Timid Terror

Calliara nodded to Nygozy's orders, feeling tired and sick, but instead of going to rest she turned and grabbed the chains to bring the prisoners inside. This time she wasn't pulling or trying to hurt them, in fact it looked that she tried to not hurt them more thn they already were.

She ordered to someone to get Jezarine or some other healer once they were ready, and ordered another someone to bring some food and water for them. Even if she had been ordered to rest, she felt it was still her work and she would see it til the very end.

"Looks like it," he said, matter-of-fact but with a smile, because more than anything, Jez needed something normal right now, and Ianto could give her normal, even if that was all he could give her. "Ianto's Personal Bodyguard Service : we operate under all conditions except when good ale is present and available. Then you're on your own for a bit." He winked at her, but any sort of ill-ease only started to leave him once they were well and good away from Nygozy and the kidnappers. When they were out of sight, Ianto could feel his shoulders relax just a little, and this time, the smile he face her was real.

"I imagine you'll want to clean up? Eat something? Whatever you need, I'll get it for you. Maybe a nap?" Jez hadn't always seemed comfortable with people doting on her, but damnit, she deserved it right now, and if Ianto had to drag her, kicking and screaming, to relax and let him do things for her for once, then Maker, he'd do it (even though dragging her kicking and screaming would probably only add to the stress, now that the thought about it).

They were brought inside and healers dealt with their wounds. By the end of the hour the pain was starting to numb down, even Ostef was pulled from the brink of death and finally opened his eyes.

"Where are we?"

Said the young mercenary, as he sat up on the floor of the dungeon cell.

"Prison...nice of you to finally join us."

"What the hell happened? Last thing I remember was my mind slipping after that elven bitch stabbed me in the woods."

"Long story, short version: you passed out, we fought, we lost, we got captured, we got dragged on the ground the whole way back to the city palace, you almost bled out as a result. Its fine now, we even got some food, and water for washing. The Wardens are very generous."

Replied Tendir, and Rakot looked at him with a gaze full of hatred, but then just looked away and remained quiet.

Guess I can't hold it over him now...his betrayal...this is all my own fault, all I have left to do now is not break, eventually they will kill me.

The Wolf was there, just outside the cell, her back leaning against the wall silently while hearing them talking. She almost grinned with the 'elven bitch' part.

She was waiting for Nygozy or someone to come and interrogate them, even torture them. She didn't think the Commander would like that, but if it was necessary it would be done.

So she stood there, waiting in silence, arms crossed and tired and her chest aching in pain, but kept waiting

"So whats going to happen to us?"

Ostef said, chewing down on a piece of bread and downing it with water.

"Well, can't be sure at the moment, but I have information that could be of use to them, so with a bit of luck might see me released. You don't know anything, so I honestly can't imagine why they kept you alive and healed your wounds. Neither do I understand why they need Rakot anymore, all he knows is our employer's name. I'm the one that worked for Lorek for years and has information on there he could be if he went into hiding as I am sure he has by now."

Replied Tendir, in before dipping his blood covered head into a bucket of water.

"Don't be in such a hurry to share what you know, dwarf."

Rakot said grimly, and then sniffed the air, the scent was already familiar.

"There is a Warden outside this cell, and she is listening. You don't want to give up your only remaining cards before you can bargain for it, otherwise you're just as useless to them as the rest of us."

Tendir raised an eyebrow and looked at Rakot.

"Didn't expect you to be so supportive of my decision."

"I'm not, I simply grow tired of you proving yourself to be an incompetent bag of shit in front of my eyes. Keep your mouth shut for now, maybe it'll save your hide in the end."

Rakot got up from the floor and approached the cell bars.

"Hey, Warden, eavesdropping on your guests is impolite."

Ianto was always able to make the healer smile. It was nice having him look after her. She felt safer with his presence. She laughed when he joked even though he sounded disturbed still. It was good because what she wanted was something to hold onto and this was good.

"A bath sounds good. I swear the smell from the sewer and vomit will never be gone. That was . . . ick." She smiled at him, "I'm glad you came. I don't know what I would have done without being able to cry on your shoulder. I feel closest to you too, I guess." She blushed, surprised she had said that.

They got to her room and she opened the door.

''What is that? I'm merely here, on watch'' Calliara answered tiredly from outside ''And you're not guests, you're prisoners. And in fact, Dalish politeness is not the same as humans or dwarves it seems. Why should I care?''

She fell silent again, staring at the stone floor, but after a while she asked ''Are you cold?''

Ianto was, frankly, glad that Jez had already turned away to open his door, because his face had chosen just that moment to heat up like an embarrassed schoolgirl. Well, she'd certainly said that quite easily, and he took a little bit of satisfaction from seeing that her face was almost as red as his was

"I - uh - yeah," he said, the words stopping and sticking in his throat. He wasn't even sure what he wanted to say, frankly. Alright. Best to focus on the easy part first, and worry about the hard part, later. "Right then," he started again, coughing a little to clear his throat and his embarrassment. "If it's a bath you want, then a bath you should have. Obviously, that's not something I can help with," though he was going to do his damned best to escort her all the way down to the baths, "so while you're down there, d'you want me to run to the kitchens? I'm no cook - obviously - but I can have someone there make you something . . . ." Except eating after you puked was the worst, though she probably hadn't eaten yet all day, so that might outweigh that inconvenience.

''What is that? I'm merely here, on watch.''

Rakot grabbed the bars, judging their strength.

The rage took a lot out of me, will be atleast a couple more days before I can bend steel this sturdy.

''And you're not guests, you're prisoners. And in fact, Dalish politeness is not the same as humans or dwarves it seems. Why should I care?''

"I am quite aware that we are prisoners....sarcasm seems to be lost on you, Warden...."

Rakot took a step back from the bars and leaned on a nearby wall, the freshly healed scars were still itching horribly, the stone against his back eased the burden.

''Are you cold?''

Rakot raised an eye brow.

"What a strange thing to ask of the damned....no I am not cold. But Ostef is shivering, the boy hasn't seen too many winters, and going into shock takes a lot out of the body. If you're bent on showing kindness, he could use something to cover up."

Rakot's voice sounded detached.

Calliara nodded, knowing that they couldn't see her, and left the dungeon silently.

It took a while, but after maybe fifteen or twenty minutes the cell, and the whole dungeon's temperature started to raise slowly til it was a more friendly atmosphere. Then, after some minutes, the Dalish came back and leaned her back against the wall again.

''I won't give you anything, that's why you all are still naked, and why you have no plates and just a jar of water. We won't give you anything that could be used for anything, even a fur, although that was my first idea''

"Hmm, I would have done the same....well maybe aside from keeping us naked part, that's being a bit paranoid. Though were I in your position Ostef and myself would have been long dead, you already have a willing source of information in the dwarf, our breathing is unnecessary. Perhaps I misjudged your Commander that day I've shared the field of battle with her against the Darkspawn, I sensed the same ruthlessness in her that I carry within myself. Have these past few months of peace softened her?"

Rakot stretched his shoulders and continued.

"Selling me as a slave to the Tevinters could land me in the Grand Arena in the Capitol city as a gladiator. Perhaps the Commander will grant me this, it'll remove me from Ferelden, and I will be dead within a few months at the latest. But at least I'll die in battle, that would be preferable to a hanging. As an added bonus I should be worth around three thousand gold pieces without much haggling....don't mind me Warden, tis nothing but idle thoughts."

''Don't be stupid, Rakot'' Calliara sighed, but her voice was sweet. It was almost funny, being there talking with that man as if nothing happened. She remembered the moment she met him in the market, thinking that she liked him because he was as tall as Bowen. ''Wardens are not into slavery. Not even the Anderfels Wardens''

''You said that you had your word in this. Maybe you could tell me about it. No names if you don't want, I'm not here to interrogate you. I'm just curious about what makes a man that helps a crazy brother to find his sister turn to a girl kidnapper. I don't think that suits you''

Rakot grinned.

"Heh why not, its not like my imprisonment is going to get any longer from talking to you. You don't know me that well, Warden, this is far from the most immoral act I've committed in my life. I come from everywhere, north and south, east and west. I've seen many things, both wonderful and terrifying. I've saved some innocents, and I've killed others, I killed many darkspawn, not out of a desire to save the world but because they themselves have set me on the path of vengeance. I had difficult choices made for me, and many I've made myself, but I have no regrets. To have regrets is to have weakness, and that's a fine way to find yourself face down in a pit in my line of work. The kidnapping was a job like any other, my employer had something I needed in exchange, and he would give it to me as payment for services rendered. Me helping Maghai was personal, he was looking for his family, and I decided to help him on whim, but do not think that I wouldn't kill him if he stood in between me and fulfilling my contract. A word once given carries value more than any life, and I have to believe that, else I will go insane in this chaotic world....But then again, I failed my word, my employer's name is revealed, maybe now its just a matter of time before I loose my sanity. A man without honor, a man without principles, is nothing but a rabid dog to be put down. If that is what I am now, death would be preferable."

Calliara listened to every word, nodding here and there, but remained silent until Rakot was finished.

''Vengueance. That's the only thing that makes us all move and fight'' The Wolf muttered, thinking about so many that she had lost to them, even her own life.

''You say you have no honor now, and no principles. Death is the easiest path to choose when that happens and you're too coward to face your failures and stand up again. It's too easy to loose your honor and principles, your sanity and your way, and difficult to find them again. Death is the easy path to not do anything, to not be anything but a candle that someone blows to extinguish your light''

The Wolf smiled to herself. Why, by the Creator's mercy, was she talking about this, and with that man?

''You can choose to die now and be nothing, or you can choose to try and recover what was yours and maybe have it better. So, are you a coward or a man? Or even a dwarf...'' She smirked ''Hemlin is a dwarven name. You speak like a dwarf sometimes, and sometimes you move like one. That must be an interesting story, being raised by durgen'len''

...What are you playing at, Warden?

Was the thought that streamed through Rakot's mind upon hearing Calliara's reply. Then she started talking about his name, and he became even more puzzled.

"Well...eh...guess there are worse ways to pass the time than delving into family history. Yes, its true, I've been raised by a dwarf...well, raised may be a bit of a stretch, I spent my time growing up around a dwarf and later he became something like family to me. His name was Romek, Romek Hemlin, the creator of the Hemlin Arms and Armor company. He was from Orzammar originally, used to be Warrior caste, but was exiled for going berserk in a wrong place and killing some noble. So he became a surface dwarf, and traveled Thedas as a weapons merchant. Eventually he found me, I was just a small child at the time, village destroyed in a darkspawn raid, I was the only survivor. At least thats how Romek said it, I don't remember anything from that time, for all I know he could have been the one to burn the village to the ground. He took me in as his property, and the first few years he had me cleaning, fixing the cart, loading the product, doing a bit of hunting, and a bit of pickpocketing. He wasn't really adamant on me remaining in good health, and had quite a temper then he was drunk, which was always, I have him to thank for my resilience to pain. Once I was strong enough, he had me pushing the cart at times so the horses could get a rest. Eventually I started thinking about slitting his throat in the night and making my escape, but before I carried out my plan he decided to start training me in the ways of a berserker. It was hard training, but it made me strong, and upon completion I earned Romek's respect. He even got all sentimental and gave me his family name, making me his business partner and a body guard. I was around fifteen years old at that point, and we continued our travels for another ten years, going from place to place trading our stock for gold. Got into a hell of a lot of trouble, made some enemies, made some friends, it wasn't a bad life....then the Blight came, and now I'm here, and Romek is dead...........So, Warden, since we're sharing, what about you? I hear they don't accept ordinary folk into your Order, you must also have a story to tell."

Jez looked up at him and beamed, "Oh would you? I mean that would be great ..." She glanced down the hall, "But ... you'll be just outside right? I'll have a bath then we can go eat." Her eyes said everything. The healer was afraid to be alone now. Who knew why she had been wanted and considering that the kidnappers had risked getting her from the palace grounds it was possible they might try again.

"Yeh." She nodded, "Alone for now then we see the others later but ... I don't want to be alone alone just alone I mean I want you to be with me but I don't want anyone else around but I want to see the others later and I don't want to be alone alone but ... oh ... dang it!"

Jez pouted and sniffed, disturbed that she couldn't figure out exactly how to say it all, if there even was a way to. She stomped a foot, grumpy at herself then sighed.

Another child alone, growing up alone

Calliara sighed, looking at the ceiling

''My father was the Keeper of my clan, but he died before I was born, so I never knew him. My mother left me days after giving birth to me and disappeared. I grew up with my clan, with no name until I was eight, as it was custom among my people. So I've been a Wolf longer than I've been Calliara''

She touched lightly her chest just below her breasts, feeling a painful dart in her lungs again, but continued talking

''One day I was patrolling the forest with another hunter and we were attacked in some ruins by darkspawn. They took my friend, and I'm not really sure how I escaped, but a Grey Warden found me and took me to my Clan. I was seriously ill for three days until I woke up, went back to the ruins, killed everything in there... but my friend was gone. The Grey Warden told me what was happening to me, and why I was feeling that horrible pain all the time, and then I knew that I was tainted. They didn't know why I survived the darkspawn taint at first, but it was slowly killing me, so he offered me a place in the Order if I survived long enough to do so, and I did. But the pain is still there, as is the taint, as it will be for the rest of my life''

The Wolf shrugged ''So I'm nothing special''

"Being special is for nobles and all the other self-important garbage out there. We weren't given much, but we took what we got and found our lot in life...at least for a time in my case. We were fortunate, that's why I say there should be no regrets...."

Rakot paused himself, the exchange was starting to get a bit too friendly for the setting they found themselves in.

"Well Warden, thank you for the delightful conversation, I'm gonna go find a hole in the corner to shit in. Have a pleasant evening."

He stepped away from the bars and retreated deeper into the cell.

Drake had been sitting on some steps just outside of the area with the cells which held the kidnappers and listened to everything that was being said. He leaned against the wall, looking over at Nygozy before playing another game of rock, parchment, knife with her.

He waited until Rakot said he was going to take a dump then strode into the room to put an arm over Calliara's shoulders, "Let's go, Wolf darling, before Nygozy thinks we truly wish to work some more."

The fighter turned away and waited for Calliara to come along, his arm still around her, "There is food for us to devour. Let us not be late."

''I think I'll just try to sleep. Someone made me run a lot today'' Calliara grinned with irony, then looked at Drake with gratitude when he appeared. The very moment she felt his arm around her shoulders she almost collapsed, feeling right then how insanely tired she was, but nodded and managed to keep standing on her own feet.

''Food... it's true I'm starving'' She sighed once they were in the corridor, and smiled weakly to Nygozy, her arm wrapped around Drake's waist. Now that she was out of the cell she looked just as tired as she felt ''Where are we going?''

"To the bathing rooms then our room, m'lady. No offense but we stink." He said calmly as he walked her away, "There is a great meal that will be ready for us after we bathe."

He waved at Nygozy then picked Calli up and carried her away.

Calliara almost yelped when he picked her up, but then sighed and rested her head on his shoulder tiredly

''You're spoiling me too much, you know that?'' She muttered

At first there was the talking to Harval to complete then the commander motioned to Griffinhart to follow her to the cells, "I need your help and your assistance in counsel. I may be making some tough choices and I am in need of a voice which is not tainted by the happenings of this day."

She grabbed a sandwich and ate it slowly as she went down the stairs to where Drake had been sitting. Within a moment she was on the stairs as well and they began playing rock, parchment, knife which was a game they tended to play whenever they wanted to be quiet for one reason or another and needed something more than listening to keep themselves awake. Griffinhart was probably bored but he never would show anything

Once Drake had gotten Calliara out of there Nygozy waited for a while with her back to the wall. She took a deep breath then got up feeling her shadow move with her as she went into the area with the kidnappers, "So who is first?"

((Sorry about that, Griff.))

"I am not spoiling you enough." He said as he went off down the halls ignoring the looks he got as he brought her to the baths, "Find a good spot. I will be back soon."

[OOC: Psst. Griffinhart already answered the summons. Bottom of page 10.

-- Griffinhart]