The start of a beautiful ... well, something. (peerface x eldarface)

“It’s very chivalrous of you to put your own feelings for her aside and only want to make sure that she is alright, but be sure that the damsel in distress really needs your help before you go charging in in your shining armour, seated on your white horse. Things aren’t always the way they seem. If there’s anything you have learned from me, then it should be that. People are easily fooled by appearances and by what they themselves want to believe when they see or hear something but that is far from making it the truth.”

Del’ure ruffled his hair shortly in a sort of apology for the rant, before he continued to speak. “No, plague won’t work. Even if we use a messenger so you have time to inspect the house and maybe talk to Selina, it would spread too quickly and there would be a mass panic even before the doctor could rule out a case of the plague. It’s too dangerous.” Not to mention that they would draw no profit whatsoever from such a situation.

“I was thinking something more along the lines of shortness of breath, vomiting, chest pains. You know, the usual signs of someone on the brink of death. And since I’m still so young and handsome, it would be such a shame if I were to depart early from this earth, don’t you think?” Del’ure grinned his typical grin as he looked at Jack and motioned for him to go do his job. “It’ll take me a bit to get back and then to get the innkeeper to call for the doctor, so don’t let yourself be caught. The day is coming to an end, so hopefully they won’t leave the house anymore, which should leave you the time to gather some information.”

Looking back at the seemingly quiet house once again, Del’ure shifted his gaze back to Jack after a short while. “If there’s no more questions, I’ll be going then.”

Jack Saluted and grinned broadly at Del'ure. He could count on him for everything. This plan seemed like it would work without a doubt. "No more questions Boss. I think we got this in the bag.

He bid Del'ure adieu and played the waiting game for a while. Of course he wasn't stagnent while he waited. He took Del'ure's suggestion and he skirted around the house, looking inside for movement, checking through the curtains from a safe distance. He was pretty sure he had picked out Salina's room pretty quickly. He confirmed his suspicion when night fell and the candles lit up individual bedrooms, and Salina's window only showed a lithe, small figure within, rather than any other older persons. Awesome. Still too far away to hear any conversations, though. He didn't want to risk getting on the rooftop and being seen by the messenger when he came. Now the debate he had with himself was whether he should go inside once the doctor left and knock on Salina's door (and risk getting caught by the other midwife) or go to Salina's window (and risk getting a shoe in the face from somebody who'd probably be much more startled by a window entrance.)

Anyhow, he had plenty of time to think about it before the messenger came. It was about an hour and a half before a panicked citizen rushed from the inn in a hurry, and Jack ducked away to stay hidden. The good messenger pounded on the Doctor's door, which, fortunately, was answered by none other than the doctor himself. After a frantic explanation, the doctor grabbed his coat and kit and rushed off without any hesitation. Well, that was good. Except the doctor had locked the door behind him. Shoot, Jack had totally decided on going inside before that had happened.

The doctor rushed to the inn and threw open the doors, before he was led to Del'ure. He had all of his equipment out. "Tell me," he asked either the witnesses or Del'ure, "What was he doing immediately before this? What caused this?"

Jack, meanwhile, decided to go a sort of traditional route. Climbing up to her window and startling Salina would not do him any good, so he picked up a couple of bits of gravel and tossed them at her window with impecable aim, hoping she'd get curious and look out. If that failed, then he'd go the extra step further.

No sooner said than done. Del’ure immediately headed back to the inn and all went so easily according to their plan that Del’ure was a little worried that it would go too well and not leave Jack enough time to get himself into place and a plan worked out. Alas, there was nothing to be done about it now. Either the boy would be ready or he wouldn’t be, but Del’ure couldn’t the course of action anymore now.

After he had claimed that he wasn’t at all feeling well with chest pains and shortness of breath, he had even refused to drink the rest of his ale, for which he had so openly claimed his undying love for earlier in the day, and then actually stumbled up the staircase, crashing down a couple of times. Of course, this was not lost on the innkeeper, who immediately summoned one of her errand boys to go fetch the doctor, while she herself escorted Del’ure up into the room he had rented for himself – Jack would have a separate room so there would be no questions as to his whereabouts at this moment in time.

Not soon after, the doctor already appeared and as Del’ure had feared, he had a very arrogant air about him, demanding explanations immediately. Of course, that was also part of his job but that didn’t mean that his newest patient was very fond of his attitude. “I.. I was just drinking an ale, or wanted to, when it happened. Nothing much else, walking through town a little to get to know the place. Horseriding. Thinking about a lovely woman. I honestly can’t recall anything that could have caused this. I’m not going to die, am I?”
Del’ure tried not to overdo the act, but the words came out with regular pauses in between while he tried to look pitiful at the same time, worried that something truly horrible might be wrong with him.

On the other side of time, Selina wondered what on earth had happened that someone would be pounding on their door so loudly. However, when she wasn’t called down, she assumed that it had nothing to do with childbirth, so she would at least not have to be in Porter’s company for a while. It was refreshing. Every moment, she didn’t have to spend with the doctor, was a cherished one, but they were a little too rare in her opinion.

And then there were pebbles flying against her window all of a sudden. Her first reaction was to draw away from the window, not understanding why anyone would do that. Then slowly, her curiosity began to grow and she made her way over to the window, opening it carefully and slowly so that whoever thought it was a good idea to throw stones would realise they should stop doing that before they hit her!

Upon seeing the boy she had seen earlier at the flower vendor’s stand beneath her window, poised to throw more stones to get her attention, her eyes opened wide in surprise. “What on earth are you doing here?! How did you even find me?”

The doctor was quite skilled at his trade, but this was something he had never witnessed before - a young man having these kinds of reactions. These were symptoms for old men. These symptoms usually happened right before the older gentlemen died very tragically. Usually the cure was to make the person comfortable until they passed away, so drugging them up incredibly with poppies to make their passing less painful. Why would this affliction hit somebody so young? He took Del'ure's jaw in his hand firmly and squeezed roughly as a way of forcing the mouth open, looking for signs of poisoning. Alas, none existed. After thoroughly checking Del'ure's teeth by invading his personal space and his mouth with his fingers, the doctor then moved to examine Del'ure's eyes, so he pulled them open gently and -

GASPED! Oh my, this was very bad! This man's eyes were signs of demonic activity! That made all the other symptoms make so much more sense! Of couse, he didn't want to panic everybody, but this was bad news. It was good they had been able to isolate Del'ure away from the denizens downstairs. "I don't mean to panic you, sir, but I believe that you may be possessed by a demon. That is the only explanation for your symptoms. But I promise you, we will chase the demons out of you!" Being a barber-surgeon, he had to be prepared for everything, and situations like this were no exception!

"There's a dark spirit inheriting you, young man. But, you need not fear. I have caught this demon before it could consume your soul." He took salt out of his back and started surrounding Del'ure's bed with it, and started lighting candles and censors. Then the ritual began!

Jack automatically smiled when she showed her face. He couldn't help it. "Well, it wasn't luck, that's for sure. I - oh, uh - I brought you this back." he pulled the Sunflower from behind the wall, and then sighed sadly. "Honestly, it was yours all along. I just... I was just ... being shy and awkward. Can I come up?"

He balanced the flower-pot carefully between his tunic and his belt, tightening his belt around it so it wouldn't so easily fall, and grabbed onto the rain gutters and window-sils until he was up at hers. He sat on her window-sil and put the potted flower next to him, and smiled at her again. "So this is for you," he repeated.

But he put on his serious face after a moment and sighed. "Uhm.. hey, though, I know you don't know me at all - My name is Jack, by the way - I was wondering if I could - uh- ask you something. I was curious about you, so I .. so I asked around... and it came up that you might be being held captive here by somebody. I was hoping you could clear the rumours so I knew if I needed to rescue you or not." May as well come out and say it. His creativity node in his brain was on shut-down mode because all of the energy in his brain ... well, it just wasn't in his brain. His brain simply wasn't working right now. Not around her. She was so cute.

There was a moment when Del’ure quite simply just wanted to bite the doctor’s fingers off, but alas, it would not fit with the act, so he had to swallow his pride and accept the personal space invasion without as much as a comment or even shudder. When the doctor suddenly went for Del’ure’s eyes, the latter had to refrain from bursting out laughing and tried to hide the snort in a sort of choked breath. He had completely forgotten about the best weapon of all he could use – his own eyes!

“A demon? I am possessed by a demon?!?” he shrieked, utterly disturbed by the news. “Are you absolutely sure? Could it not be something else?” But he merely nodded, eyes ripped open in fear, when the doctor assured him that he would be rid of this evil spirit in no time at all.

It was a good thing he could act because otherwise this would have been a complete fail and Jack would have been busted. Hopefully the youth did remember that Porter wouldn’t be away from his home all night though.

The ritual itself was weird. Salt, candles, even a few oils after everything else was set up, well anything smelly really. Apparently people seemed to believe that by lightning disgusting smelling incense would up and flee the body. Granted, it was a good reason to pick up your legs and run as quickly as you can but honestly, was that all? Anybody with any sense, or a decent nose, would run from these smells. The chant brought another choked chortle from Del’ure and he really had to concentrate now not to overdo the acting because he was trying not to burst out into laughter. The real question now though was whether he should just remain rigidly where he was or whether he should start trashing about or some such nonsense while the demon was supposedly exorcised. Or should he just make believe he had passed out?

At first, she really wasn’t sure whether she should let him up or not. What if someone saw? But then she looked at the sunflower again and there really wasn’t much else she could do other than give him a small wave to motion for him to climb up, which he swiftly did.
When he set the sunflower down on her windowsill, she sighed happily and fidgeted around it, moving her hands as though she wanted to touch it but then didn’t dare after all for fear something might happen to the beautiful yellow plant. “It’s wonderful. Thank you!”

His words made her hesitate however. Not the fact that he had asked around about her. No, that bit she actually found rather flattering, especially the fact that he had bought her a flower, in her presence even though she hadn’t realised it was for her, made her heart beat faster. What made her hesitate and retreat a little bit was his mention of rumours of her being restrained. “Jack, I don’t know what you’ve heard but it probably isn’t true. People in this town talk quite a lot. They have nothing else to do it seems.”

Regarding him for a few moments, she stated: “You’re serious, aren’t you?” But it might not have had the desired effect he may have hoped for when she suddenly continued in a slightly more aggressive tone: “You want to rescue me? You want to play the knight in shining armour, is that it?” Shaking her head, she added, in a more gentle tone again: “I just have to get through this. A while longer, then I’ll be fine.”

The doctor started throwing the salt into the air over Del'ure. "Ahhm - Ooohh - Deeey - laaaa - raaam - saaiise" he chanted loudly and slowly, encircling the bed as he did. "AAAHM OOH DEY - " etc. etc. Del'ure started spasmiing compulsively, his eyes wide as it seemed the "exorcism" was coming to a head. The doctor smacked Del'ure's forehead with the palm of his hand, and began commanding the DEMONS within! "YOU foul beasts of evil, you are WEAK against this man's will! You are WEAK against MY will! You will NOT inhabit this man!"

Del'ure shut his eyes, and then cackled WICKEDLY. His voice shrank into an eeeeevil hissss. "You fool - " Del'ure said, "You suspect that you can REMOVE us from our puppet? From our relic? No - your power only FEEDS us! Your corruption gives us strength! We will have this man's soul for supper, and when we are done, we will take every person in this town! We will save you for last. The wickedness in your soul only makes you more delicious - and that is why you will be our dessert!" Another wicked cackle ensued, followed by thrashing.

The doctor blanched, but he was not about to give up! "You HEED my words you creatures of darkness, your lies will not weaken my will! Out - OUT!" He now took his holy-water and began whipping it over Del'ure. This went on for a while.

---

He rubbed the back of his neck with embarrassment as she mentioned that it people were gossipping fools. He should have known that's all it was - he knew how rumours had spread in his old town. When she asked him about his intentions as a night, he smiled sheepishly. "Would you hate me if I said 'yes'?" He asked. He sighed when she indicated she was just going to stick it out for a little longer. "Well... you're a brave person."

He leaned against the side of her window, kind of looking down. "Can I... can I tell you a secret?"

"I didn't used to be a person," he said, looking embarrassed as he said so. "I was just... I don't know. a husk. A shell. A thing that was only changed by outside circumstances. My travelling companion... he saved me from that fate, and he saved me from death. So I ... I know that there are bad people in this world. And I know that abuse can happen. When I saw you, I just thought that you were pretty, and that's all. You were just the first girl who I tried to flirt with after becoming a real person, you know? But when I heard what people said... I just... I just wanted to make sure you weren't ... you weren't on the receiving end of abuse. I wanted to make sure you weren't broken and beaten... a victim, like I was." He looked away as he said so, feeling embarrassed, and sad, too. He bit back tears, and then looked to her very seriously. "That's why, you see. That's why I worried. I guess it's human to project yourself onto others, and if I overstepped my bounds, I'm sorry." He rubbed his head, looking a bit drained for having been so honest, worried about her reaction. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly, to calm himself down. "I'm sure my companion and I aren't going to stay in town long. That's not our nature. But... can you promise me that you're going to be okay? Can you promise me that he won't hurt you, or.... or violate you?"

When the smack landed on his forehead, Del’ure was completely startled for a moment. He had expected quite a few things, but definitely not that. Why was he touching him? Wasn’t he afraid the demon would get to him? Refraining from shaking his head, Del’ure kept up the pretense and kept his eyes open wide. But he couldn’t keep it in any longer, he just couldn’t!
Under the pretense of having an evil demon within him laugh at the doctor, he let out his laughter in a cackle that could actually rival any feared demons – in the view of humans – and took the game to another level.

However, the doctor wouldn’t give up, and Del’ure had to come up with even more lovely little phrases to throw at the man’s head, keeping him busy for quite a while, which in turn definitely bought enough time for Jack to really get a decent conversation going with the girl, which was the point of this whole ordeal anyway. That, and giving the town something to talk about. And Del’ure would definitely be the talk of the town for the next couple of days.

The fun kept going on with lots of cackling, nasty words, foul accusations and the like while the doctor kept struggling to exorcise the demon from Del’ure’s poor body and soul. But it all had to end some time. Giving another earpiercing shriek – Del’ure really had to hand it to himself, he hadn’t known he could reach such high tones – and some shaking on the bed as he struggled to lift himself up, he let himself fall limply into the pillows without moving anymore.

“It’s not bravery, it’s merely survival instinct,” Selina muttered quietly before she indicated that she was interested in hearing Jack’s story. Not in a prying kind of way, but honest interest in what he had to say. The boy intrigued her because he was so different from most others, and not even afraid to admit that he really did like the idea of being a saviour of damsels in distress, unlike so many others, who would say it in private but never publicly admit to it lest they would be mocked by their friends.

“Thank you for being so honest to me,” Selina said after a long moment of silence during which she contemplated his words. “You must have a lot of love for your companion for having given you the chance to live a life worth living.” A few more moments of silence passed before she continued, finally explaining her own situation. “You may have guessed that not all of the rumours are true and I assume you have also heard – and noticed, I guess – that I am living under Porter’s roof. I am learning to become a midwife and he’s also teaching me a few things about herbs with medical attributes, well, all the important things really without being an actual doctor because people would most likely not trust me as one anyways. A woman as a doctor, what a horrendous thought! But I don’t even mind that. I don’t even care about the rumours they are spreading. Yes, he would like to get to know me more intimately, but I think that is merely because he has been alone for many years by now. His wife died shortly after they were married and he hasn’t considered marrying another woman. However, he did take me under his wing after my own father died. My mother died giving birth to me and my father had been trying very hard to raise me as best as he could. He died three years ago and Porter, since his wife used to be a friend of my mother’s, decided to take me in. There really isn’t much else to it and he is offering me a chance to actually do something with my life other than being forced to marry the first guy willing to take me so that I don’t have to worry about having a place to live.”

Selina wetted her lips and remained silent for a bit after that, not used herself to telling the whole story. A lot of people in town knew this story, but most had preferred to listen to rumours and spread them instead of sticking to the truth, which was much less interesting.

“I want to also thank you for your kindness. It hasn’t happened in a long time that someone has flirted with me merely because of me, because he thought I was pretty. But, let me tell you this,” she said gently, running her hand along his cheek, “any girl can count herself lucky to be rescued by you. It just won’t be me. I promise you that he won’t touch or hurt me,nor violate me, if you promise me that you will take care of yourself and not lose your honesty. It is a most honourable trait, lost on too many people. One day you will make some girl a very happy wife!” Gently, she placed a kiss on his cheek after removing her hand. “Now go, before Porter comes back and has to spank you for dishonouring a young girl in the middle of the night by climbing up to her window. I will keep your sunflower safe. Thank you, once again.”

HA. The doctor knew his willpower had been stronger than the demons! He was quite proud of himself. He let Del'ure sleep for now... aaaand because getting rid of the demon had really been good for the entire town too, and because he really didn't want to see if he was wrong, he decided not to wake Del'ure and ask for payment. He'd rather just be blissfully oblivious and send he traveller on his way. Or let him die. Either way, really what the doctor wanted to do was NOT BE THERE anymore. So he left in a hurry.

Jack really didn't know what it was like to lose a parent, so at first the feeling was a bit lost on him. But when he thought about how lost he would be if Del'ure were to die, his heart went out to her a lot more. "Yeah..." He said lightly. "Del'ure... my traveling companion.... he's... he's just everything."

Jack smiled at her, brushing his cheek where she kissed it. He wanted to kiss her back, but between their shared stories, he kind of felt like they had a link whether or not they kissed. "Well... I guess you're tougher than I gave you credit for, Salina. I'm glad you'll be all right... thanks for explaining the situation to me. If I ever come back, I'll come to you with any ailments I have, how about that?" He teased lightly. "All right, I promise I won't lose my honesty. I haven't got a whole lot of anything - All we got is our actions and choices." He climbed carefully down her wall again, and waved up at her. "Thanks again, just... just for ... I don't know. Thanks for hearing me out, and setting my mind at ease. See you around m'lady." he gave her a low bow, before hopping the fence and disappearing into the night with a skip. Happiness!

It was a bit more time before Jack came back to the inn and knocked on Del'ure's door, hoping that the doctor still wasn't there. That might be awkward. "Del'ure?" He opened the door and poked his head in, eager to share the entire experience.

Del’ure flopped onto his back and crossed his arms behind his head as soon as the doctor was well out of reach of his ears. What an evening this had been! As if on cue, his stomach started rumbling. “Maybe I should convince Jack to get me some food when he comes back,” he muttered to the wall, groaning as he wriggled into the most comfortable position he could find on the bed. Hopefully he wouldn’t have to wait too much longer because it had been a while since he had eaten last, or at least after the whole ordeal with the doctor, it seemed so. And it wasn’t like he wanted a huge meal but he did feel a craving for a piece of breed with lovely soft cheese.
He briefly wondered whether the doctor would come back to claim payment for his services or whether the innkeeper would come to check up ‘the sleeping patient’ but somehow he had a feeling that nobody would enter his chamber any time soon apart from Jack. They were probably too scared in case the demon was still lingering around. Little did they know…

He didn’t know how much time had passed while he had been lost in his own musings but as soon as the knock sounded, followed by Jack’s whisper, Del’ure grinned. “Come in!” He called it out in a somewhat formal and slightly broken voice, just in case the boy wasn’t on his own but as predicted, everyone else seemed to try and avoid the general area around Del’ure’s chamber.

“So? How was it? What happened? Everything is alright I assume by the grin on your face.” By which Del’ure also meant that he had not been caught by anyone, especially the midwife or the doctor. “Go on then, spill the beans!”

Jack invited himself to flop onto Del'ure's bed, and he happily accepted that invitation. He pounced on it and settled on it happily. "No, no, everything was fine. Yeah... everything was great," he said with a cheesy grin. "She's so cute. I can't believe I'm going to leave her behind. What kinda cruel world is this?" He glanced at Del'ure, still grinning. "And, I noticed that we weren't interrupted." Le Wink.

He crossed his arms under his head and hiked one ankle over the other. "Nah, she's a tough cookie. I think she'll be all right. I shared my concerns with her and she was really touched and she promised me she'd be fine. She even kissed me - just a little peck on the cheeky. Man, I'm never gonna forget her. But she's got her own place here, and I respect that, just like I got my own place on the road. She's going to try to be a bona-fide doctor, you know. Is that weird? She said it was weird for women to be doctors. I guess I didn't notice it. But I'm sure she'll be fine."

He sat back up and swung his legs back over the edge of the bed. "Makes me wanna dance, though. Have you eaten yet? I haven't. We should grab some food. Want me to bring you some food back up since you're afflicted, or want to hobble down with me, coughing and making a good show for yourself? I'm cool either way." He didn't do a lot of breathing between his sentences. He was very clearly high energy. This became even more apparent when he somersaulted off the bed and followed it up with a cartwheel. "What did you choose to go with, anyway?"

“You’re not leaving her behind, so don’t worry. You’re merely each continuing to go on with your own lives without interfering in each other’s,” Del’ure corrected Jack. He wasn’t generally one to correct a lot of things but this he wanted to make clear. Leaving someone behind in his world meant abandonment and this clearly was not it and she never had been Jack’s to abandon in the first place anyway. But he didn’t want to linger on this notion either. There was no point to that whatsoever.

“Oh you know, the usual. Heart failure, lack of air, general weakness. Apparently what we thought could be construed as a heart attack or something along those lines for these people meant that they needed to exorcise a demon from deep within me. Needless to say, it was great fun! Even if completely ridiculous.” Del’ure shook his head, grinning as he thought about the doctor’s efforts.

Considering Jack’s question as the youth somersaulted off his bed, he cocked his head lightly to the side. “I’m not quite sure whether I should show them that I’m ‘healed’ or whether I should stay up here to give them a little time to come to terms with the fact that there was – or may still be – a demon lingering under their roof.” Jack’s restlessness however began to affect him soon enough and he decided to throw caution to the wind, or maybe it was just as well that he didn’t remain cooped up in his room in case they took it to be a bad sign of exorcism gone wrong.

“Let’s go have dinner, I’m hungry!” Del’ure declared as he hopped off the bed and swiftly followed Jack out of the room and downstairs into the inn. It was the quickest place to get something to eat and they knew the food was good. They could always go for a stroll later on if they still felt the need for a little bit of adventure.

“Good woman,” Del’ure grinned as the innkeeper came over to their table, one of the only ones that had still been free and obviously, every single pair of eyes in the room was now locked on them. Word of Del’ure’s ‘condition’ really had travelled quickly, but fire always spread quickly. “Whatever you have on your menu tonight, I shall have. What about you, my dear companion?” He gave Jack an encouraging look before leaning to the woman. “You know, he really was very afraid for my safety and now that all is well again and I feel like a young sprout again, thanks to the good doctor!” Of course, he had also spoken loud enough so that at least a few of the adjoining tables could hear so they could plunge themselves back into their rumours and leave the two eat their dinner in relative peace, which was to say without eavesdropping too much.

Jack sort of grinned and thought about it for a bit. "Well I guess that's a pleasant way of putting it. Well, don't you ever 'continue to go on with your own life without interfering with mine'" Jack requested. "I like my life being interfered with. It's so much more fun this way, I'll have you know. Well anyhow I wish her the best."

Jack laughed. "Seriously, a demon? Yeah right, I don't think they're THAT superstitious. Sheesh!" That gave him a laughing fit. Demons didn't even exist. They were jsut stories that superstitious people made up to have a supernatural being to blame their own faults and ill-behaviors on, because there was nothing people loved more than not being at fault for their own actions. "But I guess in a small town, it would be reasonable to think that some people are just whacked. Especially that doctor. He's gotta have some kind of making-up to do in his life."

Jack happily skipped down to the dining hall below, but when everybody looked at them, he had to remind himself that he and Del'ure had just gone through the excruciating ordeal of exorcism, so he tried to remove the peppy bounce from his step. He couldn't stop smiling though. He didn't have the willpower. As Del'ure explained that Jack had been quite concerned, Jack reached over and rubbed Del'ure's arm. "I'm just so glad he's better. I'm so relieved." hoping that that would make people not question his dopey smile. He smiled at the inn-keeper. "Whatever you fed me this morning - I'll have that again. It was just too good to eat only once."

As she went off to fetch the Dinners, Jack settled down in his chair. "So... I know you're never going to settle down," he said off-handedly. "Or, at least I don't think there's a woman out there who'll impress you enough. What do you think, though? Think there's a future for me and some pretty little thing?"

The inn performance was not lost on their audience however and most people soon turned back to their own plates and mugs, leaving Del’ure and Jack to discuss their own things without being eavesdropped on, much to Del’ure’s satisfaction. He preferred not having his conversations listened in on, even if there was nothing secretive about them most of the time.

For a moment, Del’ure slipped into darker thoughts as Jack wondered if there would be a life with his dreamgirl somewhere someday. Of course, he had somewhat incited this by bringing up the notion of going out and flirting but he hadn’t really considered that this would turn back around on him and he would be asked the question. Good thing that Jack didn’t linger on the notion of Del’ure settling down but moved to his own future instead. Del’ure almost wanted to breathe a sigh of relief and happily skipped over the comment. There was so much the boy didn’t know and never even questioned about his companion. It was probably better left that way as well. Too many secrets Del’ure didn’t want to share about his past and it would be a long time coming before he would ever even considering telling them to anyone. Though sometimes he couldn’t help but wonder whether it would not be better for Jack if he knew who he was really dealing with, at least from an essence point of view.

“Of course I can see such a future for you. Sooner or later at least. Depends on what it is you’re still planning on doing with your life until you’re going to let yourself be swept off your feet by the one and only. Mind you, she is not necessarily the first woman you’ll ever bed – or feel attracted to as you’ve learned today.” Del’ure gave a sly grin. “You know, maybe not this year or next year, but I really do see you settle down with a lovely girl at some point. I’m sure that will be your destiny, even if it may not be quite around the corner.”

Musing over this for a moment while the innkeeper brought their drinks already, he cocked his head to the side as he looked at Jack. “What do you see for your future?” It hadn’t escaped Del’ure that Jack was quite attached to him and still glad that Del’ure had – and still was – meddling with his life to keep him on a somewhat right track, but he really was curious to see what the youth’s plans were.

Jack opened his mouth to speak, but he found that the words didn't come. He hadn't thought about it before... not really. Having been with Del'ure a whole month, he still felt like he was mostly living a dream, and he was happy to just keep living it. When he had been living the life of a street-urchin, his biggest goal was to just get out of that shoddy place, but now that that was accomplished, where would he go from there? And while he dabbled with the idea of settling down with a girl somewhere, it wasn't what he really wanted. Maybe if he found somebody to come with them, that would be something, but ... a real life, the one that he had used to dream about wasn't really what he wanted anymore. Actually...

"I don't know," He said. "I've just... been so lucky to have a second chance at life. It's something that I never thought I'd have, and I ... I feel like I should do something with it. Something to make sure nobody else has to live the way I did. Does that sound cheesy... that I want to change the world? Join something that really ... you know. I just don't know where to start." He sighed and ran his hands through his hair. He sort of made an embarrassed face at Del'ure. "If it ever does sound like I'm getting too cheesy, you just let me know. But when it comes to girls... I dunno, I'm really enjoying my life right now, I don't really want to change anything about the way I'm living. Girls seem like they'd need a lot of time and commitment, But all of my time and commitment is somewhere else right now."

He took a deep long swig of his milk, the serious subject leading him down a more focused and less excitable path. "... Would you ever join something like that? Something... like a rebellion, to change the world? Or is it all kinda too political and tangled to worry about for you?"

It has been a long time since Del’ure had pondered anything as serious as the ways of the world and the possibilities of his own future. Generally, he didn’t much care. He lived from day to day, aware that at any moment and any time something could go majorly wrong and he might be snubbed out of existence. Of course, he had also grown fairly inattentive over the last few months and had his attention slip far too much for his own good while he was enjoying the better sides life had to offer. But what if those better sides were to disappear right from under his nose? Would he do something about it? Would he fight for it? Really?

Sighing deeply before taking a long sip from his drink, Del’ure stared into the mug. “I’m not quite sure what I would do. If the cause were the right one, maybe. If it suited my own interests, probably. If there were no other way, obviously. But it’s all just a question of ifs and hows and whens. Nothing is ever certain in life except what you make of it for yourself.” Del’ure looked at Jack, the tender youth he had not too long ago saved from the side of a road, on a whim, without knowing what would be in it for him. Rarely did he do things where he did not know what would could come out of it in the end with regards to his own interests. That he would gain such a loyal companion he had not thought and in an way, he was oddly grateful for the boy’s loyalty, even though he sometimes didn’t quite know what to do with it.

“Girls can take a lot of work yes, but the more used you are to talking to them, the easier it becomes and then it often is less work. It all depends on how well you know to use your charm.” Taking another sip, Del’ure continued: “It doesn’t sound cheesy that you want to change the world. On the contrary, it’s a remarkable feat. Not too many people are worried beyond their own selfish needs, myself included, and it’s a breath of fresh air to know there are people like you out there as well. You shouldn’t lose it and you will find your way, and you will find a way to make it all better.” Rarely had Del’ure ever been quite this open about his own motives with someone. Well, maybe he wasn’t laying his motives out in the open but at least he wasn’t making excuses or inventing stories. He was selfish, there was nothing else to it, and he doubted that it really could change.

It was a good thing, in his opinion, that these musing were interrupted by the innkeeper bringing over steaming plates of food, which once again smelled wonderfully delicious.

His promotion was imminent, at last, this notorious villain would be brought to justice and the region of Racksom would be that bit safer. Sahres lead the way proudly to the tavern with his two allotted guards either side. They were confident now, the man would not be able to escape. Good for nothing natives believed they could still be thieves, be lawless...Or as this man were; a killer of their people.

As they finally entered the tavern, the guards fanned out either side, they blocked the entrance and all eyes turned towards them at once. All three of them bore the cloths of "Peace Men", they did not simply patrol for their wage, they hunted criminals for it and were famously efficient. They then set about making their way effortlessly through the tavern, even as busy as it was, checking every face and dismissing the irrelevant ones in moments. Sahres still waited in front of the door, his arms held tightly behind his back, expectantly.
"There." One pointed, his stride was quick but controlled as he hauled a man seated at a table up onto his feet, promptly restraining him with steely arms. It was a threat that did not need to be even so much as whispered. The other was swift to move in, removing the loose items of what the man had, throwing what was worthless to the table and keeping the valuables in a large pouch he carried with him. It was another form of payment to the Surahnian Guards and Peace Men, so long as it was not famously valuable.
This criminal did not even think to call out, the look on his face sang a tune that he simply did not care, though he knew what was coming to him.

Sahres held himself proudly, and his voice waved through, strong and authoritative, if heavily accented.
"Take note all citizens of the New Surahnia. This man is wanted for the murder of several common folk like yourselves, even that of his own mother. This is no country for those of weak minds or wavering values. You may watch this man, and others like him, hang in Racksom tomorrow. Know well that lawbreakers will always come to no other end than death, if they do not accept the righteousness of the King's grace."
His small speech finished he nodded, looking over the lot once more- for now they were all quiet, only talking amongst themselves. Nobody dared to challenge him.

Jack looked at Del'ure. "You're not selfish," he said with a very serious tone. "I don't appreciate you insulting my friend like that. My friend Del'ure, for no reason at all, saved my life for no reason at all, and gave me me a future." He picked his butter-knife up and waggled it at Del'ure threateningly. "And if you insult my friend again, you'll have me to deal with." His serious expression was fast replaced with his usual playful grin.

His attention was cut with everybody else's when the men entered. He stiffened just at the hostility of the entrance, but relaxed when he realized that these folks weren't invaders or soldiers that were coming for them (He was always a little worried, since they didn't always make friends in their travels). He glanced at the prisoner, and felt at least a little pity. After Jack's own finger-breaking sentence, he always wanted to give criminals the benefit of the doubt of having been set-up or falsely accused. Hell, He had seen that the court system was not always infallible. When it came to someone's word against someone else's, the judge always seemed to favor the wealthy, in his experience (which, admittedly, was limited). On the other hand, when Jack HAD been accused, he had spat fire and thrashed and protested the entire way there, telling everybody how innocent he had been, but nobody had listened. This guy... he just looked like he had a guilty conscience, so that made Jack favor him a little less.

He glanced at Del'ure and stifled a snicker at "New Surahnia". "Is that where we are?" He whispered over to his Boss. He had heard whispers of things like invasion, but the overarching politics in the world had never been his interest, since they never had affected his small town.

But just to appease his own curiosity of their criminal-justice system, he turned to the men curiously. He wasn't going to raise a commotion, or bring the entire tavern's attention to himself if he could help it, but once conversation picked back up in the tavern (although a little more quietly and solemnly), Jack ventured to ask the men a few questions from his chair. Fortunately he didn't have to shout over any other tables since they were pretty close to the door. "Gentlemen, I have no objection to murderers hanging ... may I ask how you are so sure this man was the murderer? After all, why would any individual kill their own mother? How are you sure you have the right man?"

Del’ure was stunned for a moment and frowned at Jack before the youth started waving the butter knife in his face with his boyish grin. There was no need to elaborate on why Del’ure had helped Jack in the first place, there had been no reason, but they both knew that Del’ure had partially kept him around at first because he had felt a pang of guilt at realising that Jack’s misfortune was partially due to his own scheming and intriguing. However, all of those events were water down the river and there was no need to hang on to old stories. There rarely ever was.

The soldiers had barely stepped foot into the inn when Del’ure’s attention snapped to them along with everyone else’s. These were not normal soldiers. Dragons’ Cove barely even had any soldiers and the Elites certainly wouldn’t make such a show of seizing a criminal. On the contrary. Who were these men?

He wasn’t openly staring at them in admiration as some others were, or openly defiant either, but he was cautious. Living the life he did, he wouldn’t have gotten far if he wasn’t at least a bit weary about situations such as these. Del’ure knew exactly where he would have to go, should he have to bail right that instant.

As Jack spoke to him, he looked at him briefly before keeping an eye on the guards again. “It seems so. I had not known that these parts were under a new name.”
Until now, he hadn’t believed the rumours of invasion and a new army having set foot onto the island. He had taken them merely for what they had appeared to be: rumours. But he of all people should have known that every rumours always contained a spec of truth, yet he had failed to see it.

When the boy spoke to the guards, Del’ure put on an interested face, helping Jack along in getting his answers. He could see why he was so interested in this, having been at the receiving end most of his life, and considering the conversation they’d had just before the soldiers had interrupted them. “It would be most interesting indeed to learn more of your security system if you don’t mind sharing your knowledge with us.” Del’ure even went as far as to indicate their table should the guards be interested in seating themselves for a moment.

Sahres looked to those that spoke to him with, well, mild surprise.
"Who is any man to question such things, when the word of the S.R Guard is spoken? Indeed; everyone may sleep safe because they know those questions do not even need to be asked. Such is our effectivity." Yet, he was feeling in an unusually good mood, to humour the odd questions from these natives. The promotion certainly went some ways to that.
"If it concerns you though, as you should know our guard watches for all and any would-be lawbreakers. We listen to the people, we search for their claims, we discover affirmations of such corruption and then...It is the part of my men, those of my rank, to find the culprits, bring them to justice. Nobody under our eyes is there without our greatest scrutiny, we see to the very marrow of such people. Then, we do as is laid out by the war father, and cleanse our towns, our homes, of these people." He proudly finished this other speech with a pointed look to them both.

"I need not divulge on what shows this man to be who he is, this knowledge does not belong with you. Just know that now, you are safer than you were the night before, when you sleep tonight. He had taken a liking to killing family and travelers alike, as you do seem." Sahres smiled curtly. "Does this answer your questions, or does absolute efficiency offend your tastes? We realise that the people of here from before, such as yourselves, may not be used to such a luxury as a secure society."

Jack blinked at the guard, and then laughed, not really sure what to make of it. He sort of laughed to fill a blank in expectations. The explanation was so bold and straightforward, right to the point, which wasn't really what he had been expecting at all. Of course, that still wasn't proof at all exactly... but, somehow, he did actually feel a bit awed and impressed by the guard, even if his question was ultimately left unanswered. but he just didn't know how to respond to his own reaction, so a laugh it was. He glanced at Del'ure too, to see how Del'ure was reacting to it.

Ooh, wait, now he knew why he was laughing. Because he didn't want Del'ure to think of him as silly for being impressed by anybody but Del'ure. Right. Once he realized that he was just being completely dumb, he stopped laughing, and quirked his head back at the guards. "Sorry... no... I'm sorry. I didn't mean... uh..." Well now that was a little embarrassing. "Not offended at all," he said, with an embarrassed half-grin. "I'm just not used to such obvious shows of force. They don't generally happen here." While he didn't necessarily approve of Gossip being the main source of their leads, the fact that they actually investigated was a step forward. He cleared his throat to get rid of his stupid and embarrassed smile. "Right, sorry."

"Well, can I ask you a hypothetical, then? Let's say a man - not this man, but maybe one similar - let's say he had a piece of land that was desired by the community, and so was deeply disliked by them, and he had the misfortune of having his daughter die of an illness. What if, then, the people start speaking, very loudly, that the man had killed his own daughter, because the community despised him? Or, perhaps they despised him for a different reason; perhaps he had a deformed hand or what-have-you and the people feared him, so they had nothing to gain for his sentence, but they still didn't want him around. What would you look for to convict such a man? What would you investigate, into the possibility that the man was innocent?"

Sahres couldn't say of all things he expected...laughter...in response to his perfectly good explanation. Was this native mocking him? He did not act much on it beyond a quirk of the brow and a nonplussed look. Still, the boy then seemed oddly apologetic and Sahres simply nodded to him. Such strange mixes on his face, he couldn't make head nor tail of this little display.
He huffed audibly but humoured the boy when he continued to speak, visibly becoming more impatient as he shifted to one foot. Should his word not have been enough to silence any quips he had? Why was he now babbling like this? Sahres listened, though he honestly didn't need to and he could tell his subordinates were growing weary.

His words were quick and definitive, he was not open to playing with these notions.
"Then we might search, but we keep in mind that they are peasants and he is their master. Though they must be fools to behave such to their master, again, it seems you do not see that...a master in our land is a good master as he has proven his merit. You are speaking in trivialities now boy." Sahres could not comprehend why peasants would dare think to rebel against their master, the master was constantly supervised by his superiors and the code was strict on what all could do in turn, at any level of society. The natives had much to learn didn't they?

"I do not know why you are so concerned. I must return to my work now, need I hold your hand to the Sentinel's quarters?" He added, not intended to cut so much as to make a point of the boy's ignorance, he offered a token glance to the boy's companion - an older man - at the table though his expression was neutral as he looked him over, making a silent judgment or two.

Saying that Del’ure felt uncomfortable was stretching it a bit. And yet, there was something about the way the guard was so extremely self-assured and certain about this so-called security system that made him wonder how much truth there really was behind this. If there were more like him roaming about, Del’ure would have to be careful not to step on any toes for a while because otherwise he might find himself faced with this guy again but on quite different terms.

Del’ure, used to Jack’s behaviour, merely gave the youth an amused look as he went from laughing to apologising, hoping the guard wouldn’t be offended. It would be most troublesome if he was. He wasn’t too pleased, that almost seemed certain and from the way his companions were fidgeting, they were expecting trouble themselves.

Thus, before Jack could throw in anything else after the guard’s explanation, Del’ure interfered: “Thank you for the information you have provided us with. We were not aware of how exactly this system of yours is working but it seems perfectly clear now. And you are quite right. With such a culprit gone from our midst, I for one will definitely sleep much better tonight!”
His eyes briefly met those of the guard, keeping his face almost as neutral as it was before but with a hint of gratitude added. Not his gaze nor his expression revealed what he really thought of the guard’s system but he turned to Jack and said vividly: “You see? There is no need for you to worry anymore. All is taken care of.”

Once the guards were out of the inn, Del’ure turned to Jack. “These men are not to be trifled with. If you ever encounter them again, be careful about what you say. They do not think the same way we do and it might get you into trouble.” Shifting uncomfortably in his chair, Del’ure briefly observed the reactions all around them, some cheerful, some glum, it was an odd mix and it was concerning him. The arrest hadn’t brought on the usual cheer when a criminal being removed from their midst. Despite Dragons’ Cove being a peaceful place, there were always those willing to make a fuss and wanting to step out of line and they were punished as well; and it always attracted crowds wanting to be entertained.

But despite the fact that he was not very fond of the appearance of these guards, he knew that Jack had been quite fascinated. “Well then, what did you think of them?”

Oh... that look. And the whole everything. It was a good indication that it was time for Jack to shut his trap. So he did so and turned back to his plate, looking terribly embarrassed as he poked at his food, just giving agreeing nods in the Soldier's direction as Del'ure covered both their asses. Once the soldiers left, he gave Del'ure his apologetic smile, kind of sinking back into his chair a bit.

"That was.... weird. I don't know. Interesting, though..." He shrugged, his eyes still on the door that the guards had left through. "Frightening, a little bit, but... really intriguing too. " He jerked a thumb in the direction they had left in. "So... those folks are conquering us right now?" He asked, his voice edging to concern. "I'll be honest, I really haven't seen any fighting or battles or ... anything at all indicating that we're putting up a resistance. Have we just been avoiding all the hotspots, or are we sorta just.... letting 'em in?" He wasn't really sure what he thought about them, but he knew for sure that HIS society really didn't work. "Oh, damnit, I should have asked about the state of their poor. Well. I mean. Wouldn't you be curious? If we're being conquered... do you think they're just going to kill everybody who doesn't have their complexion, or assimilate us? because one might be more desirable than the other. I mean, we'd probably be putting up more resistance if they were slaughtering everybody, right?"

"I could tell, about them not being messed with. Ugh, sorry, I just don't know when to stop talking sometimes. I'll try to be better about it. But I was really curious. I don't know. What do you think about our potential conquerors?" Unfortunately, Jack really couldn't come up with an opinion of his own until Del'ure shared his. It was a bad habit, to be sure, but he couldn't help it. This defense came in especially handy when Jack really wasn't sure what opinion to have. Del'ure was better at coming to logical conclusions than Jack, so it was easier to just agree with whatever Del'ure thought.

“Yes, those would be the people currently trying to conquer us,” Del’ure replied, a small shadow spreading over his face. “So far, I hadn’t really believed the rumours, but as we have just seen...” He drifted off, and thought about what he had heard for a while, as well as contemplating what Jack had just said. The youth couldn’t quite make up his mind but Del’ure didn’t blame him for it. He wouldn’t have known what to think of this either in Jack’s situation. After all the boy hadn’t really been lucky in his life and probably hadn’t seen anything else but that little town and what he had seen while travelling with Del’ure.

“They sure are intriguing but I’m not sure on how they are handling things. There have been battles however, I assume, but nobody seems to be quite sure where they have suddenly come from. Don’t hold it against Dragons’ Cove though. Do you really think anyone could have had an army at the ready to fight off an attack when everyone was of the impression that war didn’t exist? No stranger has ever come to this island. No war has ever been fought. The odd criminal here and there is the only thing we have ever had to face here. There is no real blame to be dished out at having been invaded, though of course, the reaction should have been swifter than it seems to be.”

Taking a breath before digging into his food a little, which had gone completely cold by now, Del’ure continued after a few mouthfuls. “After seeing them in action, it seems that more of what I’ve heard seems to be true. Strict regime seems to be their lifestyle, which isn’t necessarily bad, but I personally like my freedom.” He wasn’t quite sure where Jack was going with his questions and his thoughts but he was sure that the youth would tell him sooner rather than later.

Huh. Jack made sort of an unreadable face (but it was most likely one of pondering), and slowly turned back at his food to poke at it a bit more. Then he remembered that this was precious food that he was playing with, so he inhaled it promptly. Mmmm, eating.

"Well," He said, between full bites, "I do like travelling. But... I dunno. Stability seems nice too. But up until I met you, my freedom really didn't do me much good," he said. "And everybody else's freedom kept me from ever being able to ... I mean, people were 'free' to do whatever they wanted to me, which included not hiring me and just sometimes going so far as to just beat the crap out of me. It would be nice to see some of those dick-heads brought to justice like that. But on the other hand-" he paused to take another bite and swallow it in a hurry. "... I don't know. At least they HAVE justice. It feels like there's no justice here at all. What kind of regime do you think they have, though?" He looked at Del'ure looking a bit ... maybe a little mix of guilt and worry. "Do you think... if they do take us over... that we'll have to stop travelling?"

He sighed and finished off his food, then sorta just played with his fork against his plate. It was kind of unsettling, seeing that they actually WERE being invaded... but still, those soldiers had been quite impressive. While it made him feel a little afraid, it actually made him feel slightly more excited.

".... Who do you think the good-guys are?" He asked. "I mean, between these guys and what we have... I mean, I know that Dragons Cove is on the defensive in this conflict.... but... it's never done anything for me."

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