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"Where..." the blond was crouched before her, staring at her eye to eye as she sat perched a crate in his tent, the sundial dangling from its chain on his finger. "Where... did you get this?"
She frowned, her eyes darting suspiciously from face to face looming above her.
"Found it..." she said somewhat sullenly, rubbing her upper arm that still bore the fingermarks of the one that jerked her up and threw her into the tent.
He smirked, his eyes dark. "I don't think so. Not a little Grey like you... Not this far west."
"Didn't say where I found it, did I?" she snapped back, crossing her arms over her chest.
"No," she smirked. "You didn't. Maybe you should tell me."
"Maybe I should-n't," she peered at him from under her eyelashes.
"Why not?"
"It's not yours and its none of your business." She tried to snatch it, but he jerked it out of her reach.
"Maybe cuz you stole it, you little thief!"
She ducked the swing a moment before it would have struck her head. She shot the Hyur flanking her a murderous glare.
The blonde's eyes caught the others, his chin lifting. "Keep an eye on the camp, Mal. You too, Cris and Jakob. I've got this."
"Pet-"
He waved to them. "Finish your meal."
"Ahm..." she looked at him with a tremulous smile, lifting her chin hopefully. "I-"
He narrowed his eyes at her, then smirked. "Any scraps, bring in here for the imp." He lowered his voice to speak only to her. "I might let you eat, if you answer my questions. Truthfully."
Chiané raised her eyebrows, pursing her lips. "I'm not a liar."
"Oh, I think you are," he tapped her forehead. "In the genes."
She swatted his hand away irritably. "What are genes?"
He grinned. "Your blood, little one."
"What has my blood to do with anything?"
He laughed, ruffling her hair atop her head. She swatted at his hand again, glaring at him. He took a seat across from her, placing the sundial on the table beside him.
"So. Where did you get this?"
"I already told you. I found it."
"Hm. Where?"
She stared at him.
He arched his eyebrow. "If you want me to help you fix it..."
"You can't."
He looked surprised. "Why not?"
"You're not from Ala Mhigo. You're from Gar-Garga-Garglemoon!"
"Garlemald." He was clearly fighting a laugh. "Ala Mhigo is part of Garlemald."
She frowned. "It is?"
He arched his eyebrow, studying her. "It is now."
"Oh," she paused, glancing at the door, then back at him. "Are you from Ala Mhigo then?"
He was silent a long moment, then suddenly stood, scooping the sundial up in his hand. "So, what happened to it?"
She frowned, ducking her head a moment before as the tent flap opened and one of the men entered. She heard the blond start, then give a grunt of thanks to the other. She peered up at the massive man, who shot her a dark look before dropping a plate of half-eaten bones on the table.
"Food," he grunted.
Chiané wrinkled her nose, dropping her head again. She waited until she heard him leave, then settle by the fire to resume laughing and talking with his mates before looking back up at the blonde.
"Who said anything happened to it?"
He angled his head to the side, peering at her through some mechanical eye device that he now wore. She fought a giggle at the oddity. He glowered, flipping the lens up.
"Stop dodging the question."
She sighed. "I took it apart." She fiddled with the hem of her tunic.
She heard him breathing, the tent edge flapping, a fly whining from the corner of the room, every word from the men at the fire (though she really cared little for their discussion about females), a canine slinking through the brush in search of prey-
but no movement from him.
She peered up at him from under a thatch of hair.
He was staring at her.
She looked away, then back again.
He was still staring at her.
"What?!"
"Hm." He snapped the eyepiece back down and resumed studying the sundial.
She sighed, sliding off the chair to grab one of the bones.
"Didn't say you could eat."
She shot him a glare, taking one with a fair amount of meat still clinging to the bone. "Didn't remember asking."
He looked quickly at her from the corner of his eye. She tore off the meat with her teeth, staring at him.
He lowered the sundial, flipping the lens up again. "I don't think you understand the gravity of the situation you're in, Dusky."
"My name's Chiané, not Dusky." She peered at him, picking a piece of meat off the bone. "What is this? It's not bad."
"I don't know," he gazed at her, his tone clearly stated he did NOT wish to discuss the meat. She frowned, taking another meat speckled bone. "Fine. Tell me about the gravity of the situation."
"The gravity is... those men out there think you're a risk and want you dead."
She looked up at him, her voice suddenly soft. "I know that. I can hear them whispering about what they want to do to me."
He blinked in surprise, then frowned quickly.
"But I don't care about... Gridania or Garemald or fighting or Cerulean or Aether or... any of that. I just want to fix that sundial for my Father and go home." She looked away.
"I'm not a threat. I'm just a little girl..."
She looked back at him from under her lashes, gauging his response.
He considered her a moment, then took his seat again.
"So, tell me, Chiané... how did your father come into acquiring this little piece of history?" He smirked faintly, placing it back on the table.
"What dif-"
"You know, refusing to answer me is not doing you any favors." He leaned back, crossing his arms over his chest, his tone dry.
"I don't recall asking for any," she returned, narrowing her eyes.
"You asked me to help you fix the 'dial." He gestured lightly towards it.
She frowned briefly at that, then glowered at this reminder.
"If I tell you, will you help me fix it?"
"If you don't, I won't."
She let out a frustrated sigh. "Fine. It was a gift."
"A gift? To a Duskwright?"
He seemed to find that idea far too entertaining, and incredibly doubtful. She threw the bone at him, nailing his eyepiece. "Yes! A gift. During the war!"
He jerked the eyepiece off, glaring at her as he looked it over before letting out an annoyed growl and setting it aside.
She stared at him.
He gazed back at her, his face unreadable. "The War?"
"Yes. In Ala Mhigo. There was a horrible king."
"Theodorac."
"Yes. Him. He killed a lot of people before he killed himself."
"And your father was there?"
She raised her eyebrows, her tone somewhat sarcastic. "He got the sundial, didn't he?"
"He could have stolen it."
She stuck her chin out, shooting him a dark glare. "Well Papá didn't. He told me so."
The Hyur laughed once. "And of course I should trust the word of a Duskwright? If not a thief, then likely a traitor and deserter..."
Chiané threw another bone at him, this time hitting him square across the bridge of his nose with considerable force. "MY FATHER IS -NO- TRAITOR OR DESERTER!"
He let out a sharp cry of surprise and pain, standing immediately and barely stopped himself from knocking her across the face. She glared up at him defiantly, her jaw set.
A series of emotions sped across his face before he abruptly dropped his hand and took his seat again. He touched his nose lightly, eying her.
She was more than a bit disappointed it wasn't bleeding.
She sat there a moment longer, then crossed her arms over her chest with a short puff of air that lifted her bangs. "Well so what if he did steal it anyway. Not like the dead need it."
He smirked, his eyes never leaving her face. "Unless he stole it from a living soldier."
"Well, good thing he didn't then, isn't it?" she retorted. "He said it was one of his most prized possessions an-" she abruptly shut her mouth.
"And?" he arched he eyebrow.
"And... nothing. I just want to fix it."
"Hm..." he glanced at it, then back at her, then absently rubbed his nose again. "You said you took it apart..? The case or..."
"Everything," she pulled her knees to her chin, wrapping her arms around her knees. "I took it apart, then put it back together again."
He looked at her thoughtfully, slightly doubtful. "Did you, then."
She shot him a glare. "Yes, I did... then."
He gave a half smirk that lifted the corner of his mouth. "All by yourself, I assume?"
She bristled. "Yes, 'all by myself'!" She jerked her legs down, glaring at him as she pulled her notebook from the inner pocket of her tunic.
"I took notes!" She shoved the tattered book at him. "See for yourself."
He looked mildly amused as he stood, and began thumbing through the bound book. His amusement soon faded to a slight frown, then a faint, thoughtful smirk. "I... see."
"Told you." She extended her hand and he handed it back to her, feeling rather vindicated.
"Well then. Two things, Chiané..."
"One..." He held up a finger. "The sundial isn't broken. It is merely lacking basic aether crystal to power it. And Two..."
He tossed her the eyepiece. "You owe me a new Oculus."
She caught it on reflex, looking up at him in surprise. "What?"
"You broke it. Fix it."
He strode toward the door. "I expect it by daybreak."
"Why should I-"
He paused, looking back at her from the door. He cut her a smirk. "Because you haven't seen one of those yet, because I asked you to... and because it- and me- might be the only thing standing between you and my associates."
She blinked, opening her mouth to respond.
"Oh... and don't even try to just take it and run away." His eyes sparkled once devilishly. "We have Magitek."
She looked unimpressed, letting out a derisive snort. "Is that supposed to mean something to me?"
He grinned faintly. "What do you know of tech... besides what you can disassemble and reassemble?"
"Nothing. I grew up in a cave," she stated, sharply.
"Ah... so you did. Well then let me just tell you that... trying to escape would not be in your best interests."
She frowned.
"And remember, I want that fixed by daybreak. Tools are over there, if you need them." He gestured toward the small box on the table.
"I fix it, you help me put Aether in my sundial and let me go- right?"
He smiled with a wink. "Something like that."
He moved to leave again, lifting the tent flap.
"Wait. W-What is your name?"
He paused, glancing back at her. "What difference does it make? You'll likely die in the morning."
"Then I won't get a chance to tell anyone, so what does it matter?" she returned.
He laughed. "Petyr. Good night, Chiané."
