...N-no?
Teeth bared, head hung low, unsupported, the Red Wings Second could feel forces quitting him. Battered and dazed from the punch, he did not immediately realize that his fragile nose was bleeding. He made the mistake of breathing, and soon enough shook in convulsions, coughing the blood that tried to sneak its way into his lungs. Getting rid of it, through spasms and reflexes drained him out, and when he finally settled down, he could scarcely find the force or will to shut his mouth. The Hunter was ashamed to admit it, but he could not carry on much longer like this.
"Enough," he implored so very quietly in humid words. "I can't take this anymore." He was not far from the truth. Barely a few bells of that treatment, and his mind was all worn-out, fatigued, caressing the limits of sanity. His pulsating headache was making matters worse. He could have fainted had he let himself, but the promise of the Hyur would certainly be kept, she would not let go of him until she had her bone to bite.
"I-I apologize, I have not the means to answer your question. I handle men and supplies, I'm not told about which contact stands where. But I'll give you something. Something that I pray will make you understand that there are a great many things you do not see. But before... something for you to think over. If we had contacts in Limsa Lominsa, then how come the ambush we fell into was so effective? As much as you're making me hate it presently... I am a man of Ul'dah, I rarely leave these parts, and therefore know little of La Noscea and its surroundings. But my instructions were to assist with the safekeeping of the carriage, despite not having prior knowledge of the field."
Rolling his head as if it weighed its bulk in gold, Kahn'a angled himself so that he could meet her gaze. It was much easier to believe in the sincerity of words that way. "You'll know this already if you possess a clearance. The Red Wings... we're no relief unit. It's a lousy cover that few bother scratching at. The Captain never spoke the legal words, but the way I understand our mission, we handle tasks that the Flames cannot, for they are bound to respect the law." Kahn'a nodded weakly, "This is what we are. Keep that in mind, but see the veil of confusion lifted for the points that made little sense until then."
And then he carried on, explaining the mission for the second time, with as many details as he could recall. They had been reached with blank orders coming from the Hall, urging them to escort sensitive material and weapons to the town of Limsa Lominsa, for an exchange with the Maelstrom. Kahn'a assumed that whoever had set up this ambush had much to gain from sparks of arguments within the Eorzean alliance, and he told her that. "Our dire lack of preparation and the urgency of the orders eventually lead to the failure of the mission. We regrouped to the Drydocks in Moraby Bay for a debriefing, this is when the Captain decided to take the road. He... he asked us to fan out, we would be contacted once everybody was safe for further instructions. That was when I returned to Ul'dah and got rid of my pearl. He had chosen to run, and I could not follow that call. But I would not abandon them either. So I skulked around the city, trying to find any information, any rumour of somebody who could profit of our demise. After a fruitless fortnight of searching, I decided to drag attention to myself, became bolder with whoever I spoke with, and this in order to have you come pick me up. There was no doubt we were hunted then. Shortly after I adopted this new behaviour, your sniper found me, and I took precautions to protect myself, while meaning to establish a contact with the Flames. With you."
Kahn'a coughed again. He knew his limbs should not have felt this weak, but the exhaustion of his mind had somehow plagued his body as well. "On Her name," he begged, "I swear that this is all I know. Have men sent to the Drydocks, if you so fancy, but I doubt there's aught to be found, most of us were trained to leave no trace, since we do not officially exist as anything but an unimportant relief unit.
Teeth bared, head hung low, unsupported, the Red Wings Second could feel forces quitting him. Battered and dazed from the punch, he did not immediately realize that his fragile nose was bleeding. He made the mistake of breathing, and soon enough shook in convulsions, coughing the blood that tried to sneak its way into his lungs. Getting rid of it, through spasms and reflexes drained him out, and when he finally settled down, he could scarcely find the force or will to shut his mouth. The Hunter was ashamed to admit it, but he could not carry on much longer like this.
"Enough," he implored so very quietly in humid words. "I can't take this anymore." He was not far from the truth. Barely a few bells of that treatment, and his mind was all worn-out, fatigued, caressing the limits of sanity. His pulsating headache was making matters worse. He could have fainted had he let himself, but the promise of the Hyur would certainly be kept, she would not let go of him until she had her bone to bite.
"I-I apologize, I have not the means to answer your question. I handle men and supplies, I'm not told about which contact stands where. But I'll give you something. Something that I pray will make you understand that there are a great many things you do not see. But before... something for you to think over. If we had contacts in Limsa Lominsa, then how come the ambush we fell into was so effective? As much as you're making me hate it presently... I am a man of Ul'dah, I rarely leave these parts, and therefore know little of La Noscea and its surroundings. But my instructions were to assist with the safekeeping of the carriage, despite not having prior knowledge of the field."
Rolling his head as if it weighed its bulk in gold, Kahn'a angled himself so that he could meet her gaze. It was much easier to believe in the sincerity of words that way. "You'll know this already if you possess a clearance. The Red Wings... we're no relief unit. It's a lousy cover that few bother scratching at. The Captain never spoke the legal words, but the way I understand our mission, we handle tasks that the Flames cannot, for they are bound to respect the law." Kahn'a nodded weakly, "This is what we are. Keep that in mind, but see the veil of confusion lifted for the points that made little sense until then."
And then he carried on, explaining the mission for the second time, with as many details as he could recall. They had been reached with blank orders coming from the Hall, urging them to escort sensitive material and weapons to the town of Limsa Lominsa, for an exchange with the Maelstrom. Kahn'a assumed that whoever had set up this ambush had much to gain from sparks of arguments within the Eorzean alliance, and he told her that. "Our dire lack of preparation and the urgency of the orders eventually lead to the failure of the mission. We regrouped to the Drydocks in Moraby Bay for a debriefing, this is when the Captain decided to take the road. He... he asked us to fan out, we would be contacted once everybody was safe for further instructions. That was when I returned to Ul'dah and got rid of my pearl. He had chosen to run, and I could not follow that call. But I would not abandon them either. So I skulked around the city, trying to find any information, any rumour of somebody who could profit of our demise. After a fruitless fortnight of searching, I decided to drag attention to myself, became bolder with whoever I spoke with, and this in order to have you come pick me up. There was no doubt we were hunted then. Shortly after I adopted this new behaviour, your sniper found me, and I took precautions to protect myself, while meaning to establish a contact with the Flames. With you."
Kahn'a coughed again. He knew his limbs should not have felt this weak, but the exhaustion of his mind had somehow plagued his body as well. "On Her name," he begged, "I swear that this is all I know. Have men sent to the Drydocks, if you so fancy, but I doubt there's aught to be found, most of us were trained to leave no trace, since we do not officially exist as anything but an unimportant relief unit.
