Bladecrest

[Gobbo]

Elias laid on the floor and nodded. "I don't trust this guy as far as I could throw him. We'll be fine if that's up, though." he said, getting comfortable. He placed his bag under his head and pulled his cloak around him with a small sigh, muttering something under his breath before falling asleep.

 

[Shura]

Iris sighed softly for once agree with him before pulling her hood up and closing her eyes to sleep. The sound of rain and thunder kept awake for a little while but eventually she gave into her need to sleep and she was able to knock out falling into a deep sleep. She curled up much like a cat as she slept falling into the same pattern as the night before.

 

[Gobbo]

They day passed uneventfully, and as it neared sunset Elias woke up, stretching as he sat up. The rain had stopped, and the nighttime chill was starting to set in. He stood and yawned hugely, kicking at her bed to wake her up.


"Iris, time to go. If we get going now, we'll reach our destination tonight." he said, turning to gather up his stuff. His alarm hadn't been tripped all day, which was good, and nothing was missing.

 

[Shura]

Iris jumped awake when her bed was kicked looking around to see it was just silver before yawning and stretching out tiredly "Alright..." she muttered her voice groggy and heavy with sleep. She laid in bed for a few more seconds before forcing herself to get up, lack of a proper meal starting to effect her. She was used to eating at least twice a day larger meals then the snack she had been having since she left. Her stomach growled for food which didn't make her feel much better. She pulled her bag out from under her bed and slung it over her shoulder.

 

[Gobbo]

Elias heard her stomach growl and frowned a bit. "We've only got a few hours of walking left to do. Here." he said, handing her some meat from his pack. It was dried and salted, and though it wasn't much it would help. He walked over and deactivated the alarm on the door, shouldering his pack. He opened it to an empty bar, the old man still standing behind the counter.


"You two were awfully quiet in there." he pointed out with a sleazy grin.


"What the hell were you expecting? She's not some companion I bought." he answered, putting a few gold coins on the table. "If anyone comes by and asks if we were here, you tell them that you overheard us talking about heading north. If you don't, I'll be back here for you."

 

[Shura]

"Thank you." Iris muttered taking bite of the dried meat. It wasn't much but would last longer than the bread or fruit she had. She remembered the leering gaze of the in keeper and made sure her cloak completely concealed her before heading out of the room. She glanced over at the man as Silver talked to him narrowing his eyes at the insinuation of what might have happened but didn't say anything. Honestly! Just because she was female didn't make her some kind of harlot. She pushed the thoughts aside and followed Silver out of the inn finishing the last bit of dried meat before taking a sip from her water skin. "He's creepy..." she muttered as they left the inn.

 

[Gobbo]

Elias checked the map for a moment, nodding in agreement. "Yeah, he's a horrible person. I never trusted changelings..." he said with a sigh, heading off down the road. The dirt was wet, but not nearly as bad as it could have been. The air was much colder now that it had rained, Elias tugged his cloak closer to his body. "If we hurry, we'll get to an Inn with decent beds and food... So, what can you tell me about the artifacts? How much do you know?"

 

[Shura]

Iris stretched her arms over her head as they walked her back popping and realigning its self. "Hm... the artifact?" She muttered before sighing. She wasn't a fan of the rain its self but enjoyed the aftermath usually. The smell of rain was a pleasant one "Ah well.... I know it could be one of two. A mirror or a pair of bracelets. Mirror is said to be a fountain of youth kind of thing while the bracelets are said to bring luck."

 

[Gobbo]

Elias nodded, packing up his pipe and lighting it. "I see... The mirror I wouldn't have any personal use for, but I know it would sell well. The bracelets I could actually use." he mused, tapping the stem of his pipe to his chin in thought.


"Either way, it sounds like a win-win. Any idea where it's at now?" he asked, watching her for a few moments. He was slowly becoming accustomed to her presence, though he still wasn't fond of the idea of her tagging around all the time. He was so used to travelling alone, it was weird to have someone there with him.

 

[Shura]

Iris strolled along beside him instead of next to him like she had been the previous nights. She was still waking up more or less though and could be noted by the slight tilt in her ears and lazy swaying of her tail. "hm They should be in the Huntington manor. as to where I don't know. They deal a lot with rare artifacts and have a large collection. Might find something else you like along the way." She muttered. She knew she was giving away close family secrets but honestly didn't care. She was never much a fan of all the riches people had or how they liked to show it off.

 

[Gobbo]

"Sounds like a plan. I'll need a few days to plot out how we're going to handle the job." he said, only realizing that he had said 'we' after the fact. Why he was getting so familiar with this girl, he didn't know.


The forest was quiet and dark, with only the occasional chirping of a bird somewhere in the trees. As they walked, tiny lights would appear and vanish around them, a soft blue in color. Elias didn't seem bothered by it, judging by the tiny smile on his face. He reached out and took one of the lights in his hand, lightly placing it on his shoulder.


"Fairy lights." he explained. "If you can get one to stay on your shoulder, it's supposed to bring you good fortune."

 

[Shura]

Iris took notice of the lights and was curious about them but any time she drew close they would vanish. Her more feline tendencies were starting to show as she started to follow the lights curious as to what they were. She turned to Silver as he spoke up having on on his shoulder and drew closer. "They're pretty..." She muttered softly having never seen them before.

 

[Gobbo]

Elias smiled a bit, looking at the one on his shoulder. It didn't have really any discernible shape, though occasionally you could see a flicker of a tiny set of wings.


"They are. Good luck to have around, so long as you don't follow them. They think it's funny when travelers get lost." he explained, watching as one of the lights landed on her shoulder by itself. He chuckled a bit, pointing it out. "That's a good omen."

 

[Shura]

Iris blinked and looked at the strange light that had landed on her shoulder and couldn't help smile warmly. She was happy to be wandering through the forest enjoying the words little wonders. Despite being tired and hungry it felt a lot beat than being well fed and being lazy in her prison waiting for the day to be used in a pawn in a greater game.

 

[Gobbo]

The light that was on Elias' shoulder flitted up to land on top of his ear, and after a few moments he chuckled lightly.


"No, she's not. Though, the ambiance is appreciated." he answered, seemingly to a question that hadn't been asked. He sighed a bit to himself as the light flitted off, landing on the top of her head. He knew it would probably sound like he was talking to himself, which he was known to do from time to time...

 

[Shura]

Iris was scanning the forest watching the other lights as they danced another one landing on her other shoulder. She couldn't help but chuckle lightly as more fluttered around them. She looked over to silver as he started talking to her self ears twitching looking for some kind of unheard statement or question. "I'm not what?" She asked wondering what he as talking about.

 

[Gobbo]

Elias looked over at her with a little shrug, seeming to have to compose himself for the answer. He had started to let his guard down around her without even realizing it.


"Oh, nothing. Don't worry about it, Lena was just asking me a question." he said, pointing out the light that was sitting on her head. He puffed on his pipe as they walked, one of the lights resting on the stem.


"If you listen closely, you can hear them."

 

[Shura]

Iris tilted her head thinking the man to be crazy a moment before she looked at one of the lights studying it a moment realizing that they weren't just fairy lights, they were little faeries. "Oohhhh" She muttered when the realization hit. "Thats pretty cool"

 

[Gobbo]

Glad that she didn't push to know what Lena had asked him he let out a little sigh, smoke curling past his face. "They're friendly, so long as you don't do anything to piss them off. The fae have access to unbelievably strong magic, and they aren't afraid to use it on anyone that hurts them." he explained, watching as the lights slowly filtered away back into the trees. They had passed the fae's territory, so they were left in the dark once again.


"Had you pounced on one of them, I'd wager that you'd be flying skyward right about now."

 

[Shura]

Iris watched as they fluttered up into the trees smiling a bit as they disappeared. "It's a good thing I didn't..." she muttered softly before looking over to Silver curiously. "You know a lot about magic... don't you?"

 

[Gobbo]

Elias glanced over at her, his eyes meeting hers for a moment. He chuckled a bit and nodded, his pipe hanging loosely from his lips.


"I do. I've been studying magic for most of my life, and wandering for longer than that. You tend to pick up a lot of things when you travel." he explained. "I've found that magic is useful in my line of work. Why do you ask?

 

[Shura]

His explanation made sense, magic was something that needed a lot of study and moving around often was a good way to pick up on different schools. "Just curious really. Magic is another one of those thing I wasn't allowed to learn much about. Most of what I know comes from magicians and old parlor tricks used to entertain kids."

 

[Gobbo]

"I see. Everyone can have access to magic, it's just something you need to learn." he explained, fishing out a coin from his pouch at the mention of parlor tricks. He held it up, and with a flick of his fingers it vanished. He showed both hands empty, and seemingly plucked it out of thin air.


"A lot of parlor tricks work for thieving as well. It teaches dexterity and stealth." he explained. It was odd for him to have a conversation like this with someone, but for some reason he was feeling more and more comfortable with her.

 

[Shura]

Iris smiled slightly and nodded "Makes sense. I know some tricks but most are just quick hand movements or misleading a person. Sometimes its just to trick the eyes. A lot different than real magic... like the protection or alarm spell you used."

 

[Gobbo]

"Sure, there's a difference... But cheap tricks tend to be a stepping stone to real magic. It's a good place to start." he explained as they walked, the forest finally opening up after a while. In front of them was the start of the plainlands, a massive stretch of blank, open land. A few miles away they could see lights, illuminating a huge town on the side of a large lake.


"There it is. We're nearly there."