A Home for Herbs (Moritz)

[Maya Frostfawn]

Maya simply nodded as she listened to everything the Kelvic had to say about what he had learned about where they were going. "Perhaps." A pause. "At the very least, I will prove far more helpful in the time that comes after the fight than the time it takes to be resolved." With that she rose and quietly followed Moritz out of the tavern and into the city. As he moved deftly through its expanse, she clung to his shadow, her soles brushing over the earth with each of her steps toward a destination she could not name, but which she was excited to reach for it meant the birth of a garden. The birth of her own little collection of supplies, which could prove to be quite helpful in her line of work. As the pair drew closer and closer to their destination, the shadows closed in around them, as they so often seemed to within Sunberth, and Moritz whispered something of note, but not entirely of surprise: they were being tailed. He gestured faintly to a nearby alleyway, and although she did not entirely understand why he'd want her to head willingly into a place where the shadows gathered, she obeyed, stepping ahead of her to await the inevitable. A fight she could only hope the Kelvic would win. As she made her way into the alley's mouth, she glanced over her shoulder, took note of the Kelvic's position in relation to her own. That of those who tailed them. A pair. Clothed in darkness. Taller than she, and of broader frame. Men, judging by the shape of their bodies and how they moved. One carried a strong stench she could not name, but it made her nose wrinkle in irritation. There was also a glint to their hands. A strip of metal, which glowed ominously in the sun's light. She could not tell if it was produced by a small, bladed weapon or if it was a pair of brass knuckles by how long she looked. If it was even anything dangerous, but she imagined it was given both how they were moving and how they were moving closer to both herself and Moritz. As she took another step farther away, she dared to glance back over her shoulder again. They were even closer now. And she noticed, the one on the right was walking unevenly. Leaning heavily on her left leg. "Limp," she whispered as she turned back around, and wondered if she could find anything she could whack the men with in the alleyway, should they come too close for comfort. Should they get past her traveling companion. Word Count: 581 Words