"The Truth Comes Out"
"Emma," Larac greeted her. "Ye've come back to the world of the living!"
"Yeah." she grumbled, shaking her cloak free of snow. "You know, I'm surprised that you don't jump on me for leaving like that so often."
He smiled, weathered face creasing. "How am I supposed to know that you won't to burn down my inn, like some mages have tried to do? And you've the best hand at hauling out drunks than any I've ever seen."
Emma shook her head, grinning. She'd seen Larac toss a few of his own.
"Marek wants to see you." he said unexpectedly.
Emma swung around. "What in the name of Chaos would the Rogue want with me?"
The old innkeeper shrugged. "Dunno. I think that it's summat about yon woman as killed your sister."
~`~`~`~`~
Emma got up, her chair scraping back. "Thank you." she said raggedly. Marek nodded thoughtfully.
Emma went over to the bar. "Larac?"
"Yes?"
"Do you remember, the barfight during Midwinter?"
"Yes."
"The one that you nearly broke your leg breaking up?"
"Yes."
"The one when I swore never to touch alcohol?"
"Yes."
"I lied. Gimme."
Larac paused, one eyebrow upraised. "Do you think this is wise?"
"Of course it isn't."
"Well..." Larac held the cup back.
Emma looked at him in deadly earnest. "Emily was killed by one of the Rogue."
Larac handed over the cup without a word.
~`~`~`~`~
Emma was a little worse for the wear, to put it mildly, when Dirk jumped onto the table. Emma grinned.
"Hello, kitty." she said, and fell over.
The ground was hard, but Emma laughed.
A pair of boots came into her limited range of vision. "Hello boots." She looked up and felt cold. "Hello, Amice."
The redhead picked her up. "You're drunk."
"No shit, Amice. However did you guess?"
A young brunette, only about twelve, came in and supported her arm. "Well, Amice. Corrupting the pages already?"
The girl sighed. "Shut up. My name is Kaisha of Leymar, and I'm hardly being corrupted."
Emma smiled. She felt a little dizzy.
A slender white arm crossed her vision to take the cup. "Tsk, tsk." Laylia said, handing it over to Larac.
Emma made a face as if she had smelled something foul. "Well, if it isn't Laylia of Kirgiz Step, the royal squire, come to save us all from getting dirt anywhere near our damask white gloves."
Laylia held her head high but looked away.
Amice and Kaisha began dragging her up the stairs, but Emma didn't stop. "You pretty little bitch. You come here with the common people, but you are just too good for us. You know what? You are a delicate porcelain doll who thinks only of herself. Because if you didn't, I could have been happy. I could have been happy, and Emily would be alive, and that pretty-boy nephew of Amice's wouldn't be following you around like a lovesick dog."
Layla's face twisted in something akin to hate. She looked about to slap Emma, but suddenly turned on her heel and swept out of the room.
~`~`~`~`~
The next morning Emma woke up to a pounding headache and Amice reading in a chair next to her bed. She tried to raise herself on one elbow and groaned.
The redhead put down her book. "Sit." Amice went to the hearth and poured a cup of liquid out of the kettle that was bubbling there. She handed it to Emma. "Drink. It's ma's hangover cure." she said in response to Emma's questioning look.
The brew was bitter; Emma had to force it down. "Ick. What's in this stuff?"
Amice sat back down. "Never mind. Rest right now."
Emma was about to settle back down when she noticed the morning sunlight on the wall. "Amice, what time is it? you'll catch it if you're late!"
"Sunsday."
"Oh."
A knock at the door sounded through the delicious haze in Emma's mind. "I'll get it." she sighed, pushing blankets away.
It was Laylia. Her skin was crimson and her eyes flashed. Her hand came back, hurtled towards Emma's face, and connected with a crack. "Payment for last night." she turned down the hall.
"Wait!" Emma cried, running out into the hallway. "What did I do? What did I say?"
Laylia spun around, holding up a certain finger.
Hurt, and for no reason that she could think of, Emma went back into her room. "What was it?"
"You don't remember?"
"No."
Amice's eyes pleaded over the top of her book. "Don't ask. Just don't ask."
"Emma," Larac greeted her. "Ye've come back to the world of the living!"
"Yeah." she grumbled, shaking her cloak free of snow. "You know, I'm surprised that you don't jump on me for leaving like that so often."
He smiled, weathered face creasing. "How am I supposed to know that you won't to burn down my inn, like some mages have tried to do? And you've the best hand at hauling out drunks than any I've ever seen."
Emma shook her head, grinning. She'd seen Larac toss a few of his own.
"Marek wants to see you." he said unexpectedly.
Emma swung around. "What in the name of Chaos would the Rogue want with me?"
The old innkeeper shrugged. "Dunno. I think that it's summat about yon woman as killed your sister."
~`~`~`~`~
Emma got up, her chair scraping back. "Thank you." she said raggedly. Marek nodded thoughtfully.
Emma went over to the bar. "Larac?"
"Yes?"
"Do you remember, the barfight during Midwinter?"
"Yes."
"The one that you nearly broke your leg breaking up?"
"Yes."
"The one when I swore never to touch alcohol?"
"Yes."
"I lied. Gimme."
Larac paused, one eyebrow upraised. "Do you think this is wise?"
"Of course it isn't."
"Well..." Larac held the cup back.
Emma looked at him in deadly earnest. "Emily was killed by one of the Rogue."
Larac handed over the cup without a word.
~`~`~`~`~
Emma was a little worse for the wear, to put it mildly, when Dirk jumped onto the table. Emma grinned.
"Hello, kitty." she said, and fell over.
The ground was hard, but Emma laughed.
A pair of boots came into her limited range of vision. "Hello boots." She looked up and felt cold. "Hello, Amice."
The redhead picked her up. "You're drunk."
"No shit, Amice. However did you guess?"
A young brunette, only about twelve, came in and supported her arm. "Well, Amice. Corrupting the pages already?"
The girl sighed. "Shut up. My name is Kaisha of Leymar, and I'm hardly being corrupted."
Emma smiled. She felt a little dizzy.
A slender white arm crossed her vision to take the cup. "Tsk, tsk." Laylia said, handing it over to Larac.
Emma made a face as if she had smelled something foul. "Well, if it isn't Laylia of Kirgiz Step, the royal squire, come to save us all from getting dirt anywhere near our damask white gloves."
Laylia held her head high but looked away.
Amice and Kaisha began dragging her up the stairs, but Emma didn't stop. "You pretty little bitch. You come here with the common people, but you are just too good for us. You know what? You are a delicate porcelain doll who thinks only of herself. Because if you didn't, I could have been happy. I could have been happy, and Emily would be alive, and that pretty-boy nephew of Amice's wouldn't be following you around like a lovesick dog."
Layla's face twisted in something akin to hate. She looked about to slap Emma, but suddenly turned on her heel and swept out of the room.
~`~`~`~`~
The next morning Emma woke up to a pounding headache and Amice reading in a chair next to her bed. She tried to raise herself on one elbow and groaned.
The redhead put down her book. "Sit." Amice went to the hearth and poured a cup of liquid out of the kettle that was bubbling there. She handed it to Emma. "Drink. It's ma's hangover cure." she said in response to Emma's questioning look.
The brew was bitter; Emma had to force it down. "Ick. What's in this stuff?"
Amice sat back down. "Never mind. Rest right now."
Emma was about to settle back down when she noticed the morning sunlight on the wall. "Amice, what time is it? you'll catch it if you're late!"
"Sunsday."
"Oh."
A knock at the door sounded through the delicious haze in Emma's mind. "I'll get it." she sighed, pushing blankets away.
It was Laylia. Her skin was crimson and her eyes flashed. Her hand came back, hurtled towards Emma's face, and connected with a crack. "Payment for last night." she turned down the hall.
"Wait!" Emma cried, running out into the hallway. "What did I do? What did I say?"
Laylia spun around, holding up a certain finger.
Hurt, and for no reason that she could think of, Emma went back into her room. "What was it?"
"You don't remember?"
"No."
Amice's eyes pleaded over the top of her book. "Don't ask. Just don't ask."