Everything in between {Sealed to O-N-E}

[Logan]

Leaning back in his wooden chair, he let his eyes close for a few minutes. The journey to that moment had been taxing, in every sense, but there was no doubt it was worthwhile. Every bead of sweat, every drop of blood and every tear. Doubtlessly worth it all. As he drifted into a gentle sleep, a knock came at the door.

“Permission to enter.”

The door creaked open and a small female humanoid peered around the edge of the door. Her features were cherub, reminiscent of some of the most adorable and peaceful fae in all of Althanas. She wobbly made her way to the psion and then looked up at him with big eyes.

“Samantha, just what can I do for you, little one?”

The small faerie bounced up and down excitedly.

“There’s a...a...a creature at the gates! She’s so purdy!”

His eyebrow raised gently at her unusual exuberance. Sam didn’t get this excited for just any old visitor to the Retreat, this must have been someone very special. He pulled a small object from his pants pocket and dropped it into the awaiting hands of the little girl.

“Run along, Samantha. I have an acquaintance to make.”

The little girl smiled and skipped her way out the door. The psion wasted little time gathering his blades and slipping into his coat. He felt nearly naked without it, at least when it came to potential combat situations.

Logan made his way down a couple of corridors which led from his quarters to the center of the Retreat, and then down one final path straight to the gate. He motioned to the guards to open the gates to let the visitor inside. Even he was astonished by what awaited him on the other side.

[Abbie]

Abbie had run, mostly in her half-cat form for what seemed like an eternity. At least a couple of days, seeking only escape. Her encounter with Victor had really shaken her to the core, and she couldn't bear one more moment of the emotional rollercoaster. Compounding that, she knew Letho would be hot on her trail after the ruby debacle. So, she ran. Before she knew it, she was deeply engulfed by the forest. She had come to a stream, and while she was able to drink the sweet clear water, it was too small for fish. Or maybe it was just the wrong time of day. Most of her meals were won by theft, or purchased with "borrowed" coin, but always in the city.

Frustrated, she drank a little more, slaking her thirst. It was starting to get warm, though, and her fur was thickened by the sweat of her journey. I can take care of that... The air shimmer slightly around her form as she changed. The midnight black fur slid back into her flesh, revealing fair skin with a light pattern of freckles across her pert nose. Her claws retracted, shifting from large semi-paws into slender artists fingers. The hair on her head lengthened and turned a bright, fiery copper, laying straight to brush the tops of her shoulders. The only thing that didn't change was her bright emerald eyes.

Kneeling at the edge of the stream, the pooka quickly rinsed her hair, then her bare arms, face, and anything else she could get to. In a rather catlike manner, she shook her body and head, tossing droplets of water from her lithe form. She didn't mind that she was still damp, really, but she hoped it wouldn't cause a sunburn. With deft hands, she finger-combed her hair into pigtails, her favored hairstyle. Satisfied, she turned on her heel and continued down the path she had been following all morning.

Within a few miles, a gate appeared in the distance, obscured by leaves but glinting in the sunlight. Curious, as always, Abbie hurried her steps a little, trying to look like she was on a mission. Her hair had long since dried, so she knew she looked less bedraggled than most travelers. As she approached, she saw a smaller girl, who beamed at her oddly and left without a word. Grinning at the strangeness of the moment, the pooka tried to talk the guards into letting her in, but as she didn't know where she was, she was hardly able to mount a proper argument. Looking down, she realized she was probably a little oddly dressed as well. Her short, pale green dress was sleeveless, brushed her mid-thigh, and had a lower neckline than was proper, though her cleavage was minimally visible. Add to that her odd hair color, and the fact that she was alone on the road, and she realized she was probably very suspicious indeed.

Before she could muse further, though, a strange man approached. Tall, but not too thin, his glacier blue eyes were piercing, and made more prominent by the silver of his hair. Ever the con, Abbie assumed an appraising expression, tilted her hips to the left and placed her hands there. Before she could say a word, the man motioned to the guards and the gates swung open. Quirking a smile steeped in approval, she sauntered into the courtyard while she considered what to say. "So, you must be the gatekeeper. These guards here," she gestured to them with a nonchalant wave of one hand, "wouldn't let me in. I'm not sure where I am, though. What is this place?" She looked around, taking in the surroundings. "Nice town you have here, though."

[Logan]

The gates opened and the woman stepped confidently into the Retreat. If he didn’t know any better, he’d think she belonged there. She didn’t, though, and he wasn’t keen on playing games. He motioned to the guards to close the gates again. At the least, he didn’t want to give her an easy out.

“The better question, I should think, is whom might you be, my dear?”

His voice wasn’t commanding or unpleasant, in fact he tried to be as polite and gentle as possible. She clearly didn’t set out to join the Bandit Brotherhood, nor did she have plans to stumble across the Retreat.

“As for where you are...this is the home of the Bandit Brotherhood. Perhaps you have heard of us?”

Logan didn’t wait for a reply.

“I would be happy to offer a personal tour of the Retreat if you so wish. Once you let me know who you are and why you are here, I would be inclined to even offer anything within reason your heart may desire at the moment. You had to cross quite a bit of forest to get here, and that makes you worth my time. So, please, miss, your name?”

[Abbie]

A trill of electricity went through her, numbing her through and through, her bright green eyes widening slightly before she averted them, trying to look passe. The Bandit Brotherhood?! Of course Abbie had heard of the group, but she had never really considered the idea of joining them. She was used to being alone, and preferred it for the most part. As the thoughts flashed through her mind, the niggling voice of her dreams reminded her of her deepest desires, the powerful craving to be adored, to be worshipped, whispered to her. You could have that here...

Shaking her thoughts away, she gathered her thoughts around what the man was saying. His invitation seemed sincere, and she considered whether he could be trusted. Not that it mattered, being a pooka, but it was curiosity that fueled her, every moment of every day. Eyeing him, she decided that, in his own strange way, he was handsome. His silver locks hung in his face, but she could see the puckering of a scar on one side, which ignited her need to know like a wildfire. As she thought, she pursed her lips a little, adding to her overly cute appearance.

As he finished, she looked him in the eyes, gauging his integrity through the wintery blue orbs. Then, like a shrewd, intelligent cat, she gave a little, watching to see where he would take it. "Well met. I am Lady Abigail of Egypt, though you are welcomed to call me Abbie, if you prefer. I have heard of the Brotherhood, but you are correct, I made my way here by chance. I appreciate your hospitality, and would very much enjoy a tour." The complete truth would not be forthcoming, and even the admission that she knew of the Brotherhood was almost painful, though she was adept at ignoring it. Abbie had taken on the air of her assumed title, but only enough to meet courtesy with courtesy. After all, she had to find out about that scar!

[Logan]

The girl gave him the once over, or well actually, more like the thrice over. There were very few times he could recall ever feeling so vulnerable, so naked, yet he managed to maintain his composure. Not running her off was the first step in finding out who she was and why she was in the Retreat. At the least, it was definitely high on the list.

Peering down at her, as she stood somewhat shorter than he did, the psion took notice of her features. Her emerald eyes sparkled, but not in a way he was used to seeing. There was definitely a unique proportion of her eyes to her face, but he chalked it up to her being only part human as was commonplace for most all of Althanas. He did pause for a moment at her neckline, there was something strangely alluring about the depth yet modesty she showed.

Shaking himself free from such thoughts, he let himself steal one more glace over the remainder of her body. Rather petite in stature, she made him feel almost heroic next to her, as if he held some unspecified vow to protect her. Then she gave in and offered her name pulling him from his gazing upon her. She also acknowledged she did not set out to find the Retreat.

Knowing Abbie’s target was not the Retreat nor did she have any reason to disapprove of or dislike the Bandit Brotherhood eased any reservations Logan had about her. While he knew she was hiding something important from him, he also knew she was being honest enough.

Logan held out his hand toward her, motioning with his other hand toward the other gate.

“There are two ways in and out of the Retreat. The first is the one you entered through, the second is on the opposite end of the grounds. We have all the amenities of a fully-functioning village, and enough ‘hands on deck’ to operate as one.”

There was a pause in his speech as he thought for a brief moment. Truthfully, there was an additional two exits, but they were hidden and essentially impossible to find if someone did not know the specific combinations of steps and markings to follow. While he was at ease with her, his suspicions were still such he wouldn't share those with her just yet. He thought a moment longer and then continued.

“Come to think of it, I bet you must be pretty hungry. Clearly you have no pack with you for storing food, and the journey through the forest would easily famish anybody. What do you think about a little dinner?”


He motioned toward the barracks, where by that point the members of the Brotherhood had gathered and filled their plates for supper, and truth be told he could use some food, too.

[Abbie]

Her admissions seemed to assuage some discomfort, as he seemed to visibly relax, though it was only slightly perceptible. This pleased the pooka, making her feel less vulnerable at the same time. Clearly she was no longer to be considered a threat, which meant she would not be watched as closely, which suited her just fine. It also gave her more leave to get to know the man next to her, and assuage her curiosity about him. The tightness that came with telling the truth eased in her chest, and she smiled brightly up at the tall stranger.

The tour began immediately. The exits were easy enough to find, especially once they were pointed out. His description of the amenities was brief and vague, but elicited a sense of comfort to be had. When he paused, she looked up at him again, taking in his features yet again. The silver of his hair, the wintery blue of his eyes, the handsome planes of his face, the intruiguing scar... Her smile started to falter.

“Come to think of it, I bet you must be pretty hungry. Clearly you have no pack with you for storing food, and the journey through the forest would easily famish anybody. What do you think about a little dinner?”

Abbie nodded slightly, her chest tightening, as he motioned toward the barracks. "I could eat," she replied simply, her voice soft, her smile returning full force. She followed him to the barracks, the smell of food wafting toward her, causing her mouth to water. She was definitely looking forward to the meal.

[Logan]

The offer for dinner was mostly a desire for a chance to sit down and chat with her at length about her purposes for adventuring so far into Concordia Forest. Tales flowed freely outside Corone, and even within the very walls of the Retreat, telling of special wood with magical properties. Logan vaguely recalled a tale of a night-beast roaming the forest for prey at one point, as a lure for hunters and the like.

But all that mattered not, because little Abbie was none of those on first inspection. She was neither bandit nor brother. There was no telltale signs of someone on her way to find some great magical artifact. The question still lingered at the back of his mind, but he only chalked it up to the lack of information he had on her and assumed the two would discuss such matters over supper.

The psion wove her through a couple of hallways, being careful to not expose any specific Retreat secrets along the way. Eventually, the two found themselves staring into the expanse of the Bandit Hall, which served as both a dining hall and a gathering place for members during down time.

The Hall had a sort of hunting lodge appeal to it given the wooden architecture not uncommon to Althanas outskirts. Of course, the hunting lodge effect was only exacerbated by the large beast-heads mounted all about. None were common animals, but all were as nasty looking as anyone could imagine. One wall opened to the kitchen, while the other two were painted with murals of past Bandit Brotherhood leaders and epic adventures. Upon closer inspection, anyone who knew Yuri Rafanas or Gild Sohrrain would certainly note their presence upon within the murals on opposing walls.

The center of the room, filled with the majority of the wooden tables and benches, seemed to buzz with the appearance of the psion and his curious little friend. Within moments of their arrival, a dwarf bumbled his way up to Logan and gave a quizzical look as he lowered his glasses.

“Aye, she be a young’in alright. Got some’in flighty ‘bout her tho. Young lass probably been runnin’ for days, I’d wager.”

A stern look from the psion was enough to silence the dwarf, and apparently enough to draw the attention of the entire raucous crowd gathered at the tables. All eating and drinking stilled as if the flow of time had ceased.

“Mr. Mettlewerk and others, let me introduce Miss Abigail. You will do her the kindness of not dissecting her person, neither physically nor psychologically. She is here for supper, and anyone who makes their way through Concordia Forest and happens upon our home is always a welcomed guest so long as they do not brandish weapons.”

With that the dwarf sulked his way back to his seat at one of the tables. Logan looked around and smiled softly, turning to Abbie once more he motioned toward two empty seats at the end of one of the larger tables.

“You are free to choose your own dishes, your own supper. You will find our cook is capable of preparing most any dish just as you like. I only ask you join me over there once you have selected your meal so we may discuss further what brings you to the Retreat, Miss Abbie.”