User:AVAIA/I Will Not Pay
I Will Not Pay
Originally posted on the official forums by AVAIA on 01/13/2020 at 09:18 PM CST.
"I will not pay."
The words were offered unasked for, quietly but with a resolve she found unusual. Still, they confused her, and her half-hearted rummaging for trinkets to sell him came to a halt as she looked up.
"You ..will ...not?
She stared at the pawnbroker for a long while, waiting for some further explanation to be offered. None was forthcoming, as Cendadric merely looked at her with a frown, eyes sometimes darting away and then back to her face as if he was trying to hold his nerve. Then she understood.
"Do as you wish, Pakk'a." she scoffed. "I am not my Brother."
Waving her hand dismissively, she turned and left the shop.
The night air was cold as she walked down Gardenia Lane the short distance to the bank. Brushing her fingers gently across her urglaes bracelet, she allowed her mind to open itself to the thought net. Once her mind had settled, she thought directly to each of them in turn.
"Wayside. Now."
The interior of the Wayside Inn was filled with noise, as was usual of an evening this time of year. Warm and close and thick with smoke and the steam rising off of the damp clothes of those gathered within, it was difficult to see from one end of the room to the other.
At a corner table she sat, sipping bloodwine and resisting the urge to summon a fiery elemental wave that would rid her ears of the squawks and squeals of the rabble she found herself among, and her nose of their stench.
"Patience," she reminded herself. "Mhe Stry." Her eyes closed briefly, her fingers twitching ever so slightly in just the beginnings of a spell that she did not let herself complete.
One by one the Four joined her at the table, their movements unnoticed in the general mayhem that always accompanied the arrival of Dreaven and his cohorts; whose shuffling from group to group, table to table, always occupied the full attention of most of those who happened to be there already or who ran breathlessly through the door to catch up to them.
Several full turnings of the seasons had passed since she last spoke to the Three she had brought north with her from Sharath, and the One who had remained here during her last journey south. Her desire was to let them each find their own way amongst the Northerners they would find so unfamiliar. Her word had not been questioned. Now, she regarded each of them in turn. Calmly, they all returned her gaze. The Watcher. The Purifier. The Cenobite. The Highwayman.
"There has been a .... disturbance...on the Grey Isle." she began. "Under the guise of Order, the forces of Chaos have begun to flourish. This will not be permitted. Corruption will not be allowed to take root."
"Which of you will I send?"
"Your word is our Will, Priestess" came the reply. Three voices speaking together and one..did that last one hesitate, just a bit? She shifted her eyes to the Highwayman. In response he merely shrugged and flashed her a quick grin. "He bears closer watching," she thought as her eyes narrowed. "A useful agent he has always been, but is he truly Loyal? Umesha'i?"
Such things were to be decided another time. For now, the answer to her question became clear as she spoke it.
"None of you." she spoke with finality. "You will stay here in the Northlands and observe, as you have been doing. Report to me each full moon, or if there is something that requires attention." Standing up from the table, she dusted off her robe and pants, adjusting her bandolier and other gear as she looked once more around the inn, making sure that the small gathering had garnered no unusual amount of attention.
"I will take care of this, myself."