[Morwen]

Name: Morwen Copperfax
Race: Halfling
Age: 25
Class: Rogue
Deity: Deliar
Alignment: Chaotic good

Introduction:

The jarring clang of metal reverberated down the prison's narrow corridor as one of its many cell doors was heaved sideways. Two young women, a halfling and a human, awoke with a start and sat upright in their bunk beds; the human cursed crudely as she knocked her head against a beam of the top bunk.

"'Ere, mind yer skull," quipped the halfling, slapping her palms against the mattress as she swung her feet towards the ladder. Her hand made a muted thudding noise, like hitting wood wrapped in padding, padding that had long seen better days, "You isn't gettin' out on good be'aviour wiv a mouth like that!"

The woman in the lower bunk looked about to respond with even more colourful language, but was interrupted by the impatient prison officer standing in the doorway and drumming his fingers against the hilt of his sword.

"Miss Copperfax," said the officer authoritatively, tilting his head towards the red-headed halfling on the top bunk, "you know well what day this is. Please come with me, it is time to re-collect your possessions."

Morwen exhaled slowly and nodded. She climbed onto the top rung of the ladder and jumped nimbly onto the floor, landing softly in front of the prison officer. A quiet sigh was heard from the lower bunk, and Morwen turned round to see her cellmate of five years give her a feeble wave, before flopping backwards onto her bed and pulling the covers up to her neck in a defiant attempt to get some more sleep before the breakfast bell rang.

"Um, officer, sir," Morwen began hesitantly, "if I could just 'ave five minutes first, eh? You know... t'say goodbye?"

The officer stared back at the halfling, apparently unable to understand why anyone would wish to delay getting out of this place for even five minutes. Eventually his expression softened, albeit grudgingly, "Alright, Morwen, but hurry it up, ok? We do have a schedule to stick to. I'll be waiting just outside."

The officer locked the cell door behind him and Morwen walked over to the bunk, giving the body beneath the patchy blanket a gentle prod.

"What? Huh?" protested the muffled voice. The woman pushed aside the blanket and sat up, smoothing away the hair in her face and tutting at Morwen. "You still here then?" she exclaimed at the halfling, "What for? Three feet of madness you are, get going already!"

"Aeda! I couldn' leave without sayin' goodbye properly!"

"Well, guess that's fair enough..." Aeda inspected her well-chewed fingernails carefully, "So... what are you gonna do once you're outside? Revenge? That's what I'd do."

Morwen grinned and shook her head, "Nah. Revenge isn' going ta bring back five years of me life, is it? So what would the point be? Not that I wouldn' like to know who really did steal all that stuff from the Shevingtons' safe, but I'd much prefer ta put it all be'ind me. Start over. I'm leavin' the past in the past."

"Revenge didn't give me back the years of my life I spent married to scum neither, but it made me feel better. Then again, I did wind up in here, so perhaps you should listen to your own advice. You'll do alright in the real world, Morwen, so I reckon, for what it's worth."

"Thanks Aeda, it's worth a lot. I'll write, I will. Promise."

Both women smiled, almost fiercely, acknowledging this was to be the last few minutes they would ever spend together, but neither willing to spoil the parting with tears. After five years of slowly forged friendship, they knew how much the other's company would be missed, and they knew that they would cry for the friend they would never see again. But it would be later, when they were alone, because that is what they had both agreed last night.

"Officer?" called Morwen, louder than she had meant to, for she had been afraid her voice would crack and betray her. The prison officer moved in front of the cell and unattached the keys from his belt.

"I'm ready, sir. I'm ready to leave."


OOC:
Morwen is a halfling of 25 years who has spent the last five of those in prison for a crime, which to this day, she claims she did not commit. A collection of highly valuable items belonging to a wealthy merchant family, the Shevingtons, went missing from their safe, presumed stolen. Morwen, the young halfling assistant chef who worked for the Shevingtons and was well known for her reputation of mischief, seemed a likely suspect. Suspicions which were confirmed when her home was searched and most of the stolen items found hidden in a secret compartment in her bedroom. Morwen protested that she was framed, but with no other suspects and no evidence of the foul-play she claimed, the halfling was brought before a court and found guilty, almost unanimously.

Now Morwen has served her sentence, and has just set out on starting a new life for herself. She has no intention of returning from where she came, having no desire for revenge or for stirring up the past. In her words, she wishes to leave the past in the past. Whether Morwen's past will stay in the past is another matter.