Disclaimer: Realms and Drow do not belong to me and I make no money writing this.
A/N: I should probably be ashamed for taking so long, but maybe it'll all be faster now that my other story (the german one) is finally at an end. Still no definite slash here, but don't let your guard down. It'll slip in when you least expect it to hehemuhaha...
Thanks for the nice reviews by the way.
C
Pleasant travel
C
The next day found them sharing the street with a more or less consistent stream of travellers who obviously intended to cross the river as well. The sudden increase of company led to quite some half suppressed twitching on Dinin's part, because he kept being startled by the uninhibited loudness and rash movements which most of the humans frequently displayed. Tezan didn't feel too comfortable either, being faced with behaviour so different from the quiet grace and habitual stealth they were used to from other Drow. To his great relief they didn't catch a single glimpse of Daleenis and her brother though. He didn't very much relish the thought of telling his companion any details about that part of his evening, because he suspected the other would accuse him of sympathizing with the wood elves straight away. Stupid lolthian dogma, he decided irritably, as if killing them on the spot would have been more useful than gaining information like he had done. But if the great Lady Lolth willed it, her servants would do virtually anything however stupid or insane it might be, he thought caustically, emotions fed by long years of bitter experience.
"What?" Dinin suddenly wanted to know, looking aggravated, maybe because he unexpectedly felt to be the source of Tezan's angry grimace. Perhaps his face had betrayed a bit too much of his last musings. An uncomfortable possibility to consider, since the cleric felt he needed perfect control of himself in a situation as potentially dangerous as this one.
"I was thinking about you naked", Tezan replied flatly, hoping this would put the other off so he would leave him alone. When Dinin's looks merely turned doubtful and curious though, he felt the urge to poke a bit, just for the sake of seeing some annoyance flit over the handsome face.
"Well with a mother like yours I certainly would have expected you to be more of a slut", Tezan sneered. "You have no entertainment value at all you know."
The feigned disappointment in his voice was so exaggerated it was hardly convincing, but the result it got him was satisfying nonetheless, because the warrior's predictably narrowed eyes showed an interesting mixture of disgust and weary annoyance.
"Do you ever think about something else or is sex really your whole purpose in life?" Dinin asked waspishly and accelerated his steps so he was slightly ahead of the irritating cleric, indicating clearly that all conversation was cancelled for at least a few hours. Oh but this was just too good to pass up! Quickly forgetting all his earlier misgivings Tezan laughed softly and hurried to close the short distance between them.
"What else is there that's worth thinking about?" He wanted to know innocently and simply ignored it when Dinin just stared straight ahead, saying nothing in reply. "Power?", he asked as if the fighter had actually answered something. "They both amount to the same thing eventually you know. The one complements the other until they become intertwined and nearly indiscernible. I don't think you would resist so much if I was thrown before you bound, defenceless and crying for mercy. Imagine me, helpless and frightened enough to do anything you order..."
But you wouldn't allow that anyway! Dinin had it on the tip of his tongue, managing only barely to keep the sharp words from bursting out, because he absolutely wanted to avoid being drawn into such a stupid conversation. That would only amount to more aggravation for him.
"You're wasting your breath Tezan", he said coldly. "If you need it that badly go and fuck some ugly human, but stop boring me with your whining."
"Fine."
He sounded as if he was sulking now, but Dinin noted the short, oddly satisfied glint in the other's eyes with deep suspicion and wondered fruitlessly what it was that had caused this kind of reaction. He was soon distracted though, when they started a more serious discussion of their plans concerning a future life in Waterdeep. Something that was more interesting by far than listening to that annoying priest trying to taunt him into his bed.
They had already agreed on keeping a low profile for the time being, until they would know better about the scope of their available options, but while Dinin insisted on actual hiding, Tezan seemed convinced that it would be better to keep up the pretence of being surface elves, including the attempt to find work and all the other small, tedious details of an ordinary life.
"How are you going to learn anything if you keep hidden in some dark hole all day?" the priest argued. "To understand their way of thinking you have to share their way of life and you can't do that if you keep strictly away from all company. Besides, if they discover our true identity we'll still have plenty of opportunity to run away and hide. We should use the chance to learn and acquire as much knowledge as we can before that happens."
"Yes, and when they do find out about us, they'll also know where we live, because it would be suspicious if we kept that secret. I don't want to have a bloody raging mob in front of my door."
"We can still prepare some kind of hideout. I never said we shouldn't, it's just that we won't live there. Hiding in plain sight is a very effective strategy after all."
"Of course! And it did work so amazingly well for you back in Menzoberranzan, didn't it", Dinin sneered and got a very dark look from the cleric.
"This is different", he snapped.
"Oh, is it now?"
"Entirely different", Tezan replied, suddenly very serious. "A mob will stop hunting you at some point when the first exhaustion and boredom sets in, but having a bunch half crazed fanatics on your heels with no hope for escape unless you kill every single one of them is a bit more... problematic."
The half suppressed shiver, which went through the priest's body at these words, showed clearly just how much he was still haunted by those straining weeks of constant flight.
"So I'm telling you: As long as we are careful and don't actively go looking for trouble we will be fine wherever we stay."
"I still think it is too great a risk", Dinin insisted stubbornly. "If something goes wrong there is nobody but ourselves to turn to. What kind of occupation would you take up anyway? I really don't think you could act the law abiding elven mage in a fashion that would convince anybody for long."
"I'll be a thief", came the frustratingly serene answer. "Come now, don't look so disapproving. I'm not so bad really."
"And in your opinion that wouldn't be looking for trouble!" Dinin wanted to know sharply.
"Not if I don't get caught."
At this the warrior only snorted in contempt.
They still hadn't reached an agreement when the first farms in the wide perimeter around Waterdeep came into sight, but, as Dinin thought bitterly, this one promised to go the same way that most arguments between the two did. Meaning that Tezan went ahead, did whatever he wanted to and a dissatisfied Dinin went along with it, because he couldn't do much else if he didn't want to be left stranded in this hostile world, which was so unlike anything he knew. This dependence on the priest bothered him greatly since there wasn't going to be a feasible way to change things in the near future. Nothing he could do besides acquiring what knowledge he needed to survive alone as fast as possible. And that included learning and improving his common, even though he heartily disliked the rough and hard way it sounded when he forced it past his lips.
The irrational, nagging fear that his dangerous brother would somehow appear out of thin air still plagued him sometimes, even though he realized that a chance meeting was hardly probable as he had come to appreciate during the last few days, how vast and nearly endless this light filled space above the caves of his homeland actually was. Even though he was slowly getting used to the strange sensation of having nothing but empty air above his head he couldn't quite shake off the disconcerting feeling that he was out of his element. Given a chance he would have gone back underground immediately.
The fact that Tezan seemed to adjust to these lands and customs far better and faster than he did only fed his growing frustration. What did the priest have that he lacked? Was it a question of willingness, of faith? Dinin suspected strongly that it might be just that, but he couldn't bring himself to contemplate the worship of another deity, after suffering for so long in Lady Lolth's cruel grasp. He had had more than enough of Gods for the time being.
His next hours were spent trudging sullenly after Tezan, who was positively bursting with excitement as they approached the city gates and passed through along with a noisy caravan, after nothing more than a brief and rather superficial questioning about their intentions. The trudging became more and more difficult though the deeper they got into the city, because the sheer mass of beings milling about trying to conduct their business, was soon constantly forcing them to sidestep highly loaded wagons, irritable riders and some people who appeared to be in such a hurry that they absolutely had to barge through the crowd with no consideration at all.
"Isn't it great?"
Tezan nearly had to shout to make himself understood against the constant noise of the market they were currently walking through, but that didn't diminish his interest or his happy grin in any way. Dinin, who absolutely hated to be stuck in such an uncoordinated and ever shifting press of bodies, merely grimaced and demanded in his best common that they go somewhere quieter right now.
"I don't see anything great in being stuck between shouting, sweating humans", he said in exasperation once he had managed to drag the reluctant priest a good way away from the market and down a less populated alley, where the constant roar of bartering traders and shoppers was dimmed to a more bearable background noise. Actually it wasn't populated at all, which was most certainly caused by the terrible smell that originated from the gutter, where a sluggish, brown-green mass was slwoly floating along to an unknown destination.
"The crowd has its advantages", Tezan claimed with a sneaky grin, waving a purse that was most certainly not his own, because it was garishly and tastelessly decorated, but nicely filled with a big amount of coins by the look of it. "This will buy us at least a few nights lodging I think."
Slightly reassured, but unwilling to admit that he was actually feeling thankful for the pleasant prospect of sleeping in a bed again, Dinin only made some undefined noise which could generously interpreted as satisfaction.
"Maybe it'll buy you a whore too, so your company might become bearable for once", the warrior couldn't resist making a snide remark, but Tezan was obviously too elated for a fight, because all he did was nod happily, before he turned and purposefully strode down the alley as if oblivious to the stench.
"Come on I want to see the sea!"
And being interested despite himself Dinin followed. Only to find their way barred by a group of ragged humans after but a few steps. Without the distracting stink of this place he would probably have smelled them at a distance of twenty feet and it surprised him that he had been distracted enough to only notice the danger now. Inwardly cursing his carelessness Dinin quickly took stock of the situation. Now that his fine senses were alerted he could also make out some noises that indicated more of the filthy creatures hidden around them. The still comparatively loud sounds of the market prevented him from telling exactly just how many and where they were though, but that didn't diminish his confidence. These were mere humans after all. No match for a Drow warrior. With a slight inconspicuous motion he let his dagger slide out of his sleeve into his hand and shifted his feet to a position which would allow him to whirl around in the fragment of a second.
"Get out of my way or I'll kill you", Tezan snapped, irritated at what he perceived as a very bad attempt at mugging, which was keeping him from things much more interesting. In his own mind this curt warning an was uncommon fairness. A concession due only to the fact that he wasn't quite sure whether he would get away with slaughtering these sorry figures on the spot. If they had some sort of deal with the local authorities, he assumed he could get into trouble for attacking them. The human of course saw things a bit differently. He scowled and bared a set of broken, yellowed teeth in a grimace half anger half petulance.
"No no, elvy", he rasped "you give me that purse or we will kill you. Understood?"
"You would try to kill me? Really?" Tezan asked, suddenly switching from a hostile scowl to polite interest, thereby hopelessly confusing the leader of that doomed band.
"What of the uh... city watch?" the priest wanted to know, trying to find out what his limitations were in such a situation, while he carefully shifted his hip a little to position his favourite wand so that the first blast of energy would take down at least half the humans in front of him and give him room to move. If they were openly threatening to kill him, they surely had the right to defend themselves, he reasoned and waited patiently for a reply.
"City watch don't come here", informed him the robber smugly and waved his cheap sword in a way that was intended to be threatening, but very nearly made the Drow laugh.
"Yea. Stinks too much", added one of his companions helpfully and advanced a step, which should be the last one he ever made in his life, because Tezan correctly took this to mean that the time for talking was over and released his first blast, while both Drow simultaneously dropped a sphere of darkness over the already dim light in the stinking alley.
With speed and cold efficiency that spoke of long and vigorous training the two dark elves dispatched nearly two thirds of the band before the rest simply gave in to terror and fled, blindly running in any direction that led away from the bloodthirsty demons who hid behind that deceptively frail elven guise. When Tezan finally dispelled the darkness after no more than a few minutes, they were standing in the midst of roughly half a dozen dead or dying humans. He critically eyed his companion whose face reflected a certain amount of disappointment at the early end of this unequal fight.
"You got blood on your shirt."
Dinin scowled in response and kicked the nearest body on the muddy ground in retaliation, receiving a satisfyingly anguished groan for his efforts. Since they had only managed to acquire one other coat during their journey a lot of his clothing was by now reaching a worrying state of disrepair, meaning that this was very inconvenient. They were still able to hide most of the fraying seams and holes, but sooner rather than later he'd have to get at least a new shirt, because this one was all but falling apart on him and wouldn't withstand another attempt at washing.
"I'll certainly not take anything from those animals! They smell worse than that sickening sludge", he said disgustedly, crouching instead to wipe his dagger and short sword on the short tunic of a corpse. "The cloak should cover it well enough that no one will see."
"What about the smell?" Tezan wanted to know doubtfully, but the fighter merely raised a thin white brow.
"You really think they have senses sharp enough to notice?"
That made the cleric sigh softly.
"You're probably right", he admitted. "I guess we'll be buying clothes and leave the harbour for later then."
