• Graded • Consequential

[Darius Baer]

A continuation from Runaway Reunion.

Arc 720, 20th of Cylus

Nael Devlin was sweating as he navigated his way through the maze of alleyways, with Darius right behind him. It was the bearded blond who dictated the pace, despite not leading the way. Every so often, Nael would send a nervous glance behind him to check that the seafarer was still there; such furtive looks were always met with a steely grey glare.

The petty thief was older than the man who followed him, and he had been the taller and stronger of the two when they were both boys, but much had changed since then. Darius had spent countless trials at sea, hauling on rigging and lifting crates. Falling into the frigid waters of the Hollow Sea had a way of turning a boy into a man.

Now that the two former friends had been reunited, Darius was noticeably taller and stronger, and Nael was clearly no longer making the calls. That didn't stop him from talking, though.

"Thanks for helping me out back there," he said breathlessly, trying and failing to add a chuckle. "I thought that maniacBalthazar Black was going to get fisty!"

"I didn't do it for you, you churlish fool," snarled Darius, his tone much more controlled than the other man, despite the clear anger in his voice. "I did it for the kids."

The burly sailor rested one hand on his leggings, checking that the intricately decorated dagger was still on his person. In truth, Darius wasn't entirely comfortable with what he'd done. He believed in the rule of law, and Nael deserved to be punished for stealing the dagger. But such situations were not as black and white as he might have once thought. The missing children mattered much more than a missing dagger. He didn't like the idea of what he was about to do, but he knew it was for the greater good.

They turned a corner, and Nael stopped as he reached the end of the alleyway, staring out into the Town Square beyond and the bustling market that was still filled with merchants plying their trade. He turned to look at Darius, hands raised in defense as the larger man approached.

"Look, Darius," he offered nervously, "you don't have to do this."

As Darius approached, he loomed over his former friend, before grabbing at the man's tunic and pressing him up against the wall.

"I can't not do it," he growled, before giving Nael one last shove for good measure, before releasing him from his grip and then striding into the market as the thief nervously watched on.

[Darius Baer]

Darius knew exactly where to go. He had been in the market only a short time earlier, and he'd heard the merchant's shout. He'd responded in the way any law abiding citizen should - by pursuing the thief in question and retrieving the stolen goods.

And now he was about to lie to that same merchant.

The bearded blond rested a hand on the outside of his leggings, as if out of fear that the dagger might attempt an escape akin to that of its kidnapper, but the weapon was still there. As he made his way between a pair of stalls at the edge of the marketplace, he looked back over his shoulder towards the alleyway, and he could see that Nael was still there, attempting to hide in the shadow of a neighbouring building. He was relieved that the thief had not absconded, even though he doubted how useful the man might be.

But desperate times called for desperate measures...

Darius recognised the merchant as he neared the stall, and he was heartened by the sight of the man selling a decorative scabbard to a customer. He didn't know how much the stolen dagger might be worth, but there was a sense of relief that he was able to still go about his trade, despite the loss. He waited patiently for the transaction to be completed, before he attempted to catch the salesman's eye.

"I have something of yours," he said, reaching into his pocket and presenting the merchant with the dagger.

The portly man's eyes widened with relief.

"Oh, thank Chamadarst," he beamed as he took the item and, after looking it over and appearing satisfied that its condition was as it should be, placed it carefully in an empty spot in his display.

So far, so good. But Darius hadn't had to lie yet.

"I assume you caught the thief, then?" the merchant asked, levelling a gaze at the seafarer, before looking around. "Where is the cur?"

"He is...still at large," the blond offered unconvincingly, trying .

Darius shifted awkwardly. Surely the man could see through his lie, but would he care. He had his dagger back, did he not?

The merchant looked him over, clearly not persuaded by the guilty expression on Darius' face, but after a silent pause that probably onoy lasted a few trills but felt like an arc, the salesman eventually relented.

"Very well," the merchant sighed. "So he got away. But you've returned what he stole, and for that you have my gratitude."

Darius nodded, relieved at having reached the end of their transaction, before turning away and heading back towards the alleyway where he hoped Nael still lurked.

[Darius Baer]

Darius couldn't deny the fact that despite his cowardice in stealing a dagger and attempting to flee the scene, Nael Devlin was waiting for him when he returned to the alleyway. Perhaps it was the knowledge that he had been identified that made the thief stay behind and await his fate, or perhaps he genuinely felt he owed his former friend a debt - though Darius was sceptical that that was the case, despite the way he was greeted.

"Thanks, buddy," Nael sighed audibly, attempting a smile. "I owe you one."

"Two," Darius growled. "You owe me two."

"What are you talking abou--"

"The apple, Nael," Darius replied. "You remember that, don't you?"

The bearded blond's tone was accusatory, and for that he would not apologise. The pair had agreed to steal apples from a fruit merchant in the very marketplace that he had just left, but Nael had abandoned him then, disappearing into the crowd with an apple in hand and leaving the six-arc-old Darius to get caught by an Element. The young Baer boy had not seen his 'friend' again until this very trial.

"Look, I'm sorry about that..."

"Ma tore me a new one for that," Darius admitted, slowly beginning to soften his tone.

It was true. Jean Baer had been less than impressed with her son's actions and had sent him to bed without any dinner. It was one of the few times Darius could remember witnessing his mother's anger, but it had been persuasive. He hadn't sought out Nael again, and would have been quite glad to have never seen him again, were it not for the missing children.

"Tell me about the kidnappings," the sailor changed the topic of conversation, his tone controlled but demanding.

"The kidnappings?" repeated Nael, his voice revealing his nervousness, confusion knitting his brows.

"Don't play games, Nael," Darius growled, and a look of anger flashed across his features as he lunged forward and grabbed fistfuls of the man's tunic, spitting each word from behind gritted teeth. "You know what I'm talking about. The kids who were taken."

The seafarer knew he didn't need to explain the situation. The missing children of Scalvoris Town had been on the minds of most citizens since the night they'd vanished. He must have been intimidating enough, because Nael began to stammer, a single bead of sweat running down the dark-haired man's forehead.

"H-hey man," the petty thief protested, pressing his back against the side of the alleyway as though doing so might provide him with a means of escape. "I ain't no k-kidnapper. I j-just do s-small time j-jobs. I don't know who t-took those kids!"

Darius could feel his fists tightening further in anger, and he was tempted to punch the man in the hopes that he might be more informative, but common sense prevailed. Nael Devlin was a petty thief. Kidnapping children was well beyond him. Perhaps he knew something; perhaps he didn't. But he was scared, and that meant he could be persuaded to help.

The bearded seafarer slowly released his grip on the man's clothing, then stood back. Nael was visibly relieved as he adjusted his tunic and tried to straighten out the creases. There were a few trills of silence between them until Darius spoke again. His voice had calmed significantly by then, though Nael seemed to be no less intimidated.

"Ask around," he said eventually. "If you hear anything, let me know. I'll pay for your information if it's good enough."

Nael nodded quickly, wide eyes barely able to believe that he had not met his old friend's knuckles.

"Th-thanks," he breathed cautiously. "I'll see what I can find out."

"Remember," Darius said firmly. "You owe me."

Another hurried nod followed, before Nael slowly skulked back into the shadows and disappeared into the maze of alleyways beyond.

Darius watched him go, but it wasn't until the thief had left his sight that he doubled over, gasping for breath. He had been just as nervous as Nael, but he had somehow resisted showing it. He took a few trills to catch his breath, before taking a swig from his waterskin, and stepping back out into the marketplace.

[Kasoria]

Review Rewards

Name: Darius Rucker

Points awarded: 10

Knowledge:
Combat: Unarmed: With the right training, you are never truly unarmed.
Deception: A white lie is still a lie.
Deception: Your facial expressions can give you away.
Deception: An aggressive approach to others can hide your own fears.
Intimidation: Sometimes the bark is more persuasive than the bite.
Leadership: Even those who once led you may eventually follow you.

Consequences: Nael will start putting feelers out, but be careful - people who don't like questions have a habit of paying attention when they're asked about them...

Skill Review: All Skills used appropriate to level

Notes:
Nicely done, all the way. Just remember to change the "Placeholder" placard when you start writing it proper! I liked the flow of this, very tight and cinematic, and KUDOS on including links to related stories. Made it read a lot clearer. Not much else to say, you don't need much help with you're writing. Good luck, Nael! Try not to bollix it up...

If you have any questions, comments or concerns in regards to this review, feel free to PM.