Timestamp: 45th of Summer, 518 A.V.
The Kelvic glanced at the shadow that was speaking to her. She was on her knees, a pile of bricks around her, and a hole excavated in the basement wall of The Midnight Gem. Loose hair fell over a sweaty bare back. She refused to braid it unless she was working and ran the risk of burning it off on the forge. And definitely in the deep darkness of the basement where the shadows had snuffed all but the faintest of lights, Kelski ran no such risks.
"Go on. Trust me." Zavanth whispered, his voice throaty and aged as if he'd drank a million years before he'd turned to what he was now.
Pale white hands that ended in ebony nails that resembled talons more than manicured nails reached forward once more. This time she did not pull forth another loose brick. She did not scoop out loose earth or sweep back cob webs. This time she touched burlap and heard the clink of coins snuggled in the cloth.
It wasn't a small bag either. It was huge. She had to pull it out bit by bit, spilling some of the coins on the dark hard earth of the floor. Kelski's eyes widened in the near darkness and the shadows gathered closer. And still she pulled, and finally after more heartbeats than she could count it pulled free.
It was more money than she'd seen her whole life. Zavath had let her live peacefully in The Midnight Gem for not even a half a season before he'd lead her to the wall and the loose bricks in it. She'd humored him, expecting to find a skeleton walled up behind the brick or perhaps a book with human scribbling in it. She'd heard fireside stories of ghosts and treasure, but there had never been stories like this. Silver eyes took in the sight... and then she lifted her gaze to the shadow.
"It's not mine. If its anyone's coin it belongs to you." She said softly.
The Sea Eagle was after all practical. She had no human capacities for greed or selfishness. Her kind served and did so gladly, the need to do so built into their blood.
"What need to I have for coin?" The shadow rumbled, amused, as it swept around the room, moving quite more than normal shadows did. "True it was a secret I liked having and keeping, but now the secret can grow." He said softly, sweeping around the Favored and enshrouding her like a cloak for a moment.
"What shall I do with it? Pay part of my loan maybe?" Kelski asked, scooping the loose coins back into the burlap and then struggling to lift the entire bag. She carried it over to a workbench and set it down on the hard wooden surface. Upending the bag, the coin spilled out and .... kept spilling out. They were all gold rimmed Mizas. The Eagle blinked again, as if clearing her gaze.
"I want you to spend it." The shadow said as the Kelvic began to count. "I didn't think I would enjoy the company but I do. You want more people here but the walls are confining even you even now. I wanted you to have this coin so that everyone here could have their own rooms, Nightstalker. I want you to have a kitchen so you will be able to patter about it happily and cook like you need too for all those people you want to serve. I have searched. I have asked. We found someone fair that will help you. All the shadows looked. We knew you would trust the first person you could find... and that is not safe in this city." Zavath said, swooping down, and completely shrouding one end of the work bench as if he'd just sat down there to brood.
Kelski started to argue, but arguing and counting wasn't easy and perhaps, just perhaps the shadow was correct. Now that Kynier had moved in, he had taken her bed and she would have liked to have offered him his own room... no matter how nice it had been that he shared with her. Things were different now. Some of it she could pinpoint, like how when she left she always rushed home or how no matter how long he was gone she still listened or him to come in to make sure he was safe.
But this.... she was well past a thousand now.... this was life changing. "So you want me to add onto The Gem? That's a very good idea. This place was lovely for me, and the shop space was amazing. But now... with more people here, it would be nice to have more room." She said softly, thankfully, realizing how fortunate she was that Zavath was being so generous.
"Yesssss.... there is a pair of men that look like each other. Davyd Rodgers & Ergus Rodgers. They build. They are over in the gated community. They will treat you fairly and give you a good built. Not everyone here will. I want you to spend the coin there... for here. Bring others in. We are happy when you are happy, Nightstalker. And you are very happy surrounded by people like this.. people like you. Bring in other Nighstalkers if you can... if you will." He said with a deep rumble.
Kelski nodded and felt the wave of approval roll through the other shadows present. When she had first moved in, there had only been Zavath. Now there were so many more. Some had come with Kynier but others had wandered in from parts unknown and stayed. Kelski wasn't sure why, but they were welcome.
After spending years alone, she didn't particularly like being alone. She truthfully felt like half of a whole when she was alone... and sometimes even in a crowd. It wasn't something she could explain... but starting with Ren and then Aer'wyn and finally Kynier... it had gotten better and better. Broken alone, but with a hand to hold or a lap to curl up in or even a mouth to feed she was better... and the shadows knew it.
"I'll go see them first thing..." She said finally when the twenty five hundred coins were counted out. She wondered how much of a home that would buy her. A lot, she suspected, because what she had in her hands here was a fortune... an absolutely fortune.
