Sick and Tired [dead]

[brighteye]

It was a sunny day, or looked like it was going to be a sunny day, anyway. It was just early enough that you couldn't be for sure. The birds were just awakening - the real birds, or those who slept as birds - and singing their song, and the suns' first rays had already crested the horizon, bugling the return of the sun. Other animals, whether they were human or not, were all over the place, if one just glanced around. A fox in that alley, running next to a cat, a rabbit hopping along the side of the road, making quite a bit better time than the humans who were walking down the middle. There were already many people awake, for many jobs started with the sun, and some before.

Like hers. She'd recieved word from a messenger that one of the richer sons had been at a tavern and had fallen down the stairs, breaking an arm and recieving quite a few other wounds somehow along the way. So, she'd gotten her pack, carrying bandages, the makings for a splint, some poultices, and her little pouches of seeds. She'd arrived to an unconcious nobleman in a not so noble tavern, but she did nothing more than raise her eyebrow and kneel at the man's side. While he was unconcious, she set the bones and splinted it, so that she wouldn't have to listen to him complain of the pain of it, for he was sure to do just that. Once it was splinted, she bandaged it tightly, and pulled out a bottle of poultice, covering each of his cuts with it and, where possible, bandaging them. Some were on his face, and she couldn't bandage them as easily.

When he'd finally awoken, she told him the price she wanted paid for her services, and he'd only looked at her for a moment before pulling out barely half of what she'd told him. When she tried to protest, he'd told her that it was all an upstart wench like she would get from him, and she'd wanted to cut the splint off his arm right there with her dagger, but she was afraid she'd end up cutting him and getting in some sort of trouble. So, she'd smiled, nodded, and told him if ever he were hurt again in this tavern, she'd do nothing to heal him. Then she'd walked out, carrying her pack in her arms. She hated, hated, hated people who could afford the healings at the price she demanded, but refused to pay it. Some people that she healed couldn't afford it in money, so they paid in goods, such as the baker who gave her a free loaf of bread a day for two weeks for healing his daughter. Some people couldn't even afford that, like the begger children on the streets who could not afford her services when they needed them.

So, now she was trudging back to her home, where people could find her if they needed her. She was tempted to fly back, but she decided against it, this time.

[flippedside]

JARAD: NEED TROUBLE CAUSED? CHEAP RATES AVAILABLE.

Jarad ambled down a side-street., wondering if he could pick the pocket of the rich merchant flouncing down the main street ahead of him. He casually leaned against the brick wall of the building on his left, letting his eyes wander seemingly aimlessly over the controlled chaos. There was nothing random about his movements, though, despite the relaxed air that he portrayed. He was actually picking out the merchant's guards, and deciding whether or not it was worth it to try to bypass them. Then again, a good fight could liven up an otherwise dull day.

Kaye had complained to him (rather, yelled, in a fit of rage) in the past that his only talent was causing trouble. He preferred to think that his skills lay more in causing destruction. He ambled down the street. Several people pushed past him, hurrying to their destinations. Jarad curled his lip slightly in disgust. Rushing about to get to their jobs, where they'd work all day for a few meager coins, and then hurry home to their families...Half their limited money would probably end up spent in taxes or paid to rich bastards like the one ahead of him.

He casually tripped one of the merchant's guards, amused as the man tumbled into the pushing crowd. The crowd wasn't big enough to catch him, only to yell at him in anger. The guard sputtered and shouted back and turned to look for Jarad...

Who was casually strolling past his master, the fat, overdressed merchant. Jarad looked disdainfully at the man's embroidered jacket, done in brilliant colors that clashed with his sallow skin. The man had been haggling with another over the price of some materials. The cloth seller was standing in front of his store arguing that he didn't have that particular material in stock, and couldn't procure it, but wouldn't the handsome merchant like to look at something else?

Well, Jarad certainly would. The merchant definitely was not handsome, but his purse, hanging heavily from his belt, was bound to be. The merchant and cloth seller both paused to look back at the spluttering guard, and Jarad slid a slim knife into his hand, the blade running parallel to his forearm. Hidden behind his hand, he casually sliced the strings to the pouch holding the merchant's gold, deftly dropped it in his other hand, and continued on, never once pausing in his walk.

Clearly, his skills weren't as sharp as when he'd been a child, though, for the female guard caught his movements from the corner of her eye. "Thief!" she yelled, drawing a sword and leaping forward. The merchant spun, realized he was missing his most prized possession--money--and began yelling too.

Jarad paused at the sight of the sword, frowned, and then grinned lazily. He had been itching for a good fight.

[brighteye]

It was a bit later than she thought. She must have taken longer in splinting that man's arm, or maybe it was in her telling the man the amount due. He had dithered long enough about procuring those measly coins, the lout. Not as if he spent them on anything useful. A new shirt to go with the hundreds of others just like it, but in a different shade perhaps. He didn't have to work for his money, he got it from his parents, who had inherited it along with their lands from their parents, while people like her had to smile, nod, and allow themselves to be cheated royally by them lest they be made miserable for trying to make enough money to live like decent folk. She didn't even frown upon the pickpockets and thieves that made their way amongst the crowds, stealing the money of the richer citizens of the city. They were making a living, and those who they stole from obviously didn't need it that badly if they let it get stolen from them. Just then, cutting into her thoughts, a man tripped and fell into the people, one of them being her. She helped push the man up and off the four other people he'd managed to tumble on before continuing on her way. He looked to be a guard of some sort, and she glanced around to see what he might be guarding.

It wasn't hard to spot what he was guarding either. The fat merchant walked like he owned this street, pausing every so often to glance at wares before bouncing along his way. Sliding her eyes along the crowd, she spotted a person walking near the merchant, but didn't seem to be one of the guards. He had paused, and had been paused since the guard had tripped, it seemed, at a cloth selling booth. He, and the person at the stand, both looked at the guard, obviously wondering what all the fuss was about. But her attention wasn't on the guard, it was on the man getting nearer to the merchant. As he passed by, she was him move, almost casually, and one moment the purse at the merchant's side was there, the next, it wasn't. She knew it was in the mans' hand, but she couldn't see it. However, someone else saw it.

"Thief!" the female guard screeched, as she drew her blade. Oh boy, this was about to get physical, and she was stuck close enough to be damaged by what might happen, if they got much closer to her. The people behind her, hearing the magic word that everyone knew, all turned to look at who had caused such a disturbance, so as to know their face. No one liked a thief, but they were all over the place. Many didn't bother her, because she didn't look well enough off to have money, and she'd spread word that she'd heal anyone that came to her door. So, she got plenty of shady types once the sun had set in the sky. She didn't question where the wounds came from, they didn't tell her anything, but merely paid her in little gifts occasionally on her doorstep, or in her small garden behind her home. It was a good understanding she had with the people here in Tannoch. She didn't know this particular theif, but he probably would before the day was out, since she'd probably end up healing him before the guard arrived.

Krystal shouldered her pack quickly before any fighting began, so that if she did need to shapeshift, she wouldn't have to worry about it in her hands when she became human again. She placed her hand over her dagger, that she kept at all times, just in case she decided to be a fool and possibly try to help the man. She doubted it, as she doubted each time she witnessed one of these dances, but she always let herself remember that she coud. Krystal knew a couple tricks that she'd been taught as payment for her healing services, along with some skills in knife fighting itself. She could use the dagger pretty well, but she wasn't a master or anything. She carefully pushed her way among the crowd, trying to get closer to the man that was holding the merchant's purse.

[flippedside]

Jarad dropped the coin purse neatly into his own simple satchel, hidden beneath his tunic, and then drew a sword. A long dagger slid easily from his boot into his hand. He was a master swordsman, and had fought enemies far better than the merchant's guards. He could tell, from the way the woman held the sword and herself, that, though she knew what she was doing, she was no master. Her movements were smooth, but overly complicated, her sidestepping towards him more work than was needed. He guessed that she, like the merchant, was probably more used to using her authority to bring people under her orders, rather than using an actual weapon. Well, all the easier for him, then.

"Really, lady, I suggest you drop this nonsense and step aside, now. It'll be safer for everyone involved." Jarad kept his tone calm, though inwardly he was itching for a good battle.

She sneered, mistaking his loose stance and lowered weapons as a sign that he didn't want to fight--maybe didn't really know how.

Jarad watched her eyes, gauging her companions' positions based on where she looked. One behind him, one off to the right. Reasonable, but sloppy. He'd have sent someone above, and someone to guard the merchant. Ah, well. Amateurs always made a job far easier.

She stepped towards him, sword raised, when suddenly a knife was pressed against his throat, and the merchant was wheezing in his ear, "Thief! I'll have you locked away for life! I'll--"

Jarad raised his eyebrows, but his only comment was, "Oh, really?" He was already in motion, jamming his elbow backwards into the man's solar plexus. Always an effective way to jerk the breath out of someone, it was especially effective the heavy merchant's case. The man doubled over, gasping for breath. Jarad spun, ignoring the fine line of pain that slid across the side of his throat from the knife, and kicked the man viscously. He slapped his blade across the man's cheek, and then spun back around, blocking just before the woman guard could slice him in half.

He let loose with a series of rapid, brutal blows, and watched her face change as she blocked. The easy confidence was shredded away, along with her blocks, as he struck at her. He drove her back, seeking an opening. She blocked frantically, struggling for a way to break his attack. He saw the opening at last, letting her block his sword and then finally strike for him, even as his dagger deflected her sword to the side. He slid in and then plunged his sword down. It wasn't a fatal blow; Jarad struck through her thigh muscle, causing the woman to shriek and fall to the ground.

A sword slashed at his back, and Jarad fell back, staggering over the woman. The other two guardsmen were coming after him with rage on their faces. Jarad spun into them, jamming one man into the other, and then cutting in swiftly with his dagger, nearly severing the man's thumb. The guard's sword dropped to the ground.

Two down, one to--Oh, shit. Jarad looked up just in time to see the city guard shoving through the crowd. Now would be a great time to go, Jarad thought. He'd been in prison numerous times in the past, and had no desire to repeat the experience. Besides, he'd had his fun. He blocked the last guard's sword, letting it slide down his, and then jumped back, preparing to shift and fly away. He was going to be in serious need of a healer after this, though...

[brighteye]

She watched, and as she watched, realized that she was not going to be helping this one either. No surprises there. She stood there, watching as the man slipped the purse he'd stolen into his tunic, then drew his own weapons. Then, the merchant came up behind him, blade to his throat, and she thought that was it for the poor man. But, he just jammed an elbow into the man's stomach, probably somewhere near the solar plexus, which she'd heard knocked the breath out of whomever was hit. She herself had never been one to actually get hit there. Then, there was a flurry of blows between the theif and the female guard, before he stabbed her through the leg. She winced, knowing it must hurt, but looking at the wound she saw that the woman would live since it hadn't hit any major blood vessels.

The other two guards came onto the theif at that time, slashing his back before he had time to turn around, causing our theif to nearly fall ontop of the swords woman. He whirled, shoving the men into one another, then cut at them, drawing blood. One dropped his sword, and then the man hesitated as he glanced up. She followed his gaze. The guard. They would push and shove anyone in their way, not caring for what you were carrying or who you might be. And, she happened to be in their way. The sound of steel upon steel drew her eyes back to the fight, and saw the man had blocked the guards sword, then jumped back. He shifted into a hawk before the guard could get to him, moving away pretty quick for one who was injured. She checked her backpack, then shifted into her bird form, a bright scarlet macaw. She pushed away from the ground just as the guard reached her spot, and she lifted above them, screeching insults down at the guardsmen below, then flew towards where the theif had went.

She sped her flying speed to catch up with the man as he moved further and further from the crowd. She understood his need to get away from the crowd before the guardsmen realized that the theif had shifted and flown away. Many common people would shift away as well, trying to flee from the fight once the guard got involved. She angled her wings to catch air to keep her just behind him, when he started moving downward towards the ground, into an alley between two buildings. As he moved lower and lower, she called out a bird greeting as she too moved lower towards the ground.

[flippedside]

Jared's body and bag morphed into the lean form of a hawk, and he was lunging in the air, his wings catching the shifting winds and already drawing him into the arcing blue heights. He fled upwards swiftly, pleased with his clean get away. For a moment, he paused to circle above the street, watching the guardsman chasing away onlookers, while others scurried or flew to their own destinations. The merchant was shouting angrily at the guard and anyone else who would listen, while his own guardsmen shouted in pain and humiliation. Jared gave a grim smile of triumph and sailed away.

He arced quickly above the buildings, and then began to descend, looking for a safe place to land and comfortably spend his money. He was flying over a slightly nicer district, some of the homes having small yards and clean, white-washed walls, when pain suddenly caused his wing to cramp up.

Jared squawked in pain and surprise and forced his wings out into a low glide. He checked about him quickly. Various bird shifters had passed him above and below, but he suddenly realized that the brilliant red macaw had been following him for some time.

He needed to land before the sharp ache in his back and side forced an abrupt and painful drop. He descended towards a small green park with a fountain in the center, and then arced over a final house, ending in a small alley that ran behind several more expensive clothing stores. Not the place he had intended to land, but it would do for the moment. Better to face the macaw on the ground, where a fall would cause less damage...

He dropped lightly and was back-winging into a landing, when the other bird called a greeting. The voice was sweet and melodious. He shifted, and landed in a light crouch, looking up at the macaw. Well, it hadn't called a warning, so perhaps he wasn't in immediate danger. Jared decided to play the situation out.

"Hello!" He tilted his head slightly to stare sharply up at the other bird.

OOC: Been real busy lately, but I think things have calmed down a bit for the moment, so I should be a bit quicker in responding next time.

[brighteye]

The man-bird had noticed her before he started landing. She was surprised he'd gone as long as he had without collapsing in pain. Well, adrenaline does that to a fellow, she supposed. She'd been known to work faster under its' effects. He returned her greeting after landing and shifting, speaking as a human. He stared up at her as she glided in and landed on her claws. Once she was firmly on the ground, did she shift. She couldn't do what he did and shift before fully landing. Then again, she wasn't supposed to be limber or quick, she just had to heal people. "Hello." She replied pleasantly. Well, he'd replied to her bird call, but she supposed it was polite to respond as a human rather than a bird.

"That was pretty foolish of you, getting caught like that." She said, sliding her pack off her back. No, she didn't know him, but he was hurt and she knew he had money, since that merchant looked pretty wealthy and the pouch looked pretty filled. She didn't charge too terribly much, so he might have been able to pay even if he hadn't swiped the purse. She checked her bags to see what she had on her. Some plant seeds, useful if she didn't have anything for open wounds, bandages, and a bottle of... a healing poultice. There might be enough for his wounds, if they weren't as serious as they had looked at high-speed fighting pace.

"Take your shirt off." She said, not looking up. Krystal hooked the pack on her arm and began digging in it, carefully, with both hands. She took out the roll of bandages and the poultice, staring into the backpack one last time to ensure she didn't leave anything behind. Krystal looked up at him after that, to see if he complied.

OOC: It's alright. I had stuff to occupy me during that time. And, real life always comes first, so take however long you need. =)

[flippedside]

"Foolish?" snapped Jarad in reply. "I still got away with a nice sized purse." And who do you think you are, judging me? He added silently. He eyed her warily as she slid off her pack. He didn't trust strangers, but with his body hurting, he was even more wary, knowing his reflexes would be considerably slowed.

"Who are you?" Jarad wasn't friendly in the best of circumstances; the words came out as the short-tempered demand that they were.

The woman began pulling items out of her pack. None were weapons, which made Jarad relax. He saw bandages and vials, and guessed she was a healer. He still watched closely, though, not trusting the mysterious stranger that had followed him into this narrow back alley.

A bit of garbage floated by on the thin wind. The air was fresher here than in other parts of the city, but dirt still marred some of the walls. It was clear that this was not a well-visited space. Well, all to the good, then. That made for a cleaner get-away for Jarad. He doubted the city guard would ever catch up with him, just as he doubted that the merchant would be missing much by losing a purse-full of money.

Jarad returned his attention to the stranger as she demanded, "take your shirt off." He stiffened slightly, not liking to take orders.

"Why? I don't know you."

He knew she was a healer, though, from her collection of bandages, just as he knew he was being difficult. He'd probably need stitches down his side and back where the sword had scored across his ribs. That meant a healer, but that didn't mean he had to like it...

[brighteye]

He snapped a reply back when she insulted him, causing her to smile. Not the first time someone replied back in such a tone. Well, she decided, it might also be added to by the pain of the wounds. She hadn't seen how bad they were when he was fighting, so it would be impossible for her to judge without seeing the wounds with her own eyes, up close. And that meant that he would need to take his shirt off. Which he hadn't. He had even asked her why, since they didn't know each other.

"You can either bleed to death, or I can tend to the wounds. Either is fine, really, but I'm sure you wouldn't like to die without spending your prize." She said reasonably, taking a couple steps towards him, slowly. She didn't need any wounds of her own to tend to if he decided to attack her. Her hands were full with medical supplies, and she was in no state to dodge this fine swordsman. He'd taken out the guards of that merchant just fine, and they had at least some training, much more than she had, just a couple of tricks that might get her out of a tight spot if she needed to.

She stood there, staring at him, still a couple feet away. There was a dark spot on one of his sides, and she knew his back would have blood too. Then there were more minor scratches that he'd have , like that one across the throat that looked to have stopped bleeding, that she'd put something on to keep from infecting.

"Really, it would be better for both of us if you'd just cooperate. I'm one of the better healers, and I'm not going to report you to the guards for what you do, or where you are." Krystal told him, shifting the materials in her arms. The longer she stood here, the more blood he was losing, and the chances of infection grew. Many people were paranoid, especially those crooks who weren't exactly on this side of the law, that everyone was going to turn them in to better themselves. Well, there were people like that, but she wasn't one. A person was a person, and everyone had to make a living, whatever they did.

[flippedside]

Jarad snorted. "I'm not going to bleed to death." But he peeled off his shirt anyway, hissing slightly as the blood sticking his shirt to his wound pulled at the slash in his side. Drawing his arms over his head wasn't any more comfortable, but he made no complaint.

Jarad studied the healer, thinking she had a good opinion of herself, calling herself one of the better healers. He didn't know if that was true, but he was bound to find out in a moment just how good she was, judging by the collection of bandages and other medical supplies in her arms.

"If you're one of the better healers, I'll bet you're one of the more expensive ones, too." Not that money was a problem--Jarad didn't usually spend too much, and he'd done well as a mercenary...and thief.

In the meantime, all the small aches, pains, and cuts were starting to really hurt. The adrenaline of a fight and then outrunning the guards had kept him from noticing any serious pain, but he suddenly found his throat and arm burning, and realized that there was a fine slash on his leg that was starting to sting, as well. He decided that sitting down would be a much better idea than continuing to stand.

He sank down into a cross-legged position, and waited for the healer to do her work. He hoped it wouldn't hurt too much. To Jarad's mind, healers were a pain that had to be dealt with as infrequently as possible. Still, getting an infection would be worse, and his side was still bleeding. He sighed. No way to avoid seeing a healer and at least this one was conveniently nearby...

"By the way, I'm Jarad."


OOC: So much for things calming down! I haven't even been home to play my new video game. lol.

[brighteye]

She took another handful of steps towards him as he began taking his shirt off. When he hissed from the pain, she took a couple more, placing her right in front of him. A side step and a second step forward had her at his side, and moments later she was kneeling, bandages carefully placed in her lap so that they wouldn't be dirtied and pulled her backpack off. She dug in it without looking and pulled out a handful of packets. Seeing the wounds a little more upclose, she saw that they were probably quite painful. She disliked putting her patients in any pain she didn't have to, and so she glanced over the seeds until she found Poppy, a natural pain killer. She put the other packets within her bag, and set it aside for now.

"If you're one of the better healers, I'll bet you're one of the more expensive ones, too." She smiled down at her lap as she pulled out her dagger, quickly cutting a bit of bandage to clean the wounds with.

"I'm Krystal. If you've heard of me, you'd know that I don't charge what you don't have. However... seeing that you've bagged yourself a pretty nice prize, I might make you pay." She told him teasingly, as she began to gently clean the wound on his side. She wondered if he knew of her. Quite a few did, some didn't. It was all the same to her, but whether or not they knew of or knew her didn't matter when you were patching them up. They still deserved the same treatment as everyone else. Except that hoity toity upstart nobleman. It didn't take long to clean the wound, what with it bleeding as it was. It cleaned itself, for the most part.

Krystal glanced down at the hank of bandage she had, and saw it was enough for the light cut on his throat, but not much more. So, she quickly - but gently, cleaned the throat. Since it was just a scratch, really, but still in an awkward position, she decided to bandage it now before it started bleeding from the irritation of the bandage she'd just wiped it with. So, another slice of the bandage, and she was gently tying it around his throat while he told her his name. The bandage vibrated lightly as it touched his throat.

"Tell me if it's too tight, alright?" She said, leaning closer to get it back behind his neck.

OOC: =( Thats no fun. I'm sorry. I hope everything gets back in order again!

[flippedside]

OOC: I started a reply a few days ago, and it sucked and wasn't going anywhere, so I gave up. Hopefully this one is better.


Jarad watched the woman--called Krystal--approach. "Can't say I've heard of you, but then, I only pass through Tannoch on occasion." He stayed stiff and slightly tense as she worked on his wound. He was wary of having a stranger care for him--after all, you never knew when someone was going to take advantage of you. Or try to, at any rate. Having already decided that she was alone and not a fighter, he wasn't as edgy as he might otherwise have been, though.

She was careful as she worked at his wounds. Jarad took note of it as another sign that she wasn't going to try to drug him or steal his newly acquired funds. Having gone through quite a bit to get the merchant's purse, he was feeling a bit overprotective. He was relaxed enough to feel chatty.

"So you live here in the city? Been here a while?" He paused, then added, "I lived here once, but it was a long time ago."

There was a scrabbling behind them and Jarad spun, hand automatically reaching for his sword, only to see a mangy looking tomcat come ambling down the alleyway. The orange and yellow tabby rubbed against the wall, and then sat down and proceeded to groom itself. Jarad winced as he turned back towards Krystal. The sudden spin had caused the cut in his side to begin bleeding seriously again.

[brighteye]

"Can't say I've heard of you, but then, I only pass through Tannoch on occasion." She nodded absently as she continued to tie the bandage around his throat. He didn't complain, so she tied it tightly enough to keep it in place and then went on to his next wound. His side looked pretty bad, so that was her next concern. Before she started, however, she pulled out a poppy seed and handed him one. She didn't need to plant it to get what she needed out of it.

"Here, take this. It'll get rid of some of the pain of your wounds." She told him, pressing it into one of his hands. She glanced over his side, it looked like it could be deeper than it originally seemed. It might need stitches, so she leaned down to look at it better, which was kind of icky, but it had to be done. No, it didn't need to be stitched up she determined. Then, she made a pad of bandages for his side, which she held in place with one hand as she began to wrap his side and back with the other. Just as she was getting it tight enough to release it, he spoke again. "So you live here in the city? Been here awhile? I lived here once, but it was a long time ago."

"Yeah, I live here in the city. Actually, I don't live too far from here. I'd been heading home when I saw your little show with the merchant." Krystal told him, as a noise made her look up. It was coming from behind Jared, causing him to spin around, going for the sword at his waist. His wound, which had been sealing itself, was now bleeding freely against the bandages she was still holding to his side, and she could feel the warmth of blood seeping into them. Krystal put more pressure on his side, hoping to staunch the bleeding.

"Don't move, Jared!" She scolded him, glancing back up quickly to see what it was that had caused the distrubance. It was just a orange-yellow tomcat, which could be a person, but then again it could just be an animal. "You're going to bleed to death if you're not careful. I might just have to stitch you up, and that would require moving you without you bleeding to death." Krystal said, trying to slow down the blood flow.


[ooc: Oh my goodness. I am so sorry that I haven't been able to get on. My mom won't let me roleplay on her laptop and my internet on mine was out. I just got my internet back today.]

[flippedside]

"I'm not bleeding to death..." Jarad glared at the cat, who completely ignored him. It was rather ugly, it's fur matted in places and past battle scars leaving furless patches. Half of one ear was missing.

He turned back to Krystal, straightening his body, so she could work on his side. Jarad tightened his jaw, keeping himself from grimacing at her touch. Not only did he not want her to see how much he was hurting, he also didn't want to bother her work. If he held still, she'd be done faster...and then less time for him to be hurting. Theoretically.

"Aren't you done yet?" Jarad complained. He tried not to twitch away from her as she finished wrapping his side.

Some of what she'd said earlier finally soaked into his brain. "Little show?" Jarad grinned, pleased. "Yeah, I guess it was that. Sure had the fat man screaming." Of course, if he'd been just a bit faster, the man wouldn't have noticed his pocket being picked at all...Ah, well. He'd gotten a pretty good fight out of it, and best of all, he'd gotten away clean.

His hand dropped to where he'd hidden the pouch in his tunic. He could feel the coins inside, though he had no idea just how much was in there. Still, even if there were just a few pieces of silver, he'd have hit the jackpot.

Jarad's eyes glinted briefly as he thought of the number of games of cards he could play with this much money...His attention returned to the cat, who was staring at him with unblinking golden eyes. He hissed at it, before turning back to Krystal. The cat was unperturbed.

"Uh...Thanks. Here." He pulled out the bag, and opened it, looking to see what was inside. A slim silver piece met his fingers and he eyed it, a slight smile twitching his lips, though his eyes stayed cold. Aye, the bag was well filled...

He passed the coin to Krystal, as much to thank her for not giving him away as for healing him.

OOC: No worries. I haven't exactly been very available this whole summer, either. At least we're getting the site fairly active again. ;D