Volume 2, Part V: Local Culture
Torio's sleep was, this time, mercifully dreamless. When she next opened her eyes, early morning daylight streamed through the carriage windows, flickering as the carriage bounced and rattled on the road.
Sand was still sleeping, his head lolled back against the seat, mouth slightly open. She sat up gently, running a hand through her hair; the blonde mass was a mess, and she winced slightly as her fingers caught in the snarls. She watched her sleeping traveling companion for a moment...she could feel his unconscious mind humming slightly at the back of hers, a dull thrumming that resonated slightly with his breathing. He looked decidedly inelegant with his head rolling slightly against the wall of the carriage, and yet her mouth quirked in a wry, almost affectionate smile. Uncouth and uncivilized...
She felt a shift, and then the carriage seemed to be slowing down. The driver called out, "Port Llast! We're switching here!" And then the carriage began turning, navigating the narrow street they were on. She bent forward and kissed Sand lightly. "We're switching," she whispered.
Sand made an unhappy noise at being woken up. In Port Llast, no less. "Port Llast? Watch where you step, my dear, you might get some of the local culture on your boots."
He sat up. He was incredibly sore. His shoulder was still throbbing from where Gend had smacked him with the staff. He pulled back his shirt and looked; there was an angry purple bruise mottling the skin. Sand stretched as best he could in the cramped space, before trying to flatten his unruly human hair. "How's my hair?" He grinned at her and then rubbed the sleep from his eyes. He was thirsty and hungry.
Torio's pulse quickened as Sand's grin; his movements were still half-slowed with sleep, and his mouth curled lazily in a way that urged her to very quickly block her thoughts. "It's a mess," she said, chuckling lightly. "Welcome to the inelegance of being human." She didn't ask about hers; she had continued to keep her hair short over the years for a reason.
The carriage stopped by the stables and the driver opened the door for them. Sand stepped out gratefully, nodding to the middle aged man. "Will we have time to wander the city? Or are we to travel on immediately?"
The man replied, "My lord, you have two hours before we will be ready to move on. Port Llast should be safe enough for you and your lady. Guardsmen are posted at several locations but I can have an escort follow you if you wish?"
Sand shook his head. "No I believe we'll be fine. Nagendra, love? Shall we explore the illustrious Port Llast?"
She stepped down after Sand as they exited the carriage, wincing at the protests her body made at straightening fully. "I think we'll have to, Tanith, else my spine shall freeze in position." She smoothed her hands over her dress, frowning at the wrinkles, before throwing her hands up in mock despair. "After you, my love. And by all means, I shall do my best to avoid the local 'culture.'"
Sand took her hand in his and led her through the streets. The people of the town were already at their various stalls and shops, the streets full of simple countryfolk, farmers, peasants who scurried deferentially out of the way of the lord and his lady. Sand found himself remembering the last time he came through here: a mad dash through to look for witnesses, evidence - he glanced at the stall where Nya had her shop. Beyond that, he could just make out the tent where the two gnomes were camping. He never thought he'd find gnomes that made Grobnar look like Corellon Larethian.
They were passing a bakery and Sand could smell the fresh bread. "Come, wife, let us break our fast here!" He entered the shop and was immediately surrounded by the scent of pastries, cakes and loaves of bread. "Pick out anything you want, dear Nagendra."
Torio had to laugh; Sand had a flair for the dramatic whether he willed it or no, and she bent over the counter, squinting at the food.
She listened to Sand's thoughts in the background as her eyes flicked over various items; ...a mad rush, scrambling for evidence; gnomes who spoke in riddles, crazy gnomes in the forest, what was it with gnomes? Haeremos' furious expression, Elgun's wild tales, by the gods was everyone on the Sword Coast going crazy? Nya's face, pained, describing the carnage at Ember and the use of wyrmsage...
...the faces of the dead staring up at them as Meaghan walked by, dropping the herbs over their corpses...
She withdrew abruptly from his thoughts, her face drawn in a taught line. "There," She pointed to a small, rather sticky looking swirled bun. How long had it been since a decent sticky bun for breakfast? The cook back at the keep still had it in for her. She attempted to cover her momentary lapse by leaning against the counter and looking up at Sand over her shoulder, batting her eyelashes and feeling completely ridiculous. Act the part, after all. "If it's not too much trouble, dear husband?"
Sand smiled at her, "For you, my love, nothing is ever too much trouble." He looked up at the young girl at the counter. "Two of those, please." He slid two gold pieces on the counter towards her and then took the carefully wrapped packages, handing one to Torio and keeping the other for himself. They exited the bakery. "Well, dear, quite the sweet tooth." Sand was realizing that being human mean a diminished sense of smell and with that, went the refined sense of taste.
The end of the small village was approaching as they meandered slowly forward. He nodded his head to the right. "The tavern is there; perhaps we could have some tea?" He looked around and then whispered with a mock politeness, "I don't think there's much else here."
Torio couldn't help opening her bag and taking a discreet inhale of the wafting aroma coming from her bag. Her eyes rolled heavenward in appreciation. "A sweet tooth? Not normally, my dear, but one makes exceptions for certain things." She gazed around the small, squat town when Sand mentioned the tavern, and glanced down at the dirt road beneath her feet. "And you are not exaggerating, are you?" She flipped her hair over her shoulder haughtily, and slipped her arm through his. "To the tavern it is."
They walked down the street and through the door, the dim, warm light of the common room to the Alliance Arms Inn a sharp contrast to the bright morning air outside. A man stepped forward, smiling warmly. "Welcome, welcome! Come in, have a seat anywhere you like."
Sand nodded. "Thank you." The tavern was mostly empty. A few scattered people were sitting at a few scattered table, eating breakfast. He glanced around and then led them to a table by the window, not far from the door. Just in case. My my Sand, you're getting paranoid, like our dear old ranger...
A woman approached them. "Morning milord and lady! What can I get for you?"
Sand said simply, "A pot of tea, if you please. We have some bread already but any thing else that would be appropriate for the morning would be appreciated."
She nodded cheerily, left, and returned a short moment later with a ceramic pot of tea and two chipped mugs. A younger girl, no more than 10 years old, followed behind her carrying a platter of cured meats, cheeses and fruits. The older woman said, "If you need anything further, just yell for Lucy, and she'll serve you right quick. She's a good girl." Lucy, the child, gave a small curtsy before running back into the kitchen.
Torio arched a brow in Sand's direction once the girl disappeared. "A good girl," she repeated. "I'm being waited on by a creature who hasn't grown in all of her teeth yet." She shook her head in mock resignation; fallen far, haven't you, girl?
She pulled the bun from its packet and placed it in front of her; her eyes darted to Sand's face as she reached for the teapot, and...giving him a sardonic look, poured his cup of tea for him before turning the pot to her own cup.You're quite enjoying yourself, aren't you?Who wouldn't after being stuck in a carriage all night?
Sand bit back a laugh as he reached for his tea. "Thank you, wife." He glanced at the kitchen door before replying. "Yes and I have to wonder how long it is before she starts losing them anyway." He gave her an amused smile as he watched the dainty way she handled the sweet bun. He pulled his own from the wrapping and took a bite. It was still warm; the icing sugar melted. "An excellent choice, Nagendra."
He looked out the window, the sun streaming on his face before turning back to her. Sand gave her another smile, feeling strangely happy; had they ever had the opportunity to have breakfast together like this? He picked up a piece of sliced apple, "After we've eaten, is there anything else you need while there's still time?
Torio held up a finger briefly, commandingly...she lifted the bun to her lips and took a delicate bite. Oh gods...She swallowed, licking sugar from her top lip, and glanced at Sand in amusement "Worth risking my life for, I suppose," she whispered, and chuckled, taking a sip of her tea.
She chewed her lip thoughtfully. "There's not much to these little coast towns, is there?" She fingered her somewhat disorderly mane of hair for a moment, her mouth twisting wryly. "I have no idea what Gend and his men packed for us; but I could do with a few essentials." She glanced archly at Sand, noting the way his hair still stuck up in multiple directions. "And so, dear Tanith, could you."
Sand laughed out loud at the sheer enjoyment she was deriving from the sticky bun. "Would you like a moment, dear girl, to be alone with that pastry? You appear to be getting rather intimate with it." Coyly, he flashed her an image of him licking melted icing sugar off her bare skin... He took another bite of his own sweet bun, smiling innocently. "Very well, Nagendra. You lead the way when we finish here and we'll purchase whatever supplies you believe we require."
Her fingers twitched against the tablecloth, eyes narrowing as the image he was sending her flashed through her mind. So that's your idea of eating a proper breakfast, is it Sand? She thought to him. Feeling decidedly lewd, she ran a finger around the frosted edge of the bun and absently, deliberately, slid her finger into her mouth, licking the frosting off.
She caught his eye, her long-lashed gaze hooded, and then matter of factly began eating, polishing off the bun in record time and drinking a final cup of tea. She picked through a few items on the tray before wiping her mouth, looking at him innocently. "Ready to leave?"
Sand exhaled slightly as he watched her sumptuous mouth lick the icing off her fingers. He felt his face starting to flush and he busied himself with drinking a cup of tea before his state became too obvious to the other patrons of the tavern. We do have another 4 or so days in the carriage, dear girl...
He finished eating and dropped a few gold coins on the table. "Yes. Ready to leave." He stood and pulled out her chair, helping her stand. He nodded politely to the Innkeeper and then exited back out onto the streets. "Where to now, wife?"
Torio primly took Sand's hand and led him out of the tavern; she paused for a moment to catch their bearings, then tugged at him, leading to some of the stalls arranged down the street. She managed to finagle for a few sundries, asking with deceptive sweetness for coins from her ''husband" when the time came for payment. After a few passes down the street, she nodded at her parcels approvingly. "Now we can at least pass through the gates of...our destination looking less like roaming gypsies and more like a respectable couple." She slid her hand through Sand's arm triumphantly. "Should we head back?"
"Yes I think we are due back quite soon. We best not be late otherwise we'll have to run the entire lengthy block and a half it would take us to get to the carriage." His tone was utterly sarcastic; he was afterall, a big city elf. The sun was shining now above their heads, making this walk seem for all the world, like a casual stroll through a small town but Sand knew that every step forward took them inexorably closer to Luskan. He tightened his grip on her hand.
They arrived back at the carriage, a new driver and horses waiting them. This time there was also a soldier waiting on the carriage. Sand stopped the driver. "What's the plan for the rest of the trip?"
"My lord." The driver gave a small bow. "We ride out until the border between Luskan and Neverwinter. There we switch again and the final carriage will take you the rest of the way."
Sand nodded and waited for the driver to open the door to the carriage for them to climb inside. He helped Torio in and then followed her, sitting besides her again and wondering briefly if they would be traveling anywhere near Ember and if the girl would remember it.
The carriage gave a small lurch and then they were on the road again.
Torio sighed to herself as the carriage started up again, the rattling, jarring ride beginning once again. She glanced at Sand, and smirked. "Let's see if I can make you look like less of some unwholesome roadside bandit."
She turned towards him, reaching into the bag she had acquired, and pulled out a comb, pulling his head down towards her. "Tangles," she tsked tartly. "Do elves even get tangles, Bodaes?" So saying, she began running the comb through his short hair with crisp, tugging strokes, her fingers holding his head still. She spoke quietly as she worked. "You should already know Jalboun is still active in Luskan, as Sydney's bodyguard. Inther Blackfeather is someone we'll have to watch out for, as well; he's rather well known as a trader, especially when it comes to merchandise of the human variety." She bent over a particularly stubborn knot, discreetly brushing her lips over Sand's forehead as she did so. "More than likely we'll only see his face if we end up failing our mission horribly, and are shown no ounce of leniency; slavery is usually much worse than death in Luskan."
Sand scowled as Torio began combing his hair like he was some child but he let tug at the mess of black on top of his head. Maybe she was worried or nervous or anxious but he was certain she didn't need to pull quite that hard. "Ow. Dear girl, really...ow..." He protested feebly. "Unless Sydney Natale is involved in this somehow I suspect we won't see Jalboun. If she's a wise woman, she'll keep that beast of a bodyguard close by. Ow!" Sand shut his eyes against the onslaught of good grooming. "I don't plan on being a slave; we have Gend's suicide pills if things get utterly desperate." His stomach gave a lurch and he knew it wasn't due to the bumpy ride. "I'll take my chances in the afterlife rather than in Luskan slavery. Ow." He disentangled himself from her fussing. "Dear girl, was that really necessary? We have another 3 days on the road!"
Torio snorted with wry laughter, holding her hands up defensively as she scooted away from him. "Merely getting into character; good human wives don't let their husbands go around looking like vagabonds." She was secretly somewhat pleased at Sand's mild discomfort; he always seemed so cool, unperturbed, all liquid grace and poise, and now he was sleeping awkwardly on carriage benches with a head full of tangles. She gave him a sly look before turning the comb on her own hair, wincing as she pulled out the worst of it. "You're right about Jalboun, of course...and although it might be too risky to consider recruitment when we're supposed to be upholding our personas, we shouldn't completely ignore opportunity if it presents itself." She dropped the comb and sighed, leaning back against the bench. "Kind of Neverwinter to give us two methods of escape; enchanted rings and deadly poison." She chuckled sardonically.
"If the opportunity presents itself, dear girl, then we shall take it. But I certainly won't go seeking it." Sand leaned back as well, staring at the opposite wall. "Well - I suspect I would be of use to them so the danger isn't as great for me. I am a mage of no small skill - the Hosttower would be foolish to give one of their own up like that. And if you could convince them that you serve Neverwinter only under threat of death - which is true, my dear - then perhaps they would seek to twist your anger and hate into a willingness to serve for revenge?"
His brow furrowed. "The matter of the oaths to Nasher, is of course, worrying but there are always ways to get around them. I'm certain the Arcane Brotherhood will have ways of circumventing those if it suits their purpose."
Sand reached out and took her hand. "If I can admit something frankly, dear girl, I think this mission of Nasher and Gend frightens me more than the King of Shadows. With the Guardian - we have friends, comrades, the public support of Neverwinter, armies at our back. With this - we have very little - except each other and our wits, of course. If we fail or are caught, we even lose our names and reputations. Not comforting thoughts and not much incentive to return to Neverwinter." His bitter tone surprised even him. He sighed, then laughed. "Listen to me. I'm confiding in you the way a husband would a wife!"
Torio's thumb traced across the back of his knuckles as Sand spoke, watching his face. The thought of Sand being frightened bemused her; she remembered standing across from him in the courtroom, their words bouncing back and forth with Oleff exasperatedly trying to get a sentence in edgewise. She had hated him; hated his smooth tongue and smug tone, hated the fact that he had helped those two young upstarts undermine all of her work. She had never considered him anything more than an enemy, a thorn in her side at best, a sniveling, two-faced, fleeing dog at worst. The news of him being frightened would have brought her unbridled delight, in the past.
Now, as he spoke, she realized he had turned from despised opponent who not a single thought should be wasted on, to someone she...trusted? Well, she supposed that was fair to say. He was one of the only people in that godsforsaken keep she did trust, not to mention one of the only ones she could talk to without some of her caustic wit going completely over their heads. She had gone from hating him, to suddenly knowing what made him laugh, what irritated him, what pleased him. What frightened him. Amazing what a lust-driven tryst on a library table will do.
"I suppose you have more to lose than I do," she said absently, examining his face. "At this point all I seem to really have left worth losing is my life." And you. She ran her free hand through her hair, giving him a wry glance. "Whereas you have that expansive shop in the Docks and your illustrious reputation as the resident wizard and alchemist of the great Crossroads Keep." She squeezed his hand, turning her head to look out the carriage window briefly and fighting a sudden urge to say something foolish. Don't be frightened? I've killed for you before, and I'd do it again in a heartbeat?
She smirked, glancing at him. "Getting into character, are we, husband? I suppose it's comforting to know I placed highest on your scale of conversational partners." She chuckled. "Most husbands might prefer to confide in the horses."
Her touch on his hand was comforting in a way that was utterly new to Sand. It wasn't sexual or friendly...It was actually caring. Well - since he was apparently in a confiding mood...He cleared his throat. "The sealed parchment I gave Gend...would you like to know what's on it?"
She looked back at him, her eyebrows lifting curiously. There was a much different tone to his voice than before. "I suppose I would," she said lightly. "I thought they were last minute instructions to Aldanon on what books not to touch. Ever." She watched him expectantly, her heart pounding for some unexplainable reason
He scooted over closer to her. "That was my last will and testament, dear girl. Should I not make it back and you do survive? I've left you everything. The shop, my equipment, items, all my gold. If Nasher ever decides to release you from 'service', it would give you a place to live, perhaps make a bit of a livelihood. You could even sell the property, take the gold and leave Neverwinter - it's entirely up to you. If we both don't survive, it goes to Duncan. So try to make it back alive, dear girl, so everything I have worked for doesn't end up in the hands of that barkeep for him to squander away on ale and women. You have something to live for." Sand pressed his mouth to hers. Pulling back slightly, he stroked her face gently. "And don't get it in your head to try to kill me while we're out there for this gain - your vows to me will probably prevent you from doing it."
His will...? She watched him fixedly as he spoke; he slid close to her on the bench, kissed her, ran his fingers across her cheek. He'd left her everything.
Her chest was coiled so tightly she was finding it difficult to breathe; every heartbeat thudded painfully against her ribs. Trembling fingers were touching Sand's face...her fingers? There was a loud ringing in her ears, drowning out all other sound besides his voice.
Say something. "You...I..." Why would he do this? She swallowed past the growing knot in her throat, inhaled deeply, and steadied her voice. "Thank you." Not nearly enough to encompass what she wanted to say, but it would have to suffice. "Thank you," she said again, her voice slightly stronger. "But you needn't have bothered. You're coming back with me, you see." She closed the distance between their mouths again, kissing him hard.
Sand pulled her tightly to him, his arms holding her close. Her mind was alighted, buzzing with emotions and sensations he could feel. It pleased him that she would be so pleased; but it pleased him more that she would prefer to have him alive. His hand began stroking the small of her back; he inhaled and realized belatedly that he could no longer smell her delicious scent of books-and-candles as a human. Still...her closeness, the way her mind was stirring in his...
It would be hours before the next time they needed to stop and the carriage wheels were loud enough that it would probably block out any and all sounds; the roads were bumpy enough that any additional jostling would surely go unnoticed by the driver and the soldier...
He tugged on her skirt. "Dear girl, should we practice at being husband and wife? All in the name of patriotism and Neverwinter of course..."