"Come on, Kenshi. Stop complaining, everything will be fine," Tanta urged as gently as she could to her brother, who tagged along helplessly. The girl's long, lanky limbs easily treaded farther than Kenshi could keep up with causing him to shout at her, "Well, slow down willya!"
"Alright, alright. Just try not to get so far behind. I can't wait for you forever you know." With that she laughed at him and nudged him playfully in the ribs. Kenshi, however, was not so amused and rubbed at his shivering skin with a smug frown. "Here, I'm sorry," Tanta offered, taking off her own coat and giving it to him. "Be sure to bring a jacket next time we go traveling outside of the kingdom. It was far from me to know that we could find some business here." Tanta and Kenshi remained silent for the rest of the way, walking down an almost deserted Connlaothian street. It just seemed to be one of those roads nobody really walked on and most officials probably avoided. But soon they were out of the darkness and onto a lighted avenue.
From the look of the siblings, one might not have guessed the age difference at all, being that by a mere day. For they were the same age, in fact, fraternal twins. Tanta was merely older than her brother by a range of a few hours and often teased him about it, claiming she got the better half of their genes, though they did resemble one another,: height, in the least. But she did not let this drown his spirits. While she knew he was vaguely envious of the traits she inherited that he didn't, she always reminded him that at least she didn't inherit their father's seemingly superhuman strength, burly build, and their mother's beauty. Those were things to be proud of to be sure.
Kenshi had been nervous. No, not nervous. Completely and utterly nervewrecked. He had felt his nerves on end since entering Connlaoth through the Sirantil Valley and didn't like the ill feeling in his stomach one bit. Of course he knew that Tanta's magic wasn't real magic, but he couldn't help but think, What if the guards don't know that?
They finally came down from the lighted avenue to a much brighter road, in which Tanta heaved a sigh of relief. Though she didn't like to admit it, too much darkness gave her the creeps. You never could really tell who was coming, who was going, and who was going to rob you blind -- or worse. She paused for a moment, opening her arm out to stop Kenshi from hurdling past her, and looked up and down the road. There were makeshift houses sure, some with lights in their windows and others with candles blown out, but there was not a tavern or inn in sight. At least non that she could make out in the thick night. And if there were, she was sure they were the kind where no pair of sixteen year olds should be hanging about, though Tanta looked at least five years older than she really was.
"Oh no!" Kenshi wailed, huddling in his sister's jacket. "I don't see an inn either," he said as if voicing her thoughts in one of those weird twin mind connections. "Where the hell are we going to stay tonight? The act's in three days and we have no where else go. I bet the gutters are crawling with rats and plague and I wouldn't dream of sleeping in the streets like some low-life vagabond. Ohh! I knew this was a bad idea. We should have li-"
"Shh! I'm trying to think, "Tanta interrupted harshly. She furrowed her brow in deep thought and considered her possible choices: Sleep in the street and continue to hear Kenshi's infernal whining, take a chance with asking someone for lodging, or find one of those 'forbidden' taverns. She then decided it would be better to take a chance with asking someone if she could stay for a few days, for she was more than well prepared to compensate them for any inconveniences.
"Come on, slowpoke. And try to keep up." She motioned for Kenshi to follow and headed straight towards the first house on the road though, by the look of it, it didn't seem like much of a house. Kenshi didn't dare question his sister and decided it was better to see her plan unfold and carefully take notes on her charisma. He might be able to use them someday, after all. Tanta approached the poorly made wooden door and rapped on it with a bony knuckle, not hard enough to put a hole through it, but surely loud enough to make it resound through the house. She waited a while, there was no answer. She checked the lights through the windows and was sure someone was awake, or they would have put them out hours ago, knocking for a second time. Still there was no answer. Setting her jaw to a firm line, Tanta ordered quickly motioning around the house, "Go check the back Kenshi. Maybe they can't hear me."
"Or maybe their trying hard to ignore you," he replied sarcastically, rolling his eyes.
"Just go check. And hurry back quick," and gave him a motivating push, nearly knocking him of the porch. She persisted for a final and third time and hit the door as hard as she could. "There's no way in hell that they could have missed that," she muttered to herself. There was a shuffle and some incoherent grumblings that were audible through the other side and onto hers and heavy footsteps that made their way toward the door. With a sudden jerk of barrier nearly made Tanta jump out of her skin. A little more so at the sight of the large man before her, obviously drunk.
"What're ya want?" he questioned harshly, his breath oozing onto her face like a windstorm. She nearly wanted to gag. She put on her best smile and said with as much cheer as she could muster, "G'devening sir. I was wondering if you happened to have any room available tonight. I didn't see any inns nearby and we are awfully cold and hungry."
"I bar'ly be having enough to make it on me own," he replied, growling impatiently.
"N-no sir, I didn't mean it like that. My brother and I, we have enough to tend to ourselves, just no shelter for the time being. I'd be more than willing to make up for any inconveniences we may bring," she said with more firmness. Quickly she pulled out one of the small purses she had on her belt and placed it into the man's hand. "There are thirty gold coins in there, would that be enough?"
There was a sudden change of glow in his eyes, a lessening of the glowering he once had. His voice was less harsh, "Ye said ye had a brother with ya. Where he be?" His brows came together in confusion as he looked to and fro and still seeing no boy.
"Oh I sent him to check something he should be back by now." Tanta was now just as confused as the man for she was right. Kenshi should have been back by now.
~
While Tanta was conversing with the man on the porch, Kenshi had pushed and scraped through the brush, smashing a few bottles and nearly tripping over two, and made his way to the backyard. This place doesn't seem to sanitary, he thought, grimacing. He pulled Tanta's coat tighter around him and stepped lightly into the trash-ridden yard. Suddenly he heard sobbing, not heavy wailing, but soft sobbing like that of a small child. When he looked around he spotted a small girl, crying quietly. The sound of her tears wrenched his heart as he moved to approach her quietly. "Umm, " he began in a gentle voice. When he reached her, he crouched low and vaguely touched her shoulder, "Hey, little girl. Why are you crying?" A glow of concern touched his magenta eyes, the moonlight casting a ray down on the tattoo of a single angel wing on his lower left arm as he pushed the sleeves up. Tanta shared a tattoo of the same only on her lower right arm, when they put their arms together side-by-side it depicted a pair of angel wings.
