memezilla | Jail Cell Mee

[She shakes her head and, still smiling (even if it's a bit sad, now), pats the girl on the shoulder.]

There's no need to thank me for putting you on an even more difficult path. Without formal training, you'll have to find your own way - and I know precisely how hard that can be. I'll be there to help you, but this is your path - it's up to you to walk it.

[She takes the girl's hand,] No, it's the harder paths that are the ones worth walking. I've been sad for too long about being able to do much for others, for only being able to be a shoulder to cry on. I don't care if it's more difficult, and I think I can manage finding my own way. I'm just happy that I can do more for the people around me.

[Looks like her travel plans have changed. This city won't be seeing the back of either of them for a while yet... but at least now, she has a goal.]

Okay. Let's go, then; the sooner we start helping your friend, the better. You know the way - lead on.

[She's already on it, leading her through the sewers to find Leroy and his sister. They go up a ladder and find a little area that is still a part of the underground, but about half the area is above street level.

Leroy looks surprised to see her and worried.] Mary Weather! But... Eric... Didn't you get arrested?

[Mary hugs Leroy,] I had help escaping. Let Aeslyn explain, I'm going to heal your sister.

[He's rightfully baffled, and looks to Aeslyn for answers while Mary went to the short cot and many hole-filled blankets that hid Leroy's sister.]

[Aeslyn stands back while Mary gets reacquainted with her friends, and nods when she passes the duty of explaining.]

I don't make a habit of staying in jail cells that I didn't do anything to earn my place in. Someone in there thinks that picking up little girls off the street makes for good business. We gave them reason to believe otherwise... [She clenches a fist, knowing just how bad things would have gotten for Mary if she hadn't been there.] And when we finish here, I'm going to go back and make sure they got the message. Consider it a parting gift.

Edited 2016-04-04 22:57 (UTC)

[Mary somehow just knew what to do, and it wasn't too long before a tired but strong voice calls out,] Leroy?

[Leroy runs to his sister's side as Mary steps away. He's busy hugging his sister close and crying with joy.

Meanwhile Mary slips back to Aeslyn's side.] Let's go. It will be harder if he needs to say a full goodbye.

[Aeslyn just nods - she knows how hard this is, and she's not going to draw it out. She does leave a package sitting on the nearest flat surface, though - inside are a significant number of strange coins. Hopefully enough to keep things around here moving upward.]

Get us back to that jail. I intend to keep my word.

[She leads them back into the depths. There seems to be some sort of navigational key written on the walls, but it seems nigh impossible to decipher.

Probably because they're merely landmarks, with subtle enough differences you wouldn't be able to really tell them apart unless you knew what you were looking for.

For the most part Mary doesn't even need to use these, though there are a few times she stops to check.

Eventually she leads them up another ladder that leads to a side alley a block from the police station.]

[Aeslyn doesn't let on she can understand the markers - it's another part of the Echo. There aren't a whole lot of languages out there that can confound it, even the very simple ones.]

This should be close enough. Wait here for a minute - I'll be right back.

[It isn't immediately clear what she does once she walks into that building. But there are flashes of strange light, screaming, and finally, a great column of pure white light bores down from the sky right into the center of what would've been the lobby. When it shuts off, she walks back out, calmly dusting her hands off.]

They won't be bothering anyone else. Not without their bosses. C'mon. It's time to leave.

I feel like I should feel bad, but somehow I don't. [She smiles a little before leading Aeslyn away.] Even after everything, I'll miss this city.

It has its charms, I'll admit. Maybe with a little polish, it could even be a gem - but with greedy bastards like those in power, nothing's going to change. I just hope the seeds we've planted will be enough, in time.

[She allows Mary to lead on - being a wanderer by trade and inclination, she doesn't mind following where the wind takes her. Eventually it'll bring her back to her friends - and Mary back to hers. For now, though, it's time for adventurers to do what they do best.]

[Mary finds some local merchants, knowing that if they are going to travel on foot they would need food. She takes out her purse, but only has enough coins for the day's rations, and forget water. She sighs,] I guess we'll have to do what we can to live off of what we find.

[Aeslyn smiles, and shakes her head.] Don't worry. I'm pretty good at living off the land, but we won't need to.

[She puts a single, exquisitely-cut star ruby on the counter - one the size of a robin's egg.] I think that should be enough to get us almost anything we need, up to and including a small wagon and all the supplies we can carry.

[It's really a massive undersell - that single gem is probably worth enough to buy a house, much less a cart and travel rations. The clerk stares at it in mute shock for a moment before snatching it off the counter and nodding vigorously. If these kids were willing to throw away such a prize as this, who was he to argue?]

I'll pick our provisions. Stay close to me, and watch for shadows - I know this type of place, and they figure where something like that ruby comes from, there has to be more. It'll give the worst of them ideas, maybe even delusions of adequacy. I don't want another bloodbath just now.

[Mary is already on it. She knows well what happens when someone flashes wealth like that. In another situation she would be the one trying to pick Aeslyn's pockets.] Don't worry too much, most of the people to worry about in this area I know.

I'm not worried for our sake. [She doesn't elaborate on that - she shouldn't need to, after that display at the police station.]

Any kind of food you're particularly fond of? Preferably something that doesn't spoil too quickly?

But this way I can warn them off.

Jerky and dried fruits have always been a treat!

[Jerky and dried fruit, a treat? Those were standard travel fare. If Mary wasn't heartily sick of them by the time they got... wherever they were going from here, it would be a miracle.]

I think we can arrange that. Onions and potatoes also keep well, as long as they aren't stored together - basically any root vegetable. We can get fresh meat and water along the way, but having some of both to get us started in case we don't find any near the city isn't a bad idea, either.

[She directed the clerk's assistants to the items they would be packing as she talked, adding flour, meal, and what looked like a cask of butter to the haul. A pretty respectable load, for a cart they didn't have a horse to pull yet.]

[Aeslyn is ordering more food now than Mary's seen in the past month, maybe two. She's a little shocked watching it all get put into the cart.]

I... wouldn't know. I've been here my whole life.

I've spent the past... several years, living in the world at large. I wasn't much better trained than you are, when I started, but I had a great many friends to help me on my way.

[She still hasn't told Mary exactly how old she really is - being mistaken for a child has its uses, especially in a city like this. Soon, though... soon. Maybe she'll let her figure it out herself, using her cards.]

[In the meantime, the last of the provisions have been loaded onto the cart, and the head clerk is standing beside it, his hands together and an altogether too nice smile on his lips.]

It looks as if you ladies are in need of a horse to pull your wagon. I happen to have a suitable beast at my disposal... for the right price, of course.

[Aeslyn smiles at the clerk - a perfectly polite smile, at that, nevermind how much she wants to slug this peon.] That won't be necessary.

[Producing a small, carved whistle from her pouch, she gives it a quick blow - and the response is almost immediate. A bird the general shape of an ostrich, but much more strongly built, comes running. His feathers are the same sky-blue as his mistress's hair.] Kweh!

[Mary glows seeing him,] So pretty!

[It doesn't take her long to get him into a modified harness and yoke, and then strapped to the buggy.] He is, isn't he? C'mon - we should be going. I want to be out of the city before full nightfall. I'll introduce you when we stop to camp.

[Mary gets in so they can get going.]

I'll be glad to meet him officially then!

Jail Cell Mee

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