define('WP_CACHE', true); Crossed Paths – Logs – Page 6 – The Story Thus Far…

Mar 19

Chapter 42: Back on the Road

Chapter 42: Back on the Road

In Which The Journey Continues.

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Yazeth: Jozra slips off several times, checking the area. At one point she ventures down to the road and checks up and down it with no sign of those that had been following them. An hour or so later she rouses Soquan.

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan isn’t as quick to wake as last time. He mumbles something inaudibly and rolls over.

Yazeth: The ferret grins slightly before shaking the otter by the shoulder. “Time to move, Soq.”

Arrin Woodgreen: The otter grumbles as he rises to his feet. “Did you sleep too? You said you wanted to while we were walking.”

Yazeth: Jozra shakes her head. “I wanted to make sure they weren’t still looking for us.  The road looks safe to use now.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He nods. “We’ll take the road then.”

Yazeth: The ferret settles her pack on her shoulders again and leads the way out of the woods.

Arrin Woodgreen: He follows, munching on a bit of fish he had taken out of his pack.

Yazeth: Presently the two step onto the road. The ferret glances up and down the track but sees nothing out of the ordinary and so she leads the way further down the path.

Arrin Woodgreen: He follows with a yawn, falling in beside his friend.

Yazeth: Hours later, as the sun finally begins to set, the two are settled in a small clearing a little ways from the road. Jozra heaves a contented sigh as she brushes dinner crumbs from her whiskers.

Arrin Woodgreen: He grins at her from across the fire, polishing away the rest of his supper. “Ready to call it a night then Joz?”

Yazeth: The ferret nods as she stokes the fire.

Arrin Woodgreen: He yawns and stretches. “Want me to dig out someplace for us to sleep?”

Yazeth: Jozra grins sleepily. “Sounds good.”

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan nods and proceeds to dig out a little hollow in the ground.

Yazeth: Jozra pulls the spare cloaks from the packs and dumps them in the hollow. “Figure we’ll need these. It’s a bit chilly tonight.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He nods. “I was just about to grab those.” He widens the hole a bit more then crawls inside the newly made ‘nest’.

Yazeth: She wraps up in her own cloak and curls up in the hollow.

Arrin Woodgreen: He nestles close, wrapping his arm around her middle. “Sweet dreams.”

Yazeth: The ferret grins wryly. “We can only hope.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He chuckles a bit. “Yeah.”

Yazeth: Jozra shuts her eyes and falls asleep sooner than usual.

Arrin Woodgreen: He stays awake a while longer, listening to the sounds of the night and Jozra’s even breathing.

Mar 17

Chapter 41: Followed

Chapter 41: Followed

In Which Getting Out Of Town Isn’t That Easy.

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Yazeth:  The sun had broken over the horizon earlier but the woods surrounding the town still cast deep shadows. Warm slices of sunlight make the scene a cheery one though, as shopkeepers begin to sweep off their stoops and set out their wares.

Arrin Woodgreen: He takes a deep breath of air and grins at her. “It’s going to be a nice day.”

Yazeth: The ferret nods. “Think it’ll get much colder again or is spring here to stay?”

Arrin Woodgreen: He shrugs. “It feels like it’ll get warmer now. But there’s a possibility that it will get colder at times.”

Yazeth: Jozra sniffs the air as she catches the sent of baking bread and pastries. “I’ve had enough of snow and winter.” She trails off as a movement catches her eye.

Arrin Woodgreen: His ears perk up as he catches the sound of movement in the quiet morning. “Can you see anything?”

Yazeth: The ferret pretends not to have noticed whatever it was she saw but surreptitiously keeps an eye on the beast following them. “Just the lovely sights. There’s a little lawn covered with dew and it’s sparkling in the sunlight, Soquan.” In an undertone, she adds, “We’re being followed.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He laughs. “That’s a nice piece of poetry.” He murmurs quietly in return to her. “From what direction?”

Yazeth: She smiles, more in response to the last than the first, but it’s an appropriate response all the same. “Just thought you’d like to know what the scenery’s like.” The ferret stretches and in doing so takes a glance around. “They’re trying to be sneaky. At least two of them, keeping to the buildings.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He grins. “I’m grateful, care to describe some more?” He nods subtly. “I’ll keep an ear out incase they try anything.”

Yazeth: Jozra glances about on the pretext of looking for something to describe. “Well, it looks like the roofs here are made of some sort of bluish slate. They have a kind of sheen in this sort of light that I didn’t notice during the afternoon.” Under her breath she adds, “We can lose them once we get out of town.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He smiles, using only one word for both replies. “Beautiful.”

Yazeth: The ferret nods, finally realizing that the otter knows when she does this by the rustle of her collar, and falls into silence. She keeps tabs on their followers but remains nonchalant, passively steering Soqan down the street and out of town.

Arrin Woodgreen: He walks beside her, whistling snatches of tunes. His ears swivel and he switches his staff into his other paw.

Yazeth: Eventually, shops give way to houses with increasingly larger yards. The road narrows until finally it’s just an unpaved cart track.

Arrin Woodgreen: He stops whistling and murmurs to her softly, “They still there?”

Yazeth: Jozra mutters back, “They’ve taken to the trees.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He nods slowly. “Gotcha.” He hums a bit, adjusting his pack.

Yazeth: They continue down the path as the last of the houses is left behind and the woods close in about them. The ferret ponders briefly that this would be the perfect time for their followers to ambush them but they do not. The three – she confirmed a ways back that there were three – seem content merely to follow.

Arrin Woodgreen: He yawns widely and stretches. “I might just take a nap when we stop for lunch.” He yawns again. “Should we turn towards the river now?”

Yazeth:  Jozra grins. “I just might take a nap myself.” With their followers out of earshot she adds, “There’s a bend up ahead. Keep this pace but once we turn it we’ll run and duck into the woods. See if we can’t shake these buzzards off our tail.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He nods. “A nap sounds good right now.”

Yazeth: The two approach the curve and soon their followers are obscured by a rather sizable stand of trees. “Now, Soquan!”

Arrin Woodgreen: He moves quickly and follows Jozra as they duck into the woods.

Yazeth: The ferret leads the way, quickly ducking branches, dodging trees and vaulting fallen logs. After a short sprint, Jozra drags Soquan into a crouch in a hollow created by the roots of a fallen tree.

Arrin Woodgreen: He crouches where instructed and grins at her, although remaining silent.

Yazeth: Jozra listens intently for any sounds of pursuit but hears little other than the blood rushing in her ears and the occasional falling leaf.

Arrin Woodgreen: He keeps silent for some time, listening for sounds of approaching beasts.

Yazeth: After a while, the ferret looks to her companion and in the lowest of undertones she asks, “Hear anything?”

Arrin Woodgreen: He shakes his head, replying just as softly, “No.”

Yazeth: The ferret pauses for a heartbeat longer before silently unloading her pack next to Soquan and creeping surprisingly noiselessly through the thick leaf litter.

Arrin Woodgreen: He blinks as she slinks off, unsure on what to do. After a few minutes he takes his pack off quietly and leans back, closing his eyes.

Yazeth: After a while, she returns as noiselessly as she left. She murmurs to Soquan, “We’ll stay here a bit longer. In a bit we can find a better hiding place and have lunch.  Hopefully they’ll get tired and go home by then and we can take to the road again.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He cracks an eyes open and nods silently, settling into the loam a bit more.

Yazeth: The pair sit silently as the sun climbs in the sky. Jozra watches the woods, constantly on the alert for their pursuers.

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan dozes slightly throughout the wait, his ears perked up to detect the sound of their follower’s approach.

Yazeth: Eventually, the ferret hefts her pack. Whispering to Soquan she says, “We should move on and have lunch.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He’s awake in an instant and on his paws, he rubs his eyes absently as he hefts his pack. “Okay, lead the way.”

Yazeth: Jozra carefully picks their way through the underbrush, trying to keep them both as stealthy as possible.

Arrin Woodgreen: He follows as silently as he can, the off leaf or twig crunching under his foot.

Yazeth: The pair follow a course roughly parallel to the road, though far enough away not to be seen from it. Nearly an hour later, Jozra decides lunch is more important than finding the perfect hiding spot. Especially since their pursuers didn’t seem very adept at what they were doing in the first place.

Arrin Woodgreen: He stifles a yawn and continues to plod along behind the ferret. He shifts his pack and whispers to Jozra, “Maybe we could head closer to the river, that way we don’t have to worry about being quiet.”

Yazeth: Jozra shakes her head. “The underbrush is thicker that way. Believe me, I tried it. We can stop here for lunch though. If they haven’t found us by then, we can try the road again and we can move faster. Maybe find a better river crossing.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He nods and proceeds to find a place to settle down and rest. “Alright, that sounds good.”

Yazeth: She sets her own pack down as well and makes a quick perimeter check of their area before returning and digging for some of the bread they had bought the day before.

Arrin Woodgreen: He munches silently on his own piece of bread for a moment and looks towards her as she returns. “Did you see anything?”

Yazeth: The ferret shakes her head. “I’m pretty sure we lost them.” She breaks off a chunk of bread for herself and scarfs it down.

Arrin Woodgreen: He nods. “Good.” He finds a bit of fish in his pack and places it on his bread.

Yazeth: Jozra sticks to the bread and soon she’s polished off another chunk of the loaf.

Arrin Woodgreen: Satiated for now, Soquan lies down, using his cloak as a pillow. He yawns and looks towards her over his shoulder. “Wake me when you want to move again.”

Yazeth: The ferret nods. “Okay.”

Arrin Woodgreen: It’s not long ’till he falls asleep again, and he lies there, snoring softly.

Mar 14

Chapter 40: Leaving Kodan

Chapter 40: Leaving Kodan

In Which The Pair Are Happy To Put The Town Behind Them.

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Yazeth: The pair make their way downstairs where Jozra retrieves her tea cup. She dumps out the now cold brew into the fire which is blazing too heartily to be disturbed by a little water.

Arrin Woodgreen: He follows her down the stairs, waiting as she empties the cup. “So where’s the tea?”

Yazeth: She leads him to the table with the urn on it, placing a cup in his paw. “Right here.” The ferret ladles some tea into Soquan’s cup before refilling her own.

Arrin Woodgreen: He grins and sips experimentally. “It’s good.”

Yazeth: Jozra leads the otter over to a pair of armchairs and settles herself in one of them.  She sniffs the air as the first wisps of fresh baked bread begin to enter the room.

Arrin Woodgreen: He settles into one of the chairs and sniffs the air before taking another sip of his tea.

Yazeth: Sipping her own cup of tea, Jozra finally begins to relax for the first time since getting out of the pool the day before. Fresh baked bread and a hot mug of tea is quite relaxing, you know.

Arrin Woodgreen: He slips off into his own thoughts, drinking the tea while it’s still hot.

Yazeth: After a bit, Jozra’s stomach begins to growl. Not quite a minute later, a rat bustles through the kitchen door, pushing a trolley laden with fresh baked bread, a jar of honey and surprisingly wide variety of fruit for this time of year. “Ooooh…  Breakfast.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He snaps out of his pensive state, grinning. “Did you just say breakfast?”

Yazeth: The ferret nods, eyes fixed on the cart. “Yep.” Almost absently, she sets down her cup and stands as the other beasts in the room begin to drift towards the food. “How about I go get some for us.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He grins. “That’d be wonderful.”

Yazeth: Jozra joins the queue that had quickly formed in front of the cart. Thankfully, the line is fairly short and soon the ferret returns to her seat with a pair of carved wooden plates laden with the simple but scrumptious fare.

Arrin Woodgreen: He sniffs the air as she approaches with the food. “It smells good.

Yazeth: The ferret nods. “Looks good too.”  She hands the otter one of the plates and bites into one of her chunks of bread as she sits.

Arrin Woodgreen: He grins happily and digs into the meal hungrily, having missed dinner the night before.

Yazeth: Jozra digs in as well, quickly polishing off the bread she started with but slowing down to enjoy the fruit.

Arrin Woodgreen: The otter’s meal quickly disappears and he leans back, his hunger satiated.

Yazeth: Jozra’s eats the last berry on her plate a few minutes later then glances up at Soquan.

Arrin Woodgreen: He grins at her, a few crumbs of bread still clinging to his whiskers. “Done?”

Yazeth: The ferret nods. “Yeah. Shall I take your plate back?”

Arrin Woodgreen: He grins. “I’d appreciate it.”

Yazeth: She gathers both plates and the empty tea cups and returns them to the table.

Arrin Woodgreen: He smiles at her as she sits. “So what now? We could go back upstairs and get a few more hours of shuteye, or we could check out now.”

Yazeth: The ferret shakes her head. “I’d rather not spend any longer here. Lets get back on the road again.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He nods and rises, grabbing his pack. “Come on then.”

Yazeth: The ferret hefts her own pack and leads the way to the exit.

Arrin Woodgreen: He follows, falling in step beside the ferret.

Yazeth: The rat at the desk looks up as they approach. “Enjoy your breakfast?”

Arrin Woodgreen: He nods. “Very much so, it was delicious.”

Yazeth: The ferret nods as well. “Ah, how much do we owe?”

Arrin Woodgreen: He pauses for a moment as he thinks. “Seven silver coins and eight bronze.” He writes something in his book. “I trust you and your mate slept well?”

Yazeth: Jozra flushes and stammers. “We… We’re not mated.  Just traveling together.”

Arrin Woodgreen: The rat flushes himself. “I apologize, I assumed too much.” Soquan places the payment on the counter. “Think nothing of it.”

Yazeth: Still blushing, the ferret nods as she hands in their keys.

Arrin Woodgreen: He grins and throws an arm around the ferret’s shoulders as he heads for the door. “So what did you find out about a way across the river? Any bridge around?”

Yazeth: The ferret shakes her head. “Before they got annoying, the rattesses said the bridge got washed out a few weeks ago. We’re going to have to find another way across the river.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He nods. “Okay then. Head out of town and follow the river? That could take a few days.”

Yazeth: Jozra grins almost cheekily. “Which is why we’re starting early.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He grins as well, his mood improving. “So we’ll have to head off of the path then.”

Yazeth: The ferret nods and leads the way out of the inn and down the road back to the main street.

Arrin Woodgreen: He follows, hefting his pack onto his shoulders.

Mar 12

Chapter 39: Soquan’s Nightmare

Chapter 39: Soquan’s Nightmare

In Which Jozra Isn’t The Only One With Bad Dreams.

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Arrin Woodgreen:  His dream starts simply enough; he’s walking down a forest path, coming to the top of a tall hill.

Once he reaches the top, he can see large storm clouds gathering and the wind picks up heavily. There’s a low rumble of thunder and a flash in the distance and he sighs, pulling the hood of his cloak up in time to prevent being soaked by a sudden downpour.

Yazeth:  Jozra enters the large common room, slightly surprised to find several others already up. Outside of the kitchen stands an urn of hot tea and several cups. She takes some tea and seats herself near the fire but away from other beasts already sitting there.

Arrin Woodgreen: He hunches over against the strong wind, trying to keep himself warm.  The thunder and lightning come closer and closer as he moves.

Yazeth: She settles back in her chair, sipping the tea and trying to remember happier times.

Arrin Woodgreen: Suddenly there’s a loud crack above him and his world goes dark as he crumples to the ground with a yell that carries into the real world.

Yazeth: Jozra jerks to full alertness, spilling a little of her tea in the process. “Soq…” Hastily setting the tea down, she charges up the stairs, ignoring the stares of the other bewildered beasts.

Arrin Woodgreen: His dreams shift to a time where he’s still coping with his sight loss, stumbling around and losing many things to roadside thieves. He begins to toss and turn in the bed, muttering in his sleep.

Yazeth: The ferret bursts into the room, skidding to a halt just before running into the end of the bed. “Soq?”

Arrin Woodgreen: He continues to become more and more ensnared in the bedcovers as his dream continues. His father dying and grieving with his sister.

Yazeth: Jozra lays a paw on Soquan’s foot-paw, saying louder and more firmly this time, “Soquan.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He’s jerked out of the nightmares, sitting up in a cold sweat. He stares sightlessly at the ceiling, trying to figure out what woke him up.

Yazeth: The ferret shakes his foot a little saying again. “Soquan. It’s me.”

Arrin Woodgreen: The ghost-ish look about him fades as he sits up. “Joz?”

Yazeth: She smiles faintly at him. “Looks like I’m not the only one with nightmares around here.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He grins back weakly. “I guess so.”

Yazeth: “They’re serving tea downstairs if you want some.” She straightens, still feeling all around uncomfortable. “Besides, I thought I smelled breakfast nearly ready while I was down there.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He nods and climbs out of the bed. “I’m not going to sleep any more today, so let’s go.”

Yazeth: The ferret nods. “Why don’t we take everything with us? We can check out right after breakfast that way.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He nods. “Sounds good.” He straightens the bed a bit and begins to gather his things.

Yazeth: Jozra hefts her own pack, wincing slightly as it pulls at still-sore muscles. She glances around the brightening room before asking Soquan, “Ready to go?”

Arrin Woodgreen: He lifts his pack, grinning slightly. “Ready.” He walks out the door behind her and closes the door to their room.

Mar 10

Chapter 38: Slipping Away

Chapter 38: Slipping Away

In Which Blades Fly.

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Arrin Woodgreen: He drags himself upstairs a while later slipping quietly into the room in case she’s sleeping.

Yazeth: Jozra is not exactly sleeping, curled on her bed. She’s not exactly awake either.  She’s spent the past hour or so since she finished packing — in which she spent several minutes trying to make a decision on the scorpion pendant before placing it safely back into her bag — drifting in and out of consciousness.

Arrin Woodgreen: He crawls quietly into bed without a word to the ferret, closing his eyes to sleep.

Yazeth: One moment Azrun is yelling violently as he fires arrow after arrow into the town, the next the arrow shafts fade into the grain of the wall Jozra is facing. She sighs and rolls onto her back, a little more awake now, and stares at the darkened ceiling. A moment later flames creep around the edges of her vision and she tosses violently, startled to complete wakefulness as one of her tiny daggers thud into the wall she had been facing before.

Arrin Woodgreen: The otter is now snoring softly in the bed beside hers, unaware of what’s going on.

Yazeth: She stares at the dagger for a bit, perturbed at the knowledge that she can throw a dagger in her sleep. After a while, she stands and wiggles the knife out of the wood wondering blankly at what to do with it.

Arrin Woodgreen: The otter turns over in his sleep, mumbling something inaudibly.

Yazeth: The movement rouses the ferret from her reverie — she recalls for a second that she once stood exactly as she is now, only many miles away — and she puts the dagger away. Peeking outside through the curtains she can see the sky beginning to lighten.

Arrin Woodgreen: He murmurs again, curing up in the now warmed blankets.

Yazeth: She glances almost sadly at the otter before making up her mind. She takes some of the gold, much of which has long since been converted into useable currency, to provide her with something to use during her travels. As quietly as possible, Jozra moves to the door and opens it, wincing as it squeaks a little.

Arrin Woodgreen: The door doesn’t wake the otter up, but suddenly there’s a loud ruckus from outside that does. He sits up, rubbing at his barely rested eyes. “Wha?”

Yazeth: The ferret curses softly as a pair of shrews argue vehemently with the inn keeper just below their window. She mutters to the otter, “Go back to sleep.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He continues to paw at the sleep in his eyes. “What time is it?”

Yazeth: “Too early. Go back to bed.” The ferret starts out the door.

Arrin Woodgreen: He frowns. “Where are you going then?”

Yazeth: She sighs. “South.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He wakes up a bit more, looking towards the ferret as he sits up. “What do you mean ‘South’?”

Yazeth: Why did those shrews have to pick that moment to argue? “South. Home.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He frowns. “You were going to leave without me?”

Yazeth: The ferret grimaces and nods sharply, catching herself when she remembers that he can’t see the gesture. “Yes.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He stands, taking a step towards her. “Why?”

Yazeth: Jozra sighs and looks away before muttering, “Because I don’t want you to get hurt.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He frowns again. “Why would you worry about me getting hurt? We’re both travelers, we’re bound to get hurt…”

Yazeth: The ferret shakes her head slightly. “I’m afraid I would hurt you…” Oh the melodrama.

Arrin Woodgreen: His frown remains. “Why would you hurt me?”

Yazeth: The ferret is silent for a long while. Finally, knowing she can’t leave without giving him some sort of explanation, she says hoarsely, “I attacked the wall last night.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He moves closer to the ferret. “So?”

Yazeth: “I was asleep when I did it.” She nearly chokes for a second but continues roughly. “If I had been facing the other direction I could have killed you.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He frowns at this, resisting the urge to rush forward and comfort the ferret as he catches the hitch in her voice. Instead he takes another step towards her. “But you weren’t facing the other way.”

Yazeth: She steps away, avoiding the otter. “But I could have been. And what if it happens again?”

Arrin Woodgreen: He thinks for a moment before replying. “Put them in your pack then when you go to bed.”

Yazeth: The ferret blinks, surprised she didn’t think of that after having it beaten into her head to never be unarmed.

Arrin Woodgreen: He quirks an eyebrow. “Well?”

Yazeth: She looks deliberately away from the otter. “It’s not just that.” She catches herself before making any sort of comment as to the real reason she’s heading South.

Arrin Woodgreen: He steps forward again and tilts her chin up so she’s looking up at his face. “If it’s not that, then what is it?”

Yazeth: The ferret shakes her head out of Soquan’s paw, retreating another step. Oh lots of things. You see I’m not what I say I am and I’m off to do the bidding of a secret group of spies for a government nobody’s heard of… It’s all she can do to keep from barking out a harsh laugh. “What if those beasts yesterday decided you were more of a threat? I got you into trouble there and you could have been hurt bad.” It’s lame and she knows it.

Arrin Woodgreen: He gives her a lop-sided grin. “I can look after myself well enough,” the grin fades, “besides, I need you. Things have been going so much better for me since you came along.” He pauses a moment. “I think you need me too. For your nightmares I mean. Who’ll keep them away if you go?”

Yazeth: Jozra looks into Soquan’s face for a while, a troubled expression on her own.  Too tired and disturbed to keep arguing she concedes his point. Heaving a sigh she says, “I suppose you’re right.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He grins and gives her a gentle hug. “Atta girl.”

Yazeth: She grins weakly. “If it’s no trouble with you, I’d still like to leave as soon as possible. I’d rather not stay longer in this town than I have to.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He nods. “Can we sleep a bit longer? I swear I only just climbed into bed five minutes ago.”

Yazeth: Jozra nods. “I don’t think I’ll be getting much more sleep though.” She re-enters the room and sets down her pack to ease the otter’s fears of her leaving without him. “How about I go downstairs and come and get you when breakfast is ready?”

Arrin Woodgreen: He smiles. “Tha’d be wonderful.” He grins again. “If you get too tired don’t hesitate to come back up here okay?”

Yazeth: She nods again before exiting the room, closing the door softly behind herself.

Arrin Woodgreen: He moves towards the bed and flops down in the covers, falling asleep almost immediately.

Yazeth: Jozra remains just outside the door for a bit, thinking over their conversation. He needs me? She shakes herself and slowly navigates downstairs.

Mar 07

Chapter 37: Harsher Words

Chapter 37: Harsher Words

In Which Inanimate Objects Are Not To Blame.

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Yazeth: Jozra follows and dumps her spare set of clothing on one of the counters. She sits on the edge of one of the beds with a sigh.

Arrin Woodgreen: He rummages through his bag and pulls out a small tube and sits behind the ferret. “Here, take off your shirt so I can get this stuff on.”

Yazeth: The ferret does as asked.

Arrin Woodgreen: He smears a bit on his paws and proceeds to rub it gently onto the ferret’s back.

Yazeth: The ferret sighs in contentment as the balm eases the bruising. She stiffens and yelps slightly, however, when Soquan’s paw digs a bit too hard at a tender spot.

Arrin Woodgreen: He moves his paw to a different place, continuing to rub on the balm.  “Sorry ’bout that.”

Yazeth: She smiles slightly. “It’s alright, I didn’t realize that spot was so tender.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He nods and continues working at her back. “Okay.”

Yazeth: The ferret winces again. She also didn’t realize that she had gotten such a drubbing from the otter’s staff.

Arrin Woodgreen: He mutters another apology and continues again, adding a bit more balm onto his paws.

Yazeth:  “Ahh…  That feels good.” She grimaces a moment though. “Just… not so hard on those ribs there.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He nods and he’s noticeably more gentle with her ribs. “Sorry, it’s hard for me to figure out where you’re overly bruised.” He grins at her playfully. “Besides, what are you going to do if I don’t ease up? Throw one of your knives at me?”

Yazeth: The ferret stiffens. Tired and frustrated, she misinterprets Soquan’s tone. “Still harping on that I see.”

Arrin Woodgreen: The otter falls silent and he continues to rub on the balm, digging his thumb harder into a sore spot than he meant to.

Yazeth: Jozra yelps sharply, springing off of the bed. “If you’re going to be like THAT about it!”

Arrin Woodgreen: He gives a low growl and stands, turning her around to face him. “I’m not TRYING to be ANYTHING about it. I’m sorry about hurting you like that, do you think I’d intentionally cause you pain?”

Yazeth: The ferret snarls. “I TOLD you to watch that area! Twice!”

Arrin Woodgreen: He growls again, gripping her arm tightly. “You think this is easy for me? What do you expect me to do, just suddenly be able to see just so I can be gentler with your back?”

Yazeth: Jozra growls and jerks her arm away. “Seems you were able to ‘see’ well enough to be rough with my back!”

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan snarls and bares his teeth in response to her comment and strides past her, grabbing the room key. He then walks out the door and slams it behind himself, leaving Jozra in frosty silence.

Yazeth: Jozra glares at the shut door for a while before turning and kicking one of the chairs. The inanimate object sustains no damage but the knuckle on one of the ferret’s toes cracks audibly and she swears quite colorfully.

Arrin Woodgreen: He storms into the common room and moodily slumps into a chair by the fire.

Yazeth: After glaring balefully around the room at anything that could possibly offend her – the door, the chair, where she and Soquan had been sitting, the bed in general, the forgotten jar of bruise balms and, surprisingly, her long knife – she moves to her pack and begins repacking in preparation for an early start in the morning. Her movements are sharp and jerky causing her to fold and refold her spare set of clothing several times. As she shoves the clothing in her bag, she happens upon a small box…

Arrin Woodgreen: He leans forward in his seat and rests his head in his paws, trying to calm himself down.

Yazeth: The ferret knows exactly what’s in the box but she stares at it for a while anyway. She sets it down without opening it. Some Scorpion SHE turned out to be. After a moment she turns to the food provisions and divides them up into what she thinks are equal portions.

Mar 05

Chapter 36: Harsh Words

Chapter 36: Harsh Words

In Which Bruise Balm Might Not Solve All Problems.

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Yazeth: Jozra nods sharply, stiff in the presence of the people of the ‘safe house’ and leads the way out the back door. Finally out in the open, she breathes a sigh of relief.

Arrin Woodgreen: He sighs as well, glad to be out of the safe house and back in the open. He turn to the female as they walk, “I have some bruise balm back in my pack.”

Yazeth: The ferret smiles weakly. “Sounds soothing.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He nods and walks for a bit longer in silence, following the female. “You know, you didn’t have to throw the knife at her…”

Yazeth: The ferret growls softly but concedes. “I suppose not. I don’t think they would have believed me any other way, though.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He frowns. “I still think it was unnecessary.”

Yazeth: Jozra glances sharply at the otter. “I don’t like being perceived as helpless, which is exactly what they were doing. Besides, it’s not like I actually hurt her. Scared her, yes.  And it was effective, considering they thought everything I said was a lie or they twisted it to make you look bad.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He harrumphs. “There’s better ways of proving things to beasts besides scaring them. They would have eventually seen that I’m not what they think I am.”

Yazeth: The ferret scowls. “Are you so sure of that? And even if they did, it would be several days before they finally came around. Days that I would have to spend locked in that room. And nights…” She trails off, remembering that conversation with Azrun as though she had spoken to the fox only yesterday.

Arrin Woodgreen: He frowns. “I’m sure if both of us acted a bit more civilly towards them they would’ve come around sooner then that.”

Yazeth: She shakes her head. “They would have seen it as just an act.” Jozra narrows her eyes. “And they certainly wouldn’t have allowed you to… To keep my nightmares away.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He sighs. “I know that Jozra, and there really wasn’t much I could do to convince them that they were wrong. I talked to the house head calmly. I apologized for “roughing up” one of her employees, explained what happened and that we sparred last night, and even let her see my bruises…”

Yazeth: Jozra quirks an eyebrow at the phrase ‘roughing up’ as she’s still out of the loop as to what happened after she was ‘rescued.’ “And did she believe you?”

Arrin Woodgreen: He shakes his head. “No, she said I could just be some guy that likes getting into bar fights, and the bruises on my arms could just be you trying to defend yourself against me.”

Yazeth: The ferret smirks wryly. “You see what I mean?”

Arrin Woodgreen: He shoots a look at her. “That doesn’t mean they wouldn’t eventually listen to reason!”

Yazeth: Jozra frowns. “Eventually would be the key word here. How long would they have kept us locked up there? A week? A month?”

Arrin Woodgreen: He gives a low growl. “I don’t know.”

Yazeth: The ferret is silent for a long moment as she allows her thoughts to settle. After a little while she ventures rather apologetically. “I hope you didn’t worry too much when you couldn’t find me. I was afraid of what they’d do to you if I tried to alert you.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He frowns. “I was very worried, I couldn’t exactly ask any beast if they’ve seen you. ‘Hello, I’m looking for a ferret, she’s about this tall and… uh… she’s a ferret…’”

Yazeth: Jozra shoots a sly glance at the otter. “What would you have had me do then?  Scream for you and have them jump you immediately?”

Arrin Woodgreen:  He scowls, “Well you could have done something to let me know.”

Yazeth: The ferret bristles. “Like what? I’d really like to know what this ‘something’ is that I could have done.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He sighs, trying to think quick on his feet. “Well you could have put up some sort of fight at the beginning.”

Yazeth: Jozra snarls. “I DID! There’s only so much I can do before I start causing black eyes, though. I thought you were the one that was opposed to the way I trimmed Dawn’s whiskers.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He gives a low growl. “I am…”

Yazeth: “But putting up a fight at the beginning is different, huh?”

Arrin Woodgreen: He growls again. “I didn’t KNOW how much you fought against them, it’s not like I was there or anything.”

Yazeth: Jozra’s eyes narrow. “I thought you knew me well enough to know that I would put up a fight.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He falls silent for a moment. “Well, maybe I don’t.”

Yazeth: This comment gives Jozra pause and she falls silent as well, thinking of everything that he doesn’t – that he CAN’T – know about her.

Arrin Woodgreen: He stays quiet, remaining in step beside the ferret.

Yazeth: The pair continue in silence, finally in a ‘familiar’ part of the city. Soon they’re traveling back down the main street, headed in the direction of the inn.

Arrin Woodgreen: He speaks after a moment of silence, placing a paw on her shoulder. “I’m sorry Joz, I’m tired and cranky. I’m not myself tonight.”

Yazeth: The ferret shakes her head. “I don’t think either of us are.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He gives her a one armed hug, stepping up the inn’s stairs. “Want me to put some of that balm on your back when we’re up in our room?”

Yazeth: Jozra grins briefly. “Sounds good.” She opens the door and slips quietly inside.  A young ferret is sleeping at the front desk, there for any late arrivals that need to be checked in.

Arrin Woodgreen: He nudges Jozra. “Don’t wake the lad. Get the clipboard and sign us in.”

Yazeth: Jozra nods and stealthily approaches the desk, quickly scratching the name ‘Woodgreen’ into the ledger set out for this purpose.

Arrin Woodgreen: He waits for her and grins as he finishes. “Good, now come on.” He heads for the stairs to their room.

Yazeth: Jozra quickly follows. As they approach their door, Jozra automatically digs in her pockets for the key. “Er… You have the key, right?”

Arrin Woodgreen: He nods and digs out their key from his pocket. He unlocks the door and steps inside their room.

Mar 03

Chapter 35: Turning The Tables

Chapter 35: Turning The Tables

In Which A Little Action Is Better Than Words.

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Yazeth: Kirrian, true to her word, is rather tired and returns directly to her room while Sola, Dawn and the cooks begin distributing meals throughout the house. Neither of them see fit to update Jozra on the situation, however, when they deliver her meal and the two of them take their meal with Dysa in the hallway leading to Jozra’s room.

Arrin Woodgreen:  He sighs rises, beginning to pace the room restlessly. After a while he climbs on top of one of the crates and settles down to rest a bit, ignoring his meal.

Yazeth: Deke and Nolan, who had scarfed down their meal quite quickly, allow the otter to roam. What’s he gonna do to a store room anyway, right? Jozra eats, albeit quite mechanically, returning Dysa’s previous skull-boring stare. Unfortunately, the rattesses set their table a ways a way and any conversation they have is held in hushed tones.

Arrin Woodgreen: He closes his eyes and allows his mind to wander as he begins to drop off.

Yazeth: Jozra has finished her meal long before the plates are cleared. This time, Sola and Dawn remain behind, but Dawn is quickly called away to speak with Kirrian. She returns a few moments later with a determined look on her face and something in her paw. Poking her head into the ferret’s room she says the first thing Jozra has had directed at her in hours. “Goodnight, Jozra. Sleep well.”

Jozra glances at the rattess curiously, realizing too late what Dawn intends to do as she closes the door firmly and clasps a lock on it. The ferret is on her feet in an instant. “HEY!”

Arrin Woodgreen: He’s soon fast asleep, dreaming of being somewhere far off away from here.

Yazeth: The ferret slams her fists down on the door, not that she expects to get through the solid piece of timber. Dawn calls from the other side. “Get some sleep! This is for your own protection. The lock will come off in the morning.”

Jozra merely growls softly in return as she hears Dawn pad off down the hallway. She stalks across the room, resuming her pacing route but is quickly irritated by it. She flings herself down on the bed, thoroughly disgusted with herself for getting caught, for Dawn and all of her stupid well intentioned friends, for, for, ergh!

Arrin Woodgreen: He mumbles something in his sleep and rolls over, an arm flopped over his face and the other over the side of the crate.

Yazeth: Exhausted by her frustration and the sparring the night before, Jozra falls asleep before realizing what she’s done, and where her proverbial ‘safety blanket’ is.

Arrin Woodgreen: He mumbles again, his whiskers twitching and his tail giving a slight wag.

Yazeth: It begins surprisingly innocently enough. She’s talking to Azrun, wrapped in a cloak and sitting perched on a rocky overlook.

“I don’t like this. I don’t like this at all,” the archer-fox says. Jozra shakes her head darkly, “None of us do, Azer.”

She frowns in discomfort as she spies a mole staggering in the streets of the town, obviously infected and very delirious. This momentary distraction is enough for a young mouse the pair hadn’t noticed earlier, and he darts from the edge of town. Azrun spins and draws in the same instant, loosing his arrow but narrowly missing his target. Jozra hits him, though, and the mouse falls with a thud. The two cringe in shame and the ferret mutters through gritted teeth, “I HATE this.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He shifts again, adjusting the shirt pillowed beneath his head.

Yazeth: The scene shifts, in that way that dreams do, taking a roundabout psychedelic route through conversations and slain villagers to a council of the Scorpions assigned to this distasteful duty. The council where the Nine hesitantly reach the conclusion that the town must be put to the torch. Azrun looses a flaming arrow, Lysiz flings a torch from a precipice to the roofs below, Jozra and the others cut down the escapees. A child shrieks in terror and the noise manifests its self in the real world.

Dawn jerks into wakefulness at the scream. Jozra is startled awake. She blinks and wonders, “Who?”

Arrin Woodgreen:  The otter jerks into reality as his ears pick up the sound of the Jozra’s scream. He practically flies towards the door, trying the door to find it locked. He pleads with the other two males. “Please let me go, she needs me!” There’s no short-temperedness or anger in the in the male’s actions any more, only severe worry.

Yazeth: The ferret groans as she realizes, due to Dawn’s frantic scratching at the lock on her door, that it was indeed herself that had screamed. Tired, irritated and frustrated, Jozra resolves to get herself, and Soquan, out of this situation post haste.

Nolan, who was jerked out of a doze at Jozra’s scream, looks wildly at Deke who is staring at Soquan, obviously confused.

Arrin Woodgreen: He sighs and rams his bodyweight into the door, surprised as it breaks easily.  He pauses only a moment to get his bearings as he darts towards the origin of the noise.

Yazeth: Jozra stands as the door finally bangs open and Dawn and Sola rush through, halfway through comforting words and phrases before they actually see the ferret standing there looking, well, irritated. Their confusion is nothing compared to Nolan and Deke’s, who stare dumbly at the shattered remains of the store room door, still trying to process what just happened. It is this delay that gives Soquan the head start he needs to find his way to the stairs and up them.

Arrin Woodgreen: He stumbles around for a few moments before he finds the stairs.  Once this is achieved he darts up them as fast as he can without endangering himself.

Yazeth: Dawn, who is only slightly put off by the fact that the ferret is not, in fact, whimpering and crying as she would have expected, enters the room and puts a kind paw on Jozra’s shoulder, attempting to lead her back to the bed. “There, there… I had a feeling something like this might happen. Don’t you see why we had to separate you from the cause of your pain? “

Jozra, much to the rattess’ surprise, shakes the paw off and glares at Dawn coldly. “You don’t know anything.”

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan suddenly bursts into the room, panting slightly from his run. Going into ‘protector’ mode, he snarls at the two rattess’. “Get yer paws off’o’er!”

Yazeth: Much to her own surprise, Jozra crosses the room quickly and clings tightly to the otter. She mumbles a rather inadequate explanation by way of, “I hate those rotting things…”

Arrin Woodgreen: He wraps his arms tenderly around the female, he rubs her back gently, being careful of her bruises. “I know.” He nuzzles her gently, his muzzle bumping gently at her collarbone, neck and jaw. “I’m so sorry I wasn’t here, I don’t like you having these nightmares any more then you do.”

Yazeth: The jaws on the rattesses drop, but Dawn’s eyes glitter in frustration. Such a naive girl… she thinks, though the thought process is interrupted by the arrival of a very indignant Kirrian with Deke and Nolan almost immediately at her back, looking rather sheepish at letting the otter go.

Spurred on by the arrival of her superior, the rattess takes a step towards the couple glaring fiercely at Soquan. “You take your hands off of her!”

Before the words are barely out of the rattess’ mouth, Jozra moves and a little black dagger soars through the air, shearing the whiskers on one side of Dawn’s face and thudding ominously into the headboard of the bed.

Arrin Woodgreen: He stands there, a bit confused at what happened, but cannot mistake the sound of metal into wood. “Jozra, be nice, they were only trying to keep you safe from the big, bad, female beating otter.” He gives her another slight nuzzle.

Yazeth: The ferret, however, has had enough of her would be ‘rescuers’ company. As Dawn stands stark still, utterly frozen by the turn of events, Jozra reaches past her to retrieve her blade. Muttering softly to Soquan, she pulls him by the arm towards the door, glaring at those blocking their path. “Lets get out of here.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He allows himself to be pulled behind the ferret, it’s the fastest way to move without his staff. “I’m right behind you.”

Yazeth: Deke and Nolan stand firm behind Kirrian, but Jozra draws herself up to her full height, which is just a hair taller than the slight vixen, and stares the head of the house in the eye. Each word she says is its own sentence. “I. Am. Perfectly. Capable. Of. Taking. Care. Of. My. Self.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He stands behind the ferret, his arms crossed as he listens.

Yazeth: To her credit, Kirrian does not flinch nor look away. She frowns and glances at Dawn, checking to make sure that the rattess is alright. “You have attacked one of my members and thus are no longer welcome in my house.”

The vixen gestures and Deke and Nolan stand aside, finally comfortable in their current role of ‘bodyguard.’

Arrin Woodgreen: He speaks from behind the ferret. “What about the stuff you took from me? Her extra set of clothes and my staff.”

Yazeth: Sola finally speaks up. “I put them in a crate just inside the kitchen, the door right next to the store room.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He nods and strides past the small group to retrieve the things.

Yazeth: The pair quickly find their way downstairs and in the kitchen with a small group of followers who mind their distance. Jozra grabs her spare set of clothing and places Soquan’s staff into his paws.

Arrin Woodgreen: He smiles faintly. “Thank you.” He shifts the staff to his unbitten paw. “Back to the inn then?”

Feb 28

Chapter 34: Lessons In Futility

Chapter 34: Lessons In Futility

In Which Bad First Impressions Are Made.

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Arrin Woodgreen:  Soquan, having been waiting in front of the bathhouses for a while, knocks softly on the female’s door. “Jozra? Are you in there?”

Yazeth: Jozra sits on the bed, reassessing the situation. After a moment, she glances out the door and into the hallway. Dawn has gone and the crowd of her would be ‘rescuers’ has broken up, but the hallway is still crowded. Fortunately the door has remained open and unlocked. She may just simply postpone her escape until later, but that still leaves Soquan without a clue as to what happened to her. Dammit.

Arrin Woodgreen:  He shoulders the bathhouse door open a little bit and calls inside. “Anybeast in there?”

Yazeth: With a shock, Jozra thinks to check for her concealed blades. Breathing a sigh of relief she finds them there, distinctly remembering now that she had distributed them between her two sets of clothing when she and Soquan had returned to their hotel room.  The question is now, what to do when they find the other blades in her discarded and nearly forgotten other set of clothes? The ferret hopes that it at least helps her statement that she can take care of herself.

Arrin Woodgreen: He pushes the door completely open and steps inside. “Hello?”

Yazeth: Jozra remains seated on the bed, surreptitiously checking the hallway, keeping tabs on the traffic out there. She can’t, however, keep track of where everybody else goes.  One of the rattesses in the group, a rather small thing called Dysa, has decided to head back to the bathhouses to retrieve whatever was left behind.

Arrin Woodgreen: He walks around and becomes alert as he catches a slight whiff of her sent. After a moment, he finds her spare clothes. He stoops to pick them up. “Jozra?”

Yazeth:  Fortunately for Soquan, at this time of evening most beasts are busy at home, perhaps even preparing dinner. Dysa is pulled aside by Dawn as she is about to exit the building.

“Make sure you question anybody you see. I want to know who did this to the ferret.” Dysa nods, and steps out into the street, heading for the bath house.

Arrin Woodgreen: He proceeds to check the pool he found the clothes beside. Did she fall asleep in the pool?

Yazeth:  Presently, Dysa walks up to the bath house and enters the female side. She’s shocked for a moment at seeing a male in there. “Hey! What do you think you’re doing?!”

Arrin Woodgreen: He jumps slightly, gathering up the ferret’s things. “I’m looking for a friend of mine, she was supposed to meet me outside five minutes ago.”

Yazeth: The rattess narrows her eyes, noticing the ferret’s things in the otter’s paws. “Can you describe your friend?”

Arrin Woodgreen: He brings his hand up to his shoulder height. “About this tall, she’s a ferret. Uh, that’s all I can really describe.”

Yazeth:  The rattess sneers. This is all she needs to know but she takes a verbal jab at the otter anyway. “Honestly, you can’t have been a very good friend if that’s all the description you can give.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He snarls and grabs the rattess by the tunic, bringing her up to eye level so she can see his sightless gaze. “Maybe that’s all I can notice about her!”

Yazeth: Absolutely certain now that this is the beast that inflicted those welts on the ferret’s back, Dysa scrabbles in fear. She bites the otter hard on the paw and scampers towards the door before he can do anything about that. Forget the clothes, she needs reinforcements!

Arrin Woodgreen: He snarls again and drops the maid, clutching at his paw. “Wait!  Stop!”

Yazeth: Dysa, of course, pays no heed and darts out into the street, running top speed back to the safe house.

Arrin Woodgreen: He sighs and rubs his paw for a moment before picking up the missing ferret’s things as well as his staff.

Yazeth: The rattess stumbles a few times, her imagination making the situation larger than it is. She is, in fact, convinced that the otter is perusing her and she is rather surprised when she finally reaches the safe house to find that he is nowhere to be seen.  “Dawn!”

Arrin Woodgreen: He curses as he drops a few of the blades and stoops to pick them up.

Yazeth: Dysa charges up the stairs, nearly colliding with Dawn and a few of the other women in the safe house. Jozra perks her ears as she hears the commotion in the corridor.

Arrin Woodgreen: He rises and slowly goes to leave the bathhouse.

Yazeth: The ferret pretends to sleep as she listens to the conversation taking place not too far from her door. Dysa describes Soquan as huge. ‘And violent! He threatened me when I only asked him if he knew any ferret-maids! He grabbed me and I had to bite him five times before he would let me go!” Jozra smirks at the phrase “ferret-maid” but frowns at the rest of the story. This doesn’t sound like Soquan at all.

Arrin Woodgreen: He sighs and pauses a moment to gather his thoughts. Should he wait here for the ferret? What about the inn? Did she go back there?

Yazeth: Dawn and the others are finally able to calm Dysa down enough to gather that the beast they’re looking for is, or at least was, in the bath houses and is definitely a dangerous one. The rattess frowns and rattles of instructions. “Sola, go find Deke and Nolan. I think we’re going to need them. Dysa, stay here and make sure the ferret doesn’t go anywhere. I’m going to rouse Kirrian. This is a bit more urgent than I thought and we’ll need her guidance.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He sighs and decides to search around the immediate area. He shifts the bundle in his arms and continues along the street a bit, his staff tapping along the sidewalk as he moves slowly, occasionally calling the ferret’s name.

Yazeth: Not quite five minutes later – what seemed like an eternity to Jozra as she felt Dysa’s eyes boring holes into the back of her skull as if the rattess was trying to read her mind – Sola returns with a simple looking but quite burly stoat and a weasel that looked as though he could have carried the stoat with ease.

Jozra had found one use for the window, now that the sun had sunk, and was able to watch everything happening in the hall without looking through the door. Mere moments later, Dawn returns with a surprisingly slight vixen; definitely Kirrian with the way all the others acted around her.

Arrin Woodgreen: Reaching the end of the street, he turns around and goes back the way he came. He walks past the bathhouses again and goes down the street on the other side of it.

Yazeth: Quickly, Dysa relates her story, though this time she had to bite the otter on the nose before he would let go and he chased her halfway down the street. The original group backs up the rattess, describing the welts on Jozra’s back. Surprisingly, Kirrian doesn’t seem to buy the whole story but nevertheless she authorizes the ‘capture’ of this otter.

With Dysa and Sola at their backs, Deke, who proved to be the weasel, and Nolan lead the way out of the ‘safehouse.’ Jozra scowls, an expression hidden in a pillow, as Kirrian and Dawn remain behind. Curiously, they make no move to confront her.

Arrin Woodgreen: He reaches the end of the road again and turns to the bathhouse again.  He sighs again and once he reaches the bathhouses again, he leans back against the wall, waiting with his ears perked and his nose searching for her scent.

Yazeth: This, of course, makes the otter far easier to find than any of the searchers expected. As they finally get in view of Soquan, Dysa squeaks in fear, pointing him out and identifying the otter for the others. “That’s him!  That’s the one!” She falls back, nearly cowering. Sola comforts her as Deke and Nolan march forward. “Oy!  Yewh!”

Arrin Woodgreen: He turns his attention to the approaching beasts, unleaning from the wall. “Yes? Can I help you?”

Yazeth: Deke jerks his thumb over his shoulder. “Yewh de one dat ‘ttacked dis poor gurl? An beat de f’rret?”

Arrin Woodgreen: He crosses his arms. “I didn’t attack anyone, and I’ve never beaten any beast in my life.” He absently rubs his sore, bitten paw.

Yazeth: Nolan mirror’s Soquan’s crossed arms as Deke continues. “Dat’s not wut we herd.  We herd yewh grabbed dis one and was lookink fur de f’rret dat dey found dat was all beat up.”

Arrin Woodgreen: His ears swivel and he finally catches the rattess’ sent. “Sure, I grabbed her, but I did not attack her. And yes, I’m looking for a ferret. Do you know where she is?”

Yazeth:  The distinction is lost on the stoat and Nolan begins to growl softly. Dysa jumps in surprise and cowers further, inching her way back up the street; that one’s definitely got an imagination on her. Deke is obviously the big talker of the two and continues. “We knowh, but yewh not find ‘er!” At this, the weasel and stoat advance on the otter.

Arrin Woodgreen: The sudden burst of noise and action startles the otter and he doesn’t get at his staff in time. He fights the beasts the best he can but is eventually overpowered. “Why are you doing this?”

Yazeth: Dysa scurries her way back towards the ‘safe house’ as Deke and Nolan carry the otter bodily up the street. Sola, a bit braver and more sensible than her friend, tags behind to gather what was dropped: Jozra’s spare set of clothing, Soquan’s staff, etcetera.  Deke grunts, “Yewh ‘buser. Can’t let dat ‘appen. Yewh don ‘urt dat f’rret no more.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He snarls suddenly, his fur going on end. “So you all think I beat my best friend? Is that it? You think I’m some egotistical male that finds pleasure in beating females to feel good about myself?”

Yazeth: Nolan tightens his hold as Deke grunts. “Yah. Dat’s about it.” Though an otter and thus rather heavy, the other two burly mustelids make good time and soon leave the bath house behind. Sola keeps pace, though she remains quite out of the reach of any of the males.

Arrin Woodgreen:  His harrumphs angrily and falls silent, allowing himself to be carried in frosty silence. His ears swivel as he listens to beasts as they pass. He takes in as much of the scents as he can, trying to put together a map of where they’re going.

Yazeth: Soon Dysa has lead the rest to the rear of the building. Back here it looks quite unsavory indeed. As Deke and Nolan get Soquan into the badly lit stockroom, now that it is quite obviously night outside, Dysa scuttles up into the main part of the building to alert Dawn and Kirrian.

Arrin Woodgreen: By now the otter’s stomach begins to rumble and he sighs, wandering around the stockroom, getting familiar with his surroundings.

Yazeth: Deke and Nolan are content to merely stand in the corners and keep an eye on the otter until the vixen arrives. Sola, on the other hand, moves directly into the kitchen, after firmly shutting the door and leaving the various items in the stoat’s care, and begins to help a few others in the preparation of an evening meal for everybody.

Upstairs, Jozra perks her ears as she sees the reflection of the rattess enter the corridor. She speaks in hushed tones with the others – the ferret can only pick up the gist of the conversation – and they quickly leave. Before she has a chance to do anything, though, Dysa is back guarding the ferret’s door. Jozra grits her teeth in frustration and thinks dark thoughts.

Arrin Woodgreen: He grumbles darkly to himself and continues to stumble around the room awkwardly, he is nothing without his staff. The odd curse slips out as he bangs various parts of his anatomy on boxes and other whatnot in the room. Getting crankier and short tempered by the minute, his fur remains raised and his teeth gritted.

Yazeth: Nolan notices the otter’s fumbling and cocks an eyebrow at Deke. The expression, or at least whatever it was pointing out, is lost on the weasel. Fortunately, or perhaps unfortunately, Dawn and Kirrian arrive.

Arrin Woodgreen: His ears perk up as the door opens and he turns towards the origin of the noise. Realizing it’s just more beasts coming in he crosses his arms, growling a soft, warning growl. This is not a happy otter.

Yazeth: Deke and Nolan stiffen at the otter’s response and stand ready but make no move to intercept him. Yet. Dawn enters the room somewhat cautiously, but still with the manner of a quite unhappy mother. Kirrian possesses the grace and mystery of the seer vixens and she does not hesitate to enter the room, or even stand within two steps of Soquan.*

“You are the companion of the ferret,” she glances at Dawn, “Jozra.” She poses it as a statement. Not a question.

Arrin Woodgreen: He nods, his stance not changing. “Yes, I know Jozra, she’s a very good friend of mine.”

Yazeth: The vixen quirks an eyebrow and says wryly. “So it seems.” She gestures and the muscle power drag a pair of chairs to the center of the room. Kirrian sits primly in the padded one, carefully watching the otter. Upstairs, tense with suspense, Jozra quits her pretence and begins pacing the room, despite Dysa’s weak objections. If something goes down, she wants to be ready for it, and the nearly imperceptible bulges dispersed across her frame that contain her many small knives are a comfort.

Arrin Woodgreen: He hears the chairs being put down and he feels his way towards the one he didn’t hear her sit in.

Yazeth: While Soquan’s blindness may have been lost on Nolan and Deke, and even Dysa, Kirrian notices it almost as soon as Soquan begins to move. Seems he made a lucky guess at looking her directly in the eye when she entered the room. This information doesn’t jibe with what the vixen knows, but she doesn’t presume to know more than she does and it is because of that ‘wisdom’ that Kirrian doesn’t pass the incident off as a simple misunderstanding. “I have reports that you roughed up one of my girls. A rattess.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He sighs, rubbing his temples tiredly. “She insulted me and I admit, I grabbed her, and I apologize if I hurt her, I was a little tense. She ran off before I could say anything more to her than what I already had.”

Yazeth: Kirrian once again quirks an eyebrow, rather surprised, honestly, at the otter’s candor. Unless he’s lying, of course, but generally liars deny everything. Anyway, Dysa’s been known to exaggerate. On to more pressing questions. “Then would you care to explain the welts on Jozra’s back?”

Arrin Woodgreen: He nods. “I’d be more than happy to. It’s quite simple really. We sparred last night before we got here. We weren’t exactly gentle with our blows.” He rolls up a sleeve to expose his arm which is bruised with a few welts.

Yazeth: The vixen expected as much. She sighs heavily. “So it seems that you were at least able to get her to agree to a story. From where I’m sitting, that bruise could just as easily have come from Jozra attempting to defend herself against your attack.” Which is almost exactly what actually happened, only not in the way Kirrian or any of the others are seeing it.

Arrin Woodgreen: He sighs and stands, pulling his shirt off over his head. He spreads his arms and rotates slowly, allowing the vixen to see the many, many bruises from the spar, of course as well as other old scars. “What do you say now?”

Yazeth: Kirrian leans back in her chair, scrutinizing the otter’s body. Not all vixens are healers and Kirrian tends to leave the tending of wounds to those with more knowledge of the subject and thus does not have the experience to determine how old these bruises and welts may be. “I say that this only proves your tendency for violence. For all I know you could be a notorious brawler – picking fights when you can.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He can’t help but bark a laugh. “I tend to avoid those as much as I can, once it gets to more than two beasts against me it gets kinda confusing when all you have to go by is sound and smell.”

Yazeth: The vixen narrows her eyes, not at all enamored with the otter. “If I may level with you, I have seen this Jozra and she hardly seems the type to hurt a fly, much less give you this drubbing that you credit her with.” She stands, a paw to her temple. Addressing the room now, rather than the otter directly she states, “I am far too tired to deal with this now and we must all be hungry.”

Kirrian glances at the otter before moving towards the door. “You shall stay here for tonight, at least until we can figure out what to do with you and this situation. I believe Sola and the cooks have a meal prepared for you, Nolan, and Deke, who shall keep you company.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He harrumphs and slumps back into his chair, his tone turning sarcastic. “Oh yay.”

Yazeth: Kirrian frowns rather severely at Soquan’s sarcasm and exits the room without another word. Meanwhile, upstairs Dysa is very quickly forming an opinion of Jozra that is quite the opposite of Kirrian’s. The rattess can almost taste the anger and frustration radiating from the ferret, though so far the Scorpion has had the sense to remain in her room, though as the minutes slide by without any word on the situation Jozra grows more agitated, seriously questioning the ‘sense’ in her present course of non-existent action.

Arrin Woodgreen: He grumbles darkly and crosses his arms, slinking further into the chair.

Feb 26

Chapter 33: Unnecessary Rescue

Chapter 33: Unnecessary Rescue

In Which Jozra Does Not Need To Be Saved.

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Yazeth: Jozra soaks for a few more minutes before realizing that it has been about an hour since she parted company with Soquan. Excusing herself from her company, she clambers out of the tub, heading for the towel rack.

Arrin Woodgreen: A chorus of gasps and inward hisses come from behind her as she exits the tub. Dawn scrambles out after her. “Jozra, you don’t have to live like you do, come with us, we can help you.”

Yazeth: The ferret quirks an eyebrow, obviously missing what the rattess is talking about and only vaguely aware that the small group is rather stunned by her bruises. “Like what? Traveling?”

Arrin Woodgreen:  She nods quickly. “Yes, we can get you far away from here, very far, to Blaine if you wanted to.”

Yazeth:  Jozra smiles, still missing their point. “I’m already well on my way in that direction.” The poor ferret is obviously confused. This doesn’t distract her from drying herself off though.

Arrin Woodgreen: She places a paw on her shoulder. “You poor thing, we can get someone to fix you up.”

Yazeth:  This comment gives Jozra pause. “Fix…” Finally she puts two and two together.  And she’s supposed to be one of those sharp spy types. C’mon Joz. “Oh! You don’t think… The bruises? I was sparring with a friend. It’s nothing really. But thanks for your concern.”

Yazeth: As she speaks, Jozra moves to her cleaner set of spare clothing and begins to dress.

Arrin Woodgreen: Dawn shakes her head slowly. “There’s no need to defend him, he’ll pay retribution for what he’s done to you, come on Jozra, there’s no reason to be afraid of him anymore.” They all begin to herd her out of the bathhouse.

Yazeth: Jozra sputters trying to keep her balance putting on one of her boots and trying to stay in the same place while several persistent women try to herd her to the door. “I’m hardly defending anybody, it’s the truth! And I’m certainly not afraid of ‘him,’ whoever ‘he’ is…  Wait.  You don’t mean my friend do you?” Fortunately some teacher somewhere beat it into Jozra’s head not to give out too much information and she refrains from mentioning Soquan by name or even species.

Arrin Woodgreen: They say nothing and merely shake their heads sadly, moving her along.

Yazeth:  Never in a thousand years did Jozra expect to find herself in this sort of situation. Herded along by a savage mob, yeah. But by kind, decent beasts with the wrong idea while deep under cover? Blankly, she lets herself be hauled off with the hope that they take her to a rational beast where she can talk her way out of the mess, because obviously these ladies aren’t listening to reason.

Arrin Woodgreen:  Meanwhile, Soquan wakes from a quiet doze. Oh hell gates, how long had he been asleep? He scrambles out of the cold water and dries off hurriedly.

Yazeth: As she’s almost bodily carried out into the street, Jozra takes a moment to analyze what is going on. She sees no imminent danger in her immediate surrounding, though they may be embarrassing and irritating. Soquan is a concern, what he will do when he doesn’t find her, Jozra doesn’t exactly know, though she does have a general idea. From the rattess’ words, though, the ferret is convinced that it would be a Bad Idea to call out to the otter. Best try to sort this out on her own and then find Soquan. If anyone is in danger, it is he.

Arrin Woodgreen: He jogs back to his clothes, only to trip into another pool. He surfaces, cursing quite colorfully as he heaves himself out to dry again. Still muttering choice comments about the pool’s heritage, he towels off again and begins to dress.

Yazeth: Though wrapped in her thoughts, Jozra is not oblivious to her surroundings. Far from it, in fact. She’s been keeping a very close eye on where the little group is taking her, mapping the twists and turns taken in the streets as they hurry along.

Quite quickly the tiny parade enters a part of the city that Jozra hasn’t seen before. Once again the ferret profusely thanks Valz mentally. The old mole’s lessons on mentally mapping have come in handy yet again.

Arrin Woodgreen: They herd her into a large building. “We’ll take you up to the dormitories to rest up. You can meet the boss in a few days when she has time.”

Yazeth: Jozra quirks an eyebrow. “A few days? I was planning on leaving tomorrow morning. I have a lot of ground to cover if I’m to be home before mid-summer.” The last she made up on the fly, but considering the current season and the distance to Blaine, though she’s only planning on going as far as Fifer as the woodpecker said, it’s a good estimate that keeps her cover story intact.

Arrin Woodgreen: Dawn crosses her arms. “You’re to stay here and rest while we find this ‘friend’ of yours.”

Yazeth: Something in Dawn’s tone doesn’t sit well with Jozra. Oh if only she were a better diplomat. Finally standing on her own two feet again, Jozra stands tall. “Now see here, you’ve got it all wrong. I’m perfectly capable of taking care of myself and I can assure you that were I ever to be in such a situation, which is highly doubtful despite what you may think, I would have left or sought help long ago.”

Arrin Woodgreen: Her arms remain crossed. “Jozra, please calm down and rest, you wouldn’t like it if I had to call Deke.”

Yazeth: Deke? Who in the fur… But that’s not important. A stony expression settles on Jozra’s face. “It occurs to me that you may not be entirely rational about this.” Perhaps she shouldn’t have said that… Too late. “I have been and remain to be calm, if a little irritated.” She speaks very deliberately, like the steady slapping of well made boots on a stone floor.

Arrin Woodgreen: She sighs and merely points to the door behind the ferret. “Go.”

Yazeth: Jozra scowls. If it wasn’t for the crowd behind Dawn and the need to remain incognito the ferret would take her on. A little voice in the back of her mind pipes up. ‘Taking down a decent, relatively helpless creature. Just like in the northlands…’ The thought, more than anything else, shocks her into compliance.

Arrin Woodgreen: She watches as the ferret enters the room and turns away, heading back down the hall they came from.

Yazeth: For the sake of those watching, Jozra heads towards the bed, keeping her back turned to the hallway. Quickly she scopes the place: bed, chair, a small cupboard with things such as a washbowl arranged neatly on top, and little else. It’s small but homey and it has a window sized too small for a ferret such as herself to squirm through, which is rather small indeed.