silverdust [M:0:0:][D3v:http://rpgmenagerie.com/index.cgi?board=ci&action=display&thread=314]Mess with the panther, and you get the dagger in your throat.
Kat nodded and fiddled with the tip of her tail to keep it from twitching. "Is there anything else that you can tell me. Anything, whether it seems to be relevant or not. Anything the least bit out of the ordinary?"
Dominic [M:123:1420:][D3v:http://rpgmenagerie.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=cs&thread=382&page=1#14144][b]Let me tell you a story...[/b][0:No encore today][1:You have my attention]
Dom had only been half-hearing the conversations around him, just taking them in, enjoying the mirth. The happiness started to wane, howver, as he caught details of the plight of the girls in the camp. He listened intently just to see if he could detect the high, sweet tones of young women. Only the runaway Adamina was evident in the hubbub.
He shifted around, orienting on Kat and Ilona's voices. Declaring he just needed to stretch his legs a little he moved away from the fire. He didn't follow the two women directly, the tone and hesitancy he'd heard in the voice of the dancer and noted that she did not want to be seen as asking for help. He skirted around the pitched tent and spoke quietly while out of sight.
"Put a bell on her." he said simply, gravity in his voice. It sounded ludicrous, it could almost have a jab at the feline girl, or maybe just a strange nonsquitor. He was dead serious though.
"Adamina, the girl. Make her a necklace of bells. Whatever's taking them will likely want the whole set. If she moves in the night we'll hear. Give her strong perfume tonight too. Dress her in bright cloth. If anything tries to move her, we'll hear it, the dogs can smell it."
Last Edit: Nov 14, 2011 12:44:06 GMT -5 by Dominic
Love, like Hope, has too few letters for a word so powerful.
Ilona lifted her shoulder in an expressive shrug; one that held more disillusionment than seemed possible.
“While there is no evidence of intruders in the camp, there has been one distinguishing characteristic after Rasia. And, as we did not notice anything wrong at that time, entirely possible we missed it then. Each girl’s bed has not been disturbed. However; sand – Southern sand, has been found in every one of them."
Casamir swung around when Dominic spoke. He glanced briefly at Ilona and Kat and then focused on the Bard. He did not ask how Dominic knew what was going on, after the glance at Ilona’s guilty expression he did not need to.
“Pardon? Did you just suggest using my niece as… bait?”
Eternity
“Put some clothes on, you weird, yellow-eyed, table-dancing, werewolf-training, cryptic, stare-me-right-in-the-eyes-and-don't-even-blink wench.”
silverdust [M:0:0:][D3v:http://rpgmenagerie.com/index.cgi?board=ci&action=display&thread=314]Mess with the panther, and you get the dagger in your throat.
Dominic [M:123:1420:][D3v:http://rpgmenagerie.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=cs&thread=382&page=1#14144][b]Let me tell you a story...[/b][0:No encore today][1:You have my attention]
Dominic wheeled around to the man addressing him. His face was stony, adamant, grave. His eyes opened again, brow furrowed and intense.
"Cassamir. You care deeply, and you are obviously a man of integrity. You've proven such tonight." He stepped toward the big man, well within range of a punch or a knife, neither of which would he have any chance of defending himself against.
"I hate to witness kind, free folks in trouble. So if you think me a fool, say so. I'll leave without quarrel. I don't presume to tell you your business. But if the girl truly is the last of your group, the only one remaining, then put aside pride and let us help." He gestured toward where he'd heard Kat's voice.
"If you think it wise, make sure there is a seat directly beside the girl's tent opening. I'll sit. Sleep be damned. If she is disturbed, I will hear." Giving up a night of sleep for a vigil, well, seems small price for their hospitality.
Love, like Hope, has too few letters for a word so powerful.
Casamir was proud. But, that pride came from love. He was the undisputed head of the family, not because his people were afraid of him, but because they loved him. He was kind, gentle, easy to talk to - most of the time - and did not dismiss or degrade a single soul. If he had a fault, and we all do, it was this: he was hard headed to an absurd degree.
Casamir was as adamant and mulish as... well, one of his mules. Ilona had softened this somewhat, and the newborn baby even more, but when faced with Kat's quiet rebuke and Dominic's words it flared up immediately.
"Pride?"
Casamir's voice was dangerously low, and the curvy knife that was tucked into his sash flashed from the light of the fire.
Eternity
“Put some clothes on, you weird, yellow-eyed, table-dancing, werewolf-training, cryptic, stare-me-right-in-the-eyes-and-don't-even-blink wench.”
Dominic [M:123:1420:][D3v:http://rpgmenagerie.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=cs&thread=382&page=1#14144][b]Let me tell you a story...[/b][0:No encore today][1:You have my attention]
Dominic didn't back down, not even slightly. He didn't have the luxury of being able to stare an opponent down, though the converse was also true. He was running a very dangerous gambit here for someone he barely knew. His need to transcend his own limitations, even to the point of doing stupidly dangerous things, was a fault of his.
"Yeah." he said levelly "And before you put out my lights just take one breath, one second, and ask yourself who you're really angry at. Then take another and think about this as a leader. As the leader I've heard you be. As the leader they all know you are." He gestured at the camp with a wide sweep of his hand.
Love, like Hope, has too few letters for a word so powerful.
Casamir's hand was on the knife hilt in an instant. He wanted to slice the man's fingers off right here and right now. And that little burst of sadism was so unlike him it brought his fuming thoughts to a screeching halt. The blind Bard had done nothing to warrant such ire, Dominic's words had only fired the ashes of his rage into flames.
Ilona took a deep breath the hand that had come up over her mouth dropped back down and she abandoned Kat went to her husband's side. Dominic might not have been able to see the gaze of the rest of the camp, but Kat certainly could, everyone had frozen in place.
"You are right, Dominic. Please excuse a very tired and suspicious man."
Eternity
“Put some clothes on, you weird, yellow-eyed, table-dancing, werewolf-training, cryptic, stare-me-right-in-the-eyes-and-don't-even-blink wench.”
Dominic [M:123:1420:][D3v:http://rpgmenagerie.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=cs&thread=382&page=1#14144][b]Let me tell you a story...[/b][0:No encore today][1:You have my attention]
Dominic smiled, a small and gentle expression, not one of smugness or victory. He exhaled a held breath in relief and nodded toward him.
"No apology necessary, the strain you must have been under...well...I've never had the responsibility of anyone other than myself. You're a stronger man than me. I'm at your disposal, if you see fit. I just want bad things to stop happening to good people."
Dominic was never really one to bow down to an authority figure. But there was a wide wide gulf between authority and leadership. True leaders, to his mind, didn't need authority. They just inspired those around them to rally to their cause. An authority figure may be there when you needed him. A true leader was there even when you didn't.
Love, like Hope, has too few letters for a word so powerful.
silverdust [M:0:0:][D3v:http://rpgmenagerie.com/index.cgi?board=ci&action=display&thread=314]Mess with the panther, and you get the dagger in your throat.
Post by silverdust on Nov 17, 2011 18:58:45 GMT -5
Perhaps only Ilona would have seen Kat's dagger appear in her hand in a flickering instant when Casamir looked ready to inflict violence against them, and then disappear just as quickly when he backed down. Cute and intriguing though she was, this diminutive catgirl was also obviously ready to fight if necessary. And despite Dominic's words, she intended to be watching closely that night whether they wanted her to or not.
Casamir wrapped a hand around his wife's hip. If tension lingered in his shoulders or body her presence, at least, calmed him. He gave Dominic a small half-smile.
"I am not so foolish, I hope, to accept aid. The idea of bells was a brilliant suggestion, and one I should have considered myself. Now, if only I could get her to agree to wear them."
Casamir looked ruefully down at Ilona.
"Perhaps that could come from you, my heart."
Ilona gave both Dominic and Kat a grateful smile before slipping away from her husband. With Ilona gone and headed in the direction of the children's circle the other men in the camp, including Ramon, made a quick semi-circle around Casamir, Dominic, and Katerina. There were a ton of other ideas to keep track of the girl, but in the end Dominic's suggestion of belling her stood alone, the others discarded as being impractical or of no use. The rest of the details consisted of who would stand guard, who would keep an eye on the dogs, and who would set traps to surround the caravan.
By the time that schedule was figured out, Ilona had returned. When Casamir looked at her she only smiled and wiggled her fingers at him.
"Do not worry husband. The bells are securely knotted about her wrists, neck, and ankles."
And that was that.
The night dragged on - endless moments lost and found - while the fire blossomed higher and people tried both to sleep and to stay awake.
Eternity
“Put some clothes on, you weird, yellow-eyed, table-dancing, werewolf-training, cryptic, stare-me-right-in-the-eyes-and-don't-even-blink wench.”
silverdust [M:0:0:][D3v:http://rpgmenagerie.com/index.cgi?board=ci&action=display&thread=314]Mess with the panther, and you get the dagger in your throat.
Post by silverdust on Nov 18, 2011 16:46:24 GMT -5
Kat vanished into the night; in truth she was crouched and alert atop the caravan the girl stayed in. Any stirring inside would be noticeable to her, as would anyone approaching or leaving. She had stolen some ash from the edge of the fire and mixed it with a little water, smearing it over her face and fingers, concealing any of her pale skin not hidden by her leathers and half gloves.
The first guard came and went from Adamina's wagon, as did the second. An unreasonably warm late-autumn wind picked up the detritus left about the camp and tossed it hither and yon - the last embers of the fire snapping and popping. The balmy breeze coaxed open eyes to close, coaxed awake minds to sleep, and more importantly created a sense of security. I'll bet you know the sensation; like a warm blanket to snuggle deeply in.
The death of Mina's mother had been harsh on her. She had never known her father; in idle wastrel and gambler far to the south. He had money, quick wit, and even quicker hands. A young gypsy girl, like her mother, was easy prey. He left long before Adamina was born. Of course, she never missed what she never had, and there were plenty of men in the camp, Casamir in particular, who were willing to play surrogate father.
Death's hand created the gap. A lack of control; that recently, Mina was pushing to the point of recklessness. She was no longer a child and she was not yet an adult. A shower of sand fell along the steps of the wagon she was sleeping in moving closer to the girl.
Eternity
“Put some clothes on, you weird, yellow-eyed, table-dancing, werewolf-training, cryptic, stare-me-right-in-the-eyes-and-don't-even-blink wench.”
Dominic [M:123:1420:][D3v:http://rpgmenagerie.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=cs&thread=382&page=1#14144][b]Let me tell you a story...[/b][0:No encore today][1:You have my attention]
Dom, good to his word, had set himself up on a chair by the steps to the caravan. He wasn't asleep, having asked one of the younger lads if they had anything to help wakefulness. He'd been given a snifter of some powder, an alchemical mixture usually used by revellers to allow them to party for longer. He rarely had spare coin for such things, but this wasn't a simple case of partying all night so they were happy for him to use what they had.
It had left him feeling warm and quite pleasant, though twitchy and dry in the mouth. He occasionally sipped from a water skin, hat pulled over his eyes as if he were dozing. His ears were pricked though, making a game of it to try and identify every sound that he came across, trying to filter out and compartmentalize all of it. It was in doing this that he heard the quiet hiss of falling sand. Sand. Ilona had said there was sand at the beds of the girls. No alarm had gone up yet. He listened hard for the bells, hand tightening on his staff, body tensing. He stood slowly, head tilted. He didn't want to raise a false alarm, but his heart hammered. He came to a decision and, though it may make him look silly, he took a little gamble.
"Say...you weren't thinking of going in there and snatching that poor girl, were you?" he asked, potentially to thin air.
Love, like Hope, has too few letters for a word so powerful.
There was no reply to Dominic’s question, just the whisking slap of the wind. Though, his sensitive ears might have been able to notice the sifting sound of the sand had stopped. Especially right now, when the fire’s voice was lulled into the same sleep the rest of the camp guards and dogs had succumbed to.
No one else would have been able to pick out that single sound free from the chorus of wind. Well, no one but a very alert catgirl whose ears were just as sensitive as Dominic’s and who was perched on the top of Mina’s caravan right above the door.
Eternity
“Put some clothes on, you weird, yellow-eyed, table-dancing, werewolf-training, cryptic, stare-me-right-in-the-eyes-and-don't-even-blink wench.”