She'd been sitting in the Harpy for a while. After fighting with Steel, she needed to get away and clear her head. Somehow she ended up back where she started. Fort Vehl, the unwashed armpit of Mistone.
The argument kept replaying in her mind. Why did it bother her so much anyways? He had agreed to go a year without using magic in exchange for her learning to use scrolls. It was a bargain struck to make both of them feel uncomfortable, but it was struck. And when he stated that he would only not use magic in combat for a year rather than going completely with out, something had just snapped. It was like every disappointment she'd in recent times all the way back until forever just all surfaced and no matter whether it was actually Steel's fault or not, he was going to pay for it.
Because he was the only one that could.
She was grateful for the mask as she sat toward the back of the inn, staring at the people milling around and contemplating the glass of whiskey she had ordered, but had not been willing to remove the mask in order to drink. When emotions run high, masks are welcome. She could appear outwardly calm and collected, the silent mercenary, even if her insides were twisted into knots of anger and anguish and regret.
A kid walked into the tavern. He looked like he couldn't have been much more than fourteen at the very oldest. A drunkard stumbled into him and yelled at him to get out of the way, but instead of running out, the boy just sidestepped out of the way to avoid his wrath. The kid walked up to the bar and quietly put his money down and asked Wheezer for a drink. Must not have been much for coins because Wheezer gave him the cheapest possible excuse for an ale as he could.
Now, what a fourteen year old in Vehl was doing drinking wasn't really all that much of a stretch. She remembered seeing kids as young as eight getting sloshed off of something that the older and bigger kids in the gangs had given them just to laugh when they got sick. But this one wasn't doing this as part of a gang. He was out of his league. That took something most people didn't have. There were no backers here with this kid. She watched him as he sat down in a corner, looking like he couldn't decide if he wanted to be seen or not.
She turned to look at him and made the gestures to warn him off of drinking the swill he had. She stood and picked up her pack and the untouched glass of whiskey and moved over toward him, setting her own drink before her. "You might as well drink horse urine if you drink that. If you want a real drink, take this." The words came out harsh an raspy. Her voice had never been the same after the incident with the Kuhl border guard. They'd taken more than just her boots and a life. It used to be her choice if she wanted to speak or not. Now it was a struggle.
She asked him why he was in a place like this. He said he was looking for work. His voice wasn't much louder than hers. Maybe this was the balance she needed. Maybe she didn't need Steel to give up his magic and reduce himself so that she felt more on even footing. Maybe she just needed to pull someone else out of the same cesspool she grew up in and give them a chance and that would appease the balance. Too many memories of her own had been coming back lately anyways of her days as Mouse. This kid was another Mouse: dirty and quiet and just trying to get by. She told him that she might have work for him if he had the guts. All he had to do was drink the whiskey in the glass she set down before him and she would give him enough money to get out of Fort Vehl and get set up for a new life.
He hesitated and sat back like he was waiting for something else, or perhaps too scared to try. Viper frowned behind her mask. Maybe it was too much to ask after all. Why would this kid trust that she hadn't poisoned him, even if she did tell him it wasn't poisoned? She stood, preparing to leave. The kid sat upright as if startled and almost looked panicked at a lost opportunity. He took a gulp of the liquid and did his best not to choke on it. He squeaked out a question if he needed to drink more or if that would do.
Viper sat back down and pulled out a sack of a few hundred coins. It would be enough to get him on a caravan and decent food. She told the kid that if he wanted more work he would need to head north out of Co'rys to a place called Center. There, he'd need to buy himself a weapon and some decently made leather armor to protect himself. She told him to buy food for travel and put whatever left of the coin into a bank for safekeeping. Viper recalled to herself how she used to hide her own treasures under the docks where she could only reach it when the tide was out.
The boy suddenly seemed eager and apprehensive all at once. She told him to leave town as soon as the conversation was done and warned him not to tell anyone about the coins so that he wouldn't get mugged. She told him where to find her.
As she left, she wondered if she'd ever see the kid again. She waited and watched from a distance as he left and followed as he collected his belongings and then did as he was told, getting passage with a caravan heading north.
There was enough there to find decent life somewhere if he decided to take the money and call it enough. Even if she never saw the kid again, at least she'd done one thing worth while today. Maybe there was a little balance to all of the death that followed her.
Forums
Show Posts
I'll try again another night. Maybe tonight! Don't know yet.