Daring Rogues and Noble...Kestrels? (Winterland)

[Anonymous]

Ah, night. Blissful dark that revealed pale mother moon; whose silvery light kisses the ground below after many beatings with the molten golden light of the sun. Everything seems to revel in the dark. One in particular, who lost the burden of feathers once the sun had run her course.

Evvie warily stepped out from the underbrush where she had been a kestrel only moments before. She had seen many places with her wings, experienced many wonders and horrors in the past two years, but being home in Connloath always made her nervous. What if someone should see? They would immediately turn her in to the Mordecai.

The name Evvie Chryseis would mean very little to them. Then why was she here? Simply to get as close as she could to home on her birthday. Indeed, today was the day the gloriously rich young woman had been brought into the world 21 years ago. Evvie should have spent this time at home with her husband, not cowering in the bushes until night bloomed. "Instead of warm pastries and wine to dine on, my only feast shall be rabbits and disgusting river water...again," she sneered bitterly.

Placing herself down on the nearest rock, indeed she still exercised her lady-like heirs and graces when she could. Her ever prevailing protocol was the only thing that had kept her from losing her mind. Using her fingers, Evvie combed out her brunette hair, at least it looked brunette now. The blond was only ever visible in light, but darkness had been her only solace for months. At least when she changed she didn't lose her dress, instead any clothing she wore just melted into her fluff when dawn came.

"Of course you couldn't have had the option to change when you wanted, oh no! You become a stupid pathetic excuse of a bird by day and hope to WHOEVER that you don't get eaten or shot down or starve to death!!" she screamed most unladylike into the night. Tears threatened to fall, she wanted to be back home by the fire. Laughing away her "adventures" around the city and barely making it to her room after so much wine and maybe something stronger.

Now, in the state she was in currently, her own parents would turn her in if they had the slightest idea that she had left to go practice her dark and dishonorable arts. What was there not to cry over? Her life was in shambles. No respectable Connlaothian man would want a woman who turned into a pigeon every night. No parents would be willing to go through her shift every morning. She wasn't even sure she could take it much more. So instead, she mopped on that rock feeling sorry for herself; staring at the distant city lights with a terrible longing that was eating her away.

[Anonymous]

Loathing wilderness, Sy made a point of never leaving the city. Urban life, with all its fifth and overpopulation, made sense to him. He could lose himself in a crowd, navigate the maze of city streets, and hunt a marketplace for a heavy looking purse on an unsuspecting fool. But out here? He knew nothing, and felt terrible exposed.

It was a miracle he was here, now, and he was here entirely against his will. If he'd had it his way, he'd be back in his usual tavern, arm around some common whore, and a pint of strong ale and a plate of roasted meat in the table in front of him. That was his life, and he loved it.

About a week ago, he had run into some trouble. He had joined up with a few boys he knew, in order to move from stolen property to a buyer in the underground. The goods had been worth a small fortune, and Sy had been promised a good wage for his services. Unfortunately, the intended buyer had other plans, and the thieves had been forced to make a swift getaway, with the city guard on their tails. As far as Sy knew, one of two of the boys hadn't been as swift as he, and likely were hanging up in the gallows by now.

Determined not to share their fate, Sy packed his things and enlisted as a guard for the first merchant caravan leaving the city. Before sunrise that very morning, Sy had left the city walls far behind him.

Now, one week later, the caravan was crossing Sirantil Valley. As dusk approached, they had found a spot to set up camp, and pulled the large wagons into a wide clearing near the side of the road. Now, hours later, the sun was down and the sky was black. A large fire burnt in the centre of the camp, and the weary guards took position around it as they waited for their dinner to cook.

Stretching, Sy rose from the circle and quietly slipped from the inner ring of light, to the dim shadows around the edge of camp. Normally he felt quiet at home in this space between light and darkness. Here, with the trees so near and the world so vast, Sy felt small and alone. He hated it.

Staring out into the darkness, he blindly fumble with his belt and the drawstring on his pants, his body heavy with the bitter wine he'd been offered by a fellow guard.

By tomorrow, he'd be back in civilization. Sure, he had no idea where this caravan would take him. As long as it was out of this bloody wilderness, however, he was happy.

[Anonymous]

It finally occurred to Evvie that the lights in the distance were from no city, it was a campfire. To her it made no difference; fire meant people and people meant civilization...eventually. Carefully, she made her way through the plains and ever closer to the camp. Feeling a bit daring, she edged her way up to where the shadows were defeated by the tiniest rays of light.

This was all she would risk, no doubt they had all come from the capital. Even if they hadn't they were respectable Connlaothians, that meant she couldn't trust them. Though, it was refreshing to finally see something other than trees and mice. And the firelight finally gave her time to admire the maroon silken dress she had pilfered a mere week ago. It hadn't been the best thieving job, since she was only a lady, but with just her tiny bird claws she figured she had done quite well. Evvie wondered if she could manage to get a pair of shoes from this group so her bare feet wouldn't get any dirtier.

She was so lost in her scheming that she almost didn't notice the figure that had appeared just a couple feet from her person. Remaining as still as possible, she watched them with wary eyes. Evvie could tell from the outline that certainly was not a woman; and she realized just a little too late what he was doing. "Of all the disgusting things to do in front of a lady-" she bit her tongue mid-hiss and quickly shrank down into the grass. Of all the idiotic things for that lady to do... she was not supposed to make her peeping known!

[Anonymous]

Lost in thought, Sy had been watching the woods in front of him with half-closed eyes. A day of hard work under the sun, followed by warm food and a good belly of wine, had left him feel drowsy and mellow. He was too paranoid to let his guard drop entirely, but he was certainly not paying as much attention as he should have been.

When he suddenly heard a woman's voice close to him, he cursed, before fumbling around with his pants. "Sorry, sorry," he said, as he quickly made himself decent. There were women on the caravan, yes, although the men seemed to out number them. Scanning the dark, he spotted a shape that he thought might be the speaker, and said, "Apologies, miss, didn't know anyone was about." he paused, cocking a brow, "What're you doing down there?" he was sure the answer of obvious, and that he was about to be called a lech and told to stop watching a women going about her business, but felt inclined to ask anyway. He couldn't make out much of her shape, and was suspicious of everyone out here.

[Anonymous]

Taking in a deep breath, Evvie rose from the grass and straightened out her dress. Holding herself tall and keeping her sharp nose upturned, a sight that made her appear snotty, she tried not to imagine how cold it was with no shoulders or straps. Shivering would only make her appear weak and helpless. "Looking for my shoes," she lied. "My escort dumped me out in this wilderness and tossed my luggage across the plains."

If you couldn't pilfer, a good guilt trip to an easily won male heart would be just as rewarding. "When I saw this fire I was hoping that maybe you had come across any of my apparel or belongings. Of course it is very unladylike to just waltz in on someone else's fire." Hopefully a few years of neglect hadn't rusted up her charm. Then again.... maybe she had been a bird too long.

Not that she wouldn't mind if it worked, the man was handsome. Tall, lithe, and what she could make out of his face from the dim fire light made him a very nice sight for her deprived eyes.

[Anonymous]

Flashing a wide grin, Sy said, "Is that so, ya' poor thing." he seemed more amused then concerned, "So you've just been wondering about, looking for your cloths? You might want to chose your next bodyguard with a bit more care."

Sy scanned her features in the moonlight. His interest was less in her appearance and more in the possibility of a concealed weapon. While he wouldn't blame her for being armed, he certainly wasn't going to drop his guard if there was any possibility that she might be a threat to him. For all he knew, she could be the distraction in some sort of trap. That was certainly the sort of thing Sy would try – sending in a pretty young thing in a little dress to distract the lonely men of the camp, while the rest of the bandits prepared their ambush. Might be a little excessive, but it would be beneficial if Sy were working with only a small group of men.

Scratching the stubble on his chin, he glanced back a moment at the fire and then said, "Well, guess I'd better invite you over. I'll talk to the caravan-master. I'm sure he'd put you up for the night, and let you hitch a ride to our next stop."

He'd let the caravan-master deal with this.

[Anonymous]

Evvie's maiden gaze turned to an icy glare at the tone of his voice. Laugh would he? How dare he! You would think that finding out you have a helpless noblewoman, such as herself, would die to help her. Well, there had to be leeches in the world somewhere. Right?...

At the mention of taking her with them to their next stop, Evvie took a step back in fear. Did he know? Well they would if they kept her with them for the night. There was no way she was going into the hands of the Mordecai! "No thanks, if they're all as "caring" as you are then I'll take my chances with the wilderness," she hissed. She should have figured he wasn't her type. Though the cursed woman blamed her lack of practice for the mistake. "Though if you could scrape up a pair of decent shoes then I'd be obliged to look past some of your indecency," she commented from playing with her nails.

[Anonymous]

Again Sy arched his brow, and rose his hands defensively, "Hey now, I hardly meany any offence. Calm down," gritting his teeth, he chose to ignore her haughty tone, and continued, "Simply offering you a place to rest and a ride into town. Hardly like to think of a young woman like yourself alone in the woods like you are," he was puzzled by her overreaction, a little surprise that she had been so offended by his light tone. Then again, Sy rarely considered the effect his personality had on others. Self-serving and egocentric, he cared more about his own gain then the feelings of others.

Still, if this women was being honest, then so was Sy. If she really had been abandoned out here in the woods, then he certainly didn't like the thought of her wondering around alone out here. Sure, he stood to gain nothing by helping her, but he wasn't likely to lose anything either. Assuming she wasn't trying to scam him (it was, unfortunately, entirely within Sys nature to assume that everyone was trying to play him in some way. It simple game naturally from a man who was, more often then not, attempting to exploit the people around him).

[Anonymous]

His swift change of tone, and mood, made Evvie herself abandon her enmity. "Forgive me for my abrupt refusal... but I'm not exactly the most trusting of persons. A ride to the next town would do nothing for me. Beside, if I stayed with your group longer than the night you would view me vastly different." Not that there was any pun meant... but it was the truth. After her belly gave a mighty growl, the woman blushed only in the slightest. "But... I guess a warm meal and a rest by the fire would be nice."

Sincerity wasn't her best skill, but even if it was the the stranger could manage she would be grateful. She could hardly recall what the taste of cooked human food was like on her tongue. Or even the pleasant setting of people conversing. The sound of even this strangers voice was nice, despite their rough introduction earlier.

[Anonymous]

He watched her carefully, still wondering what her motives were. When she spoke again, he nodded, silently understanding. Trust was hard for Sy, and he knew that he was pretty untrustworthy himself.

When she was finished, he straightened up and considered. Then: "Why's that?" he asked playfully, "D'you turn into a toad in the morning or something?" again, he spoke without thinking, and offered her a wide, toothy smile, "I've seen enough unpleasant morning faces on otherwise very pleasing women, nothing can strike fear in me now, miss, and if it's your snoring that's the trouble, I doubt anyone in the camp would mind. Or hear you for that matter. Caravan-master, Brous, I think's he part ogre. That man could snore enough to rouse the mountains."

"But if a meal and some foot-ware is all you want, I wont offer you more." taking a step back towards the fire, he concluded, more sincerely, "Come, I'll talk to the Brous about giving you some food."

[Anonymous]

Evvie flinched, "Not a toad, something unpleasant enough for me though. I really don't think even you would enjoy seeing it." The shift every morning from woman to kestrel was fairly painful. Bones would rub against the other, snap in order to make room for her new shape, skin would wriggle into feathers, face pinched to make her beak, feet and toes squeezed to form talons; the whole process made her sick with pain. The change back was a bit more tolerable and far less excruciating.

She listened quite patiently as he talked about the snoring, though it was with disgust masking her face. "If I had ever once in my life snored, I believe my father may have smothered me and we would not be having this conversation." At least she prayed not. "But if the caravan-master gets that loud, maybe it's a very good thing I can't continue on with your group."

As shy as a doe leaving her sanctuary of trees, Evvie slowly stepped from the shadows to follow the man.

[Anonymous]

Sy turned, a little shocked. He'd been joking entirely, and wondered if she were truly serious. Although he felt as though he were being baited, he responded nevertheless, "You really change into something, truly?" One of his thin brows arched, and his closed mouth twisted a little in unmasked interest. He might not enjoy seeing it - magic always made him a little edgy - but the idea certainly intrigued him.

"Nothing dangerous, I hope," he added, his voice lowered, and dead serious. While it was technically his duty to protect the caravan, he had no real feelings for his job. It was simply a means to an end. Still, if she really could transform into something nasty, then he would want to be on his guard. The last thing he needed was some sort of magiced-up shapeshifter biting out his throat in his sleep. Not like he was convinced that was something she would do. Still, he wasn't nearly comfortable enough with his position to ignore the possibility.

(( Sorry for the lack of replies today. Been really busy. ))

[Anonymous]

((You're fine, I might be a little slower at posting as well for a bit.))

He was taking her seriously?! It was kind of satisfying but... but she was in Connlaoth after all; she had no guarantee that he would keep her secret or even assist her. "Someone has been stuck in fairytales for too long," her voice was soft so that he didn't take it into much offense, she hoped. "Of course I don't change into anything... Just maybe a complete bitch in the mornings when forced to wake up." Did her voice sound  convincing? How could Evvie be sure he would believe it?

Trying to play off her mild shock, she walked a little past him toward the fire. "If I could change, I would not be here. A loyal Connlaothian would immediately turn me in, as they should. Unless I was brainless." Being closer to the fire, the light seemed to bloom. Evvie noted in satisfaction that the threads of her dress glimmered and that her skin wasn't too touched by the wilderness. She turned back to the stranger, "Before you take me to meet your caravan leader I think it only wise and polite if we introduce ourselves."

Giving him the smile of a proper lady, she revealed her name, "I am Evvie, Evvie Chryseis." The noblewoman wasn't sure if she wanted him to know her surname or not. There could be benefits... but maybe not. If he nor his band were untrustworthy then they could use it against her and her family.