Something was amiss, Instead of returning to their daily activities as they usually did, the villagers were congregating around a wall, many of them holding farm equipment like weapons. Sylvia glanced at Anna who nodded, confirming her suspicions. There was a stranger in their midst.

Without a word Anna strode off in the direction of the well. With that in mid, Sylvia wove her way through the crowd to a spot opposite of Anna's, until she stumbled upon the source of discontent.

The strangers were two men, one very tall, and the other of average height. While the former was dressed impressively in blackened leather, the latter wore the rough-spun wool of a man of the cloth. They both wore coverings over their heads, but Sylvia could easy see the perplexed look of fear on the blond monk's face. The tall one, a brunet, held himself so the shadow of his hat obscured his features, but she knew she asnt imagining the outline of pistols beneath his long coat. A travel bag at his feet, from which she could see a crossbow sticking out. Yes, she decided, of the two, he was definitely the more threating. What was a man like this doing in Vaseria?

"Curious," Sylvia mummed from her place in the crowd.

The taller man's head shot to turn in her direction as though to address the comment, but before he could decide to say anything, Anna spoke from behind him.

"Turn around."

She stood, hands on her hips and feet spread apart atop the lip of the well. Sylvia fought the urge to pull her down to safer ground. With Anna's impatience came a certain level of carelessness that Sylvia was sadly certain would get her killed someday.

While she watched Anna anxiously, the two men did as they were told, the blond turning so fast she imagined he might have fallen had he not been so tense. The brunet was more cautious, truing slowly as his own leisure. Sylvia noted that the taller man shot look at her after he had seen Anna. She wondered if he had noticed their resemblance, and if he had, wondered what that might mean. This man carried a multitude of weapons, and clearly had practice in remaining calm even during stressful situations. Who was he?

While Sylvia was checking him out, Anna moved to the well, as she was walking to the well, the taller of the men carried himself like Royalty and like a warrior. 'That's what I like in a man.' she thought.

Gentlemen," Anna addressed them, "prepare to be disarmed."

Good, Sylvia thought. She had noticed the pistol as well.

Calmly, the brunet replied, "I don't think so."

Anna smiled a small smile. He just kept getting better and better.

Sylvia raised her eyebrows at that. No? Originally she'd had no intention of addressing the two strangers at all, but now she was curious. With more question in her voice than anger, she slipped out from the crowed and asked, "You fail to obey our laws?"

"The laws of men, "he said, moving to keep both Anna and Sylvia in his field of vision, "mean little to me."
Anna scoffed. "Kill them," she ordered.

Sylvia knew she did not actually expect villagers to kill the man. Rather, she expected the two to be persuaded to tell her why they were here. It was a bluff, but it usually worked. For all his apparent calm, this man was no different from the others they'd used the trick on in the past.

"I'm here to help," he offered.

Automatically going on the defensive, Anna spat, we. "Don't need your help."

"Oh really?"