The Mercurial Lives of Kajulan and Tekole

[Aegeroth]

The rain had stopped almost as soon as the four had begun to walk, just the natural trajectory of rainfall in the desert. Even their clothes had begun to dry, the rainwater dissipating into the arid air. Not that they weren't still soaked however, save for the short man who had managed to avoid the roughest parts of their tussle. In fact, the three others looked absolutely haggard, the big man not even having removed the knife from his side yet. If he was bleeding from the wound one couldn't tell against the dark fabric of his outfit, especially in the blackness of night, but Kajulan was kind of hoping he was. If she was about to die with only a shallow flesh wound delivered in turn, she at least hoped to have drawn blood.

It was damn near impossible to tell where they were going, even as the rain clouds began to part and the moonlight shown down. There were poles running down the street with lanterns hanging from them, but no one had bothered with lighting them in a very long time. Usually this benefited Kajulan, but not so much when she was being transported against her will. Not that knowing where they were going would help much given their current predicament.

Kajulan glanced over at Tekole, and felt a twinge of guilt over getting him killed. He was remarkably calm given their situation, especially considering how he had reacted to their difficulties at the casino. What a screwed-up world, she thought, where the specter of death could frighten one less than the specter of debt.

"Alright," said the short man. "We're here."

Kajulan and Tekole both looked up. The building in front of them was tall, five stories so, with some sort of terrace above its first and a flat, overhanging roof at its top. It was or had been an inn, although in truth it was closer to something like a hotel, built during the city's economic boom right before its downfall. The short man stepped around the group, keeping his gun trained on the prisoners as he did so, and approached the building's wide front entrance. He grabbed one of the doors' knockers, and struck at it four times, a short pause between each one. A slit in the door opened.

"I heard you the first time!" harshly whispered the man answering. "What is it?"

"We found the guys Jethin's been after," the short man replied.

The man behind the door sighed in a resigned manner, but he did open it, and the four entered. It was hard to tell how much of the interior had been redecorated, as it looked much like how it could've before its abandonment. It was clearly a lobby, dimly lit by candelabras placed against corners and pillars, and cushions rested on wooden benches that ran along every wall. Even the reception still stood at the back of the room.

Nobody moved, the four standing in silence for a moment until the short man finally broke it. "Alright," he said, turning to face the big man. "Go get Jethin."

"What?" stuttered the big man. "No! Why do I have to get Jethin? You go get Jethin!"

The short man groaned. "Fine!" He flipped his gun around and handed it to the big man. "You take this. I'll be back in a few minutes." He sighed deeply. "Probably."

The short man ran off, quickly going up the stairwell besides the reception and past the balcony hanging over it. It was a fair while before he returned, and when he did he was barely visible, walking consistently a few steps behind a dark-haired tajkyn man. Said man was dressed in a long, flowing nightgown, matched perfectly with an equally flowing nightcap.

"Well well well," said the tajkyn, clasping his hands together as he approached the balcony. "If it isn't the two rogues who have caused me so much heartache!" He moved over, and began to walk down the stairway. The short man followed behind, careful to maintain the same distance as he did so.

"Ladu," said the tajkyn, turning to face the short man. "Stop making what's-his-name do your job for you. Go get your gun."

Ladu passed him, moving quickly so as to hide his grimace, and took his spot as hostage taker besides the big man.

"So," began the pajama clad tajkyn, placing both hands on his chest. "I am Jethin, if that was not obvious from the sycophantic display being put on by your captors." He walked closer to Kajulan and Tekole, noticing with a frown that he had to look up at the prisoners. "Kneel!" he ordered. "I wish to pontificate."

Given everything else that had happened that night, it was a particularly easy order for Tekole to follow, and a particularly hard one for Kajulan, but both did kneel.

"Now then," said Jethin. "Let's begin." He began to pace back and forth, shaking his finger as he did so. "You don't know this, but the two of you are the worst kind of outlaws." He paused, as if the words he was about to utter were foul beyond compare. "Errant ones. No master, and no dominating principles. You cause chaos, striking above your station with reckless abandon, doing as you will merely on a whim! And just as a person cannot survive while disobeying their society, a society cannot survive while being disobeyed by its people!" He moved closer to the two, placing a hand on either's shoulder. "You know, I really should have you both killed." He swung around, walking over to the reception and taking a seat atop its desk. "But thankfully, two positions in our little duchy have just so happened to open up."

The two men behind Kajulan and Tekole exchanged nervous glances. "Oh, not you two," reassured Jethin, waving his hands dismissively. "I'm talking about two other members of our organization. They got a little too cocky with the town guard and, well. . ." He hopped off the desk and began to mime getting shot, making matching squelching noises with his mouth. He stopped and shook his head. "But I've already resolved that issue. The problem at hand is you two. And while I do not abhor violence, I do believe that it is generally something best avoided, when possible." He approached the group again, and looked directly at Kajulan. "That store where you robbed me, it belonged to a man named Rudim. And when I decided I needed said store, I gave him an alternative to violence. An out. And he took it." Jethin leaned in even closer, giving a deeply uncomfortable smile as he did so. "But to you two, I offer something different. I offer you an in." He withdrew, turning around but keeping them in the corner of his eye. "So guns to your heads, what is your choice?"

 

[Aegeroth]

Tekole sat on the edge of the bed, staring both deeply and blankly at his knees. The room was dark, so dark in fact that he couldn't actually see his knees. There was a lantern, but he was too lost in thought to light it. He had almost died! And the full gravity of that fact was just now starting to hit him.

Tekole's melancholy staring was interrupted by a loud knocking at the door, or at least it would have been if he had bothered to answer it, which he did not. But the door opened anyways, and Ladu entered.

"Hey kid," the short man said with a simple wave, his sour malice from earlier now replaced with an awkward friendliness. "How you doing?"

"Fine," replied Tekole. He looked up, now able to see slightly due to the light from the hallway. Ladu had his hands full, carrying in his arms Tekole's statue atop a pile of black fabric. The albi walked past Tekole, moving to the dresser at the end of the room and placing the statue atop it. He stopped and stared at it.

"So," he asked. "You a believer?"

"I mean, I guess," Tekole stammered. "Probably not. My parents were, I think, but they never did faith stuff with me. Probably would've when I got older though."

Ladu murmured lightly, forcing his way through the awkwardness, and sat down next to Tekole, placing the black clothes at the end of the bed as he did so. Tekole scooted away.

"Don't worry," said Ladu, shaking his head reassuringly. "I'm not gonna chomp you."

"But you were going to shoot me."

Ladu sighed. "True, but that was then. I wouldn't shoot you now though. We've started bonding, see?" Tekole stared, both suspicious and confused. "Alright," confessed Ladu. "I would still shoot you if I was told to, but I'm like this close to not being willing to do it."

Tekole nodded. "Oh. Well, thank you."

Ladu placed his fist on his shoulder. "Don't mention it."

Tekole quickly looked away, returning to silence, and Ladu sighed again. He had lived a rather violent life, but it was still the awkward silences that got him. "She's fine, by the way," he said.

Tekole looked back at him. "Who?"

Ladu tilted his head. "Kajulan."

Tekole grabbed his head with both hands. "Oh crap!" he exclaimed. The two had been separated after they had agreed to join Jethin's gang, or to do some job for him, or whatever the deal was he had bombastically offered. Tekole would've been worried about her, but he had been so busy contemplating his own mortality that he had completely forgotten about hers. "Is she okay?" he asked.

Ladu looked at him with an incredulous expression. "Yes, she's still fine. She's in the adjacent room, actually. You could go see her if you wanted to."

"Oh," said Tekole. "Alright then. I will." He stood up, and immediately sat back down again. "Wait. Would that be weird?"

Ladu shrugged and stood up. "I don't know." He walked over to the foot of the bed, running his hand along the clothes folded there. "Found these for you, by the way. They should be long enough." He kept walking, going to exit the room but stopping and turning in the doorway. "By the way," he said. "You'll want to be back in the lobby first thing in the morning. Maybe earlier. Because believe me, you don't want to keep Jethin waiting."

 

[Aegeroth]

Tekole observed himself in the mirror, although in truth it was not his reflection itself that caught his attention, but rather the clarity of it. He had never seen a mirror of this quality before, and especially not one of this size. Such goods rarely made it to Uruda so far from the East, and this must have been a holdover from the building's earlier days as a hotel.

Even with the light of morning coming into the room, the outfit Tekole wore now was pitch black, to the point where the black curls of his hair appeared brown in comparison. Tekole reached over, adding the wide brimmed hat to the ensemble, and looked himself over. The cut of the tunic and poncho was simplistic to say the least, and the material had been dyed so heavily as to become uncomfortably stiff, but the look struck an imposing visage nonetheless.

Sufficiently satisfied that he had correctly assembled the outfit, Tekole turned and left the room. Although said room had been well lit, the hallway attached to it was just as dark as it had been the night before, if not more so. Tekole reached the stairwell to the lobby, and was careful to keep his footing as he descended the flight.

Barely visible was a long oval table that had been placed in the center of the room, with a large candle and ornate holder set atop it as the only source of light. At the opposite end of the table was a tall silhouette. It looked up, and waved erratically as Tekole approached.

"Hi Kajulan," said Tekole, taking a seat beside it.

"Hello," Kajulan responded, leaning back in her chair and kicking her feet up on the table. "Pretty crazy time last night, huh? I mean, can you believe we're still alive?"

Tekole shook his head. "No." His eyes glanced up, looking at the top of Kajulan's head. "Where's your hat?"

"Oh, I hate hats, so I left it."

Tekole's eyes widened. "Kajulan, I don't think that's an option."

"So?" asked Kajulan, shrugging. "What are they going to do? Shoot me?"

Tekole was so taken aback by the Kajulan's reply that he didn't even respond. Instead he looked off into the void, and nothing looked back.

"Hey," said Kajulan, snapping her fingers in front of his face. "Come back to me."

"Oh, sorry." Tekole looked back at her. "You know, I'm kind of surprised you were up first."

"Really?" asked Kajulan, tilting her head. "Why's that?"

"I don't know. I guess there's just a type of person you associate with being a night owl."

"Well, all owls are night owls," replied Kajulan, missing the point entirely. "At least I think they are."

"Sorry to interrupt this inanity!" came a voice from the balcony. "But the most important moment of your lives is about to begin!" The two looked up, and although they could not see who was speaking, it was clear that it was Jethin. He had a unique way of speaking, as if he was trying very hard to hide an accent. In retrospect, it was actually kind of surprising that he had been able to hear their conversation, as the two hadn't been talking very loudly. He must have had very good hearing. Like an owl.

Jethin descended the stairwell and approached the table, slowly coming into view of the candlelight. He was dressed in fine robes, ornately decorated with a pattern of teal and red, but the hat he wore was simple, identical in shape and color to the one now worn by Tekole. Jethin was not alone, flanked on either side by a man and a woman. Both were dressed quite similarly to the other members of the gang, but they jingled as they walked, mail sleeves visible beneath their tunics, and there hats were made not of cloth but of metal. Each carried a long handled axe, and wore a curved sword sheathed at their side.

"So," began Jethin, pointing his finger and quickly moving it back and forth between the two. "Who wants to go first?"

There was no response for a long while, until Tekole finally began to stand. Jethin ignored him, instead pointing towards Kajulan. "You first." Kajulan looked over at Tekole in disbelief, but stood nonetheless and walked up to the tajkyn.

"Now kneel," he said. "Head down."

The look on Kajulan's face was one of enraged unamusement, but she did as she was told. Jethin drew from his belt a long-bladed knife, and laid the flat end against her shoulder. "I Jethin," he began. "Lord of his house and ranking member of the Tajlyndic nobility, hereby offer you the protection of myself and that of my realm." He slid the blade over, pressing the dull edge against her neck. "In exchange I ask for your oath, to follow me as your liege, to respect your liege, and to obey your liege's commands."

"So long as they remain consistent with the histories of our people," muttered the woman behind him.

"What was that?" asked Jethin.

"Nothing sir!" She lowered her head. "My lord."

Jethin turned back towards Kajulan. "Well?" She remained silent, and Jethin turned the knife in his hand, resting the sharp edge ever so gently against her. "This is the part where you say "I swear the oath.""

Kajulan's eyes looked up, although it wasn't enough to see his face in her current position. Every fiber of her being wanted to remain silent, except for the one he currently had his knife against.

"I swear the oath."

Jethin smiled and withdrew the knife, bending down to kiss her forehead. "Get up," he said. Kajulan stood, and Jethin sent her back before motioning for Tekole to replace her. The two repeated the same ceremony, until Tekole was sent back as well.

"Welcome to the clan," said Jethin, doing an impressively small bow as he spoke. "Now then, seeing that it is your first day being responsible adults instead of violent hooligans, you will be accompanying a more senior member of our order as he performs his duties." He looked straight past the two. "Think you can handle that, Ladu?"

"Yes," replied Ladu.

Kajulan jumped. "Holy crap!" she said. "How long have you and big guy been there?"

"The whole time. Could you really not see us?"

"No!? I mean, that's not unreasonable. It's dark!"

Jethin snapped his fingers, and the room's more substantial lighting was lit. He ran a hand across the large candle, extinguishing it.

"Oh yes," he said, continuing as if not a word had been spoken since his last sentence. "Here, I noticed you forgot yours." He removed his hat and dropped in on Kajulan's head, the neatly combed nature of his own hair clearly exposing this as a prerehearsed act. "Got to cover that mop of yours somehow."

 

[Aegeroth]

I just want to let everyone know real quick that I have a website for the world of the story here:

Aegeroth.com​

 

[Aegeroth]

The first truly warm day of the dry season had come upon Uruda, and of course it just so happened to overlap with the first day Kajulan had to wear this ridiculous outfit. She continuously fussed with it as they walked down the street, and eventually resolved to remove the hat from the ensemble entirely, only for Ladu to swing around.

"You put that damn thing back on!" he sneered. Kajulan dropped the hat back on her head immediately, and lowered her arms. Somehow the quiet rage in Ladu's voice intimidated her more than the veiled threats of Jethin, or that time he had been holding her at gunpoint.

"But he's not wearing his hat," whined Kajulan, gesturing with her thumb at the big man behind her.

"He's also not currently being used by Jethin as a petty display of power," replied Ladu. "So shut it."

Kajulan slowed down, allowing the big man to pass her, and began to walk beside Tekole.

"Wow," said Tekole. "He was way nicer to me."

"That's because you're sweet," replied Kajulan, looking away as soon as she spoke.

"Oh." Tekole began to play with the back of his curly hair. "Well, you're sweet too."

Kajulan nodded rapidly in response, even though she didn't believe him. She looked ahead, and noticed the two others had put quite a bit of space between them. She nudged Tekole, and then increased her pace.

"So," began Kajulan, shifting from a jog to a steady jaunt as she and Tekole caught up. "Where are we going?"

"We've been walking in circles," said Ladu. "Have you really not noticed?"

Kajulan looked up. "I mean, all the buildings look the same, so. . ."

"No they don't!" Ladu took a moment to collect himself. "Look, the businesses in this part of town pay Jethin for protection. So we do a few rounds, let the people know we're still active here. We also put a stop to anyone causing trouble, but we don't have to do that too often. You have to be pretty stupid to rob from Jethin's territory." Ladu stopped speaking, letting that last sentence hang in the air. Kajulan grabbed it.

"Well," she said. "That was my idea, not Tekole's."

Ladu looked back at her. "I know."

The four came to a stop, moving to the side of the street. Kajulan leaned up against a wall, taking shade in the building's overhanged roof. "So is this all we do?" she asked.

"For the main racket, yes," replied Ladu. "But things were never this quiet in Tajlyn, were they?" He looked over at the big man, who nodded. "We do have to pick up a payment today, but that can wait."

Ladu closed his eyes and leaned back as well, letting the warm noon breeze run over his face. As much as he hated this grunt work, it was nice to take a bit to just forget things and be in the moment.

"But does it have to wait?" asked Kajulan.

Ladu jerked forward. "No it doesn't, I guess! Let's go!"

The four were on the move again, and the few people out and about did their best to avoid making contact with them. It was kind of unsettling, obviously to Tekole but also to Kajulan. She wasn't used to people being afraid of her. Even that noble couple she had robbed a few days ago hadn't seemed that scared, and she had them at knifepoint.

Ladu and the big man came to a stop outside a peculiar building, one shaped more like those of the East. They entered first, followed closely by Kajulan and Tekole. It was a bar, although an entirely empty one at this time of day. The albi woman at the counter, carefully hanging glasses from the rack above her, stopped and stared as they entered.

"Oh," she said, a slight smile disappearing from her lips. "It's you."

"Yeah," replied Ladu, looking down so as to avoid eye contact. "We're here to collect payment. You know the drill."

The woman leaned forward, her arms resting on the counter and her smile returning with a cynical twist. "I do. But you're not getting anything today."

Ladu sighed, and placed his face in his hand. "Please, don't make us go back to Jethin empty-handed. You know how he is."

"I'm not scared of Jethin," the woman replied defiantly.

"Well you should be!" exclaimed Ladu. "I mean, I'm scared of Jethin!"

Tekole looked over at Kajulan. "I don't get it," he said. "If she stops paying, don't we just stop doing protection stuff?"

"Tekole," Kajulan whispered. "No."

"Alright, fine," said Ladu, shaking his head. "Do what you want, but I'm sure we'll be back tonight. Jethin's been in a remarkably good mood, so maybe we'll just be smashing cups and stuff. And if not, well thankfully the big guy here prefers his fists."

The woman snorted dismissively. "You're not coming back," she said, and as she spoke three previously secluded figures emerged from the back of the bar. All three were albi as well, and the lead amongst them carried a sword on her side and a confidence quite unlike the bluster of the mercenary Kajulan and Tekole had robbed a few nights earlier.

Their entrance was dramatic, its intimidation factor only somewhat undercut by how clearly rehearsed it was. Kajulan began to bounce up and down.

"Alright," she said, stretching her neck and rolling her shoulders. "Let's go then. Let's do this."

Ladu put his hand up. "Actually, we're leaving now. Let's go."

Kajulan deflated as the three others left, the bounce leaving her step, and she turned to join them. But as soon as they stepped outside, she started up again.

"So I don't get it," she began. "We act all tough when we're harassing some poor lady, but tuck tail and run as soon as someone vaguely threatening shows up?"

"Yes."

Kajulan was speechless for a moment, but the state didn't last long. "Well, that's kind of crappy, isn't it?"

"Now look," said Ladu, flipping around and raising a scolding finger. "You've managed to cheat death once already. Good for you! But I'm not about to throw away my life so recklessly. So if you want to go back in there and start a fight to ease your conscience, go ahead. But I guarantee you'll be dead within a minute." Ladu turned back around, ignoring Kajulan's response regardless of if she had one, and placed his hands on his hips. "Well then, guess our patrolling's going to have to be done for the day. Let's go get something to drink. Somewhere else."

 

[Aegeroth]

The four miscreants entered another drinking establishment, this one quite a ways from Jethin's direct influence. Although the previous bar had clearly been foreign in construction, this one was quite standard for Uruda, with low walls and a roof that was almost flat. Inside, however, was another story. The drinking area was heavily decorated, with spiraling chains and livery of all sorts hanging from the walls. The tables and chairs were different as well, ornately carved from a lumber not native to the region, and the cushions were embroidered. The sight caused Tekole to stop in his tracks, and Kajulan backtracked to rejoin him.

"What's wrong?" she asked, tilting her head slightly.

"It's just," began Tekole, trying to find a phrasing that didn't sound ridiculous to him. "This place kind of reminds me of where my parents lived, before, you know."

"Yeah," replied Kajulan, nodding. She put an arm around him, not really knowing any other appropriate way to respond.

Although most of the seats were available, Ladu made straight for a table in the back. He sat, and the other three followed in turn. A young man came over, wearing a long, stained apron that looked older than he was.

"And what will you sirs and ma'am be having?" he asked. Although he was not fearful like others that day had been, his voice still betrayed caution.

"A beer," the large tajkyn said plainly.

"One for me as well," said Ladu. "But make sure it's a corn beer. Nothing else tastes right here."

Kajulan began to speak, but Ladu continued, cutting her off. "She'll have a ginger ale." He turned to look at her. "You're not old enough to drink."

Kajulan slunk back in her seat, scowling but not saying anything. She didn't want to get in trouble again.

"And get us something to eat too," said Ladu. "Whatever the cook has simmering."

The boy left as the four continued to sit there, now in awkward silence.

"So," began Ladu. "Tekole. Where are you from originally? Here, or down South?"

"I'm from the orphanage," replied Tekole.

Ladu sighed, not really knowing how to continue from that. Reluctantly, he turned his attention to Kajulan. "And what about you?"

"Born and raised," replied Kajulan, leaning back and putting her hands behind her head. "Oh, and also from the orphanage too, I guess." She smiled and slugged Tekole in the arm. "That's actually how we know each other! Isn't that neat?"

Ladu nodded. "Sure." He looked back and forth between them. "So, I take it neither of you have ever left the city, right?"

Kajulan and Tekole both looked at each other, before replying in the vague affirmative. Ladu nodded, before waiting for them to ask where he was from. He waited awhile.

"Well, I'm from a town East of here, past the lake. Although it's more of a village, I suppose. Nowhere near as bustling as the city." He looked around the establishment, so barren that one could hear the wind whistling from inside. "Well, maybe it's kind of a close call in this particular city."

Ladu looked across the table, hoping to see the reactions of the two new recruits, but rather only witnessing their lack thereof. He sighed. That was what he got for trying to be conversational, he guessed.

The young man from before returned with drink and food, and Ladu decided he was at least going to finish what he was saying. He raised his hands. "Anyways, grew up there, but I spent most of my adulthood in the South, first in Duryilgar and then Tajlyn. That's where I fell in with Jethin's gang, obviously."

Tekole pointed at the large man sitting beside Ladu. "And what about him?"

Said man was busy inhaling his drink, so Ladu spoke for him. "Him? He was born into it. Nobility."

The big man put down his mug and scoffed. "Nobility? Hah! I have about as much noble blood as the Satrap does. So none."

Ladu smirked. It was actually unsettling, both to Tekole but especially to Kajulan. He leaned forward. "Said "noble status" matters a lot more to some than it does to others. You can probably guess who." Ladu's face suddenly turned deathly grim. "But none of that is to be said to or around Jethin, do you understand?" Kajulan and Tekole nodded. "Good."

A moment went by, and sensing that conversation had passed, Kajulan began stuffing her face. Immediately Tekole started speaking, causing Kajulan to shoot him a grievous side-eye.

"So what do we do now?" he asked.

Ladu leaned back, and tilted his hat so as to block out the sunlight that did not exist inside the building. "Now, we keep killing time. Don't want to report back to Jethin too early."

 

[Aegeroth]

Kajulan had not had a quiet day in all her time as an outlaw. How ironic then that her streak had been broken by coming under the sway of a mob boss. She found it quite amusing, and laughed to herself about it, although Tekole was the only one paying close enough attention to her to notice, and he shot her a questioning glance. The sun was setting as they headed back, an entire day wasted lounging in a bar. Well, three of them lounged. Ladu had been napping.

Kajulan was surprisingly unworldly for someone in a life of roguery, but she wasn't so naive as to think that this was how things usually went down. Something was going on. Something bad. Or perhaps it was something good. She didn't particularly like Jethin, after all, and it definitely seemed bad for him.

Kajulan looked over at Tekole, who looked back at her and smiled. She wondered if he was having the same kinds of thoughts she was, about the strange day they had just had, and what kind of trajectory Uruda was on. He wasn't.

The four eventually reached the tall building, arriving under very different circumstances than they had the night before. Ladu approached the entrance, grabbing the knocker and striking it with ferocious rapidity. It was only a few seconds before the slit in the door flew open.

"Stop!" shouted the man answering. "You only need to do it once!" He looked down, saw Ladu, and sighed. "Just come in."

The lobby had been redecorated yet again, the table from Kajulan and Tekole's initiation having been replaced with a single desk at the back of the room. Jethin was sitting there, illuminated by the light of an elaborate candle holder and dressed in the same red and teal robes as before. In his right hand he held a small glass of almost clear liquid, just a twinge of pink visible in the candle light, as he poured over some sort of document.

Ladu looked up at the big man beside him, who pretended to not see him. Ladu sighed, and stepped forward.

"Excuse me sir," he said.

Jethin didn't respond, almost as if he hadn't heard, but Ladu knew better than to repeat himself. A few moments passed.

"Yes Ladu?" asked Jethin, finally looking up. "Well? What is it?"

Ladu's hands balled themselves into fists, and his eyelids began to blink rapidly. He braced himself. "Well sir, it's about Lalha, that barkeep who stopped making her payments."

Jethin took a sip from his glass, his lips puckering as he did so, and looked back down at the paper in front of him. "Yes? And what about her?"

"Well, she still hasn't made her payments."

"And why is that?"

Ladu took a deep breath. "She's, she's making payments to someone else now. She had protection when we went to shake her down. All of them were albi. Looked like they were Fulcrum's Hooks." Tekole looked over at Kajulan, who merely shrugged.

"Hmm." Replied Jethin. "Interesting."

Ladu waited for a further response, but it never came, Jethin instead choosing to carry on with what he had been doing. And now Ladu was terrified. In disbelief as well, but mostly terrified.

At that moment the front doors swung open, and in entered another tajkyn man, darker in complexion than Jethin but with a slight twinge of red in his otherwise black hair. He was dressed in the same manner as most of the others were, but the clothes felt different on him, as if they somehow fit him better. He walked straight past the four and kneeled before Jethin, as he did so taking a bloody curved blade and laying it across the desk. Jethin stood, and smiled.

"Excellent!" said Jethin, slowly clapping his hands as he spoke. "Another job well done!"

Ladu looked at the sword, and then back at Jethin, his face turning pale and his wrinkles somehow growing. "You didn't. . ."

Jethin's smile shrunk into a deep frown. "Didn't what?"

Ladu didn't care if the question was rhetorical. He was fuming now. "You had a member of the Fulcrum's Hooks killed!? And at the same time sent us out on patrol, in territory you knew they were encroaching on!? If the news had reached them before our little encounter, we could've been killed!" Ladu stopped, and looked down in thought. "No, we would've been killed!"

Jethin's smile returned, and he sat back down. He shook his head. "Ladu. You foolish, simple man. Do not worry about things that don't concern you."

"I don't know," Kajulan said, perhaps a little louder than she meant to. "It kind of sounds like it concerns him."

Jethin looked over at her, and stood. He began to walk, passing both the kneeling man and Ladu, his expression not changing the entire time. He came to stand directly in front of her, uncomfortably close. Tekole started to lurch forward, but the big man grabbed him.

Jethin stared at Kajulan. "Well well," he said, flicking her on the nose. "Seems like someone can't manage her manners." Kajulan simply stared back at him, with a look of silent rage. The only thing stopping her from doing something stupid like antagonizing him further was knowing just how badly he wanted her to.

Jethin turned. "Well, I'm off to bed." He began to leave, stopping besides the still kneeling assassin. "I am so sorry, my domutor. You are relieved."

"Thank you my lord," the man said quietly. He waited for Jethin to go, before standing and leaving as well.

Ladu turned towards Kajulan. "Thanks for standing up for me," he said. "But don't do something stupid like that again. You're going to get yourself killed."

"Hey!" said Kajulan, crossing her arms. "You started it."

"Yeah, and that was stupid of me." Ladu sighed, looking over at Tekole and then to Kajulan again. "Well, you two have a good night." He backed up, and did an awkward little wave. "Bye."

 

[Aegeroth]

The morning sky was a deep grey. It almost looked like it was going to rain, but Tekole knew better. Rain was rare in Uruda, even in the middle of the flooding season, which it wasn't, and the air tasted too dry for a downpour.

Tekole looked around, for the first time calm enough to take in the sights. He never really got to this part of the city, at least not before everything that had happened the past few days. Although to be fair, he never really went to most parts of the city. Almost his whole life had been confined to the same twenty minute stretch. He began to ponder this, and found it to be quite a depressing thought.

"Hi Tekole!" shouted Kajulan, leaping out from behind him. Tekole jumped.

"Kajulan!" he exclaimed, putting a hand over his chest. "You scared me!"

Kajulan deflated a little bit. "Sorry."

Tekole looked around. There weren't any other streets intersecting at this point, so she must've been hiding somewhere. "Kajulan?" he asked. "Were you waiting for me?"

Kajulan didn't respond for a moment, but quickly regained her confidence, shrugging and smirking. "Yeah. I mean, I didn't want to be going and reporting to Jethin by myself. That sounds miserable."

Tekole frowned and raised his eyebrows in concern. "I don't think we're allowed to talk about him like that."

"Yeah? Well we're the ones who have to wear these stupid outfits, so I'm okay with hurting his little feelings."

"I was more worried about him killing you or something."

Kajulan smiled, trying to come up with a witty reply, but failed. She started walking, and Tekole followed.

"So . . ." began Kajulan. "Did you have a good night?"

"Yeah," replied Tekole, although he hadn't really understood the question. He never did. How could his night have been good or bad? He was asleep during it. He looked over at Kajulan, and squinted his eyes quizzically. "What about you? What happened to you last night?"

Kajulan returned his quizzical look. "What do you mean?"

"It's just your outfit. It's all messy and wrinkly."

Kajulan looked down at herself, lifting the poncho piece up slightly as she observed it. "Oh, yeah. Well, the fabric's really crappy and stiff, and I slept in it, so . . ."

Tekole gave her a sad look. "Kajulan. Why would you do that?"

Kajulan nudged him with her elbow. "Come on Tekole. You know I'm a bit of a vagabond. And I'm not carrying around sleepwear everywhere I go."

"I know. It just seems really uncomfortable, is all."

The two finally arrived at Jethin's base of operations. It didn't seem nearly as big and intimidating as it had before, less like a towering citadel and more like an abandoned and slightly dilapidated hotel. Which of course was exactly what it was. A single tajkyn woman sat outside the entrance, a small crate in front of her. Neither Kajulan nor Tekole recognized her at first, but as they got closer she was easily identifiable as one of the bodyguards who had been flanking Jethin at their initiation. Her mail sleeves were still visible beneath her black tunic, but she had removed her bowl like helmet, revealing a head of short, curly red hair. She was bent over the crate, apparently engrossed in a solo game of cards. She looked up as they approached.

"What are you two doing here?" she asked. Kajulan and Tekole looked at each other, neither quite knowing how to respond.

"Well, going to work, I guess," Tekole finally said.

"I didn't hear that Jethin sent for you."

"I don't think he did," Tekole continued. "I mean, I think we just assumed that . . ."

The woman sighed, although in a way that was more tired than rude. "Look, you don't need to report in everyday. Just when Jethin has a job for you. And the way things are starting to go, I don't think we'll have much need for two greenhorns." The woman sighed again before continuing. "Don't get me wrong. Plenty of the crew just hang around here all the time. But I figured the two of you probably had better uses for your time."

Tekole looked confused. "I don't understand. How do we know when Jethin does want us?"

The woman looked back down at her cards. "Oh, believe me. If he wants to see you, we'll find you." She stopped speaking, stroking her chin in deep compilation of the cards.

"Wait!" she cried out suddenly, despite the fact that neither Kajulan or Tekole had moved. "Might as well give you your pay since you're here."

"We get paid?" asked Tekole. Kajulan gave him an incredulous look, one that was matched by the red-haired woman.

"Yes," said the woman. "We get paid." She produced a large sack from beside the crate, and began sorting through it. "I tend to handle the pay around here. Jethin knows I won't embezzle anything. Of course, Debon wouldn't either, but he would probably lose it!" The woman let out a loud laugh, as if she had just made a hilarious and biting observation, but Kajulan and Tekole had no idea who she was talking about. The woman finished with the sorting, and handed the money off to them. "Alright, there's that. Now you two kids have fun." Immediately the woman returned to her cards, while Kajulan glanced over at Tekole's outfit, and then down at her own.

"I guess we should get changed then," she said. "I'm not wearing this stuff if I don't have to." She looked back at the woman. "Can I run in and grab my clothes real quick? I left them in there when we got kidnapped."

"Sure," replied the woman. "I don't care."

Kajulan looked back at Tekole. "I guess I'll meet you afterwards, then."

"So just come back here?"

Kajulan thought for a moment. "No. How about that pier we went to a few nights ago? That's pretty close to your place."

Tekole nodded, and Kajulan smiled before running off.

 

[Aegeroth]

• A Quick Correction: In part 17 I said that it was the middle of the flooding season, when I had said earlier that it was actually the beginning of the dry season. This has been corrected.

The interior of the hideaway had been changed yet again, this time encompassing a smattering of short tables. Each had a handful of similarly dressed gang members sitting on the floor around it, many of whom were keeping themselves busy with a variety of card games. Kajulan briefly wondered why the woman from outside wasn't joining them. Maybe it was simply that the hazy lighting inside was too dark for her. But probably not.

Kajulan walked down the center of the lobby, not a single person paying her any heed. It wouldn't usually have bothered her; Kajulan preferred to go unnoticed. But the energy around her was deathly, and it made the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. Once she made it to the back of the room she practically sprinted up the stairs. She couldn't wait to get out of there. As well as the dumb clothes she had been wearing, admittedly for longer than was probably necessary.

It was surprisingly difficult for Kajulan to remember which room she had been put up in. It had only been two nights ago that her and Tekole had been captured, but now it was all a bit of a blur. She might not have shown it, but she had been pretty terrified. It was simply hard to perceive through her constant indignance.

Kajulan did eventually find the room, however, and entered. The curtains were drawn, and her outfit of choice was crumpled up into a ball on the floor, exactly as she had left it. As she bent down to grab it, Kajulan began to think. She probably would have to do something about her living situation. The room itself was possibly still available to her, but the thought of living there seemed miserable. No way that was happening.

Kajulan walked back through the hallway, but stopped, her ears perking up at the sound of voices. She moved towards the source, a room that's door hadn't quite been shut, and listened.

"You've been neglecting your demesne," came a voice, unfamiliar to Kajulan. "Now that's fine, when the reward is great enough, but you're here to expand our operations, not to wage a private little war."

"I can do both!" replied another voice, this one clearly belonging to Jethin. There was fear in his voice, yet the usual air of condescension remained. "And you have to admit, the rewards so far have been great."

"They have. And Frankly I don't understand how or why they have been, and I question how sustainable this is, but the take's been good enough that our liege wants to see this through. That will change, however, if you let yourself get dragged into a long and costly turf war."

"It won't be long and costly," replied Jethin, the ire in his voice evident. "If you send me back the muscle I've been asking for!"

"Excuse me, my lord," came a third voice. "But we might be able to avoid fighting entirely. The Fulcrum's Hooks only provide "protection" to Lu'egal business owners, and they don't even touch our other rackets."

"Shut it Debon!" shouted Jethin. "Your job is to guard me, not advise me! I sent Red away to avoid these inane suggestions!"

Even without being able to see him, Kajulan could tell Debon had shrunk. "I am sorry, my lord. It won't happen again, my lord."

"Correct," replied Jethin. "I'm not asking for anything excessive. All I want is what's owed to me. And I don't want someone else taking it."

Kajulan heard a chair scoot, and the first voice spoke again. "Fine Jethin. You'll get your muscle. But I hope you remember this conversation. We don't want another Blue Snow Incident."

The sound of footsteps began to approach the door, and Kajulan decided that it was time to get a move on. Less because she didn't want to get caught eavesdropping, and more because she didn't want to have to talk to Jethin again.

 

[Aegeroth]

Tekole arrived at the pier, where he found Kajulan sitting on the ground, watching the sea with her legs shoved through the railings. It looked uncomfortable, but she didn't seem to mind.

"Hi," said Tekole, walking up behind her.

Kajulan craned her neck to look at him. "Oh, hey Tekole!"

Tekole kneeled down beside her. "I guess I'm the one finding you this time."

"Huh?"

"Oh, it's just, usually you're the one finding me, but this time, I found you."

"But I told you where to meet me?"

Tekole shook his head. "Nevermind." He stood back up, and leaned over the railing. "It looks really different. When you can't see the Sun through it, I mean." He looked up at the sky, where daylight was finally starting to break through the clouds. "I guess it's up there right now."

"Yeah," replied Kajulan. She looked up at Tekole. "You never got out much, did you?"

"Not really. But I guess I do now."

Kajulan laughed curtly. "Hah! I'll say."

A ship came into view on the horizon, and Tekole took something out of his pocket. Kajulan strained to see it, but found her current position rather ill-suited to the task. She carefully fed her legs back through the railing, and stood.

"That ship," said Tekole, excited. "It looks just like the one on my coin!"

Kajulan grabbed Tekole's hand, and gently guided it back from over the railing. "Probably want to keep that coin on this side," she said. "Believe me, I'm speaking from experience."

"Oh yeah. Right."

"So, you kept it?" asked Kajulan, swinging around so she could lean against the railing. "I thought you gambled everything."

"Well, I kept the coin. It was cool."

Kajulan nodded "I know the feeling." She reached into her pocket and produced a silver ring. "Nabbed this before you and I first bumped into each other." She thought back a few days. "Well, it was actually like an hour or two before we bumped into each other. Or maybe part of an hour. I've never been great with timekeeping" Kajulan observed the ring a second more before putting it away. "Could still sell it to someone, like Rudim suggested. Don't really want to now, though." She looked over, where the ship from before was now docked. "Hey! Let's go check out those pirates!"

She began to walk, and Tekole followed. "I don't think they're pirates, Kajulan. They're just sailors."

They got closer, and saw a woman standing next to a ramp, descending down from the top of the ship. She wore a wide-brimmed headdress and a heavy black coat, and beneath it a shirt tucked into baggy pants, which were in turn tucked into wide-cuffed boots.

Kajulan leaned towards Tekole. "Come on," she said. "Pirate."

The woman turned as they got closer. She had the minty green complexion of a kapi, and her teeth held a long stick of sweet smelling incense, burning purple at its end.

"Can I help you?" asked the woman. Her tone was mostly friendly, but also carried with it the hint of a threat.

"We just wanted to check out your ship," said Kajulan.

The woman swung around to face the floating arch. "She is a beaut, isn't she? I've had her since I was just barely old enough to ride. Youngest in my family to become the captain of her own ship."

Two men began to come down from over the hull, carrying a large crate from between them.

"Careful!" said the woman. "That's a heavy load!"

"What are you delivering?" asked Kajulan.

"Grain," said the woman, keeping her focus on her crewmen. "They can't grow shit here in Uruda." She went off to help the others as they went deeper into the city, and Kajulan gave Tekole a knowing smile. He didn't respond.

"Tekole," she said.

"What?"

"What would you say to some thieving?"

Tekole gave her a confused look. "Why would we steal grain?" Kajulan looked at Tekole as if he was crazy.

"To eat it," she said.

"We can't just eat raw grain," said Tekole. He looked away briefly. "Or at least, I don't know why we'd want to."

"Okay, fine," Kajulan said, conceding the point. "But it'll still be fun to check out the inside of the ship, won't it?" She tugged on Tekole's sleeve, but he didn't move. "Okay, fine. I'll go by myself, and you just wait here." She ran up the ramp, and as she reached the top she heard Tekole coming up behind her. She smiled, and quickly headed below decks.

The passage was skinny, and lit by the dim glow of a single lamp. Kajulan continued to lead the way, but Tekole was directly behind her. There wasn't really any way he couldn't be.

"What if someone finds us?" whispered Tekole.

"Don't worry," Kajulan whispered back. "I think that was the whole crew out there."

"Tiny crew," Tekole replied, in a rare moment of sarcasm.

"And tiny ship," Kajulan retorted. "And besides, even if someone does find us, they won't mind. Pirates love showing off their ships to people."

"You run into pirates a lot?" asked Tekole. Kajulan nodded, although she didn't mean to lie in response. She was just distracted by the excitement of Tekole apparently capitulating to her pirate theory.

They went down another level, and found themselves in the cargo hold. It was small, matching the modest ship it belonged to, and was lit by two small port windows on either side of the room. A couple of crates were contained within, similar in size and shape to the one they had seen being carried out. Kajulan walked over to one, and began trying to pry the top off with her hands.

"What are you doing?" asked Tekole.

"Trying to get this crate open," Kajulan answered, ignoring the deeper, more important layer of the question.

"I thought you said we weren't stealing any grain?"

"We're already here," Kajulan replied. "We might as well steal a little bit." She continued to fruitlessly pull at the wooden board. Tekole sighed, and finally reached down, taking a metal tool from the floor and shoving it beneath the lid. He gave it a quick push, and the top popped clean off.

Kajulan smiled sweetly at him. "Thanks Tekole." She looked down into the container. "Huh. That's not grain."

Tekole reached in, and picked one of them up. "Oh yeah! We used to make a ton of these at the scroll mill." His mouth fell, and he suddenly dropped it as if it had turned out to be something toxic. "Kajulan. These are bullets."

Kajulan nodded. "Yes they are. We might actually be in trouble." She looked around, before giving Tekole a notably unreassuring reassuring smile. "We should probably go now."

The two quickly left, making it back to the walkway just in time for the crew's return. Kajulan froze in place, her mind rapidly trying to come up with an escape, while Tekole froze as well, his mind rapidly waiting for Kajulan to do something.

"Well well well," said the woman, putting her hands on her hips. "You two wanted to see the ship, huh?" She walked over to them, and ruffled Kajulan's hair. "You crazy kids. Guess I can't blame you, though. She is a beautiful ship."

The woman boarded, followed shortly by her two crewmen, and Kajulan let out a dramatic exhale. She then let out another one, but after that quickly regained her composure. "Well, that was lucky!" Tekole began to walk, and Kajulan followed. "But it's like I said, pirates love showing off their ships, you know?" Tekole didn't reply. "Is something wrong?" she asked.

"That was a stupid thing to do," answered Tekole.

Although he was including himself in it, the accusation still hurt. "I thought you wanted to see the inside of the ship?" asked Kajulan.

Tekole looked back at her. "No."

"Then why'd you follow me?"

Tekole looked forward again. "I don't know."

The air grew uncomfortable, and Tekole quickened his pace, while Kajulan stopped and looked down. She felt as if she probably had to do something.