Showdown (Chyril 26th Late MT) - Open

[Anora Frollie]

Anora gritted her teeth as she worked diligently at the lock, only pausing for a flicker to call over her shoulder, "You can put me over your knee and spank me later for it. For now, keep your bloody head down."

She nearly shook with relief when the door opened. Safe. The word rang through her head with a choir of angels. Not that she believed in such things, but it gave her a sense of promise. "Now get your ass up and get in here," she called to her mentor, hoping against hope that somehow they'd get into the safety of the room before the archer could get settled.

[Lir Calysta Markby]

Lir kept her expression blank as Silk and Anora joked to break the tension. As the blond fiddled with the lock and she in turn tried to spot them without getting killed, it took a bit of work but finally she was able to spot the archer and just as she got him in her sights he was gone again. Shit!!! Her mind screamed in frustration and then she saw that the archer was on the move.

"Hurry!" She looked at Silk urgently. While the archer was on the move, she cautiously pushed herself forward to help pull Silk into the place that she had noticed earlier. Thank the gods that the blond knew how to pick a lock. Temporary shelter or a trap? Regardless, Lir knew they couldn't stay where they were because the archer was moving fast soon they would all be easy targets.

[Grey Wolf]

"I think His Majesty would see my spanking of you as a personal affront, even though I would not use a whip to do it." Then the door was opened and Silk chanced a glance towards the archer, growing something panicked when he failed to see him. He hesitated a moment at Lir's call and then pushed himself up and through the door, the healer's help making them both tumble in and into a heap, with the old man rolling off and kicking the door shut. He regretted it a moment later, realizing her had used his injured leg, grimacing in pain with a loud groan filling the room. They were thrust into sudden darkness, flickers passing as their eyes adjusted to the lack of illumination. There was a crash for without, something breaking upon the cobbles and then silence ruled.

[Anora Frollie]

Silk's comment earned him a snort. "The Caeser will just have to get over it," she said, barely giving the man she had been with the evening before a moment's thought. Would he even know she was dead should something happen? Would he even care? Not bloody likely. But now was not the time to dwell on past fun. Lives were in danger, one of them being her own, and she was rather attached to that life. So into the rooms she went, ducking out of the way as Lir and Silk joined her in the shelter.

Anora hated total darkness. It gave her the willies. She just knew there was a dead body somewhere near by that was going to suddenly come to life and attack her. This was one of her greatest fears and now she had put herself in such a situation. It wasn't as cramped as the well her father had lowered her into, but it was still dark. She tried to keep the demons in her head away, her mind wanting to focus on the lack of light and the things that might be hiding in it.

Instead, she focused on trying to see around the room once her eyes had adjusted, hoping for something to block the door with. The table might help, though perhaps it would be better to hide behind if someone came pushing through. That lock hadn't been very sturdy, probably the only reason she got through it as quickly as she did. She really needed to learn how to pick locks. It was a handy skill. Her mind wandered for a couple flickers over that idea, before returning to the task at hand. "Why won't that bastard just die already? I'm tired of being used for target practice," she grumbled irritatedly.

[Lir Calysta Markby]

The ship healer grunted as she landed on the ground and tried to roll out of the fall as best as she could given the situation so she wouldn't hurt herself while landing in a crouching position if possible. As the door was kicked shut, she tried to look about the room for any source of light, a weapon, or shelter before total darkness. She tried to recall any details of the deserted room but made sure not to move around too much until her sight had adjusted and did not blind her entirely.

Her first goal was to also figure out a way to arm herself besides the daggers she kept in her rucksack. Second, she needed shelter, especially for Silk. At the moment the only thing they had going for them was the element of surprise. A big gut spilling surprise hopefully. Light would be good to plan, but it seemed they didn't have much time before their killer was at their doorstep.


ooc: edited typoes.

[Grey Wolf]

OOC: I will keep this brief as this is a rather crucial moment and time will move more slowly. If you do as well as you did so far, we are almost done

The room was abandoned, and there was little in the way or furniture besides the half broken table. As the room dove into the darkness Lir might notice how a table could be a perfect shelter from arrows, its wide top able to hide all three of them with room to spare. Table's broken legs lay next to it, one of them resembling a sharpened stake, though it lacked the wickedly pointed tip usually associated with such objects. The other leg was broken more cleanly, though it could easily be used as a club. A wardrobe lay open near the back of the room, its shelves having been knocked down and piled haphazardly at the bottom. There was perhaps four or five boards in there, though they were hardly fit for a weapon, though Anora could use them to block the door. Silk grunted as he scrambled back towards the table, muttering curses and grumbling. "Come on, darling. Come to Silk."

[Anora Frollie]

Anora moved quickly on quiet feet, her pickpocket training coming in handy as she grabbed up boards lightly from the wardrobe and moved back towards the door. She listened as she jammed the door with the boards, moving back quickly if she heard any noise.

[Lir Calysta Markby]

When Lir's vision adjusted to the darkness, she tried her best to silently and cautiously step towards the broken legs of the table and carefully picked up both, to see if she could try dual wielding both or handle just one due to the weight. She felt Silk heading towards the direction of the table and it was a good thing they were on the same wave length. It would be interesting what Silk would do if he was the only one cornered in a dark room, but he had them, the blond and the brunette. If it was any other time she might find that amusing.

As Anora attempted to make a barricade to prevent the intruder easy entry, Lir headed towards the entrance close to Anora and readied her weapon. The ship healer was ready to defend herself and the people that ended up being her charge. She wondered if the blond still had her dagger and if she knew how to use it, but did not say a word in the dark to prevent anyone from being alerted of their locations in the dark. She was ready to do anything at this moment to get out of this tricky situation alive. The violet-eyed ex-pirate waited in concentration, breath modulated, she was ready for a fight.

If it wasn't someone she knew or anyone recognised, she'll try to use the element of surprise to club the assassin hopefully giving him a concussion and probably even jab the sharp end of the table into the back of his knee or thigh to immobilize him. Of course, it might give him a permanent limp and might ask for death but it all weighed upon what happened next.

[Grey Wolf]

Silence ruled outside, the trio within the chamber granted several long flickers of time to prepare and secure the door as best as they could, though Anora lacked some sort of crack or lump in the floor against which to jam the boards. The door would hold against half-hearted attempts to enter, but determined kick or shove would still be able to force itself through. Given the limited time and resources she had it would simply have to do.

Silk grunted and pulled himself upright, using the table as support, wincing as his leg burned with pain as soon as he tried to lean on it. As old as he was the man still managed to lower his torso behind the table, a long throwing dagger glinting in his hand, as he stood ready to fling it at anyone seeking entry. He grinned at Lir who found she table legs relatively light and easy to lift, though it also meant they would not have much stopping power due to it. She could swing both easily and inflict some damage, but breaking bones or perhaps a skull would be near impossible. The light wood would simply bounce off.

Flickers passed before a grunt followed a dull thus before the door. The door opened a crack under a sudden push, but Anora barricade held. Then a flicker later boards covering the window next to Lir burst into splinters, light ruining everyone's darkvision for a flicker, and giving the man who jumped in that same flicker to get his bearings. All stood motionless for a long moment and then time began to flow once more. Intruder drew his bow back, raising the arrow to point it at Silk's chest, as the Imperial Secretary turned and pulled his arm back, ready to fling the dagger at the attacker. Anora was too far to protect Silk, the old man still partly hidden behind the table and she caught circling around it, the table's edge by her elbow. Lir went unnoticed by the attacker, still leaning against the wall, behind the man and somewhat to his right. He was just beyond the reach of her club, but it would take half a step to bring him within range.

[Anora Frollie]

Now Anora was getting down right pissed off. This was ridiculous. She'd had a hard enough night before, now this. She'd been threatened, shot at with arrows and now her mentor was about to become target practice. She wanted to throw herself at the man and bite his ear off, she was so angry. But as it was, her position wasn't the best.

Lir's was. Her's was just right, so long as she hit the archer before he got his shot off. She had to distract him, make some sort of noise to cover any sound the doctor might make. So she began talking. Best cover. "I don't understand. Why? Why do you want to kill a harmless old man? And an innocent girl? Why?" She opened her eyes wide and put on her most innocent expression, slowly reaching down as though to scratch an itch on her leg. She wanted to keep his attention on her, distract him.

[Lir Calysta Markby]

The ship healer didn't know if it was a blessing that the make shift weapons were so light. They'll have to do I guess, and looked sturdy enough to inflict some pain.

It was so quiet, she could almost hear her blood coursing through her veins. Her heart beating loudly. It felt the same as before...being hunted, hurt. It caused that anger to burn. She hated the idea of being a victim, and to be put in this situation, of course it was self-inflicted at this point, but it wasn't as if they would let her get away now.

Suddenly, her body tensed as the intruder came through the window instead of the door. The sunlight almost blinding after the dark but it didn't hurt her too much. She saw the figure that was hovering over Silk about ready to use his bow to kill him. Not a sound was made, a word spoken for that flicker and then she heard the blond speak.

A distraction... She wondered if that would be enough to sway the assassin for a moment. Lir wouldn't waste time. At the right moment, she would step up behind the assassin and using the two wooden legs, she aimed straight for the man's temples using a swift and hopefully brutal force to clap the two pieces of wood together.

As soon as the initial blows might meet its target, she would not let the battering stop. If the assassin turns around, she would snap the legs over vital points, eyes, bridge of his nose, ears. Anything to get some blood in the eyes and preventing anyone from getting hurt except the archer.

[Grey Wolf]

There simply wasn't enough time for Anora's plan to work. A physical action had a slim margin by which it could succeed, not by distracting the archer, but by disrupting his aim, but as it were, by the time the word don't left her lips, the man's bow had steadied and she could see the muscles in his hand relax, his fingers stretching as reflex kept the grip on the string. The string slid along his callused fingertips, arrow gaining momentum with each inch it moved, aimed at Silk's chest, and judging by the size of the bow it would lodge itself in his body firmly, perhaps even going so far as to make a hole in his back.

Only, Silk was no longer there. Catching a shadow of a movement out of the corner of his eyes, he saw Lir move and instead of throwing his dagger at his would-be killer, the old man's muscles strained to sprawl his body on the floor. The arrow left the bow, vibrating wildly, buzzing like an angry bee as it sped towards the chest that no longer was there. Brushing against his greying hair, it sliced off a few hairs and imbedded itself into the wall with a loud thud, just as Lir's improvised clubs impacted with the archer's skull. With a loud clap she struck both his temples as hard as she was able, though she managed no more than to stun him, the man stumbling forward and catching himself on his hands, a mere two feet from Silk. The ageing Secretary rolled out of his reach, as the man shook his head in an attempt to clear his vision and get himself focused.

OOC: Well done girls. I think we can safely make this thread passable once more and get you girls moving forward. You have done well. Much better than I expected really.

[Lir Calysta Markby]

The contact of the two wooden pieces against the archer's skull had a satisfying crack stunning the man down to his knees. Remembering a martial move from her past, she made quick work to try to disable the man.

Her goal was just to knockout the man by using a knockout pressure point. After dropping a baton, she balled up her hand into a fist and tried to strike him behind the head the vulnerable, bottom hollowed area. If that didn't knock him out, she would connect the knuckle of her fist behind the archer's vital point behind the ear.

"We need to get out of here, now..." Lir hissed, her eyes never left the assassin.

[Anora Frollie]

Anora gave into impulse to kick the fallen assasin, aiming her foot for his temple as he lay there, her cupid bow lips curled in a sneer. She paused only for a flicker before moving to Silk's side. "Yeah, let's get the hell out of here. He was the only one shooting at us, so let's go back out that way, get to the 'Maid," she said, looking down at her differently shod feet. She paused, kicking off the boot, her bare feet having to do. Then, she moved to Silk's side. "Let's go."

[Grey Wolf]

The man had no chance stunned as he was, the pair of girls knocking him out with brutal efficiency, Lir’s punch to the back of his head sending him sprawling to the floor, before Anora kicked his temple and rolled the upper half of his body over. He was out cold and possibly dead, but Silk was not in the mood to risk leaving the man alive. As he reached for Anora’s arm to get up, she could feel a warm hilt of a dagger press into her palm, much like his bodyguard did mere burns before. “Finish the fool before we go.” He rose and hobbled to the door, smiling weakly at Lir. “I am in your debt, young lady, but my true expression of my gratitude will have to wait until we are safe.” He turned towards the lithe thief who had proven herself invaluable to him over the past couple of days and called out. “We are coming out, boys.” He leaned against Lir’s shoulder and held out the other arm towards Anora calling her to his side. “Come. We all need a drink. Quickly now.” He did not look down at the man he assumed was dead, not even glancing to see if the foul deed had been done.

Tim waited for the outside, peering out of the alley mouth they entered from and waved them forward without a word. Silk led the way, limping awkwardly and leaning heavily upon the girls’ shoulders guiding them through the last couple of alleys, to emerge into the wide street that ran past the Gaol. As crowded as the street was men and women walking and loitering along it paid them little attention, wiser amongst them even going so far as to avert their eyes at Silk’s passage, knowing what was good for them. They have simply not seen anything and nobody could convince them to say otherwise. Their destination proved to be a tiny and run down house just down the street from the Ha’Penny Mermaid, the door held open by the man called John they have met earlier. Inside the house looked much like the place they have been in earlier, with the furniture in the almost bare room in slightly better shape. A rickety table surrounded by a pair of chairs and a small bed resting against the wall, and at last an old wardrobe with a crooked door that could not close well. The windows were stained with dirt and permitted only a little light in.

John closed the door as the three of them entered and locked it with a soft click, pulling the beam across it, and then moved to the wardrobe, pulling the door open with a loud creak and lifted the fallen board that slipped from the nails holding it up. Without speaking he moved to the bed and tugged the lower left post, a flicker later the room filling with the rumbling as stone slid against stone, the floor opening to reveal the staircase leading into the darkness bellow. “Come, we’ll be safe there.” He waited for them to help him down, calling up to John as they disappeared in the darkness. “Clean the room and make yourself scarce. I’ll send word later.” The man nodded and as they descended the stone slid back into its place again, with the same deep rumbling, leaving them upon the dimply lit staircase, the sickly green light coming from the mould that covered the walls. There were about fifty or so stairs and they ended in a larger room, the only illumination coming from the mouldy staircase walls. There was a large and comfortable bed near the far wall, with a small bookcase next to it and a comfortable sofa and a comfortable looking high-backed chair next to it. Two more doors were upon the left-hand wall. Silk limped in and pointed towards the lamp hanging from the ceiling. “Get some light in here and close the door and bolt it well. We’ll be safe here for now.”

[Anora Frollie]

After her life had been threatened numerous times that day, when she felt the dagger in her hand and the whispered words, she nodded. Her eyes were cold, missing the normal vibrancy that danced there. This man had tried to kill her and one of the few people who had ever been nice to her in her life. He deserved to die. So, as Silk approached Lir, the little thief turned to the would be assassin, knelt down, and plunged the dagger into his heart, turning it to make sure he was good and dead. Once that was done, she rose, the dagger still in her hand, pulling it from his chest. She slipped the bloody weapon into her pocket, unthinking. She was now operating without thought.

She moved to Silk's side, offering her shoulders, her bare feet making no sound as they moved. She barely seemed to be conscious of her movements, but ever command Silk gave was obeyed. It wasn't until she had lit the lamp and bolted the door did she seem to come out of her stupor. Maybe it was the blood on her hands or the sticky mess in her pocket. Suddenly, she started to shake, as though standing in the middle of an ice field without a stitch of clothing on.

[Lir Calysta Markby]

"Let's get you out of here. I need to look at that leg before it festers." The ship healer stated with a dead calm. She didn't notice the exchange between Anora and the older man and didn't care as she dropped the other weapon and assisted Silk. As he leaned against her, she took most of his weight but didn't start walking until the blond joined them.

The shrewd eye never rested seeking out any other dangers as her body was still tense with caution. They finally arrived at their destination it seemed like a yehren had gone by, but she caught sight of John again, the assassin bodyguard of Silk's that had survived. Her gaze had caught the curious nature of the milling people. Lir secretly wondered if they were more scared of Silk, or the one that was trying to kill him. Probably the first. It would keep them safe for a little while but someone always ends up greedy.

Quaint but it won't hold us al... The young lady thought as she entered the tiny house, but couldn't finish her thought as the assassin had opened a secret passageway for them to enter and hide in. Gingerly, they made it down the stairs and she let Silk go. The blond must have turned on the lamp as she started to assess Silk in the light. "I need to look at that leg, sir." She didn't know the blond's name, and still wondering what was going on but learning early in life, she knew that if taking a side she should stick to it to come out alive.

The brighter light was a bit calmer than the sickly green light that had left its place. She waited until Silk took her cue to sit down or lay down. Only when he allowed her to look at the wound did she come forward. What she noticed before getting closer was that his pants were soaked in his blood, as well in varied degrees of drying. Hopefully, the madeshift tourniquet did its job. "How long will we have to stay down here? Is there water and food...alcohol?"

Lir's body ached, she had a long ship ride from Sabata only to be thrust into this. She wanted food, a long, hot bath, and sleep, but now was not a time for such thoughts. She in turn pulled out her medical bag and opened it as she awaited for the man to allow her to draw near to start her examination.

[Grey Wolf]

Silk limped towards the bed, but changes his mind at the last instant and all but crumpled into the chair, pointing towards the left door upon the side wall. “There should be some food in there. Probably alcohol too. The other door leads to the bathroom. There should be a wardrobe in there too.” He sighed and leaned back, letting Lir fetch anything she needed from the other rooms, as she would find a well stock larder behind a tiny kitchen, that contained only a small stone stove and a sturdy table where a person could chop and prepare food. Larder was filled with dried meat and even some fresh vegetables, though fresh groceries were few and far in between, since they would spoil quickly. A sturdy door in the larder led to a chamber where some wood was piled, along with a decent amount of coal. Bathroom was tiny and was little more than a toilet and a copper tub, though there was a modest wardrobe with some clean clothes in various sizes.

While Lir was gone, Silk opened his eyes with a weak smile and noticed Anora’s shakes, straightening up in the chair and reaching towards her with a hand. “Anora? Come sit here with me. I want to tell you something. And I need you to hold my hand while my wound is stitched.” He had been in a similar situation many yahren ago, and remembered how hard it was to get over the first kill. She would harden with time and with a good mentor could go far. Now she needed to be distracted until her emotions had run their course and caring for a wounded, old man would be just a thing. He could act vulnerable for a while, given the fact that the pair of them had just saved his life, and probably done that more than once in a single day.

[Anora Frollie]

It took a few flickers before the little thief realized she was being spoken to. Her head turned slowly, as though through water, finally focusing on her mentor. Her eyes, normally so vibrant and full of life, were lifeless, glassy aquamarine orbs, the mischeviousness missing. Finally, she began to focus, nodding.

She moved to sit next to Silk, her body still shaking slightly. She sat, her bare feet crossing under her. Her hand, cold to the touch, reached out and took Silk's. "You're gonna be okay, right?," she asked, her eyes moving up to his.

[Lir Calysta Markby]

A violet eye glanced at the copper tub longingly, but she kept her mind on the current situation. She first got wood to place in the small stone stove to get it heated. The water was next as it was poured into a decent sized pot to boil. The food made her stomach growl in protest to how it was being neglected but still she didn't stop her preparation.

Alcohol was good and she pulled that out. For comfort She looked around for some clean linen and knew she had some of her own if needed. She would have to examine the wound to see if it would need to be closed with fire first. If it was releasing too much life essence, she would need to close it with fire. Just in case, she placed one of her throwing knife to balance on the stove letting it heat up. The examination would determine which method she would need to use.

Her mind tried to organize the steps involved. Wait for the water to boil and then pull it off the stove to cool a tiny bit. She placed her knife in the boiling water for a moment with a cloth to keep the heat from burning her skin and then wiped it clean.

She came out to see a master and student posed for a painting. Heart strings pulled her to the past and caused her to think of her own mentor and the person she would have called the only father figure she knew. Rest his soul.

Lir looked at the pale kid and frowned. It seemed that she was going in a sort of shock of the whole thing. She couldn't let the bare-foot girl just sort of melt away as her mind and body fought over the horrifying events. The healer didn't think that he would be able to be held down by the girl, but perhaps he was doing it more for her benefit. The next steps won't be so pleasant and she didn't think it would be wise to have her here but stayed her tongue.

Instead she spoke directly to Silk, "Sir, I'll need to examine the wound, and it is best to cut away whatever is left of the cloth. Lots of it looks to be caked onto the wound and I fear it will just rip it open even more. We are all pretty jumpy but I'm pulling out a knife to cut it all away to see how bad the damage is. If it's bad, I'll need to burn it closed. If it's just a graze I'll need to sew it together." Her eyes never left Silk's face. She knew it was a vulnerable position she would put him in, and didn't want any argument regardless. She waited for a by your leave sort of gesture or word from him before she continued, even with the examination. Her bag was placed down at the foot of him and a bottle of very potent spirits in her other hand.

Then she looked at the blond and asked, "What is your name? I'm Lir. I understand this isn't exactly a place for formal introductions, but I will need your assistance through this and feel it is better to know your name instead of trying to guess."

If Lir received permission to proceed, she'll hand Silk the spirits first to dull his senses especially from the pain, while she would start by ripping parts of his pants to get a closer look at the wound. She would release the makeshift tourniquet that was in place to see how the blood was flowing, gushing still now or weaning off to a stop. The ship healer would have already pulled off a long thin leather strip from around her wrist and after seeing if the blood was still going strong or slowing down, she would use it as the replaced tourniquet for the procedure.

If she was examining the wound by this time, without wasting a flicker, she would ask Anora to get the water and the heated blade, her own assorted medical supplies would also be rolled out so they could start.

[Grey Wolf]

There was not a hint of hesitation in Silk's voice, the aged assassin, nodding and smiling as his fingers curled around Anora's smaller hand, squeezing it reassuringly, ignoring the blood that stained her skin. "Of course I will be fine, kitten. It takes more than a few archers to kill me. " He watched her for a flicker, thinking of how fortunate he had been to run into her at the marketplace, not in the least bit sad that now he would have to seek another link to Crane and his organization. She never could have guessed that a petty thief he had picked and baited with a bit of cash would turn out to be such a jewel. She was obedient, resourceful and above all loyal. If there was one thing Silk valued above all else it was loyalty, though often he made contingencies in case loyalty turned to betrayal. With Anora he suspected such contingencies would not need to be made.

It was a bit strange to have a person sit so close and not look at her as either a tool or an opponent, the old man's heart longing for the old times when neither him nor bloody Erwin were rich and famous, and certainly not powerful. Those days were gone and he did not regret coming to where he was now, but that did not mean he did not miss the exhilaration and excitement of youthly adventures. One of those youth companions was likely dead by now, and if Manyana still lived he would make sure it was merely a temporary condition. "I am very proud of you, Anora. I knew you were not the soft lady type, but today made me realize how resourceful you are."

Lir came back then, and at the introduction, Silk offered his own name, as he did not have the time to mention it before, and he was not sure if the girl recognized him. "My name is Silk. And don't let me stop you from doing what needs to be done about the leg." He refused the offered alcohol, instead taking piece of the cloth from the healer's hand and with a wink and a wide smile put it in his mouth, the muscles in his jaw clenching around it as he nodded. His hand sought Anora's again, more to reassure her he was still fine than out of any need for support. This was not the first wound Silk received and he hoped it would not be the last, or if it was, at least it would not be fatal.

The impromptu tourniquet did its work marvelously, and when the one eyed healer removed it, she found the blood was merely seeping out of it, though it began to flow more freely with each flicker that passed. Examination revealed that several splinters have broken off from the arrow and those needed to be taken out before the wound was closed. This wound was sure to stretch Lir's knowledge, and had she been able to take care of it earlier it would have been a close-call but one she would manage. As it were, the man before her grew paler by the burn and she needed to act fast, even though none of the major blood vessels have been opened. Silk was not even watching the wound, his eyes on Anora, the man's gaze willing her to look at his face and not the wound and what Lir was doing. Once the request for the blade and water was made, he let go of the girl's hand, and this time turned his eyes on the healer, his lips curled up into a sardonic smile, though there was no humor in the eyes. He was ready for the pain and grim determination filled the man's gaze, his chest rising and falling slowly, breathing kept steady by sheer force of will.

[Anora Frollie]

Truth be told, Anora's whole life had been leading up to today. All her life, she had been trained to follow directions. Her parents, her grandmother, even on a smaller scale, her grandfather. Each had molded her to be the perfect tool for Silk.

At the word 'kitten', a little spark of Anora began to glimmer as she wrinkled her nose and almost smiled. Then, he said he was proud of her and an actual smile graced her lips. "I'm proud of you too, for noticing such fine qualities in me," she said, slowly coming back from the brink. Her mind, always able to bend morality, had bent it again, moving the death into the 'necessary' category, thus allowing her to live with it.

"Anora," she replied to Lir, looking at the doctor for a flicker. She seemed to know what she was about and Silk seemed to accept all she said. She held his hand, her eyes on his, using it as a life line, keeping her from dropping into the dark abyss she had placed the murder into. The moment Lir instructed her to move, she did so, moving to gather the water and knife as quickly as possible. She wanted to make sure her mentor lived.

[Lir Calysta Markby]

The ship healer let the older man introduce himself formally, his name brandied about moments before letting her sharp ears to catch it in the wind at one point in their adventure.

A slight nod in acknowledgment was given as he accepted the cloth instead of the alcohol which would make his wits dull and lessen the pain. That brought a bit of admiration in Lir, but nothing was revealed.

The wound did bring a deeper frown to the usual stoic face. She made sure her own tourniquet was in place once again to stave the bleeding as she worked on the splinters that were embedded in Silk's wounds. Thankfully, nothing major was pierced and there wasn't anything that couldn't be healed from her thorough examination.

Again, Lir studied Silk while not trying to appear that she was. She felt his body preparing itself for what was to come. Her violet eye measured his breathing and kept track of his beating heart.

She carefully accepted both the hot water and blazing hot knife. While holding the glowing knife in her hand, the other one quickly worked at cleansing the wound with a bit of water that was squeezed off of a dampened cloth. Her eye met Silk's, "Please hold as still as possible." When confirmation was received, she would place the blade over the open wound burning the wound to close preventing anymore of his blood from gushing out of the wound.

Despite the burn of flesh and boiling of blood, Lir would continue by placing the knife aside carefully, and using the discarded spirits on the wound again, just pouring it to run along the wound and then warmer water.

Once that was all sorted out, the ship healer would pull out the aloe medicine that was bought from Sabata. "This improves wound healing as well as for burns." She spoke with the same business like tone to explain what she is doing before completing her task. When permission or acknowledgment was granted, she would very carefully dry the wound by patting it with fresh linen and than using the salve on the closed wound protecting it all with a bandage which she would wrap around the wound and anchoring it properly so it would not slip away with movement.

"Rest is the best thing that you can do now for your body. Food, and water once the pain is in control." She said it out loud for Anora and Silk, but again she checked Silk's breathing and pulse to see if the pain had knocked him unconscious like it would for most people or if he was still with them. Now all they could really do was wait.

[Grey Wolf]

Silk definitely felt the pain, but pride and yahren of suffering kept him from crying out, Anora able to follow his suffering through the squeeze of his hand, and the tensing of his neck muscles, each time Lir’s deft fingers plucked a piece of wood from the wound. Bits of flesh were ton out, but less than two burns later the wound was clean of splinters and the old man took a deep, steadying breath, knowing what will follow, having felt such pain before, only his clothes hiding the plethora of scars upon his body. He nodded imperceptibly when the girl asked him to be still, his wounded leg not moving an inch, while the rest of his body writhed, Silk letting out a long, pained moan, beads of sweat covering his forehead, the cloth falling from his mouth when the healer poured the liquor over the wound to clean it, causing the dreaded Imperial Secretary to gasp for breath.

Surprisingly he was still conscious when she was done, his eyes opening. The man’s face was even paler than it had been mere burns before, dark circles under his eyes clearly visible, his skin clammy and covered in cold sweat. Anora felt the heat drain away from him almost instantly, the red hot dagger causing such effect, the man’s eyes on Lir as he licked his lips slowly. “Could you make me some tea please. Wait for it too cool. That should do for now. I will eat later.” His head turned towards his other companion, offering her a weak smile. “Help an old man lay down, my dears. I think I could use a nap. And then tomorrow we will get you both all dressed up and go to the Council Meeting together. I suspect we won’t be seeing Manyana there though. A pity really.” He chuckled and tried to pull himself up, wanting nothing more than to simply lay down and sleep right now. He hated feeling so weak in front of others, as he had a reputation to maintain, after all.

[Lir Calysta Markby]

This patient was definitely one of the first, seasoned and tough. Admiration was evident but kept to herself. She rose and went to the larder for some tea which she prepared and brought to the table to cool. Then she assisted Anora with helping Silk to the bed to prevent any pressure to be used on the leg. None of them wanted to go through that again for awhile.

From the chair to the bed, she felt his skin, and checked his respiration, the procedure did take its toll. When they get him to the bed, Lir went to get a damp and cool cloth to cleanse Silk's face which often calmed people after an ordeal. This she would offer him instead of imposing. "Place the cloth over your eyes, often times it helps to relax." If he didn't take it, she'd take it for herself.

Her body ached now that she had stopped moving. She didn't realise how tense she was since she stepped off the ship. She plopped in the chair and tilted her head back to close her eyes for a moment. Even then she was trained to listen to movements and kept her mind alert.

Council Meeting? That'll be interesting. She thought to herself. Lir didn't want to ask questions just yet to let the old man sleep, but she was wary of any public places not knowing what happened to her family. A glimpse of her brothers, of her...father. It sent a chill down her spine. They won't be able to recognise you, girl. As if they can see passed your years of hardening. She knew that she didn't look like the blooming woman debutante anymore, just a roughen ship healer. She wondered how they would look and prayed to the gods that they haven't took any interest in such things as politics but it would make it easy to find them. She missed her brothers and hoped that they were well, but hoped her father was food for the maggots.

Instead of dozing off herself, Lir went back into the larder to pull out some food, any hard cheeses, vegetables, as well as a cured meat to provide a small meal for herself, and Anora if she wanted some as well.

Afterwards, she would rest for a bit as well, the travel by sea, and the days events weighing heavily on her mind and body.