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[sjm9876]

"Wherever I find."

Kas took the map and waved it.

"Name somewhere on her and I'll find it."

kas then glanced over himself.

"Still, not sure the university'll take too kindly to me, so it's probably best I look elsewhere."

[Dwarmin]

Eleen thought for a moment, then pointed a particular spot near the border of the Docks and Market Ward.

"There's an inn here, on Beastback Lane. Called the Crazy Eye. There's no wards telling you the place is called that, though-you have to look for the sigil hanging over the door. It's the sort of place, that If you know it's rightful name, then you'll be welcome there. If you don't know it, or if you have to ask, you'll be in for trouble. Sleangate has a lot of places like that..."

She took a pencil from her pocket-ever since she had learned to read and write properly, it was something of a point of pride to keep writing tools on her-and drew a sigil on a tea napkin...

Spoiler: The Crazy Eye (click to show/hide)

"We'll meet there this evening, no later than nine-o-clock. It's not a bad place to lay up for the night, fairly affordable. Fish and Kraken steak every night, if the catch is good-they get the day~olds from the docks the nobles throw away-and, nice wheat beer, only a bit watered down. Doesn't attract alot of night trade, you'll have to earn your bedding honestly. It's got nice strong walls, oft leeward-good for keeping out the damp air-that's mostly what you want to look for if you're sleeping near the docks. Don't trust it for security, though-you can jimjim the cheap deadbolts off the doors in half a minute, and the tender looks the other way when trouble comes in the door. You got all that?"

[sjm9876]

"Sounds to my liking."

Kas grins.

[Dwarmin]

Eleen tipped her head, as if doffing an invisible hat.

"Ayuh. Just be careful, try not to get filleted, my son. Our saying around here is you don't truly know a person less than a week old. If you're around next week, maybe I'll get to know you." She said drolly, smiling slyly. She rose to leave, but paused.

"...oh yeah, one more thing. Watch out for the fine looking young fellows with bells, and long, well groomed hair. You might think it's funny, but those folks are Bravo's-sword fighters-who will pick a fight with a man like you in a harlots blush-especially if you laugh at them. They wear the bells in their hair, and they only cut their hair if they lose a fight. So, the longer their braids and the louder the bells, the more dangerous they're apt to be. You can hear them swaggering a-ringring from a block away, so keep your ears pricked if you want to avoid them entirely. They won't attack you unprovoked, usually-they're not bandits, they just want a good fight-but they're very skilled at provoking people to fight."

She finished her Hiji tea with true satisfaction-the reality of facing death is never knowing if you're going to get another chance to enjoy the small things-rose, and left the room, her fancy cloak rippling after her.

[sjm9876]

Kas chuckles at the mention of bravos. He'd met a few before, and the manticore had a few bells to decorate its galley.

[Twinwolf]

"I'll head to the university with you, Eleen. 'Else I'll just wind up lost in some back alley or somethin."

[Dwarmin]

Eleen was surprised someone was following her. Her unguarded gestures tended toward the emotive side, especially when she was caught by surprise-her sky blue eyes widened visibly, and her nostrils flared, giving her the look of a frightened young horse-a depressing comparison, considering her boxy shoulders and sturdy jaw, which (In her mind) would never been considered as beautiful as her companion would be. It took Eleen a moment to visibly comport herself.

"...Or something, yeah. Sleangate can be an ugly place...

Well, anyway-you're more than welcome to rattle the bones with me, Marmi. You'll make me look good by comparison, that you will. I'll watch your back, and the 17th God will watch mine and we'll get through this in one piece..."

She said, looping her rifle's strap on her shoulder from it's resting place near the coat and boots. She then huffed her rucksack, and looped her belt of knives, bullets, and assorted whatever around her waist.

"Ah, by and by-you've got no problem with birds, right?" She asked, opening the door and stepping outside.

[Twinwolf]

"None. Why?" Oriana says, grabbing her own bag and the musket, pistol, ammunition pouch, sword, and handaxes.

[Dwarmin]

Eleen nodded, and made a intricate whistling noise with a free hand to her mouth. The sound was answered, in a more rusty voice, from the open sky.

A swift young Hawk shape swooped from the blue sky at that-landing neatly alight on Eleen's upraised, thick leather glove. It was a Blood-Hawk, with sanguine plumage on the tops of it's wings and across it's back-contrasted by snowy-white feathers underneath. Both it's claws, the tip of it's dagger like beak, and it's eyes were also dark red.

The Young woman clucked to him lovingly, preening his neck feathers with her fingers-then gingerly held out a shred of meat, which vanished in a flash down the Bloodhawks throat. Afterwards the predatory bird migrated to Eleens padded leather shoulder in one solid flap, and eyed Oriana with a piercing red gaze, shifting from clawed foot to clawed foot.

"...Ayuh. Oriana, meet Craic. He's a Bloodhawk...my companion." She said proudly. It wasn't often she got to introduce Craic to new people...

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

[Twinwolf]

Oriana looks at the bird in awed fascination. "There's a ton 'a birds back in the village, but I don't think I've ever seen one like that... he's beautiful..."

[Dwarmin]

Eleen was absurdly pleased, and it showed plainly in her features.. It's not like anyone bothered to compliment her on anything. Most of her new life was penance, making up for the old life...

"Aye, he's beautiful, sure as a a summer rain-but, he's also deadly-he'd take a scrap of my hand, or even pluck out my eye as easy as that strip of beef if he took the mind to. It took me alot of work to get him to trust me this much, to take food from me...and, for me to trust myself enough...Bloodhawks are smart, they know how you're feeling...for them, fear is for food, nay for those who hold them."

[Twinwolf]

"Where'd ya get him? Just found him in the wild- as wild as it gets in the city, that is- or what?"

[Dwarmin]

"...It's certainly a story. He's not a City bird, that's for sure. As far as I know, they live in the highest mountains, far away from people and cities.

I've always loved animals, myself. When I used to live in the orph...around here, I mean, I would take care of the messenger pigeons. It used to keep me in one place, they said, since I was always so impatient...well, as life turns in a great wheel, I found myself coming back to the Church afterwards and I was taking care of the birds again.

See-it's usually Church Outriders who have Bloodhawks, not folk like me. Craic was fairly young when I met him. He and his previous owner, a men named Sept, had both been badly wounded on the streets of Sleangate trying to deliver a message-near to death. Sept couldn't take him out to hunt, and he didn't want his companion to wither in an aviary-not knowing the open sky anymore. At first I took care of Craic and nursed him back to health, and later I ended up retraining him. When Sept died of his wounds, poor man, I took Craic for my own. Honoring his memory and sacrifice, as it was."

At the mention of the name 'Sept', Craic does seem to go still for a moment, as if in recollection...

[Twinwolf]

"Sept sounds like he was a nice man. Craic was lucky to have him. Like he's lucky to have you."

[Dwarmin]

"Those are kind words...thank you...Oriana, I have a feeling you're going to make it hard for me to wait a week to get to know you well... She commented, hinting on her earlier words.