Looking back and forth between their captive and Owen, Selena shakes her head in wonder. Swords with feelings, a mysterious cult, and a companion who seems terrified of a girl younger than I am, not to mention sounding slightly bats. Oh, and the girl herself, who's showing remarkable spirit for someone who had a bag over her head not long ago. If you told this in a tavern, no one would ever believe it!

A bemused smile tugging at the corner of her lips, she meets her fellow guard's eyes. "A civil enough response, I think," she says quietly. "I'll just take our new friend for a little walk while you gather his weapon, shall I?" Her claws dig ever so slightly deeper into the man's neck as she glances down at his belt. "Drop your scabbard before we go, sir, but remember how quickly I can tear your throat if anything else should come out of that belt."

OOC: Am back, more or less. Sorry for vanishing into the depths of ill health like that!

__________________
"So, where are we going? And why am I in this handbasket?"

ooc: WB, Selena. I am glad you are feeling better.

IC: The swordsman cautiously nods and pulls the sheath from his belt. He holds it out to Marik, and then rises at Selena's urging. He seems willing to go wherever the Shape-shifter or the Dimensionalist indicate.

__________________
GM Wolff

Sure...
you can do that...
Just let me roll a few dice here...
Hmmm....

Marik retrieves his opponent's weapon, wipes it down, and slides it into the offered sheath as his partner leads the captive towards the rear of the alley.

Looking at Owen with equal parts bewilderment and impatience, he picks up the keys to the shackles and moves to release the girl from her bonds. As he does so he runs a professional eye over the lass, checking for any cuts and bruises she may have received during her scuffle with the two mercenaries.

"Are you alright?" he asks her gently. With all that's happened to her in the last few minutes, he would not be surprised to find her emotional, hysterical, irrational, or any combination of the above. Hopefully, she'll be composed enough to give Marik some idea of what this is all about.

The young woman nods as she rubs her wrists. Several bruises are beginning to show from her rough treatment at the hands of the two kidnappers, and she is filthy from rolling in the rotting garbage that is generally referred to as the alley's pavement, but she has suffered no lasting hurt.

She looks over at Owen and grimaces. "I don't know him. I have never met him. Who is he and what is he talking about?"

Selena, still gripping the swordsman notices that some of the tension in his stance relaxes as Marik returns the sword to its sheath.

__________________
GM Wolff

Sure...
you can do that...
Just let me roll a few dice here...
Hmmm....

Feeling the tension run out of her captive as his sword is cleaned and sheathed, Selena's lips twitch in a bemused smile. Travelling the trade roads for so many years meant that she had known many guards and warriors who all had their own views on arms and fighting. In all that time, she had never met anyone with such an obvious attachment to their weapon. Giving the man a gentle tug, she turns them in the direction of the closed end of the alley.

As they walk, she gives him a bright smile that probably seems a little out of place with the scales still covering her scalp and throat. "Now that that's taken care of, let's go and have a little chat about all this," she says. "I'm curious to know more about this religious sect you mentioned. Oh, and I don't believe we've had a chance to be formally acquainted yet. I'm Selena." She holds out her free right hand, still scaled and clawed, wondering if he'll be willing to take it.

From the corner of her eye, she sees Marik retrieve the key and head over to Owen and the girl. We might have to have a chat with Owen, too, she thinks. He obviously knows something about this girl, and it might be important to find out.

__________________
"So, where are we going? And why am I in this handbasket?"

When Marik releases the hostage from her bonds, Owen eyes the dirty woman's free hands and addresses the Estovian once again, "Your funeral... Not that it would be one to last long anyway..."

The Rie-man then turns to look at the woman from his nightmares, and sizes her up with scorn (still avoiding her eyes, of course), "We do know each other, snake, and I'm not at all surprised that you own a luscious pair of lips full of lies..."

The Illusionist releases another small chuckle. "Do not... trust her...", he intones to everyone in a lulling type of way.

Unexpected by even himself, Owen takes a step towards Marik and the woman. His eyes dart to the woman's lips; full of lies, yes. But what else? What are those lips made of?

Owen continues to look at the woman's lips as he prepares to watch her speak. "What are you doing here Yelena?", he asks impatiently, "What is it that you're playing at, this time?"

__________________
Owen's Wyrld---------> www.geocities.com/owenswyrld

The woman recoils from Owen as he steps towards her, unconsciously maneuvering to put Marik between herself and the deranged Rei-man. Her every action, reaction, facial expression, and even her eyes shout that she has no idea who Owen is or what he is talking about. At the same time, she is aware of who her savior is and addresses Marik's questions, both asked and unasked.

"My name is Yelena Loksdottor. I was going to market, as I do every week, when two men began following me. I know there are slavers on the streets, but I nefer thought they would be so bold in broad daylight, doncha know!" The young woman begins shaking. In spite of the filth, she is clearly young, probably no more than twenty two winters, with the characteristic platinum-blond hair and bright blue eyes of a Vaelsh clansdotter.

Selena's captor raises an eyebrow at the young woman's narrative. "Slavers indeed!" he mutters to himself.

It is at about this point that bright sunlight breaks through the clouds for the first time this day, and the young woman squints against the glare. Other than that, she is unharmed by the sunlight.

__________________
GM Wolff

Sure...
you can do that...
Just let me roll a few dice here...
Hmmm....

Listening with interest to the conversation going on by the wall as she leads their captive towards the rear of the alley, Selena shakes her head in confusion. This girl doesn't seem to know Owen, or anything about what's going on, she muses. Could Owen be mistaking her for someone else? The name is the same, but it might be a common enough name up north. He seems so certain, though... But she seems equally certain she doesn't know him...

The muttered comment beside her distracts her from her thoughts and she gives the man a wry smile. "Not pleased to be cast in such an ignoble profession?" she asks. "You must admit, what with the sack and the manacles, it would be an easy assumption to make." She considers this for a moment, then adds, "And I'm not sure that 'kidnapper for hire' is a whole heap more noble than slaver, to be honest. What made you take this job? You're skilled and intelligent, based on what we've seen so far. There must be better things on offer in a city like this, surely?"

__________________
"So, where are we going? And why am I in this handbasket?"

The swordsman raises an eyebrow. Perhaps he is surprised by the nature of the question, or perhaps he is surprised by the depth, given its source. In either case, he smiles slightly. "A mercenary is by definition, force for hire. You are in the same profession, and to have asked that question you must have thought through the implications of your own means of survival. The majority of the time, a mercenary is fighting those of equal skill. A slaver, on the other hand, has no honor and preys on the weak. I regret that financial circumstances have forced my partner and me ot accept this commission, and perhaps you are correct in noting that there is little to distinguish our actions from those of a slaver. Should I survive this, I shall have to consider the observation in more detail." The swordsman looks thoughtful.

__________________
GM Wolff

Sure...
you can do that...
Just let me roll a few dice here...
Hmmm....

Owen is glad for the sunlight. He had been looking for it in the sky for a time in the past few minutes now. Even though none of his companions may have noticed. Now that the clouds have parted to let the day shine on Yelena, Owen visibly relaxes.

But he is not yet fully satisfied! Owen has gone through enough nightmarish stuff with that fiendish woman, to let himself be swayed by words; even though the woman in front of him looks considerably younger than the Yelena he knew... She has the same face!, Owen can't help thinking over again. That same hauntingly beautiful face.

"Loksdottor, huh?", the words slip a little irately from Owen's mouth, "You from Vaelsh then? What are you doing in Central Darisia?"

__________________
Owen's Wyrld---------> www.geocities.com/owenswyrld

The young woman wrinkles her forehead at Owen, an expression the Rie-man has seen too many times before, and usually as a prelude to some further depraved cruelty, to ever mistake. Yet while the voice matches, the tone and the presence are missing: "Ja, I am from Vaelsh, doncha know. Ve are here for the summer shipping season. Ve factor timber. If yew doubt me, yew can check with my husband, Sven."

"And if this concludes yer inquisition, I would like to go home now?" The question seems to be addressed to Marik, more than Owen.

The swordsman takes Selena's offered hand. "I am Koichioto. My friend," he nods to the groaning and stirring figure on the ground, "is Watanabe."

__________________
GM Wolff

Sure...
you can do that...
Just let me roll a few dice here...
Hmmm....

Marik casts an irritated look at Owen. This guy is just getting weirder and weirder, he thinks. I really hope this isn't going to interfere with the job. Once we've finished with these two I'll let Selena look after the girl while Owen and I have a little discussion. I need to be sure he isn't so prejudiced against Yelena that he's not willing to do his bit to protect her.

With a final shake of his head he turns his attention to the Vaelshwoman.

"We'll get you home shortly, if that's what you want," he says calmly. "Or we can escort you to the market, and then home. Someone has paid us handsomely to keep you safe, and we're very good at our work. But first we need to know who, or what, you need to be protected from. This means we're going to have a short chat with the men that tried to take you. We also need to make sure, one way or another, that they don't try again."

He pauses and looks thoughtfully at Yelena. "You might be able to help here. Assuming this man speaks the truth, this cult is after you specifically. Do you know which cult he's talking about? Or anything significant about midnight tonight? You don't look pregnant...it's not your birthday tomorrow, is it?

"Hold a moment," Marik snaps, turning quickly as the mercenary on the ground shows signs of coming around. He makes certain the manacle keys are in his belt pouch, puts the stranger's sword down in a relatively clean place, then sets about securing man with his own manacles. To be on the safe side he kicks the strange clubs out of the man's reach.

Upon hearing Marik's easy-going conversation with Yelena, Owen starts to think that the Estovian must be blind, naïve, or just plain bonkers!

"Paid to keep her safe?!?", Owen blurts out.

What is this? The Wolff creature's words hadn't been clear enough. But he had said to find a problem and fix it. Wolff never mentioned taking sides. What's going on?

It seemed as if Owen's companions were skipping to the fixing part, without really investigating the situation thoroughly to find the important problem first.

"The 'ask-questions-later' motto is not acceptable today!", Owen interrupts the conversation, "We interrogate here and now, before going any further with any of this!". The Rie-man is clearly upset, fear getting to his frustration levels.

When Marik steps away to deal with the groaning and stirring man, Owen backsteps to follow. He doesn't want to be left alone too close to the mysterious woman. But he keeps a wary corner of his eye on Yelena.

"We need to know the truth about this 'cult', before taking any sides", Owen speaks low to Marik, but with irate tones still, "We need to know where to find it and see for ourselves! You can't trust what any of these people say; you don't know yet who the 'problem' is!"

Then again, why would Marik trust Owen himself?! And Owen couldn't really trust anybody else either!

“You will need the Sun to get through the door.”, Wolff's words from the tavern echo inside Owen's head again... and the Illusionist looks up at the sky once more, for the comfort of the Darisian day star.

__________________
Owen's Wyrld---------> www.geocities.com/owenswyrld

Selena's smile warms a little as the swordsman accepts her offered hand. He doesn't lack courage, she thinks, making sure she doesn't dig her claws into him as she returns the brief squeeze. "Koichioto," she acknowledges him, stumbling only slightly over the unfamiliar-sounding name. Cocking her head to one side, she addresses his earlier observation about the nature of his employment, saying, "I suppose I'm fortunate that I've never been in a position where it was accept an unfavourable commission or starve. I'd like to think I'd have the will to stand by my own morals, but..." She shrugs and gives him a one-sided smile. "Who can say?"

Her attention is drawn from this conversation to the other being held between Marik, Owen and the young woman. A small frown creases her brow as she tries to reconstruct what she missed. This is getting stranger and stranger. I'm starting to think one sun apiece wasn't nearly enough! she thinks.

As Marik moves to secure the fallen Watanabe, she looks over at Owen and takes in his obvious agitation. He does have a point. We were never told to rescue the girl, just to fix the problem. We've all assumed that the problem was that she was being kidnapped, and that's certainly A problem, but is it THE problem? And what is it about this girl that's got Owen in such a state?

"You raise a good point Owen," she says soothingly. "There's a lot we don't know. But I think we can safely say that having someone captured and turned over to some cult, regardless of who she is, is unlikely to be a good thing." She darts a wry glance at Koichioto beside her and adds, "I think we're all agreed on that score."

Returning her attention to her companions, she continues, "We need to know more about this cult, though. I don't like the sound of a religion that requires someone to be delivered to them trussed and hooded for some midnight ritual. But I think we need to know more about the other side of things, too." She hesitates a moment, then plunges ahead. "Owen, what is your history with this young woman? You say you know her, she says she's never seen you before, and you're getting worked up enough to suggest that whatever you know isn't all sunshine and flowers." She draws a deep breath to calm herself, realising her voice had been steadily climbing in her own frustration and confusion, then also notices that both her hands had begun clenching as she tried to keep her tension in check. She relaxes her grip on Koichioto's neck before she breaks skin and gives him an apologetic smile.

__________________
"So, where are we going? And why am I in this handbasket?"

"I think we can safely say that having someone captured and turned over to some cult, regardless of who she is, is unlikely to be a good thing."
Selena's words hurt Owen. Or rather, the guilt that is immediately born inside him... does.

Owen would never have harmed or punished anyone without due investigation or trial... back in the days before Vaelsh. He is surprised at how his horrific experience with Yelena seems to have turned him into an unjust coward, quick to be the judge and executioner in the face of a possible reencounter with the witch. He is ashamed of this discovery, and the tension in the Rie-man's muscles begin to relax, as he is calmed and quieted by his own embarrassment.

When Selena asks him about his history with Yelena, Owen tenses once more, and replies, "She's a lot younger than I remember. But her face is still the same face... I know it is! If she's a relative of some kind, why share the same name? Yelena..."

A prickle of the nerves shoots up Owen's spine, but he continues, "Yelena almost killed us in Vaelsh; my friend Jeremy and I. If it hadn't been for Benison... But that had been at night. I thought she wouldn't be able to live in daylight! This must be some other dark magic, stranger still, than what she had shown... before..."

There is obvious discomfort in Owen's voice. If there is a chance of innocence in the captured woman standing in the alley with them, his great fear does not let Owen give Yelena the benefit of the doubt. "None of this makes any sense", he utters shakily, "but I think this woman is undead."

__________________
Owen's Wyrld---------> www.geocities.com/owenswyrld

Yelena's eyebrows climb her forehead as Owen's words roll along. When he finishes her mouth drops open in utter shock!

"Yew tink I am a Vhat???" she exclaims in a Vaelsh accent so thick it is almost incomprehensible. She looks ar Marik, then at Selena, and finally at Sanlothel, but is unable to voice a question.

__________________
GM Wolff

Sure...
you can do that...
Just let me roll a few dice here...
Hmmm....

Some of the tension leaves Selena's shoulders as she sees Owen relax and withdraw. Something in that got through to him, at least, she thinks, glad that she won't be in the position of having to take a stand against a companion.

Her eyebrows rise in surprise when he speaks about Yelena being responsible for nearly getting he and his friend killed. I suppose it's understandable that he's wary, then. I probably would be too. I just wish he could have been wary without being so damn strange! As the thought crosses her mind, she glances down at her still-scaled hand and gives a mental shrug. Strange is relative. after all.

When Owen voices the opinion that Yelena is undead, her mouth drops open with astonishment. She looks between Owen and Yelena, shoots one confused glance towards Marik and Sanlothel, then looks at Koichioto warily. For one thing, he might use the shock and confusion sown by the accusation and Yelena's cry of outrage to try something stupid. For another...

"She didn't have any trouble walking down a sunlit street, Owen," she says, struggling to keep her voice even. "But what about you, Koichioto? You were asked to bring her specifically, you said, not just find any suitable young woman unlikely to be missed. Was anything said that gave you the idea that your quarry might be anything other than human?"

OOC: Apologies for not replying in so long. I've been intending to sit down and post for the last couple of weeks, but life keeps happening.

__________________
"So, where are we going? And why am I in this handbasket?"

Koichioto appears to have been equally taken aback by Owen's accusation. The hired kidnapper made no move to escape during the consternation engendered, but in answer to Selena's question merely shakes his head in a mixture of disbelief and negation. "I was not hired to bring an undead to..." He pauses as the discipline of maintaining his employer's confidentiality wars briefly with his given word to be forthcoming, even though he had already named the destination. he shrugs acknowledging that he is already committed: "the house on Cliff Swallow Street"

"Still," the swordsman continues, "even though she is standing in the light, go ahead and scratch her. If she bleeds, then her heart is beating and she is not undead."

__________________
GM Wolff

Sure...
you can do that...
Just let me roll a few dice here...
Hmmm....