Lavina nodded
"I'm fine. You should get something to eat. I need to get dressed and get something to eat myself"
she kept her eyes on the bedding


H shook her head
"Why would I want to go against you. No one said anything about fighting"

Memoire couldn't keep the hurt out of his voice.
"Why won't you look at me? Have I offended you in some way?"

Teir laughed.
"This wasn't going to be fun and games, girl! Besides, it's only a short sparring match, just to see how good you are with a sword. Unless you want to take her test, I have plenty of cocky people who wouldn't mind "roughing up some newbies,"" she said, emphasizing the last few words.

Lavina looked up at him and shook her head
"No...no that's not it at all...it's just...just...I"
She couldn't find the words she wanted to say that wouldn't make the situation awkward. She let out a sigh
"You didn't offend me. I'm sorry, I'm still a little weak and can't seem to think straight"

H sighed
"I don't like to fight unless I need to. Can't we just get on with the work. I can't be bothered to quarrel with someone right now. Not after the way your guys cut me up like they did"

Teir looked disappointed, but took her hand from her hilt.
"Fine. If you two really wanna help, we've got a gold shipment we need delivered to our headquarters in the heart of the city, a secret location that, if you follow my instructions, you will never ever figure out where. No fighting, no violence, just simple gold trafficking. Any objections?"

Memoire looked apologetic. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to pry. Would you like me to help you out?"
He was now directly in front of her, looking into her eyes.

H shook her head
"No objections from me. What does the job pay?"

Lavina was looking up into his eyes, finding it hard to concentrate
"I-I think I'm still feeling a little faint from the transfer...maybe I should rest some more"
she laid back in her bed but her eyes didn't stray from his
"would you mind getting my father for me and the elder, I need to ask them something of importance"

Xia put away her dagger, and looked at Teir. "I'm in." She said, as she looked at H.

OOT: sorry for the short post

Memoire cocked his head, searching her eyes for a moment. Then he bowed and left the room, still shirtless.
A moment later, her father entered.
"Are you alright?" he said cautiously, knowing full well she wouldn't have summoned him for idle reasons.

Teir smirked. "Good. Head down those steps. You'll see a large man smelting in the forge, your friend might be with him. Tell him you're the gold couriers and he'll hand over the gold. Also, pay a visit to the weapon rack and pick up any tool that might take your fancy. Perk of the job."

Lavina sat up from her bed quickly when her father entered
"Father tell me, what all exactly happens when an elf shares her blood with someone?"
she had a panicked look on her face
"I- I don't feel right. I- I couldn't look at him without getting this...this weird feeling"
she reached out as her father walked over to her bed
"Please father, whats wrong with me"

H straighted herself then looked down the steps. She looked back at Xia and gave a nod before walking down the steps to her destination waiting her Xia to follow behind her she walked slowly

Xia nodded her head to Teir, then followed H down the stairs. "Are you okay?" She asked quietly, as she reflected on what happened since they arrived here.

Her father studied her for a second, examining her eyes to check they weren't dilated, her pulse, her temperature. After finding nothing to really indicate any prominent change, he sat next to her.
"Describe it to me."

Lavina thought for a moment
"Well, I had asked to see if Memoire had a scar. I wanted to see if there would still be one with the way our blood heals I had assumed there wouldn't."
she looked at her father
"But when I was looking at his scar I felt strange. My heart started pounding all of a sudden and I couldn't stop staring. When I realized what I had done I looked away."
she grabbed her fathers hands
"I couldn't look at him for fear of it happening again. Please father, I never had any problems looking at him before..why has it changed all of a sudden?"

H looked up at Xia
"I'm fine, I just don't trust them"
she spoke in a quiet tone
"I just want to get this job over with then find out who killed my master."

Her father looked thoughtful.
"What were you thinking?" he asked curiously. "When you were looking, I mean."

Lavina shook her head
"nothing, at least I don't think anything was. I just couldn't take my eyes off of him. I have never felt like this before."
she squeezed her fathers hands
"Please father tell me I'll be ok."
she feared that the transfusion might have made her sick or that there was something the elder didnt mention

Her father looked somewhat grave, but upon seeing his daughter's distress, his face softened.
"You are not going to die," he said awkwardly. "If... if I may be frank, Lavina, I... I am afraid that, from the sounds of it you are...er..."
He looked away, trying to think of the best way to phrase it.
"Umm... it seems you are developing....feelings for him."

The smith - a huge hulking man with the hammer the size of either girl - and Riastrad were haggling, but both turned at the sight of the girls.
"If I had these two to warm my bed, I'd retire a happy man," the smith rumbled, and Riastrad blushed for the first time since Xia had met him.
"It-it ain't like that. These two ain't no bedfellows a' mine. Don't think I'd survive the night. Lady send you two here?"

Lavina had a look of shock on her face
"f-feeling...but how?...I-I can't, I'm to marry his brother...well"
she paused for a moment
"That is if his plan doesn't work out."
she started down at the bedding
"How could this happen father? what do I do? I can't tell him it might ruin everything"


H walked past Riastrad and stopped a few feet away. she turned and looked at both the men
"yes she sent us"
she looked over at the hammer the man was holding
"she told us we could pick a weapon"
her eyes followed up the hammer until she was looking at the smith. She crossed her arms as if she was ready to do business
"What all do you have?"

The smith raised an eyebrow, impressed by her forward attitude. He stepped aside to reveal a long rack of various weapons and tools right behind him, stretching out for a good few meters. "Take your pick. If there's anything not on there, I'll forge it for you right here."

Lavina's father said nothing for the longest time. Then he took his daughter in his arms and gave her a hug.
"I cannot give you any help, my child," he said softly. "But it seems our fate, and the fate of our people, now rests solely in the hands of one human. The Yammerians are experienced in war, and they have dragons by their side, but they do not know the lay of the land. They are out of their depth. They do not know the weaknesses of their foe's citadels, their towers and walls. They have no natural magic either, unlike us. Whether Memoire decides to help them or not will shape the future of our kind. Do you trust him, Lavina?"

H walked over to the wall and slowly walked the length of it checking every weapon out. She wanted to find the right weapon to use. A dagger maybe, something small that can be concealed easily, a sword would be too big. She continued walking every once in a while stopping to test a weapon out


Lavina was silent for a few minutes as she thoroughly thought over his question
"I I trust him father. I mean after all he is trying to get me out of marrying his brother and helping our people in the process."
She looked up at her father
"Do you trust him?"

The smith looked at Xia.
"How about you, ma'am?"

Lavina's father looked away.
"Whether I trust him or not is irrelevant. It is your relationship."
He blushed.
"Do you want me to... "talk" with him?"

Lavina looked up at her father
"But shouldn't you trust him as well. I want to know if you do"
she looked down at her hands
"As for talking about him I don't know. If you want I guess its best to get it out then to keep it from him. It might be a little awkward for me whether he knows or not"

Xia looked at the smith, and pulled out her dagger. She dropped on the wooden table, her eyes still on the smith as she said: "Do you have anything that looks like this?" She asked him with a straight face.

The smith pointed. "Take a look. If you don't find one like that, I'll be happy to make you one, or from the looks of you let you make one yourself."

Lavina's father paused.
"That, I think, would be a task better done by you. It is your life, and your responsibility. I leave it in your hands."
He got up.
"I have faith in you, my daughter. No matter what."
Then he left. Desharin entered a moment after. "Are you alright?"

Lavina looked up at Desharin
"I don't know. Father says I developing feelings for Momoire and that I should tell him about it"
Lavina looked down at her hands
"I don't know what to say to him. It might make him uncomfortable. After all he is already engaged to be married, but he told me he didn't like being with her"
she looked up at Desharin
"What do you suggest I do?"

Xia nodded her head once, as she walked towards the weapons pointed out to her. She carefully put away her own dagger, then looked over the weapons provided. If she couldn't find what she was looking for, she considered either a substitute or just making it herself, though making the weapon may take longer than choosing a substitute.

Desharin sat next to her and took her hand.
"Lavina, it is clear that this is going to cause problems for you, and he is not exactly a foolish human. He will realize you are keeping something from him. It is best to be honest with him. It is clear he means a lot to you, for you to undergo the ritual for him. Tell him how you feel. That's my advice, at least."

The smith and Riastrad talked shop for a while, until Riastrad selected a beautifully made morning star that seemed to perfectly coil around his waist.
"Ta."
"Think nothing of it," the smith said warmly. "Well ladies? Found something to your liking?"

Lavina nodded in agreement with Desharin
"Your right I should tell him. Especially after the way I behaved earlier when I thought something was wrong."
she looked up at Desharin
"He deserves an explanation for the way I acted towards him. Do you know where he is at? or is father getting him?"


H looked over at the smith
"do you have any daggers with a waved blade? one that's sharp and light weight?"