Contemplation (RP)

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(Part 19) For a complete list of this series, please go here.

Locke slowly paced the entrance to the cave.  He had been restless and uneasy since Aerissa woke up back at the Inn.  The air was cooling off as the sun began to set.  Aerissa had yet to start a fire.  Locke thought about suggesting this, but did not want to agitate her further despite the fact that the cave would become cold quickly.

Every few steps he would pause to look in her direction.  She hadn't said a word to him for what seemed like ages.  The change he'd seen in her today put him on edge.  He was wary and concerned.  Locke stretched his back and legs, his sharp claws protruding from his paws briefly before retracting again.  His thoughts flitted to Twyla and the sadness that clouded her face before he left to follow after Aerissa.

Aerissa sat at the back of the cave, which was growing darker as the sun dipped below the treeline.  She faced the rear wall, huddling her knees close to her chest, her arms wrapped tightly around her knees.  The dagger lay sheathed in front of her feet.  Aerissa stared blankly at the dagger, rocking like a scared child.

Her mind wandered, going through the images and memories that had been unlocked.  The dagger had unleashed more than just the memories though.  It had also released all the feelings associated with those memories, flooding Aerissa's mind and heart all at once.  She was having trouble shaking the eerie feeling of how the dagger had come to be in her possession once again.

She supposed that it had remained lodged in her hip after Xanadrian stabbed her with it and had fallen out as she fled.  Or, she may have pulled it out, tossing it in the forest.  She chided herself for believing it was the fabled “enchanted dagger,” for she knew the story had been around long before this weapon had been crafted.  She knew this because she remembered the day Xanadrian got it.

Xanadrian was from a wealthy family, some of the few high elves that had joined the Horde with their Sin'dorei brethren.  His eyes, the blue of the Quel'dorei, was what intrigued her the most when she first met him.  The same blue as the jewel in the hilt of the dagger.  The dagger his father had specially crafted for Xanadrian upon their engagement announcement.

Aerissa began to rock faster, never taking her eyes off of the dagger.  Tears welled up in her eyes until they spilled over and down her cheeks.  She bit her lip, squeezing her knees tighter to her chest.  As the tears continued to flow, a knot grew in her stomach and slowly moved up through her chest and throat.  Quiet sobbing turned to gut wrenching wails.

Locke's ears twisted and flattened against his head at the sounds coming from Aerissa.  Her cries were so laden with pain that his heart twinged.  Watching her was difficult for him, but he knew she needed to release her pain.  He only hoped that she would open up to him once more after she was spent.  He slowly padded outside the cave, laying down just out of eyesight.  The echoes of sadness becoming too much to bear.

* * *

Aly woke up slowly, running her tongue over her teeth and a hand through her hair.  Her lip curled in disgust.  She'd evidently had a few too many dwarven stouts last night.  She patted her cheeks, yawned, and sluggishly crawled out of bed.  She needed to wake up and make some rounds.

After getting ready, Aly trotted down the stairs to check in with the barkeep.  “No messages,” he grunted, swirling a white cloth around the inside of a thick glass mug.

“Are you sure? I've been expecting someone.  Could you check again, please?” she asked sweetly, smiling widely.

“I say, no messages, Elf.”  He turned his back, placing the now half-clean mug upon the shelf.

Aly sighed, plopping down onto a barstool.  “Then gimmie something to start this atrocious mornin', would ya?”

The Goblin bobbed his head with a toothy grin, serving her a mug of ale.  She propped an elbow up on the bar, resting her head in her hand.  She was getting antsy to move on to another town.  She hadn't received any reports from Krizkix or any of the other contacts she'd made around Booty Bay.  It had been nearly a week, and it didn't look like her mark was going to show.

Swirling the ale around, she stared deep into the mug.  Where else would this woman go? Who could be hiding her? Why wasn't she here buying herself a new life? Glaring at the dark liquid, she raised the mug to her lips, taking a large gulp.  She swallowed the ale down, feeling the light burn in her mouth and throat.  She finished off her drink, then wiped her upper lip with her sleeve.  Clanking the empty mug down on the bar, she rose, leaving the Salty Sailor Tavern.

Krizkix was busy tying a thick rope from the boat to the anchor on the dock.  His forehead was slick with sweat from the bright early morning sun.  The breeze was cool and salty, but it was light, barely ruffling the few wispy hairs upon his head.  Although the reflection off the waves intensified the sun's light, causing him to squint, his eyes widened at the sight of Aly.

“Mornin' to you,” he bobbed his head, a mischievous grin upon his face.

Aly shrugged off the look as it was common among them to look that way.  Devious, mischievous, guilty, it was just how their faces were made it seemed.  “News for me?”  Smiling, she raised a hand to her forehead, shielding the sun.

“No, I ain't got none today.”  He tugged on the line, checking the slack.

“Are you sure?” She batted her eyelashes as she grazed his cheek with the back of her hand.  “I see the port has been quite busy this mornin'.”

His grin widened, exposing yellowing teeth.  “I ain't seen her.  You sure she's comin'?”

Aly's face darkened, her expression becoming sour.  “No, I'm not certain.  That's why you are supposed to watch for her and tell me what you hear.”

“Payment?” he held out a grimy hand.

She swatted at his hand in disgust.  “Payment? For what? You've been receiving a gold piece every day.  For nothing.”

His hands dropped to his sides quickly.  Scowling at her he grumbled, “Well, what if I-uh heard something about her? What if I-uh am being paid to be quiet?”

Aly narrowed her eyes at him.  “Then you best be speaking up now.”

Feigning hurt, he shook his head.  “No, she pay more.”

She grasped the neck of his shirt, pulling him close.  “She's paying you?  How long has she been here?” She pushed him back to arm's length.  “You broke the deal.”

Aly jangled her pocket as she turned to storm away.  After about 4 strides she could hear him scurry behind her.

“Wait! Wait, I have something-” he flailed his arms as he chased behind her.

Stopping abruptly, she stood still on the pier, a smug look on her face.  As Krizkix caught up to her, she flexed her jaw, replacing her smugness with a neutral mask.  She turned around, holding out a gold piece.

“And what do you have?” she asked, quirking an eyebrow.

“A location,” he spat out, holding out his hand.  Aly dropped a gold piece into it.

“A location, you say?” she prompted him, crossing her arms.

“Aye.  She was here before you arrived.  But she paid me to be quiet.”  He bit down on the gold piece before stowing it away in his pocket.

“Oh?”

He nodded vigorously.  “She ain't here now.”

Aly frowned, tapping her foot against the planks of the pier.  “And where might she be now?”

With a sheepish look he held out his hand again.  Aly sighed, dropping another gold piece into it.  He clamped his stubby fingers around it.

“I get back to ya.  Must check travel log.  She flew.”  He flapped his arms in a poor imitation of a wyvern or a gryphon.  She wasn't quite sure what he was supposed to look like.

“Find out.  You'll get more pieces once the location is delivered.”  She rubbed the top of his greasy head.  He grinned up at her.  Aly tasted bile in the back of her throat.  Swiftly she pinched his ear, pulled him close to her, and lifted her dagger to his throat.  “You better not be lying,” she seethed through clenched teeth before releasing him with a small push.

Krizkix sputtered and gasped, looking around for a nearby Bruiser.

And she was gone.

** Please note that some of the events included in RP pieces are based upon actual in-game role play.  Also, some of the events and/or character names may have been altered during the transition from in-game RP to story formation. **

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