An Ambassador From Hernsford

[Stare]

Rolling back her shoulder she stepped in and had one of the best showers of her life. It got rid of a vast majority of remaining aches and and stiff joint agonies and made her feel a lot more in terms of satisfaction. Stare stood under the water until she could genuinely not bear the heat anymore, then stepped out to begin the very long process of towelling off. It was hard when one had feathers, and you had to be very careful.

Tap, tap, tap …

The knock was quiet. Very quiet. In fact Stare would go as far to say it did not exist when it occured again.

Tap, tap, tap …

She paused, frowning as she was mid-towel of her tail feathers, short and plucky as they were. Head tilting to the side she waited for a while, listening out as she slowly continued to dry herself.

And - Tap, tap, tap …

She figured then it was coming from the front door of the room, not the bathroom. It was also a lot more chaotic this time, full of urgency, speed and -

Quickly, she moved, shoving the towel around her before opening the bathroom door. Hurrying to the trunk she began to rifle through it to find a tunic as the knocking got more repetitive.

“Hang on,” she shouted back to it. “I'm just out the shower. Just - hang on!”

It seemed to cause a pause. For there was no knocking as she dropped her towel to pull a fine, embroidered tunic over her head. Instead there was an oddly familiar voice, but one of a long time ago. A very long time ago.

“Ah - ah Miss Stare?”

It was young, human voice, full of a time when she had permanently lived here. Stare's beak parted in utter astonishment for the man she had not heard from or of in such a long time. Grabbing a belt from the trunk she began to tie it on as she looked to the door, genuine excitement running through her body.

“Come in!” she yelled, and the door opened.

In walked a blonde haired, green eyed young man. He was of medium height and build and had his hair swept back into a ponytail. He was dressed in simple clothing of a shirt and breeches, with knee high boots, and a leather jacket. By his side was a sword in a sheath, and his hand rested on it as if he expected danger at any moment.

“Balls above,” she found herself smiling in her eyes as she tied the last knot on her belt. “Zulon!”

The young man smiled slightly. Last time they had seen each other Stare had been taken from the Hollow to the mansion. That had been little over six months, and going from once being her personal guard tasked with keeping her in the Hollow to a genuine possible friend standing before her.

“Miss,” he said, with a small note of reverence in voice. “I … well I have a rather urgent matter and with Raevin gone you are the next most authority.”

Stare blinked, and paused a moment as the genuine impact of that hit her. Of course, Raevin was in Corone, guarding the Celestial Brewery against a threat and attack. And Vitruvion was apparently away. Frowning slightly she flicked some damp from her shoulder.

“Don't you have a sergeant or something? Someone under Raevin who-”

“It's a little more important than that, Miss,” Zulon said quickly.

Stare lost all her enthusiasm. Her eyes glanced at the bed where she had spent far too long and she sighed and gestured for him to go on as she twisted back to the trunk.

“Yes. Well,” he paused suddenly and she glanced back at him to see him glancing at the bed, with the manacles still hanging there.

She paused and lied right off. “Coming back to life is painful,” she excused. And it was easy to say, because in truth she had found it so, despite the fact that all that pain had been mental and emotional.

“I see,” he murmured. “Yes, Sir Elssmith revealed that you were immortal.”

The kenku went back to concentrating on finding her items. She grabbed her helmet and tied it onto her belt, as well as her dagger and gauntlet. Pausing, she decided against the chainmail for the time being and straightened, looking back at Zulon.

“You were saying what the issue was?”

The guard paused a moment, then nodded. “Ah yes, sorry Miss … Ma’am. The council is about to be in session and we have no idea where Sir Elssmith is.”

[Stare]

“A while back I used to be in general charge of the council meetings,” he confessed. “As in their organisation, the agenda, and so on. I stopped when I actually got reassigned to guarding you and then …” he looked briefly at her, and then waved his hand as she fixed a single, unamused eye at him. “Yes, well. Anyway, one tradition that stands is that if a brother cannot make a council meeting, then they can send a recognised representative in their place. Naturally, they have to know about the Hollow, how it runs, what the interests of their party are …”

All of a sudden Stare knew what was coming. Her eyes grew large with a mixture of disbelief and negativity, as if why - how could a person have the audacity to even suggest she was -

Raevin is in Corone, as you know. I am not able to be present, you are my most obvious choice. Start the meeting Stare, and I will continue from you when I arrive.

Start the … the council meeting, of the brotherhood of the Hollow. She herself had been to three in her life, and the first of those she had been trussed in ropes, shoved forwards as Vitruvion's prize. Now she was - what? His steward maybe for all things business, but down here? How dare he! How dare anyone suggest that she play the ultimate traitorous act and sit before those whom she knew the suffering of and speak about them and their lives as if she didn't care!

The ultimate hypocrite.

“Miss?”

“Zulon,” she said in the most serious tone. She stretched out a hand and touched his shoulder lightly. He frowned, and slowed, but did not completely stop.

“Zulon, I cannot do that,” her eyes were full of life and honesty. “I am a hypocrite to most of the women here, I am the traitor who they would all rather see die than stand before them representing something they hate. I am not capable of holding a meeting, chairing a meeting for things that I absolutely detest with all my being-”

“You're not doing it for yourself, or for them,” Zulon looked right back at her, with the same powerful look in his eyes. Knowing, understanding, entirely acknowledging. Did he … did he hate what he saw here also? Her heart beat fast as she furrowed her brow, longing to see if her suspicions were true … but he shook himself and straightened. “You are doing it for him.”

An intake of breath. And a swallow. She looked away, her heart racing. Him. She was doing this for Vitruvion, so he would not be shamed, not be made out to be a fool, not have his image tainted. And he was an incredibly proud man, image was part of many things to him - the way he was seen as a wise and generous employer, the way people knew him as powerful and mighty. What citizens of Beinost considered when they saw him walking down the street, what they supposed, what they murmured, what they said of him when he was not there. That, and many other related conditions were what drove him, encouraged him, made him who he was.

He was a terrible man, it was true, but so was he just, generous and well liked. Did she have a good opinion of him - yes she did. He had earned that opinion as the months had gone on and though she had no other options in her life for what direction to go in, she knew that he was at least decent. Not cruel, not malicious, he genuinely cared about the few who cared for him, and for her … well. What he felt for her was a mystery unto itself. What she did know was that she trusted in him, was ultimately loyal to him now. All of his efforts to keep her close were done so with reasonings of honesty and concern for her. One could read so many other things into what he had done but she knew they lay at the core of his understanding of it all, at least.

“Damn it,” she whispered. If you were honestly any other person, she growled at him.

A soft smile came to his lips as he looked out of the window, watching the approaching sea. I will take that as a compliment my dear. I entirely trust you to serve my interests and speak well.

You are just lucky I had a raving mad family to learn diplomacy with, she sighed as she looked to Zulon with a shrug, and a nod. The guard beamed, his eyes bright before he gestured.

“Stay here, I will get two more guards to escort you. I am guessing you don't need … stupid question.”

She raised her brow. Quickly he looked awkward before he pointed back down the long white hall to where the rooms belonging to Vitruvion … and Blaze and Sable were. The sudden glare gave him all the information he needed. It was common for brothers to bring a 'guest’ of their 'household’ with them, but that was definitely somewhere Stare would never stray to. Zulon briefly nodded to her, low and respectful, before he darted through a door. Sighing deeply Stare shook her head honestly not able to believe she was doing this.

Please never ever ask me to do this again, unless it is in dire need. I'm only doing this for Reign's sake.

Vitruvion inclined his head. Otherwise I would have postponed it yesterday or the day before if I thought this might happen.

Her eyes narrowed. You thought this might happen.

Hmm, he agreed grimly. But the situation being as it is, the truth of what Hugin has done cannot go unanswered for any longer.

She leant against the white wall and let out a soft sigh. If you were anyone else ...

She felt his chuckle and then heard a laugh as Rafael joined in, thinking it was something he had said.

No one else is your god.

[Stare]

“You can trust me, my lord Gravelle,” Zulon stepped forwards and came to stand by Stare's side. He held himself tall then, proud, with a strong back and even darker eyes than those that bore into him. “I can verify that Miss Stare stands and represents Sir Elssmith not just here. She is commonly to be found in the very streets of Beinost working in his name.”

He glanced to her and she nodded slightly back. Zulon smiled and continued. “And, my lord, it is not 'master,’ but 'employer.’”

Gravelle blinked with the correction. His lips parted and he looked around at his brothers. Stare saw his grip on a leash in his hands tighten and a look of discomfort cross the face of the girl there. She herself felt a degree of tension and she dug her own claws into her hands.

“If that is all, lord Gravelle, I would like to continue the formalities of this meeting.”

The older man curled his lip but said nothing more. Sitting back he caused the girl, who was frightfully young, to fall back against his legs. Stare forced her gaze away from that and looked up to Zulon to nod to him. ‘I have this,’ her gaze said. He gave her a soft smile before he stepped back.

Her eyes travelled around the room, seeing those she recognised, and those she thought she did. Some glared daggers at her, and others, like Tethion, were acting with more of a kindness.

Hugin, came the suggestion.

Yes, thank you, I was just getting to that.

He grunted, but continued to listen. She was dimly aware of him talking to Rafael in more intense tones as they looked out over the harbour they had got to. Stare swallowed a little and tried to ignore the knot that was forming in her stomach at even being here before she straightened, and finally was able to address the empty chair.

“Sir Elssmith called this meeting to inform and answer any questions that you have about the dismissal of Hugin from the Hollow,” she said quietly, her hands pressing tightly together. “As such there is now an empty seat at this council and-”

Nominations and suggestions for the replacement can be made in the usual ways.

She paused. Usual ways?

Just say it, he stressed.

And she repeated it to the waiting ears. “After the following has been discussed, of course.”

There was an ugly, painful pause. “You … can give us some idea as to why Hugin was banished? Even though you reportedly have been hidden away in a room for the past few days,” one dark skinned man was saying, leaning casually in his chair. He did not have a girl with him.

Stare tightened her jaw. Immediately though brows were being raised and looks thrown in her direction. The kenku's breath began to grow laborious as she was made to think about her recent days then, hidden away and going through one of the hardest times of her life. Finding out that Vitruvion had made her immortal.

“I can advise you what I have been advised,” Stare replied back to a man she was sure was called Sumi, or Summin or Sumum, or similar. “And Sir Elssmith can provide details if you wish to, but for any major details I will try to answer.” She paused. “Hugin was banished for-”

“Just what have you been doing the last couple of days, hmm?”

[Stare]

Stare sucked in her breath and lifted her eyes to look right at her accuser. It was Gravelle again, apparent the man had some form of spite for her. The kenku looked at him a short while, then turned away.

“That has very little to do with Hugin, lord Gravelle,” she found herself saying quietly. “Instead it would be more prudent to focus on the issue at hand. Hugin has consistently insulted Vit - Sir Elssmith, time and time again. First it was mere comments that my employer could endure, then it was deeper insults. He has continually defied him, caused upset within the Hollow and now-”

“So you won't tell us what you were doing?”

“Oh for heaven's sake, Gravelle,” a new voice said. This one was young and merry and Stare recognised the brother as the human Frendir, the first other she had ever met. He smiled pleasantly at Stare before he went on. “Let the girl go on. Clearly Vitruvion trusts her enough to send her here in his steady, let her get on.”

Gravelle looked awfully taken aback, but he scowled deeply and fell silent. Moving back into his chair he forced his young 'guest’ to raise herself onto her knees to keep up with the length of leash she was given. Stare forced herself to look away, give a simple thank you nod at Frendir before going on. “Thank you, lord Frendir.” She fixed her roaming gaze back on, eyes dancing over the bothers one by one, in turn. “Hugin was insulting not only here but also in the city itself. You all know the story of Reign, and that she was still technically,” she paused, hating the words she was about to say, “a guest of Sir Elssmith's. However, Hugin had since had her in his apartment for …”

Two months.

“Two months, yes. Last week, though, things took a turn for the worse. I am sorry to say that Hugin murdered Reign, and thus made the greatest insult.”

There was a deadly silence.

“He killed a guest that,” her jaw tightened as she began to despise herself for her language, “Was not his. That is not his right, there was never a transference of ownership. Therefore, Hugin destroyed Sir Elssmith's property.”

Property. Ownership. Very words that should not describe the girls’ lives here … but in fact did describe hers very true and very well. The difference being though, Stare had been through the trial by fire and now was more willing to serve Vitruvion than she ever had been before. Yes, she had had very little choice in the matter, ever really, but there were many choices now these days that she made. For herself. In the very end, she had to admit she had a god as her patron now. Forever.

“Wait, Reign is dead?”

It was not a male voice this time … but rather a female one. All eyes glanced over to where a tall, mostly unbound woman, save for a collar around her neck, knelt by the feet of an older elf. Her eyes were huge, and full of pain, and if Stare had never seen her before and known of her relationship with her ‘host,’ she perhaps would have needed to publicly demand some form of punishment. Which would not have felt good in the slightest. As it was, this was the one woman who, aside from Stare, could speak in the proceedings and that was mainly as her ‘host,’ the elf who smiled behind her, had no way of communicating himself.

[Stare]

He was known as 'Tongueless Tinash’ and she as 'Pride’ and as far as Stare had been told she had been talking for him for coming on five years.

Yet from her outburst Stare could tell that there was a lot more of Pride than Tinash in the question. A lot more of ‘friend’ than 'that other brother's guest’.

“I am sorry to bring you such sad news, but yes,” Stare said, looking right at her and addressing her. “And for that reason, and another, Hugin has been banished from these halls … and the city.”

There was a hushed cry that ran through the room. And it was many more female voices than male, Stare could tell. She looked down at her tense hands, noticing the way her hardened knuckles were paler than normal and the ridges in her skin where she dug into her flesh with those sharp claws. Truly she felt the pity of the women who had lost a dear friend, for the community of the Hollow was two fold, especially between the ‘guests’ of the same brother. Her and Blaze had shared something strong, clearly Reign was the sort who liked to be friends with all. She had once come to Stare, but Stare had pretty much dismissed her in their one meeting.

“From the city? Why is he also banished from the city?”

Stare paused, looking at a brother called Frendir who now spoke. A smiling, happy kind of man who sat by himself today.

She knew she needed to choose her words carefully. “I am sure many of you are aware of the food shortage this city recently experienced,” she said slowly. There were nods all around, even from the girls. Apparently it had even stretched to the kitchens here. Stare breathed in. “Sir Elssmith discovered that Hugin had a large warehouse of food and requested he share it with the hungriest of the city, those whose lives were ruined by the slaughtering of the fowl and cows. Hugin … refused.”

And actually set it aflame.

She blinked, What?

Indeed, his tone was foul, full of dislike. I am on my return now. And keep going, you are doing well.

That at least was good news. Soon she could stop this game and he could take over, which was his job after all.

“Hugin sent the warehouse alight. Estimates say that the food could have fed the entire city for three weeks, and included private livestock. They were killed, the food ruined.”

A stunned silence fell in the room. It was broken a minute later by a muttering from Tethion. “Bastard. We all knew he was, I say good riddance to him.”

Despite the generally negative aspects of demons, especially when it came to her power and that of Vitruvion, Stare found herself in danger of liking Tethion. His mannerisms and even smiles reminded her so much of Nosdyn, the demon who had helped her before, and who was still bound in contract technically to her, that she began to miss the blue-skinned killer. A soft sigh threatened to escape from her beak.

“I … would quite agree lord Tethion,” she dared to reply.

The demon's lips twisted up into a smile.

[Stare]

“What is to become of Solace and Dare?”

Stare paused, and thought of the names before it struck her that they were - nay, had to be with the type of name - Hugin’s 'guests’ that he had left when he arrived. Her breath drew in and she ducked her head slightly, lowering her eyes and thinking of what to say. The logical conclusion was that they would be inherited by the next brother to take Hugin's place, but that was … well. Hard to admit and it was possible that she had a chance now to find some form of other life for them. Have them taken entirely away as punishment? Could that work?

“They'll go to Hugin's heir, surely?” a loud voice growled. Old and wicked. Gravelle.

Stare closed her eyes briefly with the pain of not being able to do more before she looked up. “That …” she murmured, every word a self injured stab, “Would be the logical conclusion.”

“And tradition.”

She took a moment before dipping her head, avoiding the terrible dark looks she was getting from Pride, Toothless Tinash’s mouthpiece.

“Yes, lord Gravelle, that is tradition. As stated earlier, any nominations for his … replacement can be made over the next few days.”

There was a slight paused before she opened her beak to continue.

“Wait, the food crisis recently.”

It was a female voice now. Stare's eyes spun around until they met Pride's, her own emotions coming to the forefront to combat the current anger melting from the guest - no, slave’s - eyes. Stare looked briefly to Tongueless Tinash who seemed to be looking at Pride with a small amount of confusion. Pride saw the connection and glanced to her 'host’ before making a few gestures and the room was silent as the odd communication they had developed over five years formed into a full conversation. Eventually Tinash nodded slightly, and Pride seemed to get permission to go on.

She looked back to Stare.

“In the food crisis it has been rumoured that Sir Elssmith was responsible for bringing back surplus into the city.”

Stare paused, and clacked her tongue quietly against the side of her mouth in agitation.

“Yes,” she admitted, because after all she had done the food supply train in his name. Yet, it had still all been her as he stressed about Hugin and Rafael’s visit. She had used his money and his title in order to make the contacts, though. “He was responsible.”

There was a small mumble that ran through the brothers before Pride replied. “I see. Then thanks is due to-”

She paused, and her eyes grew large. Stare had that as her first indicator and it was only a portion of a second later that she found her own head twisting around to find a tall white-haired form stepping not through the door … but out of the air itself. No fanfare, no dramatic entrance apart from the manner. One moment he was there, and then the world opened for him as his oyster, as he had learnt and got more powerful in doing recently. He came in and finished Pride's sentence for her.

“Thanks is due largely to Stare actually,” Vitruvion said as he took a strong stride forwards.

[Stare]

Quickly, Stare stood, eager than anything to be out of that chair. Not wanting to be the spotlight for anything, and finding herself quite suddenly embarrassed she stepped away, her head twisting to not meet the gaze of his eyes. She couldn't, not yet, not with this being their first physical meeting after she had been released from the bonds.

There was a vivid amount of eyes twisting to her … but thankfully they did not last long with the proper arrival of their chairman. He sank into his chair with ease, his cane in hand and a blithe smile on his lips. Stare paused before she silently left where she was and skirted around to edge to the back of the chair, her eyes glancing up to meet Zulon's. To all others it would look like a casual bow and swirl of reverence from an employee or servant to her master, but really Stare simply did not want to be too close to him. Not with what she was now, what he had made her. Yes she accepted it but looking at him now she had … it made her feel sick. Like yet again she was a traitor to herself and every girl here.

“Stare arranged the caravan of suppliers to source new provisions and chickens to our city,” Vitruvion beamed, leaning his cane between his foot and the arm of the chair. “So you have me … and her to thank, really. That and,” he looked over to Gravelle. “To answer your question from earlier, Stare has not been seen the past two days because she was recovering.”

The older man narrowed his eyes. “Recovering … lord Vitruvion?”

The white haired god curled his lips into a smirk. “Yes. And greetings to all. I apologise for being late, but I had a grave issue to deal with.”

Stare turned her gaze away from Zulon after he offered from comfort, then twisted around to looked back into the centre of the room. Her jaw tightened as she saw how out of place she was and she grumpily slipped into a place at Vitruvion's immediate left. Right was wrong, for that was where Raevin stood. Clasping her hands together she set about earning the right to become continuously frustrated.

“As you have possibly heard the rumours, we have made the discovery recently that Stare is immortal. It came about when her and I faced who we now believe to be the culprit of the crimes that led to the food shortage in this city, and she suffered death. It was rather marvellous and useful to me that she came back. I believe it was a painful experience, hence the time she was not seen.”

Stare's breath rushed out of her lungs. Twisting her eyes around she came to stare hard at what she could see of Vitruvion, “Discovered,” he had said, like her immortality was some form of natural occurrence. “Painful?” Well that was what she had excused to Zulon when he had gazed questioningly at the chains on the bed. For Vitruvion it could suit, it gave him an excuse every time she died to at least spirit her away and get her loyalty back with the anger that was likely to happen. Because Stare already knew that her next death, be it soon or in the far future, she was definitely going to be hugely frustrated at him. Because it was not exactly fair that she was not consulted.

[Stare]

Careful, girl, or I'll send you back there now.

I'm allowed to have emotions, she argued back, You don't steal someone's life and mortality and force them into an eternity of slavehood without consulting them first.

Slavehood only as a technicality, Stare. You were doing well up until now, do not spoil it.

Well, she hissed, her eyes glued to the top of his head. You weren't here to … to tell the world is … force me to do this, be here and say these things. The only reason your reputation is still together is because of me.

Yes, and I thank you, and I find your loyalty touching and useful. You are useful to me, I will not let you leave my service or my side ever. Now stop glaring at me like that and return to proper decorum.

Proper decorum it's ass. But it might as well have been an order. Stare was dimly aware of a conversation now ongoing about if, then, the brothers should expect Stare to possibly conduct the meetings in future. Vitruvion was currently saying that yes, they should consider her his representative from now on, if such matters arose again. Certainly, right now, she hated him, and also of the stares that were now on her from those who were in shocked disbelief that one, she had saved their city and two, she was immortal - what now? Vitruvion was lucky that Stare's loyalty had grown to the point it had now. But then, if it had not, he would never had asked her to step forwards as his representative, or not stopped her in using his name as a rallying point for the supply train. It struck her just how she had changed in the last six or seven months, going from wretched slave who constantly said the wrong things deliberately, to steward who gave him a good reputation but always had new reasons to detest him. Most of her loyalty, she knew, grew from the fact that he was her god, and all else had grown from that. But loyalty did not mean that memories went away, and fresh feelings of anger.

“Miss?” came a soft, nervous whisper.

Stare looked over to see Desian of all people offering her a goblet of rich-smelling wine. Two goblets in fact. Stare grunted and grabbed both before automatically checking the metal with a glance of her eyes and passing over the more full and pristine one and holding it out to Vitruvion. Not skipping a single note and without breaking eye contact, the 'brother’ leant over to cup his hand around the goblet and take it from her. Then he paused a moment, in his speech, gestured for a brother to respond before he pointed at her, but did not look at her.

“Food,” he said quietly, in a non-suggestive, ordering manner.

Damn, she thought, realising her actions and his words. Damn this all.
Twisting back to Desian she forced her away around the room until she caught up with the serving girl. Desian gasped a little and looked honestly nervous - but then, Stare had attacked her earlier - before nodding.

“Can you please get some food,” she muttered. “He'll eat … grapes, cheese, olives, that sort of thing just now.”

[Stare]

Desian glanced in the direction of Vitruvion, then back to Stare. “Of course Miss,” she whispered before giving her last couple of goblets away and hurrying out of the room. Stare moodily stalked back over to Vitruvion before returning to his left side.

“It's coming,” she murmured.

“That was not too hard, now was it?” he whispered back, nodding as he pretended to listen to a brother.

She looked away and huffed. “Wine good enough?”

“Actually it's slightly vinegary,” he muttered. “But it will do.”

She stood there for a moment, staring at him until he noticed his sly smile. Hissing under her breath she shoved her hand out and he placed the wine back in it. Twisting around she let her eyes scan over the room, only very briefly brushing those of Pride. She noticed then that the girl was still looking at her, eyebrows raised and looking somewhere between confused and in awe.

“I'll be back,” she muttered to him before she took both goblets and started out of the room.

She returned some minutes later to find the conversation thankfully moved on from her, and Hugin. Now the brothers were discussing the food crisis and solutions to avoiding such a thing in the future. One of them, an orcish man called Dru Blacktooth, was even suggesting not having Hugin replaced but instead turn his rooms into some form of storage facility.

Stare had gone down to Vitruvion's own apartments and grabbed wine from his own supply. On the way up she had met Desian and was now returning with both better wine and food, sacrificing her own (i.e. downing it) to have space in her hands. The time she had taken had been useful in order to get her breath back from her ordeal, outside of the stifling room. Because, really, it had to be admitted …

She had finally done it. Finally she had committed the final and dreadful act of calling the prisoners here 'guests’ in front of their 'hosts’ and them. Her final act in her traitorous journey, the actual words had transferred her truly over to the dark side in this horror. A long time ago Vitruvion had planned to have her take over the administration side of the Hollow, but when Stare had proved her use in business he kept her focus there. For six months now she had been coming and going as a simple punter, briefly appearing at a council meeting to simply be a presence, and also let Vitruvion know she was alive after losing her cuff to the first Church of Sabazios mage she had come across. That was the same time she had learnt first of his half brother who secretly plagued their lives, and hells, brought her brother back to her. So many things, so many journeys and Stare had today signed one of her final farewells. Two, if one countered mortality. The other was to the last part she felt of her that was salvageable - the small impact she had on the Hollow, but now as she walked back she realised that had died now too. The brothers now recognised her as Vitruvion's representative. They would never seen in the same way again.

When she came back she noticed Pride.

The girl was looking at her with a strong intensity, and not with just the confusion and awe from before. There was … something else, like a spark had been ignited and a new passion had arisen. Slowly, without breaking eye contact with her she passed over the goblet, then the plate of bread and olives to Vitruvion. Pride swallowed slightly and then began to raise a hand to indicate something … before a tap came at her shoulder. A look of despair fell over her face as she looked back and saw a series of gestures from Tanish. She blinked a few times, a few conflicting thoughts apparently in her head before she nodded and related his thoughts to the general room.

Stare though … could not shake it. There had been something in Pride for a moment, and indication that perhaps she did not hate her. An idea came into Stare's mind, to look into the aura sight and find what emotion might be flaring, but a quick word sounded into her head.

[Stare]

Take her outside and do it. I can do without the distraction of seeing a room of souls just now.

She paused. You don't have to look into my head.

You should know by now I am there most of the time. It has unfortunately become a habit, and I find I can multitask, he picked up his goblet to his lips and took a slow sip.

How on earth do you suppose I get her outside on her own? Stare asked, bemused.

He used his many ringed finger to tear of a chunk of bread and push it into his mouth with all the ceremony of a king. If she is this desperate you can leave and she will find an excuse to leave. She is trusted beyond anything with Tinash. Hence being unbound and he only had one guard with him. Then we can know what she wants.

You mean I can, Stare smiled slightly.

Don't try to be funny. I said what I mean.

With that he twisted his head around sightly and looked at her. For the first time since he had entered the room their eyes met. The flash of ice blue bore into her and she found herself stunned for a moment before she ducked her head and looked away. Her heart racing she looked once over to Pride and waited until the girl could see her. Then the kenku meaningfully looked away before obviously turning … and heading out of the door.

She didn't even glance to Zulon, but stepped all the way out. Huffing she stepped through the short corridor and into the round hall that acted as a sort of crossroads for the long path that made up the Hollow. Stare checked and found Vitruvion's half aware presence in her mind. Pausing for a moment she did a short walk and found nobody there asides from her own self. Yes, there would be guards further up the white corridor towards the door but that was all.

Perhaps Pride would not be allowed out, despite Vitruvion's suggestion she was trusted.

A creak from behind her made the very idea tumble from her mind. Pride was already quietly coming out, her deep auburn hair framing her fine features. Stare had never really looked at Pride before but now, in this more open light than that in the council chamber, she could see that her skin had a slightly shimmering tone to it, like the sheen on pearls.

“Hi …” Stare said slowly, her hand closing over the hilt of her dagger just in case.

Pride blinked a few times before picking her way over the cobbles, coming anxiously closer. Stare noticed that she wore no shoes and was dressed in a thin dress. In fact she was moderately shivering, and the kenku felt a stab of guilt over having taken her from a room with so many warm bodies to help generate heat.

“I don't have much time,” Pride said quickly. “I used the excuse of needing to use the facilities, and so …”