While Demitri is able to spot a shortcut across the rooftops that lets him close in on Trinia, Nalun takes a more direct approach--he navigates across the cluttered rooftops between him and Trinia with ease.
Karri's Legion senses the chase and knows the fleshling they are riding is weak. Bring me, mistress. I will carry you to your prey! Without really thinking it through she lets the demon that became so familiar at the Eel's End come out. She calls the name of her mount and summons it at her feet. Once the rat-horse has been summoned it turns it's head to its mistress and squeak/whinnies at her. She steps into the stirrup and swings her leg over, ready to do what may be a really bad idea: riding a horse on the shingles...
Lyla jumps to her feet upon hearing the turmoil upstairs. Noticing the sound of footsteps outside, she quickly deduces that Trinia must be trying to run away from Demitri and Nalun. The halfling girl sticks her head out the window and sees Karri conjuring up a magic horse and swiftly riding away. She then winks at the landlord and says "Gotta go, mister. Nice meetin' ya!" With that, she swings out the window, grabbing the wooden stairs that make up the improvised fire escape; looking up, she can see Demitri and Nalun going after Trinia, who already has a slight lead on her pursuers. Lyla looks around studying the best route to intercept the fugitive, and then hops to a nearby platform to give chase.
"Damn, this isn't going to end well!", Ortik says as he watches Trinia bound across the rooftops. You may have speed, painter girl, but speed's not the only thing that can help you here. Ortik cast about for a way to cut her off.
As Ortik stands there, he curses, realizing she's chosen her path well. "Well, I'll be bollixed."
Ortik's search for an alternate route across the rooftops proves fruitless, leaving him frustrated. Lyla, on the other hand, knows the Shingles well. It's all too easy for her to catch up to Trinia's spot.
Trinia's eyes widen as she sees Demitri, Nalun and Lyla closing in. The demonic horse Karri just conjured into existence doesn't help either. She clearly starts panicking as Lyla closes in on her, practically screaming an incantation at her and pointing a finger!
The spell completely affects Lyla, causing the hobbit to double over and start laughing.
The terrified artist then takes off running across the rooftops!
Karri swallows her fear and digs her heels into the demonic horse's flanks and feels it power as it leaps into action. Crashing shingle, tiles and even some shoddy chimneys all fall victim to the horse's mass. Leaning in close Karri orders the horse to jump and keep as close to Trinia as it can.
Demitri navigates the narrow walkway and then tries to grab Trinia.
"We're trying to help you."
The demon horse rears back, neighs, and takes off at Karri's command!
As you wish... *mistress.*
While the horse is content to trot effortlessly across the cluttered rooftops, it takes offence to Karri's attempts at helping it find a quicker route. As such, Karri only makes a small amount of progress.
As Demitri closes in on Trinia to grab her, she kicks at him blindly in panic!
All that accomplishes is that it gives Demitri something of hers to grab onto.
Nalun attempts to gain ground but Demitri beats him to it!
Nalun's efforts at navigating the narrow walkway before him are impeded by high winds blowing across the Shingles, causing it to rock, sway and come dangerously close to throwing him off. However, he is able to make some progress, catching up to Lyla's position.
Ortik continues to cast about for a way to make up the time he's lost, squinting his eyes as he hears the chase getting further and further away.
"Confound it!", he shouts, kicking a shingle in the roof in frustration. It shatters on the ground below, and he resigns himself to eventually picking his way towards the group.
Lyla manages to get a hold of herself, throwing off Trinia's spell of laughter just as Nalun catches up to her!
Trinia thrashes and wriggles about in Demitri's grip, but can't seem to get loose! "Letmegoletmegoletmego!" She almost screams, her panic rising to dangerous levels.
"Need some help there, chief?" Lyla says as she runs across the rooftops to catch up with Demitri. Not really waiting for an answer, she moves over to try and grab Trinia by the legs.
Emphasis on try. The poor girl is thrashing around too much for Lyla to get a decent grip.
Nalun moves up and attempts to assist Demitri
Nalun's efforts at helping Demitri are more successful!
Demitri will try to pin her. "Will you calm down? We're trying to help you. It's this or execution."
Between Demitri's grip and Nalun intervening, it's a simple matter to pin Trinia to the rooftops.
Upon closer inspection, Trinia looks much like the drawings of her on the wanted posters around town. Her closely-cropped blonde hair is messy and tangled from running across the Shingles, and blue eyes are turning red and puffy around the edges from crying. She's wearing a long-sleeved tan shirt under a red and orange vest, with brown leggings decorated with strips of orange fabric cut to look like dragon's tails. Her hands are heavily bandaged and she's barefoot. Altogether, Trinia is indeed quite a beauty...
"W-what?" She gasps, exhausted from running. She appears to finally be listening to what everyone is saying. "Y-you're *pant pant* not here to *huff* capture me?" Glancing over at Nalun, she bites her lip and looks down, trying to get herself together. "But..."
When Ortik arrives, he's looking quite a bit worse for the wear. His face is flushed, his tunic drenched with sweat, and when he skids to a stop before the rest of his friends, he nearly doubles over to catch his breath. He tries to respond to Trinia, but rather than words, all he's able to vocalize is a pained, hacking cough.
"No. Now will you stop running from us?"
Trinia nods, still trying to catch her breath.
"Please... I need to explain." She swallows, holding back tears. "I was framed--I didn't kill Eodred, I swear!"
"We know. Do you know who would do such a thing?" Demitri asks before letting her go.
You're on a first name basis with the King? Nalun says, not knowing if he should be jealous or impressed.
Out of breath mostly because of the forced the fit of laughter rather than the chase, Lyla takes a few deep breaths and joins in on the conversation. She lifts one finger and corrects Demitri. "Well, technically, we're not arresting you, but we are taking you into custody, I guess. Not that different, from my experience, but maybe these guys can explain it better", she says pointing to Demitri and Nalun. "Now, from what I've heard, the royal chamberlain picked you to paint the king's portrait because, and I quote, he thought King Eodred's 'health and spirits would improve if you visited regularly'. Now, why would he think that? Maybe you and the King became too close, and now it's coming back to haunt you? Care to comment about that?"
"Well..." Trinia turns slightly pink as Nalun asks his question, then pales as Lyla asks her questions. It's more out of bewilderment at being bombarded with several at once than fright. "Um..."
Before she can say anything, the sounds of the mob below turn from the embodiment of rage to sheer terror and pain. A cacophony of footfalls can be heard from the streets below, followed by the rhythmic metallic *stomping* of armour-clad Hellknights. It seems the mob has been dispersed, and rather violently.
Peeking over the side of the rooftop, the party can see several dozen people running for their lives from a line of ten Hellknights, their armour and weapons stained with fresh blood. Behind them lie at least five of their brethren, some clinging to life, others mortally wounded. The leader of the patrol glares at the retreating rioters. He is a giant of a man, clad in black, spiked plate mail and carrying a massive greataxe styled to look like a dragon with spread wings.
Trinia's panic rises again. "C-can we talk about this somewhere else? Preferably not within earshot of Hellknights? Especially ones who look like they're after me?" She shakily gets to her feet, eying the group with a mixture of desperation and fear (especially towards Karri and her horse).
"Yes, we have a safehouse." Demitri replies before leading everyone back hoping to avoid the Hellknights.
Nalun nods at Demitri's quick action.
As the party makes their way down from the Shingles with Trinia in tow, the Hellknights can be seen gathering their wounded and dead, not paying attention to anything else but their task. The bodies of many citizens can be seen lying in the gutters of Midland, the smell of blood and decay thick in the Calistril air.
The streets are eerily quiet as the party follows Demitri back to Zellara's home on Lancet Street... not a soul can be found.
There's no mistaking it for anything other than Zellara's feelings.
The main room of the house is empty, save for Nadia and Majenko playing together. The long-haired girl in clean, if worn clothes and the purple pseudodragon both look up at the party as they return.
Trinia breathes a sigh of relief and collapses into a chair at the dinner table. "Now... now I think I can explain."
That would be helpful. Nalun says We risked our rears to get you out of that tenement, and you ran like a fool.
Karri feels a bit guilty about terrorizing Trinia. But, as Nalun and Demitri both point out, better scared than strung up on a gibbet. She follows the group back to Lancet Street, quiet, but listening to the city. Oh Gods, what have these Hell Knights done? They have done what you wish you could do! Exercise power to own these fleshlings. Yes, some of them have already come down to us. Would you like a taste of them? Karri ignores the Legion's jabs and keeps quiet. During the walk, she looks sidelong at Lyla, usualy so ebullient, but now so taciturn. What is going on in her head? Same as mine...well maybe not the same. But does she feel the waste, too?
As the party enters Zellara's home, Karri realizes something. Seeing Nadia and the psuedodragon playing, as children should play, it hits her: To protect this little girl, and all the girls like her. No more Lamms, no more Hell Knights. She feels an immense relief with the assertion, the Legion's clamoring is silenced, as if something grand were happening on a stage before them.
Karri calls Demitri after he has greeted his daughter. I must tell him, before other voices distract me. Demitri, can I speak with you in private? Before Trinia explains." She looks at the blonde artist and adds, "She looks like she needs to steady herself anyway. Ortik, can you please get the woman something to settle her nerves?"
"I'll fetch her a tipple right quick. I keep the good stuff on a high shelf - Nalun, would you mind helping me get it down from there?"
The two men head into the larder and the dwarf opens a closed barrel labeled "pickled herring." While a strong fishy smell threatens to overpower the tight confines, he reaches in and withdraws a bottle of red wine. "I had to put it somewhere that I knew the kids wouldn't get into it," he explains quietly. "Hell, there are days that just opening the barrel turns me off from drinking. You might do with a touch as well. It might take your edge off. That girl in there is currently Korvosa's most wanted. She's scared out of her wits. You know as well as I do what would have happened to her if the mob got ahold of her, let alone the Hellknights. Go easy on her. She deserves a break." He walks back into the kitchen and withdraws a pair of cups from a cupboard. "And don't forget - we're the only thing keeping her safe right now. So don't drink this too quickly." He pours two glasses and hands one to Nalun before walking back into the other room with the second.
After a short time, Ortik returns with a wooden cup filled with a cheap red wine. "Drink it slow, sister, you're in good hands here. I can get some bread and cheese for you to snack on if you need it."
Standing on the corner of the room, Lyla observes the rest of the group go about trying to make Trinia more comfortable. Unlike the others, she's not completely convinced of her innocence. Hmph. They're all so trusting. Let's see ho this pans out, she thinks staring at the scared woman. When Trinia offers to explain the whole situation, Lyla weighs in. "Please don't be shy. We're all ears here."
"Of course. I think she would enjoy that very much. I've been wondering about what to do when I have to do these jobs."
Trinia gratefully accepts Ortik's offered cup of wine. "I wouldn't say no to some bread and cheese..." She says, blushing a little before clearing her throat.
She takes a sip of the wine, wrinkling her nose before speaking again. "Let me start at the beginning, then..." She sets her cup down. "About half a month ago, I saw a bulletin that was putting out a call for local artists to come by Castle Korvosa and paint a portrait of King Eodred. The pay was impressive--five thousand Crowns. That's enough to own a good apartment suite in North Point!" She crosses her legs. "Quite a hefty sum for a simple portrait painting... although, I suppose given what happened to Eodred later, that was probably the first sign that there was something fishy about the whole deal." She looks into her cup before turning back to the party.
"Still, I needed the money. I was behind on rent and painting gigs were... difficult to come by." She takes a breath, straightening herself up in her chair. "So, I packed up my art supplies and headed off to the castle to apply."
She takes another sip of her wine, relaxing a bit. The wine seems to be doing wonders for her nerves. "Of course, I wasn't the only artist there--quite a few other local artists were practically lined up for a chance to impress the king. Not that it mattered much; I was picked because I was the only girl there." She hugs herself and slouches in her seat.
"Can't say I was surprised too much by that..."
The second thing he was notorious for was his boundless appetite for women, with no regards for race, ethnicity, or as some rumours claimed, age. Considering he married a woman a third of his age, it appears the rumours were, in fact, true.
Nalun narrows his eyes slightly but holds his tongue.
Ortik listened intently, stroking his beard as Trinia spoke. His eyes were hard now, and his brow furrowed. He wasn't sure where the confession was leading, but the more she talked, the less he liked its direction.
Trinia notices the looks Ortik and Nalun are giving her. She clears her throat and blushes. "Um... nothing happened between us, if that's what you're wondering." She looks down into her cup of wine, taking a bite of bread.
"Not for lack of him trying... Shelyn knows he tried groping me enough times..." She grumbles to herself before turning back to the group. "Over the next week, Seneschal Neolandus made arrangements for me to be picked up at my apartment and taken to Castle Korvosa to continue working on the king's portrait, as well as arranging for passage home. Some of the guards were more than happy to go along with the seneschal's wishes; couldn't say the same for the Queen."
She rubs her eyes. "At least they had more restraint than Eodred. Ileosa wasn't happy about me being around--I only met her once. And I'm sure that if she could get away with it, she'd have set me on fire for being around her husband so often. All the more reason I wanted to just get the job over with as soon as possible." Trinia shifts uncomfortably in her seat, drinking the rest of her cup of wine.
"By the end of the week, the guards and Eodred were sad to see me go. I sure as the hells wasn't sad to go, but at least Seneschal Neolandus was nice enough to give me some bonus pay. 'For putting up with His Majesty's... quirks.' Direct quote." She takes a breath and a bite of cheese before continuing. "I had enough money to get this for myself..."
Trinia smiles a little and lifts up her shirt a bit. Under her top is a silvery chain shirt, decorated with images of pseudodragons in flight. From its mirror shine and how well it fits her body, its easy to determine that it's a chain shirt made of mithral. "Kinda fancy for me, I know, but... well, the money promptly went to my head."
She pulls her top back down, covering her chain shirt. "I ended up giving away most of the cash from the job to the other families in the tenement... and in the end, I had enough to pay the rent for the next month or two." She sighs. "Then Ileosa put out her bounty on me..."
"...and you know the rest." Trinia says, looking over at Nalun. "I'm sorry you got involved in this--I didn't want to make you worry so much about me."
Well, what's done is done. Lets figure out how to clear your name...we need to get you to the Field Marshal as soon as possible. Nalun says, not unkindly, laying his hand on her forearm.
"Indeed. The sooner we get you to the field marshal, the sooner we can clear your name and be done."
Trinia gives Nalun a nervous smile as he comforts her, but it promptly vanishes once he and Demitri mention bringing her in to Kroft. It's replaced by a look of great anxiety.
"Field Marshal Kroft?" She starts wringing her hands. "A-are you sure she can keep me safe?"
Majenko perches on the kitchen table, his head tilted to one side. Nadia sticks close to Demitri.
The Field Marshal is a stand up gal...she will do the right thing. She knows you are innocent that the Queen is up to something. Nalun says and then She's the only one with power on our side right now, so he really don't have a choice.
"As Nalun said, Kroft will do her best."
Looking at Trinia with arms crossed, Lyla reassures the painter about Kroft. "Trust us on this one, sweet pie, if someone can help you, it's her." She then turns to the group and says "So, we gotta get most wanted person in town across these crowded streets. We'd better come up with something better than just sticking a bag over her head. Hey, where's that make up kit we got from Lamm?", she asks as she searches the room. When she finally finds it, she opens the kit on the floor and pats the floor, asking Trinia to sit down. "Come here."