SELINA KNOX, CADEN MULLINS AND BRANDON TURNER
They stepped into Fort Salma, a little weary and worse for wear. Selina had not taken her hand off the hilt of her blade, and swung around in apprehension at any sound, no matter how quiet. Bran pressed the poultice to his darkening cheek, and only really cheered up when they arrived at the Dewberry Inn. "This is the place," he declared, stepping in front of the group. The inn was a modest place, full of the scent of lavender and smoking meat. It wasn't too crowded, but considering the size of Fort Salma, attended to majority of the population there.
"I daresay I could use a drink or two" Caden said with a small smile as he looked around.
"Shir-leeeeee!" yelled Bran into the cosy establishment, and a voice rang out in reply.
"Is that my sweets? Is he here?" it called out. A rounded lady came out the back, her hands on her apron, rosy cheeks lighted her face, hair tied neatly into a bun. But her smile turned upside down the moment she laid eyes on him. "Oh baby, what happened to your face?" Hurrying over, the lady took no time at all to fuss over him like a devoted mother.
Caden snickered quietly over the scene before he returned to looking around, giving the guests a lookover, hoping they'd be safe from any more attacks here. "You okay?" He asked Selina, as he glanced past her.
Selina was still surveying the environment when Caden spoke to her. She never stopped eyeing every single patron of the inn with high suspicion, glaring at them unspoken threats. Her hand still wove around and slowly moved about her hilt. "What do we know of these people?" she directed the question at no one in particular.
Bran's lady friend noticed all the attention Selina was gathering. The casual crowd at the inn had quickly shifted to unease, with several of the more outspoken customers looking to do something about it. "Why don't we get you all into a room?" she suggested. "I have several lovely ones that are still vacant. I will serve your meal in there, and you can tell me all about whoever gave you that horrible bump."
Bran pouted like an injured child. "I love you Shirlee, you are the best."
"Anything for my sweets!" she cajoled, and started upstairs.
"Can we trust her?" Selina whispered to Bran, still looking as though she would jump out of boots at any given moment.
Bran threw her a concerned look. "Of course we can. I've known this woman for... I can't remember how long. But she's trustworthy, believe me."
"Let's at least follow her for now, Sellie," He said while gently pushing her in the direction of the stairs. "Standing around here will only draw more attention to us."
"Okay... okay..." replied Selina, trying her best to calm down. She removed her hand from her blade for the first time since the attack, only to find it stiff, and clenched in its former pose. "How could she..." she muttered under her breath. "How could she.."
He followed Bran and Sellie, glancing at he commonroom one last time before disappearing upstairs.
Shirlee was a fairly quick and efficient worker. Before long, she had a table all set up and laid out with three bowls of lamb stew together with a fairly large loaf of bread to accompany the stew. As he had his dinner, Bran explained in sufficient detail to Shirlee what had happened on the road to Fort Salma, as well as the false rumor that he had unknowingly circulated. She remained very sympathetic towards him.
Selina had spent a long time staring at her food before she even began to eat it, and remained silent for most of the meal. When Bran and Shirlee began discussing other things than their current situation, Selina stood up from her seat and walked to the window to get a whiff of the evening air.
Caden was much more eager to finish his dinner and before long his bowl was empty. He complimented Shirlee on the stew heartilly, half hoping for seconds. He remained mostly quiet though, content to listen to the conversation Bran and Shirlee where having. When Sellie got up he glanced over. "Careful at that window Sellie, you don't know who's outside."
She stepped back almost immediately and looked at him with surprise. "Caden," she acknowledged, as though just seeing him for the first time. Then as she allowed herself to take a breath, "How are you?"
"A lot better than you I'd say" He said with an apologetic smile. "Why don't you sit down and have a drink, try to relax a little."
She nodded and sat, taking a mug into her hands and sniffed soberly. "To tell you the truth... I'm not even sure this was a good idea. We've just been lucky so far. It's only going to get worse, and it's clear that they're not interested to talk."
"If talking doesn't help, we'll have to shut them down by force. What else are you going to do, run away? You'll never be able to stop running." He took a large swig from his own mug after speaking.
"We?" she managed an awkward smile. "This was never your fight. I'm surprised you came as far as you did."
"You clearly need help with this, even with three we'll most likely be largely outnumbered."
She nodded appreciatively. "I never wanted to start or even be a part of a war. I've had my share of trouble, and all I've wanted's only to live a quiet life somewhere in the country. But I can't see that happening till all this is dealt with." She heaved a large sigh, then continued, "I was offered men. I refused. Perhaps it was wrong of me."
"You were offered men?" Surprised he looked at her.
"There are some who'd see the gang that Bran and I were previously from, reunited and brought back to its former roots. Currently they hold the majority in Brisban, but some think that I could make a difference... bring some home... perhaps. Obviously, that won't sit well with the reigning leader. I think this is the way she's responding to that suggestion."
"So basically she's defending her turf based on some rumors. Seems a bit hotheaded to me."
"When we parted ways, she told me she'd kill me if she ever saw me again. Seems like she's stepping up that threat. Maybe her members are doubting her leadership," she chuckled to herself. "The loudest vessels are sometimes the most hollow."
He drank from his mug again. "Who offered you men though, you only found out about this yesterday."
"Ah..." she said. "Well let's just say word goes around quickly."
"You still don't trust me do you." He sighed "Well I guess I understand, with that many people out for your head."
"I..." her eyes dipped apologetically, and suddenly reached for his hand. "I can't thank you enough, for all you've done. I can't understand why, since you have no investment in me whatsoever... but somehow you still haven't run. It can't just be curiosity fueling your interest in this. Tell me if I'm wrong."
"I cannot be Idle, at least helping someone will give me a purpose." He gave her a warm smile. "Besides that, I shall not be known as a man who ran from a fight, leaving a lady behind in danger" A hint of a blush appeared on his cheeks which he was quick to hide by downing the remaining contents of his mug.
She noticed the blush on Caden's cheeks and smiled. "You've not been with a woman before, have you?" she teased.
Nearly spitting out his ale again he swallowed hard "B-beg your pardon" he said, his face colouring red even further now.
"All these valiant, knight-in-shining-armor routines, tend to only be opinion of the most idealistic of them all... " she leaned in his direction and tapped him gently on the chest. "The untouched."
Regretting the lack of ale now he gave his mug a sad look. "I just haven't met the right girl, I once thought I had, but in the end she favoured the butchers boy" He rolled his eyes and sighed placing the mug back on the table with a loud clang.
She laughed aloud. For a moment, forgetting her woes. "Well she certainly loss out on a prized catch," she declared, taking a swig out of her mug and winked at him. "Like they say... there are many fish in the sea..."
"Maybe" Was all he said keeping his gaze steadily on the table.
"Hey guys," said Bran, grinning widely. All that fussing had given him a good mood. "Shirlee's inviting me out for an evening stroll. I trust that the two of you will be fine while I'm away?"
He shrugged lightly, thankful for the interruption "I suppose so." He glanced over at Sellie though, trying to guess her reaction.
"Alright!" Bran turned his attention back to Shirlee who giggled joyously. They departed together, and soon the room was silent.
Selina pointed vaguely at the door. "Now that is a prime example of a man who's gotten around a tad too much. The complete opposite of you."
"Will you stop teasing me about this already" He let his shoulders hang in defeat. "I'm not sure I like the fact that our group has now separated. Perhaps I am being paranoid, but it's probably a good idea to stay alert."
She took a gulp of the contents of her mug and set it down. "They are after me," she pointed to herself. "And nobody else. They want my head, they have to come in here. Bran is of no interest to them. You, are no interest to them." She moved her hand onto the hilt of her sword once more. "They come after me again, I'll be ready this time."
"Even so, with Bran gone, it would be a perfect time to attack. If you prefer to rest I'll keep watch, to be on the safe side. I told you before, even if they are after you, I cannot stand by and let it happen. Besides, I doubt they'll leave me alone since I'm traveling with you."
Her expression turned heavy and responsible. After some hesitation, she leaned towards him and put a hand on his cheek. "Caden..."
"You know I'm right." He said, turning his face away from her.
"I know that," she said softly. And then landed the side of her palm sharply into the side of his throat to render him unconscious. "I'm sorry."
"Wha-.." She'd hit him before he realised what she was up to. Unable to respond in time he slumped back into his chair, his head rolling to the side.
Spending a final moment in regret, Selina quickly composed herself, grabbed her items and left the inn.
KOVENITO
Kovenito headed toward the inn Aidan had mentioned, still in a state of shock at just how much things had changed in the months he was gone.
Entering the inn, he approached the bar and began to enquire about Selina. "Has a woman in her early twenties, black hair, with a strong disposition come through here lately?"
The barkeep responded to Kovenito's queries, giving him the full picture of Selina entering the bar on her own, the hooded stranger appearing, bumping into her, and a full description of her poisoning. Adding that she had departed the bar with another man.
Suddenly quite alarmed about the danger Selina seemed to face, Kovenito asked details about whether the person she left with seemed to be friendly and the direction they seemed to head.
The barkeep apologised and said he didn't know who that person was, although he seemed to be a nice chap. He said that they left in quite a hurry, he assumed to lodge a complaint.
Kovenito was frustrated by the turn of events and the sparse information to go. Being more than a day behind, it would not be easy to pick up Selina's trail.
Leaving the inn, Kovenito decided to look for clues heading out of town, assuming the attack would send Selina on the run.
Since Bran's departure, Jess had gone into Shaemoor to shop around for trinkets. No point having two people babysit a huge cave, she told herself. Besides, she had a craving for a certain pie that was only baked in Shaemoor, one that she had satisfied, and now walked through the marketplace, crunching an apple in hand.
Approaching the marketplace, Kovenito began asking certain alert looking people if they had seen Selina.
Jess noticed the frantic man who was not foreign to her, for she had sat with him for a night while Bran figured out what to do with both him and his girlfriend. He seemed genuinely nervous then, and she wondered if he'd be as nervous seeing her again. She moved in his direction, waiting to be recognized.
Spotting someone in the distance that looked familiar, Kovenito began to cautiously approach. Recognizing the bandit lady, he weighed his options. Since she was connected to the underworld, he decided it was worth the risk to see if she might have any info. "Jess, hold up. We aren't exactly amiable but I'd like to ask you some questions."
She knew he would have questions, and likely about the girlfriend that he had left behind. She nodded with a brow raised, "Uh huh..."
"Selina was poisoned yesterday and ran off with somebody. Would you happen to know anything about that?"
"He's some eager beaver called Caden," she shrugged. "Are you two no longer a thing?"
"Caden? Wait, what? Of course we are. I've been away making preparations for our future."
"Oooooh..." she cooed with girlish charm. "How romantic. Well perhaps you could still catch up with them. They headed on the road to Brisban to deal with Doc Howler and the Nighthowlers."
"Doc Howler? Is that some bandit?"
She chuckled. "I'm surprised Sellie never mentioned Doc Howler to you. If I were you, and I were thinking of settling, I would demand to know everything about the life of my partner. Everything to the last detail. But that's just me."
"She generally doesn’t like to talk about the past, though it seems to be coming up more often lately."
Nodding, Jess finished her apple and tossed the core aside. "Doc Howler is an old nemesis of Sellie's. She was second in command to Two-Blade Pete when he was arrested, and conveniently took over when he died. Sellie never got over the fact, said she had evidence that the Doc was responsible for Pete's demise - except the evidence turned out to be moot. And she was sent away in shame. Nonetheless, some among the gang, like Bran for example, continue to believe in her." She chuckled. "I don't care either way. I do care, however, when Bran is getting affected by all this nonsense."
"Ah, I did hear a bit about that actually. Bran is involved too? It sounds like everyone is gearing up for a showdown."
"Your girlfriend literally dragged Bran along with her to face an angry Doc Howler. If anything happens to him you can be sure she'll be feeling my wrath," Jess grumbled.
"I can understand your concern. I'll do my best to get there before Selina dives into this head first."
"You best do that. See if you can wrangle Bran away from her as well."
"Indeed. You have been... surprisingly helpful. I should head out quickly before I fall too far behind."
Jess waved him off. She'd secretly hoped that the boyfriend would lure Sellie away from her plans of revenge, and thus getting Bran off the hook. All this talk of the unification of the Blades had perplexed her. She didn't care for them to be united. She just wanted to have her fun with Bran and Ron.... Jaq also, while he was alive. Nothing in the world would hold a candle to the world they had created for themselves. And she would not sacrifice a thing.
Kovenito walked off, glad to know that Selina traveled with people she knew, but he couldn't help worrying that she was about to get in over her head in the coming conflict.