philomel there, Amari simply repeated things the two already knew. She told them that she had been born a noble, was with bandits - and had been rescued by Shinsou. She told them about her time with the Brothers of Castigar and Alexander - she spoke of Samson and his betrayal as he sent her off with a literal pack of rocks to go die in the wintery Salvic wasteland. Then there was the Crimson Hand, Amari noted their sour faces as she spoke amicably of Ulroke. Amari touched on how he was expanding his forces throughout Salvar but did not tell them why. Amari gave them false leads, not wanting them to go after Ulroke or throw a wrench in his plans.

Finally... Finally Philomel left, be it out of boredom or otherwise Amari didn't care.

"Right." Amari shifted and the conversation between the two changed to that of a more personal tone. Shinsou seemed genuinely worried. He kept making mention of her 'soul's noise' Amari's features softened as he had a final plea. If Amari knew anything she probably would have told him. Amari opened her mouth to say something, but paused as a rather buxom woman walked past. Her hand danced over Shinsou's shoulder as she offered him a wink.

Amari felt a lump in the pit of her stomach. Her tone turned bitter as she moved out from the booth wincing as she aggravated the wound in her torso. Amari's hands clasped tight to it. "I suppose Samson was right about one thing... you really are a playboy, aren't you? Why else would you be...here." Amari gestured to the pub/brothel around them. "You want to know why I'm like this? Maybe, just maybe I'm seeing the world for what it really is. I'm not some doe-eyed naive noble anymore, Shin."

She turned her back on him. "I'm stronger now, you go on about the noise of my soul - but what of yours?" She glanced over her shoulder at him and the torn pain and feelings running rampant within her were clear on her facial features. "It's still broken right, I could heal it if you wanted - but not here. Come find me when you're serious. Have fun with your whores." Amari muttered as she forced herself to look away from him.

Just get out of here, get out of here away from the crazy faun lady and the man who may or may not hate me.

Amari pushed herself past the patrons and staff, opening the door to a very chilly Salvarian night. A shiver coursed through her body as cold air pelted her face. "Better than smelling of sweat and cheap ass ale." Amari muttered to herself as she turned on her heel to find a more proper establishment to spend the night.

Annoyingly, it seemed she had completely missed her.

As they got to the top of the stairs it seemed rather clear that Amari the Red had gotten away before anyone could have noticed. Vaeron blinked twice before turning around and rolling his eyes, leaving Philomel and Gosling to stand and stare. The man who couldn't take his eyes of the Princess' 'sexy body', Shinsou Vaan Osiris, seemed at a lost for words, perhaps confused. But it was definite that the Red girl had gone away.

"Should never had untied her," Vaeron said in a voice they could all hear. And he left them, to go look.

Making his way down the stairs once more he stopped briefly to pick up a large woolen cloak that some pub patron had left draped over a chair. Swinging it around himself he pushed past men and women before anyone could notice the item of clothing's disappearance. He merged with the crowd and headed straight for the door, his hand going to the hilt of his dagger, having left the bow upstairs.

The ill-favoured wind was cruel and battered his skull as the Mage stepped out into the streets. With no hood to this fabric Vaeron was cursed to simply deal with it and start immediate tracking. Luckily for him it had not been long at all since the girl had left, and there was fresh snow on the ground. Being brought up as a hunter for the majority of his childhood, before he took up the practise of a priest of Earlon, he knew how to track. And his instinct told him what footprints were Amari's from their size, deepness and process of stride. Taking a breath he gathered his wits and set off at a low run to chase her down.

It did not take long. Her footsteps led straight in the direction of other public houses, through a couple of cobbled streets only. Coming to a place appropriately named 'The Rogue's Rest' Vaeron found her track to end. The small prints had been there for perhaps half an hour, but the Mage at least could check, and did, through the open window of the establishment. He spied her walking upstairs after shaking hands with the bar tender, and going, presumably for somewhere to sleep.

He paused for a moment, then just grunted a note of amusement to himself. Twisting around he started the trudge back to the first pub he began in, they had all began in to relate Philomel and the Shinsou man where Amari had made her comfortable new bed for the night. Why she left in such a state he did not know, but the new day would bring a new morning, and at least, for now, he could satisfy his comrades that her whereabouts was not so hopeless as it might have been.

Everything happened too quickly for Shinsou to make any sense of.

Amari didn’t hold any of the answers that he had sought with regards to her apparant corruption, but had instead presented the Telgradian with a whole list of new questions and headaches to contend with. Firstly, there was the issues with that bastard Samson. Shinsou had no idea what bullshit the Brotherhood agent had fed her, but it had obviously stoked a fire. He, the leader of a secretive paramilitary organisation, a playboy? Shinsou scoffed at the idea as another woman winked at him.

If only I had the fucking time, love. Too busy running around, hopelessly trying to be the good guy.

That both of them had been played by that utter fool could be no coincidence, but what did the betrayal mean, and why?

Then there was the issue of Philomel’s involvement in all of this. That issue, though, was getting parked for the night. Shinsou was about to embark on an exercise in rest and recuperation whilst Vaeron undertook his reconnaissance with the type of professionalism that the Telgradian just couldn’t muster that night. As he made his way slowly down the stairs, eyebrows raised as he replayed the conversation with the beautiful but broken Amari in his mind, the scent of double-blanched brandy wafted into his nose. He tried not to raise his eyebrows too quickly at the smell; Shinsou knew not to look too eager at the opportunity to get sideways whilst prying eyes spied him from across the bar

Philomel was waiting downstairs, her secretary Gosling in tow. Shinsou afforded them both a courteous nod before producing a pouch of gold coins from within his coat pocket.

“Want to tip a glass or two until Vaeron gets back? I’ve got fuck all else to do, and to be honest, after that, I think I need one.”

A tall, sober old man behind the bar gestured to Shinsou as he sat up from his post, leaning against a thick oaken support structure at the center of the pub. The two patrons sitting at the bar with them returned their gaze to large tumblers of whiskey, swishing the drinks around within them.

After a brief exchange, the short glass of gently bubbled honey mead slid across the bar to its familiar position by the palm of the Telgradian. One more came for the beautiful faun. As they drank, Shinsou could feel the honey mead slide down into his belly, the satisfaction of the first drink on a cold day wholly palpable.

Thread: 3 Days Remain: Friendship
Authors: Shinsou, Mari, Philomel, Vaeron
Type: No Judgment

Congratulations!

Mari receives 1,125 EXP and 110 GP (including 10% ability bonus).
Philomel receives 1,175 EXP and 90 GP.
Shinsou receives 880 EXP and 70 GP.
Vaeron receives 165 EXP and 25 GP.

All rewards have been added.