Too Tired and Cold for This!

[Zero]

Panicking was a pretty lame excuse if you were fond of your head, but there wasn't much else they could do now that it was done and the soldiers were coming. In fact, Sadie felt a slight twinge of her own panic as she turned to see that they were trapped in the alley. Well, they weren't truly trapped - there was always a way out, but she'd have rather avoided some of the alternatives.

If she used alchemy the guards were sure to scream "mage" and then they'd in even deeper shit than they already were.

Thank god Bree wasn't completely useless. Sadie saw what her unwitting companion was doing and hurried to follow her. With a hiss the alchemist threw her staff up into the snow on the roof and jumped as high as she could to grab Bree's arm and the ledge of the roof before hauling herself up as quickly and quietly as she could.

"There's a safe house a couple miles outside of town, by the old mill road. That way," She gestured to the east, not exactly thrilled about taking a near stranger to a location that was supposed to be secret and secure for the resistance, but Bree seemed as afraid of the guards as she was. They could worry about questioning her later to decide if she was a friend or enemy. If Sadie had to she'd kill her. Not a pleasant business, but there were always casualties in war.

[Rhindeer]

A little chill went through Beatrid that had little to do with the cold. What kind of safe house? A safe house for refugees or criminals or...or mages? But there was no time to consider that, and no time to think of the consequences that might occur if she found herself among mages and they realized she was a Mordecai.

Mages didn't need magic to kill.

But the soldiers were the more immediate threat, and if by some chance they recognized her, she was dead for sure. With a nod at Sadie, she jerked her chin for her to follow as she picked her way over the roof, careful of any loose tiles that might send them sliding--or draw attention to the roof.

Heading east, she dropped down off the opposite side of the roof, which blessedly lead out onto the relatively empty street. Most people were indoors now to escape the weather, thank Ansgar. Beatrid looked both ways, checking for soldiers and passerbys, then looked back up to Sadie and held out her arms to help her down if she needed it.

"It's clear," she whispered. Just a little farther, and they could make it to the road and high tail it before those guards were any wiser--though they would need to be fast, for she could hear their voices around the corner, and her heart lodged itself into her throat. "Quickly!"

[Zero]

A small jerking nod was the only response Sadie gave when Bree signaled for her to follow. Considering she was the one that knew the exact way they were going she probably should have been in the lead, but it wasn't exactly an opportune moment for arguing. The soldiers would hear them, or they'd get distracted by talking and end up slipping. She wasn't keen on the idea of accidentally breaking her neck.

It would be a stupid way to die.

As quickly as she could, she followed behind her reluctant companion. The footing on the roof was treacherous with the snow and ice, but she was nimble and light enough on her feet to manage not to fall.

Thankfully it wasn't too large of a roof. She watched Bree jump first before quickly tossing her staff down into the snow, which muffled its landing. Ignoring the offered arms, she slid over the edge and lowered herself as far as she could before dropping the last short distance. It wasn't that high, but she was so damn short.

Sadie could hear the men, still far too close for comfort. Swooping down she snatched up her staff and shot Bree a look at being rushed. "No, thought I'd take my sweet time."

There wasn't time for anymore biting words, so she instead booked it to the other side of the street, ducking behind another building as she made for the road while keeping as much behind cover as she could. Checking to make sure Bree was also coming didn't even cross her mind - after all, the woman wasn't her responsibility!

[Rhindeer]

Beatrid was close on Sadie's heels.

No way she was getting left behind, not when Sadie knew the way to this elusive safe house!

She followed along in silence, not daring to speak for fear of giving away their location, and used the cover Sadie used. Before long, they'd made it to the road, and a quick glance over her shoulder showed that, thank Ansgar, the guards hadn't followed. Which didn't mean it was safe to lower their guard, but...when was it ever?

Beatrid didn't think she'd relaxed, or would ever relax again, since that fateful night when she'd saved Gherrick and turned rogue.

She still wasn't sure how much she regretted it. It came and went in waves.

Stepping closer to Sadie, and speaking softly through chattering teeth, she said, "How far is it?"

[Zero]

Aside from the heart-stopping panic as they moved from cover to cover, it was surprisingly easy to lose the men. Sadie didn't know if that was just because they were very incompetent or if it was something to actively worry about.

Once they made it to the road she cast a worried glance over her shoulder. She almost expected to catch a glimpse of someone attempting to stealthily follow them. There was no one.

"Far enough, don't you worry about it. I shouldn't be taking you in the first place." It was too late to simply leave Bree behind, and she did seem to want to avoid the guards as much as Sadie did. She hoped that meant she was trustworthy and an ally. If not, well, they'd cross that unpleasant bridge when they came to it.

First they had to get where they were going, preferably without freezing to death in the process. Connlaothian winters were one thing she had definitely not missed when her parents had moved them to Serendipity.

There was an old windmill sitting off the road just a few miles outside of town. That was their destination and she picked up her pace as much as she could with the snow fall.

[Rhindeer]

Beatrid kept pace with Sadie easily, even though she was exhausted from an already long trip. But she had been trained as a soldier, as a goddamned Mordecai, and she hadn't grown soft yet. She could endure a lot if she set her mind to it--but, of course, there was only so much a body could take even if you had all the willpower in the world.

"This safe house," she said, grunting as she picked up her pace to keep up with Sadie's increased one. "What's it a safe house from? I'm not judging. Ain't my place. I'm just curious what I'm walking into."

[Zero]

"From guards, and soldiers, for people that don't deserve to be targeted by them." The simplest and most truthful answer Sadie could really give to that question. Mostly mages and those that supported them used the series of safe houses she knew about. A lot used them to hop from one to the next all the way out of the country.

"You don't seem to want the guards to find you, so just be grateful there will be somewhere for you to hide out of the storm." Maybe she was a little more brisk than necessary with both pacing and sharpness of her words, but she was stressed about the guards and having a stranger following her to a place that was meant for the security of a very vulnerable group of people. If Bree was anti-mage it would put lives in danger.

It was a risk she was taking as they hurried towards the windmill. Thankfully the storm wiped away their tracks within minutes.

[Rhindeer]

Oh. So it was a safe house from people exactly like her. Guard? Check. Soldier? Check. Bloody fucking Mordecai? Yep.

This was going to be interesting.

But Beatrid had no choice. It was either that, freeze, or face the guards. She followed close on Sadie's heels, eyes on the windmill as they approached, and steeling herself. Hopefully no one recognized her. Hopefully none of these people were outlaws she'd dealt with in the past.

"Like I said, I'm grateful. Seriously, thank you."

[Zero]

"You can thank me by not giving any of us a reason to kill you." It wasn't exactly meant to be a threat, more of a warning. If this Bree woman was trying to avoid guards, then there had to be a good reason. Maybe she was a thief, murderer, or some other unsavory outlaw, but Sadie couldn't exactly ask and expect an honest answer.

If she proved to be dangerous to them, then they would take care of it when it became a problem. Until then she had decided to take the chance and risk trusting her. She could worry about regretting it later - preferably after they were out of immediate danger.

Sadie squinted into the storm, looking around them, trying to make sure there was no one to see them go into the windmill. The snowfall was too heavy to see very far, and she took comfort in the fact that if they couldn't see other people beyond the thick white curtain that no one was likely to be able to see them either.

She pushed the door open, it creaked on rusty hinges. As soon as both women were inside she pushed to door shut. It wasn't much warmer inside the old structure, but at least it kept most of the wind off. This wasn't really the safe house, of course. Sadie moved over to an unassuming place on the floor and used her staff to tap a deliberate procession of soft knocks on the wood, creating a hollow sound.

For a minute they could only wait, but eventually the sound of a lock sliding out of place could be faintly heard before a man pushed open the door leading to the underground cellar being used by their group.

"Who's she?" Was the first and immediate question.

"She helped me out and needs somewhere to lay low from the guards." Sadie didn't blame him for giving a dissatisfied grunt, but he climbed out of the whole to hold the door open for them. She nodded and gestured to Bree. "After you."

[Rhindeer]

Ha. Hahaha. Not give any of them a reason to kill her. Heh. Yeah, about that...

Beatrid's stomach did a little flip-flop, but she didn't back out. She was in this too deep now, so it was time to see it through and hope for the best. Given the choice between possible death and certain death, possible death was the better of the two--and hadn't she proven herself to Sadie? At least a little?

Shit. Fuck. Now wasn't the time for cold feet--metaphorically speaking. Her feet were long frozen in her boots.

And so she followed Sadie through the door, glad that any jumpiness on her part could be masked by her shivering. And then she waited as Sadie revealed the true location of the safe house with a series of knocks in a pattern she sure as hell wouldn't remember. Last chance to back out...

But the door opened, their business was stated, and the man guarding the door climbed out and motioned them in.

Beatrid drew a deep breath and looked to Sadie one last time. Alright. Don't give anyone a reason to kill her. Got it, boss.

With a small nod, she turned and stepped down through the door.

[Zero]

If either of them noticed any hesitation or discomfort on Bree's part, they ignored it. Sadie followed immediately behind her as they both decended the steps into a short hallway that lead to a room about ten by twelve feet long. There were shelves with some sparing supplies stacked haphazardly upon them - mostly food, blankets, spare clothes, and a few precious medical supplies that had cost them dearly but were vital.

A woman was huddled with two young children, maybe four and seven, all of them trying to remain warm with furs and blankets. Underground was several degrees warmer than above, and definitely much better than being knee deep in snow with biting wind, but it was still quite chilly down here.

The man had shut and relocked the door before following them. He looked very anxious. "Martin and Jonah didn't come back."

"I heard the guards talking about it, they were caught and arrested." Sadie scowled unhappily, but shook her head and headed to sit on an overturned empty crate. She was cold and tired, there wasn't much that could be done about the captured men during a raging blizzard - if something could be done at all. "Nothing we can do about it right now. When is the next Shepard coming?"

"Hopefully after the weather breaks. It's too dangerous to try to move them while there's a blizzard. That's if our whole current route isn't compromised. We might all be getting arrested once the snow stops." The man shuddered thinking about it, but the women pulled the children tighter against her with a soft sound of terror.

Sadie shook her head. "Don't scare them. They've got enough to worry about without you getting ahead of yourself."

[Rhindeer]

Oh, fuck me.

So much for this being a safe house, the whole place might be compromised anyway. It was like they had gone from one bad situation to the next, and now they were holed up like foxes in a den. Only foxes tended to have a back exit to avoid the hounds. Did these people have that?

Beatrid folded her arms across her chest, rubbing the chill off her arms. "How good are your men at withstanding interrogation techniques?" she asked with a frown and a quick, sympathetic glance at the children. This likely wasn't appropriate talk with kids around--but then again, children suffered and died to war, famine, bandits, and even their own families all the time. If these people were refugees against...whatever it was...then chances are those kids had already seen their share of fucked up shit.

They'd see worse still if they were caught here.

"Think they'll squeal? Or think they'll buy time?"

[Zero]

The man that had let them in shot Bree a dirty look at her questions. He opened his mouth to say something, but a quick hand wave from Sadie had him clicking his teeth and looking away with a scowl.

It was fairly dark down here, it would have been pitch black if not for some hooded lanterns sitting around the small room. Sadie was watching Bree intently, and took a moment to consider what was asked. They were fair questions, and since the woman was now holed up here with them, she deserved honest answers.

"They won't give our position away easily, but I can't say that they won't eventually be coerced to talk." It was just the hard truth.

"Are they going to get us?" The little boy, no older than seven, asked in a hushed, trembling voice as he clung even tighter to his mother. Thankfully, the younger child didn't seem to fully grasp the severity of their situation, although they did seem quite frightened - not surprising given the tension in everyone around them.

"No. No one is going to get you. I promise." The woman, his mother presumably, tried to reassure him, gently stroking his hair.

"If they try, they'll regret it." Sadie hummed softly. "The only thing we can do for now is try to stay warm. When the weather breaks, if the Shepherd doesn't show up, I'll move them to the next safehouse myself."

[Rhindeer]

Beatrid bit the side of her tongue. She caught the man's look, all right, and knew she had overstepped. She was a stranger, after all, and it wasn't her business--except it kind of was now, since she was stuck here.

Old habits died hard, though. If she was supposed to be a civilian, she should probably act it--act more nervous and sympathetic instead of butting into the scenario wanting to know all the intel, all the whos, whats, and wheres. She cut a glance at the children and let out a small sigh, rubbing her arm through its sleeve. She had never been good as passivity, and it had been a long time since she had been a civilian. Sometimes, it could be hard to empathize when she was trained to react to crises with focus and action.

No one had any reason to trust her, a complete stranger. And she had no reason to really trust them. They could be mages for all she knew--and yet, that ship had long since sailed when she lost everything because she protected a goddamn mage.

She picked at her sleeve.

"I could help you with the move, if it comes to it," she offered at last, glancing at Sadie. "Not that you or anyone has any reason to trust a stranger. And fuck if I have a clue as to what's going on, because I don't. But I'm stuck with you for now and I swear to you I can help. Whatever you need." She owed Sadie, after all. She not only saved her ass from the cold but saved her ass from getting arrested, too--arrested and executed, more than likely. And fuck, but there were kids, too.

"No one's gonna hurt anyone."

[Zero]

The atmosphere of the cellar had been tense since the moment Bree had arrived, but there was a noticeable increase to that tension when help was offered. Most of that tension was from the man, who glared at her.

"You're right, we don't have a reason to trust you. Why would you want to help? Trying to find out where the next safe house is?! Sadie why did you bring this stranger here? You're putting all of us at risk! We've already lost Jonah and Martin! Next thing we know they'll be hauling all of us off to the block!" The man's eyes were a bit wild, obviously panicking.

The woman and her children huddled closer together and trying to scoot away from who they obviously considered a bit...unstable. Now both children were frightened and crying. Great.

Sadie sighed heavily, seemingly not particularly ruffled by the man's outburst. At least not frightened by it.

"Thomas, you're scaring the children." There was a bit of a bite to the words, an unspoken warning as her blue-green eyes hardened in the dim light. "Nobody is going to be sent to the block. I won't let that happen."

"Why should we trust you?" Thomas threw an accusing finger in Sadie's face. "How are you going to protect us? You're just some stupid girl playing hero and you're going to get us all killed! Where were you when Martin and Jonah got captured huh? Why are you free and they're not? Who the fuck put you in charge? I'm not taking orders from you!"

[Rhindeer]

This wasn't any of her business. Not her horses, not her stable. Beatrid bit her tongue until she tasted copper as that moron hurled insults and accusations first at her, and then at Sadie. This wasn't her drama to solve. She was an outsider. Sadie was in charge from the way they all deferred to her. Speaking up could be the spark that made this already volatile situation flare up.

There were children present.

Deescalation was the best road forward, here.

Beatrid knew all this.

But she had never been the one anyone called upon to deescalate a situation.

"Do you have any bloody ideas ya wanna share, then?" she snarled before her brain could catch up with her mouth, whirling on Thomas. "You're wasting all this air yappin' and tearing down the one good person with a plan but I don't hear you suggestin' any alternatives! So either offer up some ideas or sit the fuck down and shut the hell up!"