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 | | From: | stormaf | | Subject: | Winter Celebrations - LTMB thread 2 - Predator | | Date: | 31 Dec 2004 15:07:34 -0800 |
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 | The young girl shouted over the melee, "Leave him alone! I let him!"
She put herself in front of the vampire possessively.
"She's been bewitched," the blind carpenter saw his chance again,
"Darkwalkers do that, you know! She's been bedeviled! The Redeemer
only can save her now!"
Sterling peered intently at the young lady one last time, chanting
softly in
an old dialect of elvish as he did so. The delicate words sounded odd
in
his deep bass voice.
Then he turned to the girl's father. "I apologize for the
inconvenience," he
said with a slight bow, "There was a disturbance, and some concern for
your
daughter's welfare. However this man has given no harm nor lain magic
upon
her so I have no cause to detain either of them."
He looked back to Ajali and offered his hand. "You are welcome in
Montfort
so long as you abide by the law," he said, "Though I fear you may find
that
Willis is not the only one who takes exception to your presence.
Sadly, it
is the burden of one who rises above his kind's base nature. I hope
all of
you enjoy the festival."
Ajali shook the minotaur's hand tentatively, as if he didn't expect to
get it back in one piece.
Then Sterling turned to Mage Springer and the pickpocket. "I trust
you've got
this well in hand then?" he asked.
"Yes," Belle replied, "I'll be taking the boy to the Tower along with
the
purses."
"I'll see that Lt. Hawkins informs those missing their purses to go to
the
Tower to retrieve them."
Then he looked over to where Willis was being held by a pair of
guardsmen.
"I don't want to have to haul you before Judge Guilford for disturbing
the
peace or inciting a riot," he said sternly, "He's guilty of no crime.
And
until he is, he's got as much right to walk these streets as you do."
The elderly woodworker scowled but remained quiet. When released he
sullenly shuffled away, muttering darkly to himself.
And Belle Springer looked down to the sobbing youth at her side.
"Come on
now," she said softly as she knelt to look him in the eye and placed a
hand
on each of his shoulders, "It's not all that bad. My name is Belle
Springer. What's yours?"
"He's a what?" Robin asked Figment, startled at the report on what had
been
happening behind him. "I thought vampires were myths."
:They are, Packhorse,: said Figment with a sigh. :Just like dragons
and
unicorns, mages and telepaths.: While Robin contemplated that the
dragon
continued, :Think the old firebrand there might be right?:
"Figment, I saw them go behind the stage. _She_ was towing _him_.
Unless he
bites one of us I don't see that it's any of our business." He brought
the
song to a close and added, "I think I'm about due for a ten-minute
break and
since all the customers are watching what's going on out there, now's
probably a good time."
He leaned the luther against the stool he'd been sitting on and
stepped off
the stage, intent on getting some tea to both warm his hands and
soothe his
throat. His path took him directly past Mage Springer and the young
thief
and even though their conversation was also none of his business, he
paused.
~It's not like I'm prying into the kid's thoughts,~ he thought to
himself.
~He's broadcasting almost loud enough to give me a headache.~
Aloud, he said, "His name is Vance, he's from some place named
Bleckner and
he's mute." At Mage Springer's raised eyebrow, Robin added, "Sorry. I
didn't
know if you were a telepath or not."
Carelya overheard what Robin had said and plucked at the bard's sleeve
before he got too far away, "Sir, did I hear you right when you said
that the boy is mute?"
She stared at the youngster and the mage, "Why is he alone here?
Where are his parents? They shouldn't let him prowl about in the
streets like this!"
Carelya jumped when Ajali spoke up behind her, "He is probably an
orphan making his way as best he can with no education. They are as
rife as mice where I hail from." To himself, he thought that he could
have been one of them if not for the kindness of a lord and his family
hundreds of years ago.
As her kind heart melted at the boy's plight, Carelya decided that she
would take him in hand as well. Setting her mind to righting the
wrongs in the world wasn't hard for the good-hearted girl.
"Then I'll have Father bail him out and take him in as an apprentice
hand," she informed everyone within earshot, "Everyone deserves a
chance."
As she hurried to tell her father of his new ‘apprentice' hand, Ajali
stayed behind with the bard and his dragon.
Wryly he commented, "She seems to pick up strays like a priestess.
Perhaps she has missed her calling?"
It was impossible not to notice his canine teeth, which were long and
sharp, made for piercing flesh and his speech was laced with a slight
foreign lilt.
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| | From: | Robin Banco | | Subject: | Re: Winter Celebrations - LTMB thread 2 - Predator | | Date: | Sat, 01 Jan 2005 05:46:42 GMT |
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| It was impossible not to notice his canine teeth, which were long and
sharp, made for piercing flesh and his speech was laced with a slight
foreign lilt.
"She seems as kind as she is pretty," said Robin cautiously. He had noticed
her last night before flirting with the kitchen maid but had not approached
her. Now that he knew she was a vampire's girl, he was just as happy he
hadn't. "I don't suppose her kind nature has allowed her to think that the
boy might not have any skills her father could use. Or that he might have
chosen his... um... occupation."
From his height, the vampire looked down on the bard as he replied,
"Certain types of people like to believe that there is good in
everyone." His smile didn't quite reach his eyes. "Sometimes they are
wrong and others must clean up the mess."
Ajali turned his cold gaze on the little dragon who watched proceedings
with more than a passing interest. "Your creature appears to be
following the conversation." He started to extend one long-nailed
finger towards it, but then thought better of his action. "Where did you
get it?"
:I'm a mail-order bride,: said Figment sarcastically, bridling at the tone.
Robin caught a snort of laughter, managed to turn it into a cough. "My name
is Bard Robin, that's Figment. We're just heading over there for a cup of
tea if you'd like to join us." He looked around for Astarte, didn't see her,
but was sure she wasn't far.
Struggling to keep the surprise from his voice, Ajali stared at Figment,
"It speaks? That is unusual." He nodded to Robin, "I'd be pleased to
have some tea. Anything to keep warm. This place is very cold."
The silk of his trousers clung to his legs from the puddles and snow
melt he'd walked through. The only dry part of him was what was under
the coat. Even his blond hair was damp. He was not even half as pale
as Lycari was, but an aura of death and pain hung about him so thickly
that it could almost be seen. If evil could be beautiful, this man was
its poster child.
Robin led the way over to the stall selling hot tea and cider trying to keep
the skin on his back from shivering at the man's aura. Figment pattered
along behind them, grumbling half-audibly about :... not an _it_ anymore
than a bloody vampire's an _it_! No manners...: When they reached the stall,
Robin ordered and paid for his tea and a large mulled cider for the vampire.
Figment jumped up on the table and helped himself to some of Robin's tea.
"I saw your party at the Dragon's Inn last night," said Robin casually.
"Have you come to town specially for the winter Celebration?" And if they
had, why hadn't the man had sense enough to wear warm clothes? Robin himself
was in heavy wool trousers, velvet shirt and fur boots with a heavy wool
cloak to go over it all and _he_ was still chilly. "If you need winter
materials, I know of an excellent cloth merchant who can fit you out
properly."
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