Having gotten the few clues the mayor could supply them with, they escorted
an imprisoned Druid out of town, and, having made sure whoever looked like
they might pursue him thought better of it, bought themselves a good nights
sleep in the nearby pub, only to spend the following day perusing the city
sights, separately or in groups...
Negrath, having no real interest in cities, found himself pondering Viconia's "confession" of a few days past;
Having been violently mistreated at the hands of a farmer and his sons, she had taken a revenge worthy of...well, worthy of his father.
He could not stop thinking that the one to tame that snowstorm ought to know what he was doing, to the exclusion of whatever else he might have learned up to that point.
He began wondering if it would be worth it to see if he could manage her...at least it might calm the group down a little...
In the back of his mind, a well-known and thoroughly hated voice suggested that if she dumped him(which he considered more than likely, if ever they got close enough to give her the chance) the two others might not be as interested in a closer relationship...Aerie might even leave the group altogether.
Hearing a knock on his door, he barely had time to turn his head toward it, before the wooden barricade swung aside, and Viconia entered, closing the door behind her with a casual gesture, before seating herself in the rooms only piece of furniture aside from the bed he had thrown himself onto; the chair beside it.
Leaning back on it, as though relaxing, she seemed to consider the resulting increase in distance a small, but definite plus.
At his quizzical look, she replied;
-"I've been down by the tents at the outskirts of this big heap of rock. You know what I found?"
-"No, what?"
-"A small group of d'jinni that apparently has monopolized the town trade. what do you think of that?"
-"That I do not know why you would want to tell me of this?"
-"Just a reminder from my more shady existence...a thief can't steal if the merchants keep tabs on every item they got, now can she?"
-"Guess not...but then again, other skills any true thief has, is to elude followers and to distract guards, is it not?
Besides, you have no need of stealing when you are with us?"
-"Call it a service for those I used to belong to then."
-"Ah, you want me to make sure the thieves of this town has stuff to steal?"
-"Negrath, the "thieves" of this "town" is pretty much restricted to stealing things they can make a personal use of. By Shar, the townsfolk know them by name!"
-"I take it they do not steal by pretending to buy, then?" he smiled.
-"No, they do not." She answered, disregarding the humor of his comment.
-"And they are helped by these city-dwellers, but it's never enough…I should know."
-"I guess you should. I've been thinking of this man you talked about..."
-"Want to hear of another?" she suddenly smiled, giving him the feeling of being a mouse to her cat.
-"Not really. I was just wondering...do you think there's any chance of you cooling of a little in your dealings with Aerie?
She is loud enough without having to complain about your version of care."
-"Complained, has she?" the Drow replied innocently.
-"Aplenty. But I consider that a mere test, compared to what I'll hear from you."
A sudden flare of anger, before her trademark ignorance was back;
-"What are you saying, Negrath? You expect your slave to complain about the way you whip her?"
-"I've never whipped you, and you know it. No, I expect you to drown me in sugar."
-"If I could expect to get out of the city alive, I'd gladly do so."
-"I meant verbally."
-"Oh."
He could have sworn he saw disappointment in her face...or was that just another act?
Oh, that woman made his head hurt on so many levels...
-"Are we going to do something about it then?" she prodded a moment later.
-"Where would this little assignment take us? I assume you will not suggest wiping those smokefolk out?"
-"I'm Drow, not a brainrot-victim! No, it will take us, as I understand it, to pretty much the same area as the fat guy told us to visit. That Druid place...or at least somewhere thereabouts. Aerie could probably tell exactly, with that farsight of hers...foreseen that the brat can do a thing correctly.
Oh, I forgot..."she continued, as he was about to reply;
-"Of course she'll manage. Love manages, is that not the saying?"
-"What are you insinuating, woman?" Negrath objected, sitting up to sit at the edge of his bed, looking at the Drow with an expression of confusion and annoyance at her constant mindgames.
-"You mean you haven't noticed?" came a voice from the door.
Turning towards it, he saw Jaheira closing it behind her, before taking her place opposite Viconia.
The fact that the Druid had to stand, had Viconia grimace, as it forced her to stand as well, to maintain her image of not being weaker than the magic- wielding Harper.
Jaheira looked squarely at Viconia for a moment, recognizing her move for what it was, before turning back to Negrath with a curious expression.
-"You mean to tell me that you have not noticed how she behaves around you?"
-"Not much different from when around anyone else..."
-"You have not had a moment alone with her then?"
-"Why should I want to?"
-"It seems he's more ignorant than we thought possible, Viconia" Jaheira commented, looking across the bed at the Drow.
-"More ignorant than -you- thought possible, Harper, though I'm running out of male Drow, to put below him, as well."
-"Perfect!" Negrath exclaimed, annoyance in his voice;
-"The one time you agree about something, it's my low intelligence!"
-"Well, what else shall two who compete for you agree on?"
-"The reasons why their competing?!?"
-"He has a point, Drow."
-"But do you really want to praise him in his presence?"
-"Not in yours, that's for sure."
-"Deflected."
-"Huh?" Were Negrath's reply, fitting the females "official" assessment of his intelligence.
-"Right back at me." Jaheira explained.
-"Oh."
-"I suggest we resume this battle where the prize won't be distracted by it." Viconia commented, as though the Kensai on the bed were no more than an intelligent dog...which he probably wasn't, to her.
-"Agreed." the Druid nodded, stepping over to the door, and opening it.
-"After you?"
-"No. Negrath first, then, when neither of us has anything here to do, then it won't matter who leaves first.
And you are not to go back in here until we're both out of the building."
-"???"
-"I must say, Drow, that must be taken straight from your own experience from the Underdark, so thorough and devoid of unclear points it is."
-"No, it is from my training. I simply considered how I could have you leave with myself staying behind, and then found ways of stopping it. Of course you cannot come up with any way to cheat yourself back here?"
-"Not without doing so openly, no. But then this is not all that complicated a thing to avoid, here..."
-"Excuse me, ladies..."Negrath began, unable to help feeling intimidated as the two women turned annoyed eyes at him.
-"Wasn't the agreement that you should -not- fight over me here?"
-"I don't know about his intelligence, but the boy has memory." commented Viconia, before Negrath continued, internal protests ignored;
-"Mind you, I wouldn't hate seeing the two of you go at it..."
Viconia looked at him as though he had transformed into what she had earlier "admitted" to comparing him to.
Jaheira looked oddly at him, turning towards the door, but stopping as she remembered that the Drow had not moved.
Then they both simply looked at him...something that were somehow more frightening than their earlier annoyance.
His mind eventually figured out that they both evidently took their little arrangement seriously, and was waiting for him to remove their reason for staying in the room.
Getting to his feet, he shook his head in resignation, but wisely held his tongue, as he walked out the door, waiting in the hallway for them to leave.
Standing at the other side of the door, they appeared to judge the distance from the door to where he stood.
Casting a suspicious glance at each other, they seemed to judge it safe, and Jaheira graciously left the room.
Walking a step or two towards the stairs, she turned to make sure Viconia followed.
She didn't.
-"Drow, where are you going?!?" she spat, calm momentarily broken.
-"To my room, of course. You think I care how long this creature is without a bed?"
To Negrath;
-"You should be used to sleeping on the floor by now."
Sharing a look of mutual amusement, the two women left him where he stood, Jaheira shaking her head and laughing to herself as she descended.
Negrath, having no real interest in cities, found himself pondering Viconia's "confession" of a few days past;
Having been violently mistreated at the hands of a farmer and his sons, she had taken a revenge worthy of...well, worthy of his father.
He could not stop thinking that the one to tame that snowstorm ought to know what he was doing, to the exclusion of whatever else he might have learned up to that point.
He began wondering if it would be worth it to see if he could manage her...at least it might calm the group down a little...
In the back of his mind, a well-known and thoroughly hated voice suggested that if she dumped him(which he considered more than likely, if ever they got close enough to give her the chance) the two others might not be as interested in a closer relationship...Aerie might even leave the group altogether.
Hearing a knock on his door, he barely had time to turn his head toward it, before the wooden barricade swung aside, and Viconia entered, closing the door behind her with a casual gesture, before seating herself in the rooms only piece of furniture aside from the bed he had thrown himself onto; the chair beside it.
Leaning back on it, as though relaxing, she seemed to consider the resulting increase in distance a small, but definite plus.
At his quizzical look, she replied;
-"I've been down by the tents at the outskirts of this big heap of rock. You know what I found?"
-"No, what?"
-"A small group of d'jinni that apparently has monopolized the town trade. what do you think of that?"
-"That I do not know why you would want to tell me of this?"
-"Just a reminder from my more shady existence...a thief can't steal if the merchants keep tabs on every item they got, now can she?"
-"Guess not...but then again, other skills any true thief has, is to elude followers and to distract guards, is it not?
Besides, you have no need of stealing when you are with us?"
-"Call it a service for those I used to belong to then."
-"Ah, you want me to make sure the thieves of this town has stuff to steal?"
-"Negrath, the "thieves" of this "town" is pretty much restricted to stealing things they can make a personal use of. By Shar, the townsfolk know them by name!"
-"I take it they do not steal by pretending to buy, then?" he smiled.
-"No, they do not." She answered, disregarding the humor of his comment.
-"And they are helped by these city-dwellers, but it's never enough…I should know."
-"I guess you should. I've been thinking of this man you talked about..."
-"Want to hear of another?" she suddenly smiled, giving him the feeling of being a mouse to her cat.
-"Not really. I was just wondering...do you think there's any chance of you cooling of a little in your dealings with Aerie?
She is loud enough without having to complain about your version of care."
-"Complained, has she?" the Drow replied innocently.
-"Aplenty. But I consider that a mere test, compared to what I'll hear from you."
A sudden flare of anger, before her trademark ignorance was back;
-"What are you saying, Negrath? You expect your slave to complain about the way you whip her?"
-"I've never whipped you, and you know it. No, I expect you to drown me in sugar."
-"If I could expect to get out of the city alive, I'd gladly do so."
-"I meant verbally."
-"Oh."
He could have sworn he saw disappointment in her face...or was that just another act?
Oh, that woman made his head hurt on so many levels...
-"Are we going to do something about it then?" she prodded a moment later.
-"Where would this little assignment take us? I assume you will not suggest wiping those smokefolk out?"
-"I'm Drow, not a brainrot-victim! No, it will take us, as I understand it, to pretty much the same area as the fat guy told us to visit. That Druid place...or at least somewhere thereabouts. Aerie could probably tell exactly, with that farsight of hers...foreseen that the brat can do a thing correctly.
Oh, I forgot..."she continued, as he was about to reply;
-"Of course she'll manage. Love manages, is that not the saying?"
-"What are you insinuating, woman?" Negrath objected, sitting up to sit at the edge of his bed, looking at the Drow with an expression of confusion and annoyance at her constant mindgames.
-"You mean you haven't noticed?" came a voice from the door.
Turning towards it, he saw Jaheira closing it behind her, before taking her place opposite Viconia.
The fact that the Druid had to stand, had Viconia grimace, as it forced her to stand as well, to maintain her image of not being weaker than the magic- wielding Harper.
Jaheira looked squarely at Viconia for a moment, recognizing her move for what it was, before turning back to Negrath with a curious expression.
-"You mean to tell me that you have not noticed how she behaves around you?"
-"Not much different from when around anyone else..."
-"You have not had a moment alone with her then?"
-"Why should I want to?"
-"It seems he's more ignorant than we thought possible, Viconia" Jaheira commented, looking across the bed at the Drow.
-"More ignorant than -you- thought possible, Harper, though I'm running out of male Drow, to put below him, as well."
-"Perfect!" Negrath exclaimed, annoyance in his voice;
-"The one time you agree about something, it's my low intelligence!"
-"Well, what else shall two who compete for you agree on?"
-"The reasons why their competing?!?"
-"He has a point, Drow."
-"But do you really want to praise him in his presence?"
-"Not in yours, that's for sure."
-"Deflected."
-"Huh?" Were Negrath's reply, fitting the females "official" assessment of his intelligence.
-"Right back at me." Jaheira explained.
-"Oh."
-"I suggest we resume this battle where the prize won't be distracted by it." Viconia commented, as though the Kensai on the bed were no more than an intelligent dog...which he probably wasn't, to her.
-"Agreed." the Druid nodded, stepping over to the door, and opening it.
-"After you?"
-"No. Negrath first, then, when neither of us has anything here to do, then it won't matter who leaves first.
And you are not to go back in here until we're both out of the building."
-"???"
-"I must say, Drow, that must be taken straight from your own experience from the Underdark, so thorough and devoid of unclear points it is."
-"No, it is from my training. I simply considered how I could have you leave with myself staying behind, and then found ways of stopping it. Of course you cannot come up with any way to cheat yourself back here?"
-"Not without doing so openly, no. But then this is not all that complicated a thing to avoid, here..."
-"Excuse me, ladies..."Negrath began, unable to help feeling intimidated as the two women turned annoyed eyes at him.
-"Wasn't the agreement that you should -not- fight over me here?"
-"I don't know about his intelligence, but the boy has memory." commented Viconia, before Negrath continued, internal protests ignored;
-"Mind you, I wouldn't hate seeing the two of you go at it..."
Viconia looked at him as though he had transformed into what she had earlier "admitted" to comparing him to.
Jaheira looked oddly at him, turning towards the door, but stopping as she remembered that the Drow had not moved.
Then they both simply looked at him...something that were somehow more frightening than their earlier annoyance.
His mind eventually figured out that they both evidently took their little arrangement seriously, and was waiting for him to remove their reason for staying in the room.
Getting to his feet, he shook his head in resignation, but wisely held his tongue, as he walked out the door, waiting in the hallway for them to leave.
Standing at the other side of the door, they appeared to judge the distance from the door to where he stood.
Casting a suspicious glance at each other, they seemed to judge it safe, and Jaheira graciously left the room.
Walking a step or two towards the stairs, she turned to make sure Viconia followed.
She didn't.
-"Drow, where are you going?!?" she spat, calm momentarily broken.
-"To my room, of course. You think I care how long this creature is without a bed?"
To Negrath;
-"You should be used to sleeping on the floor by now."
Sharing a look of mutual amusement, the two women left him where he stood, Jaheira shaking her head and laughing to herself as she descended.
