[[dleibman]] Slivers of Hope from Fractured Memories [[Dizzy]]

[Dizzy]

It was frightening how many people did not recognize her. Sure twenty-five years was a long time, but it was not as though she had aged visibly all that much. As a half-elf her aging was half that as a human, plus the magical knowledge she acquired over long hours of study made that rate even slower. She looked like a Mother when in truth she should barely be hobbling along as a Crone. 85 years old, she was still warm and rich with life. True, her cheeks were not as rosy as some of the maidens that sold their fathers' fish on the docks of the small port town. Her breasts were fuller and heavier too, with neither the small perkiness of youth nor the lumbering sag of the old. She was as poised and graceful as any high born lady, and although her clothes were plain and comely her beauty shined through.

Her hair had grown long over the years, and formed a black silken curtain that reached the middle of her back. Her skin was coppery--a feature that although uncommon was by no means rare--which complimented her dark green eyes that were reminiscent of the foliage of the coastal forests. She was tall, but voluptuous in her age, having lost the lankiness of her youth.

She felt a chill cut through her clothes as the wind picked up. All she had was a simple dress under a plain brown scholar's robe. She put up her hood and stepped into an inn, one hand on her purse ready to dig out enough silver for a room, dinner, and hopefully a hot bath.

 

[Dallico]

The inn was full of all manner of people, from simple peasants looking to take a load off at the end of the day to the rugged adventurers who looked like they had seen quite a bit of action recently. The room was full of stories and song, and a mix of laughter and suspense filled the air as the beautiful woman walked in. Almost all the eyes in the bar looked at her, some examining her to see if she might be a potential lover, others trying to figure out exactly what she was. It was here where Daniel's brown eyes turned to gaze at the beautiful woman, and unlike most things that happened in his life this was the start of something grand.

He was young and rash, and for a young man was solidly build like many of the folds in the coastal village. Daniel was obviously new to adventuring, and had probably only received basic training in combat. His armor was well worn, and obviously second hand, and the sword at his side was a generic one, obviously mass produced. He had obviously descended from peasants, and probably up until recently worked at the docks like many in the town because of his tanned skin. His hair was brown and arranged in a chaotic fashion, probably after a long day's work, and almost as soon as the young wizard stepped into the inn he groomed himself, hoping to make himself seem more presentable to someone as fine as her.

 

[Dizzy]

"Nine p'ices o' silver."

"But certainly five is enough, I do not require much room nor food. The use of your bath is what I am paying for."

"I said nine p'ices o'silver. Incur ma' wrath and yol be sleepin' in th'cold. I don't trust yer kin nor do I trust th' magic stink on ya. "

"Seven."

"D'nt make me repeat ma'self."

Sighing she handed the innkeep his money, to which the fat grizzled oaf handed her a key, a goblet of wine, and bowl of savory smelling stew. She sat at the nearest empty table and sipped at her wine and pulled out a small map from the inside of her sleeve. It was old, over forty years old to be honest, but she had doubt much had changed. After all even without Miria's help, his Majesty Goldawn had kept a rather peaceful reign. There were few battles or skirmishes to realy shake up much of the countryside. For now at least.

She didn't mind having the precious document out here, she assumed most people couldn't read, and even the ones who could probably saw no harm in her looking at such a thing. It did have the king's seal on it at least. She was not frightened of being alone either. Due to her sex she wasn't seen as much of a threat to anyone who did not know or recognize her, and due to the relative peace the amount of rapers and thieves were small. At least as far as she knew.

Truth be told, all she had were her visions, her exile had been long and lonely, and news was rare and precious and mostly came from glory-hungry adventurers who needed refuge for a night. Soon the clatter of the travelers calmed as more and more went to the upper and lower levels to find sleep she stayed out by the large hearth unsure of what she was going to do to get to the capitol of Hollowed Point.

 

[Dallico]

Daniel waited it out, watching as plenty of others had moved on to better things. Some of his previous companions had left, the merchants had put in for the night, and even the few peasants had gone home to get some sleep before tomorrow. The fire in the hall was one of the few things making noise, with small cracks and pops as the wood burned and settled. Not a sound could really be heard except by the few people in the hall who were talking quietly as to not wake those who were asleep. Daniel sat there alone, still captivated by the woman sitting at the table, but was doing his best not to stare. He sat in silence, waiting, wondering what he should do, and then suddenly he was captivated to talk to her. Maybe it was himself becoming more confident, maybe someone had cast a spell on him to do it, or maybe it was the will of the gods, but in a blink of an eye he was up and moving over to her.

Slowly the young mercenary made his way to the table. Daniel found himself straying into her vision, and soon standing across from her, albeit shyly. "U-Um Excuse me miss." he said to her bowing his head out of respect. "I was wondering if you might like some company." he asked nervously motioning to the chair across from her. "Just for some conversation if you don't mind, its not as lively as it used to be." he said to her, hoping that she would at least accept his offer. "I could even get you a drink or two if you;d prefer." he said trying to be polite and suave, and probably failing at both.

 

[Dizzy]

Her eyes looked over the youth in a somewhat amused manner. She had doubted if he had ever talked to a real woman before, let alone one like her. It was possible that one of these fish-maidens had attempted to make him a man, but that either left little impression or he was not interested in them. She listened to his offer carefully, the corners of her mouth upturned ever so slightly. Deciding to cut him some slack, she nodded her head and looked to the chair. "I certainly do not own the damn thing. You are welcomed to it if you like." Her voice was soft with good humor as she tolerated the boy in front of her.

She folded her map and placed it back in her sleeve before speaking again, "a flagon of wine would be appreciated. Even if it tastes a bit like salt and sea." She did not wait for him to buy the wine before she passed him two slivers. "There is a good chance our generous host will demand extra money due to his opinions about me. Kindly make sure that these end up in his pockets. It is always a wise thing to make sure person in charge of keeping you out of the cold doesn't think of you as being niggardly."

 

[Dallico]

Daniel looked at her and smiled as she offered him a seat, in a manner of speaking. He quickly pulled it away from the table and soon looked at her hand as she passed him the two silver coins, "Of course I understand." he said with a wide smile. He quickly picked them up, soon moving over to the bar to grab some drinks for the both of them. As he got over to the bar the innkeeper was eyeing him suspiciously. "One flagon of wine sir, if you would." he said, soon setting some coins down on the table, which the innkeeper was not so happy to take. "And here sir, 2 extra silver for your service." Daniel said, more to the innkeeper's joy.

Daniel soon returned with the clay pitcher of wine, joining his new acquaintance at her table. "I hope this is to your liking." he said to her with a smile, soon pouring her another glass. "I'm Daniel by the way," he said as he filled her cup up before he filled his own. "Pleasure to meet you." he said, still trying to pass off as more suave than he was.

 

[Dizzy]

"Tsk," she hissed quietly shaking her head slightly, "Already the boy tells me his name without asking for mine. Such a strange new world this has become where kinsfolk trust strangers with their very names." She was, for reasons she could not fully discern, attempting to lighten the mood a bit. It was not as though the boy was particularly formal, but he was trying so very hard to come out of his shell by talking to her that she did not want him to crawl into another one of what he felt men should be like. Referencing the folktales of how mages and sorcerers could somehow do everything from causing infertility to summoning demons to terrorize individuals who gave them their names could be a little before his time, she was more than old enough to be his mother.

However she doubted such a small folksy village did not have elders who warned their youth with such tales, even if the tales were laughed off, particularly since judging from the innkeep those of knowledge were still not welcomed. Taking a sip of her wine she smiled ever-so-slightly in approval. "No worries sir, it is of fine fruit kissed by sea. It is much better than anything I have had in a long while simply because I have not had to make it." She punctuated with another sip of wine before she continued, "my name is...Raelle." She hesitated, slightly, almost imperceptibly, however she could not risk giving out her real name. Not yet and certainly not to this boy who was liable to give her away without even meaning to. Taking another sip she met his gaze, "What is a young man like you doing here of all places? Certainly you have a lady to woo or perhaps a wife already at home?"

 

[Dallico]

"Raelle, that's a good name." he said taking a sip of his own wine before she asked her question. He set his glass down on the table and looked outside for a small bit with a pause. "Well I actually don't have either of those." he said to her shyly, unsure if he wanted to exactly share his position. His gaze slowly made its way back to Raelle, "And that's one of the reasons I'm here... if I do a good job quickly I can ear enough money to buy a house." he said to her before taking another swig of his drink. "And not to mention I'm actually fairly good at being a mercenary, as bad as that may sound." he said setting his glass down before turning his attention to Raelle. "How about you... you don't seem like your from around here at all and I can't help but feel like there's something different about you." he said to her calmly, hoping not to scare his new conversation partner away.

 

[Dizzy]

"I am a traveler," she admitted, sipping her wine thinking. A mercenary would be useful--a hired hand just in case--she didn't have to tell him who she really was or even her mission. Once they got to the capitol they could part ways and she could hopefully talk some sense into the king. It could be a win-win. She let out a small chuckle, "Perhaps what is different my friend, is that you flatter an old woman instead of some young maiden. Though, I suppose there is no reason to lie to you. I am one of knowledge. Those outside the capitol often refer to us as mages." It had been a long time since she had drank wine and she began to feel the warm bubbly effect of such an intake after a long sobriety. She set down her cup and topped off both of their drinks.

"Do you have any current assignments in your line of work sir? Certainly there isn't too much need for fighters way out here in the country. The thought saddens me. It has been a few years since I have been able to travel freely and any news you have would certainly find hungry ears with me."

 

[Dallico]

Daniel payed attention to the young looking woman as she spoke, an air of subtly about her. He wasn't sure if she was impressed with him or making fun of him, and despite the fact that he was unsure about his standing with her he felt like this was the right place to be. When she told him that she was a mage his attention quickly shifted over to her, unsure of he heard her right. A mage was an unusual thing in the capital, even more so out in the country. He turned his gaze soon switching to amazement. While most in the small village would be frightened of such a power Daniel was only interested, doing everything he could to not barrage her with questions.

However, what came next surprised him even more. As his drink was topped off he quickly took another swig before she offered him a job travailing with her. He had always wanted to leave this town, and now he had a pretty good reason. Almost as soon as she offered the young boy smiled. "I don't have anything at the moment." he said to her rubbing the back of his head and bowing his head to her. "and I'd be more than happy to travel with you if you'll have me." he said to her. "I don't know much about what happens in the rest of the country, but I'd be more than willing to share what I know." he said to her with a wide grin as he took another drink.

 

[Dizzy]

"I warn you that this is not an easy task, and your payment will likely not be fair. I have some...powerful enemies in the capitol, and their reach is long. Should they find out who I am and that I am returning both of us could be in serious danger." What on earth was she doing? You will frighten him. He is already is unsure due to your big ol' mouth. Why did you tell him you were a mage, idiot! "I can pay you five gold pieces to ensure my safety to the capitol. Once there, I will pay you thirty extra silver pieces to forget all about me. Should I get discovered before I reach the capitol I would not be offended if you decided to part ways with me." She added the last part in a somewhat quick manner, punctuating with a gulp of wine. In a strange way she felt young again, it was almost as though she was back in her adventuring days and she could almost recall the young magic-sensitive girl who would help assassinate criminals and eliminate monsters.

"I can guarantee that you will find me a compliant woman who will not argue issues of safety or anything of the like. Nothing is more annoying than protecting someone who thinks of themselves as invincible." she ended in a sardonic laugh, wine goblet in hand. How she hated bodyguard missions when she was young.

 

[Dallico]

Daniel looked at her as she began going over details, getting comfortable. As she went over the details he began to show a bit of uncertainty. Was this woman as powerful as she said she was, and were her enemies people not to be trifled with. The pay was halfway decent for a trip to the capital, but if things were as bad as she said it would need to be higher. "And What happens if something bad happens along the way to the capital and I stay?" he asked her curiously, wondering what she would offer. He set down his glass of wine and leaned forward towards her. "I've no problem with the work, but the pay seems little for such a dangerous trip." he said to her soon sitting back in his chair thinking for a bit. "Say I get you to the capital, 5 gold pieces and 30 silver pieces is a decent wage for a typical trip, but for what we may encounter I'll need more..." he said pausing before turning his gaze to her. "If you put in a good work for me in some of the guilds there I'd be more than happy to accept." he said to her with a smile.