Spirits of the Earth

Nothing.  No caravans going out, no upper class in need of protection, not even any of the state sponsored raids on brigands.  Not one damn thing.

Kassian cursed and punched the wall beside the board, and the room quieted for an instant as the tavern patrons turned to stare at him briefly before going back to their drinking.

He stalked out and into the warm summer night, slamming the door behind him.  Not a decent mercenary job left in the city.  He'd checked all his usual sources, and all that was left were the shittier jobs, the ones no one wanted to touch because they were too shady or paid so little as made no difference.  Worse, when he'd checked in with an acquaintance—not a friend, he had few those—he'd found the man in jail for extortion and his house boarded up.  Which left Kassian with nowhere to go for the night.

Muttering to himself, he stopped to think, leaning against the wall of a storefront with his arms crossed.  Sickly yellow light spilled out from windows on either side of the street.  And what a street it was.  Necessity had driven him to the poorer parts of the city.  The homes and shops all leaned in on the street, the people walking beneath them attired in patched clothing the color of dirt.  Thunder rolled overhead.

He must have been glaring because everyone who passed gave him a wide berth.  He sighed and rubbed at his temple.  It wasn't usual for him to get this frustrated, but then it wasn't usual Ketra didn't have anything for him.  This was a good mercenary town, but he supposed most of the caravan work had gone a couple weeks earlier, when the trains were setting off for Serendipity to take advantage of the festivals.  A quick check of his coin purse confirmed he didn't have enough for an inn room.

The sky chose that moment to crack wide open.

<I>Of course.</I>  He turned his face up into the rain and closed his eyes.  It figured.  The day couldn't possibly get any worse.

A tug on his sleeve caught his attention and he looked down to see a little girl child standing there, blinking as raindrops hit her upturned face.  She stared up at him so long he finally snapped, "What?"

"My kitty."  She didn't take her wide eyes off him as she pointed behind her to the tree.

His eyes went from her, to the tree, and back again.  Ugh.  Would it never end?  Of <I>course</I> he would have to go up there and get it.  He'd be just about the biggest ass if he didn't.  Still didn't have to be happy about it, though.

Rolling his eyes, he went to the trunk and looked up.  Yeah, there it was.  A ginger cat huddled on one of the upper branches.  He pushed wet black hair from his eyes and lifted his baldric and sword up over his head and lay them against the trunk to get the longsword out of his way.  Then up he went, finding easy purchase on the wet bark.  Lightning cracked and the shower became a deluge.  By the time he'd made it near reaching distance of the cat, he was covered in wet leaves and twigs and soaking wet from the top of his head to the soles of his feet.

<I>Hn.  </I>Now<I> it can't get any worse.</I>

Kassian wasn't the only one down on his luck that night.

As soon as the rain came down, Vahni not only learned that he really wasn't as great of a house-builder as he'd reckoned, but that those tiny, miniscule gaps in the roof really did make a difference! He probably should have fixed them when he'd first noticed them, but he'd been so proud of his little shanty (though even calling it a shanty was being extremely generous) that he'd decided it was <I>perfect...for the time being. He'd fix that other stuff later. Which happened to be now, a week after he'd constructed the shelter after continuously putting it off--until, of course, he woke up to rainwater splashing down on his face.

In his groggy, abruptly awakened state he hadn't thought about using something already inside the room to temporarily patch the roof but had instead stumbled outside, grumbling, only to remember three seconds later that, hey, he had some stuff inside that he could probably use! By then it was too late. He was already soaked through to his skin, so with a series of curses he'd decided, screw it, he was already wet so why not just bloody scavenge for something now and get it over with?

After making sure his kittens were safe and snug in their box, covered with a blanket, and out of the rain's way, he'd headed out.

Maybe he could snag some dry clothes from somewhere or someone while he was at it, too. All his other clothes? Wet of course! He'd picked this day, which had started out sunny, to do the wash at a local stream outside the city and said clothes had been hanging out on the roof of his home to dry. Which never happened because it rained. If he wasn't a relatively clean thief, he may have had some clothes. But no. Even years later he still retained many of the habits his grandmama had beaten into him. Not literally. Most of the time.

Grumbling still as he walked through the rain, head bowed against the downpour while trying to stay under the shelter of the leaning buildings, Vahni decided his best bet was to scavenge for some more wood. People discarded all sorts of junk in the alleys, but he would only stick to the areas around his alley...not that it was his alone, he shared it with a few other homeless people and he had only taken up residence there recently after getting kicked out of his old home in a better part of the city. In any case, the thieves and homeless could be very, very territorial and there were some places he just wouldn't go in the day, much less at night. For a thief, he was pretty nonconfrontational--at least where it concerned his ass getting chewed up, spit out, and served to him on a platter.

Ew.

Lightning cracked then and Vahni jumped and hugged himself, shivering in the cold and bracing himself for the thunder that was sure to follow. Oh! The kittens! Thunder and lightning would probably scare them, wouldn't it? Oh no...poor things, all alone...he probably shouldn't have left them! He jumped again when the thunder roared, seriously considered giving up and racing back home, and was about ready to turn and head back and endure the rest of the night with a leaky roof and wet clothes when another flash of lightning illuminated something...shiny.

Vahni paused, brown eyes focusing in on said shiny object which was propped up against the base of a tree. And as his eyes adjusted, he began to make out its shape, the belt, the sheath, the shiny pommel...a sword! Wait. A sword just...sitting there? He quickly scanned the area, first the ground--just a little girl, standing there and looking up toward the tree. Then he scanned upwards, squinted against the rain and into the tree--aha! A guy. Climbing the tree. What the hell was a guy climbing a tree in the rain for? Didn't he know lightning liked to strike trees? Silly.

But it was only a momentary thought before his eyes were glued on that sword again. Sword. How much coin could a sword fetch? Way more than he'd ever seen in his life, he was sure. And there it was, just a little girl on the ground, the owner up a tree, just begging to be taken. No one else around. No one else that would care, that is.

It was a once in a lifetime chance, and the set-up was perfect for a smooth getaway. By the time that guy got down, he'd be off.

Hesitation gone, Vahni sauntered over toward the tree casually, still hugging himself to keep warm but also to come across as just a casual, curious onlooker. He looked over toward the girl, then followed her gaze up to the tree and blinked as though seeing that sight for the first time. It was kind of the truth, too, since he hadn't noticed the cat before. Aw...kitty. He hoped if the tree got struck, the cat made it.

"Oi! You! Tree-guy! Ya might wanna be careful. Yer gonna get fried," he called up to the cat-rescuer. By that time, he was right by the base of the tree--and the sword. "Very nice of ya to rescue th' kid's cat! Thanks fer th' sword, too!"

That was when he swooped down, grabbed the baldric, threw the strap over his shoulder, and took off running for all he was worth. Here's hoping the guy didn't know this neighborhood very well! Because Vahni knew this place like the back of his hand and he was sure that it wouldn't take much to lose him.

Here's hoping he wasn't that fast of a runner, too.

The cat, it seemed, was an unwilling participant in this quest to remove it from the tree because the bloody thing actually <I>backed up</I> and <I>hissed</I> at him as soon as he got close enough to reach it.  It was a pitiful, ugly thing, with patches of fur missing and mange covering half its scrawny body.  He'd probably get a disease from it.

"Yeah, you'd better back up.  'Cause I'm gonna wring your neck when I get hold of you," he said to it, inching up farther and jerking his head to whip wet hair out of his eyes.  He'd always wondered if morality were cyclical, if the past would creep up on the present and call due.  Now he had his answer.

And, apparently, an audience.

Had some idiot really just <I>yelled</I> at him?  Whoever it was better be gone by the time he got down from there.  His patience had reached its limits already tonight.  Not a good bloody time to test him.  "Lightning?  I should be so lucky," he called back, reaching again for the cat, which lay its ears back flat against its head and hissed again, displaying sharp, wicked little teeth.

<I>Wait…what the hell did that guy just say?!</I>

Red eyes wide, Kas craned his neck around.  Below, the little girl pointed frantically.  "He took yer knife! Mister, he took yer knife!"  Through the rain and the lashing leaves all around him, Kas could just make out the dark smudge of movement as the kid raced down the street.  And there, on the thief's back, Kassian's sword.

His frustration died, and cold intent settled over him.  Coin was one thing.  Coin he might have let the kid get away with.  His sword, though?  He'd tear through heaven and earth to get his sword back.

He lurched for the cat, snagging it by the back of the neck none too gently.  It twisted in his hand and bit him through his glove but he hardly noticed as he half climbed, half fell down the tree.  He hit the ground running, throwing the cat into the girl's arms as he passed and sprinting recklessly through the downpour.  Rain lashed at his face.  He squinted into the darkness as he ran, searching.  Lantern light glinted off something up ahead.  His sword pommel.  Every time the thief ran past a lit window, the hilt winked back at him.  He followed at a dead run.  Eventually, he would run out of lit windows to track the thief with, but by then Kas would be upon him.  His stride was long and his footing sure on the rain-slick street.  There was no anger in him now.  Nothing but a grim focus and the weight of his dagger at his hip.

A dagger that would be getting some use tonight, it seemed.

Little snitch! Not that Vahni hadn't just announced that he was taking the guy's sword, but still, the girl didn't have to raise such a big fuss over something he'd already proclaimed.

The rain made seeing difficult, but at least his footing held--surprising since his boots, like the rest of his clothes, were old, worn hand-me-downs. It would really be bad if he slipped, especially since he could hear quick footfalls behind him that told him he was being followed though he didn't dare look back to confirm it; it would slow him down, and every second counted in a chase. Vahni found it pretty strange that his persuer wasn't yelling at him or raising hell, though. Usually they yelled for him to stop or some sort of threat or obscenity, but all he heard was rain, thunder, and the thud and splash of boots on the wet ground, his and his persuer's. It was a little unnerving in a really odd way.

What was more unnerving than that, however, was that the sound seemed to be getting closer.

Shaking his jaw-length silver hair out of his eyes, he gave in and threw a quick glance over his shoulder and just about had a heart-attack. Oh hells! He was fast, gaining on him nicely even though he'd had a major head start. Damn! He had to lose him and fast.

Vahni turned to the right so suddenly that he nearly lost his footing on the slick ground, his boots so old and worn they no longer had any traction and the baldric's strap nearly sliding off his thin shoulder, but he stumbled and caught himself before bolting down the nearest alley. If speed wouldn't help him, he'd just lead the guy through one hell of a maze and lose him there! He'd pulled it off before. And if that didn't work...er, well, he'd just think of something else! Hey, he had a sword now, right? If it came down to it he could use it!

Never mind that he'd never touched a sword in his life prior to this, but it couldn't be that hard. Just...swing it around and stuff. Cake.

He dodged around and over the rubbage and unmentionables that were discarded in the alley, visualizing the streets in his head and planning out his route. It was difficult, though, because for all of his familiarity he'd never exactly lead a chase in the middle of a torrential downpour at night and he wasn't quite sure where he was. Rain blurred his vision and he had to focus more on not skidding across the ground on a piece of garbage more than where he was going. He also knew that he couldn't run forever, and if he didn't lose the guy before he wore himself out...he'd be screwed.

Which was exactly why he got this brilliant idea to take to the roofs instead and lose the guy that way.

He saw the perfect opportunity to do so when he turned a corner and saw a discarded crate pushed up against a wall, and his small pause as he looked around for a nearby escape route in case he couldn't get up on the roof probably cost him some precious time. But a second later and he was hopping atop the crate which cracked ominously under his weight, before reaching up, grabbing onto the slick gutter and vaulting himself up, wriggling and kicking until he could flop onto his belly on the roof. Trying to be as quiet as he could and controlling his heavy breaths as much as possible, he kept low to the roof and crept along it, aware of just how slippery it was.

Hopefully lightning didn't strike him up here. And hopefully if the guy figured out that he was up here, the crate would break and he wouldn't be able to make the climb.

In any case, dangerous as this was, it was kind of fun, too. He's always wondered what it would be like to be a ninja. And climbing atop a roof with a sword was pretty ninja like, right?

<I>I'm getting closer</I>.

It would be a miracle if he didn't slip and fall on his ass in all that rain.  And if he did?  Wouldn't matter.  There wasn't a force on earth could keep him from catching that thief.  That wasn't just any sword.  It was <I>his</I> sword, forged exactly to his style and his specifications by a master smith.  It cost a bloody fortune for one thing, but more than that it was the one thing he attached value to in all the world.

The chase brought them into darker streets, silhouettes of dilapidated shops and houses black against a sky rent by lightning.  Every illuminating bolt blinded him temporarily, ruined any hope of his eyes adjusting to the dark, but so too did they reveal the thief running ahead of him.  Kassian's eyes locked on the sheathed sword upon the thief's back every time lightning flooded the street with light.

The thief swerved.  So did Kas, grabbing the rain gutter at the corner of the building and using it to swing himself into the sharp turn without losing his feet.  Down the alleys they went.  Lightning would flashâ€"reveal the crates, abandoned wagons, piles of garbageâ€"then leave him in pitch blackness with only a memory of what he had seen to guide his way until the next flash.  He came damn close to falling on his face more times than he cared to count, but caution would get him nowhere here.

Another flash of lightning and…and where had the thief gone?  Damnit, he'd been so close!  Kas slowed and then stopped, panting.  In the next flash he saw that there were no streets up ahead the thief might have turned down, and he tensed.  His hand went to his dagger.  Either the kid was hiding or he planned to kill Kas before Kas could kill <I>him</I>.

The wind whipped his braid about as he searched his surroundings, ready for an attack at his back.  He quieted his breathing and looked up to the rooftops, turning in a slow circle.  Too often people never looked up or down and missed the obvious.

He was beginning to think he'd passed the thief up, when the lightning once again proved itself his friend.  The next blinding flash silhouetted the rooftop…and upon it a most out of place lump.  A nearby crate provided the only way up, and he took the leap without a second thought.  Athletically built from years of sword work and hard training, he vaulted up onto the roof in one smooth movement, but just barely.  The crate gave way beneath him just as he pulled himself up.

Finally he'd caught up.  He didn't say anything, crouching there on the roof with the thief before him.  Why spare words on someone who would be dead in mere moments?  He let the hiss of his dagger coming out of its sheath speak for him and stalked carefully forward like a hunting cat, very aware of the treacherous shingles beneath his feet.

For a few wonderful moments, Vahni thought he was in the clear. When lightning flashed and illuminated the area, he'd freeze in place and try not to jump too much, hoping that if he kept really, really still and the guy didn't think to look up, everything would be just dandy. He kept glancing back toward the alley, though, squinting and looking more for just movement than any distinct shapes, and he gave up completely on trying to listen for anything. The rain was too loud, drumming on the shingles all around him, and it took too much concentration. He shouldn't be worrying about whether or not he was coming. He should just assume he was coming and keep going.

He wasn't even sure where he was headed, but if the guy followed him he already had a plan in mind. He just...had to make sure it didn't backfire, and sliding some of the shingles off the roof could <I>easily backfire. He'd already slipped a few times just crawling...

That was when he heard it. A tell tale crack behind him that sent a jolt through his body that had nothing to do with the thunder boom. The crate. Peering over his shoulder, his question about whether the crate would hold out or not or the guy could just climb up anyway was answered as the guy smoothly pulled himself up onto the roof before crouching there, his movements so fluid that Vahni felt his heart sink a little. Oh. Damn. Who the heck had he stolen from, exactly? Well. Heh. On the bright side, if he ended up caught at the end of this chase, the guy couldn't be that bad. After all, he'd been up there in a tree rescuing a cat and--

The metallic hiss drew his eyes downward and a flash of lightning made the blade shine ominously.

He had...a dagger.

And he was stalking toward him all scary predator-like.

With a dagger. A sharp one.

This guy meant business.

Vahni nearly lost his footing as he scrabbled forward and away from the guy, a loose shingle slipping out from under his feet as he lunged forward. He heard it shatter on the ground below. "Eh heh heh, aw, c'mon, ya look so <I>serious! I mean, is a dagger really necessary? I mean...I jus' thought...I jus' wanted to get yer attention, see. There's a cat up here somewhere, an' I thought, I like cats, ya obviously like cats, so I'd jus'...y'know...lead ya there an'...an'..." Yeah, that sounded really stupid. He slid forward more, swallowing. Damn! This was more difficult than he thought it would be, and the way that guy moved...he had the advantage.

"Okay, sorry, tha's a lie, but th' truth is I jus'...I jus'...can't we talk this over? I mean, okay, so it all started with m' sister, she jus' always wanted to be a knight but she's sick an' she never even got to see a sword an' I thought since she can't go outside 'cause she's contageous an' the light hurts her I'd just bring one to her an' I was gonna totally bring it back 'cause I'm not like that..." And he really needed to learn how to shut up sometimes.

What the…?

Just what the <I>hell</I>?  Gods of heaven and earth, was this kid serious?  What a pitiful, sputtering excuse for a human being.  Kas lowered the dagger and stared at the kid the way one stared at a strange insect.  Nothing drained the fight out of him so fast as begging.  Especially begging done by some pathetic, weak, unarmedâ€"

Well, no.  Not unarmed exactly.  The thief had Kas's own bloody <I>sword</I>.  But surely if he intended to use it he would have done so when Kas was vulnerable in the alley.  There would have been no more perfect time.  Kid sure wasn't behaving like some dangerous murderer.  All in all, he seemed like the run-and-hide type rather than the ambush-and-kill type.

Kas was beginning to think he'd severely, <I>greatly</I> overestimated the kid.

It was disappointing, though, him out for blood and this little wretch spoiling it by being a coward.  Would <I>nothing</I> go his way tonight?

What were the chances of this all being some act to get Kas disarmed and in striking distance?  Nil, he decided.  That was genuine mortal fear in the kid's voice.  Kas had heard it often enough to recognize it for what it was.  Not that he believed any of this horseshit the kid was spouting.  A cat on the roof?  He was gonna bring the sword <I>back</I>?  Ha.  Right.

Hey, wait just a bloody minute.  There Kas was just standing on the roof, blinking rain out of his eyes and utterly floored by the nigh incoherent begging where he'd expected a fight, and the kid was <I>still</I> getting away with his sword.  Glaring at the thief, Kas sheathed his dagger and picked his way across the slick roof.

"Shut up already, or I may just gut you after all."  He couldn't bring himself to kill the kid, but he sure as bloody hell was gonna beat his frustration out on him.  No less than what the thief deserved.  And hey, it meant the kid would walk away alive.  Everybody wins.

He lunged, grabbing for the back of the kid's shirt.  A shingle slid off beneath his foot.

<I>Shit!</I>

He went down with it, falling head first into black, empty space.  His hand snagged the edge of the roof, bringing him into a flip.  If it would have worked, it would have been an amazing feat of grace.  If his angle had just been a little different, or the ground just a little closer, he might have been able to land in a roll.

But he couldn't get his feet under him fast enough.  He landed hard on his right leg and heard the bone snap.  One cry he let out, one wordless moan of pain before gritting his teeth together.  The rain drummed on his back and his hands clenched so hard he could feel his nails biting into his palms even through his gloves.  He pressed his forehead to the cold, wet ground, and willed a coherent thought to come to him.  He had to focus now.  He had to get up.

Somewhere in the back of his head, it occurred to Vahni that just giving the guy his sword back might be a good idea at this point. The man was faster, he obviously had experience, and he had a dagger and looked like he not only wanted to skin him alive with it, but that he would. Sure, it would sting his pride as a thief to be defeated so completely, but at the same time self preservation came first--and that was also the very reason why he didn't attempt to give the sword back. Because that would mean actually getting close to the guy or pausing to remove the baldric, and he wasn't sure that giving a sword to the guy that looked ready to murder him was smart.

So he kept moving forward and away from his persuer, still keeping low to the roof and not daring to attempt standing. He'd fall for sure, and it was hard enough to keep his feet beneath him.

But he could hear the guy getting closer. He may not have any other choice but to test his balance and hope the shingles held. "Yeah, no guttin', front's away from ya anyway but ya still got my back," Vahni muttered--though more quietly this time since he really didn't want to get gutted--as he shuffled forward a few more feet before he took his chances and started to rise. The building just ahead had a flat roof. If he could just make it there...

He didn't expect the guy to lunge for him. Not while atop a slippery roof.

He didn't expect the guy to go toppling off the roof before he could even yelp in surprise, and he could only watch with wide eyes and an open mouth.

The sickening crack, and the cry that followed, did not sound good.

For a few moments after, Vahni was completely still, heart drumming in his chest, eyes staring at the place where the man had been, before he slowly lowered himself back down into a crouch and released the breath he'd been holding. Holy...crap. Well. If that wasn't a turn of luck or what, saved just in the nick by a little ol' shingle. Excellent. He could make his clean getaway now with his prize and his life, thank his lucky stars, and take this as a sign that someone out there was on his side tonight. That's what he should have done, at least. That's what he wanted to do. That's what he almost did, drawing in a deep breath and turning away.

But it was also what he couldn't do.

Instead, he could only turn back and stare down from the roof with wide brown eyes, frozen on the spot as instinct warred with guilt. He hadn't meant for anyone to get hurt...

And Mister Scary wasn't really moving now.

Oh crap, was he dead?! No...he'd yelled...

Biting his lip, Vahni looked from the man's prone form to the alleys beyond and back, torn. If he was hurt bad, even if he'd survive the injury, there were still a lot of cutthroats and thugs that really might hurt or kill the guy if they found him, but what if he was just faking it? There was that possibility, too, that once he got down there he'd get pounced. Naw. Even as Vahni thought it, it sounded ridiculous because the guy would sure have to be a really good actor to pull it off and this seemed a bit too good to be acting. But...the sword! He had it! He should just leave. Rule of the streets, everyone looked out for themselves and that was it!

Except people that only looked out for themselves also didn't rescue abandoned kittens when feeding themselves was hard enough.

"Oh...shit...y-ya alive down there? Ah, don't move, I'll be right down," Vahni called as he picked his way carefully over the roof until he could find a safe way to get down. He spotted a rubbish heap that looked like it would provide a soft landing and carefully let himself slide down to the edge of the roof, feet braced against the gutter. From there he hopped down and landed in a pile of rotting...he didn't really want to know what, but he scrambled out of it, picked some sort of vegetable matter of of his hair, and took off at a jog.

He paused just out of arm's reach from the injured man. He didn't want to get too close just yet just in case the guy wanted to shank him. "Um...ya alright?"

Stupid, stupid question to ask. Vahni grimaced and rubbed the back of his neck, quite aware that he was, of course, still wearing the man's stolen sword. Which was going to be hard to get away with if he planned on helping the guy. The guy that he'd stolen from who probably wanted to gut him now.

Augh. Consciences.

Focus.  Just focus.  Kas forced his breathing to slow and deepen, forced his muscles to relax as he watched the raindrops hit the ground in front of his face.  Tension only made pain worse.  Something hit the ground down the alleyway and footsteps sounded, coming closer, barely audible in the rain.  He grinned.  Just let the little thief try to finish him off.  He still had his dagger and his arms still worked just fine.

Didn't matter if fighting wasn't the kid's natural inclination.  Kas was injured, and years of mental and physical training kept his guard up even though it seemed unnecessary.  

Only when he had relegated the pain to the farthest corner of his mind did he push himself up on his hands and his one good knee to look at the thief before him.  What was <I>with</I> this kid?  First he steals Kassian's sword, then he leads him on one hell of a desperate chase, and when the thief finally has the chance to get away for good, he passes it up and risks the sword <I>and</I> his life to come down here?  

He was a strange one.  Kas didn't quite know what to make of him.

"Am I all right."  For a few silent moments, Kas just stared at kid.  Then he broke into laughterâ€"short, bitter, and self-deprecatory.  It was his own damn fault, really.  Might as well admit it.  He'd been <I>so</I> supremely confident in his own reflexes and sense of balance.  Served him right.

So…now what?

He blinked up through the rain.  It had lessened from a relentless downpour into a lighter, steady fall, the kind that might continue for hours.  Full night had only just hit as he'd left the tavern before.  Daylight was a long while away, and he was stuck in probably the very worst part of Ketra with a broken leg and no decent weapon.  Even injured, he was worth more than any common street thug.  Any <I>one</I>.  A group, though?  No, better to be honest with himself.  More than one and even he'd be outmatched.  And given the way his luck was running today…

Twisting and clenching his teeth together, he explored his ruined leg with gentle fingertips and found it shattered just below the knee.  It wouldn't hold his weight, no chance.  Hobbling down the street on one leg was out of the question.  An injured man was just asking to be set upon, and anyway, something about the look of him just tended to attract people looking for a good challenge.  What, then?

He planted his palms flat on the ground and hung his head down, trying to think.  He couldn't expect anything of the thief except to run away with his bloody sword.  Kid probably still thought Kas would kill him at the first opportunity.  That ship had sailed, though.  It had sailed, caught fire, and gone down with no survivors.  It didn't mean Kas didn't still fully intend to get his sword back somehow.  But carving up some petty thief who didn't even seem able to defend himself had fallen off his priority list when he'd fallen off that roof.

Yeah, yeah, it had been a stupid--if genuine--question, but he hadn't known what else to say just then. Vahni shifted from one foot to the other as the guy laughed, for a moment thinking the man had lost it. He was sitting up and all and coherent enough, but still, maybe he'd hit his head on the way down...

"I'll take tha' as a no..." he said sheepishly, taking a couple steps closer. Both of the man's hands were flat on the ground where he could see them, and neither of them held a weapon. Instead, he could see the dagger sheathed at his side, not a danger to him unless the guy was super quick and just whipped it out, but he was pretty sure he could jump back quicker than he could slice him. For a few moments he was quiet, simply watching the guy as he felt his leg and remembering how he'd heard something snap when he'd fallen. Broken bone, obviously. No...this scary tough guy wouldn't be walking out of here.

And since scary-tough-guy didn't seem like he was in the talking mood, Vahni would just do it for him.

"Look, I, ah...'kay, look, if ya stay here yer prob'ly gonna get mugged--" He stopped and blinked. Wait. Actually, the guy had already technically been mugged. By him. Only minus the mugging and violence. Yeah, wrong word choice! Vahni fiddled with the strap of the baldric, feeling more and more guilty. Which he shouldn't have! He was a thief, dammit! Stealing was what he did, no guilt involved, just survival! But no one had ever gotten hurt because of his stealing and that's what made this different. He felt responsible and guilty even if <I>he wasn't the one who had pushed the guy off the roof. But for all that he'd spent his life on the streets, he'd never learned to harden his heart.

"What I mean is, if ya stay here someone's gonna find ya an' really hurt ya prob'ly, an' I didn't mean fer anyone ta get hurt," he corrected, pushing wet silver hair out of his eyes. Of course the rain would lighten up now. "An' it's rainin' an' you'll get sick an'...um...ya got anywhere ta go? 'Cause...if not...er...I got a place an'...ya can come there if ya promise not ta, y'know, murder me or anythin'. There's lotsa room an' stuff, jus' as long as ya don' mind kids."

But even as he was making his offer, he was also thinking about the dilemma this whole situation brought up: the sword.

What was he going to do about that?

He didn't want to give it back...he'd earned it fair and square, he'd technically won this confrontation! But if he was offering to help this guy...well...

The guy may be injured now, but he was going to heal.

If he was going to do this, it wasn't like he could take the sword, not unless he wanted to, indeed, get throttled. The guy still had working arms.

Ugh...he really should just leave with his prize. But no. Instead, Vahni heaved a sigh and slipped the baldric over his head and held it out in front of the man, not quite looking at him. "Here..."

But this little peace offering didn't mean he didn't fully intend on stealing the sword back when it was fair to do so.

<I>I am so sick of this damned rain.</I>  He'd been soaked clean through for way too long, and it was starting to get uncomfortable now that he had the chance to notice it with the adrenaline leaving off.  Pain was one thing.  Pain he could deal with for a good while.  But some of the more innocuous things like being cold or wet with no relief from it…those things had a way of getting under a person's skin <I>and</I> composure.

The Thief with the Everlasting Mouth was still there and still babbling on.  Kas's eyes narrowed.  In spite of it all, he still wanted to believe this was some trick.  Mistrust was a hard habit to breakâ€"and a good habit to have, in his opinion.  But the gods were giving him a way out of this mess.  No sense passing up an opportunity offered.

Kids, though?  As in <I>children?</I>  Shit, he'd almost rather risk the street thugs.

Through it all he'd been silent, and he was silent now, considering the sword held out before him with no small degree of suspicionâ€"and with his own clumsy attempt at empathy.  Not that he would ever be able to get into the mind of a thief, but it was hard for anyone to give up something they thought of as their own.  That much he understood.

Finally, he took the baldric and sword and settled it across his chest.  The familiar weight drove a lot of the tension out of him.  He stretched up on his good knee, grabbed the kid by the shirt, and pulled him down to his level.  He looked him dead in the eyes.

"I swear on my sword, you're safe from me," he said.  Hopefully that would be enough to ease the kid's doubts.  Considering what they'd just been through, he should know it wasn't something Kas said lightly.  If this boy was really going to open his home to help a stranger, Kas would do what he could to put his mind at ease.  He didn't want the kid to be afraid of him.

He slid his arm around the thief's neck.  "However."  Then he drove his fist into the kid's stomach as hard as he could.

He fell forward, releasing the thief and catching himself with his hands.  "You deserved that," he growled.  And now, if the kid still wanted to help him after that, he would accept it.  <I>Now</I> they were square.  It wasn't about holding a grudge.  Kas just hated leaving business unfinished.  He wouldn't be in debt to anyone, and he wouldn't have anyone in debt to him.

Little brat had gotten him into this in the first place.

Silence still. Okaaay. Vahni had been certain that the guy would've been all over getting his sword back considering the lengths he'd already gone to for that thing, but instead the guy just stared at the sword. Probably pondering over whether he could whip the thing out of its sheath faster than Vahni could move out of the way. Alright. Well. If he wasn't going to <I>accept the sword and the help, then so be it, Vahni felt bad and all but how did that saying go? The one about leading a horse to water? If the guy wanted to act tough, he'd just take the sword and leave. You couldn't <I>force a guy bigger and stronger than you to do anything.

Creeped out by the silence which, to him, seemed to drag on <I>forever, Vahni was on the verge of backing out of his offer when the guy finally took the baldric and sword. Great. So the offering was accepted, but what about the offer--?

A small, surprised sound left him when he was suddenly pulled down and he stumbled forward before regaining his balance enough to keep from toppling over. Tension locked every muscle as he prepared to struggle, but he never actually got to attempt it when the man met his eyes and spoke.

He relaxed a little, released a slow breath, and slowly eased down until he was crouching as opposed to being all awkwardly bent over. Then he gave a slow nod to show he understood, still maintaining eye contact and not daring to break it even though he wanted to. He'd always found direct, unbroken eye contact horribly awkward in most cases. "'Kay," he managed, swallowing. Great! Swore on his sword. That was good enough for Vahni, because that thing must mean a lot to this guy from the way he'd acted. You know, judging by the way he'd seemed quite ready to kill for it and all.

But then the tension returned and a chill ran down his spine when he felt an arm slide around his neck, though unfortunately he didn't heed the warning that his body had already registered. His mind just rationalized it. He needed help up, of course! So of course he'd throw an arm around him for support so he could help him up! After all, the guy swore on his sword that he was safe from him!

By the time his mind caught up with his body, by the time the guy had said "however" and he had realized the danger in that word, Vahni was doubled over on his knees with his head nearly touching the wet ground, clutching his stomach and wheezing for a breath he couldn't quite seem to take and fighting against nausea. Oh. Wow. He hadn't seen that coming. But at least it was a fist and not a dagger? Not that it made much of a difference right now because that hurt.

Somewhere beyond the pain and coughing, he caught the man's words and forced a strained grin. Couldn't argue against that. He had earned that punch fair and square. He was just glad the guy didn't decide to take the eye for an eye route and break his leg. Any other person probably would have.

"Nngh..." Okay, not what he had meant to say. He'd been trying to form actual words, but for the moment it seemed he could only groan. Waiting a few more seconds, he took another strained breath and lifted his head a little. "Yeah, I know...but ya coulda...waited 'til I got...'til I got ya home, y'know..." he gasped, raising up a little and using one hand to support him, the other still pressed to his stomach. "Now we're both gonna be...hobblin'..."

He rubbed his aching stomach, took a few more deep breaths, then frowned at the other man. "Can we call it even now? I kinda want outta th' rain..." Then he gave the man a shrewd look. "...When ya say I'm safe from ya, are we jus' talkin' sharp pointy things or do punches an' whatnot count, too?"

Yes, it was most unwise to attack his would-be savior.  Yes, he realized the kid might very well curse him and run off after this, and he wouldn't hold it against him in the least if that happened.  Yes, he may have just ruined the one chance he had to get out of this in one piece and still living.  It was a dice throw, but he was willing to risk it if it meant the two of them could call it even, at least for now.

So he waited.  He watched the kid catch his breath and recover from the blow.  No use trying to guess the reaction he'd get.  He was through trying to predict <I>anything</I> this kid did.  That was a futile effort if ever there was one.  At this point, nothing the kid did would surprise him.

And it was <I>still</I> raining, a steady, infuriating drizzle, just enough to keep them soaked and miserable.  Kas sighed, and for a moment let the pain in his leg creep up on him, just to distract him from the cold and wet.  He was going to get grouchy if he didn't get out of this soon.  Sitting there lame on the ground like that was getting to his pride.

He responded to the kid's grin with a raised eyebrow.  "Yes, but then I would have been your guest, and it wouldn't have been appropriate," he said, perfectly serious.  Here, now, they were just a thief and swordsman.  Once he set foot in the boy's home, he would be a guest and the laws of hospitality would come into play.  Violate those, and the gods would be sure he paid for it.

At least the kid wasn't whining about being hurt.  He took the hit well, better than Kas had thought he would.  His respect for the kid rose a little.

"We're even," he said, looking the kid in the eyes again.  He was direct, even in that.  "I just wanted to get that out of the way."  Swallowing his pride as best he could, he raised a hand for the kid to help him up.  "How far do we have to go?"

Gods of earth, but he couldn't <I>wait</I> to get dry.  Not that he had any other clothes to change into, but it would feel good just to get out of the rain and let his hair out of that braid.  It felt like a heavy rope hanging off his head.

"Huh...?" Vahni could only stare at the man. Wouldn't have been appropriate? He couldn't really see the difference between punching someone indoors or outdoors--it still hurt the same. But at least he now knew that he was safe as long as he was in his home. That was good to know! So if he ever pissed the guy off again, he could just slip inside his home and he couldn't touch him? Wonderful. Of course, he also knew he shouldn't even be <I>pondering the possibility of pissing the guy off again right now when he was still recovering from a punch in the gut so he quickly pushed that notion out of his head.

"Right...of course," he said instead, blinking. "So ya can't punch me if I'm inside?" he blurted before clamping his teeth together. He so hadn't meant to say that. "Never mind."

He sat up a bit straighter and his bruised muscles ached in protest. Owie. He winced but stubbornly refused to curl up like he wanted to because, unlike the seasoned swordsman with the broken leg that he wasn't even grimacing over, Vahni was certainly not trained to deal with pain. If he had been on his own and his stomach was hurting like this, he would have indeed been curled up somewhere and whimpering, but he certainly couldn't do <I>that in front of anyone. Especially not someone who was all tough and scary and took a broken bone without complaint. He didn't want to look like a wimp, after all.

Once again Vahni forced himself to meet the man's eyes, though he did have to drop his gaze a bit early. "Great. But I still think ya picked a bad time fer th' punchin'. Coulda waited 'til jus' outside my place," he said, unable to stop his big mouth from running. He coughed softly. "Kiddin'. Um, anyhoo, it's not far away. Only like a coupla blocks down th' street, so yer pretty lucky. Well, I mean, y'know, all things considered yer lucky."

He climbed to his feet sorely, idly thinking that this is what old men must feel like getting out of bed in the mornings, but he held his breath so he wouldn't make a sound. Then he reached down to take the man's hand so he could help haul him up. Man, if this wasn't going to be the most awkward trip home, both of them sore, and Vahni still couldn't quite shake the weirdness of everything. Just like that, they were over their little confrontation. Of course, that was just because he felt bad and the swordsman needed help, but it was still really weird. Maybe it was a bad idea trusting him...he might turn him in when he got better. He might not honor what he's sworn.

But he'd just deal with those issues if and when they arose. Right now he had to pay off his end of the debt--which was patching up the harm he'd caused.

Ergh...he was a terrible criminal.

"I guess jus' lean on me. Don' worry, I can take it. Then we'll just--aw shit...clothes..." He heaved a sigh. "I don't got any extra clothes, jus' so ya know," he muttered, remembering one of the reasons he'd come out here to begin with. Patching his roof and clothes. Dry clothes from...somewhere. He had no clue where, even. He'd accomplished neither. "But mosta th' blankets are dry still...I hope. Hn...an' I hope ya know how ta repair yer leg, 'cause I dunno how ta do anything like that an'...aw forget it. I'll shut up 'bout tha', we'll deal, eh? Um...so...what's yer name?"

That was a nice, safe, not-so-depressing change of topic. And while Kas' way of ignoring the wet and cold may have been to focus on the pain, Vahni's way was to talk and, basically, just hear the sound of his own voice.

The sword guy didn't seem like the best conversationalist so far, but that wouldn't bother Vahni.

What a strange rapport they'd developed.  Necessity made for some unexpected alliances.  Kas had been ready to kill the kid.  He wouldn't have drawn it out, or made it needlessly painful, but he would have done it just the same.  And now he would be the thief's guest.

Why would anyone risk a stranger in a home with children though?  For all the thief knew, he could have been the type to prey on children.  Either this kid really was just that trusting or he was supremely confident in his ability to protect himself and any children in his home.

It was still foolish of him.

Kas eyed him with one brow raised, wondering just how quickly the kid would stop being an interesting oddity and would become just plain annoying.  Really, what was so hard to understand about guest laws?  A guest in someone's home bore certain constraints and responsibilities.  Surely everyone knew this.  "That's right," Kas said.  And with a perfectly serious face added, "So I'd have to drag you outside if I had the need to beat you senseless."

He waited in customary silence for the boy to recover.  It wasn't that his leg wasn't bloody <I>killing</I> him, and it wasn't that he was possessed of great patience either.  Quite the opposite.  But grimacing and moaning wouldn't make it hurt any less or help it to heal.  And no matter how much he wanted to just scream up at the sky to <I>stop raining</I> it wouldn't do any good either.  It tended to give others the impression he was stoicâ€"and maybe he was; self introspection never interested himâ€"but the reality was he just didn't see the sense in wasting energy on useless actions.

Getting to his feet <I>did</I> make him grimace, though.  He had to put most of his weight on the kid just to haul himself up to his one good leg.  And Kas was solidly built whereas the kid was slim.  He felt like a twig that might snap any moment as Kas wrapped an arm around his neck.  The motion of standing jostled his broken leg and he had to clench his teeth together until they ached to bite back a grunt of pain.

It was a good thing no one was there to see them, because Kas might have died a little should anyone witness him hobbling along like a cripple, clinging to this stick of a boy.  His pride hurt so very much more than a broken leg ever could.

Clothes.  His own felt about twenty pounds too heavy with all the water in them.  They'd make do somehow.  He'd strip his clothes off and wear a <I>sheet</I> if he had to.  Anything to get himself dry.

"I can set my leg."  It seemed like more or less a clean break, and the thief could help so long as Kas told him what to do.  Finding something to make a splint out of wouldn't be hard.  Just too bad he had no coin for a healer and no favors to call in that wouldn't alert certain…old acquaintances to his presence here.

"My name is Kassian."

Why was he looking at him like he was the crazy one? Especially when the guy said that he'd have to drag him outside if he wanted to beat him. Vahni returned the man's look, raising an eyebrow and just staring at him as though he were completely nuts. "Tha' don't make any sense..." And it didn't! He couldn't smack him inside, so if he wanted to smack him he'd just drag him outdoors? What? What difference did it make at all? You were still getting smacked, it really didn't matter if it was inside or outside and it just seemed like an extra hassle to yank the other person out the door just so you could whack them.

Still, even if he didn't understand the guy's weird outlook, it was nice to know. Let him have his strange opinions.

Helping the man up was indeed an effort, and it took all of his strength to keep the two of them upright as he took the brunt of the man's weight. Even then he wasn't fully upright and found himself leaning a little, feet spaced apart to better balance himself and one arm slipping around the guy's waist to help support him.  Yeesh. While it was obvious the swordsman was an athletic sort, he hadn't expected him to be that heavy. It probably wasn't saying much, though, since Vahni was thin and on the underweight side from burning more energy than he could replenish.

Vahni was a little leery of that arm that slid around his neck, considering what happened last time when he'd assumed the guy was just trying to get up, but the ache in his muscles reminded him that they were even now.

Besides, if the guy punched him now he'd drop him, and he didn't think that would feel very good on his leg. Jeez. How did he deal with that? He had to be hurting.

"Whew, good, 'cause like I said I can't an' I dunno anyone tha' can 'cept healers an' they cost money so we'd be in trouble," he said, tightening his hold on the man as he carefully--and precariously--started to lead the way down the street, trying not to stumble too much because he was sure every jolt would hurt the guy. Now with the whole confrontation behind them and his own pain not so fresh, he was finally starting to really feel the rain and the cold and the unpleasant sensation of his soaked woolen clothes rubbing uncomfortably here and there, probably giving him a rash. It didn't matter how many times he'd been cold and wet before, it was still bloody miserable, and he was still sore about all his clothes getting wet and his roof deciding to leak.

He'd take the wet and leaky side, too, and offer the swordsman the dryer side. He was the injured one, after all.

"Kassian, huh? I'm Vahni, nice ta meetcha. Heeey...I could call ya Kassi fer short an' it'd almost rhyme! Kassi...Vahni...well, I mean, they both got 'eee' at th' end at least, close enough," Vahni said with a crooked grin at Kas, then quickly wiped the smile away, set his face in a more stoic expression, and faced forward again. The guy had his arm around his neck, he didn't want to get strangled. Maybe he should wait until they were both inside before talking. A man with a broken leg couldn't really drag anyone outside.

Luckily for Kas, it was a fairly straight walk once they got out of the alley--Vahni wasn't going to lead him down all the alleys like this, not with all the turns and obstacles there--though Vahni was a little off in his estimation and it was three blocks, not two, before they reached the correct alley. Carefully guiding and hobbling into the mouth of it, just ahead at the end of the dead-end alley Vahni's "home" could be made out.

Home was such a generous word.

The thing looked like it could have been thrown together in five minutes, and that was about as long as it had taken once Vahni had gathered all the materials. It was literally built from a bunch of stacked crates and boxes with a few broad wooden planks laid out across them at the top to form a roof. The door was another plank propped up against the structure at an angle with nothing to anchor it, and from the size of the place from the outside...it was really small, even though it was as wide as the narrow alley.

On top of the little "shanty's" roof were a number of thoroughly soaked clothes. Vahni spared them a glare as though it was their fault for getting wet before smiling at Kas.

"There it is," Vahni announced proudly as he lead the way, bracing himself with his free arm against the alley wall in case he slipped. It may not have been much, but it was his and he made it himself. "I know it looks small, but don' worry, we'll fit." All you had to do was kiss your "personal bubble" goodbye. "We might be a lil' squished, but trust me, if it can fit five cozily, it can take six!"

"I was being facetiousâ€"never mind."  Of <I>course</I> he wouldn't be dragging the kid out of his home to lay into him.  Not unless he did something unforgivable like steal Kas's sword again.  It had been a joke, sort of.  And <I>what</I> was so hard to get about it?  Kas really didn't know how to make himself any clearer, and he was glad the kid shut up about it.  He'd never been called upon to explain something  that should be so self-evident.

Guests did not harm their hosts, and hosts did not harm their guests.  It was the simplest thing in the world.

Navigating the wet alleyways in the dark and the rain and on one good leg was a tedious job, and there was a lot of awkward shifting and hopping until Kas finally worked out a rhythm of movement between himself and the boy.  Careful.  Every movement shot pain through his leg, and if they slipped and fell, he didn't know what he would do.  Abandon all composure and just scream with all the air in his lungs.  Gods, how had he found himself like this?  Nigh helpless and forced to accept aid from this common thief.  Yes, that was a shameful thought and ungrateful on top of it.  He didn't care just then.  He wanted to indulge in his bitterness for awhile.

It was his pride was hurting him now.  <I>And remember it was that pride that got your leg broke in the first place, eh?</I>

Vahni.  Yeah, good.  Introductions out of the way.  Fine.

<I>Kassi?</I>

His eye twitched.  "It's Kassian," he said, meeting Vahni's grin with a look so dry it was a wonder it didn't evaporate the water right off of them.  And if his voice was a little stiff he at least thought he did a good job of keeping the murder out of it.  For the most part.  Kassi, indeed.  Now <I>that</I> would be a drag-him-out-and-beat-him offense.  'Kas' he could tolerate.  Sometimes.

They stopped before some jumble of boxes and wood planksâ€"to take a breather before going on to Vahni's home, Kas thoughtâ€"and then he realized that this was their destination.

"<I>This</I> is where you <I>live</I>?" he said, and snapped his mouth shut immediately.  If he hadn't been holding on to Vahni he would have smacked his own forehead.  He hadn't meant it the way it had sounded.  He hadn't meant to insult the kid.  But with the talk of children, he'd expected something different.

Sheepish because of his outburst, and angry because of his sheepishness, he settled for a subject change in liue of an actual apology, the likes of which were just beyond him for the most part.  "What do you mean, five?"  Five <I>what?</I>  Children?  That couldn't possibly be.  They would be on top of each other.  Even he and Vahni would practically be on top of each other in the small space.

Ouch. Well that was one way to take the wind out of his sails. Vahni hunched his shoulders and blushed, glad for the darkness and hoping the rain would cool his cheeks, though right now his face was the only part of him that was warm. He didn't look at Kas as he spoke. "Um...not always..." he muttered sheepishly, pride replaced with shame as he felt the sudden need to explain himself--and defend himself.

"I've lived other places...jus' actually moved here an'...an' I know it's no pretty manor, but I built it m'self an' ya wouldn't believe how long it took ta find th' stuff here! Stuff's scarcer here, it took forever. I think it's pretty good," he added, stubborn pride creeping back into his voice.

Oh, slurs and insults he was used to. It came with the territory of being a thief, those were no biggy and he could laugh those off--a lot of them were really creative, and they were also well earned! But he didn't like being looked down on or pitied, and to have one of the few honest things he'd actually created himself received like that...it was really embarrassing because it reminded him of just how low on the societal food chain he really was.

He was glad for the subject change.

Finally stopping just before the jumble he called home, Vahni planted his feet to keep them both upright and drew a deep breath, shifting his grip on Kas. Now standing still he finally noticed that he was shaking, half from the cold and wet and half from just the effort of supporting them both.

"Hm? Oh! I mean th' kids. There's five of 'em, y'know. Don' worry, I'll make sure they don' crawl all over ya or claw or bite ya or nothin'. Yer not allergic, are ya?" he asked seriously while he fumbled with his free hand to slide the plank that served as the door out of the way.

A little black kitten with white front paws was waiting where the door once was, peering up at both Kas and Vahni with large eyes. She gave a little mew. Beyond her, the rest of the "home" was barely visible, but near the back left corner there was a box of some sort, and aside from some blankets, a few old pillows he'd snagged, and a threadbare cloth bag, that was as far as the interior design went.

"Aw, Socks, whatcha doin' outta yer box? Yer all wet now...go on, get outta th' way, we got company. Um...okay, Kassi, how're we gonna do this? I don' wanna hurt yer leg, but ya can see it's kinda a small openin'," Vahni said, looking from the small door to the swordsman and back and adjusting his grip on him again; his hands were cold so he almost had to do that just to make sure his hand was still where he'd put it. Yeah. This was going to be interesting. Getting Kas up had been all right. Lowering him down and getting him inside...he really wasn't sure how to go about that without killing his leg.

They were also going to get the whole place soaked, but...oh well...better to be just soaked than to get more</I> soaked standing out here.

He was about to ask for more clarification on just what they would be sharing the space with that might bite or scratch, but the question answered itself.  Through dripping bangs Kassian stared down at the black kitten greeting them in the doorway.

Cats, he thought.  More cats. They were haunting him today it seemed.

The next part would take some doing.

Kassian ducked through, bracing himself on Vahni first then on what passed as a doorframe.  It was dim inside, but his eyes were already adjusted to the night and he made out the crate in the corner.  Getting to it was the hard part, with five kittens now wandering around his feet and mewing at him, but he made it with only one or two aborted grunts of pain.

After that, he had to sit for a minute.  He was panting from the effort and needed to gather his thoughts and refocus.  The place was small, but it would do.  He slept on the ground often as not, traveling so much as he did.  And at that point anything that kept the rain off his head was as good as a mansion in his eyes.

Some of the kittens were trying to get his attention, one even leapt up into his lap, but he ignored them.  â€œLight,â€? he muttered.  â€œDo you have candles?  A lantern?  Anything to see by?â€?  If not, he would have to make do somehow.  â€œI'll need wood.  Just three or four straight planks about as long as your forearm, and some strips of cloth to tie them with.  Can you get me these things?â€?

First thing's firstâ€"he lifted the baldric and sword from his shoulder and set them aside, close by, then peeled off his sopping coat and shirt.  Underneath he was all hard muscle and tanned skin, a few scars puckering along his torso and arms.  Two silver nipple rings matched the few silver piercings in his ears, and together they made up the only adornments on his person.  With his wet shirt finally off, he considered his pants.  Impossible to work them off with his leg broken, and difficult to set the leg properly with them on.  He could cut the one pant leg off at the knee, but these were the only clothes he had, so he opted instead to push the leg up, finally exposing the break.

A cursory study in the dim light and a quick, delicate questing of his fingertip suggested he'd been right; the break was clean and not terrible as broken bones went.

Grimly he shooed the kittens away from him and whipped his belt off.  He was going to need something to bite onto.

Vahni couldn't help but wince sympathetically as Kassi--er, Kassian--made his way into the room, each grunt of pain, few as they were, making him feel a little worse about, you know, breaking the guy's leg. Not that he'd actually done the breaking, and never mind that Kassi had been about ready to slaughter him, but the was beside the point. Still, he made it, and Vahni watched to make sure he didn't step on any kittens or anything. He didn't; even with a broken leg the guy was pretty damned agile because Gods knew there were enough little obstacles in that small space.

The kittens seemed to like him, though. That was good. He couldn't remember where, but he thought he'd heard something about animals being able to read people or something like that, and he wasn't swatting at them or anything. If Vahni had had any remaining concerns about letting Kassi stay here, those were all gone now, because judging by the kitten in the guy's lap, he'd been kitty approved!

Great!

Stooping down, Vahni crawled in after Kassi and took a seat by the entrance, lightly scratching a kitten behind the ear as it toddled over and butted his hand. "Hum? Light? Oh, um...well, I got some candles, but I don't got nothin' ta light 'em with..." he said, shuffling forward on his knees so he could grab the bag in the back and rummage through its contents while Kassi took off what wet cloth he could. There wasn't much in the bag and the cloth was damp in places from the leak he'd dealt with earlier, but after a moment he pulled out a small stub of a candle and held it out, smiling. "Wick got sorta wet, but it might...work..." He trailed off, staring at Kassian.

It wasn't that Kassian was half naked or anything, nor was it all the scars, but what did get Vahni's attention was the silver nipple rings. Not that he stared at people's chests, but his eyes were just naturally trained to move straight to whatever was shiny, and...and...piercings...there? His own chest hurt just seeing those!

"Didn't tha' hurt?" Vahni blurted before his brain could catch up with his mouth, before he could register that, duh, the guy took a broken leg without screaming, he had a bunch of impressive looking scars, and no kidding he could probably take it! Then, realizing he was gaping and realizing just what he'd asked, he shook his head and coughed. "Uh, right! Planks! Yeah, I can get 'em! Jus' hold a sec an'...er...mind th' kittens, will ya? They kinda like dangly shinies so...gah! Ferget it! Be right back! Jus' be careful!"

As Kassian whipped off his belt, Vahni set the candle stub on the ground at his feet, then headed back out into the drizzle to go scope out some planks. They shouldn't be hard to find, people left junk out there all the time and...eugh. Nipple rings. Why? Ew ew. What if they caught on something and...right. Planks. And hopefully the guy would have his leg set by the time he got back, too, because he didn't really want to see that--or help with it. Way too painful, and he couldn't help it if he had a weak stomach.

Vahni wasn't gone too long, and when he returned, he had in his arms three arm-lenth planks. He carefully set them inside before sliding inside himself, seating himself across from Kassian cross-legged, shivering a little. His clothes were soaked and cold and he couldn't wait to get out of them, but if Kassi needed anything else, he wanted to be dressed and ready. It would suck more getting all nice and dry and warm and then having to put soaked clothes right back on.

"Alright! Got th' planks! I couldn't find any dry ones, so...tha' okay? Need anythin' else?" He kept his eyes fixed on Kassian's face. No. No looking. But he swore Kassian better sleep with a blanket up to his chin or he was going to spend the whole night stressing about kittens gnawing on--augh! Bad thoughts!

Kassian stared down at the stub of candle and just barely suppressed a sigh.  He didn't have anything to light it with.  Usually he'd have a sparkstone or some flint or something to start a fire, but he'd had to leave everything behind when he fled.

Alright then.  He was doing this in the dark.

"Piercings generally do hurt," he said.  Maybe it was the pain, maybe it was the constant high-pitched mewing of the kittens, maybe it was the wet hair trailing down his back.  Probably it was all of those things.  But for whatever reason it took a conscious effort not to snap at the kid to just hurry up and stop flapping his tongue before Kas decided to cut it out.  It was a relief when he finally left.

Kas doubled his belt and slipped it between his teeth.  Hesitation would just make it more difficult, so he gripped just behind his knee with one hand, just above his ankle with the other, and yanked hard.  This time he didn't try to hold back; the sound that came out of him startled the kittens into silence and they scattered from him.  He didn't stop.  Panting, clenching his teeth into the leather belt, his hands explored the break, twisting, pushing, shifting where they needed to.  A cold sweat broke out all over him and his whole world contracted until there was nothing but the agony blazing across his nerves.  He could feel the bones grind together.

When it was done, he dropped the belt from his mouth and leaned his head back against the wall behind him and closed his eyes.  He kept them closed for as long as he needed to to regain his senses.  The rain continued outside, lighter now, but still steady.  The kittens were absolutely quiet.  When he at last opened his eyes again, Vahni was there, and he couldn't have said when the kid had come back.  It could have been when he was setting his leg, it could have been after.  He just didn't know.

"Cloth," he rasped out.  "Something to tie it with."  With the bone set, the hard part was over and weariness was weighing down on him already.  "If you don't have anything, tear strips off my coat."  He took up the planks, ran his hands over them in the dark and found them sturdy and straight and yes, wet, but they would do.  He placed three of them against his leg, grimacing, and held them there.  One on either side and one along his shin.  "You'll have to tie them in place.  Four strips, wrap them around twice, tie them tight."

Vahni had barely finished the words "anythin' else" before Kassi let out a sound that just about scared him clean out of his skin. At the least, if the "ceiling" were any lower he would have hit his head with how much he jumped, and it was lucky he'd set the planks down first or he might have thrown them. The kittens scattered, one clambering into his lap and poking him through his breeches with her tiny claws, and Vahni stared, wide-eyed at Kassi as he...as he...

Oh hell no.

So that would explain the sick cracking sound he'd heard beneath that yell. That would also explain why the guy had his belt in his mouth. Made more sense than that he was hungry and it was close enough to cow.

The blood drained from Vahni's face as he realized all too late what Kassian was doing to his leg, and his stomach lurched queasily. Yet even as his stomach tried to tie itself into a knot, all he could do was watch, transfixed and utterly grossed out and wondering how the heck the guy could do that without passing out, tough scarred guy with weird nipple piercings or not! Heck, he felt like he was about to pass out just watching, and by the time Kassi had finished and leaned back against the wall, Vahni felt breathless.

...Then again, he had kind of been holding his breath, too stunned to remember to breathe.

For one rare moment, Vahni was stunned into complete silence along with the kittens. At least until Kassi finally spoke. Vahni had to work moisture back into his mouth before he could manage a proper response, realizing at that moment that his mouth had kind of been hanging open. "Uhh...r-right. Cloth. Uhm..."

He gave himself a shake and glanced around the small room. Cloth, cloth, cloth...what did he have the he could use? Well, there were his own wet clothes, blankets, but there was no way he'd rip those up! Unless he had to, which he might, but--he looked back to Kassian as he continued, then relaxed a little. His coat, huh? He could live with that! With a stiff nod, for he was still all stunned, he slid forward on his bottom enough to be able to grab Kassian's coat, then pulled out a small knife from his boot so he could cut the strips, and just about burst into nervous laughter.

...He'd completely forgotten he'd had that during his little confrontation with Kassian on the roof. Then again, it was a work knife, not a weapon, and he'd had Kassian's sword besides! Not that he could have actually used it, since he had a feeling that if he'd whipped it out he would have just sent himself flying off the roof. Still. Huh. He felt a little foolish. Oh well! Strips! Right!

He quickly worked to cut and rip four strips, as instructed, from the coat, then set the knife aside and shuffled closer to Kassian. "Erm, tell me if there're too tight 'n' stuff..." he mumbled as he began to wrap them around his leg one at a time, tying each one off tightly and trying not to think about broken bones and cut off circulation and stuff like that. Hopefully he wasn't huting him too bad...

When he was done, he sat back on his knees and glanced up at Kassian apologetically. "Tha' okay? Tight 'nuff, too tight? Er...really sorry 'bout tha', by th' way..."

If possible, he felt even more guilty about this whole thing now that he'd been forced to tend to the injury he'd helped create and seen just how bad it really was. Kinda was humbling to see the tough guy that looked like he could string you up with your own guts all beat and suffering--even if, you know, that had been the same guy that had been chasing you with a dagger. Even if, you know, you were the reason they were chasing you, heh.

Even injured and wearyâ€"or perhaps especially because of thatâ€"the whisper of metal being drawn  brought all his senses to alert.  He didn't watch the knife; that was an amateur mistake.  He watched Vahni, the way his muscled flexed, the shifting of his eyes.  It was out of habit more than conscious suspicion that kept Kassian coiled, snake-like, until the knife was out of Vahni's hands, and even then a part of his attention remained on it.

That did it for his only coat.  His lips pursed in what was dangerously close to a sulk.  Times like these made a man wish for the luxury of self-pity, but he told himself it could be worse.  It could be winter, for instance.  If it was rainy and humid at least the weather was seasonable.

He gritted his teeth and sucked in his breath when Vahni began tying the strips around his leg, trying not to make a fuss about it lest the kid lose his nerve and tie them too loose for fear of hurting him.  The water-heavy braid slipped and slid down his back and fell to dangle over the ground.  One brave kitten found the temptation too great and inched over one hesitant pawstep at a time to bat at the swinging end.  Kassian's first punch-drunk impulse to huddling in a thief's hovel with his leg broken and a kitten wrestling with the tip of his braid was to laugh hysterically, but he caught himself.  None of that.  He sat up straight and endured the rest without a sound.

When it was done, he tested the strips.  Gray-faced, he leaned over and made his eyes wide in the darkness, but still it was more a process of feel than sight, working from the top strip to the bottom, adjusting and tugging and slipping his fingers between the fabric and the wood to gauge the tightness.  "That's good.  You did well."

He sat back against the wall again.  The kittens had come out of their fear of him now he'd stopped with the dreadful noises and they were all back to being themselves.  The one that had played with his braid before was now fumbling around the back of the crate, hunting for its lost toy.  "All right," Kassian said.  "Where am I sleeping?"  One corner of his mouth quirked up, though Vahni might not have been able to see it in the darkness.  "And am I going to have to sleep with sword in hand to keep you from taking it or are we past that for now?"

That was a relief. If he'd had to do that over again, he probably would have fainted, though at least the kittens' antics had brought some light to the situation. Like the one that went for Kassi's braid. If he hadn't been so focused on not hurting the guy and getting it over with, he would have laughed. Kittens. So oblivious and carefree, and the fact that Kassi was enduring it was enough to earn him points in Vahni's not-very-up-to-date book. That braid did make a great toy...

He sagged in relief when it was over and pushed his wet hair out of his face. "Th-thanks..." he said, and took a moment to collect himself while Kassian checked over his work. A kitten crawled into his lap, and he scratched her behind the ears absently. Then Kassian spoke, and he looked up and hunched his shoulders.

Oi. Still about the sword...jeez...

"No..." Vahni muttered, rubbing the back of his neck. He missed Kassi's smirk in the darkness and so he also missed the humor, and the remark just ended up making him feel sheepish again. "Shouldn't do tha' anyway, silly. Sleep with a sword. Ya'd poke yerself an' I ain't no healer if ya go all bleedy." He paused. "An' I don' want th' kittens gettin' hurt on it, so ya keep it put away, 'kay?" Honestly, thinking he'd try and steal his sword again after he'd gone through all this trouble to get him all safe and sound and snug as a bug in his own home! Vahni mumbled to himself as he stripped off his drenched shirt, goosebumps raising on his skin. And thinking he'd steal from a gimp, too! Hmph. He wouldn't do that.

...Er, well, not unless what they had was really, really good and they couldn't track him down and beat him when they got better. Kassi probably could, and he shivered to remember how he'd looked stalking him with a dagger.

It could give him nightmares. Nope. He'd learned his lesson, didn't wanna ever cross him.

He tossed his wet shirt up near the entrance and out of the way, nudged a kitten off a moth-eaten blanket so he could pick it up, then tossed it to Kassian. "Um, th' whole room's basically th' bed," he said. "So yer sleepin' sittin' up there, or yer sleepin' down here. Yer pick! Sorry, don't got no cots or nothin', lost all those at th' last place. Just got blankets. Now if ya'd excuse me..." He bundled himself up in a blanket of his own and shifted beneath it, kicking off his breeches there so he didn't flash anyone. Like the kittens. Innocent eyes and all. The equally soaked breeches were tossed over with his shirt, and he cuddled into the blanket, feeling infinitely better now that he wasn't all drenched and worrying about things going pruney.

Ahem.

That taken care of, he flopped over onto his side, still bundled up, and propped himself up on an elbow, watching Kassian with a mixture of curiosity and caution. He was tired all right, but he didn't think he'd be able to sleep until Kassi passed out, first. Just one of those paranoid habits. You picked up a lot of those on the streets.

"Oh yeah, fair warnin'. Try an' sleep far away from me, 'kay? Like way over on th' other end." He cleared his throat and rolled his eyes. "Apparently I steal covers an' like ta cuddle. So fair warnin', like I said." At least Kassian had his 'don't beat people up indoors' thing going on, quite unlike many of his own friends. It was always a bit alarming to get woken up by an sharp jab in the ribs because you'd somehow ended up snuggling up to your buddy. Not his fault. He was just attracted to warmth!

Really he was barely listening to Vahni at all.  He caught the blanket automatically and started shifting and sliding down to the ground, pausing only once to shoot Vahni a look.  Cuddles.  Fantastic.  Considering the farthest distance away he could get and still stretch out his to his full height placed him a cozy two feet from Vahni, he'd just have to resign himself.  He didn't anticipate much sleep that night, not with his leg throbbing and the edgy wariness in him at having to sleep in the presence of a stranger.  The sword came with him to the ground, laid out beneath his left hand.

He had no more words left and didn't bother trying for any.  Before Vahni had even finished speaking, Kassian settled in and slung an arm over his eyes.  He didn't try for sleep, for that would be a long time coming.  The rain was quieting and he could hear Vahni's breathing, and the sound kept him wakeful though he wished it wouldn't.  In the darkness he meditated, even prayed a little—which was merely another form of meditation to him—but mostly he just let his thoughts wander until, finally, he fell into a fitful sleep.

Hours later, after having woken and dozed off again a half dozen times, he swam up into consciousness once last time.  The first thing he noticed was that, save for the thick hair at the base of his neck, he was blessedly dry.  So was the interior of Vahni's home and the weather outside.  Cracking both eyes open, Kassian was greeted by bright yellow sunlight slanting through the planks of wood, and all the water they'd tracked in the night before had dried up.  It was pleasantly cool, a beautiful day.

And he felt like shit.

Oh gods of heaven and earth his leg hurt.  He didn't ever want to move.  Or even wake up.  He wanted to just close his eyes and drift back into oblivion.  But he was by nature an early riser, and once fully awake he would stay awake.  Blinking the sleepiness from his eyes, he took stock of his situation:

One makeshift splint.
A coat, now unwearable.
One sword, plus scabbard.
A dagger.
One pair of pants.
A broken leg.
Five kittens, three of which had arranged themselves in strategically warm places on his body.
And one thief, cuddled up at his side.

Kassian heaved out a sigh.

The motion disturbed one of the kittens, he thought the same grey one that had made a toy of his braid the night before.  It uncurled itself from his groin and stumbled up his abdomen to his chest where it mewed at him.

Kassian stared at it.  Supposedly looking an animal in the eyes was a sign of aggression.  Perhaps it would be intimidated and go away.  He willed it so, narrowing his eyes, but it only stretched forward to sniff at his nose.  It mewed again, and rather than let it wake all the others, Kassian gave in.  First he glanced warily to the side.  Good, Vahni was still asleep.  He was not about to get caught doing this.   Since one arm was trapped beneath the thief, he raised the other to scratch at the kitten's head.  She—it seemed like a she, though he really had no idea—crouched and leaned into his fingers, closing her eyes, and soon a pleasant purring began to rumble in her little throat.

What was it about a cat's purr that coaxed out contentment so, even when one had a broken leg and no conceivable comfort to look forward to in the immediate future.  Kassian even smiled a little.  He'd never admit it, especially not after last night, but he rather liked cats.  They were graceful animals, dignified.

Not so much when they were using his braid as something to chew on, but in general.

Vahni gave the sword a grim look, took note of its position under Kassi's hand, and silently willed himself to stay on his side that night. Kassi already seemed like the overly-cautious sort so it would bite to end up stabbed in his sleep because he tossed and turned a lot.

But since the sword-guy seemed done talking there was nothing left to do but sleep, and even though he closed his eyes, one kitten curled against his chest and under his chin, it was a long while before he felt comfortable enough to drift off. Mostly he listened to Kassian's breathing, trying to judge whether or not he was asleep yet, and when he couldn't tell and gave up on that he started to try and plan out the next day. It was gonna be tough now he had five kittens and Kassi to take care of. The kittens were young yet and didn't eat much, but they were growing so they would, and Kassian was a strong buff guy with a broken leg that would need all the nourishment he could get to heal. Vahni? Eh, he was used to skipping meals, he could manage.

Then Kassi'd probably need clothes if that's all he had, 'cause he'd sorta demolished his jacket and there was no way he could fit into his clothes.

Wait, maybe he was just planning too far ahead, anyway. Guy probably had family or connections here and he'd just been the shelter from the storm. Made sense.

Eventually, thinking made him sleepy and thoughts trailed off into dreams. When he woke up it was because a beam of light had decided to seep through the gaps in the planks to land right over his eyes, warm, bright, and impossible to ignore. Vahni grumbled something unintelligible and cuddled closer to the warm body next to him, still too asleep to wonder about that, and somewhere through the grogginess he heard a kitten's mew. Aw...they were prob'ly hungry. He should get up and fetch breakfast. Normally it wasn't such a chore; he was the early to bed, early to rise sort, early bird catches the good deals and sleep-deprived, gullible people and all that, but last night he'd been up later than usual and it had been kinda...stressful.

He felt like he could sleep another hour, but he shouldn't.

Vahni forced his eyes open and blinked a few times, the light blasting into his eyes making him have to squint. He tilted his head up a little so the light crossed over his nose instead of his eyes, vision clearing, and the first thing he saw was...

...A kitten. Perched on Kassi's chest. While Kassi scratched her behind the ears and was he smiling? He hadn't thought him capable of it--not that he'd had anything to smile about; Vahni sure wouldn't be after snapping his leg, eck. Still.

D'aaaw...

Vahni didn't say anything, just stayed stock still, eyelids lowered so he could pretend to be asleep still, not even caring that he was all curled against the guy with an arm draped across him. Ohmigosh. That was so adorable...

And he knew right then and there that he could trust Kassi (not that it wasn't already obvious, Kassi hadn't murdered him in his sleep or belted him for the cuddling). Still, he'd passed the Kitten Test with flying colors. They always said animals were a good judge of character, that they could tell if someone was good or not, so this was just extra proof! So cute.

After a few moments of watching, though, Vahni couldn't take it anymore.

"Aww...she really likes ya," he said suddenly, grinning up at Kassian before he added earnestly, "She don't like many people, neither, so tha's special. Oh hey! Y'know, I'm gonna hafta find homes fer them, I can't keep 'em all. Ya want one?"

Before the second word had even left Vahni's mouth, Kassian was already sitting up and dumping the kitten on the ground next to him, his smile gone.  The other two were disturbed from their sleep with much fussing and kneading at his clothing with their forepaws.  

Damnit.  He hadn't intended Vahni to see that.  It was embarrassing, getting caught fawning over some cutesy little animal.  It wouldn't happen again.

"No," he snapped.  "What use would I have for a cat?"  The gray kitten  propped herself up with her forepaws on his good leg and mewed at him again but he ignored her.  "I travel a lot," he added.  "Never in one place more than a couple of days.  It wouldn't be practical."  He did keep a home in Ketra, as his paths crossed the city often, but he tended to be gone for weeks or even months at a time.  Rather, he had kept a home in Ketra.  That was over now.

Kassian tilted his head to peer through one of the larger gaps between the planks at the alley beyond.  Not many folk out in this area.  If the gods were with him, no one had seen him enter Vahni's home last night.  It seemed unlikely given the darkness and the rain, but that didn't mean he would relax.  That was not something he could afford to do.  The moment you convinced yourself they weren't there was the moment their knives found your back.  They were the reason he'd been out there last night without his horse and without any coin for an inn in the first place, they were the reason he wouldn't dare leave this hut until his leg was healed, and they were the reason he'd have to think up some excuse to give Vahni about why he wouldn't be limping his way to Sanctuary for a healing.

If he had to he'd just lay it out for the kid, but he was hoping Vahni would perhaps know the value of minding one's own business and not ask too many questions.

What he wanted just then were two things: to get that braid out of his hair and get some food in him.  The first was easy enough.  He reached behind him and found the end of the braid, slipping off the bit of twine holding it together and letting the wrist-thick band of hair unravel.  He scratched his aching scalp with both hands and combed his fingers back through his hair, shaking out the braided strands and letting it fall loose around his shoulders.  After giving his head a good shake, he gathered the long hair behind his head in a tail and tied it like that.

At least it had gotten a sort of wash last night.  So had the rest of him for that matter.

His stomach grumbled and he pulled an annoyed face.  "What do you have to eat around here?" he said, throwing back the blanket so he could examine the makeshift splint in the light of day.  Not bad for having worked it out in near total darkness.  Still, it needed adjustments, so he sighed and braced himself and went about it, starting by jerking the planks of wood into better positions.  The strips of cloth would all need tightening and retying as well.  He was hoping that by midday Vahni would be able to get a Sanctuary healer over here and he wouldn't even need the splint, but the likelihood of that was questionable at best so he would set it with the assumption it would have to hold his leg in place for several days at least.

Vahni was laughing when Kassian quickly shaped up and went back into serious mode, though he quickly clamped a hand over his mouth and settled for snickering behind his fingers. Gods, the man acted like he'd just caught him with his pants down or something--or like him acting all grumpy would make Vahni forget how cute that scene had been. Not so! What was done was done, and Vahni wouldn't forget.

He shifted a little where he lay since he'd been dislodged from Kassi when the guy had sat up, and he propped himself up on an elbow and grinned up at him when his laughter had subsided. "Lotsa uses," Vahni said, reaching out and petting the kitten he'd dumped off of him. Poor kitten, she looked like she liked him a lot. "One, they make great friends! Ya can take 'em with ya, an' you'll never get lonely. Two, they keep varmints away. Three, they're good luck! They keep away nasty spirits. I ain't got sick since I got th' kittens," he said with a nod of affirmation, sitting up and picking up the kitten.  

"Plus she likes ya! Lookit tha' face!" he said, holding her up at eye level to Kassi and poking his bottom lip out in a pout. The kitten mewed softly, and Vahni made sad eyes at Kassian. "See? She says she wants ta go home with ya. How can ya say no t' a face like tha'? Ya'd gotta be heartless."

Vahni didn't think he was heartless. Not after he'd let him live and not after the morning cuteness.

He set the kitten back down as Kassi did his hair. And here Vahni'd thought his shoulder length hair was long! It had looked thick in the braid, but out of it, it looked like it'd be a nightmare to deal with. He ran a hand through his own hair, combing out some of the tangles, and then turned a little to grab his breeches off the floor next to him. They were still damp, though not soaked like last night, and he made a face. They'd have to do, and on the plus side they were clean he guessed! Saved him an extra trip.

"Nothin' yet," Vahni said with a shrug and a frown, opening his arms to take in the cramped space. "I did have bread, but it got wrecked last night from th' leak." He frowned, mouth twisting in irritation. It had been a good loaf, too, still warm when he'd swiped it...just the memory of it made his mouth water. Such a waste.

He dragged the breeches under the blanket with him, laid back down, and squirmed, obviously pulling them on and hoping he wasn't putting them on backwards. It wasn't that he was particularly modest or anything; pffft, he'd grown up with a load of 'brothers' and 'sisters', all living together in close quarters where privacy wasn't always an option. He had no problem stripping down to his skin in front of whoever. Not everyone was like that, though, so it was more out of respect for Kassian than anything that he did that.

That, and a bad experience with kittens and claws that he was not going to go into.

"I'm gonna go out now ta fetch breakfast, though, fer us an' th' kittens," he said when he'd finished, sitting up, throwing back the blanket, and lacing up his breeches. He grabbed his shirt and pulled it on after, and next came his boots. Ick. Wet too. He'd set them out to properly dry later. He laced the boots up tight--they were a bit big on him, as they were stolen rather than made for him--and rose up to his knees since actually standing up wasn't possible in the shanty. "Got any requests? Better yet..."

His expression turned shrewd as he looked Kassi over; it was easier to take him in now rather than at night. "Got any coin on ya?" he asked with his most charming grin, tucking some silver hair behind an ear as he did his best to look innocent, head tilted to one side. "'Cause if ya do, I can getcha whatever ya want..."

And something for himself, too, though Kassi didn't have to know that. Who said he was doing this for free, anyway? The guy had to have some money on him, what with his fancy sword and pretty nice clothes--well, before they'd been shredded, and they had felt nice to Vahni. But he was no judge of that. He just knew they felt nicer than his own ill-fitting, worn, patched-up clothes.

Kassian was well aware of the futility of salvaging his dignity, but that didn't stop him from trying.  He leaned back on his hands and contemplated ways of knocking himself unconscious.  It would save him from having to make conversation and he wouldn't be bothered by the constant pain pulsing in his leg.

Just to humor Vahni, he tried to picture himself going about his life with a cat following behind.  The gray one, shadowing him wherever he went, riding behind him upon the back of the saddle or trotting alongside the horse as they traveled the countryside.

No.  He didn't need the extra baggage.  Not even small baggage that would mostly take care of itself.

Vahni's persistence on the matter was trying his patience instead of tempting him, and he met the thief's pout with a level look.  "I don't want a cat.  Anyway, if I take one you'll have an even number."  To own an even number of cats was to invite the mischief of the fey into your home.  "You'd have to get rid of another one and I'm not taking two.  So find something else to do with them."  The end.  No more discussion.

As Vahni pulled his breeches on, Kassian combed his fingers through his hair again, finding the worst of the tangles and working them out so it would be ready to braid again.  His hair was a horrendous bother, but he'd committed himself to it.  It had taken years before he could bear to grow it out again, and more years still before he had wanted too.  The braid was many things.  A reminder, a tribute, the physical incarnation of a yearning he wouldn't allow himself to speak of.  He felt as though he had lived three lives, all very distinct and separate from one another, all neatly severed by circumstance so that there was no overlap, no transition when he was cut from one life and forced into another.  His hair, the braid, it was a remnant of that first life.  His childhood, his history.  The place where this uprooted tree had originally lived and grown.

All of that was gone now, out of reach and for most part out of mind.  The long tail of hair trailing down his back was all that remained of it.

Sighing, Kassian snagged his shirt from where he'd dropped it last night and found it to be in a similar state to most everything else, almost dry but still damp enough to be uncomfortable.  He hung it upon the crate he'd used as a seat last night so that it might dry a little faster.  He shifted a bit, stretching his good leg out then drawing it up, his damp pants monumentally uncomfortable.  With his broken leg and this cramped space, he wasn't going to be able to wiggle out of them anytime soon.

Immobilized, cut off from his home and his contacts, it came down to the very last asset Kassian had.  Coin.  And Vahni wanted it.

It wasn't the sweet look on the thief's face that decided him.  It was experience.  When one had nothing, one had nothing left to lose.  He would rather have nothing than cling to scraps.  Kassian fished around in his pockets for a moment and pulled out a small coin purse.  It gave a forlorn little jingle as he tossed it in the air to Vahni.  "Do what you want with it."  There was very little in there, but it was something.

If it could do Vahni any good at all, that was more than it was doing for Kassian.

The sweet smile melted into a look of shock when Kassian actually tossed him his coin purse, and it would have smacked him on the head if he hadn't snatched it out of the air at the last second, finally coming to his senses enough to react. Still he stared at Kassian, one eyebrow arched in suspicion. He hadn't really expected Kassi to give him anything. It was just like begging on a street corner--you didn't really expect to get anything, but when you did it was a nice surprise.

Generally, though, people didn't give you anything if they knew you'd stolen from them before, and with the lengths Kassian had gone to in order to get back his sword, it seemed kind of strange that he'd surrender his money without a fuss. Instead, he'd basically just given Vahni permission to spend it all on whatever he wanted.

He'd certainly find no arguments in Vahni!

It felt a little too easy, though, this coming from a man that looked about to gut him over a sword. Yet on the other hand, what could he do with the coin? It wasn't like he walk out and buy things on his own. Wasn't doing him much good just sitting around in his pocket.

Vahni shot Kassian one final, suspicious look before he opened the purse and cautiously peered inside. He half expected it to be a trick of some sort, even against his better judgment with Kassian's talk of guest laws, his promise not to hurt him, and that he was dependent upon Vahni right now, but people broke promises all the time and honor didn't mean a thing. But no scary magicks burned him, no venomous insects bit him...nope, Kassi was true to his word. Instead, he saw a few sad coins gathered together at the bottom, and he quickly estimated their cumulative worth before emptying the coins into his hand and tucking those away into a pocket crudely sewn onto the inside of his shirt.

He tossed the purse back to Kassian, patted his chest where the coins were, and flashed the man his brightest grin, all uncertainty gone.

"I plan on it!" he said with a wink, then scrambled out of the shelter and into the sunlight before Kassian could change his mind.

Not that he had to worry about being chased, but it never killed anyone to be cautious.

---

Vahni returned a couple hours later from a trip he'd spent haggling, stealing, scavenging, and honestly buying a few things with the coin Kassi had given him. He slid inside the shelter, pushing a new blanket he'd tied into a knapsack in ahead of him.

"Got us breakfast!" he announced, smiling cheerfully as he crawled in and sat back on his heels. The kittens toddled around him and mewled plaintively, smelling the scraps rolled up in the blanket, and Vahni pet them and shushed them, quietly telling them to be patient so he could untie the makeshift sack. When he'd gently pushed the last kitten out of the way, he untied it and let it fall open, then grinned at Kassian as he showed off his hard won prizes.

There were a few slices of bread, the edges hard and stale but the insides still soft, and some scraps of dried meat for the kittens and for them. He'd managed to snag a small wedge of cheese and he'd bought two fresh apples--the area had been too populated to attempt stealing two, and they'd looked way too good to pass up.

Last but not least was a little bread pastry he'd used he last of the coin to buy.

Vahni eyed the pastry, then Kassian, then began distributing the meat to the kittens. "Tha's mine. But I guess ya can have some, if ya want some..."

Kassian caught the empty coin purse in the air and considered it as Vahni exited.  With the last of his coin gone he felt cleansed, unfettered.  This run of bad luck that had dogged him of late now had nothing left to take from him, save his life, and that was in constant question anyhow.

He was an old hand at starting over with nothing.

Some of the kittens were looking at him as though they expected something.  He looked right back at them.  "What do you all do here all day?"  They cocked their heads, trying to decipher the noises he'd made.  Kassian sighed and tossed the empty coin purse at them, which they batted at and chewed on and fought over for some time.

With little else to do, Kassian settled in to wait and let his mind wander while the kittens played and eventually quieted.  One of them climbed atop his lap and took an interest in a nipple ring, which he put a stop to immediately.  Few people passed by in the alley outside, though the clamor of city life reached him from the main street some distance away.  Kassian busied himself for awhile creating a picture in his mind of where he had been when Vahni stole his sword and how far they had gone afterward, attempting to place the shanty in relation to some part of the city Kassian actually knew.  He tried to judge how far Sanctuary might be and how difficult it would be to make that journey with a broken leg, which then lead naturally to consideration of what existence would be like if his leg didn't heal clean, if he had to spend the rest of his life lame.  As a cripple.  Weak.

The thought made him reevaluate the benefits and risks of limping his way to Sanctuary.

By the time Vahni returned, he'd fallen into a simple meditative trance, breathing deeply and running through mental exercises to manage the discomfort in his leg, but he came out of it as Vahni crawled through the entrance.  The smell of food hit him and he eyed the sack.  He could have put away in one sitting every bit of food Vahni had brought, but limited himself to a couple slices of bread and some of the meat.  The apple he would save for later.

"Thank you," he said, and made a negative gesture at the halfhearted offer of the pastry.  It was the food that decided him.  He could not go to Sanctuary, but they would have to do something.  To feed him would have taken much effort and cost the thief—and the kittens—food they could have eaten themselves.  And every time Vahni attempted to steal extra food for him would be another risk he took, one more chance to get caught and have his hands cut off.  Kassian wouldn't put the thief through that if there were any help for it.

"You live rough," he observed, tossing one of the apples from hand to hand.  He had gotten a better impression of just how rough in the light of day.  Last night most of the shanty had been in obscuring darkness.  "How long have you managed here?"

To live on the edges of the civilized afforded one little stability.  You always had to be ready to move where pickings were easier.  Kassian had lived rough himself once, but that had been many years ago and was so far removed from where he was today that it felt more like the memories of another, a life Kassian had heard of secondhand.

Relieved that he wouldn't have to share his pastry, Vahni was quick to wrap it back up in the blanket and set it aside, so the kittens wouldn't get at it. He would savor it later--like when Kassi was asleep or something. Sure he wasn't keen on sharing but that didn't mean he wanted to eat it in front of him, either, just like he didn't like eating in front of a starving dog or some pitiful urchin. There was wanting to hog it all for yourself--and rightfully so when it was you against everyone else!--and then there was being cruel, and Vahni didn't think he was the latter. His old lady taught him well.

Besides, don't eat in front of the urchin and you don't have to worry about them and their friends snatching your food from you. Hmph.

He hand-fed the kittens first to make sure they each got enough and didn't steal from each other. Once they were taken care of, he sat back on his knees and dug into the rest of the food. He didn't eat much, just a bit of bread and some meat and cheese, before he focused on the apple. The other stuff he also put away with the pasty for later, once he was sure Kassian was finished. Despite his surprise over Kassi's mentioning guest laws, he did have some notion of them, perhaps subconsciously. That was why he offered him some of the pastry, if grudgingly, and that was why he didn't ration out a portion of the meal to him. Instead, he let him eat what he wanted, even though the pickings were slim.

He didn't even think about it. It was simply one of those unspoken things.

About the only times Vahni was quiet was when he was sleeping or eating, but that soon came to an end when Kassi spoke up. Vahni tilted his head and blinked owlishly up at him, then smiled. He'd thanked him and now he was actually making conversation? Not that Vahni had really expected the guy to be nice or anything after, er, what went down, but...still. He was helping him. After breaking his leg. But still helping!

Vahni actually had to think on that question for a few seconds, since time was pretty irrelevant to him, and he scrunched up his face in thought and counted back on the sunrises and sunsets. The days blurred together sometimes.

"Um...'bout a week, I think," he finally said, taking a large bite of apple and chewing it as he spoke. "Come from th' other side o' town. Was nicer there, but I got run out...but s'alright! Wouldn'ta found the kittens if I didn't come here!" he said with a grin, scratching one behind the ears. He stretched his legs out in front of him and leaned back on his free hand, taking another bite, and then peered up at Kassian curiously.

"Say...where ya from, anyhow?" he asked, and then sat back up straight when another thought struck, swallowing the bite of apple. "Yer Adelan, right?" He looked like one and he talked like one. "You got friends 'round here or a house or somethin'? 'Cause like, I mean, yer leg..." He frowned at it. "That splint gonna fix it...?"

Even as he asked Kassi if he had any friends or a home around here, the question sounded weird. It seemed like if he did, he would have mentioned it already, because it wasn't like Vahni was holding him hostage here or anything.

Pushing a piece of odd coloured hair behind her slightly pointed ear, Watermelon, or Elon as she called herself huffed and grumbled her way back over the streets, looking around for landmarks that she could follow back.. Brat, tall, little, scruffy brat! Rolling up her sleeves, she stomped into her shop, waving at regular she'd asked politely to watch her shop while some little brat was running away with her hard eared profits. Of course the profits were in the form of simple food, but that was still her's!

Sneaky brat. Taking a moment she grabbed a simple sash from the kitchen and tied her hair back in a simple pony tail with the sunflower-patterned piece of cloth. Looking down at her clothing, simple clothing for her, man clothing. Easy to run in, and she could remember where the little bastard lived, too. Grumpily she went upstairs, above her shop, to grab a few unused blankets from a closet she barely went into. Eyeing the blankets for a moment she brought them to her face and gave them a sniff. Well, they smelt old, but not gross.

Going back down the stairs to the kitchen, she opened the cold box and leered inside. Nothing. Elon took the blankets and a backpack, putting them gently inside before going out into the shop, grumbling and silently cursing the entire time, pushing things around, getting ready to close the doors. She scribbled a quick message on a piece of loose leaf paper "Back in half an hour!" which she put on the window on the inside of her shop so people from the outside could read it.

A quick look around the shop, she grabbed a day old half loaf of bread, a good portion of cheese - He looked like a growing boy! He needed the nourishment - and three apples. Three blankets, some food. That was enough for a kid right? Elon gnawed on her lip before frowning at the backpack full of her stuff. She had given chase after he'd stolen from her, followed him to his home even, but stopped short when she saw his "home".

If he had been a brat from the better part of town stealing from the pretty shop keeper she'd have smacked him across the face with a metal spoon. But no such luck, Elon didn't get to smack anyone in the face with a spoon, the kid lived... Eugh, Elon didn't want to think about where the kid lived. Taking the backpack, she left her humble abode and made sure to lock it and it's contents up safe and sound.

A fast walk, jogging pace got her there faster than when she'd came back. How would he react to her offering? Snarl at her? Pfft, yeah right, he'd barely gotten away with anything, he'd still be hungry. Did she bring enough? Swallowing, Elon made her way down the alley, her boots unusually quiet against the ground. There it was, her little thieves home.

It looked... Much smaller close up. She could hear little pathetic mews, and she stared for a moment, was he going to eat the cats? Was he talking to them? Taking a breath, she got on her knees and peeked inside, then stared, looked away for a second and stared again. " You have a grown man with you." While Elon herself was an odd sight, pink hair streaked with chunks of green and black, seeing a young man, an older man, and what seemed like fifty kittens inside of a little make-shift home that looked like it could fall apart at any second blew her odd looks out of the water.

Carefully she looked at the sack she brought along and frowned. The man alone, she'd call him Nipple Rings Man, could probably eat all this.

"Uh... Little Thief," Elon called gently, not really knowing what to call him, " I... Followed you and noticed you lived in... .... Whatever this is..." She'd moved towards the little opening-thing and sat on her heels in front of it, not wanting to get her pants dirty. "Anyway, noticed you lived in this... place... And figuered you needed these more than I did." The sack was obviously full of stuff, so she placed it inside, but kept her hand on it.

"Under one condition, well, three. You have to explain to me how that man fits in there, what happened to his poor leg and why you," Elon cast her pastel green eyes onto 'Little Thief' before offering a smile, "Have five kittens when you can barely feed yourself." She reached out and pat the bag with her other hand, "There's three blankets, half a loaf of bread, three apples and some cheese in here, It's all fine, don't ask me how I fit it in there I must be good at packing stuff in. Anyway!" Another smile and she lift an eyebrow, "Who's talking first, boyos?"

Having already devoured his own portion of the food in a few bites, Kassian sat back and observed as Vahni fed the kittens.  It had the feeling of a morning ritual.  One of the kittens broke off from the group as soon as the food disappeared and followed her nose to the bundled blanket Vahni had put aside—which no doubt smelled enticingly of sugar.  She sniffed at it, pawed at it, even nibbled at the edges of the fabric but couldn't work out where the food might be.  Before she could gnaw a hole into it, Kassian scooped her up and reached over Vahni to deposit her on the other side of the shack, after which she meowed a complaint and headed straight back for the hidden pastry.

"Not long, then.  And not surprising you were forced to move.  I hear Ketra is difficult for thieves.  On all fronts."  The harsh laws concerning thievery and the efficiency with which they were carried out would have to make for constant peril and brutal competition, for those outlaws who managed to survive here would have to be cunning indeed.

Kassian adjusted his position again.  A broken leg would have been damned uncomfortable even lounging on the finest feather pillows.  Here, he could hardly sit still because of it.  "Duhjari," he said.  "Not Adelan."  Though he could pass for one at a glance.  Take a closer look at him though, and one would note the slight upward tilt of his eyes, the slight olive tone to his skin where Adelans had more copper.  And, of course, the board-straight hair, black like ink, which might on occasion be seen in Ketra but which was near universal among the plains people to the south.  His accent was nonexistent, shed purposely when he'd taken up residence in Adela so many years ago.

"I have no safe place left in Ketra to go."  Which brought them at last to the greater difficulty.  "Regardless, I won't burden you long."  Kassian studied his broken leg in its splint.  "It'll heal clean, but it'll take weeks.  I'll figure something out."  Custom dictated he could ask shelter and food of Vahni for three days—a day each to rejuvenate the body, mind, and spirit.  After that, he would have to manage on his own.

"I can't go to Sanctuary.  I'm...not welcome there.  But if you could find a healer willing to come out here—"

A movement of shadow in the light filtering through the boards of Vahni's home alerted him to another presence.  His hand found the hilt of his sword, still at his side, and he poised to draw.  He remained poised as a woman's voice called out to Vahni and didn't release his grip on his sword until she placed the sackful of food in the makeshift doorway.

With a curse muttered under his breath, Kassian waved a hand at Vahni, indicating he should handle the situation.  This woman's arrival had made him aware of the opening at his back, and he went about turning himself around so that he would sit facing the door, which he should have done in the first place had he any sense.

"Yeah..." Vahni murmured, plucking up the determined kitten and holding her in his lap, though she meowed and squirmed in protest. "Times is rough--ow!" The kitten bit his finger and he quickly let go and popped his smarting finger in his mouth, glaring as she hopped down off his lap and toddled back over to the bundle. "You imp! Jeez." He examined his finger with a frown, but she hadn't broken the skin. Still hurt, though. He'd probably get a little blood blister.

He was still checking his finger for signs of injury when Kassi spoke, and Vahni's head snapped up. "Wha? Duhjari?" It took a moment for the word to sink in. It was a familiar word, he could have sworn he heard it somewhere, and as he squinted at Kassi--looked Adelan to him, what was a Duhjari?--it finally registered. Duhjari! Those wild plains people! Rode horses and stuff and pillaged the countryside! Vahni's eyes brightened and he perked up, vaguely hearing what he had to say about the state of his leg but no longer really listening. He was one of those?! Seriously?!

Grinning like a fool and nearly beside himself with excitement--he had a Duhjari in his place!--he opened his mouth to babble something about how ohmygoshexciting that was...and froze, mouth still open.

Wait, he was a Duhjari.

They pillaged the countryside. Killed Adelans.

And it was then that he had a flashback of Kassian on the roof, stalking him with that dagger and looking like he fully intended on using it.

He shut his mouth and stared up at Kassian with sudden wariness, and the sudden realization that he was only here because he was hurt and he had no other choice. What would he do when he could walk again? Vahni had stolen from him. Would he turn him in once he was better? He knew he was a thief, knew his name, where he lived, was eating what he'd stolen...

But before the gut-twisting anxiety could fully take hold, Kassian cut off and went for his sword and Vahni jerked back into a crouch and reflexively went for his dagger--and then a woman's voice rang out.

...Little Thief?

Oh noooo!

Vahni went chalk white and his heart just about stopped when an all too familiar woman appeared at the entrance. For a few seconds he only stared at her in horror. She followed him?! He thought he'd lost her! How did she follow him?! He continued to stare as she pushed a little bundle into his place and said some stuff, and he shot Kassian a helpless look, completely forgetting his suspicions now that he'd been busted. Kassi was no help, though, so he looked back up at the woman, then at the bundle, then back at her, stock still except for his eyes.

She...was giving him stuff?

Right. Answers.

"Uhh..." He licked his lips, released a breath he'd been holding, and wisely took his hand off the dagger at his belt, hidden away under his over-sized shirt. "Uh...well, ma'am, he uh...he broke his leg. Fell. Weren't me. Dunno how he done it." He cleared his throat and shifted his weight. "Dunno how he fits, neither, jus' does. An', uh, found th' kittens here, not gonna leave 'em ta starve, y'know? An'...an'...yer not gonna turn me in, are ya, miss? Please don't! I'm sorry! I...I didn't mean ta do it, but th' kittens, they're hungry, an' I'd give it back if I could but it's been aten already an'...well...wait...yer given me stuff. Yer...not gonna turn me in?"

It clicked a little belatedly that if she was giving him stuff, she probably wasn't going to. But it was a knee-jerk reaction, what could he say.

He eyed the bundle again, then looked back at Kassian. Yep. He was no help at all. "Um...s'not poisoned, is't?" he asked, turning back to Elon, and then slumped a little. "Please don't tell no one I'm here..."

Eyebrows drew upward at the pure horror on the boys face. Elon didn't think she was that scary. Quickly a hand went to her face to quickly feel around incase there was some horrible bug she hadn't noticed, but no, there was nothing but what she saw in the mirror that morning. The story made her smile a little and his speech pattern made Elon want to wrap her arms around his head and give him a big hug. An orphan. At least, he looked like an orphan.

Of course, Elon probably wouldn't touch him unless she managed to throw him into a bathtub full of scalding hot water that was half water and half soap. Threw him in and scrubbed him clean, twice.

Still sitting back on her heels, Elon smiled slightly and scratched at the head of a little kitten that wobbled its way towards her to investigate. The woman wanted to help, but what she saw was Stubborn and Even More Stubborn, and this place was making her a little nervous. Taking in a deep breath - which she regretted soon after, this place wasn't the most clean - she looked between the two, eyeing Kassian and picking up the kitten to give it another set of pets before shooing it back into it's home.

"Well, Little Boy, I'm Elon." She smiled and pushed the bag inside. " It's not much but I want you to have it." Being Elon, she was always a little too generous. " If you need something, you can come back to my shop and ask, understood? No one who steals for grown men with broken legs and kittens can possibly be that horrible a person." Elon smiled and stood up, leaning over to stick her head into the small make-shift house-thing.

" You. Man." Like she knew his name, she just knew he looked far too Adelan for his own good. " I don't know how you broke your leg, but the offer goes to you, too. You need help you just come ask for it." She smiled and wandered away, a little faster than she came, Elon wasn't all that interested in being mugged after helping out the poor Cat Boy and the Guy with the Broken Leg.

The most obvious thing that stood out about this woman—Elon—was her hair.  Green and...pink.  Curious.  Unforgettable, especially with that cloth of sunflower print tying her hair back.  Quite colorful, like her personality.  Not many women would venture into this part of the city alone.  She was either quite confident in her own ability to defend herself or quite oblivious to the danger.  Certainly determined, to not only locate Vahni's home but to return to it after having gathered the supplies she now presented, and certainly observant to catch a thief at his work in the first place.  Yet softhearted enough to then offer help to the thief.  An intriguing woman, all said.

"Caught twice in as many days," Kassian muttered to Vahni.  "Having a streak of ill luck?"  Vahni's stammering answers to Elon were enough to get a smile out of Kassian.  He pulled his good leg up to rest an arm upon his knee and watched the two of them.  Almost seemed like Elon had fallen into the same trap he had, swayed by Vahni's odd brand of charm and vulnerability.

The conversation turned to him at one point.  "Kassian," he said.  "Thank you for the offer and for the supplies.  It is most gracious of you."

Though he was thinking that Vahni's question was a valid one.  A smart one.  It wasn't beyond possibility that the food was poisoned.  Indeed, it would be a tidy way to get revenge for her stolen items and just like a woman to resort to trickery of that sort.  But if her generosity was genuine, he would accept it gladly and thank her for it.  The blankets would be a blessing tonight.

As soon as she had moved away from the shack, Kassian leaned his head toward Vahni and said quietly, "Maybe you should let the kittens try it first yes?  Do you plan on accepting her offer?"  What Vahni decided would determine Kassian's course as well.  If he left for the woman's shop, Kassian would risk it and go as well and see what help as could be got.  If not then here he would stay, as he couldn't very well make it through the city without Vahni to lean on.

Now Kassi was making fun of him! Vahni twitched and frowned over at him, and his frown deepened some more when he saw that he was smiling. Why was he smiling?! Vahni didn't think he'd seen him smile once but now he'd been caught he sure was! That wasn't fair. Why did the woman have to confront him here, in front of Kassi? "Coulda got away from you..." he muttered under his breath as he turned to focus again on the woman, Elon.

Little boy...oi, he wasn't little, much less a little boy. Seventeen whole years he'd seen and lived on his own for ages! Pah. If he wasn't so intent on looking tormented and on the verge of fake tears, he would have grumped at her for that one. The annoyance passed, though, when she told him he could have that bag and that he could come by her shop if he needed anything, and he relaxed and let out a low sigh that wasn't at all feigned. So she wasn't going to turn him in. He'd been genuinely fearful of that, and more than ready to bolt and hide out somewhere until the danger passed; Kassian could man the fort until he got back, right?

He nodded silently, acknowledging her words without committing to a thing. "Thank you, ma'am...really 'ppreciate it! Sorry fer takin' yer stuff."

It sounded like the right thing to say.

Once she had turned and moved away, Vahni exhaled loudly and let his head hang in relief. Finally gone, and if she was honest, she wouldn't turn him in. Made sense enough--if she had planned on it, she wouldn't have been the one calling at his door but some soldier or something. Still, the fact that she knew where he, a criminal, lived made him feel suddenly unsafe and exposed. Damn...and he liked this place, too, and just got here days ago! Wouldn't be moving anywhere until Kassian was okay to move, though, but it was still disappointing.

He was snapped from his thoughts when Kassian leaned toward him and spoke, and Vahni jerked upright and whirled on Kassian.

"Are ya mad?" he gasped, staring at the man like he'd just suggested knifing an infant in the eye. He grabbed the kitten closest to him and clutched it possessively to his chest, nuzzling his face against its soft fur while it squirmed and mewled. "Ya didn't just say tha', an' right where they can hear ya! No! They ain't havin' it. If it's poison, I don't want none of 'em tryin' it. We jus' won't eat it. 'Less ya wanna have a go, be real dumb but ya do whatcha want."

He gave a firm nod and set the kitten back down, then snatched up the bag and started rummaging through it. He pulled out the blankets, but left the food inside and tied it shut before he could get too good of a whiff of it. It smelled delicious and made his stomach rumble...but he wasn't going to risk a taste, just in case, and he sure wasn't going to let a kitten try it. The lady seemed nice and all, but he wasn't taking chances.

It was a few more seconds before Vahni remembered Kassian had in fact asked two questions, and it took another second to remember what it was. Shoving the food-filled bag back outside, he turned back to Kassian and rested his hands on his knees. "Um...I dunno..." he said slowly, tilting his head and eying Kassi up and down. If the man wasn't injured and in his home, his answer would have been an immediate 'no'. He didn't trust that woman. She had no reason to want to help him, and he didn't need help anyway. He could take care of himself just fine. But then there was Kassian, who was wounded and could use the help for that leg. If that woman was sincere, she might be able to do something about that.

Or it could be a trap, a back-up plan if the poisoned food didn't off them.

Vahni chewed on his thumbnail as he thought it over, weighing the consequences against the benefits, then finally shrugged. "I...don't think I should," he said, sitting back and stretching out his legs. "But yer leg...uh...if ya wanna go, I'll getcha there. But I ain't goin' in."

"It's not madness to let the cats—ah never mind it."  Kassian shook his head and let the issue drop.  Feeding a bite to the cats first would have been wise, but from the way Vahni clutched that kitten to his chest, there wasn't much point in arguing the matter.  Some battles could not be won.

"Forget I even said it," he added, settling back against the rough wall of the shack with a sigh.  He should have known better than to mention such a thing anyway.  If he got to feeling especially famished maybe he would risk the food himself.  It wasn't that he thought it likely to be poisoned, but it was a possibility.  The odds might make the gamble worth it.

Kassian shifted, wood splinters and what felt like a couple of nails digging into his bare back.  "I don't feel she's a threat.  She could have brought the law down on you easy enough."  Which in Adela meant death or worse for thieves, especially since that young king had taken the throne.

"I hate to make you work twice as hard, and put you in twice the difficulty."  It wasn't about being a bother.  Ownership was different here than elsewhere, even up in Serendipity where folk liked to fancy themselves enlightened.  In Adela, food, shelter, and water belonged to those who needed it.  For three days whatever Vahni could provide belonged to Kassian.  That was the way of things here.  But this was an unusual circumstance.  Most hosts didn't have to face the lawmen's swords to bring food to their guests.

"For now I'd best wait I suppose."  A frown creased his brow.  It was easy to say that now, but where would he be in three days when Vahni's obligation had been met and he still had a broken leg?

Mayhap it was time for honesty.

"I should tell you that I'm being hunted."  He cast Vahni a sidelong glance to gauge his reactions.  "That's the reason I found myself without coin or resource in the worst parts of the city.  And mayhap by my being here you are put in danger as well."  What he said next, he said while looking Vahni level in the eye.  "So I'll leave the choice to you.  Put me out and I won't begrudge you the act.  You have to see to you and yours first after all."

One corner of Kassian's mouth quirked up in a smile and he leaned forward.  "By the way, you wouldn't have gotten away from me.  I would have found you.  Someday, when you thought you were safe from me, I would have found you."  True enough, but it was said in jest.  He was no longer angry about the theft and he now doubted that Vahni would repeat the attempt.

Vahni gave a noncommittal shrug. That was true enough; if she'd wanted to, that lady could have brought armed men with her instead of blankets. Still Vahni remained skeptical. Just because someone wasn't a threat now didn't mean they wouldn't be one later; dynamics were always changing. Like Kassian, for instance. The man started out raring to kill him, now he was his guest, and who knew what would happen once the man had healed up and they met again on the streets somewhere.

It wasn't being pessimistic to think like that; it was just being safe and realistic.

Only time would tell. For now it was just a relief that Kassian didn't seem in a hurry to take up that woman's offer because Vahni couldn't find it in him to trust a woman who had no reason to show him kindness. Now Kassian, he could understand if she wanted to help Kassian. Kassi hadn't done a thing to her as far as he knew. He also knew he shouldn't be relieved that Kassi was going to stay in his home longer because the man was right--it was just one more hassle, one more mouth to feed, and a lot of risking his neck for someone who might have slit his if things had gone differently last night.

But he only waved away Kassian's words. "Ehh, what's another mouth? I'm feedin' so many right now tha' one more ain't gonna make a difference." And alright, he'd admit it--as limited as the conversation was and as strange the circumstances, it was kind of nice to have someone other than cats to talk to.

Even if they were dangerous, as Kassian reminded him right then.

He was being hunted?

That made Vahni perk up with interest, curious more than worried, and he met Kassian's eyes. It sounded bad, but it was what Kassian said before he could ask about the hunting business that made the hair prickle all along the back of his neck.

The words may have been in jest and that smile may have been meant friendly-like, but Vahni's mind hopped right back to the roof top and he went a couple shades paler. For a moment he was graveyard silent, mouth a grim line and eyes wide, but then he broke it with a nervous laugh and pet one of the kittens to make himself feel better. "And, uh, then ya woulda broke yer other leg?" he said lamely, glancing to Kassian's sword. Good thing Kassian hadn't told him that before bed time; he didn't think he would have slept.

Still, he'd made it through the night whole so he supposed he no longer had anything to worry about there.

Vahni was awkwardly quiet after that, but then a thought struck him and he looked back up. Getting off that subject... "Hey, Kassi? Who's huntin' ya, anyhow? Oh! Are th' Duhjari huntin' ya? Are ya a criminal?" He leaned in closer, ignoring the old ache in his belly where he'd been punched, and lowered his voice conspiratorially. "Didja kill someone?" It wouldn't surprise him, seeing as he'd looked ready to carve him up when they first met, but as long as he wasn't planning on gutting him, Vahni didn't care what his history was. And as much as the man made him nervous, he also fascinated him. He seemed a scary-good fighter, he was Duhjari, and he was being hunted.

Scary--but also exciting.

Kassian was beginning to doubt that Vahni was taking this at all seriously.

Tell the boy that his home, his livelihood, even his very life was in danger and how did he react? As though Kassian were a talespinner, regaling him with exploits fictitious or too far removed to worry over.

That childlike excitement proved disarming in spite of Kassian's exasperation though.  Indeed, sitting on the floor of a thief's hovel with sunlight spilling over him through the cracks and a pack of kittens stumbling over his legs, he couldn't help but let go of his rigidity.

"Well," he said, casting exaggerated glances to either side before leaning in to match Vahni's conspiratorial manner. "Yes. Yes I am."  Which somehow seemed a novelty to Vahni, despite being himself a criminal.

"And...I did.  And now worse criminals are after me.  Dangerous ones, more dangerous then me even.  They surely won't find me here, but they're out there in the city somewhere, watching for me.  In fact, in stealing my sword you may have foiled their nefarious designs and saved my life."

Truth down to the word. He'd never expected to give away so much of it or in such a flippant fashion as to make it sound less dire than it was, but the last day or so had taught him just how much his expectations were worth.  He was not so foolish as to strive against fate when the gods so clearly redirected his life in the direction of their choosing.

Vahni's eyes widened, eyebrows climbing, and he scooted a little closer to better hear Kassi. Worse criminals were after him, more dangerous than Kassi? That was scary. Vahni had had some run-ins with some pretty shady folks and gotten beat up pretty good, but Kassian definitely took the cake in terms of terrifying; he'd never truly feared for his life before! Well, maybe a little here and there. And these criminals were here? He said 'city', and Vahni could only assume he meant this one.

And he'd saved Kassi's life!

"Heeey, so I'm a hero, huh?" Vahni grinned and sat up straighter, puffing out his chest proudly--and then curled back up again when his stomach protested. He drew his knees up against his chest and folded his arms atop them, chin resting on his arms. "Well tha's jus' bollocks. I save yer life an' ya punch me? Most people say 'thanks', y'know, or give 'em a big wet kiss or a favor or somethin' but no, leave it t' me to get punched."

Just to show he was only kidding--after all, they were good and square now!--he stuck out his tongue and laughed. "Jus' teasin'. So, hey, who're these guys, eh? What'dja do t' tick 'em off?" Because surely, in Vahni's mind, if people were after you then you must have done something to bring their wrath upon your head. Vahni knew; he had plenty of experience in the pissing-people-off area, being a thief and all, and he'd never claim it wasn't his fault.

At least...in his head he was honest. Out loud, naw, he'd make up every excuse under the sun. He wasn't stupid, he didn't wanna get beat.

"A hero in my eyes forever more," Kassian agreed.  Vahni seemed to be eating up the story and the praise.  It wasn't so bad, this place, and maybe Kassian wasn't as worse off as he'd told himself last night.  Resourcefulness had ever been his most reliable means of survival.  He would leave here penniless and alone, but that had hardly stopped him in the past now had it?

"So you want a favor."  He stared at the ceiling and pretended to mull the idea over in his mind with grave solemnity.  "You think I owe you a debt for these turn of events hm?  Ha, maybe I do.  Ask me your favor when my leg is healed and we'll see where we stand."  Vahni may have been joking, but there was no denying the possible good that had come out of this or the danger that Vahni put himself in by stealing food enough to feed the two of them.

Some things, though, didn't bear discussing.  "It doesn't matter what I did.  They've plenty of reason to be after me and I don't expect them to leave off any time soon."  Part of that was his fault.  He could have been discrete with the men they had sent after him but no, pride and spite had driven him to make a message of the bodies.  He'd flaunted their failure and it had put the fury of blood vengeance in them.

None of this was anything Vahni needed to know.  Being upfront with the boy was only right, but Kassian would keep the details of the whole messy business to himself.

"So do any of them have names?"  The kittens had settled down and the grey one who had slept on him the night before was once again curled up in Kassian's lap.

A wide grin broke out across Vahni's face and he brought a hand to his chin, stroking it with his thumb. "When yer leg's healed, eh? Few weeks or so? Swell! Gives me lotsa time to think up somethin' real good!"

Because honestly, right now he had no idea what he'd ask for. That had only been said to give the man a hard time, but if he was going to take him seriously then Vahni sure wasn't going to complain! The only question was what did Kassi have to offer? Pfft, not much. If Kassi had money, he'd ask for that (that counted as a favor, right?) but since Kassi was as pip-less as he was, that threw that right out. Taking out some of his enemies? Kassi was all mercenary-like and all, but Vahni didn't have any real enemies apart from law and the thugs that just bothered everyone, and the thought of 'taking them out' made him feel sick. He didn't wanna kill no one. Build him a better home? Kassi looked strong, but that seemed pointless since he had to move locations so often anyway.

Pah! He'd figure it out! He had a few weeks to think, depending on how long it took for legs to heal and how long Kassi decided to stay. For now, he pushed that thought away to deal with later and focused back on the here and now.

Which had taken a turn for the disappointing. "Aww. Well now I'm curious..." he huffed, resting his chin back on his arms and frowning. He knew that he should probably leave it alone, but it felt like every time Kassi answered one question, ten more popped up, and instead of learning more about him the guy was only making himself seem that much more mysterious. "Ya steal someone's girl? Can't think of many more things tha'd get a buncha murderous folks after ya. 'Cept sword-stealin'. Anyway..."

And for the moment he'd leave it at that--and poke more later. But for now, kittens!

"They all have names," Vahni said, and smiled as he looked at the gray one curled up with Kassi. She'd really taken a shine to him, that one, and it didn't look like he minded too much either. That was good, it meant that maybe he still had a shot at pawning her off on the guy. Vahni started with her.

"Tha' one there, her name's Glint. Then this little guy over here's Boots," he said, pointing to a black and white kitten with three black paws. "This one's Pip, then there's Rascal and Fae, 'cause she looks fae-touched, don'tcha think?" he finished, pointing to a brown kitten, black kitten with a crooked tail, and another brown kitten that was rather plain save for his vivid turquoise eyes, though they were closed now. The three were all curled up together in a pile of fluff.

Vahni turned his back to the wall, folded his arms under his head, and reclined against it. "Dunno what I'm gonna do with 'em once they're older..." He shot a meaningful look at Kassi as he said that, then at the kitten, then back at Kassi.

Hint, hint.

A bit of honest worry nagged him at Vahni's apparent glee.  Maybe he shouldn't have been so quick to agree to do Vahni a favor.  In the moment, he had thought it couldn't possibly be anything terribly inconvenient.  Now he wondered if he hadn't vastly underestimated Vahni's ability to inconvenience him.

Whatever it would be, he'd locked himself into doing it fairly securely.

"You'll have to just be curious then."  And that would be the end of that.  On this he was as stone, and Vahni would get no more out of him. He could pout about it all he liked.  Kassian knew when to shut his mouth.  He'd told him what he felt Vahni was entitled to given the risk the thief was taking for him.  All else he would keep close.

"Glint, hm?"  He scratched her back and felt a purr rumbling through her.

He traveled far too much to worry about taking a cat along with him.  That and he didn't care to be responsible for anything except himself and his horse.

"I don't expect they'll be a trouble for you much longer. Cats are resourceful creatures, you know?  They are survivors.  Once they're grown, they'll probably take to roaming and will mostly care for themselves."  He glanced sideways at Vahni.  "Though I'm sure they'll always come back to you."

Vahni's shoulders sagged, a crestfallen expression replacing the cheery one as Kassi's words rolled around in his head. His kittens? Roaming the countryside all by themselves? Soon the look of sadness turned to one of horror as he thought less on what it would be like to give them up and more on what awaited them out there in the world.

"Tha's a horrible thought!" he gasped, going rigid, brown eyes widening in shock. "Th' kittens out there all by their lonesome? Ya crazy? It's dangerous out there, fer cats!"

He plucked up Rascal off the floor and cuddled him against his chest, burying his nose in the black fur. The kitten squirmed and mewled in protest, but Vahni just continued seriously, "Heard a dog get one jus' a coupla nights ago...it was awful, most awful sound I ever heard. It ain't safe out there, Kassi. I wanna make sure they all get good homes."

Rascal struggled and finally managed to wriggle free, and Vahni dusted cat hair off his chest. "'Sides, what if they can't get enough ta eat? Or they get lonely or...or can't find their way back? I wanna make sure they're all well fed an' fat 'n' happy!" he said, nodding firmly. "An' get all th' milk I can't get 'em. Say!" He perked up suddenly, going from upset to bright and cheery like some mental switch had been flipped, grinning broadly and snapping his fingers.

"I think I got it! Yer favor!" Why hadn't he thought of it before? It was such a brilliant idea! "You'll help me find all th' kittens homes!"

He hadn't meant to bring Vahni down with his words.  It was only the truth, one that Vahni would have to face soon enough.  Kassian couldn't exactly understand Vahni's strong attachment to the animals.  They were...endearing, it was true, and even he was fond of cats, but it was silly to be so enamored with such fragile—and independent—creatures.

"It's an unkind world," he conceded.  "But it's their nature to roam."

Suddenly Vahni was cheery again.  He was certainly...mercurial.  "Ah..."

Right, well...that hadn't been what Kassian was expecting.  It seemed an easy enough task, finding homes for a few cats.  He did have acquaintances right here in Ketra, and if he needed to he could just ask them to take one of the cats temporarily then get rid of it once Vahni was satisfied—

No.  No, that was deceitful even if Vahni never found out.  If he gave his word, he should honor it.

"I suppose I could do that..."

If smiles could split faces in two, Vahni's would have been cracked by now. He had half expected Kassian to say no or something. Still didn't look all that thrilled, but who cared? He'd agreed! "REALLY? Oh, thank you! I know th' kittens will be grateful, too!" he said with a grin, and was half-tempted to hug him before he remembered, y'know...that was the guy with the sword and all.

Still beaming, he sat back and looked Kassi over as though seeing him in a new light. This was the scary, criminal Duhjari guy who'd been about ready to gut him and kept going on all mysterious-like about some people who were after him--really, Kassi was painting himself as a shady guy--and yet here he was, agreeing to help him relocate some kittens while they had a friendly sort of chat like old buddies who hadn't started out psycho-killer-and-thief. Not to mention how he'd caught him fawning over the kitten...

"Yer alright, Kassi, y'know tha'?" he finally said. "Ya ain't a bad guy, fer a guy almost killed me."

Stretching, he rose to his knees and started edging toward the entrance. "An' y'know what? Since yer gonna help me, guess I should help ya. Still want tha' healer?"

"Yes. I'm sure they will be."  Kassian was just humoring Vahni at this point, and not making much of an effort at it.  He didn't bother to disguise his tone, or what it said about just how ridiculous he found the notion that the kittens would be feel gratitude for anything.  They were cats.  They'd deign to stay where they might find food and comfort and perhaps companionship, but finding them homes was less about their gratitude—a laughable thought—and more about Vahni's peace of mind.

"Ah, all right."  Here he would prefer Vahni to use caution, though.  Especially if he went to Sanctuary, and that would be the most likely place to find a healer available for unpaid work.  Those people, they would not hesitate to kill him even while he was lamed.  He knew, for he would not have hesitated either.

"Just don't give my name, Vahni.  Nor any details about me that you can leave out.  The less you say about me the better. Above all else, do not ask the priest Siilan for help."

Vahni nodded. "Right, right, gotcha. No Siilan guy, no tellin' 'em nothin' 'bout ya. Aye, aye, sir!" He snapped a mock salute and ducked outside, but was gone all of two seconds before he popped his head back in.

"Oi, make sure t' clean up any of th' kitten's shi--er, mess," he corrected with a grimace. His old woman hadn't liked him swearing none and she'd whacked him good every time he did. Now it was just a habit, both out of respect for her memory and stuff and because he expected if he ever did slip, her spirit would come around just to wallop him. "'Kay? An' feed 'em! Got some leftovers in there so make sure they get 'em."

And with that said, he was gone.

---

It was late evening by the time he came back.

Kneeling outside his hovel, Vahni knocked on the wall once before peeking inside. "Good news, Ka--uh, 'Kat'. I gotcha a healer lady!" he said, grinning and waggling his eyebrows, then shuffled to the side so he wasn't blocking the entryway. "Ya might wanna come over here, 'cause it's so small inside. Oh, an' didja make sure t' feed 'n' clean th' kittens? Ah, tha' can wait I guess. Anyway, come see!"

He looked away from Kassi then so he could look at the healer, who was standing a small distance away. She had been disinclined to go inside, which he guessed was smart. It was a bad part of town and there were strange folks about--plus not even he could fool himself into thinking he or his home smelled like peaches. She was all clean and nice and stuff and had come all this way unpaid. That was pretty darned nice!

Kassian spent the majority of Vahni's absence trying not to go out of his mind with boredom.  Sitting still was difficult for him.  He wanted to be up and doing things.  His hands needed to busy themselves with work, so he did as Vahni asked and cleaned up after the cats.  Once he started cleaning he couldn't stop and straightened up the hovel as best he could, putting into order anything he could reach.  The place was too strange and he was too uncomfortable to doze.

Late in the evening, two pairs of footsteps approached from the alley.  Kassian tensed but it was only Vahni returning at last.  "Aye, I'm coming."

Getting up took more than a bit of work and contortion, and he nearly fell over more than once.  The kittens scattered to the corners of the shack.  When he was up and steady, he hobbled to the makeshift door and out into the alley.  He didn't recognize the healer, thank the gods.

It had been risky to send Vahni to Sanctuary, but it was worth the danger.  He wouldn't be truly safe until he was out of the city.

As Kassian made his way out into the alley, Vahni bounced anxiously on his toes. Hopefully this lady could help the guy! He'd never dealt with healers much, and had only been to Sanctuary a couple times, when he felt like being all spiritual or something like his old woman taught him. But the spirits were kind of a pain in his ass on a regular basis, so after a few visits he'd decided he didn't need to encourage that by intentionally drawing their attention. He wasn't no rich guy that could provide cream and honey willy-nilly so screw them if they couldn't get that through their heads.

Or...not heads. Whatever.

"So, can ya heal 'im all th' way?" Vahni asked the healer as soon as Kassian was out. He'd filled her in on Kassi's injury when he'd gone to get her, but darned if he knew how healing worked.

"That depends on how bad it is," came the answer. "If it's a fracture or a very clean break, then yes. Now, sit down," she added, directing the last part at Kassi, "and we can get started."

[ooc: She's just an NPC, so feel free to use her! xD I forgot how healed ya wanted Kassi so I'mma let you decide. ^^]

The alleyway was piled with scraps of rotting wood and discarded pottery.  Kassian chose a crate that looked like it would hold him and hobbled over, waving away the healer's efforts to support him.  He eased his way down, broken leg stretched out before him.

"It looks as though you set this well," she said, kneeling down next to him and hovering her hands over the length of his leg.  "A clean break.  I can hasten the healing and perhaps have you walking again in a couple of days.  Hold still for me."

The air around the healer's hands shimmered and wavered.  It made Kassian's eyes water to look at it.  The kittens began venturing out the door to find Vahni.  "They missed you while you were gone.  We kept each other company, though."

"Didja, now? Get in some good bondin' time?" Vahni asked, giving Kassi a knowing grin. He could see it now, the big, scary killer guy with a sword being all cutesy with a flock of kittens. C'mon, wasn't like he could deny it! Vahni had seen first hand what the guy had been up to when he hadn't thought Vahni could see.

He settled down cross-legged on the ground beside the crate, curiously watching the healer at work. This magic stuff was always so fascinating, especially to someone like him, who didn't have a lick of it in him.

From the corner of his eye, he saw the kittens start toddling out the door and stretched his legs out in front of him to block them from wandering too far into the alley. A couple climbed into his lap, mewling demands for food and attention, and he scooped them up close. "Stiiiill don't want one?"

The healer muttered as she work, talking about the clean break in the leg and the state of the splint.  She talked through the whole time she went about the healing.  Nothing Kassian was meant to respond to.  She was just the type who talked to think.

"I'd have nothing to do with a cat," he said.  "And I won't even be in Ketra much longer.  I'm not going to care for a kitten while on the road."

With the healer's help, he'd be out sooner than he'd originally thought.  Perhaps even within a day if the break wasn't too bad.  One thing he wanted to avoid was traveling lame. He wasn't venturing out of the city until he was sure he could defend himself.

Vahni let out a loud huff that blew his bangs out of his face. Well, he wasn't about to give up yet! Kassi obviously liked the kittens, so dammit, he should have a kitten! If he did, it was one cat that Vahni didn't have to worry about. He'd seen how he interacted with them! There was a soft spot deep down in that murderous, scar sword-wielding soul, same soft spot that had stopped him from from stabbing him when he'd put on his pity-me act.

"Fine, fine. So where ya headed after here, anyhow?"

It didn't occur to him that that might not be an appropriate question to ask with an audience.

Kassian glanced quietly at Vahni, falling silent.  He didn't speak again until the healer had left them.

"I should get out of Ketra for awhile.  This city has not been kind to me."  Much as he felt at home here in Adela, he may find his fortunes improved in Serendipity.

His leg would be healed enough for travel in some three days, just when he started to wear at Vahni's hospitality.  He tested it, and limped back over to the shack.

"Oh." Vahni's expression turned guilty and he shifted uncomfortably, fiddling with a strand of hair. He had a feeling that a big part of this unkindness had come from him. After all, he'd swiped his sword and he'd broken his leg in the chase, and while Vahni wouldn't have felt bad about that in any other situation--Kassian was no longer just a faceless target. "Oh. Yeah. Guess not."

Subject change!

"Sooo...outta Ketra, huh?" Vahni asked, gathering up the kittens that had wandered outside and following after Kassian. "Ya been all over, ain'tcha? I've never been nowhere other'n here. Where all ya been?"

Kassian slid down.  He leaned his head back against the wall of the shack.  He couldn't keep his eyes open.  They drifted shut.  The healing had stolen away any energy he had left.

Yet he didn't feel the need to sleep, only rest himself.  He spoke, eyes still closed.  "The plains, of course, and as far south as Essyrn.  Serendipity, Connlaoth...north to Hyoite.  You should take yourself out of Adela someday.  There's much more of the world to see than this."

Vahni stared blankly at Kassian. "I dunno what half th' things ya said are," he said, then shrugged and settled back down on the floor of his shack. "Ohhh, so ya adventure an' stuff, huh? That must be fun. I always wanted to get outta here, but dunno what I'd do or where I'd go. Been here all my life, right? So like..."

Perking up, he beamed at Kassian, even though the guy's eyes were shut. "Whatcha do on the plains? Duhjari stuff? Huntin' an' ridin' an' rituals?"

Kassian looked at him sidelong.  "I imagine with your skill set you'd find a way to get on no matter where you were."

He couldn't say he would tolerate thieving in himself, but in others he had no place to judge.  He'd done worse for money in his time.

"Duhjari...stuff?"  He laughed—here was a true city lad.  Stuff indeed.  "Hunting, yes.  And much riding.  They don't stay in one place for long."

Vahni was enraptured. So it was true! His friends were right! Here was a real Duhjari confirming all that for him and he wished he knew where they were so he could tell brag about it--or just have them meet his Duhjari and brag. He leaned foreward, fascinated.

"Really? Oh! Oh! I heard th' ladies go naked an' even th' kids can fight an' y'all got special dances that'll change th' weather. Can ya do that? Didja ever fight a bear? D'ya really like bond yer horses an' talk to 'em? D'ya got many wives?"

Kassian could not, in all his years living in Adela, recall ever getting a reaction like this.  He faced distrust most often, fear and anger after that.  This...fascination was new to him.  He found it both incomprehensible and entertaining.

"Naked—no!  The women cover themselves.  They're only for their husbands to see.  There are no bears on the plains, I'd never even seen one until I came to Adela.  The horses, they're—it's complicated.  I owned several.  I left before I ever married."

"Awww." Vahni's shoulders slumped and he gave a huff. "Whaddya mean they don't go naked? All my friends said they did! Maybe yers jus' didn't." He liked his friend's version better. Ladies covering themselves didn't sound as exciting because that was the same thing you could see anywhere.

"So yeah! 'Bout those horses. Whatcha mean complicated? Why'dja leave?"

A shame Vahni would never get the chance to ride with a horde for a few days.  He would find that disappointment turned swiftly to surprise.  The Duhjari took for granted customs and ways of life that Adelans would call barbaric and wrong.  He could have described some of them to Vahni.  He might still.

"Mm, well...they're not exactly like Adelan women.  A married woman should show nothing but her eyes in public.  But the horses.  Duhjari horses are more clever than others, you know?  The Naran stock, not the mixed beasts we sell to you lot."

"Oh." Vahni made a disappointed face--because that was utterly anti-climatic, just their eyes?--but then another thought struck and he perked right back up again, beaming. "What about th' unmarried ones? An' what's 'naran'?"

Alright, so he wasn't really ready to let that one go because his friend said so and he wanted it to be true. It's what he'd gone on believing for ages! Of course, the other things he'd heard about Duhjari weren't all romantic--that they were savage, dirty murderers and thieves and such, hah. The thief bit didn't bother him none, nor the dirty, and the other two? Well, he probably wouldn't have talked to Kassi if they ran into each other on the street and Kassi was being all obviously Duhjari, but after talking to him a while and then learning that's what he was?

Yeah, it changed things a little. And hey! They were both part of thieving outcast groups!

"Oh! Oh! Are th' piercin's part of bein' Duhjari?"

Those still oddly fascinated him and it seemed like a savage sort of thing to do.

"Ah, the maidens," he said.  "Well you didn't ask about them.  All Duhjari maidens bear control over the weather, and they cast their magic through ritualistic nude dances around a bonfire every dawn and dusk."

That was wicked of him lying like that, but part of him wanted to see if Vahni would even believe such nonsense.  He suspected the thief wanted to believe things like that.  So he was doing his host a service, providing entertainment.  It certainly sounded better, put that way.

"Dawn and dusk?" Vahni gave a rueful sigh. They didn't have anything like that here and sure, he'd heard Duhjari did some awful stuff and whatnot, but he didn't think it all sounded that awful. He felt like they might be able to learn something valuable from them.

"An' ya left all tha', huh? Ya must be crazy."

"Oh yes, and once the dancing is done each one of them must choose a young man and consummate the ritual in passion."

Kassian didn't have much in the way of imagination, so he drew from rumors he'd heard spoken of the Duhjari over the years.  They were both of them entertained, so his lies had their purpose, though Vahni would be sorely disappointed now if he ever ventured to the plains, not that that was a likely thing.

"Y'know," Vahni said when Kassian was finished, expression wistful. "I really think more Adelans oughta embrace yer way of livin'. Sure sounds less complicated an' more, uh...harmonious an' stuff."

"Oh, is that the word?"  He side-eyed Vahni and smiled thinly.

"Well, yeah! I can't imagine ya'd do much fightin' when...uh. Y'know." Vahni made a vague motion with his hand, clearing his throat. "All th' dancin'."

"Of course.  The dancing."  Because that was what they were talking about.  "What else have you heard about the Duhjari?  I can tell you if it's true or not."

In a way, Vahni was glad for the subject change. Appealing as the topic was, it was also a little awkward, one of those things best thought about in private.

Resting his chin on his fist, Vahni hummed thoughtfully. "Well...oh! I heard they like raid villages an' stuff an' steal their women an' kids an' sacrifice their men to their gods..." Then a sudden thought struck him and his head snapped up. "Hey! Tha' why yer runnin'?"

"The raids.  They happen, mostly down south on the other side of the Blacks.  They take the women for their own, that's sometimes true.  The stronger children, too.  There's no sacrifice—we don't hold to that—and the mountain villages, they hit the plains settlements as often as they're hit themselves."

Ask any Adelan and they'd tell you the Duhjari had started the conflict.  Ask any Duhjari the same question and you'd get the opposite answer, and both so sure they were right.  It  didn't matter, and there was no way to know how it all began.

Vahni's eyes widened and he leaned forward, intrigued and a little horrified. He'd heard about this stuff happening--but now that he had a real life Duhjari here, he'd kind of been hoping he could tell him those bloody stories were wrong. He liked all the other stories, but this one? Was kind of terrible.

"Wha' about th' weaker kids?"

Vahni should have known the answer to that.  He likely did, just wanted to hear someone else say it.

"What use has a horde for weak, foreign children?"

"So...they...turn 'em loose?" Vahni asked with a hopeful smile.

He definitely didn't want to say it. Didn't even want to think it, nor think of the possibility that, maybe, Kassi had been involved in those before.

Kassian sighed.  Vahni was in some ways a mystery to him.  He lived in this place, yet he was so blasted sensitive to even the suggestion that somewhere, far from him, children might die of war.  The streets hadn't hardened him as Kassian would have expected.

"Why don't you talk about something else?"

Vahni frowned, but Kassi was probably right. They'd gone from talking about happy things, like naked dancing and whatnot, to things he never wanted to consider--and hadn't really thought about until now. Sure, life on the streets was hard, but he and others of his ilk were too concerned with their own survival to pay attention to news that didn't directly concern them. If asked, Vahni couldn't have even said who the current king was--and didn't particularly care one way or the other about him, either, because it wasn't like the guy would ever have a direct impact on his life or anything.

Pursing his lips, Vahni thought up a new, less bloody topic, opened his mouth to speak--and then froze.

He heard footsteps just outside, growing closer. They stopped just outside the opening.

Then someone knocked, hard, on the side of one crate hard enough to make the walls shake--not that it took much, rickety as his crate-fort was. The kittens, having started to doze off, woke with a start and began to mewl.

"Knock knock! Anyone home? C'mon out, time t' pay up!"

Vahni slumped and shot a wary look at Kassi. Dammit. He thought he'd be okay for a bit here, but it was inevitable. No matter where you went, it was always owned by some gang.

Kassian grew still as footsteps approached.  Three people.  They stopped just before the shanty.  They were not friends—Vahni was anything but happy at the sound of the voice that spoke up.

He leaned in close to whisper.  "Trouble?"

"Uhh, yeah..." Vahni whispered back, shoulders hunched in sullen defeat. "Local gang. Runs th' place. Buncha bastards."

But then, looking at Kassian, he suddenly perked up as though remembering something, a bright grin replacing the defeated frown. "Heeeey..."

There was pounding on the shanty, then, making Vahni flinch, and then someone moved the flap out of the way and a dirty face peered in. It was an older kid with a big nose that had obviously been broken several times and a few missing teeth, and he glowered into the space.

"C'mon, we ain't got all day. Ya know th' rules. Pay up or get out..." His lips twisted into a smirk. "Our way."

"You get out!" Vahni shot back, and scooted toward Kassian. "Or you'll be sorry! See this guy? He's a Duhjari warrior." He beamed at Kassian as he said it and then looked back at the other guy. "So watch out! 'Cause he knows how to kill people! An' war an' stuff!"

Kassian fought the impulse to sink his face into his palm.  Vahni had...put him into a difficult position.  Nothing left for it now but to play the gruff Duhjari warrior.  Fortunate for them both that he'd played this role before, many a time.

Vahni's proclamation got a stunned pause, then a laugh from all three of the little rats.  The one in the doorway nearly fell over in his mirth.  "He's...he's lamed!"

Ah, the splint.  He'd decided to keep in on to help with the strengthening of the mending, but he could use it to his advantage here, if his timing was right.

Kassian spat off to the side.  He didn't touch his sword.  "Want 'em dead?"

Deeper voice than he usually spoke with, heavy with Duhjari accent.  He was laying it on thick, but then these three looked thick-headed enough to need it.

It was perfect, more perfect than Vahni could have asked for! A little scary, too, because this was the Kassi that Vahni had first met that stormy night, the Kassi that stalked on rooftops like a killer panther or something! It was scary to be on the receiving end of that, so Vahni was glad he had him on his side because jeez--that threat wasn't even directed at him and it made him shudder, all deep and Duhjari-Warrior-Killer-like.

"If they don't leave us alone right now..." Vahni said, just about bursting with barely-contained glee.

He watched the kid at the door falter for a second, taken aback. But then the kid must have figured that with three of them against a lamed man and a scrawny boy, there shouldn't be a problem. The kid snorted a laugh and glanced back at his partners.

"Guess we'll just hafta take our price. They're bluffin'. C'mon!" he said, and tore the door-flap aside, then started to shove at the crates that held the little hovel together.

Kassian lounged back against the opposite wall of the shack, affecting boredom, looking unimpressed.  Looking dumb really, because that was what frightened city folk the most about this Duhjari warrior image—the idea of some brute too stupid and single-minded to be reasoned with, a man untouched by the gentling hand of civilization.

While they forced their way in, Kassian unsheathed his dagger.  That got their attention.  Everything went quite still.  Kassian sheared open the splint and tore it away, revealing a leg that looked whole even if it was still fragile.

The one in front, the leader, stared with wide eyes at the point of Kassian's dagger as he gestured with it.  He seemed to have lost the ability to speak.  "Come on, then.  Get over here and let's do this.  Leg's just healed up, still stiff.  I don't want to move more than I have to."

It was no poor man's dagger either, but neither was it of Duhjari design.  It was a long, curved, efficient weapon, with an impressive reach and a blade of dark steel.

The kids hedged at that, and uncertainty flashed in the leader's eyes as the knife was drawn and the splint came off. Not only was the wicked blade intimidating, not only was that leg revealed as whole, but it also drew attention to how tall Kassian was. It was hard to tell with him sitting, but the action drew their eyes to his legs...and from there, they could put two and two together.

Not to mention he looked utterly unimpressed and unfazed by the lot of them.

The leader took a step back, bumping the two behind him. "Uh..." Clearly, the sort of bullies that made a living off of throwing their weight around and bluffing, but didn't really know what to do when it was thrown back at them.

Finally, after a moment's pause, the leader seemed to find himself again. He scowled at Kassian, drawing himself up. "Tch. Whatever. Just look at this dump. Not like ya got anything worth the effort," he said, and spat at Kassian's feet. "Disgustin'."

He shoved the plank-and-blanket serving as a roof off of the pile of crates and then turned to leave, his buddies flanking him.

Kassian planted his foot on the kid's back and shoved.  It sent up sprawling into his buddies and ended with him face down before the entrance to the shack.

If he would've run, it would all have gone differently for him.  Kassian couldn't have chased him down not with his leg in its fragile state.  The kid didn't run, but instead tried to get up.  Kassian was already there, and landed his knee in the kid's back, pinning him.

He looked back at Vahni, questioning.  The other two may as well not have existed.  They stood frozen.  They didn't have it in them to attack.

Vahni stared, impressed, unable to tear his eyes away from the scene. Even injured, Kassi moved fast; those other guys didn't stand a chance. In fact, the others looked just as transfixed as he did.

Then he caught the way Kassi was looking at him, as though waiting for his input, and he gave a start. Waitaminute...he hadn't been serious, had he? 'Cause Vahni had just figured he'd give them a bit of a scare and stuff...

"Oh. Uhh..." He shifted awkwardly. His mind hadn't even gone to giving them a beating; he'd never been good about violence or anything like that. "Er...y'can turn 'im loose..." But even as he said it, he flashed a stern look at the bullies. "Fer now. If they stick their noses back 'round these parts, we ain't gonna be so merciful next time!"

Oh, Vahni.  If only he could have stopped him saying those words.  Warned him, impressed upon him the mistake he was making.

Too late for that, now.  Kassian hauled the leader up by his hair and cursed in Duhjari for good measure.

"Fix what you broke," he said.  He was in the kid's face, and brought the knife blade up into his line of vision.  "Or I take your eyes, Adelan."

It didn't take anymore convincing.  The little rat repaired the damage he'd done to Vahni's shack while Kassian glowered at him, knife trembling in his hand as though he could scarcely keep it out of the boy's flesh.

As soon as they were out of sight, Kassian braced himself against the shack and took the weight off his aching leg.  "Vahni.  That was unwise."

When it was over, Vahni could finally relax.

This wasn't the first time those kids had caused him problems, but with that scare, he had faith it would be the last, because really, lookit him go, repairing his home and everything! Vahni reveled in it--at least, until they were gone and Kassi spoke up.

"Huh? Ya mean tha' bluff?" he asked, head tilted. He laughed and settled himself back down, sitting cross-legged. "Hey, it worked, didn't it? Ya really played it up good! Tha' kid, he looked ready ta piss hisself, ya was so scary!"

"Aye, he was ready to piss himself."  Kassian eased down outside the shack and stretched his leg out.  "He was humiliated, and when I'm gone he'll come at you worse than ever.  We should have killed him.  That at least would have bought you more time."

Vahni stared, mouth dropping open and face paling. "Yer serious? I thought ya was jokin'! We can't...tha's murder!"

"He may murder you once I'm gone.  You'd best watch yourself."

Vahni paused, thought about that for a second, recalled that there wasn't just terror in that kid's eyes, but anger as well. Would he really...?

"...How's yer leg?" he said after a long pause.

"Aching."  Kassian allowed the subject change.  He'd said what he needed to say.  Vahni would do with it as he willed.

"And I feel like I could sleep all night and half the next day."  A large part of that was the healing, and the energy it had taken out of him.  He crawled back into the shack and lay down, but didn't close his eyes just yet.

Vahni shifted aside to make more room for the man, then nodded thoughtfully, chin resting on his hand. "Ohhh...so...tha' means yer gonna be stayin' a bit longer, huh?"

"Tomorrow and the day after."  Whatever state his leg was in by that time, he would have to deal with it.  He may not even stay a third night.  Might make off in the darkness when he could make use of Ketra's shadows and some measure of anonymity.

He let his eyes drift shut.

If Kassi was trying to sleep, Vahni wasn't taking the hint. He was still all pumped up from that encounter, and he hadn't even done anything! But then, after living out here all his life, he never really did sleep deeply and it took a while for his nerves to settle, always bracing for trouble. Because there was always trouble.

"Hmm. Welp! Guess tha' means I still got a coupla days 'fore I gotta move!" he said with a cheerful grin. "Where'll ya go?"

"North," he said, eyes still closed.  "To Serendipity, I think.  Plenty of bandit trouble up there.  Plenty of work.  What about you?  Will you be able to hide from them?"

"I dunno." Vahni shrugged, then grinned. "But I'm sure it'll be okay. I got away from you, right?"

Kassian laughed aloud.  "You did at that.  Just go around tossing all your pursuers off rooftops and you'll be fine."

"'Xactly! Tried an' true. Seems ta knock people to their senses, too."

Kassian chuckled, then fell silent, drifting toward sleep.

Vahni had been about to say more, but that was when he saw that Kassian had drifted off. He shut his mouth and scooted closer, grabbed one of the shabby blankets, and draped it lightly over him. Some of the kittens shuffled over to curl up against him on the blanket, creating a pile of fluff.

Now that that was dealt with, and now that he had a moment, he'd better scrounge up dinner. It would be okay. Now it was guaranteed that those bullies wouldn't be showing their noses around here for a while, so better take advantage of that window, for as long as it would last.

Slipping outside, he headed toward the market.

Three more days, huh? He pushed away the gloom that wanted to invade his head at the thought. Well. It would be one less mouth to feed and he was used to being alone, anyway. He'd been doing it for a while now and he could do it again. He worked well alone. You didn't attract a lot of attention that way, could blend in better when there was less of you.

Slipping into the crowd, he went to work.

Hours later he returned, shirt stuffed full of bread and cheese. It had been a pretty lucky day--but he hadn't managed to get any meat for the kittens, which was going to be a problem. Cats needed meat. He'd just have to go out again...

He started to put the things away, shoving them into the sack he kept there to keep the kittens out of the food.

Kassian drifted in an out of sleep.  Noises awoke him easily, so he was aware of Vahni moving about and eventually leaving.  He slept deeper then, but roused again when Vahni returned later.  He smelled food, and it drove him fully out of sleep.

He shifted first so he didn't startle Vahni with his sudden waking, then sat up.  "Have any trouble?"

It was a good thing Kassian shifted first, for Vahni was naturally jumpy. He looked over as Kassi stirred and sat up, and beamed proudly over at him. "Huh, me? Naw! These hands're quick, no one saw a thing. See? I got us supper!"

He opened the bag so Kassian could see inside it and settled down cross-legged on the floor in front of him. "Only trouble is I don't got much fer th' kittens. I'll hafta go back out in a bit. But ya should eat!"

"My apologies, master thief."  Kassian's quirked a smile as he reached into the bag and took the first thing his hand closed around.  It turned out to be a bread roll, fresh and warm.  "It's my nature to doubt."

The kittens were quick to cluster around him and stare at his bread.  They took up a pitiful mewling.

Vahni grinned at the title and puffed out his chest. "'Master thief', huh? I like it!"

The kittens' sad mewling dampened his cheer a little, though. He sighed, reached into the bag, and started to break off little chunks of cheese. "Think cheese'll work th' same was as milk--oh! Hey!" Another brilliant idea struck.

"Hey! Yer Duhjari! Ya hunt, right? Know how to trap rats?"

"Eh?"  Kassian paused with a piece of bread halfway to his mouth.  "I might but...you want to give them raw meat?  They can't eat the bread and the cheese?"

It was not a thing he'd have thought of, catching city rats with the same traps one used to snare small game.  He didn't even know if it would work.  Rats were clever anyway, and city rats doubly so.  They knew the ways of human, and thrived because of it.

"Sure. Cats eat raw meat all th' time, don't they?" Vahni said, and shrugged. "They can eat th' cheese but it gives 'em th' runs. Not fun. An' they don't really like th' bread much, 'cept when they're really hungry."

Kassian shrugged.  He didn't know the first thing about kittens, and specifically he had no way to judge when they could be weaned and given solid food.  Clearly this lot was old enough to be eating like adult cats.

"I can try to make a snare.  Not saying it'll work, though.  I'll need sticks and twine."

"Sticks an' twine? I can do that! Here." Digging into his pile of treasure, Vahni produced a small bit of twine that he'd used to to tie things shut. He didn't wait for Kassian's response before shuffling to the exit. "I'll fetch ya some sticks, 'kay?"

And then he was gone.

It was too far to head out of the city, so he wound up breaking small branches off of several trees or rummaging around in the gutters. He had realized sometime during his search that he hadn't asked Kassi how many or how big, so when he returned, it was with an armful of sticks in various sizes, shapes, and states of decay.

He dropped them onto the floor inside his hovel. "Got 'em!"

Vahni was so excited about this rat-catching business, and Kassian wasn't even sure it would work.  Before he could try to explain—again—that this may be a fruitless effort, the little thief had already scurried off to hunt for twigs.

What Vahni brought back was enough to make a dozen snares.  Kassian shifted forward and swept clear a place for himself to work.  "That you did.  Very well, give them here."

The light was beginning to fade, tucked between buildings as they were, but it was just bright enough yet for Kassian to work.  It took only a few minutes, then he had to figure out where to put the thing.

"I suppose along the outside wall or...is there any place you've seen a lot of them about?"

Vahni watched Kassi work with interest, impressed at how easy he made it seem. When it was done, he let out an appreciative whistle.

"Tha' was amazin'," he said, beaming, then pointed outside. "As fer th' rats, I hear 'em all th' time. They come out lots at night, wander 'round th' alley..." He shuddered. "Big ol' nasty things. Scary, too. But if this works then that'll be great! At least they'll be good fer somethin'!"

He motioned to the sticks. "Looks like we got plenty more left over! We can make a lot of snares!"

By "we" he meant Kassian, of course.

Funny how different people could be.  He'd been able to make traps like this at five years old, and here Vahni was a man grown—or near enough to it—and found a simple snare such a marvel.  And no doubt a city lad could show a young Duhjari rider more than a few things to surprise them.

For now, Kassian was done moving about.  Vahni could handle the next bit himself.

"Look here, this is how you lay it out."  He laid the snare out on the ground by way of example.  "Doesn't matter which way it faces.  Just be careful placing it, it's not very strong.  Once you put this base down, lay this other part on top, crosswise, just like this.  Got it?  Place it wherever you've seen a lot of them."

Vahni leaned forward to watch as Kassi demonstrated and nodded along with his instructions. "Tha' looks simple enough!" he said, and scooped up the snare. "So I jus'...stick it out there an' see wha' happens? 'Kay! Be back in a jiff!"

And hopefully this worked quickly, otherwise he'd have to figure something else out. He laid the snare outside along the wall, near a heap of his tossed out rubbish. After setting it up like Kassian had told him, he returned and settled down on his knees, hands in his lap.

"Okay! All set up! So...how'll I know if somethin' gets caught? It's not gonna get away if I don't get out there fast enough, yeah?"

Vahni left to place the trap, and Kassian used the opportunity to lean back and straighten his leg out again.  It protested the movement, but it was going to be stiff and painful no matter what position it was in.  This was the best way to keep it, straightened out like this, so it could finish the mending properly.

"You'll hear it most likely.  It'll thrash a bit.  The trap is sound, though.  It won't go anywhere unless you let it out."

Vahni relaxed at that. "Oh, good. Then I guess we just gotta wait..." Which was something Vahni was not very good at.

Huffing a little, he tilted his head and looked at Kassi. "Ya know any games?"

Kassian's head fell back against the wall of the shack and his eyes drifted shut again.  "No.  But I bet you do, don't you?"

A smile tugged at his mouth.  He could anticipate the answer to that.

Vahni nodded vigorously. "Uh huh! Er, most of them's runnin' games, though, so those're out fer now, and some ya need sticks or stones fer..." He looked around and frowned. "But th' sticks gotta be the same size or it don't work. Oh!"

Grinning, he reached out and grabbed Kassian's hands, bringing both forward and turning them palm up. "This one jus' needs yer hands. So hold 'em like tha', alright? Then I put my hands like this..."

He held his hands over Kassian's, palm down. "...An' ya gotta try an' slap me!"

Kassian's almost-smile evolved into a real one at just how quickly Vahni got familiar with him.  He hesitated to call it trust, considering Vahni's life here, but there was a certain, ah, ease with which Vahni grabbed his hands that struck Kassian as nearly innocent in its presumption.

"Slap them."  Aye, Kassian had heard of this before.  Wasn't it a children's game?

He straightened up a bit then replaced his hands where they were.  This was almost unbelievably silly, but...

He made a go of it and missed by about a mile—his reflexes weren't quite into it.

Vahni laughed when Kassian missed, and slapped Kassian's hands in turn. "Heh, gotcha! C'mon, mister tough fighter guy. Gotta be a lil' faster! Unless," he said, and gave Kassian a shrewd look, "yer goin' easy on me. An' I'll have ya know, I'm a master at this game, so don'tcha think ya gotta go soft!"

He replaced his hands and met Kassian's eyes. "Try again."

Kassian would not have expected such a look from Vahni—sharp as razors it was.  That Vahni managed such a look over a hand slapping game should not have surprised him.

He locked his eyes to Vahni's.  "I would never insult your honor so.  I fear you may simple be my better here."

This time he waited.  And waited some more.  He looked only at Vahni, not at their hands.  When the moment felt right, struck—and missed again.

Vahni slapped Kassian's hands again and snorted. "Wow, yer really bad at this!"

Kassian returned the jab with a mock-glare.  "And you're a ungracious victor."

"Ain't really much of a victory if it ain't a challenge," Vahni said, flashing Kassian a shit-eating grin. "Like winnin' against a kid."

"You're a vicious little rat," Kassian said, returning Vahni's grin.  This was the first real bite he'd seen from the kid!

"Street rat!" Vahni said, puffing with pride. "Gotta be vicious or you'll get yer tail gnawed off!"

And then, with a cheeky grin, he nodded at Kassian. "So what's yer excuse? Ya just 'bout killed me th' other day, now yer all timid!"

"Timid, hm?"  Kassian withdrew his hands and rested his chin on his fist.  Sometimes--often, even--Vahni said things that made little sense to him.  "Well, good thing I have you to protect me."

"Yup!" Vahni said with a toss of his silver hair. "I know I'm all small an' stuff, but tha's why it works. No one ever suspects th' harmless lookin' on ones." And with a sly smile, he added, "Ya sure didn't!"

"No, I didn't," Kassian admitted, a wry half-smile twisting his mouth.  Vahni was so good at seeming harmless that even here, even injured, Kassian had never once considered he might be a threat.  He was beginning to understand how Vahni had managed to survive out here on his own.

"Not tha' ya gotta worry now!" Vahni added quickly, and his smile grew less cocky, more sincere as he looked at Kassian. "We're friends now, yeah?"

"Aye," Kassian said.  Didn't even have to think about it, strange as that was.  He...wasn't sure he knew how to be a friend to someone.  Been on his own too long.

"We're friends."  And he held out his hand for Vahni to clasp.

With a beaming smile, Vahni clasped hands with him and gave a firm squeeze. "An' I solemnly swear tha', as m' friend, I'll never steal yer shit again! But if ya need anythin' swiped..." He gave him a wink. "Ya know who to call."

"I'll remember," he said, and meant it.  Having a decent thief as a contact could be useful.

"And I suppose I should offer you the use of my sword should you ever need it."

Vahni looked at Kassian, bit his lip to hold in a snort, and then just couldn't help it any longer.

He burst into laughter.

It took Kassian a few seconds longer, but he got the joke.

"What?"  He grinned down at Vahni as the thief had a fit of laughter.  "Something I say strike you as funny?"

Still giggling and clutching at his stomach, Vahni lightly elbowed Kassian in the side and waggled his eyebrows. "Heh heh, I could sure use yer sword," he snickered.

"Oh yes," Kassian said, reclining back and content to go along with the jest.  "A long, hard sword just for your use."

"With a big, thick shaft?" Vahni said with a wink--before he paused and scrunched up his face. "Er, handle? Hilt? Uh, whatsit called?"

Kassian got a laugh out of that one.  "Hilt," he said.  "Shaft would be a quarterstaff or an arrow or some such.  No shaft on an actual sword."

"Gotcha," Vahni said, and to make up for his ruined joke, added, "Well, either way, wouldn't mind fallin' on yer sword."

"My sword, ey?"  Kassian raised a brow at Vahni in question, undecided if Vahni had meant that as suggestive as it had sounded or if this was another lapse in foresight.

"Yeah! Yer sword," Vahni said, and gave Kassian his best attempt at a suggestive look, eyes hooded, eyebrows waggling, and...okay, the eyebrow waggle probably ruined it.

And so did the laughter that followed.