Cavell doesn't seem like he's going to respect Tease any time soon, but stranger things have happened. He drags the cart without complaint. He takes in the sights, still enjoying the walk despite huffing by the end from pulling the cart.
He smiles to Silvers, "Great, I'm sure he'll be charm on legs to work with. Charm on stubby little legs. Reeking stubby little legs."
Not seeming to mind the work, Cavell does his best to imitate the bricks already laid down, humming along to Trissae's song as he works. All the while going over the layout of the tower and its walls, and the best ways to escape, in his head.
"Ozz try to keep them straight for gods' sakes, let no one say the Bogsharks built a s**~ty road."
Trissae continues to sing until they reach their destination, sizing up the project to come.
"I certainly hope baths are in relative privacy..." she says under her breath as she surveys the scene.
As she joins in the work on the road she looks to silvers with a quizzical look.
"Excuse me my lady. If we assisted in the catching of a felon, even if indirectly, is there a chance our sentence may be lessened for having done the people of Yartar some bit of favor?" She says in the sweetest voice she can muster.
Working for a bit, Ozz will nudge anyone near him. "Lots of sick people." He points out a couple of the more obvious cases. "Wen too. This isn't a healthy place..."
Tease begins to curse to himself in dwarvern as Cavell continues to be insulting. "Yer goin' ta break thuh bricks that way, ye big f$$!ing beast," he chides Ozz at one point as the tool used to lift the old bricks out is used improperly.
"And ye, Cavell, if yer goin' ta bring thuh fresh ones over, bring a bunch! Stop this job of doin' nothing but walking back an' forth!"
Silvers looks down at Triss from Rascals back. "You dodged your bath this morning," she smiles. "Though honestly, we've just gotten used to our guests forcing us to give them some amount of bathing. If you actually enjoy the smell of fresh air, we can probably set you up in the indoor cell with a bucket of water and a cloth."
She watches Triss ask her question, and her face takes on a serious expression. "That is a very tough question... This entire situation is very strange. You see, most of the time banditry comes with an automatic death sentence. We'd have just imprisoned you until the next afternoon once word has had time to reach the Waterbaron and for her to approve the execution."
She scratches Rascal behind an ear while thinking. "This time, though, Lord Frostheight has a plan, and he's talking to the Waterbaron about it now. Your sentence is the same, though delayed. Unlike Tease, there is no community service option for robbing and killing for twenty years. Maybe there is, but I cannot fathom any deed you could do to help the community that would dismiss your sentence. That's why he wants your boss, the true person deserving of punishment for everything the Bogsharks have done for decades, and maybe she'll approve of your freedom if your boss turns himself in."
Silvers makes eye contact with Trissae, choosing her next words carefully and keeping her voice low. "If your boss doesn't turn himself in, your deaths are certain. If he does, well... That's up to the Waterbaron. She is a just woman, I don't know if she'll lightly let bandits off the hook. But if she makes this deal for your freedom with Lord Frostheight, she will honor it."
Cavell nods, following Ozz's gaze. He looks at the sick with a quiet, flat expression for a moment, then grins as Tease complains.
"Right you are! Too right my friend," Cavell says and cheerfully carries more bricks each trip. He works precisely but not very quickly, occasionally waving or grinning at Silvers or shouting pleasantries at passerby's, sick or not.
He chuckles quietly when he overhears the conversation between Trissae and Silvers, but doesn't comment.
"Teasey you sure you weren't a cobbler in another life? Cobbler, cobbler, no wait that's shoemaking isn't it? What's the man who makes roads? Anyway, I think you were destined for it. You can start your own business a decade from now when you finally get out," he chuckles. "Or maybe banditry. Ever wanted to be a bandit? Even as a little one? Little-er? Clean up some and maybe you could be a Bogshark one day."
Looking up at the sun, he wipes his forehead.
"Silvers, any water to drink sweetheart?"
Trissae smiles and nods at the idea of having a bath. "Just promise that I'm able to do it in privacy. Adrien's heart is honest but his eyes are villainous." she says while glancing over at Adrien and giving him a wink.
after listening full and well to Silvers she sighs.
"That man will be making no offers for our salvation. He has bile in his words and hate in his heart and he will share those things with all he can. It's unfortunate that judgement in so stern in your culture, it appears our peoples aren't so very different." She says this without making eye contact with Silvers, instead focusing on her own thoughts while she helps lay road brick.
after a bit she begins to sing again, this time she has purpose to her voice. The song a ballad she had been working on for years, still not complete, called Ballad of the Bogs. Similar to her playful song days ago it recalls the activity of the Bogsharks, though not by individual name instead by their titles, this time though the song focuses on the virtuous natures of each precarious member. Woven into the fabric of the ballad is a story of trust, hope, and family and how each person is a part of that.
Her friends would notice names not mentioned, others listening would also notice verses that don't conclude or ideas half explored. Regardless she sings it to completion
♪♪ Beware not fog, the cold, or dark.
Nor threat of lonliness of heart ♪♪
♪♪ For the bogs is this: our family and hearth.
no matter how far, we're never apart ♪♪
♪♪ Our leader is no master, a father and more.
for the lost such as us, it's we he adores ♪♪
♪♪ Sharks, SHARKS! Know our bite, for this bog is ours and we know how to fight!
Sharks SHARKS! As we hunt our prey, the wicked and greedy are those we waylay!♪♪
♪♪ Sharks, SHARKS! We do not stray!
through boggy waters we get away!♪♪
♪♪ A daughter lost to darkness and pain, hunted, reviled, a monster they explained!
Mattered none to the bogs whose love was not strained, on a sister they had happily gained ♪♪
♪♪ Now performs for you a ballad on this day, in hopes you understand our sharkly way.
No mallace, hurt, or villainous intent I say! Sharks, like you, desire a home inwhich to stay ♪♪
♪♪ But children such as us live with little love, and help from the rich is simply un-heard of!
As so, Thick sacks who think they're above, have their wallets picked at by our righteous glove! ♪♪
♪♪ Sharks, SHARKS! Know our bite, for this bog is ours and we know how to fight!
Sharks SHARKS! As we hunt our prey, the wicked and greedy are those we waylay!♪♪
♪♪ Sharks, SHARKS! We do not stray!
through boggy waters we get away!♪♪
Tease mutters replies back to Adrien as he starts popped old, broken bricks out of the street."Hmm. A bandit, ya? Possible. But seein' as how yer thuh one recommendin' it, an' ye'll be earnin' thuh hangman his wages soon, maybe I'll jus' stick ta honest scammin', ya?"
He turns to Adrien and gives a bright, black toothed grin. "As I finish thuh sentence given' ta me, the lotta ye'll be long buried an' forgotten."
"Sure thing, hun." Silvers says as she tosses Adrien a water skin.
Even though not Triss' best performance by far, a couple of the guards and even the irate Tease seem to be momentarily lost in Trissae's song. Silver's considers her seriously as the tune ends, but doesn't comment on it. One or two the guards give awkward applause. People immediately on the streets, some who had been stopped by the spectacle of a prisoner work team (which even includes a drow!), take notice and listen the song.
One young man in particular seems to be particularly affected by the song before coming to his senses and walking quickly away.
The young man was not happy. Not at all. He appeared to be moved by some internal wrath upon hearing a song about the Bogsharks.
Cavell chuckles, "Hanged? Not a chance, we're the Bogsharks." As if that explains everything.
He catches the waterskin lightly, grinning at Silvers before looking at their progress so far. After drinking his fill, he tosses the waterskin to Ozz.
When Trissae's song ends, Cavell applauds and gestures for the guards to applaud too, smiling cheekily. His smile fades when he spots the young man that walks away. He turns and approaches Ozz, taking the waterskin back from him after he's had his drink.
He says quietly during the exchange, "That young man that walked off in a huff? I think we've wronged him in the past. Remember his face, if you can. May have to deal with him at some point."
Cavell then walks back to Silvers with the waterskin, holding it out. "You're awfully kind to dead men." He smiles, then leans slightly closer, speaking low. "A bit of advice, in exchange: keep your distance from Ozz, he really, really hates humans and elves. And he's known to commit regrettable violence." He stands straight again, stretching his back and shoulders casually, speaking at normal volume again. "Quite inconvenient actually. I swear I've got a grey hair for every bit of trouble I've had to bail him out of."
He gestures to the nearby guards, "Probably know the feeling, ay Silvers?" After/if she responds, he returns to working.
Silvers smiles indulgently, and waves the waterskin away. "Not allowed to let you die of thirst! What kind of hosts would the Shields be?! Gods forbid! Pass the skin to your friends. Here's another for Tease." She says, handing Cavell another waterskin from her saddlebag. "For obvious reasons, I thought to give him his own."
Listening further... "That's a strange thing to hear, considering you are a human, and your other friend is an elf of sorts. Or do drow and the charming not count in his ire?" She asks, eyebrows raised.
Ozz grunts at Adrien, looking at the man's back before he gets totally out of sight.
"Didn't get a great look..." Ozz frowns. "Blond boy. Wearing common clothes. What else?"
Cavell grins, "Careful, for a second I thought you were starting to like us."
He takes Tease's waterskin, but stays, chatting with Silvers.
"Drow are hated by humans and elves alike, outcast by society and spat upon. I think that's enough for Ozz. But me? He's tried to kill me more times than I can count," he chuckles, thinking back.
"One of my first nights with the Bogsharks, Ozz was having some sort of nightmare. Tossing, grunting and growling. It went on for quite awhile. I felt a little bad for him, but he was also keeping me awake. So I got up and nudged him with my foot, whispering for him to wake up. His eyes shoot open and he grabs my ankle, taking me down and starts strangling me, cursing furiously in Orc."
Smiling as if it were a fond memory, Cavell takes another drink from the waterskin.
"The commotion wakes the others and they pry him off me. I'm gasping and choking and spitting still. The rest of the gang is asking what the hell happened. I said I tried to wake him from a nightmare, and that it's okay, it's fine, it was just the nightmare. No hard feelings."
"Staring daggers at me, Ozz says: 'Wasn't for the nightmare. Was for waking me up.'"
"I slept with one eye open the rest of the night."
After joking with Silvers for a moment longer he goes to Ozz, listening then lowering his voice to respond. "Hawk nosed and severe brows. Real thin lips, or at least they looked it all pressed together like that. Skinny."
He walks over to Tease, waterskin in hand. "Thirsty, friend?"
His smile hints at mischief, like he might taunt the dwarf or play keep-away, but he hands it to him without incident and goes back to laying brick.
Triss glances over her shoulder towards the crew after Adrien finishes his story. "Not all are hated... Someday I'll be like him, and we can look back at moments like this and chuckle." she says in a cheery tune, still half humming her song to herself.
"By the way Tease, don't think you're getting away too easily either. I'm cooking up a tune for you. Maybe in a day or two it'll be ready." She smiles to herself. Moments later her eyes sparkle with the flicker of inspiration.
While she works she glances around at the small crowd that has gathered for the spectacle. She stops momentarily and turns to address the crowd.
"Ladies and Gentlemen! If you would care, I would sing for you a song in return for coin donated to the fine men and women of the Shield!" She says in a boisterous tone.
"These fine soldiers of Yartar work hard for your protection and have to deal with rapscallious folk like ourselves. Please if you have some to spare, even if only a copper, I would be more than happy to reward you with a song. A donation of a silver and you can even choose a song of your liking! Place a coin here to support your Shields!" She pushes an emptied burlap sack out a ways from herself as a makeshift collection plate and begins humming while she goes back to work waiting to see if anybody donates. If they do she keep her end of the bargain and sing happily.
Tease takes the offered waterskin with a look of quiet suspicion, and seems a bit surprised when Adrien doesn't taunt him with it. He drinks from it and lays it back down in the wagon as he goes back to work.
Tease drinks strangely, in short, carefully controlled sips from the skin with his head tilted back further than necessary, his teeth seemingly biting the tip of the skin as he does so. Not at all the look of someone trying to quench a strong thirst after hard labor.
Trissae's plea to the audience actually does bring a few coins after a stunned moment of surprise from the sight of a Drow prisoner requesting donations on behalf of her captors. A couple of coppers fly into the bag before the previous owners of these coins moved on with their lives.
"Alright, alright." Says Silvers, indulgently but firmly, an amused smile on her lips. "Enough singing for now. I want this street finished before sundown."
She nods at one of the guards who retrieves the sack with a bemused expression. "Uhh, thanks." He murmurs offhandedly.
A couple more hours pass before Silvers has you pause for a light lunch. She passes out a bag with bread and jerky, warm from the sunlight. Tease takes the bread but declines the jerky, complaining about his teeth with a grumpy humor. He sits on the side of the brick-filled cart and chews his bread delicately between small sips of water.
"Yer got any butter there, Silvers? I be doin' a good job so far, ya? I bricked thuh look of me arse into the street only three times." Smile.
"Hah! No, butter is not for a sorry lot like us." She hands out the rest of the food to her men who keep a fairly casual eye on you as they eat standing in a loose circle around you.
Cavell watches Tease drink, then asks, "Your teeth?"
After Tease responds, he continues, "I find it odd that you just started your sentence for posing as a noble, yet your teeth are as black as if you'd been in a dungeon for a decade. You can't pass as a noble with bad teeth. Bit of disguise? Trying not to wash it off with the water?"
Turning his attention back to the others, he chuckles as Trissae gets the guards some free coin.
"Sir yes sir," he replies to Silvers, resuming his work.
At lunch, Cavell eats quietly next to Ozz--the sort of companionable silence that comes naturally to brothers in arms. He stretches, relaxed, and finally speaks up cheerily. "Why hang criminals if you can get dirt cheap labor out of them? Seems like a waste--and I promise I'm not biased," he smiles. "Anyone consider my offer of cooperation? We could live fat and happy off those merchant bastards," his smile turns into a grin.
Regardless of their response or reaction, he then looks to Silvers.
"You know I'm in quite a dilemma. It's in my nature to raise hell, and I loathe Frostheight and Amberglow and all their kind--but I respect Wen and you lot--and that's the dilemma, if I raise hell it's you that'll suffer, not the fancy pomps. Way of the world, though, isn't it?" he shakes his head. "What to do?"
"It's all a matter of perspective..." Triss muses as Adrien asks his question. "The Shields are good at a job, and we're good at at job. Both are essential, like the sun and moon raising in the sky. I say, never stop doing what you do best." She chuckles while eating.
"Lady Silvers.. tonight since I don't need as much sleep as the others, and after a bath, would it be alright if one of the guards brought me my lute so I could play for your men while on watch? If they're interested of course. I promise I'll be well mannered." she says with honey dipped words. She glances around the group of guards to gauge a reaction before shooting a knowing glance at Adrien then continues eating.
@Adrien: Tease looks around casually to see if any guards are paying attention. "There are plenty of nobles with bad teeth!" Wink.
Cavell chuckles, "Clever bastard aren't you." The first bit of respect in his voice.
Tease gives Adrien a smug smirk. "Aye."
Silvers looks at the both of you carefully as you declare your position.
"The Triad's mercy... This would all be so much easier if you lot were bastards, but you genuinely seem to be somewhat decent folk. Folk that choose to fight and steal from honest folk, true, but decent." She says this last sentence with a tone of severe irony.
"I don't make the laws, or decide on the rules which bind you. I can put in a good word for you, but as it is now you are to be in a cell when you aren't working."
She looks to Trissae.
"I've been warned that you are a magician of sorts, the comedy of your act on the streets isn't a problem so long as I don't suspect any actual Weaving on your part, but I'm not sure if the higher-ups would be comfortable with you singing to our soldiers in the night for fear of enchantment."
She looks at the lot of you once more.
"I'll make sure those of you who want it can use the private cell inside to wash up when we get back tonight, and that is about as far as my orders allow me to wiggle. Let's get through today so Wen can deal with your puppy-dog eyes tomorrow. He isn't in charge of the Shields, but so long as you are staying within our tower he is in charge of you."
She sighs, the song in her voice dimmed and the lines of her face looking deeper than you've yet seen.
"Now let's get back to it, lunch time is over. Take your last mouthfuls and finished this damnable street. If you don't wish to make things hard on me, then don't force me to explain to Wen why I wasn't able to get you to finish rebricking today. That means more eyes on your work and less eyes on Spearwoman Torea's ass, Cavell."
The attractive, young, half-elven soldier blushes behind a surprised cough.
--------
Several hours later of hard work with few breaks and the road is nearing completion. Several loads of new bricks had been brought to the site by other Shields, with the old ones removed, and the span of new brickwork is looking rather presentable. There are small flaws here and there, but with Tease's previous day of hard learning, he had managed to keep you from making any large mistakes. Only a 10 foot length of road between the two rows of buildings remains to be rebricked.
The labor hasn't been an exertion, instead it has been slowly seeping aches into your muscles and joints. Bending, popping out old bricks, placing new bricks and smearing mud in as mortar for nearly an entire day has bled your energy in a way that simple hiking or short periods of climactic violence does not.
90% done and the last ten feet seems doable even before sunsets so long as not much happens to distract you. Even Tease's grumpiness has faded in an effort to get the job done.
That's when the first brick hit, bouncing solidly off of Adrien's crouching back and cracking against the street as it hits the ground.
"Hey Sharks!" Calls a gruff man's voice.
In the already completed portion of the street stands a group of five people of varying races/genders/ages, the young man from earlier among them. They have pulled free bricks from a portion of the road with still-drying mud, and are brandishing them with obvious intent to hurl.
An old dwarf man stands at the head of the group, dressed in clothes and stains in a way showing him to be a butcher. A shortish white beard is gathered with a silver, boar-head clasp. His hands are empty, having obviously just thrown his brick.
Silvers and the rest of the guards seem to have been completely surprised by this, and have yet to react. Some are looking confused at Adrien and the broken brick still unaware of the situation, while others are looking down the street at the group. Silvers stares at the group, apparently taken so by surprise that she is at a loss for words or action. Tease is looking cautiously back at the ground, looking like he is about to take cover behind the brick cart.
Trissae nods with a sad experssion. "I understand, it's a safe assumption that any Drow is magical... it runs in our blood. I assure you though the only enchantment your men would be under is the music itself."
She nods understandingly when Silvers adds the option for the bath and hits Adrien in the arm lightly when he's called out for stealing glances at the attractive half-elf.
-----
With renewed vigor she goes to work. However, although she's healthy and well built, she is a dancer and this menial repetitive work grinds her down quickly. This makes her the least effective member of the work crew fast and she struggles to keep up most of the evening. When the last few feet come into sight she is visibly relieved as she forces her body along.
After the brick hits Adrien and the ruffians call out Triss jumps to attention. Seeing that even the guards are taken off guard She thinks to quickly defuse the situation.
"Well there's your problem captain! Rapscallions have been pulling up the road, brick by brick in the wake of all your hard work!" Her tone is tired but boisterous and those nearby would easily see the wicked glare she has toward the new arrivals.
Cavell scoffs, "Honest."
He caught the tone in Silver's voice, but can't help himself. "Honest is telling the bastard you're robbing him. The bastard that got all his coin by lying. We steal from the lying rich and give to the honest poor--us."
Smiling now, he says "Don't fret over our hanging, Silvers. We knew the risks when we chose our profession. Being able to bathe will make things more bearable though, so thanks for that."
When he gets called out, he acts indignant, "No harm in enjoying the natural works of art around oneself. What would life be without the occasional perfectly formed bottom to stare at?" He turns to Torea and sets a hand over his heart, as sincerely as he can manage, "My deepest apologies if I've made you uncomfortable. If I, however, have aroused other feelings, then I make no apologies whatsoever."
Thoroughly pleased with himself, he goes back to work, humming the tune of Trissae's earlier song.
When the brick hits him, Cavell winces from the sharp pain, eyes watering. He takes a breath to collect himself.
He stands and turns with a cocky smile, relaxed and seemingly fine, despite the throbbing bruise forming next to his spine. Gracefully scooping up the broken brick off the ground as he walks towards the group.
"Gentlemen, save it for the hanging. That road you're destroying is the responsibility of the Shields. May I suggest rotten fruit or eggs, rather than your own damn streets?"
He chucks a piece of the broken brick back at the empty-handed dwarf.
Triss quickly glances over at Adrien whose already reacted to the enticement. "A devil's quickness!" she thinks to herself as she sprints up and takes him by the sleeve before he gets too much closer to the angry group.
in a low tone only to Adrien. "No bruises tonight, please, we have work to do."
Afterward she says out loud: "To what do we owe the pleasure of our current acquaintances? As you can all see we're quite busy doing some good for your city." she forces a tight grin and dusts off Adrien's sleeve before resting her hand on his shoulder.
Ozz stands straight, ready for action if need be. He keeps an eye out for one of his two friends to shout what must be done, if anything at all.
The small chunk of brick flies true, striking the dwarf on the bridge of his nose right between his eyes.
"F#+@er! The dwarf cries, clasping his hand over his injured nose, hurt but not actually damaged.
The others, incensed further by this retaliation cry out and hurl their bricks at the two Bogsharks before Trissae can even complete her first few words.
"You bastards!"
"For my father!"
"Eat s!$$, Sharks!"
Three bricks hurl toward Cavell, one toward Trissae. Cavell's nimbleness manages to avoid two of them, yet the third strikes.
Trissae is less lucky. The largest of the group, a hearty laborer woman of some kind with a physique that outclasses even Faryse, has let her brick fly with unfortunate accuracy. This brick spins through the air end over end as it flies, bolstered by the strength of the woman throwing it, and shatters itself square against Triss' forehead.
As soon as the brick hits Trissae, Ozz bellows in rage. He'll rush the woman who threw the brick with one of his own, running between the circle of distracted and confused guards as he does so, and try to break it against her stupid face with all of his strength.
, 4 damage.
The brick shatters "against her stupid face", flooring her unconscious/dead and broken nosed body to the ground, her blood mixing with the drying mud of your newly bricked street.
At the end of the initiative, Silvers finally manages to find her voice. Metal rings as she draws her apparently silvered longsword, shining brightly in the setting sun like a point of white-fire, and points with it as she shouts orders.
"You, on Tease! You three, get them down!" Pointing to Adrien and Trissae. "You two restrain the half-orc." She takes Adrien's advice and orders the dwarf and halfling of her guards (the only non human, non elf blooded soldiers in the group).
After this, she rides into the crowd of angry citizens and brandishes her sword at the seething dwarvern butcher before he can recover himself and act further. "Disperse! Radgar, take the rest of these fools and disperse! We'll see to the injured girl. You damn fools, disperse!"
They begin to back away from the mounted Shield as the guards rush to you lot, spears poised to either protect you from the citizens or the citizens from you, it is difficult to tell.
Other citizens not participating in this mess either start to hurry away or stare in wide-mouthed shock at the sudden violence happening near them.
Cavell laughs off the glancing hit from the brick, but his heart sinks when Trissae gets hit. He clenches his jaw in anger, but Ozz barrels past him, taking the woman down. Running to Trissae instead, he supports her weight. "You okay? Triss? Gods you're bleeding."
He ignores the spears pointed at him, wiping blood away from Trissae's eyes with the sleeve of his prison uniform. "Can you focus enough to heal yourself?" He asks, worried.
Triss was so focused on Adrien that the incoming brick was completely unprepared for. The edge of the brick careens into the bridge of her nose cutting open a gash and throwing her head reeling back in a steep arc. It's only for Adrien's closeness and quickness that he's catches her from a fall that would have landed her straight back on her head.
As he wipes the blood from her face he can see the severity of the cut which mars her brow. Her eyes are clenched tight as blood mixes with tears. "I.. I dunno." she says in a confused haze unaware of what is going on around.
The guards attending the two of you pick up on your lack of aggression toward the citizens and so watch the crowd for signs of further violence towards you.
Silvers Continues to shout at the crowd as they slowly peel away, both because of Silvers and for obvious fear of Ozz standing just above a possibly dead human woman, one of their group.
The dwarf, Radgar, and the young man from earlier are the last to return to their homes.
"Ludo Cryastied made enemies when he twice betrayed his armies! Amn wants him dead! Waterdeep wants him dead! His former rank is worthless, his name is trash!" The dwarf spits onto the new bricks as he backs away. "A curse on you bastards, and your traitorous boss!"
Silvers watches the final two leave, his curse ringing in the air. She sheaths her sword and checks on the bloodied woman while the two guards attending Ozz push him away by his manacles.
"Still alive... Good. Torea, get her stabilized and stay with her. Geoff, get a healer from the Happy Hall."
She stands and faces you three. "Well... That certainly could have gone..." She leaves the thought unfinished. Silvers looks at the unfished road and sighs. "Come on then, let's get you back to the tower, get you looked at."
Cavell's bluster is gone. A moment earlier, he was in his element and ready for a fight, but he's seen people die from hits to the head like this, sometimes hours later.
"Don't worry Triss, you're alright."
He ignores the dwarf's shouting, putting on a forced smile for Trissae. "Ozz got 'em back. Flattened the one who threw that brick. She's alive, but they'll be carrying her away," he says, hoping to make her feel better but having no idea how. The bruise on his back hurt like hell but he hid it. He had a smear of Trissae's blood across his brow.
Cavell took her arm over his shoulder and supported her around the waist, helping her back to the tower. He was silent for a long while but finally spoke up, trying to force some cheer into the situation. "Next time duck."
Her head was dizzy for a long while as Adrien helped her up and heading back. It took a little while for everything to set in. She looks over at him and does a nazely chuckle. "Didn't you know?" her voice equally nazely from the swollen nose. "I can only dodge harmless things like bath water and romantic advances."
when she realizes how absurd her voice is her face scrunches uneasily. "Oh bother. Tomorrows' performance is gonna have to wait."
She shoots a look up to Ozz and gives him a knowing smile, as best she can, and hums lightly as the make their way back toward the tower.
The walk back to the tower is fairly silent. Tease and Ozz pull the wagon as the remaining guards make a sparse circle around you, Silvers taking up the rear on Rascal. The bloodied woman is left in the dimming light behind you.
"Ludo who?" Tease asks aloud, a bit confused. "Ain't yer boss some kinda giant from the Moors?"
You get to the tower, and notice spearman Geoff hustling down the street with a halfling woman in tow, a holy symbol to Tymora bouncing off her simple robes. Silvers call the gates open, the balcony guard calls back, and the gates are opened to let you in and then shut behind you.
"This way", Silvers says to Trissae and Cavell after untying you all from your partner. She leads the two of you to the side doors that enter into the tower itself, and let Tease and Ozz get led down into the large, dungeon cell.
Into one locked room and past the door on the right where they had you change. Through the next locked door into a small, unguarded room with a single ensconced torch and several side doors with signs.
-Yard
-Storage
-Barracks
-Infirmity
You are led from the Yard room and into the unlocked Infirmary room. There are several lit lanterns around this room, lighting it slightly. A half dozen unadorned beds line one wall and the other is taken up by different first-aid supplies in cubbies and a desk with some scattered notes on it. A studious looking, silvered scaled dragonborn sits at the desk and draws on a piece of parchment under a nearby lantern.
The dragonborn looks up to see Silvers lead you into the room. "Oh... These must be a couple of the sharks. First day and the drow has almost already gotten herself killed I see."
He stands with a bit of difficulty...
...And approaches you slightly, stretching a hand out to an empty bed. "Sit sit. Let me take a look at you."
"Cavell as well" Says Silvers. "He took a brick to the back. Though not enough damage to keep him from being a nuisance, you should make sure he can still work."
Cavell shook his head at Trissae's joke, but smiled a little.
He almost ignores Tease's question, but simply answers: "So they say."
As the halfling cleric goes past, he grins cheerily, armed escort, blood smeared across his brow and supporting the injured Drow. "Good-day ma'am! Lovely night for a stroll."
Entering the tower, he makes note of the 'Storage' door, working through the scattered pieces of his escape plan in his head. He had hoped one of his contacts in Yartar would have shown up and slipped him something while he was out, but Tymora wasn't going to make it that easy.
Cavell helps Trissae onto the bed. He gives Silver's an embarrassed smile. "I'm fine."
"Hows the leg, doc?" He sits on a nearby bed, exhausted and in pain but trying to not let it show.
As Trissae sits on the bed she looks up at the doctor. "It wouldn't bother me so much if it hadn't messed up my ability to sing.." she says dejectedly.
"Luckily Adrien was there to catch me before the fall and your lady Silvers valiantly drove the offenders off. Nice sword by the way my lady." She couldn't help but appreciate the sword, it reminded her of the shining weapons the guards back home used.
She tilts her head quizzically at the dragonborn as he approaches. "A man of faith or a practical practitioner of the healing arts?."
"Both... Both..." The dragonborn replies, looking at Trissae's wound closely and prodding gingerly. His shining scales make a dramatic contrast to the dark-skinned drow in the lantern light.
Moving to his cubbies, the dragonborn takes a few ingredients from bowls and tosses you a square of clean cotton cloth. "Hold this to your head", he says, before doing some mortal & pestle work with the dried herbs. He empties the powder into a vial and adds a bit of water. Opening the top of one of the lanterns by his desk he holds the vial over the flame for a minute.
"But if you are asking if I use magic to heal, no... Your wound isn't deep enough to cause you lasting injury, though it might show a bit of a scar. I'll give you something to help clean the wound and keep away additional maladies, but I see no reason why you couldn't return to your slave labor tomorrow." He says this last bit with some distaste.
He shakes the vial and adds the fluid to another square of cloth, moves your hand away from your injury and dabs stingily at the injury with the warm liquid. He puts this new, wet square in your hand. "Just dab it with this like I did for the next little while and it should keep from getting worse."
He looks over at Cavell. "Okay, now you. On your stomach, lift your shirt", he says, and points to a bed. "My leg, by the way, is functional."
"I'm fine," he says again, but sighs, turning and lifting his shirt up to show his back. No sense is being stuck here longer than necessary, arguing with a healer.
"A scar? that just wont do.... I'm a performer and rely on my graces too much." Her drow vanity showing through. She looks to Silvers with a look of concern.
"I have some talent as a healer, with your permission I would like to use my gifts." She says while twiddling her fingers in jazz hands fashion to imply the magical nature of her intent.
"Also, with your permission sir dragon-son, I would like to extend that offer onto you. It may not cure what ails you but it will reduce the pain at least for a time." She says while continuing to dab her forehead with the wet cloth.
upon looking at the large bruise that now covers Adrien's back she gasps a little but catches herself. However her face does not disguise her upset very well.
Silver nods at Triss, but puts a hand on her sword's hilt, just in case.
"Don't worry about me", says the healer. "I've lived with it for long enough that temporary relief just isn't healthy any longer."
"Bahamut's Breath, you are an overly sensitive pair of highwaymen." He says to Trissae's reaction to Cavell's bruise.
He squints at Adrien's back, and pokes a couple of places firmly.
After any healing on Trissae's part occurs, while the healer is still looking at Adrien's back, the door is pulled open and a furious looking Captain Wen is standing in the doorway wearing an almost comically relaxed off-duty outfit; shorts, sandals, and a baggy light-blue tunic. Silvers and the guard who had came in with her both jump a bit at the sudden disturbance. Wen glares around for a moment.
"Sergeant. Supply room." Door shuts.
Silvers takes a deep breath, steeling herself, and nods at the healer to continue before stepping out of the room, leaving the remaining guard looking a bit awkward.
Moments later, despite being a couple of doors separated, you can hear shouting.
Looking around the infirmary, Cavell tries to spot anything that could be used to help lockpick their cell door, some kind of medical tool.
"Might give you an air of danger--the bandit princess who might kiss you or kill you."
Cavell laughs at 'overly sensitive', but winces when the doc prods him.
"Go easy back there, I'm a virgin."
He opens his mouth to say something snarky to Wen, but noting his expression just waves a little, smiling like a kid who got in trouble and Dad just got home.
When Silvers leaves the room, he'll lower his shirt.
"I'll live, doc, I think I'd know if I had a broken rib."
He gestures to Trissae off-handedly. "Go on Triss, heal yourself and see if you can still sing."
Once the doc's attention is off Cavell, he'll try to swipe the medical tool.
"OOh! I like that! I'll have start working on something for the Bandit Princess! I wonder if its too late to change my code name..."
Triss wastes no time healing herself once given permission. It's impossible for her not to sound menacing when she does so as she always speaks her verbal components in elvish with her drow dialect. However once her hands spring to a golden hue from the Cure Wounds spell its obvious the spells is of no danger.
The golden flecks of magic radiate across her face as though she'd splashed water on it and as she pulls her hands away the only indication a wound was there is the smear of semi dried blood around her brow.
"Well sir, if there's..." she gives Adrien a surprised look when he responds to the healer in such a vulgar manner. Her face blushing to a light purple around the cheeks from embarrassment.
"Adrien Cavell!" she's interrupted again, this time by Wen's entrance. She's silent the entire time quite intimidated by Wen, somehow more so even though he's in his off-hours attire.
"Maybe we should say something to him on her behalf?" Trissae says to Adrien after the yelling starts. A considerable amount of concern on her face. "Oh, also, would you like me to heal your back while we have this chance?"
You see a couple of suture needles that might serve. They rest in one of the cubbies on the opposite side of him from you. You'll have to get around him and near those cubbies if you want a chance at snagging them.
Cavell stands and walks over near the cubbies, leaning on the wall casually. The next time the doc looks at Trissae he'll mouth 'distract him', tilting his head towards the doc.