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Viridian

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"Not that I've ever had problems with first impressions, but I don't think the judges will be too convinced that you're a goodie-two-shoes if you show up at the trial like this, Nell."

It was the typical day in the life of a traveling adventurer; or so Elanee believed, having been put through far too many unpredictable situations to even bother thinking about a set-up such as this murder trial as something unusual. Strange, how in a matter of several months, the world could change and she would be stuck in a city of stone, surrounded by the unlikeliest of companions, watching as the tiefling rogue underlined her point by waving a piece of fish around, eventually pointing it at the sun elf.

They were back at the Sunken Flagon, counting hours until the trial. And drinking, if only a bit, to wake up. In a matter of hours, it would be either freedom or the gallows for one of them and so Neeshka decided that they should have at least one "girl party" or something such as that. For that, she had gathered all the women from their group, grudges and sarcasm aside, save for Qara, who was generally disliked by the others. In any case, the sorceress still hadn't managed to pay off her debt to Duncan and was wiping a nearby table with an expression that could have made the strongest acid spell attack redundant.

"What's wrong with the way I look, Neesh?" Nell scowled. Truth to be told, the answer would be: nothing. As they had finished all their investigations, her face, clothes and even her boots were clean, not to mention nearly brand-new. As a member of the nobility, she had been given a certain amount of money to attire herself correctly, which meant that nowadays, the she-elf was rarely seen without her diadem-like Thayan circlet gracing her golden hair and always remained dressed in a beautiful brown armor that was fit for an Eldritch Knight.

"While I'm sure that most of the male half of your entourage would give the same answer, she's right." Shandra added, taking a sip of her wine. Certainly, in short, there was nothing wrong with the way Neliel looked, if she wanted to look like a general leading her armies. The fact that the sword and katana that hung from her belt were more than visible did nothing to soften that.

Of course, inwardly, she was still Nell, though no one would have guessed by now that she had come from a village in the middle of a swamp. Certainly, all of the women were garbed in new clothing, some of the finest, and even Elanee's own leathers were almost untarnished, but if an outsider was to guess at who was in charge and the richest of the group, it was a pretty obvious decision.

"No fair, teaming up on me like that! Besides, look at Elanee!" The wood elf blinked in surprise as a half-scowling, half-pouting Neliel continued. "She's no court lady either and no one would accuse her of tasteless butchery!"

Elanee decided that she didn't want to know what kind of butchery could be found tasteful. But she could admit that the slaughter of an entire village was going a bit overboard. Nell's idea of carnage was thoroughly different, bloodless, even. When the words "mass slaughter" came to mind, people usually pictured organs flying around and blood being splattered, while the attacker was laughing maniacally. Now, when Nell did mass slaughter, it usually meant that a storm of ice would descend upon the unfortunate victims, by which point their heads would be misplaced by a timely strike by her blade, if the spell didn't manage to get their vital organs.

Frozen blood. How quaint. But, as Nell said, at least it didn't spill on their clothes. Death was… clean, surprisingly.

"But I am not to be subjected to a trial, Neliel." the druidess remarked smartly. She knew that she couldn't outwit the mage at a game of tossing words around, but she was sensible enough to point out a fact.

Obviously, Nell realized the truth in that, but she waved her goblet around instead, almost spilling a bit of the precious wine on their table. "Details." she noted, her voice blasé. But she herself was anything aside from that. The hours of preparation, the tension in her posture, the serious look in her eyes… usually, Neliel was just the slightest bit arrogant, but always noticing it before it got way too serious. In fact, seeing her like this was almost as intimidating and unnatural as the coldness she had displayed when hunting the githyanki. "Besides, guys, Sand and I have things under control. If it comforts you, I asked Duncan to have my best mage's robes squeaky clean for tomorrow; I won't be going in this armor."

"To be honest, that won't help much. Everyone round here knows just how much magic you've got." Neeshka deadpanned, then made a strangely theatrical and enthusiastic face. "That'd be like saying: "Hey, everybody, look! I blew up Ember with no hands!" You have to give the impression that you wouldn't be capable of even thinking of doing it, let alone doing it." she insisted, her tone returning to a business-like mode. "In other words, not the Khelgar or the Qara look."

Elanee was quite certain that she had never seen Neliel blink quite as much in the span of two seconds. "You gave my… looks… names of those two?" Her tone was carefully measured, but the druidess could feel the power around her. Yes, this was the Qara look.

Neeshka, though ignorant of that fact, waved her hand and wisely dismissed that discussion. "Never mind that now. The point is, you need another look. A kind of "I'm too innocent to even squash bugs accidentally-on-purpose" look."

Now that would be difficult. In fact, Elanee was almost certain that it would be impossible. She glanced at her companion, taking in her appearance and trying to imagine it from the point of an outsider. The trouble was, it wasn't that easy. She had been familiar with Neliel and her existence from the beginning of the younger elf's life; she knew all there was to know about her life, though she couldn't claim to know all about Neliel herself. But her stance, her self-confidence, her aura of quiet power… impossible. There was no way she could pass for a peasant or, better yet, someone who didn't know what a weapon felt like.

"Isn't that somewhat of an exaggeration? I don't think anyone would believe Neliel to be anything but a battlemage."

"Thanks, Elanee." Finally, Nell smiled, if only briefly and absent-mindedly. She seemed fond of her current image. Maybe it was the fact that no one seemed to comment on her Harborman scent and heritage anymore… or that she had new clothes she could call hers that remained clean for longer than a day. Elanee couldn't really understand that last sentiment. Really, what was the point of having good clothes if you were worried about their state of appearance all the time? "Besides, I won't be wasting gold on some wacko puffy dress and face paint that I'll throw out the next day."

The image of Nell in a puffy dress – of any color – was amusing, but everyone knew to take care not to laugh. They saw the hint of a death glare in her eyes and could almost feel the carnage that would follow if they didn't wisely abandon that train of thought.

Silence.

No one dared to laugh.

"I could think of a few things to do with the paint, you know." Neeshka piped up, imagining drawing all sorts of things on Khelgar's face while he was asleep. Too bad his beard was so big, though.

Shandra, meanwhile, seemed to have taken up the position of the leader of operation: makeover. "We could borrow a dress from some shop on credit… or leave the money there as an insurance."

"Oh, please, Shandra, have you ever tried dealing with those crooks?" Neeshka said, rolling her eyes. Well, she was a resident of the city, or so she claimed, so Elanee decided to take her word for it. She didn't necessarily trust or like the tiefling, but she trusted her opinion and advice when it came to financial matters. It was just one of those things that was destined to remain out of the realm of her understanding. "They'll scam you till they skin you, forget about that."

"Well, what do you propose then? I'll assume you have a better idea." Shandra, being still a newcomer to their group, was as daring as ever, to ask Neeshka so directly. Well, if the tiefling felt someone was stepping on her toes, she would likely react in a not too pleasing manner, but, surprisingly, she exceeded Elanee´s expectations and grinned rather impishly.

"Glad you asked!" And then, partly because Nell was sitting next to her, partly for the grand effect, probably, she leaned over to Shandra and quickly whispered something to her in a voice that was literally struggling to hold back excitement from impending mischief. Elanee decided that she most certainly didn't like that.

Moreover, it seemed that the sensible peasant mind of Shandra Jerro had reservations about the plan as well. "I don't know, but…"

"It's the best chance we have!" Neeshka insisted, as if she was certain that this was the only plan that would work. That was not the best expression to see on a thief's face. "At least we'll get a professional's opinion on our chances!"

"A professional". Elanee was quite certain that doom was at hand.

Especially judging by the look on Nell's face.

"I'm not sure I like your grin, Neeshka." The sun elf said slowly, carefully weighing each word. She seemed to be on her toes, completely ready to draw one of her blades and defend herself against the hellish woman, if need be.

But the tiefling paid her no heed and turned to the wood elf, of all people, with a serious expression. That looked downright odd, because Neeshka, even when serious, never looked the part. Perhaps it was the horns; perhaps it was the mischief in her eyes. But she wouldn't have made a convincing politician, that was certain. "Elanee, stun her if need be. I think she'll protest."

Stun Nell? Elanee glanced at the sun elf, then at Neeshka, then at Shandra. Stun Nell? She would be vaporized before the vines could even encircle her ankles. Stun Nell? She didn't have the speed for such an incantation, even if they had given her the element of surprise. Moreover, she didn't exactly fancy the idea of fighting Nell, in a crowded restaurant and for no other reason than because Neeshka said so.

So she posed the million-gold-coin question.

"Why?"

She was beginning to share Nell's opinion regarding that grin of Neeshka's, but the wood elf was downright stunned when she heard the actual suggestion. "We're going straight to Ophala's."

There was a greater silence than that before. All eyes were on Nell, who had turned surprisingly pale, though with her complexion, it simply seemed that she was a moon elf who liked hair dye potions a little too much.

Still, one had to admire the self-control with which she stopped her hands from twitching and conjuring up a Dire animal that would have doubtlessly chased Neeshka all around Neverwinter. Instead, she only unclenched her teeth, regained her posture and answered in a quiet voice that was strangely forceful.

"Two words: no way. No."

Neeshka frowned. "That's three words, Nell, so it doesn't count." She contradicted, glancing at Elanee and trying to give her a sign that now would be a good time to start that Entangle spell, if you please. But the druidess didn't really get that hint.

She understood why Nell seemed so uneasy. Of course, they had been at the Moonstone Mask before, simply because Neeshka had been hunted and the local proprietor – Ophala, the most well-known woman in Neverwinter, save for Nell herself, perhaps – was the one to go to when one sought answers. But though it wasn't a brothel anymore, though the… entertainment… was way more civilized now, Nell had been fidgeting even then.

It made Elanee smile, because it showed just how much of an innocent child the seemingly ruthless wizard actually was. Elves reached emotional maturity at an age that was pushing a hundred and thirty years old. Nell herself wasn't even thirty yet. She was, by elven standards, a child forced to hold her own against the world. And that showed primarily in cases such as that, when she was confronted with something she still seemed to believe was out of her reach.

Also, the druidess had a sneaking suspicion that Nell was actually more terrified of appearing downright clueless when it came to face paint and dresses when she seemed to have taken it upon herself to be the knowledgeable one of the group.

What she needed was encouragement, so Elanee decided to take pity on her.

"Please, Neliel, there's no harm in just going there. We'll make sure they don't force you into anything you won't like. Please." she implored again, watching the sun elf, who seemed to resemble a cornered, frightened animal for a moment.

Were they really that bad? She hadn't even flinched when she had heard that Luskan was accusing her of murder – but Elanee knew that at night, Nell would sneak out of the in through the window and out of the city, just out to the outskirts, where no one could find her, so that she could be alone with her thoughts. The thought of Nell crying was unimaginable to anyone else… but Elanee didn't really believe that books alone could create such shadows under one's eyes.

And just for one day, as well.

Two perfectly unnatural emerald green eyes closed warily, as if a thousand years had fallen on the girl's shoulders in one moment. And then…

"I am so going to regret this."

X X X X X

The Moonstone Mask was, shall we say, a place for people with a liking for privacy. No more, no less, unless you knew what you were looking for. And it seemed that Neeshka certainly knew what she was looking for. Throughout the whole journey, Shandra had kept close to Nell, saying a word or two of comfort to her. Elanee had been silent. Nell had the look of someone being led to their own execution.

Perhaps she was practicing for tomorrow, a crazier part of Elanee´s brain suggested. She smacked herself mentally. The thought of Nell being executed was not something she wished to imagine. It was simply too surreal to be true, too… unfair! Unjust!

As was all that had happened to her, all the unfortunate events that seemed to intersect in her life.

"Neeshka? And you've brought friends again, I see." Ophala was a strange one, at least to Elanee. Unlike Nell, she didn't have the kind of natural beauty to her. Instead, everything about her demeanor seemed practiced, regal, as if she had spent years to perfect her posture and her expressions to achieve her level of beauty. An artificial beauty. But a beauty nonetheless, though Elanee didn't really believe in any kind of warmth the woman displayed. At least not to her. because the first thing to be said to her when Ophala noticed was: "Ah… dear… try not to… move around too much, will you?"

The former Madame examined Elanee's outfit with a wrinkle of her perfect little nose. Well, if that much dirt and twigs was bothering her, then the druidess really would like to see her reaction to the clothing she had worn initially, when meeting Nell officially all those weeks ago at Fort Locke…

But time was of the essence and it seemed that Neeshka alone realized that. even some of the entertainers had stopped doing their job to eavesdrop on them.

"We need your help, Ophala." the tiefling said in all seriousness as she stepped forward. And, though grudgingly, Elanee had to admit that if practice could turn even plain girls as some of those she saw around into beauties in the eyes of people, then Ophala was clearly the person to see. "It's an emergency. We need to have her looking presentable in four hours."

However, the Madame wrinkled her nose again and glanced at Elanee briefly before shaking her head in an elegant manner. "I deal with wonders, not miracles, Neeshka. This would be possible in four days of intense work… maybe." she added, taking a whiff of the scent of moist wood that came from the druidess. Somehow, Elanee felt a bit pleased. Serves her right.

Though judging from Neeshka's expression, her loyalty was questionable. She seemed to be on Ophala's side on this one as she rolled her eyes. "Not her, Ophala. Her."

Shandra, who had been silent up till then, tried to nudge Neliel forward a bit, but it took Neeshka grabbing her hand and yanking her forward to make the elf make it past the doorstep. Ophala blinked once or twice.

"Oh. Well, that changes things." She gave Nell a warm, confident smile, the image of a queen welcoming a peasant girl who was to become her new lady-in-waiting. Or rather, who could become that, if she passed some test. "Come into the light, dear, so I can see the extent of the damage." It seemed to Elanee that she was drinking up every part of Nell's visage, from top to bottom, visualizing and noticing every detail, no matter how tiny. "There… hm… turn around a bit?"

Nell was rather graceful on her feet, certainly not a klutz, but then, all elves were like that. It wasn't that she couldn't look like a lady if she wanted to. It was that she didn't see the point of it. With Nell, all was about logic.

"Do you think you could help us?" Shandra asked hopefully when Ophala circled Nell like a vulture examining a fresh carcass.

After the fourth or fifth circle, Ophala crossed her well-shaped arms. "It won't be an easy task." she proclaimed after a moment of contemplative silence.

"But you can do it, right?" Neeshka butted in. It seemed, though, that she was already ready to celebrate. "I mean, it's not hopeless."

Strangely, when Neliel glared, her eyes seemed almost viridian. Cold. Dark. Quite unlike her usual warm gaze. "Thanks for the moral support, Neeshka." But her voice was filled with quiet uncertainty, Elanee realized. She was trembling – perhaps not outwardly – but trembling nonetheless. Was it the trial? Perhaps she was finally realizing what its consequences might be. The young never really do think of death, unless they are at its doorstep.

But Ophala didn't allow her the time to fall into a state of depression. As it was early in the day and there were few guests, she seemed to believe they could manage it. She clapped her hands imperiously and as she spoke, she glanced not only at her girls, but at Nell's friends as well. "Don't just stand there, time is wasting! We'll put you all to work!" she continued examining and circling Nell, personally freeing her hair of the braid it was bound in. Apparently, it wasn't entirely a lost cause, because Ophala seemed to be somewhat enthusiastic about the challenge now. "Green, definitely. Gold jewelry to bring out the hair… and emeralds for the eyes."

Elanee saw Nell close her eyes and only focus on breathing. Perhaps she was afraid that death might be in her eyes. But when they opened, they were hard and cold… and filled with cold resolve.

"Mae Heberu." she whispered to herself.

And Elanee was the only one who understood.

For Ember.