Approaching the Fire

JP with Jaxx, Lorem, Omni and Winteroak

Soliam Farm

The two men offered to help Alexis and Islana take Hendrik's body back into the city proper, with the promise they would show them where they found him tomorrow.

Hunter approached the group inconspicuously trying to ascertain what was happening but keeping an eye on their suspect. Maybe he could try and join the man around his fire. Hunter hoped Alexis did not find it odd he was here at this farm.
Hunter kept a low profile as he leaned more on his staff to look more crippled that he was. He listened to the various conversation to get the gist of what was happening.

He figured out a friend of Alexis was killed in a brutal manner and a red headed scout was working with her. He moved a bit closer to eavesdrop on the main suspect to hear what he had to say and who he was talking to as well as any subtle expression he was making to others. Hunter and his fellow assassins were trained to communicate in a similar manner when doing a mass killing spree in the night. He was calm and quiet as he blended in the background and was ready to kill if things went bad.

Meanwhile at the edge of the farm trying to work out what their next steps could be where two individuals whose fates and history were bound by forces and events unknown to both.

The Arbiter found it strange that the man appeared to be so ill at ease in her presence. Even more so than normal.

"What is your part in all of this?" Voah asked the man glancing over at him briefly as she spoke before turning her eyes back to the gathering.

The man’s silence spoke volumes. He was nervous about something. Which made her nervous.

She squinted at him and looked him up and down. Was he hiding something? Was he afraid of the cult? …or working with them? Was this a ruse to lure her out here away from public eyes into some sort of trap? Her heart beat faster at the thought and her eyes shot around to the shadows again.

She would find out soon enough but for now she needed to know what in the shroud this man knew about what was going on.

Keeping her senses aware of Gonyaul’s movements, she slid her sword out and approached him slowly.

“Speak. I need to know what you know.” she urged him in a voice a little louder than a harsh whisper.

Gonyaul had kept silent and observant following the two in pursuit of the assassin to Soliam farm. By the time they arrived he had made the decision, contrary to his feelings, that he was going to extend grace to the Arbiter. He concluded that while the horror stories were real, that every person is an individual and deserves an objective assessment. It would be unkind to judge this lady, whom had never done anything to merit disdain, off of the past.

It was a good thing they were paying more attention to what was going on, because from their concealed vantage point, Gonyaul was having a mental discourse between his heart and head. Was he making the right decision? What would his Elders say; they were notorious for surprising responses? Was the fear he was experiencing appropriate or misguided? He was so lost in thought that he didn’t register her first question to him. The common tongue wasn’t his first language after all. Furthermore, he was startled when she turned to face him. His attentiveness snapped back in place.

Gonyaul moved backwards from her slow advance with surprising speed. He had fast twitch muscles fibers in excess, which easily allowed him to put a disproportionate amount of distance between them with what looked like barely any movement or effort. He took a instinctual defensive stance from the waist down; however, from the waist up he seemed calm and unthreatening.

The sudden stop caused his hood to fall back. His silky black hair cascaded into view framing his exotic face. He looked concerned as he glanced to her weapon waking up from its bed.

His mind raced, he could not remember what her first question was. He just wasn’t paying attention when she asked it. What did she want him to say? Had he done something wrong?

“I speak. I speak.” He urgently replied.

“What you need know?” He asked unsure of what this woman wanted of him and unsure if he was about to have to defend his life for the second time.

When the man sprang backwards, the Arbiter paused, nearly laughing at his skittishness. More martial defense moves. The maneuvers reminded her of training with Yan’dian and her peers.

“Let’s start with your name. Or shall I call you, Rabbit?” she said.

Meanwhile Hunter was slowly getting closer to the suspect he was watching. After a while he made his way by the fire and leaned on his staff like an old crippled man. Then pretended to gaze at the fire as he was indirectly paying attention to the others around him.

The four men around the fire eyed him suspiciously. The one they had been following turned to Hunter and asked, "Who in Hoi's tits are you?"

Hunter gazed at the fire a bit before he looked around and acted like he didn’t realize the man was talking to him. He replied, “Eh? You were talking to me?” He looked at the four men with look of shock on his face as he quickly sized them up and planned in his mind multiple ways to cripple them so he could torture them for information later on. Unlike soldiers, politicians and clergy, Hunter’s torture techniques were down right brutally evil. So he chuckled to the man as he replied, “Sorry. I was just trying to warm up by the fire. I didn’t know you were grieving the death of that man passed away. Were you all close to him.? Hunter played the fool to gauge their response as was already prepared to cut off some fingers and toes.

"Why would anyone here grieve the death of one of them thugs?" The man replied and spat into the fire. "Now are you as deaf as you are ugly?! Who are you?" He asked again the four men looking at Hunter suspiciously.