Walking Wounded

[Willow]

{No problem }

Assuming the star is found. Willow paused. Hadn’t she said that? She thought she had.

Or maybe she just thought it and didn’t notice the difference. Oh well.

She conceded the point with a nod, a grunt and a wave to continue.
If three or four thieves were high odds, maybe having five of them – six if Jarad pitched in – might make the difference. Of course, that would still mean four of them were dead, which was far from ideal.

The mention of traps had her worried. She doubted Marrek could have rigged the place before-hand, but a small trap wasn’t outside the realm of possibility.

She gave him a quick grin. ‘Unexpected, I can do.’ She wondered what Marrek’s reaction would be if she started talking to him telepathically. It certainly threw her for a loop, that was for sure. Do that during a fight, and she might well give herself a perfect opening.

“Sounds good,” was all she said. She would be willing to use thought-catching to save her life, particularly if the recipient would hopefully be dead by the end of the night anyway. Just casually blurting it out in front of Jarad probably wasn’t a smart idea. Not that she thought he’d do anything drastic, but Willow got the feeling that thought-catching wasn’t something to announce in Rhyallia.

Besides, it would lead to awkward questions like how she could do that, or how she learnt it. Or major panic attacks like the one she’d nearly had in the mountains. Admittedly, that had had a lot to do with Matt going full-on weredragon, but the thought-catching hadn’t helped.

Willow tuned back in to Jarad and raised an eyebrow. “Leave? Really? You seem pissed off enough to stay to me. And I guess I’m just crazy. Nothing new there,” she said with a shrug. The thoughts – feelings, really – she glimpsed only confirmed her suspicions. Jarad might have been near-raving about leaving earlier, but that plan had gone sailing out the window with a grand sendoff now.

His thoughts were darker now, sharper. The images were still unclear, but his attention was not. She didn’t miss the brief touch to the scar on his chin, but didn’t mention it. Willow just grinned when the realisation hit him and leaned forward in her seat as he sat down. “Spill,” she said, rapping the table with her knuckles.

She winced when he mentioned Riders arriving, but nodded at him to continue. Having them as the trap was hardly ideal, but not exactly unexpected, given Marrek’s association with them.

She laughed when he sat back; it would have been a giggle if it had been higher. “I’m liking the sound of this. Well, not the Riders bit, but the surprise. Details, though,” she said, tapping the table again.

“Do we try and take him down before the Riders arrive, or after they get there? I know we need to wait until Marrek has shown himself to be a Rider, or as good as. But if he gives the signal – whatever that is, being able to identify that quickly would be good – we’ll need to kill him quickly. If the Riders are close enough to signal, though, then they’d have to be close. Would we have enough time to kill Marrek and get out of the house before the Riders arrived, do you think?”

Her eyes brightened as another thought hit her and she lifted her good hand to get his attention again, waving as she spoke. “Also, if you’re not in the house if or when we find the Star, I’ll need a way to signal you to let you know to jump in.” She paused, staring at the grain of the table, eyes flickering over a whorl in the wood. “I think, best case scenario here, is if I find the Star.” She glanced up with a shrug. “I won’t tell Marrek, but the others would, which could get them killed. If I find it, we have the advantage. Obviously we can’t control that, but it would be good if that’s how things play out.”

She sat back, nodding to herself. Not that things ever went to plan, but it would be nice if luck was on their side for once.

And if they didn’t... well, she could still go with her wounded, harmless bird routine. Although a fight was undesirable at least, it might still happen.

“I was thinking,” she said, a little slowly, aware this might be skirting uncomfortable territory, “what can you tell me about Marrek’s fighting style, the weapons he uses? I don’t particularly want to fight him, but if it does happen, I’d like to be as prepared as I can be. Like you say, I don’t like going in blind. Not something like this, anyway,” she amended.

Small things, harmless things – petty theft, trespassing, annoying a royal guard into chasing her across half the city – those things were most fun when spontaneous. Going up against a Rider-trained killer, and possibly Riders themselves? That wasn’t fun, even if you lived.

[flippedside]

Jarad couldn't help smirking slightly as he watched Willow's growing enthusiasm. He felt it himself--they had a plan now, a way to protect themselves and strike back. There was something reassuring in that, and it drew his shattered thoughts back into intense focus. They would win. They had to--not just for justice or revenge or whatever you wanted to call it, but to survive.

With some surprise, Jarad realized that he was not yet ready to die. The choking black haze that had swallowed him since Taitha first mentioned Marrek had begun to draw back. With it, came thin slivers of sanity and a reminder of who he was. He had survived before. He would again.

"I'd guess they'd be nearby, ready to come at some sort of signal," Jarad replied, "but I have no idea what it would be. Unfortunate, but...if I fly in, I can hang around outside. Taitha said there was an underground sewer entrance, but I don't expect they'll use that. Means I should be able to keep an eye out from outside. There's a chance it won't work, but...I don't really expect the Riders to do 'subtle' on this one. So if you're inside, watching Marrek, I can watch outside."

Jarad paused as Willow pointed out the need for a signal. He nodded. "I was just thinking that. If they do get by me or...Well, you know how it is, something always goes wrong." He gave an ironic smile and shrugged. "Maybe you can do a wolf howl. I ought to hear that."

He sat back again to listen as she continued.

"Hm. Would be convenient if you found it first...but I guess that kid--What's his name? Dess?--has some skill at finding things, so I guess we better plan on him finding it. Just in case. And I think Marrek won't respond right away when the Star is found--not until the Riders actually appear. So maybe if you go with Dess you can...maybe find a way to collect the Star and keep Marrek from knowing right away?" He shrugged. "That's a little too hard to plan for, though, I'm thinking. Since you'll be inside, I'll leave it to you to work out how you want to play that."

Jarad paused to study Willow silently for a moment. The girl was tough, to be facing Marrek and the Riders while obviously wounded. He wondered if that would give them an advantage--Marrek was less likely to take her too seriously. But then again, he would need to watch out for her to see that she didn't get herself killed.

At one time, he would have hated the idea of having to watch out for anyone besides himself, but since working with Kaye, he'd become used to the idea. It would be no different than running with Nightfall, when everyone watched everyone else's back. Jarad felt a brief surge of affection mingled with sorrow thinking of Nightfall--he would've loved to have Kaye on this one. He was the one getting into scraps, and she was always the one to get him out again...He smiled slightly at the thought, and then grimaced.

Tough scrapes reminded him of Taitha. He was going to have to watch out for her, too. Never mind that she would rip off his head if she knew he was watching out for her. Jarad sighed inwardly. The woman was a fool to trust Marrek--in spite of what he'd told her--but...he couldn't let her die. Kaer, on the other hand, he wouldn't mind seeing the last of. That thought brought a slight smile to his face and he idly wondered if he could somehow find a way to pit Kaer against Marrek...

Willow's question brought him out from his musings. "Uh..." He paused. He didn't like thinking much about Marrek at all, but he did remember, with a sudden sharp clarity, sparring with him in a shaded alleyway...Laughter...

"He tends to be aggressive when he fights. And he's fast." He frowned, analyzing the memory. There was the silver flash of steel, the thin trickle of blood against his side as Marrek nicked him...And then there was Marrek, lecturing him on stretching himself too much and so opening himself up.

Jarad was suddenly struck by how much younger he had been at the time. Had it really been that long?

He blinked, pulling himself back to the present, and looked at Willow. "I'd say the best thing to remember about Marrek is that he's been doing this about as long as you've been alive. He knows all the tricks and he'll use whatever comes to hand as a weapon--and use it well. Honestly? Your best bet is to not fight him at all...or at least not directly. Keep your range and if you can surprise him--that's all the better. Not that he'll be easily surprised, but...you might be able to play the 'innocent, wounded girl' part up. Hopefully, that'll keep him from expecting you to be any sort of threat. Oh...and if you feel the need, try using Kaer as a shield." He snorted and added, "at least he might be useful for that."

[Willow]

Willow nodded. Having someone keeping an eye out for Marrek’s cavalry put her mind at rest. Well, sort of.

“Let’s just hope they don’t see you watching the house. Or don’t recognise you, anyway. Hopefully the Riders don’t kill all animals that look at them funny on the off-chance it’s a shifter,” she said. She wouldn’t put it past them, but it would be a tad extreme, surely? “Not subtle is good. If we know which way they’re coming from, it’ll be easier for us to get out and avoid them.”

Willow snorted. If things went completely right, then something was wrong.

“Let’s hope that whatever screws up this time is relatively minor. Someone forgets their pants, or something. Inconvenient but not lethal. Preferably funny.” ‘You’re rambling. You ramble when you’re tired. Shut up.’

Willow shook her head and waved her brevity aside. “Wolf howl I can do. Marrek will probably know something’s up by then, so I shouldn’t be giving too much away. If he’s still oblivious, though...” she paused, studying the ceiling for a moment. “I’ll suggest searching the gardens, if we aren’t already there. If you park yourself on a roof nearby or something, you’re literally a few seconds away. We’d still have the element of surprise, even with a howl. Or if you keep an eye on me, I’ll just shift. It’s quieter, and I can say I’m using my nose. Try and keep him clueless til you get the drop on him.”

She nodded when Jarad mentioned Dess. “True. If it’s me, Marrek, Taitha, Dess and Kaer, I’ll try and get Dess to come with me and Marrek. If I have to choose between the two though...” Willow chewed on her lip, tilting her head from side to side as she considered. “I’d stick with Marrek. I can’t risk him beating Dess to getting the Star, giving the signal, and catching us all completely by surprise. At least Dess will tell us when he finds it. I’ll have to react according to the situation obviously, but if Marrek does wait for support, I’ll try and get the Star off Dess.”

She grinned. “What do you reckon my chances are for pick-pocketing a thief? Anyway,” she shifted in her seat, sitting more upright instead of slouching half-way down the back of the chair. “If we’re inside when the Star is found, and I can’t get the group to move outside before everything goes to pot, I’ll try and get a nearby window open for you and give the signal. If I can, I’ll get people into a defendable room. Only one door, very few windows, preferably not on the ground floor. I doubt Marrek will let me, or that the others will listen to me, but I can try.”

She shrugged again, scratching idly at her injured shoulder. Now they were healing, they kept itching. She had to keep the bandages on during the night, otherwise she’d scratch at it as she slept until she bled. “Like you said, we can’t exactly plan for that, but having an idea or two in mind won’t hurt.”

She grimaced, both at Marrek’s way of fighting and as her nails dug a little too deep and pulled at a scab. “Aggressive. Great. I’ve got a few throwing knives, and I’m fairly decent with them. Of course, I usually use this arm-” she prodded her injured arm in the bicep, just low enough to avoid hurting herself. “And I don’t think I can pull my arm high enough, fast enough and with enough strength to do a decent throw. I can try it with my left, but,” she held her good hand out and tilted it from side to side. “Might be a bit iffy.”

“‘Wounded little girl’ is what I’m planning on. Let him think I’m an extra pair of eyes, nothing more. If he asks about this,” another poke of her arm, “I’ll say I fell out of a tree or something. If he thinks I’m normal, if a bit stupid when it comes to safety – true enough, really – then that’s fine with me.”

When Jarad suggested a use for Kaer, Willow laughed. “I’ll see what I can do. Speaking of seeing what I can do, if I can filch a bottle of wine for you while we’re in the cellar, I will. Taitha never banned me from nicking anything,” she said with a grin.

It faded slightly as she looked at the table, debating for a moment. “If I can get close enough to Marrek after the Star is found, if it is, I might be able to surprise him. I know you probably want to kill him yourself, but if by some stroke of amazing good luck the chance is there, should I take it?” She looked back up at him, lifting her good shoulder. “If you want the pleasure though, I’ll hold off if I can. But if a fight does start before you get there, and it’s a choice between me and him, with no option to get away or just knock him out, I’m killing him.”

[flippedside]

"I can do inconspicuous." Jarad tried to look hurt at Willow's apparent lack of faith. Then he sighed slightly and acknowledged, "Alright, honestly, I'll have to be careful--I'm sure they'll be watching for anyone who might be guarding outside. So...I guess if you hear lots of shrieking and banging, you'll know I've got my hands full." He gave a slight smile to show he was joking--partly joking, anyway. More serious, he added, "I've spied in hawk form a lot, in the past, so I do know what I'm doing."

Jarad nodded when Willow agreed to the howl--or a simple shift--as her signal. It would be easy to hear, even from outside, and he'd watch the gardens to see if she came out.

"Probably wise," he acknowledged with a nod when Willow decided she would stay with Marrek. "Someone needs to be keeping an eye on him."

He grinned back when she joked about pick pocketing a thief. "Yeah...not so good. And then you'd be the one under suspicion, instead of Marrek. Although," he added thoughtfully, "it would give you an interesting reputation among the thieves..."

Jarad nodded at her words. "If you can get a window open, that's fine, but otherwise don't worry about it." He grinned. "I can always make a grand entrance by breaking a window and just...crashing my way in."

Jarad's eyes lit up when she mentioned stealing a bottle of wine from the cellars. "Ahhh...you'll win me over forever if you do that," he said with mock sincerity. "And these pompous little noble fools always have the best wine. After all, they can only serve 'the best' to their pompous little noble 'friends.'" He added a bit of emphasis to that last word and made a face. It was a bit of a joke, the rate at which the upper classes changed friends and allegiances among each other.

Jarad grew serious at Willow's next words. "If you have an unexpected opportunity to kill him, take it. But I'd rather you didn't try--not because I'm so attached to the idea of killing him myself--although that would be pleasant--but because I'd rather not be clearing your dead body off the floor.

"Marrek is not easy to sneak up on," a slight, humorless smile flickered on his face for a moment, "I know, I've tried." Jarad leaned back to think a moment. "Harmless girl or not, you'll be an unknown for him, and he'll be watching you. Hopefully, he'll decide you really aren't a threat--which may give you a chance at killing him--but I'd rather not bet on it."

He looked intently at Willow. "So if you do think you see an opportunity...make sure it's a real opportunity. I wouldn't put it past Marrek to decide to test your 'harmless' routine by giving you some opportunities to be anything but."

A jaw-splitting yawn interrupted Jarad's next thoughts. He grimaced and looked around. "I guess we better get to sleep. Might as well rest while we can. If the party's tomorrow night, I'm guessing we'll be leaving in the afternoon...Well, you'll be leaving in the afternoon for the sewer trek." He grinned at her. "Can't say I'll be sorry to miss that. I'll leave later since my trip will be shorter."

He stood and stretched, glancing around the room. It was small, offering a worn couch, a small table with the remains of their dinner, a narrow cot in the corner, and a sink for washing up. "I'll take the couch, if you want the cot? Or the other way around." He shrugged and looked back at Willow.

{OOC: Do you want to skip ahead in time to Taitha's return? Since they have the morning to rest and--probably--nothing happens. I'll leave it up to you. I'm good with either way. }

[Willow]

Willow raised an eyebrow at Jarad’s attempt at garnering sympathy before grinning. Even when he returned to the topic, she just shrugged. “I know you do, but so do the Riders.”

She leaned back in her seat, tapping her chin with a finger in mock consideration. “Interesting could be fun. Could also get me ran out of Tannoch for life, but that’s a minor detail.”

Willow snorted. “Grand entrance, sure. You just want an excuse to break a rich guy’s things and make a load of noise. Can’t fault you for that, of course,” she said, partly because that’s what she thought, and partly to cover that she’d assumed he’d be entering in hawk form. The image of Jarad flying into a closed window and knocking himself out instead of breaking in popped into her head, and Willow had to bite down on her tongue to stop from laughing at the mental image.

She had an excuse to at least smile at Jarad’s cheery reaction, which gave her abused tongue a reprieve. “Bottle of wine it is. Unless Taitha catches me, anyway. Eh, I can always claim kleptomania, not like she can argue.”

The discussion on killing Marrek finally stifled the urge to laugh completely. Willow nodded as Jarad spoke, the hand of her bad arm retreating into her sleeve to rub the fur inside it.

When he finished, she nodded again. “I will. I won’t try anything until the Star’s found anyway, so if he gives me any false opportunities before to that, I’ll ignore them. Hopefully that will lower his guard a bit, and if we find the Star he might be distracted a bit by that. If I think it’s too risky though, I won’t do anything. Contrary to evidence and popular belief, I actually like living,” she said, managing a wry smirk.

Willow tried and failed to stifle her answering yawn, before pulling a face when he mentioned the sewers. “Ugh, did you have to remind me? Lucky bastard,” she grouched.

Given the choice, she slapped the couch cushion she was sat on before kicking her feet up onto the spot Jarad had vacated. “I’m shorter; I’ll be more comfortable here than you will. Go sleep.” She waved him off towards the cot, shuffling down the couch to lay down on her good side. “Don’t wake me up unless there’s Riders or a fire,” she added.

She took a small, petty pleasure in getting her dirty boot marks on Zerah’s furniture, at least until she kept accidentally kicking the arm when she tried to stretch out. A quick shift later and she settled, tail draped over her hind legs, nose covered by her forepaw.

She might have stayed awake thinking and worrying, but right then she was too tired to really care. Sleep was far more important.

At least, it was for several hours until someone knocking on the door rudely woke her up. Her head jerked up, swivelling to face the door until her brain caught up and identified the sound, before she slumped back onto the sofa. Her groan ended up as a growl that words slowly formed out of, albeit muffled by the paw slung over her muzzle. “’m sleeping. Piss off.”