Daughter of Treason Ch. 06

Kei awoke alone to the sounds of the city. She stretched, and considered going back to sleep, but decided against it. After all, if she continued at this rate, she´d develop a nocturnal sleep schedule, and then she´d hardly be of any use to Shino.

She paused. Where was Shino? He had still been busy at the forge when she went to sleep, but the house was quiet now. Had he finished, come to bed, woken up, and headed out? It didn't seem likely, but if he were still working, she would hear him. She tried to shrug it off and ignore it, but the room was uncomfortably warm, making sleep an unappetizing prospect. With a sigh, she rolled out of bed to face the day.

Miranda was sleeping on the floor again, still in her dress. She didn't stir, for which Kei was grateful. The shorter woman padded over to where her new clothes lay, still in their bag. She put on a functional set of undergarments, already planning for the day, before pulling on a light brown dress. Miranda, Kei noted, had a peaceful expression on her face as she dozed, wrapped in Kei's cloak again. I really ought to just get another one, she thought, so I don't have to collect mine from her every time I go out.

Quietly, she padded out, stopping only to collect her boots and dagger. In the kitchen, she prepared a quick meal of bread and cheese, hardly enough to get her through the day but simple enough not to require much effort to prepare. The bread had been bought fresh, and the cheese was barely days old; she relished the taste, so full and savory after months of dried and stale ship´s rations.

She migrated downstairs, intending to see where Shino had gone. She wasn't expecting much, perhaps a note, but was surprised to find his cloak still hung on the wall. She frowned. If that boy went out again uncowled... She ambled over to the forge and was surprised to find it still hot, and her frown deepened. Is he trying to burn the house down? Honestly, I swear he would lose his head if it wasn't fixed to his neck-

She stumbled, and looked back. There was Shino, supine and staring blankly at the ceiling. "Shino!" She crouched next to him. "Are you okay?"

"So... tired..."

"What did you do to yourself?"

"Had to finish the Hammer." His arm twitched, and Kei noticed a beautiful, solid ademantine hammer clutched in his grasp. She picked it up, and noticed, shallow and subtle, engravings, all over the sides. Vivid images, staggeringly complex for their medium, showed great battles under a blazing sun. "For this? I mean, it's beautiful, but-" She paused as something came to mind. "Shino, when were you supposed to meet with Kressik?"

"Mm, in the mornin."

She stared. "It´s almost halfway to noon."

"Wha'? I... I hafta get up."

He writhed in a meager attempt to rise. "Easy, I'll get you up and to the meeting. Just relax." She pulled his arm around her shoulder. "Do you need anything besides your hammer?" He lolled his head in an attempt to shake it. "Alright, then. Let's meet Kressik, show him that you completed the Craftsman's Challenge, and get you back here to rest." She heaved him up onto his feet, covered him with his cloak, and after making sure he had his hammer, hauled him outside. He tried to hold his own weight at first, but she found that the further they went, the more he leaned on her for support. By the time they arrived at Kressik's shop, she was practically carrying him.

Kei entered, then knocked on the door frame twice, heavily to announce her presence. "Yeah, yeah," came the dwarf´s voice from the next room. Shortly, he emerged, wiping his hands on his apron. "What can I do for y- oh! The elf! I started t´ think you wouldn't be comin'!" A pause. "Are you alright, lad?"

"He's just tired. I have his hammer right here. Does he need to do anything else, or may we go? Forgive my impatience, but I'd like him to get his rest."

"Does he-? Lass, he still has t' stand before th' masters an' answer the Craftsman's Paradox, t' say nothin' of the initiation if he gets in!"

She pursed her lips. "Kressik, he can barely walk."

"Barely's enough, lass, so long as he can make it to the guild house, he'll do fine."

She hesitated. "He completed the challenge. Is there no way to postpone the rest?"

"I´m afraid not, lass. Don´t you worry; we take care of our own. He'll be fine."

"And what about his heritage? What if someone attacks him?"

The dwarf looked up at the human. "One of our best alchemists is half dragon, of the blue variety."

"I don't see how that's relevant; a dragon, even an ignoble one is hardly the same as-"

"He´ll be fine, lass." Kressik´s placating tone was undermined by exasperation. "Just leave everything to me, an' I'll get your boy back, safe and sound, aye? Now we have t'be going, now; we're late enough as it is, and it'd be a shame if all his work was for naught on account of a wee bit of tardiness."

He had begun to inch towards the door, and Shino, eyes half closed, heaved himself from Kei's shoulder and moved to follow. "I'll be alright, Kei." He mumbled. "I'll be back soon."

Confronted by Kressik´s not so subtle prodding and Shino's complacence, Kei released the elf with a sigh, but not before leaning down and saying to the dwarf, "If he gets hurt, in any way, between now and when he returns to me, there will be hell to pay. Understand?"

He held her gaze evenly. "I'm not sure why I should be afraid of a pretty little thing like you, but aye, for what it's worth, understood. We take care of our own. You'll see, when he gets back."

She nodded gravely and turned to the elf. She hesitated just a moment before leaning in and planting a kiss on his cheek. "Good luck."

<<<<<Malefactum malefactoribus beneficiumque bonis face>>>> >

She spent the day, or what was left of it, getting some specialty supplies; a flask of strong acid, a couple pints of lamp oil, a few tindertwigs for fast fires and, on impulse, a smokestick to generate a quick cloud of smoke, as well as a few belt pouches to hold it all. The pouches were easy enough to find, as was the oil, but the rest she had to hunt around for. Ultimately, it led her to a hole-in-the-wall apothecary in the Temple District, perched above some acolyte´s quarters and squeezed between a grocer´s and a run-down temple of the Judge. Evidently, he wasn't that popular hereabouts. The thought made her smile, something which the woman behind the counter noticed. "Tindertwigs and smokesticks? What, are you plannin' some great escape or the like?"

The words, spoken with a smile in a lilting Northrendian accent, were a bit too close to the truth for comfort. "It never hurts to be prepared." She said, archly.

The woman seemed oblivious to Kei´s tone. "Oh, most o´the time, it doesn´t, sure enough, but sometimes you´d be surprised. I once saw a man almost light himself on fire. The nit forgot t´put his combustibles in one pouch and twigs in th´other. Keepin´ that in mind, can I interest you in another pouch?"

The woman wasn't lying, but her smile was a bit too wide; she was obviously trying to make a sale. All the same, Kei couldn't help but to ask, "Someone nearly set themselves on fire?"

"Oh, sure as the day you were born! Big, burly fella bought some tindertwigs, lamp oil, and a few smokesticks for a play he was the leading man in." Her smile widened. "When he asked me if I wanted t´go see it, of course I told him I did!" Her face grew stern. "It was a good play, ´till the big fight scene. All the thrusting and parrying seems to have ignited the tingertwig. I think he felt the heat, but when the smokestick he had in the same pouch went too, and smoke started pouring out, the ninny thought he was burning alive, started screaming, 'Oh gods, oh gods, my legs, oh gods!'

"The audience loved it, mind. Ate it right up. The ending was a bit odd, though, what with the leading man hiding his shame backstage. he´s lucky all his flailing about didn't break the oil flask; he´d have had some real problems then, let me tell you!"

Kei wasn't entirely sure how to respond. She had come here for corrosive and flammable fluids, not conversation. And yet she couldn't help but to smile at this bubbly redhead. Something the woman noticed.

"Ah, there we go! I knew you had one in you somewhere!"

She blinked. "Beg your pardon?"

"A smile!" When Kei, still unsure how to proceed, took her time in responding, the woman stuck her hand out. "I´m Jenny."

Kei took it tentatively. "Kei."

"Pleased t´make your acquaintance!" A pause. "Are y´new in town? I don´t believe I've seen you around."

Kei raised an eyebrow. "You know everyone in the city?"

Jenny gave an airy laugh. "I do, every last one. Also," she said meaningfully, "I don't get many new customers hereabouts; most find a few shops they trust and stick to them, particularly when there's about two pinches of powder's difference between remedy and poison."

"Hah!" The laugh escaped before she could help it. Her guard was beginning to drop and she found that she didn't particularly care. The bubbly redhead had an air of open joviality, one which might make Kei nervous if it hadn't been accompanied by a softness of the eyes, an occasional concerned glance. Some of the great atrocities of the world are committed in the name of 'a little fun', and for Kei, humor was dangerous unless tempered, as she was increasingly convinced it was in Jenny, with concern for one's fellow man.

"Oh, you can laugh, too! Normally I'd be offended that you let my pants of fire story slide with nary a chuckle, but I get the feeling that you're one of the quieter ones, so I'll let it slide."

Kei smiled. "Is that a bad thing?"

"Oh no! I quite enjoy the quieter folks; gives me more time to talk!"

Kei snorted, and Jenny gave another laugh. "I am, by the way. New in town."

"I figured as much. How are you liking the city so far?"

"It's... full of interesting things, some of them good."

"Hah! Oh, that's one way of puttin' it, sure enough. The city is full of interesting things, as you say, and she's mighty unforgiving to those who don't know their way, but you tread softly, and show her some fangs when you have to, and she'll treat you well enough. What?"

Kei's snort had progressed into outright laughter. After another prompt from Jenny, she managed, "I'm sorry. It's just that it seems that between me and Shino, we're doing something right!"

"Oh? Well, I'm glad to hear it! Who's Shino, then? She the loud one, then?"

"He, and no," she said, smile still in place, "but he does have a good set of fangs." At Jenny's inquiring glance, she explained, "We were lucky enough to find a bloodline potion."

"Oh!" The redhead's eyes lit up. "Oh my, he's a lucky one, indeed! What's his lineage, then?"

Kei hesitated. She remained uncomfortable divulging Shino's particular bloodline, but this woman now seemed so fascinated. What's more, she'd been nice enough even before learning of the elf's unusual ancestry; not the profile of a predator, or a threat.

Besides, thought Kei, eying the other woman's skinny arms, I could take her.

Satisfied that the woman before her wasn't a threat, Kei explained, "Efreeti."

"Ooh! One of th' rarer ones, too! Tell me, how strong of a bloodline? I assume an intermediate one because of the fangs, but what other manifestations does he have?"

"Um, he actually has a major bloodline." Jenny's eyes widened like plates, and Kei shifted uncomfortably.

After a few moments, the questions came jumbled together. "He is? How far back was his ancestor? Does he have any siblings who've also had a potion? Do they have th' same manifestations?" She paused, mainly to take a breath, and seemed to remember herself. "Oh! Where are my manners? Here," she said, raising the counter's divider, giving Kei access to the back of the shop and a small chair therein. "Have a seat. Would you mind terribly if I asked you about bloodlines?"

Her tone held both embarrassment and barely restrained excitement; Kei couldn't help but to laugh. "No, not at all, though I'm not sure how much help I'll be."

"Oh, you've seen him with your own eyes, that's more 'n I can say." The dark-haired woman's mind went back to the inn, her first night in beacon, and she blushed. Jenny accurately read her expression and grinned. "Oh, I see you've seen a lot of his body with your own eyes, hm? Well don't you fret," she said, sitting up straight and trying, with little success, to adopt a serious expression, "I'll keep it professional."

True to her word, the next hour passed quickly and Kei found herself enjoying the redhead's company; her sincere kindness, interest, and appreciation of harmless fun, while unfamiliar to the shorter woman, was pleasant to rediscover.

When the hour had passed, and Kei was sent on her way, she was smiling contentedly; even as a child, Kei rarely had a chance to socialize with others of her own age. Though the tutors she had spent so much time with taught her well, Kei had always found them stuffy and boring. After the death of her parents, she found those her own age more lively than she would like; indeed, she spent a considerable portion of her childhood watching out for, and fleeing from, threats. Even on the Maiden of the Salt, though safe, she felt apart from the crew; they had seen her first as an outsider, then an asset.

But Jenny, despite her fascination with Shino's bloodline, had treated Kei like an equal, and done so for no other reason than because she was sentient. Combine the novelty of being treated as a person with the fun-loving personality of Jenny, and Kei found herself planning to return to that apothecary as soon as life gave her an excuse.

When Kei arrived home, it was late afternoon and Miranda was on her way back in with a bucket of water. She had, it seemed, decided to thoroughly clean the remaining rooms. Kei had been aware of their existence, but had no use for them hitherto, and so hadn't bothered to do much to clean them.

After unloading, and with Miranda cleaning and showing no sign of tiring, Kei found herself in an awkward position. Having done everything she could do domestically, and arranged with Thomas, the guard, to meet two nights hence, she had nothing to distract her from the increasing level of worry she felt for Shino. Kressik had assured her that he would look after the elf, but what if he changed his mind, or was incapable of honoring his word?

It was thoughts like these which drove her to distraction. At first, she tried to help Miranda with cleaning, but the blond had things well in hand and was so confused, so painfully subservient when she tried to help that it didn't take long for the shorter woman to feel like she was in the way. After spending several minutes standing around, feeling like a cross between a third wheel and an overseer, she gave up.

It was at this point that there was a knock on the door. Miranda moved to answer it but Kei, thinking it was Shino, said, "I'll get it" and swept out of the room. After last time, she had the foresight to glance out the window before throwing wide the door, and so Gerome didn't see it when her face fell.

She paused a moment to collect herself. Though the tall Miasian had angered her, he could yet prove a valuable ally. He looked anxious, which meant either he knew he had offended her, or he wanted something. Privately, she hoped for the latter; she wanted to make him squirm. To her disappointment, however, it was not meant to be.

She opened the door, and for a few moments, Gerome just stared at her, like a deer in the headlights. Impatient, Kei prompted, "Well?"

Her unfriendly tone snapped him out of it. "Uh, I came to say I'm sorry." Damn it. "I judged what I didn't understand. I want to understand, I want to believe you're a good person, and when you wouldn't answer my question, I stopped giving you the benefit of the doubt. My..." He trailed off, shame burning his cheeks. "My priest, he says that I did this out of spite." His remorse was genuine, but if he wept, it was not for her soul. It was for his. So when he pinned his arms to his side, bent at the waist in a deep Miasian bow, chainmail clinking, and said, "I apologize; forgive me." she would have none of it.

"Oh, get up!" His head snapped up, surprised, hesitant. "You heard me! Get up!"

Slowly, the man straightened, and even slumping he towered over. "I.. I don't understand."

He looked crestfallen, but Kei had already found a target. "You're ashamed that you let your contempt get in the way of converting me. You're not apologizing, you're doing penance. If you want forgiveness from your god, give to the needy, fight injustice, do something useful, but don't use me as your stage for redemption!"

Gerome was taken aback. A few observers, neighbors and passerby observed the exchange. Some were amused at how the tall, armored Miasian man shrunk away from the short Fractorian in the pretty dress. Some, who overheard Kei's words and tone, empathized with the man, and wondered briefly who this woman was, so tiny but so intimidating. Gerome had no time to think. "I- I'm sorry."

And there's sincere contrition at last. She sighed and massaged her temples. Figures. I chew him out and now he has his heart in the right place. And he did; he was not being polite, or pious. He regretted that he had offended her, and was trying to make amends. This was no criminal to be cowed into a good life, this was a cleric of the Wild One, already doing his best. What is happening to me?

Gerome shifted uncomfortably, and looked about ready to give up. She sighed again. Alright, time to throw him a bone. "I'll tell you what: you teach me basic spellcasting, and I'll consider all grievances forgiven. Your thoughts?"

A pause, and Gerome's face softened. "I'd like that." A flash of concern. "But..."

She looked in his face, saw reluctance but hesitation to mention it. Taking a wild guess, she asked, "You think I'll use it to do harm?" The look in his eyes was all the confirmation she needed. Rolling her eyes, she said simply, "Unless I can somehow manage to cast fourth order spells, I doubt you have anything to worry about. Inflict spells are noisy, take some time, and aren't terribly effective. I cannot see myself wasting so much effort on something I can do well enough with a dagger. Any other qualms?"

His face screamed, 'Yes!' but his mouth said, "No."

She paused, giving him a chance to change his mind. He didn't. "Well then, please come in."

Cautiously, Gerome entered, the clinking of his chain mail at odds with the jerky, nervous motions. Kei stood off to the side as he looked around. "We'll need a quiet place. You have a basement?"

She stiffened. "Will the attic do?"

He frowned. "The basement really would be better-"

"The attic," she said firmly, "will have fewer distractions." This much was true; she wasn't sure how well she had scrubbed the walls, and the stench surely remained. Despite the technical truth of her statement, Gerome seemed to see it for the cover it was. Mercifully, he declined to press the point.

After they were seated, and after Kei gently dismissed Miranda, who was still glaring daggers at Gerome, the tall Miasian said, "The kind of magic I can teach is Divine magic, powers granted only by the grace of the gods. The first and most important thing is to find a deity, or deities, who best match your beliefs, so you may naturally act in accordance with your gods. If you can, pick just one; if you can dedicate yourself to that one alone, you don't even have to think about which god to ask for powers. No matter what you do, if you're acting in your own beliefs, you need but ask. So, I ask you to take a few moments to reflect on which deity, or deities, speak to you on the deepest level. Start simply with basic questions: how do I think the weak should be-"