I shiver. I never understood just what Noriko meant by "hands busy" until now. I thought I had, but now she's shown me what feeling goes with it, and just how strong it is. We all repress emotions all the time. She has to repress this one when we're traveling, and it builds up, like my fatigue does. When we were working in the fields she was already keeping her hands busy.
She's able to repress it due to lots of practice travelling with me now, I guess. I didn't feel it before today. She and Glocia were looking for Niana in the market at Steny. Niana is so flighty she just follows the whims of her head. That includes not considering she's getting everyone else into trouble. Noriko called to me, using the fear to do it, not just the words. I headed for the pull of where she was and got worried myself. We got to practice not having our joint fear send us both off, but it wasn't perfect.
They were surrounded by a squad of city guards. I could see that arrangement from the roof I had gone up on to find them. I went to ground before the guards saw me. I didn't need them knowing I'd come by that way. Noriko's relief helped, as did the fact she went from fear to just worry.
It was then my fear that was problematic. It pushed me a little too far over my sensibilities when she was grabbed by one of the goons. I pushed him in reaction - to flying about six feet away. I was able to pull back, but not before he'd already gotten moving.
All three of us thought we were done for at that one, although we kept talking as calmly as we could. We were rescued by a captain of the city guard, who scolded the squad and sent them on their way, and then who went on his way as well after apologizing.
It was all rather how it should have been, I suppose, but there was one issue to come out of it. As soon as Noriko saw Lori, there was a surge of feelings that I'd never felt before and I'd frozen to stare at Noriko. Her expression said, Later. She'd known it had happened and was regretting it.
When we reached our room in the inn, I pointed to the bed and folded my arms at her. That one needed to be explained immediately. I was already picking out the various emotions from the tangled ball that had come at me, and I needed to know why she'd felt physical attraction and several others and what the ones I didn't understand were.
When I saw her fingers interlacing themselves, as if they would tie themselves into knots, it completely matched the emotions leaking from her again, now that she was thinking about them again instead of repressing them. I could only stare at them as if they were moravia snakes.
She'd then pointed to the bed in front of her and told me to sit there and she would show me instead of tell me. I could understand that with a mix of emotions, showing before telling might be important. As I took the first step, she opened up a different emotion door and I was struck as if with a blow. It was how she sees me, or rather what she feels when she allows herself to really look at me.
When she says to me that I am beautiful, she means it from the depth of her core. In her eyes...well, let's just say that's a rather overwhelming emotion as well and I get it. I'm also flattered and that's as far as it needs to go...for now. I'll have to get to where it's not overwhelming like all the rest of her that's overwhelming to me.
Anyway, so I sat on the bed with my back to her and she reached up and began finger combing my hair. (I can't stop shivering at the memory of what she's closed back down. Thank goodness she can close that door tightly.) It was the same desire I have to run my fingers through her hair, actually. But it includes the wiggly snakes with it - brr. Combing out my hair was merely pleasurable.
Then, when the snarls were out, the tickly feeling was back and she was taking up lengths of my hair and braiding them. I think she might not have even known it was little ones, and medium ones, in all different places on my head. And then combing them back out only to start again.
Ah, I'm going to make her feel it all over again if I can't control the memory of it myself. I'm rather wishing she hadn't shown me. There are things we shouldn't know to that depth, I'm quite sure now.
"When I see long hair on men, and even more so curly hair," the thrill goes through us again, although she cuts it off quickly, "...well, that. It's even worse when it's people like you that are beautiful to my eyes." Her fingers are still trying to braid my hair in knots even though they aren't touching me any more. I stare at them, wanting them to stop moving. I'm getting quite terrified and it's hard to keep it contained. They're worse than Keimos, those fingers.
"I was hoping to get at least a ball of yarn and a set of knitting needles today for the trip. My hands have been too still for too long. I'll be braiding your hair - and Alef's - on the trip otherwise. Knitting lets me feel the yarn, and put it into pleasing and useful shapes."
Noriko takes a breath, then thinks of something that makes her fingers twist and turn in ways I've seen old granny's fingers move to knit yarn into useable items. The feeling is a lot calmer than what she just did, without the physical interest involved, which is a lot better in my opinion. I understand now why she was so excited in the thread and yarn shop, and had to feel all of them. "But, we need a sword for you and a knife for me more."
Oh, no! I shake my head violently. My eyes are still as wide as they can go. "We'll get them," I promise me, very glad I was always behind her on the horses while hiding from people. "No braids. Only women wear braids."
"I figured, but I couldn't let you leave without doing it once. Thanks for wearing it as long as you did." She looks up at me soberly. At least she understands. It was a gift she was taking for herself, for not touching my hair for so long, and not knowing if or when I would come back to let her.
I back off to get a little better breathing distance, sitting down in the chair on the other side of the table by the bed. This is going to be a problem, and not just her "hands busy" part. It isn't unreasonable that she's going to feel attraction to things and people she's attracted to...and it's very likely to go the other direction. I can't help but get warm at the thought.
We're going to have to learn to keep many doors closed we aren't used to keeping closed. I love her, but the attraction I have to women isn't as strong for her as for another kind of woman. The heat rises even higher at that thought. I don't think she would find my own tastes complimentary, and perhaps not even acceptable. I can't look at her for a bit while I get that under control.
"Yeah. It's going to go both ways," she says dryly, following along with my thinking just fine. "I'll try to not get too jealous, if you do the same for me. I expect we'll get it figured out eventually, how to control which emotions go through and which don't and how much of them. Just, it's going to be hard here at the beginning. We don't hear each other's thoughts all the time, after all. I think it's just the extreme emotions, the ones that pop up over the normal level.
"I can feel you all the time as if you're always holding me, but the emotions are different. I can feel the lower level ones are there below the surface of that warmth, but they don't 'speak' to me. I haven't tried to go fishing, and I don't want to.
"But when they leap out and scream 'look at me!' I don't have much choice, and you don't either - at least right now. You're better at controlling them than I am, but I'm better at recognizing whose they are. ...But then, I've had practice. Your face doesn't show much to the world. I've had to read them in your eyes for a long time now."
I send her the soft love I have for her. She gives a little gasp. "Too much?" I ask, worried, since I wanted to know if intent was sufficient enough, or if they do really all have to jump out of their rooms.
She shakes her head. "Just right, actually. Like I said, your control is better. Like I want to lecture in detail, I want to give it all to you all at once so you really understand and know it all. I'll keep working on that. I already know that overwhelming isn't good...even though I just did it." She deflates, frustrated with herself. "Sorry."
I smile at her, to reassure her, but I'm having a problem. Like she had troubles not letting her surety in my goodness continue to rise as she was with me until she learned to hold a reasonable constant level, my love has been rising slowly all on its own and I'm having troubles pulling it back. Even if it was only a brief intent, it has slipped out through its door and is curious what I let it out for.
I wonder why emotions continue to build after we acknowledge them? They seem to build for as long as we pay attention to them, or if we allow them to become stronger. Is that part of the lesson? If I ignore my fear, will it diminish? I'm not sure. I'll have to work on that. It would mean closing the door isn't the same as ignoring them.
Problematically, because love was what I started with, and it built up on its own, it's woken hers up and now we're struggling against it. It's a hard one for us both to fight, even still. It's not like we want to stop loving each other.
We're saved by a knock at the door. "Sorry, to bother you, but we need to talk about the permit." Alef and Glocia point to the map of the bazaar. The "booth" space the city officials assigned to us could barely be considered in the bazaar at all. Everyone looks up at me, and Alef says the words I don't want to hear. "You'll bring them in, right?"
Noriko and I both sigh and this time we feel each other's fear. Noriko tamps it, trying to help me. She has the practice I'm still learning. She had to learn to walk through the fear from the time she came here and that is her courage, that she can push the fear down and move forward regardless.
I don't want to be remembered here. I don't want to put Noriko and the world in jeopardy if we're discovered. But we need the coin to keep walking forward. "Izark, we've just started on this path. The force of good wants something from us. If you keep it simple, and do just what needs to be done we will be used for good again. I know that time was frightening for us, but we were given the rainbow just before it, and because of it we were placed to help these very people."
Noriko's emotions have been anchored by those words of faith she has in that which is good. This time, instead of wrapping them around me, or sending them at me, she merely keeps them around and within her where I can see them, but not drown in them. I'm pleased she's learned to do that already. I'm able to take what strength I need from her, and know that if I choose to do this she won't fault me for doing it.
"Thank you, Noriko." I say with gratitude and she slowly lets go of her firm conviction and we return to our own internal balances. "Alright, Roki. I'll do it. They saw me anyway today on the roofs when I was looking for Mrs. Niana. Small-town people notice everything it seems. Do you have anything I can wear, or should we go pick something up?" Alef frowns slightly.
"Yeay, a shopping trip and Roki's buying!" Noriko calls out, startling us.
"Ah, hey, wait!" Alef protests.
Noriko isn't giving him any ways to escape. She's already grabbed Glocia's hand and is dragging her to the door. "I haven't shopped with a girlfriend in ages," Noriko says to Glocia, then gives a wicked grin to Alef from over her shoulder. Alef is staring at her in shock and disbelief, then he wilts. I already knew that Alef would lose to Noriko quickly if they ever negotiated.
He decides to make it my fault and glares at me accusingly. I give him an innocent look and shrug, then move to follow the girls, taking Alef's upper arm almost casually on the way. "We can't let them go alone. Last time I barely got to them before the corrupt officials did."
Alef sighs. "Yeah, you're right. The Bonya clan is too powerful in this city, and there's more riff-raff than last year when we went through."
Glocia turns back. "Mother, you will stay here with Barago, do you hear me?! If you aren't here when I get back, I'm going to leave you behind rotting in jail, or wherever you end up."
Niana wilts into herself. "Yes, dear. I'll go take a nap." She must have had a stern scolding from her daughter when they went to their room earlier after I fetched Niana from the market. I found her resting on a bench next to an older man. They were pleasantly talking, but when Niana tripped on her feet to greet me, he had very fast reflexes for his age. It made me wonder.
Glocia glares at Niana, then at Doros. "Make sure she gets to her room. Even that far and she'll be lost." Doros stares at her, then finally nods. It's right next door. Noriko giggles into her hand lightly and pulls on Glocia again, practically skipping out the door. I firmly make sure Alef is coming along. I'm not paying for their shopping trip and my costume to do his work in.
-o-o-o-
I wanted a mask, but was outvoted. The girls as a duo are very formidable and Noriko has secret weapons only she and I know about ...and she's not above using them. Their point that most shoppers are women, and women are drawn in like butterflies to sweet flowers when the performer is beautiful was agreed to readily by Alef.
He wanted his own sort of revenge so sweetly gave up on it being a martial arts performance of the strength kind in favor of the acrobatic kind when they pressed us both in that area (for the same reason - more women shoppers, etc.). He then had to open his own mouth and point out that men find those kinds of feats just as amazing, so we still wouldn't lack male shoppers.
Just as they are all excellent negotiators in words, they are also in coin. They haggled three-against-one poor shopkeeper until they were able to purchase a costume for me that is sufficient, isn't going to trip me so I die (figuratively), "accentuates my good looks" (I had to roll my eyes that even Glocia would join that caravan - it's been a bane of mine on more than one occasion), and only cost a minimal amount.
If it tears as I rip it off when we're done, I won't care. Or maybe I'll burn it off. I'll likely have that much nervous energy left over once we're done. It will disappear in a single flash and then we'll see if Noriko is happy to go in with them so readily.
Ah, she's felt that. Her apology is sent my way. I sigh and forgive her. Such troubles resolve quickly when we can feel each other's emotions, and care enough to repent and forgive. We rather have to, since even without the strange connections I can't let her go and she refuses to leave. By intent, I put out the emotional request into the world that whatever good wants me to do this is going to see we're kept safe from the evil that wants us. I'm experimenting again, but I'm serious.
I'm standing on the top point of the face of the building I'm on at the edge of the bazaar. I've picked a building near enough to our stand to get there fairly quickly. I've already drawn a lot of eyes. When I've got about as many as I can stand, I leap off of the roof peak and perform a straight-legged somersault in the air to land on one foot on a lamp post below me. The other foot I bring up in front of me to cross in front of the leg I'm standing on, and fold my arms. Sigh, and I smile.
"A smile brings more people in than anything else, Kizak!" Glocia had scolded me just as fiercely as she likely scolded her mother. Alef had nodded knowingly behind her. Noriko had only looked at me with sober eyes. She agreed, but she knew how hard that was going to be for me. It only works because I know it's false and will bring in coin. I can do just about anything to earn coin by now. I've starved and supported myself for so long I know what it is to accept that kind of humility. That doesn't mean I like to do it.
I put the foot in front of me out straight before me and lean back as far as I can. The crowd gasps in appreciation. Then I'm flipping backwards off the lamp post to land on my feet on the ground. I try for flashy, eye catching, and amazing (all the things I was ordered to give them), and make my audience follow me towards the booth where the others are waiting for me and the customers.
Alef throws two ladles to me. I spin them in the air and catch one behind my back, one in front, as I played with the bats during Nada's tournament. I can do that sort of thing easily, and I'm grateful for the props. Alef begins the sales pitch and I toss him the ladles back and head for another prop I'm used to. I open the bolt of fabric gracefully in front of the girls, including them in the embarrassment of this sort of sale, since they deserve it, too, and Alef rolls with it quite happy to have pretty girls sell his products as well.
By the time we're done, I'm quite exhausted. Alef catches the enamored crowd outside our inn so Noriko and I can rest. She got a little too jealous a few times, although she tried to tamp it down. I took to sending her my exhaustion and distaste for the job. That tamped her jealousy down fast every time, and she sent the compassion I needed instead so I could keep going. Alef and the others praised me, and I'm glad they were able to sell just about everything, but I hope I never have to do that again. It's definitely not my preferred use of my skills.
As we leave the dining room of the inn, the manager stops us and tells us we have to leave. When Alef asks why, we're told it's because we've made too much of a ruckus that day. It smells of a lie, but he insists until we're out on the street with our bags in hand. He was willing to return the coin Alef paid him.
It almost seems as if it's orchestrated by someone of the Bonya clan. Alef runs up from checking the other inns in the area and confirms it. No inn will take us in. They wanted us to pay, and we bested them, so they're trying again.
Noriko points out that no one is in the streets at all, then she and Glocia are seeing shadows of evil. As Glocia clutches at Noriko in fear and Noriko tries to combat her fear so she doesn't set us off, I can also feel a rising darkness, now that I've been trying to learn it. It swirls around an escorted carriage that's coming our way.
The girls cower back from it, then hide behind me as one of the guards turns and stares at us, slowing down to look us over carefully. His power swirls around him, as if he doesn't care if others can tell that he's both powerful and evil. He smells of death and his partner on the other side of the carriage smells of blood and more animal-like than human.
I'm distracted with trying to calm Noriko down so I don't react to her fear. There isn't anything I can nor should do in this situation other than to let them pass by. The guard inspecting us gets yelled at by the person leading the group and finally moves on.
"It's windows were painted over and the door padlocked on the outside, did you see it Geena?" Glocia asks. Noriko shakes her head, but I saw that it was a prison carriage from the beginning.
"That's the carriage they reserve to transport people to the tower of the tainted - high government people who've been sentenced to death." We turn and stare at the person who's said it. We don't recognize him.
"This is a bad time of night to be out." Another stranger is also with us. Both are young boys, one a teen, one maybe twelve. Wings flap by and they cry out and cower in terror. "Please, come with us. We have to get off the streets!" They begin to chivy us down the street.
"Ah, wait." Alef interrupts. "Who are you?"
The younger one, who spoke first, answers, "Our master sent us to fetch you. He enjoyed your performance this afternoon and he wants you to come stay at his house since you don't have anywhere else to stay. Please come quickly. It isn't safe."
Well, there isn't anything for it but to go with them. The day is full of sudden strange turns of events: they take us to the minor palace of the city and leave us in the large entry to bring their master to us. Alef and I exchange confused and worried glances. We thought the Bonya had us thrown out to punish us. Why would they bring us straight to them, and not under guard?
"Ch-chimos!" Doros is looking into a large cage hung on a pole. There are a pair of chimos in it and they aren't looking good. "They are not being well cared for," Doros says sadly. "See mine?" He pulls one out to show Noriko the difference. The ones in the cage don't particularly like humans and are upset we're in their space.
I hear the sound of soft cloth and turn to see a young man in opulent robes with a snobbish face catch sight of Doros and his chimos. As he rushes us, I'm already moving to intercept. We don't need more trouble on top of what we might already be in. "Thief! What are you doing with my chimo?"
I grab the man by his upper arms and turn him towards the cage so he can very obviously see the two still in it. "I believe yours are still where they belong." He looks between his and Doros' chimos, then changes his mind, so I let him go. I'm not sure I want to ever touch him again. He's as slimy as Nada.
Standing up he clears his throat. "I am Arkarella son Dororev, the master of this residence." So prideful. He doesn't leave a good impression, and I can feel Noriko's complete distaste. We all stare at him for a minute.
"And I'm Salier, his younger brother." Our heads swing around. Leaning in the doorway of one of the entrances to the hall is the man who wanted to take the girls into 'custody'. Noriko groans softly and Glocia reacts just as bad.
I'm getting depressed, at least to resignation. This actually happens a lot when I walk into a new town looking for work. Somehow I end up with the one who wants to hire me in the same house, or at least close to it, as the one who wants to cut my heart out. "Hello," he says, "I was hoping you wouldn't come. I was against this from the beginning, brother. I still say -"
"Salier! This will be good for you, too." Arkarella is waving his hand at his younger brother as if shooing off a pet. He turns to me with a sly smirk and my heart falls further. "You are quite attractive, my friend. I saw your performance in the plaza today and was impressed. Looks and talent in one package are hard to find. In return for my hospitality, I want you to do me a favor. I want you to perform for Mister Hydran tomorrow. He will very much enjoy your performance." He giggles.
Noriko's complete disinterest in such a thing, and her anger, comes across to join with my disinterest. Even without the emotional link I can feel her hackles have raised and she would be growling at Arkarella if this wasn't supposed to be polite company. I appreciate the protection and sentiment. But, as I said, I get this a lot.
I'm going to have to swallow down the embarrassment and unpleasant emotions and play the acrobat one more time. I'm thinking I won't be paid in coin, though. Instead I'm going to be paid in humiliation or we'll all be jailed. Salier curses and storms out, not understanding that he's already going to get his ultimate wish.
"Ah, hey, Kizak," Alef says quietly, stepping up close to me so I hear his whisper.
"Yeah, I know," I answer. "Not much choice." Noriko kindly sends a little gratitude along our connection.
-o-o-o-
We're shown to rooms, then invited down to dinner. There are plush chairs and couches and expensive tables and decorations in this palace. Arkarella is spending his family's money. I wonder if his father knows. Likely his father doesn't care.
The table is set up formally and I'm reminded of the other noble tables I've sat at - an unusual activity for most wandering warriors, but not for one that's "beautiful" enough to catch noble daughter's eyes. I'm just as uncomfortable at this table as all the others. Arkarella has seated us men on one side, women on the other, and I have to sit next to him as if I were the substitute boyfriend...I mean honored guest.
Noriko takes the seat across from me, determined to not be separated from me more than she has to be, and to make the firm, if silent, statement that we belong together. Alef takes the seat next to mine since he has the better noble speaking skills and Glocia, still sticking to Noriko unconsciously, sits next to her. Doros and Niana are the anchors.
I wish Niana could explain that by rights she should be in my spot. I'd trade it willingly. Because she's easygoing to begin with, she takes it without complaint or comment. Really, she does understand we might be in trouble. The glance she gives the rest of us is worried, as if she hopes we can handle being at this table without tripping all over ourselves. I hope the same.
Arkarella begins with a tirade about the worthlessness of chimos. I'm relieved he doesn't understand what he has. Doros wants to refute him, since he thought he had the only two left (plus babies now), but Alef silences him for now, shaking his head at Doros. Wise, in my opinion.
Arkarella moves on to buttering me up, offering to introduce me to people in high places of government. I refuse, completely disinterested, but Alef interrupts by kicking me in the ankle hard enough to make me freeze in pain. It takes everything I have to not cry out or chop him in the neck. That was quite unnecessary.
"Sorry, small talk is not one of my friend's talents. He'd love to meet your friends, and nothing would make him happier than to entertain your guest. Ah...I understand he is escorting a prisoner. May I ask who it is?"
While I think Alef is going to pay for that later, I'm just as happy to let him take over the talking. That's when I decide he's such a good merchant because his specialty as commander of the guards was in interrogation. He can dish out torture and get this noble to speak up all without blinking an eye.
Arkarella sits back and takes an appreciative drink of his fine wine. I glance at Noriko. She's looking at her own glass, worried. I suspect she'd like to ask for water but doesn't know how to interrupt at tables like this to do that. I send her a little encouragement, although I don't know if it got through. I'm bottling up everything as best I can. She doesn't need my emotions distracting her, and I don't either.
"Ah, yes." Arkarella looks smug. "The former Chief Cabinet Secretary - a stuck-up scholar if you ask me. Even eccentrics shouldn't cross the Bonya."
He sets down his glass and picks up his knife and fork to cut another piece of his meat. "It has to do with the prophecy. You know, the Sky Demon and the Awakening." Noriko and I freeze in place while he chews his bite of food. "He claims that the prophecy is misinterpreted. He believes the Sky Demon is not evil, but can be harnessed as an agent of good."
He laughs his awful giggle. "Can you imagine it? The Sky Demon is a monster - a demon! Not some imagined hero." He giggles again and works on another bite of his dinner.
Misinterpreted? He believes the Sky Demon can be an agent of good? My eyes go wide and Noriko's eyes meet mine, as amazed as I am that someone we've never heard of believes those things. It's a fanciful dream, that another such person should exist. One who has lived here with the same lore I've grown up with, but who has decided it's wrong. I want to hear what he has to say. What evidence does he have for that belief? Or is he just a madman, as Arkarella believes?
Noriko stays steady, like she did before, and allows me to let the emotions toss me about until I'm able to recover. Her belief that we might have just been handed one of the reasons we're on this new journey is what she holds on to this time until I'm able to agree that it would be along the lines of the paths we've been walking. I start working on figuring out how to get to the prison to talk to the condemned man before his carriage moves on again, without ending up in the cell next to him.
-o-o-o-
Back up in our rooms, which are a suite so we're all sitting together for the moment, Glocia's passionate about saving the condemned man. Alef calms her and agrees with Niana that he shouldn't be left to die. "His death will deal a crippling blow to those who oppose the corrupt government," Alef says, "but I'm not sure what we can do." He looks at me. Alef knows from the news, gossip, and rumors that this man is one of the good government leaders who's likely being framed to remove him from office by those who are greedy or evil.
I lean forward, rethinking my plan. It might be a better idea to win his freedom than to just go talk to him. I shouldn't show my face to the guards early, then. A stranger isn't remembered as well as a face seen a second time. "Tomorrow's guest is the commander of the convoy, right? We may be able to learn more from him."
Alef grins. "Hoh? So you're willing to help, then? That's a relief. I thought I'd have to talk you into it." Noriko is so excited I put my hand on her knee to let her know it's leaking through too much, particularly since we're sitting next to each other. She tries to calm down.
I hear a little scrabble outside the large double-pane window and can sense a person, trying to hide their presence. We don't need any witnesses to us being seditious and we need more information. Moving quickly before that person can move, I leap up and run for the window. I pull both windows open at the same time.
The man is very fast for all I've surprised him. He jumps down into the yard and is running with the long fast leaps I can run. That's even more reason to catch him. If there's someone with special powers here, or even just the top skills of a fine martial artist, then I can't let them get away.
I chase after him, even leaping to the top of the high wall around the land of the palace, then to the next roof over and beyond. Really his skills match mine, but he's not as fast. I grab him around the chest to hold him still and lock his arms down, but what I saw as I was finally close enough to see features has me confused. The face says this is a woman, even the quiet shriek as I surprised him/her did, but the body I hold says man.
"Wait! I'm not your enemy, okay? I'm not resisting, see? I want what you want!" That's enough for me to not let go. She's in a panic - a real one, not a faked one. Did she see what I did earlier and recognize the extent of my skills because she has them also, and knows I'm the better of the two of us? I'm not interested in killing her if I don't have to regardless. I just want information.
Another slower step sounds at the other end of the roof top and a voice I recognize says, "Wei, no! Wei -"
Our eyes meet. "You!" That the old man who was talking to Niana in the bazaar could have made it up to the top of a roof is a great surprise. I saw from that one act of catching her that he was fast, but to make it up here means he's also nimble and has great skills in martial arts as well. I go wary. Who are these two and why are they interested in us?
The old man looks between the person I'm holding and me, a puzzled look on his face. Finally he says, "Are you here to rescue that poor man, too?"
At that I'm so surprised I relax my hold on my captive, but she doesn't move, other than to relax slightly herself, letting me know I haven't been lied to.
"I'm sorry we used you and your show to get you into the palace," the old man says. "Mister Hydran is a hedonist, like Arkarella. Arkarella's father is placed high enough in the government that Mister Hydran is likely to accept Arkarella's invitation to come and watch you perform for them. We - Wei, Katarina, and myself, Danjel - are from the Grey Bird tribe. We've been hired to free Secretary Clairgeeta by the enemies of the Bonya clan."
I let Wei go slowly, so she can know I'm not going to harm her, and let her move closer to Danjel. We're on the same side, and they already have a plan in place. I'm glad they did send her to spy on us. We might have caused problems if we hadn't met and talked.
"The brothers who guard the secretary are named Sido and Uda Brunei. We've heard unpleasant things about them, that they are more than human, and that they kill in ways most brutal and frightening. We've been looking for a way to rescue Secretary Clairgeeta without confronting them. In order for our plan to succeed, we need the caravan to stay in town one extra day. That's why we need your show."
