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RE: A Legacy in Blood - Roen - 06-04-2017
Delial stood alone with her back to the road, her dark silhouette starkly contrasted against the white canvas of the northern mountains beyond. Beneath the woman’s boots, the icy ground seemed thinner, slipperier, and few trees nearby looked charred, marred with blackened spots. The woman’s shoulder rose and fell with heavy breaths.
Roen paused momentarily to study the Highlander’s frame before she approached, her sabatons crunching the frosty ground. Something about her seemed... different, but she could not put her finger on what it was.
“Of all the places, I did not expect to meet here.†Roen broke the silence as she scanned the snowy alcove around them. Delial always hated the cold.
The Highlander turned her head slightly to give her a sidelong glance. “Could do worse than this, I think. Not by much, but… well. Necessity, regardless. It has been sometime, my dear. It is good to see you again.â€
Roen came to stand next to the woman, both the skirt of her armor and her ponytail whipping about as the north wind whirled around them. "The fact that I had not heard from you, I assumed at least there was no bad news." She tucked an errant lock of hair behind her ear, looking to the road behind Delial that led to Whitebrim. "How is my brother?"
“Gharen is… he's well. Focused. Helping me focus. Though I think he's got -- surely you have heard. Of the happenings in the Shroud."
“The news of the war that may be brewing.†Roen nodded. “Kiht paid me a visit to voice her concerns on the matter. I suppose such news would interest him." She paused a moment, before turning back to Delial. "And you too, I would imagine."
Delial snorted. "We saw it on our way here -- hanging, silent. Wretched. And still he has thoughts of joining in the resistance. Again." Her eyes rolled and her lips thinned. "That Kiht -- she does not help with it. But I suppose he will do what he thinks is right, foolhardy as it may be. She mentioned that you had similar thoughts."
"I feel that it is something I cannot ignore." Roen’s voice lowered. "Although... I fear, my intentions or my hopes for what happens may not be exactly the same as it is for Gharen and Kiht." She bowed her head to hide her doubts. “I do not know what I would seek to do, in truth. What would you do? Could you simply stay out of it?"
The Highlander shifted. "I know not, either, truth be told. What could I do? I have been... disgraced, I suppose, from either side. I do not think I belong any more. But it is still home, and it would... I long to see it. I miss it too much to sit back." She exhaled. “There are things yet to attend to, here. I cannot stray for now, as much as I may wish to. And I am not certain if I do."
Roen nods. "I suppose we will all find out what is to come in due time."
Delial raised an eyebrow. "It is quite plain to me what is going to happen, but -- ah." The woman paused as both of them turned to the sound of another approaching from the road.
"So tha's where ye've gone an' snuck off te. Remind me te teach ye how te hide yer tracks, Delial.†Roen recognized the voice immediately and it was only after hearing it that she realized she had missed it so. Her eyes squinted as her brother appeared through the heavy snowfall. “Did ye stop te check on our comatose friend on yer way?"
Delial shrugged, giving her heels a bit of a shuffle. "You would have found me regardless, I think. And I did not, alas -- did not wish to keep our guest waiting."
"Well, I thank ye fer th' trail o' breadcrumbs te follow lest I miss gettin' te see my dear sister." Gharen came to stand next to them both, giving her a small but warm smile.
Roen found herself returning the expression, and it was easier than she thought. There had been a nervous flutter in her stomach lately whenever she anticipated seeing her brother; it was a strange feeling that was both unfamiliar and unwelcome. But their last parting had not been so cordial, with most of the blame falling at her feet. She quickly directed her attention to his physical well-being as she gave him a careful look over; his gait was steady, his stance strong, and he no longer needed the aid of a walking stick. And in that, she felt the anxiety within slowly fading.
"Gharen." She uttered his name quietly. "You look well."
"Eh, no worse fer th' wear. Nothin' gettin' a boot te th' ass from Osric offa cliff could nae' fix." He shrugged.
Roen slowly blinked. Twice. "What was that?" She must have misheard.
"Oh, I started trainin' under Osric nae long ago since my other lead dried up.†His tone remained ever casual, as if to purposefully not raise any alarm. “Bastard planted his boot upon my arse an' shoved me inte Nophica's wells." He met his sister’s gaze and grinned, as if amused by the befuddlement he saw there. "So. How've ye been? An' tha' lanky significant other?"
"Ah? Is that -- the au ra fellow?†Delial also chose that moment to pipe in. “Or perhaps someone new?" There was a strange hint of mischievous curiosity to the woman’s tone. Clearly, she could not resist gossip.
Roen’s brows shot to the sky and she coughed to clear her throat. "Signifi--" She glared back and forth between them. "He is no such -- there is no such thing." She made one slashing motion of her hand as if cutting through the air. "Besides, he has gone home," she said more quietly. "Back to Othard." She also gave Delial a pointed look as if to chide the woman. "And I have time for anyone new. There is a reason I wanted to meet with both of you.†Her head swiveled back and forth, giving both of them a stern reprimanding look.
It did not seem to deter Gharen. "Well I thought ye'd make a cute couple." He was met with a dead stare.
“A strange boy, that was," Delial said flatly, looking somewhat disappointed. "But... there was news, yes, as I recall."
“Well, anyroad.†Roen cleared her throat. “What is this about a comatosed patient? Are you in need of looking after someone?"
"You recall that Tengri fellow.†Delial crossed her arms. “A lead he gave us brought us here, and to this... man."
Roen frowned. "A man?"
"A cavern with a secret room with even more secrets. Least of all, a man simply..." The Highlander woman trailed off, raising her hands to gesture vaguely at herself -- trailing her fingers down, like drapery. "Tubes in his body. Some sort of magitek. We pulled him out of it, and have been keeping him here ever since." She nodded in the direction of Dragonhead, to the east. "He has not yet woken. I am not certain he will."
"He looks familiar if'n ye ask me.†Gharen scratched his chin. “I've taken it upon myself te name him Bob if'n only because it'll confuse th' shite out o' him when he awakes, if'n he is who I suspect."
"Who do you suspect?"
"Jameson Taeros."
Roen stared at Gharen wordlessly, her lips parted. It took a moment before she was able to gather her thoughts. "No wonder you have kept a watch on him then. I knew he was in Ishgard. I had learned of it from Edda, when they were still engaged. But... as far as I know, he had disappeared again without a trace." She narrowed her eyes, her thoughts jumping from one thing to another. "They had known each other for a long time, Taeros and Banurein.â€
"Could nae tell ye anythin about how he got there. But when yer thrown in an underground cell te sweat it out under th' desert, ye tend te remember faces.†Gharen tapped a finger against his temple. “I will say I was pleased te see him jump like a fish out o' water when we tried te wake him ourselves."
Delial gave a slow shake of her head. “He was plugged into these... machines. The cave collapsed while we were trying to get out, else we could show you."
Roen frowned. "I wonder if she was experimenting on him as well,†she thought out loud. “When did the cave collapse?"
"Over a moon ago now, I think. I know not if you have scouted it again.†Delial glanced to Gharen, "But I know I have not bothered myself."
"Th' tunnel we took out remains. But I've nae entered again lest there be more surprises waitin' te bury us in th' mountain.â€
"Then that was not the underground laboratory that I found.†Roen sighed. “There must be multiple facilities. There was another lab that we came across, this one under the Pillars. I am certain that the one we found also is no longer used, our presence there must have been discovered by now." She glanced between Delial and Gharen. "I believe she has made some influential connections within Ishgard. She worked for a cult under the guise of an alchemist. I believe she promised them unnatural results."
"I am of the mind she knew of us well before we arrived.†Delial muttered. “Tengri's promise was hollow. It would not be so simple.†She turned her amber gaze toward Roen. "Unnatural results? Of what sort?"
“There was a group I was looking into in Ishgard. They had looked to sever their blood heritage with the dragons.†Roen reflexively looked about even though they were only surrounded by ice. “We found some evidence of experimentations that were being done with the Elezens, the Au Ra, the dragonkin… and some ancient artifact." Her gaze darted between Delial and Gharen. “I suspected Banurein to work for them, because I found evidence of both research into the Void and the use of magitek by this group as well. And I know that they hired an outside alchemist for the job.â€
"It would not be much of a leap, no. Not for someone like her,†Delial growled.
“Blood heritage... with dragons?" Gharen scratched his head, clear confusion in his eyes.
Roen nodded. "Aye, I am not too familiar with the intricacies of Ishgard's ties with dragons, but historically, through blood of the Knights Twelve, the Elezens of Ishgard carry some trace of dragonblood in their veins. And there are zealots who wished to purge themselves of this influence. They would go through any means to do so.†She paused with an exhale. “I think Banurein may have promised them such results. Although as I understand it, she was only a new addition to their plans. But they had much resources she could have drawn from."
Delial squinted, looking puzzled. "Perhaps... what was being done to Taeros -- or whomever that is -- was but a test? I could not even begin to guess what it was meant to do. Perhaps something else entirely."
Gharen shook his head. "Tha' woman is like an insect ye cannae swat."
"Reeves.†Roen tapped her chin, recalling all that she had discovered in that lab. “That is the name she goes by in Ishgard, I believe." She gave Gharen a sidelong glance. "She may have lasted this long, but now we know the people she has allied herself to outside of Garlemald. And if what you say is true, you also have Taeros." She canted her head. “Do you think she will come for him?"
"It is a distinct possibility she already knows o' where he is. An' will come when she requires him."
"She has not yet.†Delial shook her head. “If she has been searching for him, surely she would know of a tube-riddled man brought out here. Hardly the sort of case one comes upon often I should think," she grumbled with another shake of her head. "Though I wonder now of Ishgard. If there are others undergoing such treatments?"
"I know not, only that there have been bodies that were found on the landscape.†Roen’s voice turned grim. “But none that seemed... experimented on. Only murdered in some ritualistic fashion."
“Well,†Gharen said dryly. “It sounds like somethin' right up her alley."
Delial hugged her arms a little more closely about herself, settling into a deep frown. "She knows us, of course. And I would wonder if there are those who still remember us -- or me, I suppose, from our last blunder in the Brume. To be frank, I care little enough for Ishgard. Taeros can rot, and I would not care. But if she has my brother yet -- I must know. I care for nothing else."
"Of course,†Roen nodded, her eyes lingering on Delial. She has been in her shoes before, so long ago. How strange now that the tables have turned. “I will make my way back to the city and see what I can find. For what it is worth, I have not heard of any Highlanders being found, hurt or otherwise. At least none that fits Harvard's description."
"What if we used Taeros as a bargaining chip?†Gharen crossed his arms. “We certainly have nae love fer th' man."
Roen gave Gharen a strange look, then stared at nothing particular beyond him. Something within her did not quite like that idea. But she could not say why. "Aye. Perhaps."
Delial offered a small nod, her gaze also not quite on either of the siblings. "Anything at all," she muttered. "I would wonder of Taeros' value if she has failed to seek him yet. Unless she is waiting for something."
"I know not of her madness,†Roen murmured.
“I think it’s worth it.†Gharen nodded in agreement. “She's hauled his fat out o' th' fire before."
Delial snorted softly, clearly lacking optimism for the idea. "If it pleases her, I could dress him up in bows, place some color back upon his cheeks. Whatever I must, I will do."
"I would rather see her no longer with the world of the living, but..." Roen set her jaw and stared intently at the Highlander woman. "Your brother first."
"Well, it is one more idea than we had previously. An a possibility o' gettin' yer brother back, regardless how slim."
"Of course. Of course." Delial nodded as she raised her eye to flit between Gharen and Roen. "As ever, you have my gratitude. Both of you. I think I would have gone restless and mad long ago without you."
Roen snorted quietly with a small smile, in an effort to reassure the woman. "There are suns, where I still find our circumstances remarkable. It is as if we have come to a full circle."
"I have never much cared for the Weaver," Delial muttered. "But at least I can expect I shall not be delivered a bloodied box."
That brought an oddly shocked look from the paladin. Just when she thought she understood the woman, Delial would prove her wrong. There was a pause before she spoke again. "Alright. I should get going then. Sooner we know where this Reeves is, sooner we can get your brother back."
Delial gave a nod to Roen, a bit more deeply than usual -- quiet and perhaps even a humbled sort of gratitude.
"O'course, need te be gettin' in touch with Osric eventually te continue my trainin,†Gharen nodded. “An' th' whole cliff thing had te do with openin' what th' monks call Chakras. Would have been much worse if'n mine had nae been opened before hand."
Roen slowly narrowed her eyes at her brother, in scrutiny. "Well, if he throws you off another cliff as the training goes on... I will be very vexed."
"I can't expect he would do it twice," Delial added, a note of finality in her voice.
Her brother grinned. “Why do ye think I let th' two of ye in on it? Best form o' revenge short o' directly returnin' th' favor."
Roen exhaled slowly, but the furrow to her brow eased, just a little. "Well, good. I think." She fell quiet for a moment, just taking some measure of comfort in their familiar presence. "Well, I shall be off. I will send word when I have something to report."
"If there is any way I -- we can help you... do not hesitate.†Delial took a step forward. “We will be near."
"Aye, we're at th' inn in Dragonhead.†Gharen thumbed over his shoulder eastward. “Already caught Kiht passin' through nae long ago."
An amused grin curled Roen’s lips. “Perhaps she is still keeping an eye on you, in her own way."
Gharen smiled back. "I don' mind. She is a good ally te have on our side."
She was about to turn when one other thought crossed her mind. “Does… Ser Crofte know? Or Edda? Anyone? About Taeros?â€
"I've nae seen Crofte in... well I'm nae sure how long more'n a cycle I think?" Her brother shook his head.
"I have told no one,†Delial said flatly. “I did not think that it could be him."
“Hm.†Roen hummed in thought. “No matter. It is entirely possible he will never regain consciousness from what you have said. Perhaps waiting is best.†She nodded to them both one more time before turning and making her way toward the road with haste. There was still much to be done, before the leads they had disappeared like tracks in the snow.
RE: A Legacy in Blood - cuideag - 06-06-2017
Before.
She waited exactly one sun before she took the aetheryte shard. Crystal blue melted, faded into silken, crystalline everything, and when her feet finally found solid ground again she swallowed hard against the disorientation and the near overwhelming nausea that rose with it. To say it was silent could not be true: the dust-tinged sky of Thanalan was replaced with metal walls and ceilings and artificial light. Around her, everything hummed. Castrum, Delial reminded herself, anchoring herself to the word while the rest of her wound her senses around it. Banurein. Then, sourly, Wolfsong.
Someone nearby cleared their throat. Raising her eyes from the fading pale blue halo at her feet, she regarded her attendant: a woman of precise shapes and crisp edges, not a guard though Delial noted a slim weapon at her hip. She said nothing at all but her lips pursed and pale eyes looked away the moment she recognized she had their guest's attention. The rest of her followed, spinning not a degree too far or too short, and she marched without so much as looking to see if Grimsong was following. It was expected for she was expected and Delial allowed herself the time to take quick deep breaths, one, two, before she took pace behind her.
The halls wound and coiled into themselves, a blur of grey tubing and hard light. Long wires, sometimes in bundles thick as limbs, bounced between round nodes pierced by thin tube-like projections. They walked beneath several before she could confirm that they followed their movements, whirring in sockets, tiny red lights flashing back to a gentler white only when they passed. There were doors and pipes and things she assumed were engines, lit in hard patterns and lines; sometimes there were windows and sometimes they were barred. The one time she veered towards one to try and take a look, her guide gave her boots a particularly sharp click and Delial grudgingly fell back onto the path the woman was setting for her, unobtrusive and safe dead center through the halls. If something had scratched at the other side of that door, then Delial would never know.
Eventually one side of the hall was overtaken by broad double doors flanked by two proper guards. They may as well have been statues for they did not move nor utter a word as the guide-woman punched some pattern into a panel beside one of them. Several turret nodes ringed the ceiling there before the doors, perpetually blinking warning red at them. The doors hissed open much more smoothly than Delial would have expected given their size, spilling a pool of softer light into the unending hall. Again the guide spun, this time to face the Highlander with a wordless and near expressionless stare. Her lips remained pursed, haughty and disapproving, impatient for Grimsong to pick upon meaning without speaking a word. The door yawned wide and beckoning. Repaying silence with silence, Delial turned and stepped through. Then behind her, the doors hissed shut, gouts of steam erupting from vented pipes on either side.
This new room was even wider than its doors and its high ceiling, covered again with ropes and bundles of wires and broad tubes and pipes, was speckled with spotlights instead of turrets. Only a few were lit, casting broad circles on the sterile grey floor. The biggest and brightest of them was in the center of the room, where a woman in blue stood beside a table and a metal cart. As Delial strode closer, she could make out tubes and jars, trays of shining instruments, vacuous crystals and books etched with pulsing glyphs. Upon the table, a man.
"Miss Grimsong." Raelisanne Banurein spared little courtesy. She did not speak loudly but the chamber carried her voice clear as a bell. "You decided to join us. Good."
Wolfsong appeared unconscious though he breathed hard and harsh against the chains that bound him. It was not difficult to spy the black, otherworldly things that were introduced to him in the house where he had been held captive back in Vesper Bay. Nor was it difficult to note the beginnings of new scars, thin but laced with residue, glistening in oily shades of black and indigo. Beneath closed lids, his eyes rolled wild.
Banurein did not wait for Delial to respond. "You brought your weapon, I trust. We have a great deal of work ahead of us." Then, at last, the pale woman's head turned and hard eyes settled upon her guest. "Can you do it?"
Delial took a breath to speak but something twisted inside her, a momentary vertigo rising through her alongside a memory: a voice, vast and dry as wind through dying leaves, spoken by a woman who wore shadows defiant of the firelight in her hall. Hands upon her own, heavy and too large, too long, cutting shapes across her skin like ink as a cold shape was pressed into her palm. Quick, easy. Everything has it's cost and it all begins with a cut. My little dove, she sang, and Delial remembered the shine of teeth beneath shaded veils. Can you do it?
She heard, muffled, Banurein with an edge of impatience drawing her cold tone even colder. "Yes or no will do." But as Delial gathered herself she felt the blade already in her hand, a cold and solid comfort reminding her of her task, of the resolve she had cut out of better men than traitorous Wolfsong.
“Yes,†she said, more hoarse than she would have liked; the stale air of the Castrum dried her throat, she insisted inwardly, stole away the strength in her voice. On the table, Wolfsong writhed against the terrors in his blood.
“Good,†said Banurein, though there was no hint of pleasure in the word. The scientist turned her attention back to her subject and then to her instruments, running her fingers over them as she considered her choices. Beneath her fingers, the vials pulsed an impossible violet light, staining her otherwise pristine robes. “Come. Show me what you can do. What we can do,†she said, and for the barest instant Delial thought she saw the other woman was grinning. “Together.â€
---
On the quiet days they permitted her entry, alone that their patient not be disturbed, and never with her weapon once they identified the burns. It was a mystery to her why she even bothered. He was as much a corpse to the world as he was the sun they found him. After the first few visits, she gave up on talking.
Delial was certain they had explained it to her once: his condition, their thoughts and theories on the what’s and why’s, but it had all gone right over her head. Just as she could glean nothing from their words, they could gain nothing from her. That they hadn’t turned her and Wolfsong in on the spot had been miraculous in itself, but there was nearly nothing they could explain of the man they’d brought or why someone had embedded tubes into his flesh.
It was Banurein’s work, of that there was no doubt. But what was it? What was it meant to do? Why Taeros, and not...
Her heart had fallen when they found him, secreted away in an already secret place. The last thing she had expected to find was a man that looked suspiciously like Jameson Taeros. The thought hadn’t even occurred to her until Gharen made mention of it, and some small part of her wondered if it was guilt that drew her to his bedside. It was not her brother hidden in that room and so it may as well have been a stranger. It was not him and so he did not matter.
Except he did. Clearly, he did - Taeros always mattered to someone, somewhere and in her silent vigil Delial resented him for it. In her loathing, her thoughts wandered to Crofte and Lady Eglantine, and what they would think of his state. Enjoy your pickled man, something had said in that room and Delial hadn’t given it much thought.
“At least someone,†she said aloud, “Is having a worse time than me.â€
RE: A Legacy in Blood - Roen - 06-09-2017
“Well, well. If it isn’t the infamous Jameson Taeros.â€
Shaelen Stormchild poked a finger at the tubings that protruded out of the man’s ribcage. She tilted her head this way and that, then crossed her arms. “I would’a never guessed this was the same man that made the headlines in Ul’dah a few years ago.†The Highlander woman cocked a brow. “Someone’s sure done a number on him.â€
Roen stood on the other side of the unconscious man, giving a nod of reassurance to the physician on who hovered at the doorway. He was lingering, giving a suspicious eye to the Highlander woman who wore a large gun upon her back. While Roen had assured the physician that Shaelen intended the patient no harm, it was obvious his attention was drawn to the metal packs that hung from the Highlander, that flashed and glowed with magitek gadgetry. The man bowed reluctantly, and with a disapproving frown, before he exited the room.
“So, can you help him?†Roen glanced back to Shael.
The Highlander snorted loudly. “Hells no! I can tell you how to rewire an aether drive or hotwire a magitek engine, but this…†She made a face as her eyes skipped from one duct to another that coiled in and out of the man’s body. “I can say that these look like conduits of some sort. Not sure what is flowing within, but I suspect his body is dependent upon it somehow, since it hasn’t killed him yet. Maybe… it’s like a new fuel pipe of some sort? I haven’t the slightest clue without actually opening him up, but that might kill him.†When the paladin gave him a look of dismay, Shael held up both her hands. “But…! I’ve thrown out a few hooks out to some experts I know, to see who bites. Shooey should be getting back to me soon.â€
“Oh!†Roen arched both her eyebrows. She bent down into her pack, and withdrew a thin polished metal tablet. She extended it to the smuggler. “Would this help?â€
“Oh ho ho!†Shael’s eyes lit up as she eagerly snatched the magitek pad. Her fingers deftly began to work on its surface, and the tablet responded with illumination. The smuggler smiled gleefully. “This will work. Oh definitely.â€
Roen sighed with relief, lowering herself into a seat next to the unconscious patient. “The physicians have done what they could here to keep him alive, but they know not what to do with the magitek.â€
“I am not surprised,†Shaelen did not look up, her face buried in the tablet. “This is some intricate stuff.â€
Roen regarded the woman for a moment, but as she seemed to be completely engrossed in whatever information she was gleaning off the screen, Roen turned her attention back to Taeros. The man in front of her looked nothing like the proud noble she once knew; his cheeks were sunken in and his dark hair was a matted mess. Someone had shaved his grizzled beard, but that had only highlighted the pallor and gaunt features underneath. How long has he been this way? And why? She had always thought that he was an ally of Banurein.
“I still don’ get why you even want to help him, Red.†The smuggler looked up, giving her an odd look. “Wasn’t he the one that got you dismissed from the Sultansworns, then threw you in a dungeon when you were with Lazarov? It’s people like him that you were trying to bring down. Now you want to save his life?â€
Silence was the only answer that Roen could give. She was not sure why she wanted to do this. Was it because he had confessed his love for her mother once? Or that he had told her that he had actually intended then failed to protect her? Even when she had that one opportunity with a blade drawn against the the man’s neck, Roen had spared his life. She was not quite sure why she couldn’t kill him then either. But she knew one thing for certain. Trading him like a simple bag of grain, back to the woman who was responsible for his dire state in the first place, just felt wrong.
“There is still so much we do not know,†Roen murmured. “Perhaps he could answer so many more questions.â€
“Huh,†Shael huffed, setting the tablet down on the bed next to Taeros’ head. She folded her arms and propped her elbows onto the mattress, bringing her gaze to Roen’s level. She stared straight at her. “This is just like the last time. With the Kinslayer’s brother. You couldn’t honestly go through with the exchange then either. Even after everything, you still haven’t changed.†She snorted. “Still soft.â€
Roen frowned and stood, pushing off the bed. “That plan worked, did it not? Delial agreed to the exchange: Gharen for Harvard.†She spun and paced to the window. She absently rubbed at her neck at the memory that rose, of the fury she remembered in Qaeli’s eyes, when she found out that Roen had released Harvard, even before the exchange had taken place. Back then, she was not willing to risk Qaeli delivering on her promise of taking Harvard’s life if the trade had not gone as planned. No matter what the circumstances, Harvard had been innocent.
“Yeah, we got lucky I guess.†Shael shrugged and returned her attention to the magitek pad. “Be glad your brother didn’t come back in a box.â€
There was a tinge of bitterness in the smuggler’s words that Roen could not ignore. Shael had never forgiven Delial’s murder of Aylard Greyarm. And why should she? Roen had come to realize that Shaelen had deep loyalties to Greyarm. Had Delial returned Gharen in the same gruesome manner… how would have things turned out?
The thought sent a wave of nausea through Roen and she quickly shook her head to disperse the mental images that rose. That was not who Delial was now; the woman had been slowly trying to atone for all that she had done. But Roen knew that Shaelen would be the last person on Eorzea that would be convinced of it. Besides, this was not the time nor the place.
Roen looked to the courtyard to make certain that there were no signs of either Delial nor Gharen. She knew that it was very possible that things could turn violent should the two Highlander women cross paths. Shaelen had also voiced on more than one occasion of her disappointment with Gharen, in siding with the Kinslayer. So Roen conveniently decided to omit the detail of their involvement in rescuing Taeros. It was a risky venture in not telling either side of the other, but if Shael could wake Taeros, Roen believed it would be worth it.
“Shael, you’re brilliant,†Shaelen told herself with a beaming smile as she tapped decisively onto the glimmering screen. Her artificially lit face then looked to Roen, expectantly. “Red, say I’m brilliant.â€
“You are... brilliant?†Roen stepped away from the window, approaching the bed. She wanted to sound hopeful but her tone came off more skeptical. It was met with a disappointed half-lidded glare.
“Someday, someone’s gotta teach you how to be a more convincing liar.†The smuggler shook her head, but quickly her elation returned. “I think I have an idea on how to fix him.â€
Roen immediately brightened. “Can you do it?â€
“Well, it’s a longshot.†Shaelen gave her a toothy smile. “But I’m willing to bet his life on it.â€
RE: A Legacy in Blood - Roen - 07-15-2017
“What do you mean he is gone?â€
Roen stared eyes wide at the empty bed in the small stone walled room. No matter how hard she glared at it, it remained vacant. The man that used to lay there, with tubes protruding out of his chest… was simply no longer there.
Shaelen gave a helpless shrug. “He stood up, swayed, and then stumbled out.†She was leaning back on a wooden chair, precariously balanced on its two hind legs, her feet crossed at the ankles atop the table in front of her. She looked as relaxed as one could be given the fact that she had just lost her patient.
That exasperated Roen even further. “And you did not think… to stop him?â€
Shaelen lowered her head, her eyes looking over the red shades that rested upon the bridge of her nose. She arched one eyebrow. “What was I supposed to do? Knock him out? Tie him up? He wasn’t my prisoner. You just brought me here to make sure he woke up. Well, he woke up and wanted to leave.â€
The smuggler was met with a look of dismay. “Certainly he was not in any condition to...?â€
Shaelen rolled her shoulders again. “I have to give him some credit. The man is one tenacious bastard. Once he made up his mind to leave, nothing was going to stop him. Unless… you know, I knocked him out unconscious. Which I did consider! But…â€
Roen threw both hands up in the air, incredulous. “But…?â€
Shael uncrossed her legs, leaning forward, almost strangely casual... before saying, “He offered me a lot money.†She immediately bolted to her feet and held her hands up before Roen could reply. It may have been the heat Roen felt rising in her cheeks, or the rolling indignation that was twisting her face that prompted the smuggler to do so. “Now now, Ro, before you unsheath that sword or something crazy, let me explain!â€
Roen breathed once in, and once out. She somehow forced her voice to calm. “Explain.â€
Shael’s blue-grey eyes darted from the paladin’s face to her sword hand and weapon then back to her face. She parted her lips in a toothy smile, one that seemed to only vaguely hint at an apology. “He woke up and started asking a lot of questions. Where he was, who I was, and so on and so forth. I told him he was in a safe house and mentioned how you called on me to help him, and he seemed to calm a little. But he seemed set on leaving, saying that if he didn’t, his life was good as forfeit. I said you had a lot of questions for him, and likely didn’t mean him any harm. I mean, he would have died otherwise. He owed you, you know?†She sat back down, this time onto the bed. Her hand went to the tablet that laid upon it. “But he said either I stop him physically or that he will be on his way.â€
“I would have preferred that you stopped him physically.†Roen crossed her arms, her expression stern.
“I know!†Shael chimed back eagerly. “I considered it! But…I have a feel for these things. And while I could have forced him to stay since he wasn’t in any condition to put up much of a fight, he was likely going to be a lot less cooperative if we went there. So… I waited until he offered me a sizeable incentive, and said I’d release him on one condition.â€
“And what was that?â€
Shaelen scooped up the tablet and held it out for Roen. “He left you something. A message. Okay, a long message. I told him to record a confession, telling you everything you might want to know. He seemed to know what you wanted from him, but still he went on to say more.â€
Roen took the tablet in her hand, the screen lighting up as she activated it. She glanced from it to the Highlander seated on the bed. “You read it?â€
Shael made a face and snorted. “Of course! I had to be sure it was worth letting him go. I read it after he left, but I could have tracked him down if I needed to.â€
Roen felt some of her anger starting to fade, although her disappointment still lingered. “You better hope he left me what I needed to know,†she grumbled.
Shael crossed her legs, leaning back against the bed with both her hands splayed on the mattress. She shrugged, smiling coyly. “Or what, we’re no longer friends?†There was a cocky smirk to her lips as if she already knew the answer.
That only made Roen roll her eyes although she really had no appropriate retort for that. For as long as she has known the woman, the Highlander was impulsive and brash, with a streak of recklessness. It reminded her of another smuggler, and a part of her wondered if all pirates were this way. Or why she found herself always getting involved with these types of personalities. Roen quickly shook her head free of such silly questions and furrowed her brows. She still had not told Shael about Delial and Gharen’s involvement. With Taeros now gone to the winds, perhaps the encounter between them did not need to happen after all. She recalled the displeasure on Delial’s face when she informed her of Stormchild’s part in awakening Taeros. But for the sake of finding Harvard, Delial had agreed to a form of truce, or at least to not incite violence first should she and Shaelen ever cross paths. But now with circumstances being what they were, was it even necessary?
“Gharen told me he held you at knife point once,†Roen heard herself blurting out even before she knew it. “And went back on a deal he made to turn Delial over by having the Brass Blades arrest you.†Even now, she found those revelations unfathomable. When had Gharen and Shael’s relationship soured so?
Shael flicked her an odd look, some mirth fading from her face. “Why do you still come to my aid?†Roen asked as she regarded the smuggler, her question sincere.
The Highlander squinted her eyes, her lips pursed in thought. “Your brother did break his promise,†she said blandly. “But I knew he was bluffing when he held that knife to my back. As for turning me into the Brass Blades…†the smuggler snorted out a laughter. “Come on! If I couldn’t get out of some trouble with the Brass Blades, you’d think I’d still be in the business I’m in?â€
When Roen continued to study her looking somewhat perplexed, Shaelen sighed and shrugged. “In my line of work, you can’t hold minor grudges for too long. Else you run out of people to do business with. If they didn’t do you any real wrong, then you need to move on and do what you need to do to keep afloat. Don’t mean I will ever trust your brother though.
“You, on the other hand…†Shaelen cocked her head, giving Roen a long look over. “You’re easy to read and you wear your heart on your sleeve. I can see you coming from a malm away.†She shook a finger at her. “And well, as I recall, I am the one that knocked you upside the head first… and here you are still talking to me. What does that say?â€
Roen chewed her lower lip with some hesitation before she took a seat next to the smuggler. “So, you do not hold me accountable for what happened to Aylard?†It was a fear she had always kept deep within, one that she had tucked away and never voiced. But for some reason, she needed to ask now.
Shaelen went still, even her breathing seemed to cease for a moment. Her expression darkened. “No, that is all on the Kinslayer.†Her voice suddenly chilled as well as her demeanor. “That kind of wrong you never forgive. Or forget.â€
If Roen had thought that this was the opportunity to gently broach the subject of Delial’s involvement in all this, Shael’s cold disposition quickly changed her mind. Perhaps this was not the right time either. She looked onto her lap, her fingers absently tapping upon her leg. She did not like keeping secrets from those she considered friends.
“Gratitude,†she finally murmured. “For helping me. With Harvard, Mister North, and now Taeros.â€
Roen had not raised her gaze yet to look upon the Highlander, but when a shining metal object suddenly spun in front of her, she looked up. It was a silver Garlean timepiece. “You should probably have this.†Shaelen said, holding out the relic, the polished metal medallion hanging from a thin chain. “It belonged to Lazarov.â€
Roen blinked as she carefully cradled the watch in both hands. “How did you…â€
“He was lousy at cards!†She released the chain to let it fall onto fall into Roen’s hand, then hopped off the bed. “And I drank him under the table. Although he thought he was drinking me under the table. Ha!†When Roen regarded her with a bewildered look, the smuggler scratched her head sheepishly. “It was a long time ago.â€
Not knowing what to say, Roen returned her attention to the gift in her hand, her eyes combing over its details. This would be something that Nero would have cherished for himself. He did always love clockwork gadgets, and this was Garlean, no less. From the corner of her eyes, she could see Shael striding to the table, picking up her equipment and gun that laid there. The Highlander swung it over her shoulder and set the weapon to rest against her back, before looking at the paladin again. Roen was still at loss for words.
Rather than offering one of her usual wisecracks, Shaelen just gave her a nod, her smirk curling into a softer expression. “He wasn’t all bad.†To that, Roen just smiled.
“Okay, I’ll leave you alone with Taero’s latest diary entry. Enjoy!†The smuggler gave the air a vague salute before striding out the door.