The Bargain
Well, I wanted to get some things posted before I ship, and I finally finished one! This is a small peek into what Lykopis has been up to lately, since she's been so quiet.
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The sun had fallen behind the desert buttes, giving the sky above Tazoon a deep red tint. The marketplace was still bustling, and the business in the taverns was just starting to pick up for the evening. As shadows crept over the desert city, a cloaked figure walked quickly through the streets, pausing at the corners to look around before making any turns.
Zephyrin stopped at the entrance of a small house, looking over her shoulder discreetly as she unlatched the door. The second she had stepped into the darkened main room and closed the door, the fiend held out her hand, fire exploding in her palm to light the area. Brown eyes combed the room diligently as she lit lamps and the fireplace. To the casual observer, her behavior could have been taken as paranoia.
However, it was a simple matter of not wanting her past sneaking up on her.
Content that her dwelling place was void of any unwanted visitors, Zephyrin finally dropped the hood of her cloak and set her satchel on the table. Now that she was done with her "day job" at the academy, she could finally get to work on more important matters.
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In the alley across the street, a form covered by a tattered cloak and dirty clothing stirred. Black disheveled hair spilled out from under the hood as it was pulled back with a hand, revealing the scarred face of a young woman.
The beggar's hair couldn't hide the gleaming yellow eyes, or the wry grin creeping across her face.
"Found you..."
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The sun had set long ago. Tazoon was dark, save for the lamps that lined the canal and major streets, and the lights coming from windows. Most people had retired to their homes for the evening, save for those who made their living in the taverns and brothels.
There was no word, in Fiendish or the common tongue, to describe how furious Zephyrin was. She was late getting home, her supervisor had been particularly piggish throughout the day, and if one more drunk pinkling made a move on her, she was going to turn them into a greasy smear on the nearest wall! The fiend huffed, blowing a strand of hair away from her face with the motion. In her irritation, she failed to keep her usual caution about herself as she flung open the door to her small abode.
She didn't see the figure standing in the darkened corner behind the door. She also didn't notice the cobalt mace being raised in preparation for a strike.
Zephyrin did, however, hear the barely audible creak from leather armor.
The fiend ducked to the side as the mace came crashing down. She conjured up fire in one hand, drew her dagger with the other, and turned to face her attacker as they stepped into what little light there was. Zephyrin couldn't recognize who it was, thanks to the hood, mask, and dark armor. The eyes, though, were a feral yellow color. She couldn't decide if they were natural or not, but the figure looked human otherwise, lacking blue skin or pointed ears and being shorter than her door frame.
The intruder swung again, forcing Zephyrin to step backwards. In retaliation, she threw the fire into the human's face, grinning as she was rewarded with a string of painful curses. The grin faded as she watched the stranger use some kind of magick to repair the charred skin around the yellow eyes. "I guess you just don't get it." Zephyrin hissed as she brought the pommel of her dagger down on the human's head, raising it again for a second blow. "If you had just left, I might have let you l-"
A deceptively strong, gloved hand caught her wrist before the dagger made contact.
A split second later, Zephyrin found herself face down on the floor, pinned by the human. "I guess you just don't get it." The masked "pinkling" finally spoke, in an obviously female voice, as she pulled said mask from her face, revealing the acid burn scar that carved a line across her features from the right cheek to the left eyebrow. "The Silver doesn't need you back right away."
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Zephyrin glared at the yellow-eyed human. It didn't matter if the human had a name or not (and what sort of ridiculous name was "Lykopis"?), this THING had the audacity to break into her home, hold her hostage, and root through her belongings! In the beginnings of a rather immature hissy-fit, she stomped a foot in an attempt to get the human's attention. "Hey! HEY! You have no business in here, or in my th- PUT THAT DOWN! That's an expensive relic!"
Lykopis, on the other hand, didn't even flinch at all the yelling. "That so?" Ignoring the dirty looks, she turned the "expensive relic" over a few times in her hands before giving it a good shake. Once she was sure it wasn't going to do anything interesting, she dropped it on the table with a resounding "thud" before picking up a large, decorated tome and leafing through several pages.
"That doesn't belong to you!"
"Relax. I can't read a word of it, anyway." Lykopis continued to breeze through the pages, completely ignoring what was written and only paying attention to the pictures and diagrams. After studying it for several minutes, she let it fall to the table's surface before reaching in to the bag that hung from a strap across her shoulders. From it, she pulled out a book that was nearly identical to the one Zephyrin had on the table. It looked a bit older, and the pages were discolored. Zephyrin's eyes widened as she recognized the Fiendish writting on the cover. "You... where did you find that?"
The human set her own book down on the table, then proceeded to sit next to it and prop her feet up on the other chair, crossing them at the ankles. "My work with the Dragon takes me all over the place. You'd be surprised what you can find just laying around if you look..." She pulled off a glove with her other hand, then stuck her finger in her mouth to pick at her teeth. "But I'm glad you know what it is. Saves me the trouble of making a fool of myself in an attempt to pass it off as something valuable."
"You have NO idea what's in that-"
"I've got an idea." Lykopis interrupted as she held up the book in question. "I've already had a hatchling go through this. Now, not only do I need to know what exactly is in here and how it can be used and go wrong, I require training in the arcane. This is valuable to you?" The book was set on the table, and an armored hand was braced against it as Lykopis leaned closer. "I'll make a deal with you."
Zephyrin hated deals, especially if she didn't make them. It didn't help that it was with a human, either. It applied even more if it wasn't likely to end up in her favor. "What is the deal?" As if she had a lot of room to negotiate. If she was lucky, the human wouldn't drive too hard a bargain.
"You provide me with training, and I'll keep Kandrin from finding out where you are. I'll even throw the book in for some extra incentive."
