{M} Seekers of Village Vengeance. {Oddysen & ScottishGal}

[Oddysen]

Alick scoffed lightly at Fia's joke. As if. Together the two of them made their way through the market, their eyes open fo r the sights, but looking for someone who might be a guard. A bit before they reached the wall, Alick found one, and led Fia over to him. After a brief exchange of words, the guard gave them directions to the guard office. Once inside, they were forced to wait for about 20 minutes, before they were admitted into an office several times more ornate than seemed necessary for a captain of the guard. A pudgy, but not quite fat man sat behind the ornate desk, shuffling papers as if Fia and Alick weren't there. Alick was about to speak up when the man put his papers down and looked at them condescendingly. "So, whats this I hear about trouble in Sioda?"

The man listened with steady disinterested, barely tempered by boredom and slight horror, as Alick and Fia told him what they knew of what had happened to Sioda. Alick having to leave the later half of the explanation all to Fia as he was on the verge of breaking down. Once they were done, the man gave a disinterested shrug, and smiled at them, in mock sympathy. "Thank you for coming all the way here to tell me this. Now get out of my office so I can file the proper papers for this." Gripping onto something in the way the man said that, Alick pulled himself together as best he could, and spoke with an almost steady voice "So, you, you'll help then?" The man sighed heavily "No. I don't expect I will. Now leave me to my job, I've been delayed enough by this." Unable to hide her anger, Fia spoke sharply "You HAVE to help! You HAVE TO!" Alick could see the already clearly fake smile drop several layers of feigned interest, now holding only contempt and an evil sneer. "...And what do you expect us to do about it, hmm? Call in the army for the sake of a few filthy fishermen? Hmph, you'd have better luck trying to kill them yourselves, and unless you happen to be some mighty noble merely masquerading as paupers, I don't see that happening. now get out of my office before I have you arrested for panhandling." Alick could see Fia draw breath to scream at the man, but Alick silenced her by placing his hand on her shoulder, and gripping tightly, getting arrested would do them no good, and screaming at a captain of the guard would do little but that. Alick led Fia out of the office, having to use more force than he would normally have been willing to to do so. Once outside, Alick nearly fell to his knees but managed to stay upright. He wanted to scream, but the only sound he let out was a sad whimper, as tears trailed down his cheeks. Grabbing Fia's hand tightly, he started leading the way back to the inn.

[Scottie]

Her tongue had remained firmly between her teeth as they entered that room. She could already tell by his unamused look that it would not go well. Even as the words tumbled from her mouth of the horrors they had seen...he looked....bored. Get out. Tears continued to glisten in her eyes as this bastard said that he would not expect to help. Rage filled every inch of her body and she nearly screeched at the man. Oh how she wished to ram that pen of his through his eye. How he thought them so small in this world. They were only fishermen. They were people. She would have stayed their longer, her whole body buzzing from the anger she felt in her stomach. She would have screeched and screamed until he understood or until she was dragged away from that horrid man. Alick rested his hand on her shoulder and she let him near drag her from the room. Once outside, she wrenched her shoulder from his grip.

Ignoring the soft whimper that she heard from him, "This isn't fair." She allowed him to tug her along but when he only seemed to cry and walk....something snapped. "No. Stop it Alick. Stop it." She said wrenching her hand from his grip. "I can't just leave them there. I can't just let our home turn into dust...let it be stricken from maps and forgotten from the hearts of everyone here." Her own tears started to trickle down her cheeks. The first real time she had cried. "W...We have to do something." She felt empty, like the last shred of hope they had....was now dirt on the cobbles. She brushed past him as tears started to dribble onto her dress. "We have to do something." Fia wrung her hands together as she wandered on ahead, letting her feet lead her wherever they wanted. Her mind was elsewhere as her tears collected under her chin.

[Oddysen]

Alick grabbed Fia as she pushed past him "I'm not about to just let this lie either Fia." Alick said, his voice breaking. "Bu-but we have to collect ourselves. Be smart about this." Even just saying pained Alick greatly. He was furious too. But mostly, he was just sad. Devastated. "We WILL do something. But to that, we have to be ABLE to do something. We get arrested now, it all ends." Alick shook. He felt like just collapsing in the street, crying, but he forced himself to stay upright, "P-please Fia, let, let's go back to the inn for now. Co-collect ourself. Let-let me collect myself. I- I can't do this, not now, not like this, I-" Alick couldn't even finish the sentence. He let go of Fia and let his hand fall down by his side, dangling limply.

[Scottie]

She stopped when he grabbed her hand but she did not turn back to him. Collect ourselves. Smart. She wanted to laugh. They could not be smart about this, they were fishermen scum who could barely survive another night in this city. Fia used her free hand to violently wipe away her tears. She wanted to joke....if they got arrested at least they had somewhere to stay for a few nights. She slowly dragged her eyes back to him, tears still dribbled down her cheeks. Even as he attempted to choke out another sentence, she squeezed his hand gently. He dropped her and she moved her hand to linking with his. "C..Come on." She said softly, her words already breaking as she spoke. "We need to collect o.ourselves." Fia gifted him a faint smile before tugging him gently down the cobblestones. Crowds filled every inch of this city and it was a fight to get through them. Especially when they were so happy. When music and laughter filled the air as tears dribbled down their chins. Fia just concentrated on getting back to that tavern, a moments rest would do them some good.

[Oddysen]

Alick let himself be led back to the Inn as they walked, pushing through the crowds. The crowds were stifling, but Alick tried to tune them out. Had to, to hold himself together. He was very grateful Fia had relented and agreed to have a moments respite. But the crowd was getting to him. He was moments from collapse as it was, and the crowd was making things worse. He needed something to distract himself. He about to default to his magic, to have the fire dance over his hand. But he still had enough presence of mind to know that would attract undue attention. All that meant was he had to use his fire in a way no one could see. He summoned a small, low temperature and smokeless fire in his mouth. It was uncomfortable, low temperature thought the flame was, it was still like having food just a bit too hot in his mouth, but as he managed to keep the flame out of direct contact with his skin, and the inside of his mouth was wet, it was no more than uncomfortable. And controlling the flame, shaping it, moving it, kept his mind from the worst of it. At one point, Alick thoughtlessly opened his mouth slightly, and while luckily most people didn't notice the flame, one man backed away and looked at Alick, his eyes filled more with disbelief and self-doubt than anything else. Like this, they made their way to the Inn.

[Scottie]

She could feel his hand tense up in her grip. She glanced back a few times but he looked miles away. Fia merely wiped away the tears on her cheeks before dragging him further through the crowd. People bashed into them left and right but she was losing what little fight she had left. The inn was just in sight and the crowd slowly disappeared. It appeared that not many of them would venture into this alleyway. She sighed deeply and felt a tear drag its way up her neck. She harshly wiped it away and nearly stormed her way into the inn. The woman standing there cared little for their tears. Fia spoke to her, putting away all fear for this woman and asked for their key. The crabbit woman glared at them both before pressing the key into her palm. Fia finally let go of Alick's hand and started up the stairs. She wiped away any final tears and unlocked the door. It took three ties but eventually she got inside. Caring little if he had followed her, she plopped the key onto the small dresser and flung herself to the bed.

Lying face down on the covers, she just sighed deeply. Her entire body shaking with the force of her sigh as she wanted to scream. She wanted to scream into the pillows and hit a wall...or four. But she didn't. She merely curled herself up into a ball and wrapped her arms around her knees. She spoke to Alick, not really noticing if he had followed her or not, "Only a little while mkay?" She told him as she buried her chin as best as she could into her knees.

[Oddysen]

Alick barely paid attention as Fia spoke to the woman, and the two of them made their way up to their room. Onc inside, Alick closed the door and cloapsed into the bed next to Fia. As Fia spoke to him, he turned towards her, and gave her a weak smile, put his arms around her and curled himself against her, holding her tightly, his head resting softly against her, tears flowing freely from his eyes. "A little while." He said, softly, weakly.

[Scottie]

She raised her eyes from the bed covers when the bed sighed beside her. His weak smile did not fill her with confidence. Fia let him wrap his arms around her as she sighed deeply. A little while. Yes. Just a little while. She wriggled herself closer and buried her face into his neck. Anger still rang deep in her skull. How could that man just allow a village to perish. How could he be so selfish. She wanted to slam his face against his carved wooden desk. She wanted to make him suffer like her family had. Fia did not cry, she merely lay against him and let her mind drift over what they should do next.

[Oddysen]

Alick lay still and silent, softly crying, feeling equally discouraged and resolute. Equally hopeless and determined. Part of him just wanted to give up, to abandon any hope they'd ever fix anything, avenge anything, set anything right. But as much as he might want to, as much as the life that might come from that seemed enticing. Peaceful. Well. It also seemed hollow. Cowardly. Dishonest to himself. Giving up, it might be the easiest thing to do. Might lead to the best, and happiest life. It might be the healthiest, smartest and most logical choice. But it wouldn't be the right thing to do. Wouldn't be the Alick thing to do. Or, at least, it's no be something who he aspired to be, would do. There... There was probably nothing to do. Nothing to say, no one to talk to, no way to solve things. But he'd try. And not just casually, he'd not just spend a few days, a week or a month trying, then give up when it turned out, as it well might, that there was no hope. Though, easier to say that now, then in six months time. But he'd not give up easily. Images of the giant in the village, Moray's half eaten corpse and imagined, but probable horrors flashed behind his closed eyes. Beneath his tears and misery, his anger simmered ominously. On the surface though, the images, thoughts and memories, only intensified the sorrow, and Alick cried more heavily and held Fia more tightly.

[Scottie]

She could feel him crying. His chest was moving with every gentle sob. Fia could not see their next move, their entire journey so far had been to get here...to speak to someone...to get help. Now help was not possible. Now they were told their town did not matter enough. She curled herself closer to him and kept her eyes on the opposite wall. Water droplets spun from the condensation on the window. They came closer and gently spun around them. Light caught them and created a small show of dancing lights on the shadowy wall. Fia wasn't even pay attention, she just knew that she felt like all was lost. She needed to sob, she needed to scream and cry and tear her hands through her hair. But she wanted to make sure Alik was alright first.