Walking Wounded

[flippedside]

Taitha bowed before the Thief Queen. "Your majesty. We returned directly--the news is good." She hesitated to say more, though, and Jared suspected that she didn't want to share whatever her "news" was in front of strangers.

Zerah merely quirked an eyebrow. She was quick to catch on to what wasn't said, and her gaze had been tracking Jared and the stranger across the room. So Jared wasn't surprised when she lightly waved at Taitha. "I will hear the news later. First...who is this?" There was a slight dryness to her tone that indicated the question was rhetorical. Still, she waited for Taitha's introduction.

Jared frowned slightly, attempting to hide his full annoyance. He knew that Zerah knew exactly who he was. She was merely reinforcing her position by having them introduced to her. She knew that he would only return to see her if he had a direct request, so she was blatantly reminding him that she was the one in power. Jared was less than impressed. Still, the situation reminded him that he would have to be careful. Here in the Thief Queen's court, every move had the potential to have repercussions later.

Politics, he thought darkly.

"This, your majesty, is Jared and Willow." Taitha gestured to each of them as she spoke.

With a sudden fluid motion, Zerah was on her feet and standing in front of Jerad. It was reflex on his part that sent him back a quick two steps and to snatch out his sword. Almost instantly, the guards standing next to the queen had swords at his throat. Only Taitha and Zerah, who knew him, drew no weapons. Taitha stood behind the guards, looking faintly amused. Zerah's mouth twitched and Jared glared at her.

"I see you are still jumpy."

"You did that on purpose," Jared growled, returning his sword to its sheath. He knew she had a variety of knives concealed about her, and she was an expert with all of them. But they remained carefully hidden, leaving her to appear largely defenseless. The fact that she hadn't drawn any showed that she had never felt threatened by Jared.

Silently, Jared wondered whether that was actually a wise decision. I have changed a lot since you last knew me, little queen, he thought. Somehow, he doubted she would believe the changes that he knew had occurred. She was too proud and secure in herself and what she thought she knew. But people change a lot...even in only a few years.

She gestured loosely to her guardsmen. "Leave him be. He is no harm to us." They gave him dark looks, but did as she said. "Now," she said, staring hard at Jared and stepping closer, "just why have you come here?"

Jared's teeth were clenched tight. "Just to clarify, I'm unimpressed by your show of power," he snapped. He didn't realize it, but her cool assessment of him as no more than the boy he had been brought out his anger. He could feel a dark shadow uncoiling from somewhere deep within him--a dangerous thing, and something that Zerah neither knew nor understood. Nor, he thought darkly, would she realize just what she had managed to stir up. He had never counted himself as a nice--or even good--person. Zerah was a fool to miss this fact.

Zerah casually raised an eyebrow. "What makes you think it was a show?" Her voice remained languid and low.

I hate you, he thought. The thought was unintentional and direct, but he managed--just barely--to keep his mouth shut. "I think you'd better ask Willow that," he managed to grit out.

Zerah assessed Willow coolly for the first time. She settled back into her throne. "Well, girl? You must have some reason for coming to see me."


OOC: Just a note--Willow can thought-catch as much of Jared's internal struggle as you want her to.

[Willow]

One of the things Willow had learnt from living in the wild more often than what most would class as civilisation for the past nineteen – or was it twenty? – months was not to show your nerves. Any predator would pick up on it, and exploit it. And as a court of any kind was as brutal as any dark forest, the same rules applied. So Willow kept her head raised; her eyes curious and alert but not alarmed, her posture relaxed. Her only show of nerves – something she was barely conscious of herself – was to retract the hand of her injured arm into its sleeve and rub strands of the silky, inward turned fur between her fingers. An unconscious action since she was a child, Willow barely noticed the old habit anymore.

A flicker of a frown troubled her brow before she wiped away her confused reaction. She’d received the distinct impression that the Thief Queen knew Jared, yet she was asking for an introduction? Her tone wasn’t that of a genuine question, however, and Willow felt a vague stirring of dislike for the woman in the pit of her stomach. She reminded the wolf shifter of her own home’s leader. Proud of the power they held, and not above flaunting it.

Apparently she wasn’t alone in her feelings – she clearly ‘heard’ Jared’s irritated ‘Politics.’ in her mind, and had to stop herself nodding in agreement. When no one had spoke, that would doubtlessly look odd, to say the least.

Jared’s sudden shift backwards had Willow following a step out of instinct, her good hand gripping the hilt of one of the knives at her belt in a reflex action, though her mind caught up to her body before she drew it fully. Her movement still had a few swords bristling at her neck, though she noticed most of the guards were focussing on Jared. For a single second, she contemplated drawing the knife fully, just to see what the guards would do. A childish impulse to find out ‘what if...’, and one she quashed quickly, though the idea still twitched a corner of her mouth. She slid the dagger back in its sheath fully and briefly lifted her hand to show the guards that she’d backed down. She’d come here to avoid being skewered. Or interrogated. Which may well be the same thing, though if she’d read the Riders correctly, they would ensure that nothing was immediately fatal. Not that that was reassuring.

Jared and Zerah’s exchange only reinforced Willow’s initial impressions of her. This Queen apparently liked to make an example of her control over people. The snake of dislike coiled in her gut again, tensing into an ‘s’.
Willow pushed the feeling away, as much as her impulsive tendencies urged her to strike out at this Queen.
‘At this rate, I’d almost prefer taking my own chances,’ She thought, doing her utmost to disguise the glimmer of anger she knew was dancing in her eyes.
The stray thought of Jared’s that she half-heard, but easily understood, told her she wasn’t the only one with less than pleasant thoughts about the nearest member of royalty. It made her just slightly uneasy, something she couldn’t quite suppress in the discreet glance she cast Jared.

She shook the feeling away, however, and looked again to Zerah as she spoke and the guards stood down. Reluctantly, Willow noticed.
Once again, Willow had to fight down the feeling of by-now-intense dislike for the woman in front of her (‘She’s almost as bad as the Empress,’) and the increasing sense of unease at Jared’s emotions, lying just under the surface. Though most of what Willow detected were just that – emotions; vague and without words – one clear thought cut through everything else and rooted in Willow’s mind.

‘I hate you.’

‘He must have projected it without meaning to,’ Willow realised, stilling her unconscious, increasingly concerned glances at her companion.

Her own name snapped her out of her contemplations, and it was only Zerah’s words that told Willow exactly what she was meant to be doing.
The Queen’s form of address annoyed her, however, though she kept her tone cool when she responded.
‘You know my name, you arrogant cow, so use it,’ The teenager thought with unanticipated venom, and for an instant, her own surprise flickered on her face then was gone. ‘Get a hold of yourself,’ She thought sternly, mentally shaking herself as she nodded a bit stiffly and began to speak.

“The short story would be I pissed off the Empress and her entourage – which included three Stone Riders – by demanding an apology for one of her guards barging into me and knocking my shoulder into a wall. Apparently these days it’s too much to expect royalty and their lackeys to have basic manners,” Willow paused for breath, training the residual anger out of her voice before continuing in a calmer tone. “In the fight that followed, the Riders made no move to kill me, only trap or capture me. I was pinned by a tiger shifter and blocked by another Rider when Jared showed up and killed the human one. I injured the tiger, which got him off me. The remaining two Riders retreated to guard the Empress, and we both thought it’d be a good idea to disappear for a while.” At this, Willow nodded briefly at Jared, before glancing back to Zerah to finish her explanation. “Jared said that he knew somewhere we might be able to stay, so we headed here. I’m pretty sure Taitha can tell you the rest,” The teenager added, nodding to the aforementioned woman.

She wasn’t quite finished, however. From what she knew of Zerah, she liked using her power, and quite probably wouldn’t do something for nothing. It was likely that she would want something in return for their safe keeping, and Willow figured that it was better to offer herself for jobs or whatever the Queen wanted her to do, rather than have the arrogant cow demand it from her. Willow was quite keen to take away any perception of power over her Zerah had. Hopefully it would do something to reduce her ego.

“Of course, I don’t expect your help for nothing, and I’m no beggar. I’m willing to work in return for our safety, if you’re willing to help us,” She said, careful to keep her voice placid and inoffensively blank. No need to give the woman any hint of how Willow felt about her. It may just make the cow kick them out.

'Keeping Jared away from you may be a good idea too. Otherwise he may just try and kill you after the day's out.' As tempting as the image was, Willow didn't fancy having the Riders and every thief in the city after their blood.

[OOC: Yeah, I think it's agreed that Zerah is positively dislikeable (if it wasn't a word, it is now). Willow seems to be getting ticked off a lot in this thread. She really mustn't gel with royalty XD]

[flippedside]

Jarad nodded slightly at Willow's neat summary of the situation. He looked over at the Thief Queen, but she merely looked thoughtful. It was impossible to tell exactly what she was thinking behind her careful mask.

Careful, he thought to himself. Zerah was not queen of the underworld for nothing, and he had no desire to rely solely on her "hospitality."

Willow's next comment caught him slightly off-guard, and he had to grin. He had intended to negotiate working again for Zerah in exchange for staying out of sight for a time, but the lean wolf-shifter had beat him to it. Clever girl, he thought, nodding to her with slight amusement.

Zerah merely raised her eyebrows slightly at Willow's words, appearing completely unconcerned. "Is this true?" she asked Jared. Not that he doubted that she would work them either way...

He nodded. "Aye, but it's temporary." He didn't want Zerah to attempt to work them too hard...or too long.

He saw a slight smile hover over her lips. "Well. It might just be...interesting...to have you back."

I'll just bet, Jarad thought darkly. Aloud, he pointed out, "It hasn't been that long since I did a bit of work here in the city."

Zerah nodded calmly. "I'm aware that you've helped some of my lieutenants. But...that's hardly the same as working for me, now is it?" She smiled, showing her teeth, and there was something feral in her look. "Best of all, I have just the job for you."

She frowned and looked at Willow. "You said you fought off the Riders?" She studied Willow speculatively and added softly, "Quite impressive, even if they weren't trying to kill you." She nodded to herself. "Hm, yes. I have just the job for you...Taitha. Tell us your news." Her eyes gleamed as she looked at the tall woman standing off to the side.

Jarad frowned slightly, and shifted in place. Watching Zerah, he was reminded that she was dangerous...and they were in a rather tenuous position. Not a good thing. He was half-tempted to up and leave then, but...the threat of the Riders was real enough to make him unconsciously reach up and touch his face, lightly feeling the thick scar on his chin. He stayed put.

Taitha looked warily at Jarad and Willow, before returning her gaze to the languid form of the Thief Queen. "As you wish, majesty," she replied softly, bowing slightly. She straightened, frowned slightly as she gathered her thoughts, and then gave a neat account.

"We went straight to Lord Caith's house, as you asked. It took a bit of work to get into his basement undetected, but nothing we couldn't handle, of course. Our contact kept the servants out of the way, and Caith was out, so there was no real trouble until we reached his hidden room. The door was easy for Dess to find--no surprise there--"

Taitha paused at this point to look at the boy, who was standing off to the side. He turned red and stared at the floor, clearly embarrassed to be the center of attention.

She continued her narration. "It got tricky after that, though. The room was a simple study, with a desk and a small library. The only things of interest were some of the odd books on the shelves. There was a small collection of poisons on one shelf, as well, but no sign of the Star." Taitha frowned. "I'm quite certain that the information I have received is correct and Caith does have the Star. It would certainly explain his rise to power, since he is much too stupid to have done it on his own. But we saw no sign of it in his house. Of course, our time was limited, and I would like to return with Dess to search again. I suspect we missed something."

Zerah looked thoughtful. "Dess is quite good at finding things. I will be glad to send you back...with a little help." Jarad was not surprised when she looked at him and said, "In exchange for staying here under my protection--and eating my food--you will help Taitha find the Star of Gaeden. Taitha can explain more about it to you." She waved them away.

Jarad looked at Taitha, and was surprised to see a look of distaste of her face. "But--"

Zerah frowned. "I'm giving you extra help. I want that Star found."

Taitha glowered. "We don't need help. And anyway, they should stay here, out of sight, if the Riders are after them."

Zerah shrugged. "It's not as if you will be seen...right?"

Taitha opened her mouth to argue further, but clearly saw the futility of it, and snapped it shut again. "As you wish." She gave a short stiff bow and stalked away.

Jarad raised his eyebrows and glanced at Willow. "I suppose we should follow..."


OOC: lol. "Dislikeable" is a good word for it. I will admit that "Pearl" from Tamora Pierce's book Bloodhound is providing great inspiration for Zerah. Pearl is the thief queen/villain in the book and an awesome character.

[Willow]

Willow very nearly thanked Jarad aloud, just managing to clamp down on the word in her throat and simply return the quiet grin instead, hoping no sign of her near slip-up showed on her face.
‘I really need to learn to differentiate between spoken word and thoughts – quickly.’ She thought, studiously turning her attention back to the woman in her impromptu throne.

She soon wished she hadn’t. Willow had to bite her tongue on the impulse to object to how Zerah immediately doubted her story. If Willow hadn’t taken a disliking to the woman, no doubt she wouldn’t have had a problem with Zerah clarifying the facts. But with Willow’s current mindset towards the Thief Queen, the wolf shifter was quick to fault anything the other woman did. She knew that she should be reasonable, but simply didn’t want to be. Saying nothing at all was her version of a compromise to spare her own skin from a Rider’s blade.

‘I’m going to end up chewing through my own tongue at this rate,’ The irritated shifter reflected as she consciously stopped pinning the abused muscle down to silence her smart mouth. Zerah’s words sent prickles of unease and annoyance skittering across the teenager’s skin. Had she been shifted, her fur would have been bristling. At the Queen’s smile, Willow cast it an unimpressed look.
‘I’ve got sharper teeth than you,’ She thought belligerently, fully aware of the childishness of the notion but choosing to ignore it. Unless there happened to be a weredragon around, which she highly doubted, the only one she’d sound stupid to was herself.

“Yipee,” She breathed softly, her enthusiasm for the job diminishing rapidly at Zerah’s tone.
‘Wait, what did she just say?’“Uh, ‘fight’ may not be the-”[/color] But the Queen was already cutting her off, switching her attention to Taitha. Willow closed her mouth with a snap, the fingers of her good hand drumming against her leg to try and distract her irritation. She settled for throwing a ‘can I strangle her?’ look at Jarad, before paying attention to the tall thief, her expression betraying more interest and patience than it had whilst facing Zerah. Hopefully the arrogant bitch would take a hint.

As Taitha’s account continued, however, Willow found herself frowning. She wasn’t very well accustomed to the nobles of Tannoch, so Lord Caith meant nothing to her. But this thing they were looking for...
“Star?” She mouthed at Jarad, her brows drawn together in confusion and her head tilted questioningly to one side.

‘I’ll quite happily scrounge my own food if it’ll give you less to hold over us,’ The wolf shifter thought rebelliously, trying to keep her brow clear of a disagreeable frown. She was faintly surprised at Taitha’s reluctance to have them accompany her. Not that Willow was too keen on the idea herself, but the older woman had come across as pretty friendly when they were on the streets. Maybe she just liked being independent. Willow shifted a shoulder in a tiny shrug, dismissing the thief’s apparent irritation, before nodding at Jarad and turning to follow. She didn’t know if they were meant to bow, but if they were she played oblivious to the fact and simply trotted after Taitha.

She waited until they were out of earshot and muttered unhappily to Jarad; “I really hope this isn’t some wild goose chase. They’re not healthy,” She unenthusiastically waved the hand of her injured arm as emphasis, before sighing. “And I think Zerah’s got the wrong idea. She seems to be under the impression that I literally single-handedly fought off the Riders. All I did was jump a few times and get pounced on by a tiger before you showed up.” She grumbled. If Zerah expected Willow to pull off some extraordinary fighting abilities if anything went wrong, she would be sorely disappointed.

[OOC: Couldn't match your word count for this post, but as usual I'll probably find more to write when the action picks up again. I'm not too good at the 'standing still and chattering' thing haha.]

[flippedside]

Jarad followed Taitha's stiff back in puzzlement. He was surprised by her sudden animosity. Willow's side comments happily diverted his attention. He shrugged at her. "No idea what any of this is about, but I guess we're about to find out."

Taitha stopped in front of a window and turned around, crossing her arms and frowning. "I can't imagine what she's thinking, sending you along." She was staring straight at Jarad.

"Well it's not like I'm that bad in a fight--"

"Oh, that's not the problem. The problem is Aislle. You remember?"

"Sure. It was a town." Jarad stared at her in confusion.

"Exactly. Was." Taitha paused and looked out the window. "Does it bother you at all, knowing what you did?" She looked back at him.

Jarad paused, remembering burning buildings and blood...The scent had stuck with him through the past years more than the feel of hot flames or their bright flare that made night into day. But Taitha knew nothing of what had happened--though he could guess what she'd heard.

"What is this Star?" he asked at last.

She snorted and looked away. Her gaze moved to Willow, and she offered the wolf shifter a slight smile. "How ever did you get stuck with him?" She asked lightly.

Jarad clenched his jaw. "Taitha," he said sharply. "Why is this bothering you now?"

She looked levely at him. "Because Marrek is working for us on this job."

Jarad felt his whole body freeze. He struggled to contain the sudden feeling of hate that stormed over him. It wasn't the emotion that bothered him--it was the fact that he couldn't smash the man's face in right now.

"Clever," he managed tightly. "So he's informing on Caith and you at the same time."

Taitha snorted. "He's not so stupid as to inform on Zerah. She'd slit his throat in an instant."

"Oh? He'll sell her out. Just watch."

Taitha huffed. "You can't kill him."

"Just watch me." He stared at Taitha, but he didn't really see her. It was Marrek he was seeing, through the thick haze that was obscuring everything but the weight of his rage.

Taitha's jaw clenched, but she turned pointedly to Willow, ignoring Jarad. "So. They say the Star grants wealth and power to its owner. We don't really believe that...but once we get it, we'll be able to sell it for a ridiculous amount of money. Enough to retire early on." She couldn't help the dreamy look that crossed her face. She was ready to get away from the scum that came crowding around Zerah these days.

"Anyway, I don't expect we'll need an extra sword, so much as an extra pair of eyes." She shrugged. "But on this sort of job...you never can tell. Something always goes wrong..." She shook her head. "You good at finding things?"


OOC: More chatter. But maybe Willow will able to use her strategy skills soon...

[Willow]

Willow nodded, resignedly blasting her hair out of her face with a sharp breath upwards. As long as it guaranteed her somewhere to sleep and something to eat that night, she was content to tag along on the heist.
‘It might even be fun,’ She thought optimistically, ignoring the counterbalancing voice that muttered about the lack of entertainment she would find if she ran into the Riders again.

As their small group drew to a halt, Willow cast confused and concerned glances between the two, then stared out the window and tried to ignore them. She was quite happy to partake in a dispute, but wasn’t as comfortable watching one.
One word drew her attention, however. Aislle. She couldn’t recall anything about it, but the name stirred some old memory; a snippet of news she’d heard, maybe. Silently, she listened to the conversation, then, frowning, she paid closer attention to what her mind – their thoughts – were telling her. As usual, there were few specifics. There were no words projected, just vague feelings and sensations. Taitha was...uneasy. That could be deduced from her voice and body language though. Jarad gave her a little more to go on – the memory of a scent; rich and thick with iron. Willow had spilt enough of it to recognise it as blood, although it took some cross-referencing to confirm it. Odd, how different people smelt things differently. Warmth, too – he could remember that. Fire? It was too indistinct. It could have been a forest fire or a large bonfire. Whatever it was, when linking just those two glimpses to a town referred to in the past tense...it didn’t give Willow a good conclusion. Not about the outcome of the town, nor about Jarad.

Yet he hadn’t given her any reason to be concerned. The wolf shifter decided to leave the past where it was until it was needed, if it ever was.
‘Besides, I shouldn’t know any of this, so stop thinking about it,’ She scolded herself, turning back around in time to catch Taitha’s smile.
Willow just laughed, scuffing the dusty toe of her boot on the floor.
“That is a long story for when we have more time, I think. Remind me when we’re out of Caith’s and not being chased and I’ll tell you,” She offered before quickly shutting up and turning to the window again to hide a mischievous grin when she caught sight of the flexing muscle in Jarad’s jaw. Now probably wasn’t the time to annoy anyone, she realised.
Well, maybe Zerah if she could get away with it.

Suddenly, something she could only describe as a wall of emotion slammed into her. She took a half step away, wincing reflexively and releasing a soft breath of discomfort through her teeth as she struggled to block it out.
Jarad’s emotions receded somewhat, giving Willow enough time to try and gather her wits enough to push back; trying to keep the foreign thoughts at bay. It wasn't a perfect solution, but it lessened the pressure of the other mind to a dull hammering.

‘What was that?’ She wondered, sliding a wary look in Jarad’s direction. Then she started to worry about her own unavoidable reaction – what if one of them had noticed her odd behaviour?

But the two were still talking. Hopefully…hopefully neither had noticed anything.
Releasing an almost silent breath of cautious relief, Willow stared out of the window again, absent-mindedly rubbing her temple as if to ease the pain still lingering there even though she knew it would do no good.

She caught Taitha’s movement out of the corner of her eye. Clamping down on the worry that Taitha was about to start questioning her on her odd behaviour, Willow turned to look at the woman as she spoke.

Luckily, it was just about the Star.
Curious, Willow tilted her head slightly at the other woman’s wistful, hopeful expression. It looked like she wanted to leave. That or loved the idea of having a lot of money. But if she didn’t like it here, why didn’t she just go? Find work elsewhere, or live off the land? Still, it wasn’t her place to stick her nose in. Though, speaking of her nose…

“I’ve got sharp senses,” {And an extra, vague one,} “So I should be able to help out. I just hope you don’t mind my penchant for finding trouble. No matter what I do, I can’t seem to shake it,” She offered a small grin, before changing tack, starting to think ahead. “Do you know what this Star thing looks like, or anything else I might need to know about this job? Just so I’ve got an idea of what I’m searching for and what not to do when we’re traipsing around Caith’s house uninvited.”

[OOC: I realised after you'd posted that I'd forgotten to put all of Willow's thoughts in italics in my previous post XD sorry about that.]

[flippedside]

Taitha smirked at Willow's words. "Don't worry. I think we all have a talent for finding trouble. It's part of what makes life fun, eh? That and living on the wrong side of the law." She nudged Jarad in the ribs.

He grunted unconvincingly, his mind still far away.

"The Star is supposed to be some sort of gem...or crystal...or something like that. Honestly, we're not exactly sure what we're looking for. Caith is--was--a very minor noble. But he has an interest in the...esoteric...and has suddenly gained considerable mysterious wealth and status. None of which fit with him at all. I've been watching him for a few months now." She wrinkled her nose in distaste, and added, "a horribly dull job. He's a skinny, rather mousey sort of man, no real personality, though he likes to put on airs." She snorted to show what she thought of that. "Anyway, there's been several suggestions that his studies allowed him to find...something...and then recently, one of my informers gave us some information that made it almost certain he has this 'Star.' The trick, of course, is finding it and getting it for ourselves."

"Did you have a plan for that?" Jarad asked dryly, finally tuning back into the conversation. He was still seething, but he'd managed to--at least temporarily--shove his anger aside.

"Why, yes, actually, I did," Taitha replied archly. She raised her eyebrows at Jarad, and he wondered if she wasn't secretly questioning his sanity. She wouldn't be the first to do so.

"There's some royal party tomorrow night, and we plan on returning. There's a wonderful drain that will take us to just below his cellar. There's an entrance there--and no," she added, frowning at Jarad, "you may not sample his wines."

He gave her a sorrowful puppy dog look, but Taitha ignored him. "Anyway, then we just...explore. Carefully, of course. The servants will have the night off, so no one will be home. There's also a large yard with a hedge surrounding the house. We haven't tried looking there, yet. Anyway, the hedge should block any prying eyes, but we still have to be careful."

Taitha paused, then shrugged. "You might as well go eat and sleep." She looked at Willow. "You, especially, look like you could use a large dose of both. Follow me."

She walked out of the room, and back down the stairs, taking them to a small side door. Taitha opened it, nodding at the guard who was lounging on the other side. They descended deeper below the partially ruined building, following a twisty passage that might have been a partially collapsed cellar, or something else entirely. Jarad enhanced his sight to see down the dimly lit corridor. It was dirty and old, and he wondered where Taitha was taking them. Hopefully, to somewhere nicer looking than this...

Taitha took a side passage that brought them to a set of small rooms. "You can stay here. This hasn't been used in a while, so it might be a bit dusty, but you should be comfortable. I'll send someone with food." She nodded at them, paused and looked at Jarad, and then abruptly turned and left.

Jarad frowned. He had the sense that she'd wanted to tell him something the whole time they were walking down here...He wondered if he should try to meet with her alone later. He shook his head and moved instead to light the lamps. If she wanted to say something, let her just say it.

Anyway, he was tired of secrets.

The room lit to reveal surprisingly comfortable--if worn--furnishings. Jarad flopped down on the couch without bothering to explore further. "So what do you think?" he asked Willow.

[Willow]

The wolf shifter grinned. “It’s good to know I’ll fit in, in that respect anyway,” She said with a laugh, shaking her head at Jarad’s rather unenthusiastic response.

There wasn’t heaps of information to go on, but it should be enough. From Taitha’s description, if something went drastically wrong with the party and Caith returned home early, he wouldn’t be able to do much to them. Well, maybe sneer at them. Or scream in shock. That might be entertaining.
For an instant the memory of someone skeletally thin but incredibly strong chilled the back of Willow’s mind. She mentally shook the image away, but revised her opinion slightly. Caith shouldn’t be able to do anything to them. For a start he was a shifter, not some sorcerer from the North. But Willow decided that, if any of this worry was even necessary, she’d go careful. She knew fairly well that appearances could be very deceiving.

“A sewer. Lovely. Remind me not to make my nose more sensitive down there.” She muttered, wrinkling said feature in distaste.

When Taitha fell silent, Willow nodded.
“So basically we get in through the cellar, have a root around without breaking anything, and search the garden without alerting the neighbours. Sounds easy enough. Whether that’ll translate into real life is another matter.” She said wryly, shrugging her good shoulder resignedly. If something went wrong, it went wrong. Then they got to improvise.

At the mention of food and sleep, Willow nodded gratefully, grinning.
“I don’t usually look this pathetic. Honest,” She laughed, turning to follow the older woman as she led them away. The tunnel Taitha guided them down smelt musty to Willow’s curious nose, as if it wasn’t often used. This was confirmed by the thief as they stopped outside the set of rooms. The teenager thanked Taitha before the thief left, before following Jarad into the room. Entering it, Willow bounded onto the couch and sneezed behind muffling hands as she curled up in a corner, eyes narrowing as the room lit up. Jarad jostled her slightly as he fell back onto the seat, making her grumble wordlessly and shift out of the way, wincing as she sat on her hair. She tugged the mane around over her shoulder to shroud her tired legs, glancing at him when he questioned her.

She raised a questioning eyebrow at him.
“About what? The room, Zerah or the job?” She asked rhetorically, before giving a small smile then dropping it in thought, considering her reply. “The accommodation’s fine; there’s a roof, there’s food, and it’s about as safe as you can expect a den of thieves to be. I am not keen on Zerah, to word it politely, but she’s willing to shelter us for a while so I can’t complain too loudly. As for the job...” She hesitated slightly, weighing her words. “It sounds fine. It seems to be straightforward, low-risk, rewarding for the thieves and it should keep us safe for a while. But I’m worried about what could go wrong.” She sat up straighter, lifting her head from the back of the couch as her brows tensed into a small frown. “The least troubling is that we don’t find the Star, for one reason or another. This may just be me getting paranoid, but what if you’re right about that Merrak or Marrek whatshisname? If Caith knows Zerah’s sending another team, it would be all too easy for him to set up a trap. Even if we got out fine, the last thing we need is for word of that to reach the Stone Riders. Nobles gossip like no tomorrow; the news could easily get round,” She stopped and sighed wearily, gazing at the floor for a moment before casting a doubtful, apologetic look at Jarad. “Am I over-thinking all of this? If I am, just tell me to shut up. Sometimes I ramble too much,”

[OOC: Lot of talking here. If this seems a bit garbled its because I was struggling to write today. My imagination took a nose dive -___-'' I think it picked back up towards the end...]

[flippedside]

Jarad listened closely to Willow's response, while trying to remain casual. He was pretty sure he was losing sight of...well, of anything. This whole day had taken him much too close to his past and he knew he'd lost any sense of reason. Did the whole thing--minus Marrek (may he rot in hell)--seem relatively reasonable? He wasn't sure anymore.

Willow's answer didn't reassure him.

Jarad sat silently for a while, thinking things over. "I don't trust Zerah; I never have. But I think we're safe enough here, as long as we keep her entertained. I'm pretty sure she'll keep her word about keeping us safe--if for no other reason than that she'll lose her place if she starts betraying her people." He shrugged. "The thieves have always lived fairly well, so I expect we'll be comfortable. Certainly more so than trying to outrun the Riders." Not that Jarad truly minded rough living, but he was willing to admit--if only to himself--that it had been a while since he'd lived in relative safety. And the rooms were small but well furnished. Not that he lived badly (mostly, he just didn't care)...Still, the couch was awfully comfortable...He settled just a bit deeper.

"This thing with the Star, though...I don't like that."

Jarad leaned back and shut his eyes for a moment, remembering Aislle. It was funny, he thought, how memory worked--giving you only moments of sharp sensation and leaving the rest to fade out. He didn't remember that night as a story, but as a jagged shards of pain and scent and taste and heat. Mostly, he remembered Marrek--lean, handsome, dark haired. He flinched at his memory of the man and his eyes snapped open again, before narrowing.

"Do you know...anything about Aislle?" he asked carefully.

Her words about Marrek's potential danger repeated themselves through his head. You have no idea, Jarad thought darkly. If Marrek was there...

He cut his thoughts off before he lost control. He did know that Zerah couldn't control Marrek. The man would work on this job for his own reasons--and his own gain--without any fear of the consequences. And why should he? Not after what he'd done at Aislle...STOP.

Jarad forced himself to take a deep breath and steady himself.

But he couldn't quite stop the shivering in his stomach or the itchy tickle that ran over his skin and he stood up abruptly, pacing the small room uneasily. Marrek--and those he worked for--wouldn't know Jarad was here, and wouldn't know about this place. But he couldn't--he absolutely couldn't--work with the man.

Brief flickers of memory ran swiftly through his mind. "I might have to...disguise myself," he mumbled to himself, not entirely realizing that he was speaking out loud. "Or just leave...might be better."

He paused, focusing again on Willow, and leaned back against the wall. What must she think of him? He pushed that thought aside, deciding it didn't matter (and truthfully, he really didn't want to know), and stated flatly, "It might be best if I leave you here. Taitha, at least, ought to make sure you stay safe." Certainly, Jarad could take care of himself. Hadn't he already escaped the Riders twice?

Three times if you counted Aislle, but he didn't like to think of that. (And Taitha was almost right in her accusations--in some ways, he had caused what happened. He just hadn't done it himself.)


{OOC: Yay! Posty-ness! XD}

[Willow]

Jarad’s honest response settled most of Willow’s nerves, and she was glad to see that he seemed to be relaxing – until he brought up the star again.

His thoughts started to grow darker again, though Willow struggled to make clear sense of them. There was...a fire? An injury?
Then a clearer image of a man; nice looking, but the sharp stab of emotion – anger. Fear? – negated any benefit of the doubt Willow might have offered the man. Jarad’s small start made Willow concerned; something she didn’t bother hiding.

His question stopped her from asking after him, however. Her brow creased in thought as she carefully separated what little she actually knew from the impressions she’d received from Jarad himself.

“Not much,” She admitted slowly, trying to recall that vague snippet of news. “Like you said to Taitha, it was a town. I remember a few years back, people were talking about something that had happened to it. I didn’t pay much attention though; and I’d been on the road for a while at that point. I was out-of-touch with the goings-on of civilisation,” She gave a rueful grimace at her own ignorance, before tilting her head back and examining the ceiling with blank eyes as she rooted through her unhelpful memories. “Erm...” All she got was a vague impression of a disaster, before she’d shaken off the news and turned her attention to eavesdropping on a different conversation.

Cautiously, she used one of the sensations she’d picked up from Jarad, hoping it was vague enough that she wouldn’t cause suspicion of knowing too much. “I dunno; something about a fire? I really wasn’t listening very closely,” She sighed, shrugging her good shoulder and raising her hand before lifting her curious eyes back to his. “Why’d you want to know? If you don’t mind me asking,” She added quickly, lifting a forestalling hand. She could hear that the topic bothered him, but Jarad himself gave virtually no indication, so Willow decided to try and get more information from him if she could – it’s what she would do if she didn’t know how to thought-catch – but gave him an easy way out of talking about it if he didn’t want to.

She tried to conceal the growing alarm she felt at his increasingly erratic thought patterns, even when his composure started to fracture. But when he jumped up and started treading the already worn floor, murmuring to himself, Willow finally opened her mouth to voice her concern as her eyes tracked him back and forth across the room.

But once again, he stopped her before a sound left her, ceasing his pacing abruptly and resting against the wall, though he looked far from relaxed.

Willow blinked at his sudden announcement, flummoxed, sitting forward to face him, almost as though she was ready to jump off the couch herself and start moving.

“I- Well, if that’s what you think is safest, then I won’t stop you, but...are you sure you’re okay, Jarad?” She finally stammered out, mentally scrabbling to keep up with the sudden change of plan and his obvious anxiety. Willow was getting the steadily increasing impression that Jarad wasn’t in full possession of his grasp on reason. She didn’t like the thought of him running off to avoid the Riders on his own if he hadn’t thought things through properly. Willow was willing to bet that the two – wait, three? – previous times he’d escaped the Riders; he’d had a clear mind to help him slip away. That didn’t seem to be the case now.

“Look, just wait a minute. Someone’s coming with food soon; at least wait til you’ve eaten before you go running off to dodge the Riders,” She said gently, keeping her voice soft as though she were wary of spooking him into fleeing that second. Hopefully Jarad would follow what seemed to be a constant for men – thinking of their stomach first – and would stay put long enough to calm down. “I can see something’s worrying you. Is it going to Caith’s tomorrow?” Willow purposefully avoided mentioning Marrek– who she suspected was the real source of Jarad’s troubled demeanour – in her carefully worded question. Maybe that way he’d tell her something – or at least wouldn’t leave straight away.

[OOC: Yay! I doubt I'll be able to reply to any threads after this til after the 6th/7th now, since I'm going to Yellowstone with my Biology department, but once I get back I'll be free to write as much as I like ]

[flippedside]

Jarad forced his mind back to the present with an almost physical jerk. The only way to deal with these things was to separate the past from the present, and he did that by ripping his mind apart and shoving the endless repeat of old wounds far enough away from the present that they wouldn't interfere. Fortunately, he was good at that.

With his rage at Marrek closed down and shut out into some part of himself that he couldn't reach, he brought himself back to the present--and Willow's words.

What had he been talking about? Oh, right. Aislle. He flinched unconsciously away from the thought.

"Aye, there was something major that happened there," he told her bitterly. For a moment, he debated whether or not to continue the thought, but decided it was better that she know at least something. "Aislle isn't--wasn't--too far from here." It was still hard to think of it in the past-tense. Funny how the past sometimes feels more real than the present. "I had a friend named Marrek that I was...working with." The chime of striking swords sang in his memory. "Unfortunately, Marrek was...working for others. Fool that I was I didn't see it." He shook his head. "More accurately, I didn't really want to see it."

Rage clotted in his throat briefly, but he could look at the situation dispassionately enough to know that he'd felt he owed Marrek too much to look closely at the other man's motives.

He ran Willow's words again through his mind, and smiled bitterly. "Aye, there was a fire--a big one. Wiped out the entire town--though it didn't matter much, since almost everyone was already dead. Taitha blames it on me, since I never argued some rumors about it...It was partly my fault." He wondered what she'd do with that information. He shrugged, staring off at the ceiling as he picked his words. "I was there. So was Marrek." He blamed himself for much of what happened there--the deaths of friends and innocents--but he wasn't about to pass that information along. He remained standing, cold, isolated, and refusing to allow anything to shatter the icy control.

"Anyhow, the problem is that if Marrek sees me, he'll recognize me. Admittedly, I wouldn't mind getting close enough to get my revenge on him, but he'll go running off to his employers at first sight of me, and that'll be the end of the rest of you." He paused, shrugged almost lazily. "Not that it'll matter much. I'm sure he's in on this just to get this Star for himself--and his employers. Soon as it's found, he'll do what he's good at--kill. And get it for himself." He looked down at her and smiled grimly. "Zerah's more arrogant--and more of an idiot than I realized--to think she can make deals with Rider's best spy."

He didn't blame Taitha--she was thief and a clever one, but she wouldn't know who Marrek was. She'd probably think him a very good assassin--he was that, too--since that was what he usually passed himself off as.

"Fortunately for you, Zerah won't say anything about you to him--and I doubt he'll know anything about you." He reconsidered that statement. "That is, she won't say anything about you until they've got her in their torture chambers." He shook his head and thought that visiting the Thief Lord probably hadn't been one of his better ideas.



{OOC: Oooh...Have fun at Yellowstone! I haven't been there yet; would like to go sometime. It's hard to work out vacations with a dog, though. Plus, I'm at school almost year-round. Oh, well...I'll get there someday. }

[Willow]

Willow tried to stifle the surprised lift of her eyebrow when Jarad called Marrek a ‘friend’ – all previous indicators had pointed to Jarad wanting to hang, draw and quarter the man, at least. They weren’t exactly the feelings one associated with a friend.
Still, the echo of clashing steel and old anger from Jarad’s mind gave Willow the hint that Aislle had been what had changed the mercenary’s view of his old friend.

Her eyes narrowed fractionally at the mentioned betrayal, and she had to shove her own bitter memories away. She still wondered if she’d been blinded by her own loyalty and affection – if she’d looked closer, would she have seen some indicator of the approaching disaster?

The thought that she could have prevented the deaths of her clansmen, and her own injury, had tormented her for years.

Once again, she felt the blank shock of a stifling inability to draw a full breath, then the nauseating agony of several ribs snapping and shifting, jutting up sharply to pierce ruined skin...

‘Focus!’ She thought angrily, stubbornly ignoring the recollection and mentally clinging onto Jarad’s words to drive away her own haunted thoughts.
Her tenacity provided little aid, however. The vague impressions he projected, of flames and so many dead, only fuelled her own memories.

There had been no fire that night, but when she’d regained consciousness, days later, she’d heard the horrified whispers. The haunted voices recalled the bodies that lined the path he’d taken out of the village; the dead leading their killer’s pursuers out into the forest, where they’d struggled to track him in the dim, cloudy night. The faint signs of passage had led to the last body – hers, still struggling to breathe, to live. By the time she had been taken back to the village for aid, the clouds had overflowed and the rain had erased all but the largest pools of blood that stained the streets.

Unaware of the ghosts lingering behind her eyes, Willow eyed Jarad with a flat mask to try and hide the trepidation she felt. His words prodded at her, however, helping to ground her in the present, easing her out of the thick mire of memory.
Rumours. Partly his fault.

Jarad was a killer; there was no denying that, but so was she. And the heavy sense she felt from him – regret, maybe? – told her that he wasn’t proud of his part in Aislle’s destruction, no matter how small. That helped her fully separate her unease from their present situation.

Then Jarad’s dour announcement caused a new wave of worry to hit her.
“The Rider’s best...?” She trailed off faintly, momentarily speechless. It wasn’t so much a shock as fresh concern. Though the news that Marrek was a Rider was new, it was only a step up from ‘traitor’ in Willow’s mind. The difference between an undercover Rider and a traitor, however, was enough to make the wolf shifter extremely anxious. “Shit,” She muttered past the nervous hand that had lifted to press thoughtfully against her chin. Unconsciously, she leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees, hunching over her distracted thoughts as she struggled to put them in order.

Her troubled eyes lifted briefly from the empty spot on the wall she’d been staring at to meet his gaze and offer up a wry smile.
“Sounds like I might have judged Zerah too quickly,” She quipped sarcastically, before letting her eyes lose focus again and continue to stare at the wall, brow furrowed.

“You’re sure he’s a Rider?” She asked; her voice distant with thought. It wasn’t that she doubted Jarad, as much as that she wanted to be certain. She’d need justification if she ended up killing Marrek on this job – something she would try her utmost to do, if he betrayed them. Anyway, Jarad had once thought her a spy – until she helped repel the Riders that attacked Nightfall. If she hadn’t been so concerned, and Jarad so unpredictable at present, she would have joked about it, but she doubted that making light of Marrek would be a wise idea when talking to the hawk shifter.

After a quiet pause, she slowly started to talk, as though plotting her words out only as they came to her.
“If Marrek’s that prone to grassing, then it might be safest if you do leave, for everyone. No doubt if he does inform the Riders, they won’t hesitate to take out a thieves den if they want to get to you. But if you do stick around and go to Caith’s with us...” She paused, her mind rushing through her thoughts and plans, before she nodded and carefully continued, her eyes still utterly unfocussed. “If you do, your disguise would have to be good enough to trick Marrek. And it’d be best to keep the two of you separated as much as possible. But I don’t like the idea of leaving Marrek to his own devices...especially if he’d inclined to kill us once that Star is found, whether you’re there or not. So...while we’re searching Caith’s, it’s likely we’ll be split up, right? If it’s not already planned, I could suggest to Taitha that we go in teams.” According to Taitha, she, Kaer and Dess had searched Caith’s home, and would apparently be returning. Add Marrek, Jarad and Willow herself, and that made a rounded group. From his earlier reaction, Jarad would probably prefer to stay away from Kaer – Willow didn’t blame him – so if he decided to join the group, he could go with Taitha or the kid, Dess. Either way, it should work out.

She nodded once more, then continued, sounding more confident now that she had some semblance of a plan. “Whether you go or not, I’ll stick with Marrek. From what you’ve told me, we are the only ones who know about Marrek’s real alliance, and I’d rather have someone who knows about his likely betrayal to stay with him. Obviously you can’t, if you go – the longer you’re with him, the higher the chance you’ll be discovered; or you’ll try to kill each other. Either way, that will screw up any chance we have of avoiding undue attention from either the thieves or the Riders. So I’ll stick with the spy. That way, if one of us finds the Star I’ll be prepared for him to start attacking. If any of the others find it first, I can try to warn them before Marrek reaches them and starts killing. At the first sign of betrayal, I won’t hesitate to kill him, if the others do,” As she spoke, she carefully pulled her injured arm out of the sling supporting it and stretched it out, grimacing at the slightly stiff muscles.

The injury was half healed – she could rotate her arm up just past shoulder level, but no further, and couldn’t lift it backwards higher than the apex of her shoulder blade. Moving it outwards, wincing, the limb trembled as she lifted it up to shoulder level, where it stubbornly remained. Despite its limitations, she could use it in a surprise strike to the heart or liver. She hoped that Marrek would see her as an extra pair of eyes – no more – when she joined the team. Hopefully he would underestimate her, especially if she strapped one of her swords to her hips, as opposed to both on her shoulders, and wore her cloak over it. That way, she might be able to buy herself a few seconds of surprise if he attacked. He’d expect her to go down quickly, like an oblivious, injured little girl – instead, she hoped to be able to counter and, if possible, take him down before he’d rid himself of his surprise. If she couldn’t, she’d let him get close enough for her to strike out with her injured arm and a dagger.

If that didn’t work? If she felt she couldn’t beat him fairly, she’d escape the fight, warn the others, then run. Get out of the city and spend a few months in the wilds of Rhyallia.

Idly exercising her arm, she glanced up at Jarad with a wry smile.
“Now tell me the problems you can find with my plan – other than it being insane – and I’ll work on them. I’m eager to survive Caith’s, so your input would be appreciated,” Then she stilled, other than tilting her head to listen and sniff. With a grin, she swiftly but smoothly hung her arm back in the sling, chattering as she did so.
“And eat up – food’s here,” She said as she sound of footsteps and faint scent of food approached down the hallway.

[OOC: posted! And despite what Willow thinks, it looks like she's more fond of food than Jarad is XD Long post, too - 1,446 words. Yellowstone was amazing, by the way. We saw wolves! In a rescue/conservation centre, but wolves all the same ;D]

[flippedside]

"You sure he's a Rider?"

Jarad started forward at Willow's words, anger flashing briefly through him. "Sure he's a--" He shook his head and snarled to clear it. It wouldn't do good to lose control here. "I'm positive," he grated.

It was later that he'd known. Oh, he'd guessed it, after Aislle, but it wasn't until later, trapped under stone and rot, that he'd known for sure. For a moment, Marrek's face--bland, almost sympathetic--surfaced clearly in his mind. Water dripped in the background and pain laced his limbs. He felt--again--the thin ticklish trickle of blood along his back and smelled it's sharp-sweet scent. And Marrek's voice-- "This doesn't have to happen, you know. Why don't you just tell them?" That was when he first lost control.

He shuddered at the thought. Aislle was nothing compared to that. There was a reason he sought constantly to forget the past--to lock it down so far and hard that it couldn't be accessed.

He couldn't face that again.

But Marrek was still alive--damn him. He stared hard at Willow. "He's not a Rider, exactly. He's under the employ of the Riders. Keeps him looking completely innocent of all government contact...Makes him especially handy for jobs like this, where he's 'working' with people outside the law. He's...well, when I knew him, he'd worked up a reputation for being outside the law--you know, work with the rebels, assassinations, that sort of thing. And he was good at it. Sounds like he still has his old reputation, if Zerah's hiring him. Thing is, he works hard to keep that reputation so that the really critical people--and information and...whatever else--always get sold out in the end. But not in such a way that he gets caught...or anyone survives. It's easier for him to manage than you'd think. If nothing else, he can usually claim that he wasn't even there...and there's always someone else to conveniently lay the blame on."

Jarad shrugged, gaze flat.

He listened as Willow thought out loud, deciding that her suggestions seemed sound enough--as long as you didn't mind that you were going to be dead by the time the operation was over. He smirked at that thought.

"No one's going to believe that Marrek will sell us out. But it would be good to have someone keeping an eye on him." He tilted his head thoughtfully for a moment. "No one will argue if I refuse to go with you, either. I could leave after and fly there...It's not like it would be hard to find Caith's house."

He felt a slight feral smile pulling at his lips. "It's clear that Marrek's there because of this 'Star...' which makes me think that there must be something to the rumor. I wonder...if I hid my presence...do you think we could trap him? We might have to run afterwards--I don't have the best reputation and you're an unknown and Marrek..." He felt a bitter smile twist his mouth. "Marrek is an outstanding employee--always polite and fulfills his contracts...They'll see us as the dangerous killers." Funny how quickly good and evil could be twisted around.

Jarad kept talking as Willow stretched, trying to put into words the sudden rush of ideas he felt. Not that he was very good with words, but...the thought of cutting down his enemy sent sharp pleasure through his body. "I could maybe sneak out and fly over the area, get a better idea of Caith's house. Shouldn't be too noticeable as a hawk. I'll refuse to go with you all...You can maybe get Taitha to take you to Marrek. Couldn't watch him too close, though, he'd get suspicious..." Jarad frowned. "Not that it matters. He'll hang around until the end. As long as you know where he is..."

The smell of food jolted him away from his thoughts, and Jarad was surprised to note that he was hungry. Not just hungry--famished. Musta been that fight earlier, he thought, smirking at the memory. It would be good to stop fighting and start doing. And speaking of doing...the only thing he wanted to do for a while was eat. He set aside any more planning until after he'd eaten.


{OOC: Can't say I matched your word count, this time. XD Also, wolves are awesome.}

[Willow]

Almost before Jarad moved, Willow was holding up a placating hand in silent apology. She waited until he’d reined his anger back before speaking, once again talking softly to try and avoid sparking his ire again.

“I didn’t mean to sound as though I doubted you; I don’t. I just needed to be certain before I took his inevitable betrayal into account and planned around it,” She explained, slowly lowering her quelling hand.

Though she listened to his words, it was his memory that she paid closest attention to, and which made her jaw tighten. No wonder Jarad was so mistrustful. She recalled their interrogation of the Rider in the forest outside Ashata, and Jarad’s method of slicing slivers of skin from the man’s body. At the time, she’d wondered how he’d known so much about it. Now she wondered if she’d just received an answer.

Before Jarad had started speaking, Willow had decided that Marrek needed to be killed. What she doubted was her ability to do so. She’d killed three Riders before, but two of them she’d taken by surprise, and there was the chaos of a burning forest and battle to consider. She’d also been in good shape for most of the fights, only breaking her collar bone in the third skirmish with a panther, and being able to fight with a minor head wound. In comparison, she hoped to take Marrek – who, from the sound of it, had all the skills of a Rider without actually being one – by surprise, but the chances of that weren’t brilliant. The more likely scenario would be that he attacked, and she’d have to fend him off and try to surprise him during the fight. They’d be in a quiet mansion, with few distractions to give her an advantage, and she was working with a damaged shoulder from the offset, relying on her weaker arm to carry the brunt of her attacks.

To make things worse, Marrek was used to this, according to Jarad. Capable of wiping out everyone he’d associated with on a previous job, then getting away with it. Willow grimaced. Her chances of completing this job successfully and surviving were steadily shrinking.

But if Jarad was there, without the others knowing...Willow looked up from her contemplative staring at the wall with interest, paying close attention. When Jarad said ‘trap’, she couldn’t help grinning slightly. She preferred the sound of that to conservative combat.

Ah. So Marrek was the good little employee, was he? That could make things a bit more difficult, but Willow would rather kill him and run from the thieves of Tannoch for a while, than risk dying by leaving him alive. But if she could avoid the blame...

Hm. That might work.

She waited for Jarad to finish, nodding at his input. She was about to add her own when she smelt the food, then felt Jarad’s focus narrow to eating, and nothing else. With a wry grin, Willow stayed silent as a thief she didn’t recognise knocked on the door and walked straight in with a tray. A second sniff told Willow that the two bowls of stew were accompanied by bread and water. A simple meal, but enough to quiet the grumbling cavern of her stomach.

Patiently, the wolf shifter thanked the thief and waited for them to leave, cheerfully attacking her meal as though all she’d done since arriving was wait for food, instead of worrying about surviving the job tomorrow night.

She waited until the sound of their footsteps had faded even out of her enhanced hearing before returning to her thoughts, running what Jarad had said through her mind and combining it with her own plans as she absently devoured her meal, her unfocussed gaze now aimed at her bowl as opposed to the wall.

Marrek would be difficult to take down, with or without a trap. The chances were she’d be injured in the fight – which may work to her advantage when the others arrived and saw him dead. If she could get Jarad to leave before the other thieves showed up, she might be able to claim self defence, and Marrek wouldn’t be in any position to argue. With a bit of luck, they could avoid being branded killers and being forced to flee the city.

Another idea sparked, and she started speaking again after checking that Jarad had also finished eating and was willing to entertain more planning. It would hinge on them actually finding the Star, and was more risky, but it would clear them of any blame.

“If we do trap him, it’d be best to wait til we’ve split into teams. When Marrek and I have separated from the others during the search, you could strike then. If you can kill him and leave before the others arrive, I could try and claim self-defence. Chances are I’ll get injured in the fight, if I’m not killed, so that should make my claim more credible. If they start asking questions, I can tell them the truth – he was after the Star for himself. There’s something else, though. Just say, hypothetically, we find the Star. You said Marrek would then kill everyone present to get the Star for himself, right? If we time it right, and I’m on my guard, Marrek will try and kill me; and the others if they’re there. Hopefully I’ll be able to doge or block, since I don’t particularly want to die, then you jump in – it’ll surprise him, if we’re lucky, plus he’ll have blown his own cover. We’ll have the other thieves on our side, and Marrek will be outnumbered five to one. We’d stand a better chance of beating him, but whoever he strikes at first will be at more risk than if we simply trap him while his cover’s still intact,” She paused to raise a dubious eyebrow. “Too risky, or worth the gamble? I’ll go with whatever you think would work best, though I would rather not be hunted down by the thieves and Riders both. I’m in enough trouble as it is,” She added with a brief roll of her eyes at her own precedent for attracting trouble as she sat back comfortably from her empty bowl, nursing her drink as though it were ale. Now that she’d ate and some concept of a plan was being constructed, she could feel the events of the day creeping up on her.

‘Finish planning this, then you can sleep,’ She told herself firmly, ruthlessly stifling a yawn and taking another drink to stave off her impending weariness.

[OOC: I really don’t know how I made this thing this long - 1,101 words. Last I checked it was 500 odd, then I finish it and it's twice that length XD Willow is once again showing her too-reckless side, though at this point it's all theoretical, at least haha]

[flippedside]

{Spent all my time updating the site...haven't had a chance to reply. }

Jarad leaned back and considered Willow's words. "That's assuming the Star even gets found...but I imagine that will happen eventually, if not on this try. But say it does." He shoved the plates away and leaned forward, suddenly very interested in this planning. What if they could manage to catch and kill Marrek? A quiet, cold tremor ran up his back, mingled with the faint salty-sweet taste of blood on the back of his tongue. He tried not to think what it all meant.

"Say we get the Star. Marrek's apparently known about this whole thing for some time now; he'll know the house inside and out. And I bet he'll have some tricks in mind. Something he's thought up ahead of time. He'll expect maybe 3, maybe 4, thieves. That's high odds, but not bad, especially if he's got some trap of his own planned.

"Damn. I wish we had an opportunity to go see this place ahead of time. I hate going in blind..." He shook his head, and then brought himself back around to his original thoughts.

"Right. So the Star's found, Marrek triggers his trap, catches one by surprise. If he's lucky, he wounds another. Maybe he pretends horror or surprise and gets in close, surprise-finishes another one. Now it's easy to take the last one, grab the Star, and get away. Later, there'll be a fuss about thieves breaking in...We've got to find a way to keep him from using whatever trap he has set-up."

Jarad stood, so he could move about. He thought better while moving, and this was a challenging problem. What would stop Marrek from killing? And how could they then kill him? What if...

"What if we could surprise him? Do something so unexpected that he actually screws up?"

Now there was a thought...

"Of course," Jarad added wryly, "we could also just ditch this place now, leave the thieves to their own business, and get out of the city. Rhyallia's a big place, after all."

Something deep inside Jarad rebelled at the thought. He wanted to find a way to pay Marrek back. He wanted the man dead so badly he ached. Focus, he told himself firmly. Focus.

Focus on this problem--not on the thoughts of Aislle that kept whispering in the back of his mind...

Aislle. That was it. With a shudder, Jarad shut his eyes for just a moment, and let memory creep in like black smoke. The picture was blurred by time, but not the pain of betrayal. He touched his chin unconsciously as his eyes snapped open.

"That's it. That's it!" Jarad couldn't help the wide grin that broke out. He stalked back to the table and jerked out his chair, before flopping down in front of Willow, still smirking. "I know how we do it."

"Listen, Marrek needs some way to escape clean--an albi. A reason things go wrong. So he'll leave some message for his employers. Suddenly, Caith's rise to power gets 'suspicious' and conveniently investigated. A Rider--or two--shows up to 'investigate.' " He was speaking too quickly--trying to talk as fast as the thoughts flew through his mind. It was Aislle again, but this time--this time he knew what would happen. This time, they would play the game and trap Marrek in his own plans.

"Meantime, we're over there, finding this Star. Marrek'll have some signal for when it's actually found. That's when the Riders'll appear. That'll be his trap, right? He can maybe conveniently 'escape' with a wound or two, while the Riders get the Star and everyone else...ends up dead." His eyes glittered. "but we'll be ready for that. And that's when we'll trap him. We'll trap him with the surprise of his life." Jarad leaned back and smirked. "Me."

Suddenly, he liked this whole plan. A lot. Oh it was risky--maybe too much so. They all risked death by waiting until the end, when Marrek showed his true colors. But he really couldn't wait to see Marrek's face when he showed up...