What the Tide Brought In|Rivenway, Ronduin

[Northen Light36]

"Want to tell us how it is you ended up in the great river?" Zap asks bluntly. "And where it is you came from in the first place?"

[Kender Bard]

Anarchy's smile fell and her eyes grew wide. Wish I knew how to make myself cry... oh well. "It was horrible," she hissed, voice dropping to a hushed, horrified whisper. Ace frowned and leaned forward to better hear. "A whole village of Storms but... they're... so malicious, and terrible. They torture the innocent, break them, enslave them." She blinked a few times and shuddered, pulling her blanket closer. "And it's not all storms. There's even a few sadistic Winds. My m-m-master in particular.. was one.. a crazed man." She swallowed hard. "I d-displeased him and he was going to kill me! But I ran away.. I had nothing with me except.."

She noticed Ace was eyeing her clothes warily. "Except some laundry of a neighboring lady and my own rags. I ran off, and changed into her dress, as it was warmer than what I wore, but I had nothing else."

[Northen Light36]

"I see, that's horrible," Zap tells Anarchy, reaching out to fuss over the woman's blankets. "Well you're safe now, so just rest." He doesn't believe a word of Anarchy's story, but he's prepared to play along until he can speak to the others in private.

[Kender Bard]

Ace was skeptical as well, but he's met some odd people in his lifetime, and was willing to give her the benefit of the doubt - if she could answer one thing. "How did a two sign storm manage to not wind up on the top of that social ladder?"

Anarchy cast her eyes down and tried to think of something that would make her blush. "There was a chance, once, I could have. But I refused to do some... favors... for a lord in Mathew's favor. And then there was the argument that followed and I said some stupid things and wound up down, with the slaves. I suppose that was the price to pay for trying to help one slave make an escape..." That last bit is a mistake I'll never repeat.

Cascata, however, seemed to be eating the story up. She whispered soothing things to Anarchy. Ace sighed inwardly and cleared his throat after meeting eyes with Zap. "M'lady could we speak with you?"

"Hmm? Oh yes," Cascata gave Anarchy's hand a pat and then stepped out of the room, Ace following.

[Northen Light36]

Zap and Artica follow Ace out. Each of the Legends exchange looks then Zap speaks up. "I don't know about the rest of you, but I don't believe a word we heard." Artica nods in agreement.

"Her reactions seem wrong for what she's saying," she adds. "Just... A touch too slow and frankly, if I'd been through what she's claiming to, I'd be having trouble not crying. There isn't even a hint of tears with her."

"And her hands," Zap finishes, finally putting a finger on what had been bothering him. "A servant, or a slave, never has smooth hands. They have scars, burns, general signs of hard work. This woman's hands are cut up, but the skin between the cuts is smooth. They're the hands of a lady, some who's used to being waited on."

[Kender Bard]

Cascata merely looked confused at this. Ace tried not to shake the woman. "I was wavering between doubt and belief but that has won me over. Still, I think there's truths mixed in with the lies. Anything in particular that struck true to you two?"

[Northen Light36]

"She's running from something," Artica replies. "That much is true, I think. Possibly even her own people if she came this way rather then head for Maelstorm."

"The question is, who exactly is she running from?" Zap murmurs. "Shadow or someone else? If we knew that it might be easier to judge her motives.

[Kender Bard]

Cascata suddenly looked pained. "Do you think it's true?"

Ace glanced at Cascata. "M'lady?"

"Slavers? This close to Ronduin?" She wrung her hands, looking for all the world like some random, worried peasant in fine clothing. "Oh dear, we couldn't allow that could we?"

[Northen Light36]

"It's possible, I guess," Zap replies uncertainly. "But we'd have found out about them by now, surely?"

"They may not have been there for long," suggests Artica. "But we need to find out. And we need to work out what we're going to do about our guest..." She sighes. "Suddenly I wish the Storms were still helping out here."

[Kender Bard]

"Me too," Cascata sighed, but Ace looked indignant.

"Ronduins can stand up for themselves," he said firmly. "And I will prove that point. I say we let the woman rest up, heal up, and then tell her we'd like to help her fellow slaves and try to coax her into leading a small aggregation of warriors to this supposed village. If it exists, we will return and prepare for a massive strike. If it doesn't, we can take care of her however we see fit."

[Northen Light36]

"Supposing you actually survive to return," mutters Zap. Artica nods her agreement.

"Pride could well get you killed Ace," she snaps. "I suggest we put the woman in a boat now, before she heals enough to cause trouble, and send it towards the other shore."

[Kender Bard]

Cascata looked obviously displeased at that idea but didn't voice her displeasure. There was a reason she hired these people to take care of martial affairs.

"And what if there is a greater trouble looming in the distance?" Ace growled. Then he sighed in resignation. "Fine, we won't do that." Though inwardly, he was already planning to have a conversation with his lieutenants and casually mention this incident to them. He trusted them to figure things out enough on their own. "Then do we make her leave now?"

"Must we?" Cascata protested weakly.

[Northen Light36]

"Send some people out on a cautious tour of the river if you're worried," suggests Zap. "But I think we'd have heard something if there really slavers lurking around."

"Cascata," Artica tells her friend gently. "We can't risk her causing trouble here..." Looking at the distressed leader, Artica sighes and her expression softens. "She can stay for the night, but that's all."

[Kender Bard]

"Good," Cascata says, more complacently. "I hate turning people out into the cold."

Unless they're Clears, Ace thought cynically. "Thank you, Zap. Believe me, I'm old enough to not have any need to go into a possibly dangerous situation waving a sword at everyone. I'll put some men on it."