OOC:
Tags to
@FlowyWolf!!
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IC:
"Pfft." Lorin blew a strand of her long black hair out of her eyes, but it fell right back down. She pulled it back to tuck into her hair tie as she walked down the busy street.
It was hot out, but not unbearably so, and despite being completely out of money, Lorin wasn't in a bad mood. She had a job to do.
She needed money, and there was a fast and exiting way to get it. There was a very nice manor house here in Ketra, and inside there was a huge pile of gold. Well, it was hidden in the basement, and Lorin was very set on getting at least some of the gold.
But the thing was, two people were needed for the job, or, at least, it would be much easier that way. There were traps, Lorin knew, and they were supposedly pretty hard to get past.
Lorin usually worked solo, the thief getting in and out silently and quickly, getting what she needed for herself. She was sometimes hired by Thieves' Guilds, but was rarely assigned a partner. All the same, Lorin like people, and didn't mind wanting a little assistance with this job.
The elf was thinking about which bat she would go to to find a suitable partner when she saw something out of the corner of her sharp eyes.
She wouldn't have seen him if she wasn't a thief herself, because the young man seemed to blend into the shadows so well. It looked as if he had just picked the pocket of a lord, but the purse didn't look very full.
A possible candidate.
Lorin slowly made her way across the street towards the small thief, being careful to make it look like she was a simple traveler looking to buy her wares on market day, so the young man wouldn't think she was coming for him. Thieves are generally spooked when they see someone coming straight towards them. A thief's job is to go unnoticed, and, for most, attention is not a good thing. Being sneaky was almost always a good way to approach a thief.
The street was busy, and Lorin made a quite believable show of looking at the vegetables of a vendors' stand that was near the young man.
"You want a job?" Lorin whispered out of the corner of her mouth to the boy, being as discreet as possible while still attempting to draw his attention.
The boy walked quietly down the crowded streets of Ketra, managing to never touch a single person thanks to his small size.
It was his job, not to draw any kind of attention toward him, and he was doing it pretty well.
Raven had already found his prey, and he followed him very carefully, he couldn't miss that wonderful opportunity. Touching the scar on his left cheek, as to remember what would have happened if he had failed, he got closer the unaware man, ready to take action.
Raven smiled when he got closer to his prey; -it's gonna be easy- he thought when he saw those tiny strings around the man's little bag.
Then, when he finally was sure no one was watching him, he slipped into that dense crowd and, drawing his knife unnoticed, he cut with one single hit the strings.
His other hand was there, ready to take the falling bag, and as soon as it reached his palm, he was already far from the robbed man.
As he finished his job, he stopped at a stand near there and, pretending to watch some fruits, he took the money out of the bag without moving them from his waistcoat's pocket.
However, while he was hardly managing not to show his disappointment, a voice reached his ears.
"You want a job?". Raven instantly raised his head, frightened. There were three women at the stand near him, two humans and an elf, but none of them was watching him.
However, Raven was sure those words were referred to him.
Holding something in his hand he barely recognized as an apple, he asked even more distractedly for its price, while watching the women at the stand.
-What this elf wants from me?- as he looked to the other two women, in fact, he instantly noticed they were talking to each other and, more important, their voice were different from the one he heard before.
His first thought was to run away quickly from there, he wasn't sure to want to know what she was talking about.
However, maybe for his desperate need of moneys, or maybe for the evil plan he quickly began to develop in his mind, he looked up toward the elf and said innocently:
"You're right, my friend, an apple would be a perfect snack for us!".
Lorin smiled, good, he was playing along.
"Ah, let's go sit and eat," she said, starting slowly towards a bench that was sitting in front of a nearby shop. She could now see that the person was about two years younger that she was, and while he seemed somewhat hesitant, he seemed to want to know what she wanted.
Hopefully they'd be able to make a mutual agreement about splitting the pay, Lorin so hated it when her partners insisted on more than their share. If a job was done fifty-fifty, then the profit should be split fifty-fifty. That's at least how Lorin saw it.
The elf sat down on the bench, which was tucked back into a small alcove. It was shadowed, and they would be mostly unnoticed sitting there.
Raven was disappointed when he saw the elf go toward a bench, without caring about paying for their snacks.
-Shit, now it's me who has to pay for it!- Biting his tongue for not having thought about this eventuality, he launched irritated his just earned coins to the merchant and, bringing those so highly paid apples with him, he went near the elf.
Raven was visibly worried, that unexpected spending made his need of money even worse, he absolutely had to find a way to earn enough to pay his master Jawin, or he would surely have received another sign of his fury. For an instant, he looked angrily at the young elf; she had ruined his plan, he made it all just to scrounge her a snack, but instead, it was he who had to offer it to her.
When he finally reached the bench were the elf was seated, he launched irritated the apple to her and, biting avidly the fruit he had paid so much for, he waited for her to talk.
-I just hope it's worth it, Jawin won't forgive me another time, if I don't get enough money neither today.-
"Sorry about that," Lorin said when the boy sat down next to her. "I am seriously completely out of money, don't have a coin on me." This was true, but then she got to the point. "No use making small talk," she said. "So, I need help on a job. There's a rich duke who lives in Ketra not far from here, in a bog old manor house. I've heard that there's a vault in the basement. Yes, I'm sure it's really there too, and not just some rumor. Anyway, I'm aiming to steal some of it, and I need help. The duke's name is Ralion, and, supposedly, there are all sorts of traps and stuff preventing thieves from stealing the gold." Lorin leaned back, taking a bite of the apple. "So, that's the general gist of it," she said after she swallowed.
If the boy agreed to help, she would fill him in on the details. After all, she didn't want to tell him everything, he disagree, and then go and rat out on her to the city guard. But Lorin assumed he was accept despite his worried looks, after all, he had hardly any money now that he'd bought the apples.
The elf took another bite of the apple and waited for a response.
Raven listened to the elf's excuses with an irritated look, still thinking about the money he had just lost.
-Well, just my lucky day, finding a thief poorer than I actually am...- depressed, Raven bite again his apple; at least, he could satisfy his stomach, since he had paid that delicious fruit.
When, however, he heard about the job the elf was proposing him, he almost choke.
He couldn't believe what he was hearing, did she really wanted to rob a duke?
Raven couldn't believe what he was hearing, that foolish elf hoped he could actually help her doing such an impressive robbery, he that was just a common thief...
As he thought this, however, he suddenly became serious, as his evil mind started to work properly.
-Actually, she doesn't know I've never did such kind of things...-
Biting again the almost finished apple, Raven turned toward the elf, trying to look like as if he was sure about what he was saying.
"So, you need my help, uh... and, let's see, what about my reward, how much are we talking about?"
Lorin narrowed her eyes slightly at the boys sudden mood change. Always suspicious, Lorin wondered about the young man, but she didn't say anything about it.
"I'm not sure the exact amount in the vault," she said. "But I know there's a lot, and whatever we get, we'll split, fifty-fifty."
She hoped he would agree. He was rather young, but at that age Lorin had been quite successful, and the elf wasn't one to judge a book by its cover. But all the same, she knew nothing about this young man, nothing about his skills, his personality, not even his name. Nothing. But Lorin was a risk-taker, and there was always an adventure to be had with her.
As Raven heard the words "fifty-fifty", his eyes lit up with joy.
-Woah, fifty-fifty... she really considers me as a professional thief...- getting excited for how things were going, Raven finished his apple and tried to seem unimpressed for her offer. He had already forgotten about the danger that mission could bring to the table, all he saw was the money he could get, enough to avoid Jawin's punishments for at least two weeks.
For a moment, he even thought about asking her for something more, it wasn't good to end a negotiation so quickly, but he feared she could give up as soon as he spoke. However, he couldn't make the deal too quickly; he also had to think about his safety, above all.
Therefore, throwing away the apple's core, he looked around to be sure no one was watching them, and then, he finally turned to the elf and, smiling as politely as he could, he simply said:
"I'm kinda interested in it, so... tell me something more, and we could have a deal..."
Lorin smirked, good, he was at least interested, she didn't need him to tell her that, she could tell just from the look on his face.
"Okay," she said. "So I've been scouting out the layout of the duke's manor for the past week, finding out the routines of the guards, the entrances and exits, which doors are secluded, which are not, that sort of thing. I know somewhat about the layout inside from other thieves who have attempted, and failed, to steal the gold."
Lorin was down to the core of her apple, but she didn't throw it away, not yet. "So I'm pretty knowledgeable about the manor, and other manors I've stolen from are similar in structure and security, so I'm mostly familiar. Have you done any jobs like this in the past?"
As the elf spoke, Raven's eyes opened widely, scared.
-What? A duke's manor, is this the job she want us to do?- he had to fight back his tongue not to let it express its skepticism.
However, as she kept talking, Raven calmed down; it was obvious she wasn't a normal thief like him.
She was a professional one, she had been investigating for who knows how many days, before to take action.
And she have chosen Raven. He had yet to decide if he had been very lucky, or if it was just another trick from his doom. However, he was sure about one thing: he couldn't miss that chance. It was too late, the sun had already started descending toward his nighttime refuge, and he had nothing but a handful of useless coins.
When the elf finally asked that thorny question, Raven was still uncertain about how to respond to it, so he let his instinct to decide at his place.
"Yeah, I've done something like this in the past..." it wasn't completely a lie, actually, he really robbed in some houses. Of course, it wasn't a duke's manor, but a simple merchant's house guarded by anyone but a dog or a stupid boy, but he avoided giving her this information.
As for the traps, he had to work against them just one time, the past year... instinctively, Raven looked the scar onto his left arm. Well, that time didn't went well at all.
Fighting back the anger brought by those memories, he smiled again to the elf:
"So, when do we start?".
Lorin caught the look in the kid's eyes as she spoke, and she bit back a chuckle. Obviously this was somewhat big for him!
When she finished talking and asked her question, she studied how he answered. There wasn't a pause, but his answer was quite undescriptive.
However, she followed his gaze to his arm, where a scar marred the flesh. Perhaps it hadn't gone so well last time? Lorin mentally shrugged. That was fine, she liked a challenge.
"So, what's next?" Lorin pondered aloud. "So, you're in?" It seemed like he was, but there hadn't been any formal decision, and Lorin wanted a handshake before giving over her plan, even though thieves weren't always known for their honor.
Raven was still a bit frightened to answer to that last question.
He was obviously in, he knew it, he had no other chances to earn enough money to avoid Jawin's punishment. Yet, it was hard to say it loudly, he had an alarming foreboding about that mission, and he couldn't find the courage to make it official.
Raven looked again at the young elf for a moment. She seemed to be a skilled thief, and her previous words proved it. Probably, the boy actually could have some chances to get the job done with her help. At the end, even if he wasn't so experienced, he wasn't neither so bad in what he usually did.
"Yep. Count on me, Elf." Smiling at her, he lifted his arm toward her, willing to set the deal with a handshake as soon as possible, before she could change her mind.
If that hit had ended well, Raven could give to Jawin enough money to be safe for weeks, maybe even a month, and that thought couldn't do anything but make him smile happily, oblivious of the danger he was going to face.
Lorin saw him hesitate, but smiled as he held out his hand. She took it and shook firmly.
"Good," she said. "Now, as for my plan. . ." she looked around. The street was still busy enoguh so their voices would not carry, but empty enoguh so Lorin could see that no one was spying on them. "We'll go in tomorrow night," she said, looking at the setting sun. "Not tonight. I know how to get in the actual manor, so that shouldn't be too much of a problem, as long as we both keep quite and you follow instructions," she looked you boy in the eyes her green eyes giving an unspoken warning. If he didn't follow her instructions, they could be caught, and very bad things could happen. She continued. "Once we're in, getting down to the vault will be a bit trickier, but there are, of course, no traps in the living space of the manor. There are two guards standing in front of the hall leading to the vault, and two guards directly in front of the vault door. We should be able to take care of them pretty quickly." Lorin looked at the boy. "But there'll be no killing unless absolutely, and I mean absolutely necessary. If someone dies and it's not necessary, then the deal's off, okay?"
She wouldn't continue unless the young man agreed.
Sadness caught Raven when he heard they wouldn't have done nothing before the following night.
That ruined all his hopes, now he had to go back to Jawin without enough money to avoid his fury, and that meant...
He shook his head furiously, he couldn't think about it in such a moment like that, he had to pay attention to the elf's words.
In fact, her tone was pretty serious, and her eyes were not hiding the importance of her warning. It was a serious job, more than anything he had ever done, and when he heard about the remote possibility they could kill anyone, he was seriously thinking to give up.
But he couldn't, he really needed that job.
"Don't worry, I'm not going to kill anyone." Then, he suddenly had an idea. It was dangerous wo stay away from Jawin's house for so long, but he had no other chances. Besides, if their job was successful, he could have paid Jawin enough to make him forget about his long absence.
Therefore, looking around to be sure no one of Jawin's men were around, he said smiling as innocently as he could.
"So, where are you going to spend the night? I mean, maybe we could stay together and talk about our job, if that's not a problem..."
Lorin nodded at his agreement. She did not like killing one bit, and there had been very few times that she had to kill someone on a job. It just wasn't something she wanted to do. She was fine taking peoples material belongings, but killing someone else in the process wasn't worth it. She would rather give up the job and run than take a life.
Her eyes narrowed when he asked where she was going to stay.
"You don't have a place to stay?" she asked, evading his question with one of her own. She still didn't know this young man, and wasn't going to trust him with any more information than she needed to.
"Of course I have a place to stay, I'm not a bum! It's just..." Raven's upset quickly disappeared, replaced from his usual worries. "... complicated."
He couldn't explain the whole story, it was too long and truly complicated, and his stupid shout could have caught someone's attention, he couldn't risk to talk about Jawin anymore.
"Listen, it was just an idea, never mind, just tell me where and when we'll meet, and then I'll go my own way." Definitely, it wasn't his lucky day. Everything was going wrong for him, ever since from the beginning. With those premises, it was actually really likely that job would have been a whole disaster.
"Okay, okay," Lorin chuckled at his quick words, then leaned back in her seat and thought for a moment. "Hmm. . . We'll meet in the alleyway adjoining King St. and Akkiel St. It's not too far from the manor, and no one will be around that time of night. . . Oh, yeah, we'll meet at about one 'o' clock. That fine with you?"
This young man seemed like he wanted the job, but he hesitated sometimes, and there was definitely something he was hiding. Although it didn't really matter what it was, as long as it didn't interfere with the mission.
"Yeah, fine..." more than depressed, Raven stayed there, sitting on the cold stone and swinging slowly his short legs.
So, he actually had to come back to Jawin's home that night. He couldn't do anything else, he had no money to pay a hostel, nor he couldn't spend the night in Ketra's streets. Jawin had a lot of friends, even if it was really unimaginable to the boy, and they could have found him and brought him back to his master.
Then, Raven didn't want to even think about what he would have done to him.
His only hope was that Jawin had a profitable day, so that he could forgive him. Maybe, if he told him about the job he had founded... no, he couldn't, he didn't know how he could react knowing he was going to rob in a duke's manor. Moreover, if his master didn't know about his rob, Raven could have hidden his money from him and then use them in the days in which he couldn't steal enough.
Or better, he could use them to go away...
Massaging distractedly the scar onto his left arm, he almost forgot the elf was still there, as absorbed as he was from his fears and focused not to let those furious tears come out from his dark eyes.
Lorin could see immediately the sadness in the boy's voice, and she leaned forward.
"Tell you what," she said, smirking. "You tell me why you're so hesitant and stuff, and I'll pay for a room for you at the inn I'm staying at. Oh, and before you answer saying I don't have any money. . ." Lorin held up a slender finger and stood. She walked into the street and looked around, then turned around and bumped, hard, into a man walking towards her.
"Oh, goodness, sorry, sir!" she said. The man grumbled and walked away. Lorin skipped back to the boy, holding a pouch in her hand.
"Money," she said, tosing the pouch in the air before deftly catching again. "Now, tell me what's up with you or you're sleeping wherever it is that you really don't want to sleep."
Raven jumped from the fear when he heard the elf's voice, as absorbed from his thoughts as he was.
But hearing that wonderful offering was something he didn't hoped anymore to happen, and his eyes didn't hide his happiness, erasing quickly the sadness inside them and turning their tears into joyful ones.
Watching the elf in action, Raven was astonished. She was so good, Raven was in awe, she robbed that pouch as if it was the simplest thing in the world, even him, who was aware of her intentions, hardly saw his stealthy movements.
Raven bit his lower lip, thoughtful. His threat was scaring, he didn't want at all to come back at his place, not after dreaming to not come back there for that night.
But, if he wanted to make that dream come true, he had to trust that little known elf and telling his story, and he wasn't really at ease with that.
However, his silence was lasting too much, the elf could get bored to wait his answer, so he finally decided to speak, trying to disclose just the minimum required.
"You see, I... well, I work for a master, and... well, the thing is, if I came back to him without enough money, then he would punish me hardly and... well, actually, I've not enough money."
Hoping the elf could be satisfied by that little explanation, he nevertheless avoided to watch the woman in her eyes, scared she could see through them more about his life.
Lorin sat back down on the bench next to the boy, seeing his obvious relief. Whatever place he had to stay at, or thought he had to, must be pretty bad.
But then his face clouded again, and Lorin frowned as he revealed the small bits of information. He was obviously revealing as little as he could, and would not meet her eye.
Lorin bit her lip, she could live with that, for now. But she was sure she'd be able to get more information about him later. It didn't really matter, not to the mission, but Lorin was curious by nature, and while she was a thief, she hated to see people suffer. As per the reason she didn't steal from the poor.
"Hey," she patted him once on the shoulder, not wanting to intrude into his personal space, but wanting to console him, at least a bit. "You'll have a room at that inn."
She took half the coins out of the bulging purse and held them out to the boy. The money there was more than enough to pay for a room and even a few good meals, but not too much, she didn't want to loose his help.
Those few words were the sweetest things the elf could say, so much that Raven was tempted to jump onto his feet and hug her strongly, but he held himself back. He didn't want to look even more desperate than he already did.
However, when he saw the elf was holding the money out to him, Raven finally decided to look in her eyes, grateful.
"Thanks..." he didn't know what to say, she was showing him such a warm heart, more than anyone had ever done before, and the tears in the boy's eyes were starting to slip onto his cheek, reaching his scar and using it as a ramp to reach his mouth.
"If you want, I can contribute with what I stole before." It wasn't very much, probably he could have paid just a low end meal, but it wasn't right she had to pay him everything.
"Can I ask you a question?". Raven was afraid of what was going to ask her, but he couldn't resist the urge to do it.
Therefore, without waiting for the elf to answer him, he said almost whispering:
"Why are you doing all these nice things to me?".
"Oh, gosh," Lorin chuckled somewhat uncomfortably. "Don't cry, it's nothing."
She wasn't experienced with this sort of thing, but she shook her head when he offered to contribute his money. "Don't worry about it," she said, holding up a hand to deny his offer.
Lorin sniffed a laugh when he asked his question.
"Why? I don't know. Money isn't everything, and I know that sounds funny as a thief," she looked down for a moment before looking back into his face, "but people shouldn't depend so much on material things. Stealing doesn't seem so bad to me, since losing items has never been a issue of mine, though I guess it can be to others. But. . ."
She shrugged. "I guess I'm helping you. . . Because, because it's the right thing to do."
Raven didn't realize he was crying, not until the elf said it to him and he tasted the tear's salty flavor into his mouth. Then, he quickly dried his tears with his arm and turned his eyes away from her, embarrassed.
"Money isn't everything" she said, and actually, it did sound funny to hear that from a thief
However, Raven didn't know a lot about money; to him, it was just the only way he could avoid Jawin's punishments. And to be sure not to starve to death.
Therefore, her complicated speech wasn't so understandable for the young boy. Of course, neither him had ever had any problem losing something material, since he hadn't nothing to lose, but how could people live without material things? They needed money to buy food, clothes to protect them from the cold and so on, and even what people bought with money was a material thing, so...
Raven shook quickly his head, those complicated thoughts were making him crazy, and they were also worthless. What was really worth his attention, however, was the elf's kindness.
The boy couldn't fully trust her yet, at the end, he met her just some minutes before, but her words seemed sincere to him.
Moreover, he couldn't see what kind of advantage she could have offering him a place to spend the night.
Therefore, also pushed by the happiness for finding a way not to come back home for the night, he jumped off the bench and, after checking there were no cats near them, he finally said:
"Well... thanks, really. By the way, my name is Raven, nice to meet you."
Lorin smiled as the boy seemed to cheer up, the elf wasn't accustomed to comforting people.
"It's nice to meet you, too, Raven," Lorin said. "I'm Lorin."
It wasn't customary for Lorin to reveal her last name to anybody, unless it was absolutely necessary, or the person was close, though there were hardly any people Lorin was really close to.
"Shall we go?" Lorin asked. "Will the guy you work for try to find you?"
A dark cloud covered his face the very moment Lorin asked him that worrying question.
Actually, it was unlikely Jawin had bothered to find him, not for just an absence of a night. Moreover, he had contacts with the guards who checked Ketra's gate, so he wouldn't be worried he could have left the city.
But Raven couldn't be sure about that and, moreover, his master had a lot of friends in Ketra, they could have recognized the boy and brought him back to Jawin just to try to please the influential merchant.
Therefore, his voice broken from the concern, he answered whispering:
"It could happen, so, please, lead the way..."
"Okay," Lorin clapped a hand on his shoulder once before she stood. "It's not too far from here."
She waited for the boy and then started down the street. Not far down they turned into an alleyway, then into another. They twisted and turned through the streets, down many more than seemed necessary.
"To throw anyone who may be following off our trail," Lorin said, as they climbed up a ladder to the top of a building. From there they jumped a small gap to the next building and then down onto the street.
Ten minutes after they had left the bench, they were standing outside of a fairly well-lit building. It was a average inn, not to fancy, not to dirty.
"Well, here we are!" Lorin said cheerfully.
Raven walked quickly behind Lorin, looking restless around. Now he had found a way not to come back to Jawin, he finally realized how hazardous was what he was going to do.
Luckily, the elf was a real professional in those kind of things, and all those turns proved it.
When they finally reached the inn, Raven was way more relaxed than when they left the bench. No one had followed them, he was pretty sure about it, and the inn was pretty far from Jawin's house. The only way things could go better than that, was to find a black cat in front of the inn's door.
However, even if there were no cats around, Raven was happy anyway.
For one night, he would have lived as a normal guy, sleeping in a real bed and eating something surely better than some leftovers; if he was lucky, he could also have finally tasted an ale.
And maybe, the next day, he could also have earned enough to improve his living condition for a while.
Driven by that thoughts, he passed at her right and opened the inn's door, unaware of any good manner.
Raven kept up well, and he walked ahead of her into the inn. She quickly followed, and stepped ahead of him through the door, stepping up to the bar.
"How can I help ye?" the innkeeper behind the counter asked, recognizing Lorin, as she had stayed here the night before. "Somethin' ye need in your room?"
"No, it's all good there," Lorin smiled. "I actually need another room for my friend here."
She motioned for Raven to step up, as she had given him the money. "The room next to mine would be great," she said. "If it's open."
"It is," the bartender said, looking to Raven for the money.
Those two syllables sounded wonderful to the boy's ears, those were the final confirmation he was really going to spend the night far from Jawin's house.
As excited as he was, he didn't notice the gaze the bartender threw him, asking for money, but he kept on looking around curiously. He never saw that inn before, actually, he never stayed in an inn for more than two or three minutes, the time to steal some pockets and run away.
It was nice, a large hall full of round tables and stool, and the air was full of a wonderful smell of roasted ham and ale.
An embarrassed cough interrupted the boy while he was trying to see what two men were doing at their table. He turned his head to the bartender, and then Lorin, unaware of what the man was asking him.
"What?" the boy finally asked, puzzled, and so the bartender threw an embarrassed look to Lorin, and then back to him.
"You know you have to pay to stay here, right?". Raven felt instantly irritated, hearing how that stupid innkeeper was speaking. His tone was unmistakable, he was talking as if he had a child in front of him, and Raven couldn't stand when someone treated him like that.
"Of course I know, I'm not stupid!". Irritated, he took two of the coins Lorin gave him before and launched them onto the counter, turning away to avoid the innkeeper's eyes.
Raven had no idea how much could a room there cost, but he couldn't ask it to that rude man, or he could think he really was a stupid child.
Lorin raised an eyebrow as Raven completely didn't notice that he was supposed to pay. But the smirk that had appeared on her face as the bartender spoke to Raven dissipated as he snapped at the man.
The bartender frowned and shook his head, but didn't say anything, after all, Raven was a customer, and the innkeeper didn't want to drive him away. Lorin, however, had no such qualms.
"Hey," she snapped at Raven, grabbing his arm and turning him around to face the bar again. "That wasn't very manly of you, you're acting like a kid. And I need someone mature to help me."
Lorin didn't say anything more, but those few words could have been interpreted as a threat. 'If you don't start acting like an adult, our deal's off and you don't get the job.'
Raven froze hearing Lorin's words, astonished. He did understood the threat hidden behind those words, and he didn't like it at all.
Therefore, trying to fix his mistakes, the boy stared at the innkeeper showing him his best regretful eyes and throwing him another coin.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to be rude, it's just I had a bad day..." as he spoke, he turned his head toward Lorin, hopeful. His eyes were speaking loudly, asking the elf to forgive him; yet, they also tried to preserve some pride.
"So..." he said, hoping everything was finally all right "shall I offer you a drink, my lady?" as the boy spoke, he pointed to an empty table near them, embarrassed. He really wanted to make a good impression to the elf, even if he didn't know how to do it.
Lorin nodded as Raven handed the bartender another coin, and hid a smile as Raven offered her a drink. He really was a kid.
"Don't worry about it," the bartender smiled at Raven. "We've all had bad days!"
Lorin smiled at Raven as he looked at her, seemingly asking her for forgiveness, and she chuckle, shaking her head as he mentioned a drink.
"You really don't have to, Raven," she said. "It's okay."
Happy that Lorin wasn't mad with him, Raven however wanted badly to have a drink, since that was his first chance to taste an ale, and probably his last too.
At the end, however, he could wait until the dinner to taste it.
So, looking at the stairs near the counter that probably would led to the bedrooms, he started thinking if they should have gone upstairs to plan their stroke. Actually, it was better not to talk about it in front of other people.
Therefore, still disappointed to have to wait for that new experience, he finally said to the elf:
"So, do you prefer to go upstairs and... you know what." It wasn't good to talk openly about their business, Raven knew it, but what he didn't understand at all was the misunderstanding that his words could generate.
Lorin concealed yet another chuckle at Raven's words, he really was just a kid. She glanced over to see the very surprised look on the bartender's face. Apparently he had heard Raven as well, and taken the words in a different way than the boy had meant them.
"Sure," Lorin said. "I'd love to talk about it, I think this caravan guard job is going to work out great."
The bartender immediately seemed to relax, understanding that he had misinterpreted Raven's words, though he didn't know Lorin had been lying.
"Can I have the key to the room?" Lorin stepped back up to the bar, and the innkeeper gave her the key. "Let's go." Lorin tossed Raven the key and started for the stairs. "We'll get dinner in a bit."
Raven immediately understood why Lorin had spoken that way. She was right, it was better to give a false explanation, than to imply it, and that excuse was perfect.
Once again, the elf had proven she was a real professional, Raven knew he could have learnt a lot from her.
"Yeah, I agree. Let's go!" as he spoke, the boy ran behind Lorin and followed her upstairs, looking around to catch every single particular of that inn. It was his first time he saw the bedroom's floor of an inn, but he couldn't enjoy his tour in that moment.
His eyes, in fact, were twisting around carefully, looking for every little sign of danger.
Then, when they got in front of the doors, he finally asked the elf:
"So, do you prefer to stay in your room, or in mine?".
"We can talk in mine," Lorin said, opening the door and stepping inside. The room looked as though it hadn't been stayed in, there weren't any things around. Even when Lorin stayed in an inn for more than one night she always kept her things with her, who knew if she would have to leave town fast for some reason? Better not to risk losing the only things she owned.
She dropped her very small pack on the bed and sat down at the head of the bed. "We'll get something to eat in a few minutes," she said, pulling her hair out of it's long ponytail and letting it fall down her back and over her shoulders.
As Lorin opened the door, Raven threw an inquiring look beyond her, curious to see how a true bedroom could be.
And when he saw it, he was astonished.
That room was way more than different from where he was used to sleep, there were even a bed inside it, and a closet, and even a bedside table, and a window, and even a small consumed rug on the floor next to the bed.
"Wow... I didn't believe you had rent the luxury bedroom..." he finally said, still standing out of the bedroom, afraid to profane that luxurious place.
Lorin chuckled again as Raven gaped at the room. It was nothing special, very simple, actually, and many would turn up their noses, but apparently this was all new to Raven.
"This is actually kind of shabby," Lorin said, patting a spot on the bed, motioning for Raven to sit down. "What's the place like where you have previously stayed?"
It must be pretty bad, considering that Raven seemed to think this place was luxurious.
Raven opened his eyes wide, hearing that was a shabby room, according to the elf.
"Well, actually, it's way worse than this..." Raven bit his lips as he said it; he didn't want to seem just a common tramp to her.
"I mean... there's not even a real bed..." he finally said, lowering his tone of voice as he found no other thing to say.
He wouldn't have talk about the fact they were sleeping in the basements, nor about the rats that usually shared the blanket with them, and so on.
Therefore, trying to change the subject as quickly as possible, he jumped onto the comfortable bed in front of him, accepting Lorin's invitation and trying not to look so pleasantly surprised about the mattress' softness.
"So, tell me, is there something I should know about our job?".
"There's nothing to special about the job," Lorin said, thinking. "Though I know that the security is pretty high, and some of the traps are deadly."
She looked sideways at Raven. "If you don't want to do this, that's fine, you can keep the money I gave you and go." She wasn't sure hope skilled the kid was, but she knew he was somewhat of an amateur, at least when it came to something like this job. And even though he'd said he'd done a breaking-and-entering job before, Lorin didn't know how dangerous it had been.
Raven froze hearing her words, scared as hell.
"What? No, I won't give up, why should I!". He was almost jumping off the bed, as agitated as he was, yet he managed not to move. He knew why she said that, he had acted so stupidly for all the time they were there, and now she surely feared he was useless for their job.
"I just wanted to be sure to know everything, that's all." Jumping off the bed, he arranged his clothes and, trying to look as adult as he could and deepen his voice, he turned his head toward Lorin.
"Well then, if we have nothing more to plan, why won't we go downstairs, in front of a good mug of ale and some stew?".
Lorin's eyes widened as the kid seemed to freak out. She watched him as he attempted to make himself more like an adult, and she watched him, somewhat sadly. When he had finished speaking, she stood and took a step towards him. He was slightly shorter than she was, and she chuckled.
"Raven," she said. "I'm not going to cut you from this job, no matter you're experience." She grinned. "Besides, this is going to be fun! What's the fun in doing a job if you know it's going to be easy and you'll have no trouble at all? If you're perfectly prepared for everything, you're never going to experience anything new! So, what I'm saying is, it doesn't matter if you've don a hundred jobs like this or none, we're doing the job, and we're doing it together."
The boy's eyes widened as Lorin started her speech, surprised.
In an instant, she did not only reassure him about his fears, but she also spurred him in doing that job, and just be himself. At the end, she was right, what was the fun in doing something you know you could be good in? It was way better to do something you almost never did before, she was right...
Who the hell was that woman, so clever and trustful? Besides all Raven's mistakes, in fact, she did not only still let him work with her, but she actually looked even happy about his attendance.
Fighting hardly against their tears, Raven's eyes stared deeply at the elf's ones, both thankful and clumsy. Her speech was worthy of a general, it would have inspired a whole legion of soldiers, and therefore the boy's chest was filled with proud and will to prove his valor.
Pushed by Lorin's words, Raven jumped toward the elf and, without trying anymore to seem more adult than he actually was, he hugged her with all his strength, touched.
Then, when he finally realized what he was actually doing, he quickly jumped back onto his feet and, trying to seem as emotionless as he could, he finally said:
"Thanks, I appreciate that... Now, shall we..." he said, pointing to the door and avoiding Lorin's eyes, embarrassed.
Raven seemed quite awed by her little speech, and Lorin was only slightly surprised by the hug, but she then hugged him back, until he abruptly pulled away.
She smiled, this kid really must have had an awful life. "Sure, let's get something to eat."
After waiting for Raven, she stepped through the door and walked down the steps into the common room. She sat down at a table and looked at the piece of paper on the table that listed the items that the inn had to serve.
As they get to their table, Raven did the same Lorin was doing and took the paper he found onto the table, unaware of what could he found there so interesting.
He wasn't a fast reader, obviously, he actually never read anything but some notes and some lists, so he needed some moments before to understand what was that paper.
Hardly hiding his astonishment, his eyes started to jump from one exquisite dish to another one, incredulous.
He wasn't just going to have a real meal, but he actually could pick up whatever he wanted!
"Wow, that's so many things here..." he suddenly whispered, mostly talking to himself. Then, finally remembering he wasn't alone there, he looked up to Lorin and asked smiling:
"What are you going to take?". He was thinking to take the stew he was dreaming of since when he entered there, its smell was still torturing his little nose. Yet, he wanted to know what the elf was going to take, before to make his decision official. At the end, she was probably way more experienced than he was.
"Hmm," Lorin hummed as she scanned over the menu. "I've been here before, and I've had some of the things on the menu. . . So. . . I'll go with the spiced potatoes and stew." She looked up at Raven. "But you should pick whatever you like, everything is good here, in my experience."
As Lorin looked back to the menu, she wondered what Raven usually had to eat. From how it sounded, his master wasn't a very nice person, considering he seemed quite amazed at the plain bedroom that they had been given here, and how afraid he had seemed earlier today.
"Do you drink?" she asked Raven, looking back up at him. She didn't say weather she did or not, she wanted to know the truth, and not have him be influenced by what she did.
Raven's eyes glared joyfully as the elf revealed his order. If a so-experienced lady ordered the stew, saying it was good, he simply couldn't order anything else.
"Wonderful, I was going to pick the same things!" he said putting down the menu and looking around to find who was going to pick their orders.
Then, hearing Lorin's question, he quickly answered excited; he won't miss such a wonderful chance to finally taste the flavor of a good ale.
"Of course, I'll take an ale, and you?".
Another man near them had just ordered a huge, tempting wooden mug full of that golden, sparkly, refreshing liquid. Raven had heard lot of stories about that drink, they told him it was a sort of potion, something that could intoxicate and make you feel more confident, other said it could let you speak more freely, somebody even said it could make you even stronger and more skilled.
He didn't know what kind of effect it could have on him, but he surely wanted to try that mystic experience once in his life.
Lorin wondered if he really had had ale before, but she nodded. "Me too," she said, and at that moment the barmaid came over.
"Are you ready to order?" she asked, smiling, and Lorin nodded, stating what she'd have. "What about you?" the barmaid looked over to Raven.
"The same as her, thanks..." he said, eagerly waiting for his meal to reach his table.
When the barmaid left them all alone, however, and a deep silent dropped onto the table, Raven raised his eyes toward Lorin, quickly trying to find something to talk about.
He wasn't used at all to that kind of situations, he usually had his meal all by himself or with his mates, and when this happened, no one ever wanted to talk at all.
"So... what about you, where are you from?" he finally asked, finding anything but that simple question to try to break the ice.
Unlike Raven, the silence wasn't awkward to Lorin, but she smiled at the boy's attempt at conversation.
"I was born in Selevea, Serendipity," the elf said. "I was abandoned by my parents at a workhouse when I was born. I ran away when I was seven, and have been working like this since then."
Lorin wasn't hesitant to talk about her past, she wasn't ashamed of it, and it held no really bad memories, after all she had never known her parents, and while she had been sometimes overworked in the workhouse, she wasn't bitter about it.
A dark cloud covered Raven's eyes as he heard about Lorin's past.
"Well, that sounds pretty familiar..." he was upset by her words, he couldn't believe such kind of things could be so common; what the hell was wrong with that damn world? Why people gave birth to their sons, just to sell or abandon them after just a few years?
Another deep silence filled the space between the two of them, even more embarrassing and unpleasant than before; but Raven wasn't in the mood to try to start again the conversation.
Luckily, after just a few seconds, the barmaid came to their table bringing with him their ales, just what the boy needed to dissolve that fog of sadness around him.
"Thanks man!" he said smiling happily; those bad memories won't have ruined that memorable moment, and he couldn't wait anymore for it.
Therefore, acting as the people he had seen in taverns during his life, he raised the heavy mug and, looking Lorin straight into her emerald eyes with a sincere smile, he simply said excited:
"Cheers!"
Lorin was debating whether or not to ask Raven about his past when the barmaid returned with their drinks, Lorin thanked the woman as she took hers.
She looked back to Raven as the barmaid walked away, and she smiled at the boy's enthusiasm. She raised her drink up to his before bringing back to her mouth to take a long pull of the beverage.
After the toast, Raven looked yearning at the mug in his hands, almost scared, before to finally find the courage to bring it to his mouth.
As the soft foam touched his lips, he suddenly felt its bubbles tickling on it, and a slightly bitter flavor quickly reached his tongue.
It was strange, different from anything else he had ever tasted, and... it wasn't sure he liked it, but it had to, every man had to drink at least an ale while dining, he couldn't act anymore as a child.
Trying to hide his inner fight, Raven finally immersed in his ale and took a deep sip of it, keeping the liquid into his mouth for a while, before to swallow it.
It was the strangest sensation he had ever felt, all that sparkling in his mouth was both unpleasant and funny, and the flavor he had only tested before was now stronger and bitter in his mouth.
And then, Raven finally found the courage to swallow it, and suddenly all his throat was tickled by the sparkling drink, that bitter flavor quickly reached his stomach, rumbling in it wildly and filling his eyes with tears. Suddenly, all the air he had just swallowed raised again from his stomach, quickly flying through his throat and filling his mouth.
It was hard for the boy not to burp in surprise, but he somehow managed to stop the air just puffing up his cheeks, letting just a feeble blow to come out without making any noise.
Putting down the mug, he finally let the air trapped into his mouth out with a deep breath, relieved for how he behaved. Then, finally noticing the silence had once again fallen between them, he quickly said to the elf, trying to act as all he had just experienced was just nothing but normality:
"Pretty good, isn't it?".
Lorin had to fight from bursting out laughing at Raven's response to the drink as she swallowed her own mouthful, barely even noticing the sensation or flavor of the drink.
"I like it," she said, her eye twinkling. "But not all do. I've even met a dwarf who didn't like ale! Who would've thought?"
While she had really met that strange dwarf, she mostly just wanted to show Raven that it was okay not to like the drink, especially after a first time.
Raven felt relieved hearing Lorin's words; so, it wasn't so strange he didn't found it as good as he thought. However, more than that reassuring words, the following tale catch up his attention, making his eyes widening from the surprise.
"What, really, you meet a dwarf?". Then, realizing how stupid he could seem to be surprised by such a stupid thing, he quickly added:
"I mean, a dwarf who didn't like ale? I thought it was impossible!". Without thinking about it, Raven drank another small sip of his ale, quickly regretting about it as other invisible tears sparkled in his eyes.
"And..." he had to stop for a moment, another burp was fighting to come out from his throat. "... where did you met him?".
"Yep," Lorin nodded as Raven asked about the dwarf, and it crossed her mind that not everyone got around as much as she did.
"It was in a tavern in Zantaric, actually," she said. "I met him after I helped him out of a fight where a couple of thugs were beating him up and trying to steal his money. After, we went to a tavern, and he said he didn't like ale, or even alcohol in general. I thought this was strange, but, hey," she held up her hands, smiling, "who am I to judge him? Just 'cause he's a dwarf doesn't mean he has to conform to the stereotypical dwarf image."
"Well, I guess you're right..." actually, Raven did think every dwarf was as he heard about, since he never met one in his life, but Lorin's words seemed to be reasonably right.
"Wow, it seems like you've had an adventurous life, isn't it?" after another small sip of his ale, Raven was starting to get used to that bitter flavor in his mouth, and even if he didn't like it so much, he could manage to finish it; he would never waste something he had paid for.
"So, tell me, what is this place, Zantaric? I've never heard about it before..." actually, he barely heard about all the world but Adela, so he couldn't lose such a wonderful chance to hear wonderful tales about those far places he always just dreamt about.
"I suppose," Lorin said, shrugging. At that moment the waitress returned with their food. She set down a large bowl of steaming stew and a plate of spiced potatoes in front of Lorin, and placed an identical dish in front of Raven.
As she walked away Lorin turned back to Raven. "Zantaric," she said. "Well, to start, it's located just outside of Adela, kind of near the mountains, and it's a pretty. . . well, interesting place. It's the place where criminals go, basically, and not just thieves and people who cheat at cards, but there are some pretty bad people there. There's no government, so nobody cares about what you do there unless it hurts them specifically. All kinds of criminals gather there, from murderers to mages practicing dark arts to merchants looking to secure a shady business deal. You really have to watch your back there, there's no guarantee that someone won't walk up behind you and stab you in the back just to gather the few coins out of your pocket, or because they want your boots or you sword."
The elf paused to take a bite of her meal stew. When she swallowed she smiled at Raven. "This is really good, it always is here!"
Raven's eyes rejoiced seeing that wonderful, steaming bowl the waitress just brought to their table, and his stomach growled in ecstasy for the meal it was going to finally taste.
However, the boy's eyes darkened again quickly, hearing Lorin's tale about Zantaric. Of course, he didn't know anything about that place, nothing but some stupid voices about it, but hearing such a description from someone who actually went there was terrifying.
He used to spend a lot of time dreaming about the day when he would have run away from Adela, visited all kind of places and he had been finally free. But hearing how the world outside of Adela could be, he wasn't sure anymore that was a good idea.
Drinking another little sip of his ale and focusing on that tasty stew, however, he said to himself he didn't have to worry about it, at least not for the moment. Then, after hearing Lorin's appreciation about their meal, he slowly took too a bite of it, trying to enjoy every single moment of it.
But as the meat entered into his mouth, and all that spicy, creamy taste spread all over his tongue, he got speechless. It was the most incredible thing he had ever tasted, every single time his teeth cut the meat in smaller pieces, a new wave of flavor filled his mouth, tickling joyfully his papilla, and when he finally swallowed it down his throat, all that wonderful tasted spread until his stomach, heating pleasantly all his body.
"That's... that's the best thing I've ever eaten!" he finally said, without caring anymore about seeming more adult than he actually was and taking quickly another bite of his stew.
Lorin laughed. "I know, right?" she said, taking another bite of her stew. After swallowing she spoke again. "And then there's La'marri," she had seen the look on Raven's face when she told him about Zantaric, why not counter that criminal-ridden place with a nicer one? "La'marri is the exact opposite of Zantaric. It's similar in that really anyone is welcome, and there's no government, but that's where the similarities end. La'marri is a haven for artist and mages and anyone who wants free-expression and acceptance. Of course, there are a few un-written laws, but, in general, people there are civil and not criminals, they want to keep it as the nice place it is."
She took a few more bites of her stew, and then some of the potatoes. "Try the spiced potatoes," she said. "In my opinion, this is the best meal here, but the other options are really good too."
Raven didn't know if it was for how good the food was or for the wonderful place Lorin was telling him about, but his heart was jumping happily into his chest. At that moment, it was all so perfect, and her tale about that horrible place had already disappeared from his minds, wiped out by that new dream his mind had already started to build up.
Following Lorin's advice, Raven took some potatoes and, as he tasted them, he looked her with an adoring gaze for letting him taste that wonderful flavor.
As he swallowed the potatoes, he decided to try to drink another sip of ale, and when he did it, his assumption proved correct; even the ale, mixed with those wonderful tastes, seemed quite good.
"I don't know anything about the other meals, but trust me, I can't even imagine something tastier than these." All his inhibitions had almost dropped, defeated by that perfect moment he was living.
Therefore, fighting back another burp and focusing again about what his new friend told him, Raven finally asked:
"So, this La'marri... where's exactly, is it far from here?".
"It's not too far from here," Lorin said. "Maybe three or four weeks walking, faster with horses." After eating more of her food, she spoke again. "Have you ever been out of Ketra or Adela?" she asked. "Or is this mainly where you stay?"
She wasn't sure if Raven's master ever let him out of the city, or even off his radar, for too long. Lorin just hoped that this mission wouldn't be interrupted by his master. Actually, thinking about it, if Raven's master was really all that bad, Lorin didn't want the boy to go back at all. Despite his profession as a thief, he was still just a kid, and he shouldn't have to go through what he seemed to have to deal with where he lived, wherever that was.
Raven was puzzled by her words, did she really think three or four weeks walking wasn't far?
However, thinking about it, he never left the city, and he had no idea about how far could be the other nations. Maybe, four weeks walking was the nearest safe place he could reach from there, for what he knew.
"Nope, never left the city." He said, swallowing another huge bite of that delicious stew with the help of his ale. In another moment, he wouldn't have said it so easily, but he was so happy about how things were going, he would have told her a lot more than he usually did.
"But I'm going to leave as soon as possible from here..." when those words finished to go out from his mouth, however, Raven suddenly froze, understanding how much he was letting his guard down. "I mean, when I'll have the chance to start a life on my own, and..." Raven bit his lips, he was making things even worse, he had to do something about it.
"And you, would you like to put down roots in some place?". He finally asked, eager to move the subject to any other topic.
Lorin noticed Raven's uncertainty as he spoke, and how quickly he turned the question around to her. However, she let it pass, and didn't press any questions.
"I don't think so," she answered. "I like doing what I'm doing, it's fun, though I may change my mind as I get older. I'm just winging it as it is, I suppose I'll do that forever, just do what feels right, you know?"
It was only now that Lorin went back to what Raven had said earlier, and had seemed afraid to say, and when she spoke her voice was serious, unlike it had been this whole time. "You want to leave here? Get away from the life you lead?"
Raven couldn't agree more, it would have been really wonderful, to be free to do what he really wanted to do, just because he liked it.
But then, seeing the sudden seriousness in Lorin's face, Raven instantly froze, stopping even from chewing the meat in his mouth.
"You want to leave here? Get away from the life you lead?". As she spoke, Raven quickly looked around scared, trying to think how to avoid that question.
Pretending to choke, he started coughing just to take some time, supporting his play with a long sip of ale.
The tavern was almost empty, there were just five people in there, and no one seemed to hear what the two of them were saying, too busy in drinking and laughing as they were.
Raven's put his mug on the table, breathing out loudly. He started to feel something strange in his head, he had that strange sensation he never experienced before.
He wanted to talk with that nice elf and send away all those thorny worries.
Therefore, looking around one last time, just to be sure no one else was hearing their conversation, he finally answered:
"Well, you know, my life isn't exactly what a man could dream about, so... yeah, probably, if I get the chance, I would definitely move from here." The fear he felt as he was speaking, finally fled away as he finished doing it, and a new, wonderful sensation of relief rose from his chest.
Eager to strengthen that sensation of freeness he was discovering, he took another sip of his ale, wondering why he was drinking so much of that bitter drink, and then said:
"I don't know where I could go, I don't know anything but some stories about what lies out from this city, but... there must be a place where I could live freely, isn't it?" as he finished speaking, his chest was almost exploding from the happiness.
He never talked that way to anyone, but he was loving it and he didn't want to stop.
At first he seemed hesitant, then he took another drink of his ale, and began to speak more freely, until he seemed absolutely delighted.
It was a great thing to get a burden off your chest, Lorin knew that, but this seemed more, this seemed. . . Ah, the ale.
That was probably it, Lorin thought, the kid had never had alcohol before, who knew how it was affecting him?
Lorin nodded as he finished. "Hm," she said, continuing to nod. "There are plenty of places where you could be free, and I'm sure you'll find one."
She was considering mentioning the effects of the drink, but decided against it, for now, at least. The kid seemed pretty sensitive, and she didn't want to ruin his mood, even if it was slightly drink-induced.
"Yeah, you bet!" Raven said, happier than ever. It was all so perfect, the tavern, the stew, even that bitter ale, all was becoming perfect to him, thanks to that sensation of freedom he felt in his chest.
The only sad thing it was happening to that table, was that he had already eaten almost all of his delicious stew, all but a little piece of it which he was staring sadly, waiting the more he could before to make it disappear into his dry mouth.
Then, when he couldn't resist anymore, he took it with his spoon, trying to collect all the gravy around it, and he chew it with plenty of attention, before to swallow it with the help of his ale.
"Wow, it was delicious!" he finally said putting down heavily his mug. Then, driven by the growing happiness he was feeling, he added:
"By the way, you know what? After our job is done, I'm going to leave that rathole for good!".
Lorin smiled, but held up a hand. "Don't get too far ahead of yourself," she said. "But, if you want, I could help you out a bit once we're done with the job and we leave the city. I might know a few places where you may want to stay."
She finished the last of her meal and leaned back in her seat, taking a drink from her mug. "I'm glad that you've decided to do something rather than continue to do what your 'master' says, but you've gotta be careful, he may come after you, depending on what sort of guy he is."
As her first sentence raised his mood to the top, her last one made it fall heavily on the ground, filling his chest with despair.
She was right, the master wasn't someone to mess with, and a sad look to his scar remembered him painfully what happened when someone disappointed him.
"I don't fear that dumbass!" he said, trying to seem still sure of his intention, but doubts and fears spread bitterly in his head.
Trying to find some comfort and regain that optimism he had just lost, he drank another big sip of his ale, uselessly. His mug was quickly getting lighter, and his stomach was more bloated than ever before, but his mood wasn't going to get better easily.
Lorin was right, it would have been dangerous to escape from him, he had too many friend in the city and who knows how many people he knew outside Ketra.
Brushing softly his scar onto his left arm, as he always did when he was pensive, he forgot once again where he was and who was with him, his head focused on the sadness inside him.
"Hey," Lorin said, reaching over the table and placing a comforting hand on Raven's arm. "Don't worry about it," she smiled. "Gosh, If I worried about every person who was trying to kill me, I'd have no time to enjoy life! Just because there are things that scare you, don't let them ruin your day, or your life for that matter. Just don't worry about it, I'll help you."
She had learned that Raven was prone to rapid mood swings, and he was quite sensitive, but he had to know the risks, even if he shouldn't let them get him down.
As her hand touched his left arm, right near his scar, Raven suddenly jumped, frightened. But when Lorin started speaking with her soft, comforting voice, the fear finally flew away.
He didn't know what it was, maybe her smile, or maybe her voice, or maybe just her kindness. But when she began to tranquilize him, all the giant fears that crowded his head got smaller, until they became just some worthless ant in a wide field.
Accidentally, one of her finger touched lightly his scar, making him pull it back instinctively, but her words' effect didn't wear off.
Sipping one of the last sip of his ale, Raven stared at her green eyes with an inebriated smile onto his face, happy to have found again that certainty he had before.
"Thanks, I appreciate your help..." then, fearing he had seemed too childish and fragile, he quickly added:
"By the way, don't need to be sorry, so..." he grabbed his mug and raised toward her "...to us!"
"Oops, sorry," Lorin said instinctively as she touched him scar, but then she smiled when he raised his glass, and she raised her own.
"To us!" she finished the last of her ale in a few large gulps, and then set it back down onto the table as the barmaid came to clear their plates.
"We should be getting to bed," Lorin said. "We'll need the rest."
When Raven put back his mug onto the table, his head started twisting quickly and his stomach sent a huge bubble of gas into his throat, leaving in his mouth a sour aftertaste that almost induce him vomiting.
"Yeah, you're probably right." He wasn't so likely to end so quickly that night, he was experiencing so many new things and having one of the best time of his life, he would have gladly taken another mug of that bitter ale.
But his head was getting drowsy, and so his eyes, and even his tongue struggled to speak clearly.
Definitely, he needed some rest.
Therefore, leaning his hands on the table, Raven distanced him from it and jumped down his chairs.
As he landed, however, the whole tavern twisted rapidly around him, so that he feared he could fell down on his back.
Luckily, he managed to stand up with the help of the table, but he had to stay there for a moment to get back his balance.
Therefore, trying to hide his difficulties, he turned his head toward Lorin and said:
"After you, madam".
The kid was obviously drunk, but Lorin made no comment, not wanting to embarrass him, and she headed for the stairs, discreetly keeping an eye on Raven in case he really did fall this time.
Raven wasn't feeling good at all, all the room was turning around him and a weird halo surrounded all the things, even his own feet. It was hard for him to climb those endless stairs, he had to lean against the wall not to fall, but at the end, he finally went beyond that last step.
"Well... I think I'll go to bed, if you don't mind." Without waiting for her answer, Raven almost crushed the door and fall onto his bed without even closing it back. His stomach was hurting and he felt as if something was stuck in his throat, but luckily for him, his exhaustion was stronger than the pain, and he felt asleep in an instant.
Lorin followed Raven into his room. She knew how he was feeling, and she would leave him to rest in a moment, but first she needed to give him some 'words of wisdom'.
She stood next to his bed, looking down at him. "That's what happens when you drink too much," she said. "Just keep that in mind." She started fro the door, but looked over her shoulder before leaving. "And drink some water, it can help."
She closed the door behind her, careful not to slam it, and went into her own room. Some would have told the kid not to drink at all outright, but not Lorin. If she would have tried to tell him no, and that it could make him sick, he most likely have gotten mad or embarrassed and gotten some anyway. Besides, Lorin hadn't even been sure he would react like this, some people did, some people didn't.