Haunted by the Past, Threatened by the Future [OPEN BY REQUEST]

[IcarusDescension]

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Father Kavik was bent on one knee beside his friend, a look of pain distorting his normally placid features. For a moment he had considered trying to go after the assassin, but had stayed by the dying priest in his last moments instead.

Shame burned him as intensely as if he were standing in a room engulfed in flames. His friend *had* been hiding something, but not to deceive them but rather to protect them and his family. Kavik had failed completely. Not only to read his friend, but to react when the danger presented itself. Though he had, perhaps, always been better with words than with action he couldn't help but believe that even he could have done something better. Surprise and shock had crippled his reactions. Or maybe you're just an old man whose been playing minister so long you've forgotten how to be anything else. A voice accused in his mind.

"I'm sorry my friend," he said as he placed a hand on Davis' shoulder. It came out as little more than a whisper. "Once again the better man has paid with his life."

Alvina knelt by the man as well, clearly having done her best to prevent his death. Her hands were turned red by his blood. He knew she had seen darkness in her past, that she was no complete innocent to the world. Yet even so the sight disquieted him further. She was a healer true, but she was always so full of joy and Ki's spirit. The sight of blood on the woman's hands simply seemed wrong to him; a burden she should never have to bear. His friend's last words had been to ask Kavik to abandon their quest. Yet now more than ever he found he was unwilling to quit.

As he looked around he realized the young priest was gone, presumably to go for help. They were alone. But not necessarily unwatched... What had tipped their enemies hands he wondered? His mind offered up the more mundane possibilities: that the room was simply under some sort of auditory or visual surveillance. Someone watching and listening on the other side of a wall through a small hole delicately hidden? Such things were easy enough to arrange.

Yet he couldn't shake the memory of the disturbing sensation he had felt when he had found that dark book and touched something he was clearly not meant to find, the sensation of having drawn the attention of the very shadows themselves...

Fine, watch me then, he thought defiantly. Watch me as I refuse to give up. Watch me as I defy you for all the good men's lives you've taken, for the blood on a good woman's hands... With that thought he got up and began rifling through Davis' desk, looking over the papers and nearby bookshelves, trying to determine which had been recently disturbed and looking for significance. "There must be a clue here... something... Davis knew everything..." he thought aloud.

He shuffled through the book the man had been going over when they had entered, for the moment oblivious to the paper which had slipped out of it, but it appeared to be some fairly ordinary historical account related to geography and early sea voyages.

[DarkAndar]

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Alvina sat, teary eyed, rocking Davis gently back and forth. It always crushed her when she couldn't save a life, no matter how grievous the wound. Still, Davis's expression was one of peace in those final moments. As if, at the last second before he passed, the gates opened to the celestial paradise and bid him enter and he forgot all of his fears and concerns, and the pain. She lifted her gaze to see Father Kavik searching the chamber for any scrap of information that could lend itself to their mission.  She also saw a glint in the old man's eyes that had not been there before. Something burned there now.

Alvina knew from his words, that he felt somehow responsible for Davis's death. Once again the better man has paid with his life. Those words cut her deeply, just to hear them. She wanted to go to the Minister and embrace him and tell him it wasn't so. That this wasn't his fault. The fault rested with whoever these dark individuals were. Davis had bargained his life away when his thirst for knowledge brought him in the company of those terrible men. But she did not. Maybe the sadness was still too raw, or perhaps she felt the Minister need not be reminded of such things. And just maybe, he would use this as fuel for the fire. He didn't need her words of comfort, he needed answers. She would help him with that.

She gently laid Davis down, wiping her hands to some semblance of clean in a basin in the corner of the room. She returned to Father Kavik's side, peering about the room, trying her best to switch gears from somber and scared to thoughtful and discerning. It wasn't easy. "That man," she said in a soft mechanical voice, "Do you think he had something to do with the Nazim? Some dark unholy sect perhaps?" Alvina asked, bending down to retrieve the books and return them to the shelf, gazing absently at the covers and flipping through a few pages.

Then she recalled the folded up parchment she had noticed just before the horrible event. "Oh Father, there was a piece of paper," she said, searching earnestly now, "That I noticed in the book he was studying." Under a book, she found it, yellowed with age and old of smell. Gingerly she unfolded the parchment, to reveal a map of sorts.

It appeared to be an island - just like the one they sought. It seemed far too coincidental not to be 'their' island. But Alvina did not know geography well enough to know if this was indeed the place they wished to voyage to. This body of land lay far east of the mainland, beyond several isles and twice that many cays. She thought she noticed a pattern in it all, but after she blinked it eluded her.

"Here Father, maybe you can make some sense of this map," she said, handing him the parchment. Even if they knew where to find this island and library, she wondered as to how they would ever find a ship to go to such a place, without attracting unwanted attention. The sort of attention that leaves one still and cold as ice, she thought, peering down at the peaceful form of Priest Davis.

She detected the clamor of feet rebounding off marble not far away. The young priest had apparently brought some members of the temple to clean up and restore order. She silently prayed they would find that assassin and level justice upon him. But she doubted it. Remembering how emotionless he was. How he had murdered a saintly man like Davis as if he were splitting a log for the fire or some other trivial task.

[IcarusDescension]

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Kavik nodded absently at Alvina's first question, still digging through their deceased host's desk. "A dark sect... Yes, that would make sense. I suppose the more mundane explanation is simply that the man was paid to keep Davis' silent while his employers plunder the library. Yet the way Davis talked of dark gods and scrolls... and I felt something when I touched that strange book, a book having something to do with this 'Nazim' character. Perhaps that religion of his is not quite as dead as Davis' led us to believe. Perhaps they simply changed at some point in history, became more secretive..." His voice was continually trailing off as he spoke, until he was almost mumbling to himself. "...I suppose it could all be some sort of misdirection, but Davis was never that subtle of a man and this feels deeper than money. 'The dark scrolls of Nazim' he said..."

He abandoned his monologue as he belatedly realized what Alvina had said. He looked over at the map, then turned his gaze to her instead - something about the woman's demeanor catching his attention. She had managed to keep her calm, but she clearly seemed disturbed by the incident - not that he blamed her for that. Her eyes seemed as if she had been close to tears at some point and she seemed too subdued. Why was I over here digging through a dead man's desk and not offering her support? He wondered suddenly. I was confronted by pain, shock, anger... death. And once again I flinched away and became aloof. Is this the only way I know to handle strong emotion?

His introspection, and the uncomfortable thoughts it raised, was abandoned when she handed him the map, curiosity pulling his attention to it immediately. It looked to have been drawn some generations ago. Once again it was in another language, although this one looked to be more mundane - not the ominous runes of the dark scroll or the ancient language of the book on Nazim. None the less whoever had made it seemed a skilled cartographer and he suspected it would guide them well enough to the island, assuming they could manage to match up a couple of landmarks.

But something about the situation bothered Kavik. If Davis had been to the island before and never wanted to go back, why keep a map around - or perhaps more to the point, why had he apparently been studying it? After all he had already known where the island was, yet the man had been at his desk with this very book open when they had first come in as if trying to extract more information from it.

For that matter if the island was being guarded by such a secretive cult, would they really tolerate a map pointing to its exact location being left like this where it could fall into the wrong hands? Unless of course they hadn't known the map was here. Could Davis have been keeping secrets from his employers? Or did the map hold some clue other than just the location of the island, something he was supposed to puzzle out?

If this cult of theirs knew the map was here, and that the two of them had learned about it, would their lives be in danger next? Or did they simply not know enough to be considered a threat at this point?

He was pulled from his thoughts by the sound of footsteps, and without thinking he reacted - hastily folding the map and stuffing it in a pocket just as he heard at least one pair of footsteps reach their door.

[DarkAndar]

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The hairs on her arms shot straight up at Kavik's mention of an ominous feeling upon touching the book. She had felt a similar dark energy coursing from that sample parchment containing those markings. It was all very cryptic and disturbing. The Dark Scrolls of Nazim. The thought that there could be some truly terrifying unholy texts written in a dark god's own words made her want to hide back at their temple and wish they'd never left. Still, she fought down her fears. It would be cowardly to leave the trail now when they finally had a lead of sorts. And all the sacrifices Davis and others had made would all be in vain.

She was just about ready to agree with Minister Kavik's line of logic when the doors burst open and men in robes and a few in chain mail piled in.

"What happened here? Who are you?" demanded a man in robes with fancy blue embroidery and an equally extravagant high collar. His gray eyes radiated command and he had a meticulously groomed goatee all of black with only a few flecks of silver.

The young priest from earlier was with them and he quickly explained to the cleric in charge what had happened: "Your high holiness, these two are visitors from rural country, followers of Ki. This is Minister Kavik and his pupil, Lady Alvina."

"I see," he said, his tone softening an octave. His eyes took in the room and the fallen priest before returning to the pair of them.

The guards fanned out by the door whilst the other priests went about the task of cleaning Davis's body and muttering prayers to Kia that he find safe passage to the afterlife with their god.

"The wicked man entered the holy place not long after them. He did not state his name. He only said his business was with Brother Davis. Oh I tried to stop him, but he would not heed my words. Before I could call for aid he was inside," the young priest shuddered and shook his head. "I failed our Brother. The man should never have been permitted to walk past my post," he said with a guilty look on his face.

"You did what you thought best. It is not Kia's domain to know the thoughts of men. Only that we give them proper guidance so those thoughts do not fester and corrupt themselves and others. Go now, take these guards with you and post them at the temple gates to dissuade any future tragedy," said the high priest.

The young priest bowed and filed out with the guards in tow. The high priest continued to stare at the two with those humorless gray eyes of his. As if he were probing their very souls for answers. Despite his earlier denial of Kia's worshipers owning telepathy, he said: "Your eyes tell me there is more to this crime than some random act of violence. I would know why this happened today."

Alvina found herself wanting to divulge the entire mess from the Dark Scrolls of Nazim to the library on the island, all of it. Such was the weight of this man's stare and surety of purpose in his tone. It was only with great effort did she manage not to. Instead she looked up to Minister Kavik, suddenly feeling very much the young pupil on this occasion.

"Well?"

[IcarusDescension]

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This man, Kavik had the distinct impression, was someone who expected deference, obedience, and honesty from those around him and was accustomed to getting it. It was in his bearing and the weight of his gaze.

Kavik stalled for a moment while he formulated his reply. The followers of Kia were by no means their adversaries, but he had no way of knowing if Davis was the only one in the temple who had been compromised, or just how far what he said in mixed company might travel. Whoever had gotten to Davis was clearly willing to kill for their secrets. He would need to balance being truthful and sharing information with not saying so much that he was recklessly endangering the life of Alvina and himself.

"Well?" demanded the robed man.

Out of time, he thought as the High Priest's intent gaze bored into him. And I get the impression this is the sort of man who isn't easily fooled by lies.

"Forgive my hesitation your Holiness, but Brother Davis was an old friend of mine and I'm afraid I don't quite know how to approach this-"

"-With the truth, if you please." The man cut in sternly, but without being harsh.

"Yes," Kavik replied with a deferential bow of his head, "of course. The truth is, I'm afraid that  Brother Davis may have been caught up in something dangerous, something which got out of control for him, and I believe that was truly the cause of this."

The high priest raised a speculative eyebrow. "Explain."

It was true he didn't want to risk outright lying to the man, but he had spent enough years around people to be familiar with the concept that the best lies were half-truths. Although in his current situation he might have changed that to read: the best half-truths were those that could pass for whole-truths if one didn't ask too many questions...

"You have to understand, I've known Davis for many years. When I came here today it was as a man seeking help from a friend in letting go of his past - closing a chapter in my life as it were. I wouldn't have thought anything had gone wrong for Davis' at all except for the behavior of of the man himself. He seemed more nervous than I remember him- as though something serious was on his mind, yet he wouldn't tell me what it was.

"Then, as I moved to sit down, I stumbled across a book he had set out. I went to move it but Davis was there immediately as if I wasn't supposed to see it..." Remembering where the priest had set the book Kavik went to the corner of the room and retrieved it, then brought it to the high priest to see the man's reaction. He doubted very much that the high priest himself was a part of some dark conspiracy, although he knew nothing for certain, but at the very least the man's reaction should tell him if the man already knew about the dark god. No reason he couldn't fish for a little information himself...

However the other man merely inspected the book for a few moments before turning his gaze back to Kavik, who could glean nothing useful from the high priest's expression. Now that he thought about it, he hadn't felt anything unusual this time when he had touched it either. What did that mean?

"And from his manner and this one book you believed Brother Davis, a servant of Kia, was involved in something dangerous?" asked the high priest. His tone remained polite, but his skepticism was conveyed none the less.

"No," Kavik admitted, "I was unsure, but there is more..." He held back, acting hesitant, as he glanced at the men around the high priest. "Are you sure you want to have this entire discussion in the presence of so many your high holiness?"

The high priest frowned slightly, meeting his eyes. Kavik suddenly had the impression of being an ant under a magnifying lens. It was all he could do not to squirm. Finally the high priest leaned towards Brother Gabriel, saying something softly which caused the young man to nod. He and the other men in robes -aside from the high priest himself of course - silently took their leave. The guards in chain mail however did not move.

The high-collared priest gestured towards them. "These men have sworn their lives to safeguard the institution of the Gods, serve Kia, and protect their brothers to their last breath if necessary. You can trust them in the presence of any... sensitive information." A slight impatience seemed to slip into the man's tone and Kavik suddenly worried he had gone too far - the last thing he wanted to do was annoy the high priest. "So do enlighten us if you please as to what you believe is going on here."

Kavik resisted the urge to take a deep breath and pace. He was taking a huge gamble, and before he even opened his mouth a voice in his head was berating his own foolishness. While he had managed to shrink their audience, the high priest or one of his trusted guards *might* still have been involved in the plot to kill Davis. Yet he couldn't help himself. They had almost no information, and were badly in need of help. He desperately hoped that one or the other of them would result from his roll of the dice. "At one point during our conversations, a piece of paper slipped from Davis' possessions as he was putting them away."

Reaching into one of his pockets, Kavik removed a folded piece of paper and presented it to the high priest. Now more than ever he watched for a reaction from the man, for it was not the map he had taken from his pockets but the fragment of a dark scroll given to him by Barnet.

He knew he was walking a knife's edge in more ways than one. Technically Kavik had still avoided telling a lie. After all he hadn't actually stated that this was the *same* piece of paper which had fallen to the floor. However if the high priest's uncanny powers of perception were too accurate he might be able to tell that Kavik was telling him only fragments of the truth. On the other hand if the man was not perceptive enough then he might decide he had no real reason to trust Kavik over his own priest, and still come to the conclusion that he was being lied to. Or for that matter he might just decide to press for further details just to be cautious and in so doing force Kavik into a lie.

Either way flashing around pieces of what that library contained was dangerous in its own right if the body on the floor was any indication, and he felt self-doubt trying to get a strangle-hold on him again. Is this really likely to help us, or am I just rationalizing a foolish gamble?

Only time would tell, and he found himself surreptitiously glancing at Alvina as the high priest unfolded the paper. He hoped she would be able to pick up on any signs from the man he missed.

"When I heard footsteps I hastily put the paper in my pocket, and for that I apologize. Not knowing who was coming, I suppose I was afraid and reacted out of instinct. I don't know what it says." Again, technically true. He hadn't had time to try and translate the scroll fragment. "But I have been a servant of Ki for many years and I ask you to believe me when I tell you I believe there to be something dark about that text. I show you this because it was when I pushed Davis on this very topic that I finally became convinced he was involved in something. It was his response you see... he asked me as one friend of many years asks another... He asked me to forget the whole thing. To simply go home."

[DarkAndar]

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Alvina thought Kavic did a masterful job of walking the tightrope of truthful accounting without divulging all of their business. Still this high priest of Kia's order seemed shrewd and his facial expression was like the granite stone the temple was built from. Alvina found herself nodding like a simpleton whenever his gaze lingered on her. A reddening of the cheeks didn't exactly help their case either. The man reminded Alvina of a stern instructor of numbers she had taken lessons from as a girl. Just like that man, this high priest had a way of putting her ill at ease as if she had gotten caught with her hand in the cookie jar. Or as was the case in her childhood, miscalculated the sum total of such and such numbers.

"I see. So if I am to believe you at your word, Minister. You decided to pay brother Davis a visit on some mysterious whim. Stole something of value from his possessions. Then you have the audacity, the sheer gall, to defame one of my brotherhood by soiling his good name with something disreputable and dark," he said in a frigid tone, his eyes narrowed.

Well that didn't go over so well. But the man was beginning to irk her now. Sure, they had an agenda of sorts, but they had the best of intentions. Alvina's mouth tightened and her eyes grew just a touch indignant. "I do not care for those accusations. Not one bit," she found herself saying, coming to stand slightly ahead of Kavik, her hands on hips. "Everyone is entitled to an opinion, yours just happen to be wrong. I think Father Davis was a great man and I wish I'd of gotten the chance to know him better. But Minister Kavik is telling the right of it. You should be out interrogating people that might have seen Davis's murderer, instead of giving us the third degree. Now if you must know, we're on a holy mission of our own. There's dark business afoot and Father Kavik and I are going to get to the bottom of it. So we don't lose good men like Davis ever again......your holiness," she said with more bite than she meant to. Even after the words left her mouth she immediately regretted them. She should have had more tact. Should have left all the talking to Minister Kavik. He was the diplomatic one, not her. Alvina bit her lip and peered up to Kavik.

The high priest peered down his nose at Alvina like she had just sprouted horns or something. "You would be wise to let your betters do the speaking, girl. And you interrupted me before I could finish. As I was saying. As much as I would like to throw you both in my dungeons as accomplices to murder-"

"How dare you!" railed Alvina in outrage.

The high priest held up a hand to silence her. "As much as I would like to do that. I won't. Because as strange as this may sound, I believe you. You did not disclose everything to me, no doubt, but I have no reason not to believe you." He rolled up the parchment and slid it into a fold in his robes for safekeeping. "I will examine this scroll in more detail later. I trust you will not be needing it? If that is all. I bid you safe travels. Oh, and I shall like to echo Brother Davis's advice. Go home old man. This is probably one rat's nest you and the girl would do well to leave alone," he said and gave a curt not before leaving.

They were escorted out of the temple of Kia shortly after that. As they walked down the street away from the temple district of uptown Cerenis, Alvina wore a faint smile.  "Oh Father ,I'm so relieved. .I thought for sure that man meant to have us locked away for a crime we did not commit! Though maybe he was just trying to get a rise out of me. I figure it worked...a little," she said with a chuckle. "How do you reckon we get a ship that will sail 'there'?" she asked with a vague notion of showing some captain or another their map and asking very sweetly if he'd like to sail there on account of there being dark manuscripts that needed looking into. It even sounded ludicrous to her and she'd never taken ship anywhere.

[IcarusDescension]

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Kavik kept a brisk pace as they trudged away from the temple, though he could not have said specifically where he was heading. His feet were taking him in the general direction of the docks but he hadn't thought ahead to what he was going to do when they got there.

Still fuming to himself, he seemed to barely register Alvina's presence. "Imagine! Did you notice the way that man treated us! As if we were mere country simpletons to be pushed out of his High Importance' way as soon as we'd given our story..."

"To think I'd hoped to gain some information or, Ki-forbid, help from the man!" He continued to gripe, even after Alvina had said something. "You see Alvina, people like that are why I built my humble little temple far away from cities and self-important high priests! I..."

He stopped, turning to look at her, his hand frozen in mid-posture pointing at nothing. Then he seemed to force himself to deflate and cleared his throat. "Well, no use fuming over it I suppose. Yes, a ship. That must be our next priority, quite right..."

Sadly, as he focused his mind on the problem he realized it was not a small one. Even if they knew precisely where the island was, it was doubtful there just happen to be a ship sailing that way, and booking a private voyage would not be cheap. It was true he had brought along a fair amount of coin to fund their little journey, but he doubted it would go that far.

Realizing he had no answer to supply to her question, he replied instead with another suggestion. "Perhaps we should find an inn or tavern where we might get a bite to eat for now. It will give us time to plan our next move, and I for one am regretting the lack of a proper breakfast. What say you?"

[DarkAndar]

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It was all she could do to keep up with her teacher. She had never seen him so absorbed in anger before. It made her feel guilty in a way, to be glad she wasn't the only one the high priest had irked. But as vexing as the man was, Alvina found it an easy thing to regain her center and forget all about that unpleasant meeting. They were on an adventure, after all, there were so many sights to see and a city to explore.  They crossed through lush parks and traversed a bridge that spanned a river that sparkled with golden fish.

Their steps carried them downward, to more seedy sections of the city where the clamor of commerce was roaring loud. Vendors hawked seafood fresh from the sea, spices rare and common, weaponry that glinted and dazzled in the sunlight - some jagged and cruel to look upon whilst others appeared blunt and heavy to lift. The docks sprawled out before them, flanked by taverns, shipyards, and warehouses. The intense mix of sounds, smells, and sights were enough to befuddle the mind - especially for someone like Alvina, who was used to the simple life.

Father Kavik's suggestion for them to break fast was a happy one to hear. Her stomach had already been given over to growling what with all the delicious aromas wafting out from open tavern doors or sizzling from merchant stand cook pots. "Oh that sounds like a wonderful idea, Father. Hey, his one up ahead looks interesting," she said, pointing to a two-story wood building that rose up to their right. A wood sign that lazily swung in the breeze proclaimed it: 'Siren's Cove'.

Alvina had to dodge to the left and right of Minister Kavik to avoid the wide girths of several swarthy looking men. They wore bright-colored sashes and garish jewelry. She noticed a curved sword or two hanging from those sashes. Sailors, she thought to herself, wondering briefly if they could find aid in the establishment as to a ship sailing for their island. The interior was filled with pipe smoke and individuals bent on rowdy conversation. The smells of cooked fish, baked bread, and whiskey assaulted her nostrils.

She followed on Kavik's heels, who seemed well enough at ease in the building. She wondered if he had been at all like these men in his younger years, when he lusted for power to make the world a better place. Alvina took it all in witih curious green eyes.

[IcarusDescension]

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Kavik's eyes scanned the interior of the Siren's Cove as he instinctively moved towards one of the more private looking booths which would leave the door and the other patrons in his field of view. Old instincts beginning to come back after all perhaps, he mused. Little bit late it seems, one friend is already dead.

Reminding himself to keep his sour mood in check, he casually gestured for Alvina to take a seat before seating himself. The place appeared to be a frequent haunt for the sailor crowd, which meant it wasn't likely to be serving the cities most legendary cuisine.

On the other hand that wasn't a bad thing. He needed to get a decent meal, not empty his coffers eating with the rich merchants and nobles. Besides, if he started gossiping with a few sailors he just might get lucky enough to learn who around the docks was hard-up enough for some coin to drop off a couple passengers on an island which likely held little of value besides secrets and men who were happy to kill to keep them secret.

Perhaps out of guilt for his behavior on their way there, he turned his attention to Alvina and made himself summon a smile. "So, what do you think of the big city? We've already witnessed an assassination and been thrown out of a religious temple. Not bad for our first day am I right?"

Even as he was making his small talk a heavy-set and well-endowed woman in an apron with her unruly hair tied back in a bun made her way through the crowd towards them. She had an aura of authority about her movements that seemed to indicate she was used to wading through crowds of sailors (probably in various states of inebriation.)

Someone from the far side of the room shouted towards her in a booming voice. "Hey Sue, clam on the menu tonight?"

"You can't afford the clam here Worm! Why don't you go scrounging around down by the docks again, see if you can find some washed up on shore?" She shot back, which brought a chorus of laughter and approval from the others near the man. "And don't think I've forgotten about your tab from last night!"

The woman arrived at the table where Alvina and Kavik were sitting. Hands on hips, she glanced over the two of them for a moment with a discerning gaze before asking in a voice that was neither rude nor polite "What can I get you folks?"

[DarkAndar]

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Alvina sat down across from Minister Kavik, her green eyes slid over the rough-looking sailors at the table across from them. She heard blatant cursing and saw one sailor had a scantily clad woman in his lap, lips locked in the throws of passion for all to see. For a farm girl turned acolyte, this was a very odd and startling display. Blushing fiercely, she turned her eyes quickly away from that sight. She heard a man at the table past where Father Kavik sat exclaim, "Red Torag will be there, mark me words! Captured six merchant ships this year, he has. If that fool Heron thinks he can navigate the coast safely, he's dumber than I thought...."

Kavik's words interrupted her eavesdropping. Alvina smiled in return, though she knew his statement was not meant to be a joke. "It is not what I expected, Father. Oh but I do hope they catch that awful man for what he did. I'm sorry about your friend. He seemed a good man," she said with a look of empathy touching her young features.

It was then that a buxom woman came over to their table, pushing through the tide of riffraff with the practiced ease of someone used to dealing with such crowds. A man hollered out, identifying the woman as 'Sue' whilst asking her about clams. Sue barked out a response that Alvina thought a rather rude thing to say to a potential customer, but then again Alvina was out of her element and did not know these people well. Sue possessed an aura of authority about her, that was sure. The woman skipped pleasantries and asked them rather straight-forward what they wanted to eat. Alvina shifted her gaze from Sue to Kavik. She nodded to him and said, "I'll have the fish soup and an apple cider, if you please, madam."

The woman nodded, mouthing back the order before turning her eyes to Minister Kavik. "Alright. And what can I get you?"

[IcarusDescension]

Kavik thought for a moment. "Do you have some chowder?"

"Sure hon," Sue replied in that same all-business monotone.

"Hmm, what about-"

The man on the far side of the room had called some remark Sue's direction which Kavik hadn't caught, but she obviously didn't care for it as she cut off his question mid-sentence to holler at him. "If you don't put a sock in it over there I'm goin' ta take my broom handle to places even your momma wouldn't touch you little-"

"Ma'am," Kavik tried.

Sue turned briefly in response to Kavik's words but immediately shouted over her shoulder again "And you'd better have money to pay your tab this time or I'll-"

"Ma'am??"

Her response was sudden and rapid as she spun Kavik's direction again. "Yeah hon I'm listenin'"

The older priest raised an eyebrow, but didn't comment. After clearing his throat he replied simply "I'll just have the chowder."

"Sure, comin' right up." With that, Sue walked away.

Kavik suppressed a sigh. Sailors weren't known for their manners, so he imagined it made some degree of sense that those who dealt with them day in and day out might be rather abrasive as well, but all the same he couldn't help but feel a sudden renewed longing to flee the big city and its busy port and return to his quiet rural temple.

I must remember, he chided himself, all of these people are Ki's children and we are here to learn to love one another as she loves her own-

"'Ello!" Came a boisterous voice into the middle of his mental contemplation. It's owner, a weather-beaten and sunburned man who looked to be in his late teens, came into view an instant later as he blithely plunked himself down on the bench across from Kavik - thus seating himself next to Alvina.

If there wasn't room on the bench to begin with, there was now.

"Don't mind 'ol Sue," the man said as casually as if he'd been invited to sit there, "she means well."

"Excuse me," Kavik jumped in immediately, "but this is a private table and I don't-"

"I hope I'm not being too forward," the man spoke over the top of Kavik's words. "but you see I have too favorite things in the world: opportunities to be helpful, and beautiful women. -And lo! Here's both at the same table!" He looked at Alvina with his obvious best attempt at a dazzling smile - now completely ignoring Kavik. "My name's Plaunty, but everyone just calls me Plank. If I may ask, what true beauty to I have the honor of addressing tonight?"

[DarkAndar]

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Alvina did her best not to giggle when Kavik couldn't get a word in edge wise with Sue. Then she found herself actually wondering what places she meant for her broom handle to go. Then she blushed fiercely. Not once, but twice over when a young man suddenly decided to barge in just as friendly as if they had all been old friends. Part of her wanted to hide under the table with how bold and playful these people were with their words. Another part of her wanted to laugh right along with them. She let loose one of her trademark throaty chuckles to assure anyone which side won out. She grinned sidelong at Plank. "Pleased to meet you Plaunty," she said, not feeling entirely comfortable calling anyone "Plank". Though to be truthful, she wasn't sure Plaunty was a significant upgrade. " Well aren't you the charmer. I'm Alvina and this here is Minster Kavik. We're followers of Ki. Come a long ways, we have," she said with a nod and smile at Plank.

Sometime later Sue returned with their meals and Plank was only too kind to fill the empty space of chewing and swallowing with a mixture of flirtatious words for Alvina, or speaking in a hushed voice about a certain captain he knew that catered to folk who needed to get to places of utmost importance with "nary a word to anyone", as he put it. "Cap'n Va'trel will take care of you, if you pay your way. Just go to the docks and look for the "The Adventure". That's the name of the ship, mind. Though I spose you two would be on an adventure of sorts. Anyway, go there and tell 'em Plank sent ya. You settle things nice and tight with the Cap'n and you'll be seeing much more of me. 'Cause I sure hope to see a lot more of you," he said with a smile whilst his eyes lingered fondly on Alvina who smiled between bites of soup, her eyes pointedly widening just a bit to get Kavik's attention.

It was so very odd to her. How had Plank learned of their plans? They hadn't told anyone about their mission beyond the High Priest and Davis (and he was dead!). It all smacked as very suspicious to her. But that said, an opportunity like this didn't come along every day. They maybe foolish to pass it up and risk not finding any ship captain willing to take them to their island. She was sure Kavik was doing a lot of similar figuring in his head. She cleared her throat and said, "That sounds like a lovely idea. Though I would ask as to how you came to the conclusion that we wanted to take ship anywhere?" she asked, keeping her voice level and free of suspicion.

[IcarusDescension]

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Meanwhile, across the table the priest sat staring daggers at 'Plank,' who was currently enjoying another spoonful of Kavik's chowder with a loud slurp.

After his black stares went unacknowledged he set to work trying to get Sue's attention to order another bowl, lest his temper snap and he do something distinctly un-priest-like to their obnoxious and uninvited guest. Several juicy possibilities were going through his mind in fact when the boy started in about his ship and a suggestion of discreet passage.

Kavik immediately forgot about the soup and studied the young sailor with renew interest - and not a small amount of suspicion. He was about to inquire as to how this Plaunty fellow thought he knew their business when Alvina got there first.

"Oh... I see things," Plank replied with a smirk. "I grew up on the docks you know. They're like a second home to me -the sea being my first home of course... Not much gets past me." Then he leaned in towards Alvina conspiratorially, though he deliberately spoke loud enough to include Kavik. "Don't take this the wrong way, but two folks such as yourselves walk into a place like this, clearly not no locals, and with somebody on your tail..? It's pretty obvious you're lookin' for a fresh start. Well don't worry, you're luck has just turned around. The Adventure's your ship alright. I don't ask no questions, and I don't remember nothin'. -Neither does does the Cap'n, you can be sure a' that. Long as you got a bit a' coin, you're all set!"

So, the boy thought they were on the run it seemed. That didn't worry him terribly, in fact the misconception could actually be used to their advantage, but something else he had said was causing alarms to scream in Kavik's mind. "What you do mean somebody's 'on our tail' eh lad? Who? What did you see?" Kavik demanded, more forcefully than he'd meant to.

Plank smiled again, taking another slurping spoonful of Kavik's chowder. His manner became more confident, his smile held a glint of victory in it.

Across the table, the grey-eyed priest of Ki berated himself silently. Fool! He could have been lying about seeing a tail -fishing for confirmation on his theories. Either way you've just given away that you believe someone could be following you, which means that you know you're involved in something dangerous, or have at least made dangerous enemies. All of which it would have been better, he was sure, if this Plaunty fellow didn't know. However what was done was done, and he stayed his course. His eyes burrowed into the younger man with all the intensity he could muster, demanding an answer.

For his part, the young sailor didn't look intimidated. He only shrugged. "I couldn't tell you who, don't figure it's any of my business anyway - and it's certainly not the kinda thing I want to get myself in the middle of if you catch my drift. Wandered down from the city right after you did, tried to look casual and all that but you can tell the difference. At least you can if you're me. I could tell you straight-away he wasn't really hungry, but he sure made a show of lookin' over the crab seller's selection while he was waitin' to see which building you went into. Dressed in your average shirt, trews and traveling cloak he was, nothing too fancy and out-of-place - but nothin' too poor either."

Another slurp. "Yeah, he knew what he was doin' I suppose, but you can't fool my eyes that easily. When you grow up on the streets, men like him stand out like a pelican in a line of crows - especially when they're tryin' not to."

Even though he was answering Kavik's question the young man had, by this point, turned back towards Alvina again and the older priest suspected it was only to impress her that he had said as much as he had.

He kept his silence as the boy finished speaking, trying to keep his venomous glares to a minimum.[/size]

[DarkAndar]

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Plank's revelation had her green eyes wide open. To think they were being followed after a priest had just been murdered was more than a little disconcerting. Could it be the very same man who had slain Davis, come to finish the job? That thought made her queasy and ruined her appetite. She pushed her bowl toward Plank, who happily indulged himself to what remained of her fish soup.

Now that her paranoia was up, she found her gaze darting from person to person in the smoky tavern. Everyone was a suspect. She looked for a person wearing the matching shirt, trews, and a traveling cloak Plank had described. But none of them did. There were coats with plainly stitched repairs, leather pants that had seen plenty of wear, colorful vests that laced up the front, an assortment of tunics belted at the waist, and of course, cloaks both ragged and fine.

"Did you see if he followed us in here?" Alvina heard herself asking, willing her attention away from the patrons.

"Nah. Don't fret Alvina, I ain't bad with a blade if 'e decides to make a move I'll protect you," boasted Plank with a cocky grin and flex of his arm.

"Um make a move?" she asked, his words not exactly improving the situation for her.

"Yeah. But probably ain't gonna. More than like, e's just bein' paid to keep tabs on you two."

Alvina looked sharply to Kavik. "Father, do you not think it maybe wise we leave and take Plank here up on his offer? Preferably as quickly as possible," she added, suddenly wanting nothing better than leaving the city that harbored such folk, far behind. "Could you perhaps take us to your captain, Plank? We would be much obliged. She even offered him a smile that lingered a bit too long. Though she felt horrible for it, she wasn't above turning on the charm if it got them the hell out of there and away from the ploys of assassins and spies.