Thief Antics

Cestrah gave Calliara a curious look. "N-near the Denerim market... Why?" she asked while eating one of the muffins.

(I'm sorry for the super short post, I just wanted to get something in before I have to leave for work in a minute)

Calliara's eyes softened, and she placed a hand on Cestrah's hair tenderly, just like a mother or an older sister.

''Worry not, Cestrah Makunia. You're safe here and nobody would hurt you anymore'' The Wolf smiled again and then looked at Jezarine ''Lethallan, take good care of her. Food, a bath and clean clothes, ask Caterina's help with that, she likes to dress us all'' She grinned, and then turned to face Maghai and patted his shoulder tenderly ''You will come with me to see the Commander''

Maghai patted Cestrah's hand while grinning wildly, "See I told you they would help! Yes, let's see the commander." He jumped up and walked over to Calliara, "Don't worry. Jez will take real good care of you. She always took care of me real well, or as well as she could because I'm hard to watch over." He chuckled, "We shouldn't be long, right Wolf?"

Then he took Calliara's hand like a little child would with a parent and gave her a questioning expression of wonder to where they would find the commander.

((OOC: It's ok if it is short. We all do it now and then ))

''I think it'll take a bit longer for me than you'' Calliara nodded, and let him took her hand. He was like a puppy. No, worse than a puppy. Adorable, but a headache-maker. She nodded to Jezarine and left without any other word, with an idea of where to find Nygozy.

It wasn't too long before she found her in the kitchen, tasting the new cheese that Alistair was sending from the palace in his attemps of calming the Commander. Of course the dwarf was there with Kai, enjoying the cheese with a dreamily look in her face, and Calliara almost regreted to disturb her.

''Hi, Nyggy'' She said in a casual tone that wasn't really usual in her ''Maghai needs to tell you something. Don't worry, he didn't anything bad. By the way, I have to take care of... some business... May I take Sinjan and Ianto with me? Thank you, bye'' The Wolf turned to leave, leaving Maghai there

Cestrah glanced around in a bit of surprise. Everyone was so… kind. Maghai and Calliara had then left to go find the hero to ask permission if she could go, and Jezarine was the one who’d healed her. And all of this for a girl off the streets? It struck Cestrah as odd that people would go this far out of their ways for a street urchin girl who spent her time stealing. Upon the two leaving, Cestrah; who was still laying on the couch that Maghai had laid her on before, turned her head towards Jezarine.

“Your brother… He’s a great person. I have a lot to thank him for. I’m just curious as to why all of you are helping me above anyone else. I’m… just some thief off the streets.” She said while resting her head.

Nygozy was delving into some excellent cheese and taking her time as she had been informed that Alistair was caught up in meetings so he would not be in the kitchen looking for her yet.

Calliara's arrival and comment hardly phased her as she handed a slice of cheese to Kai, "Try this one. Maybe it is more to your pallate." Her head turned and she looked at the two, "Maghai with something to tell me and you wanting the services of Sin and Ianto? This has to be interesting. Go on Maghai and after he's done I'm sure that Calliara would like to tell me what she needs the silly duo for."

"Maggie is a good person. I've missed him a lot." She got a bowl and pitcher from a table that was sitting on a table in the sunlight. She fished out a cloth from a bowl then poured water into it and got a couple towels to put under Cestrah, "You are not ready to go to the bathing rooms so a wipe down bath will have to do. I'll wash you up. Just put a towel over top and one below."

Jezarine got some herbs and started working them into the water, "We are not like other people. We care for others and try to help the ones we can. The unfortunate thing is that we cannot help everyone. You were just lucky my brother was at the right place at the right time, I suppose."

With a small nod, Cestrah silently agreed with Jezarine. She thought about it for a moment, and she realized that in taking a bath, she would have to remove her clothes, revealing dozens of scars, bruises and burns. It was slightly unnerving to show someone things like that on your body, but Cestrah also had bad self image. She wasn't sure what Jezarine's reaction to her body would be. Would she laugh at her? Nobody had ever really looked at her body, as far as she could tell, and Cestrah's self esteem about her body was already low enough. With a worried tone and a slight blush, Cestrah voiced her worry while putting the towel underneath herself as instructed. "Umm... If it's a bath... Do I have to be naked?"

Days later. It was days later, and he still felt nervous letting Jez out of his sight for more than a minute. He knew that he had to let her on her own sometimes, or she'd feel like he was hovering or worse, think that he didn't think she could take care of herself, but he'd resigned himself to knowing that, in those times, he'd be as twitchy and irritable as if he hadn't had lyrium in a day.

Which, as it was, was the reason he hadn't been at her side for the last ten minutes.

The problem with refusing the leave the side of another person while also needing to feed an addiction that you'd rather not have anyone watch was that you couldn't indulge both at the same time. So Ianto had stretched himself as thin as he could on lyrium to watch Jez, and when he knew he was either going to have a withdrawal-induced panic attack or worse, he'd finally excused himself for a minute to go back to his room. He was feeling better now, though, and was heading back to where he'd last left the healer.

"Jez?" He called, not bothering to knock on the door as he swung it open. It took him a moment to really see what was going on, though. Jez was standing there with a young girl (whom he'd never seen before this moment) and said young girl looked about a moment away from taking her clothes off.

"Maker's breath!" He spun around faster than he ever had and slammed the door behind him, his face heating like a campfire. "Oh Maker," he murmured, then louder, so they could hear him through the door, "I'm sorry!" Knocking. Yes. Knocking would be good in the future. Make sure he wasn't walking in on women getting naked.

Calliara snorted, waiting for Maghai to start ranting. ''I don't really have time, Nyggy. I want to get there before the man is too drunk to know what's happening. No blood, I promise'' She pushed lightly Maghai's shoulder with hers

''Go on, cub, tell her''

"I think Calliara wants them so she can go deal with my new friend's father. You see, he's been using his daughter, Cestrah to steal for him so he could drink and when she tried to leave he hurt her bad and threatened to remove her legs if she tried to leave. So I saved her see, and Jez is healing her up."

Maghai stood tall and behaved, acting like a normal person except he still had the childish look to him as if he were wanting a puppy, "Can we keep her? Please?"

Jezarine nodded at Cestrah, "Yes but that's why you have the top towel too. It's big enough to fully cover you so that you can feel more secure. I know it is scary around new people." She said shyly, "I'm like that sometimes too. So I will only wash small areas at a time and give you a chance to ..."

Ianto then walked into the room and right back out making Jezarine snigger, a hand over her mouth as she did so, "Just a moment, Cestrah. That's Ianto. He looks after me." Jez blushed.

She got up, went to the door and opened it, "Ianto?" Her body slipped out of the room a bit, "Oh there you are. It's ok. I'm just cleaning up this girl who was hurt. Magpie brought her here. You can come in and sit in a chair looking the other way if you like. I have a new book on herbs for us to go through together so you can read that." She smiled up at him, reassuring and with interest that he come inside. He was always welcome as far as she was concerned.

''And I need Sinjan and Ianto because Drake is gone with that 'mission' of yours that you kept me away from'' Calli grunted ''Those two are nobles and warriors, and I am just an elf, for what that man could care I am nothing, but maybe two angry nobles yelling and maybe beating him a bit would make him think about getting a proper job. Can I leave now? I don't want to get him drunk''

Maghai did not even phase the commander but a brow went up as Calliara spoke and she gave the woman a stolid stare, assessing her coldly for a moment. Friend or not, second or not, and even though Nygozy knew the reasons, Calliara had just hit a button.

"Take Sinjan. Ianto is likely to want to be with Jezarine." She said in an even tone which made Maghai back up a bit, "Go do what must be done and return to me in my quarters."

She turned to Maghai, "You come with me." The dwarf started to walk out but added to the kitchen staff, "Send my foods to my quarters."

''Understood'' Calliara nodded, and patted Maghai's arm before leaving.

She wondered where could she find Sinjan, hoping he wouldn't be expending some quality time with Lithawen. While tracking him down, she cursed herself for opening her feelings that sincerely when cornered.

Yes, she felt upset because Nygozy hadn't ordered her to go with Drake, Griffinhart and Rakot. She was the one who tracked the berseker down and brought him back, damnit. She started that and she felt that she deserved to end it, but as always, she hadn't complained, just nodded and then hid somewhere so Drake couldn't find her before he had to go. She didn't wanted to tell him good bye, good luck, or something trivial like that. She couldn't stand another good bye. What if they never returned?

That thought was so horrible, so painful, that she had to stop in the middle of the corridor. What if they never returned?

After some moments trying to get over it, she shook her head and continued looking for Sinjan until she found him.

''Sinjan. I need you for some business involving a father beating his daughter. Interested?''

Ok where was she?

The noble half-elf looked around the corner to see if he was being followed and sighed when he saw that there was no one there. Good. That was best for all involved.

Then he turned, almost walked directly into Calliara and jumped back, his head turning this way and that as the woman spoke. He put a hand on her mouth, the other around her waist and rushed her into another room where he started looking for another way out, his eyes crazy while he heard a person out in the hall.

"Sinjan? Did I hear you talking to someone? Where are you?" A lady's voice called, all cheery and sugary pleasant.

Finally he noticed a door going out into another hallway and rushed for it, pulling Calliara by the hand, "Sure I'll help. Let's go!" He whispered as he went out the door, pulling the Wolf behind himself as he ran to get out of the palace as fast as he could.

What the hell...?

Had he been another man, surely he would have found himself on the floor, kicked in the balls for grabbing her without warning. But he was a friend, and then the Wolf let him pull her and run like followed by demons

It wasn't what she had expected, but that would serve, and when they found themselves out of the estate, she looked at him, amused

''Alright, now explain me what was that and I'll explain you the rest''

Sinjan looked about quickly as they left the estate then started walking like normal, whistling a jaunty off-tune melody, his arm through Calliara's to offset anyone from coming towards him.

"I am noble. She's hunting. I'm running like a scared bunny, which basically in these circumstances I always am." He admitted easily while smiling at passerbys and nodding amiably as he walked about with her, a fake smile but one that looked pleasant nonethless.

"So what's the job, my savior?"

Calliara rolled her eyes, trying to pretend to be bored, but finally giggled

''Awww, poor scared little red bunny. I am glad this Wolf could save such a little prey''

She patted Sinjan's hand while smiling, feeling better now. ''But I don't understand, why you can't just simply tell her you're not interested and move on?. Anyway. Maghai brought a hurt girl to the quarters, Jez is healing her, she had a broken rib. For what Maghai and the girl explained, it was her father who hit her when she told him she was leaving to live with the Wardens. It seems that the man is a drunk and makes the girl, who is not older than... well, she looks like ten or twelve, maybe a bit older. He makes the girl steal for him so he can drink all day''

Looking around casually, she looked at him right in the eye afterwards ''My plan is scaring the crap out of him. No blood though, or at least not much, but enough to terrify him and let him know that beating little girls is not a good thing. You're in?''

Just as Cestrah was preparing to remove her clothes, a man came into the room looking for Jezarine. His abrupt entry made her jump out of her skin and turn crimson. When Jez went out into the hall to talk to the man, Cestrah took that opportunity to get undressed without anyone in the room. 

As she removed her clothing, she did what happened every time she undressed. She got a look at all her marks. Her body was practically a long story of pain. There was the inch long scar on her side from when her father drunkenly threw a kitchen knife at her. It hadn't been sharpened in a while, but it still made a small grazing cut. Or the burn from two years ago when he hit her in the right outer thigh with a hot fire poker. As she looked at one of her gloves, she thought to keep it on. The scar was almost frightening to her, as the wound had caused her years of hindrance for her left hand. Jez... Wouldn't mind if she kept the glove on...

Now naked except for her glove, she slipped under the towel Jez had left and waited for the healer to return.   

"At least I know you won't try to eat me up." He chuckled then gave her a steely, knowing look, "You know little of those who hunt men for their money do you? Let's put it this way, if you are a noble and you say hi to a pretty hunter then you are fair game no matter how many times you say no. They figure they will wear you down in time."

He listened, he nodded, he growled, "Leave it to me. I will work this out with him easy."

Calliara gave him a confused but honest look. ''You're right, I don't know a thing about that kind of 'hunting'... Why should I? Money and position is not important for Dalish and less for a Grey Warden who is likely to loose it all sooner or later''

When he agreed to her little evil plan she smiled brightly at him and stood on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek. ''Well, you're actually easier to kiss than Drake, he is too tall for me. Thank you, Sin, I knew you'd help me. He'll be more scared of you than just an elf''

"I am sure you don't want to know." He said calmly, "Now don't go telling Drake that or he might just give me a shock with that happy sword he has." He waggled a finger at her, "You know how jealous that man gets." He partially teased.

"It's no problem, Calli. Anything for an innocent or my best friend's love. Ok where is this place?" He was all business as he noticed the area they were going into.

Calliara giggled and patted his arm again ''What's this, you're rejecting a kiss? Pity, you're adorable''

The Wolf looked around once they got to the market, sniffing the air lightly. There it was. The trail that Cestrah and Maghai left after them, a trail of fear and worry from the crazy elf, the trail of pain, sadness and fear from the girl.

''She told me that they lived near the market. I can smell them actually...'' She frowned dangerously. Beating a child was the worst thing in the world. Beating your own children was even worse. ''This way''

"Ah pretty lady but if you were not with my friend I would gladly accept a kiss or much more." He smiled down at her, "Then again if you two were into threesomes ..." He waggled his eyebrows at her as he hugged her to his side, playing about.

"Right." He became serious now as she pointed out the area and then the place. Sinjan walked to the door and knocked, a serious look on his contenance as he waited.