A pair of soldiers march out of the tavern restraining a rather badly bruised and beaten tavernkeeper. He thrashes and struggles as he's being drug out to the town post where a pair of stockades have been erected for public ridicule.
He struggles a bit more, but the tavernkeeper resigns to his fate and allows himself to be placed into the stocks as other soldiers march their patrols through town barely paying heed to the man or caring what he was there for. It seemed all too commonplace for them to someone else beaten, bruised, and festering in the clapboards.
Near the stockades a door slams, rattling its own frame, and the sound of heavy footfalls can be heard down the tavern steps. Her hood is down, leaving the vampire's skin exposed and pale. Occassionally one might glimps a waft of smoke rising from her hair, giving the faint impression it were coming out her ears, or perhaps that she was on fire. Shoulders turn, leading her to stare liquid bitch at the kitchen windows before she turns back to move close to Glimmer's side. A claw-like nail severs the twine holding the plate, catching it in her other hand and tossing it aside. Her eyes are faded, dilated, like pools of black ink.
"Cousin? Are you injured?"
Her fingers hover near Glimmer's shoulder, ring lighting itsself once more as it activates to a soft murmur.
"And now I'm paying with my life..." [Heal 5]
Glimmer jumps as the cold water splashes across her. She gets ready to spit at her assailant, but then sees her dearest cousin approaching. "YEAAAAAAAAAOOOOOOOW! That son of a sap sucking gypsy trashbum hit me didn't he! My place may be in the kitchen and the bedroom, but you're place is in the 9th level of a firey hell surrounded by garrish imps and slimy horrors you whimp whimp whimpy whimp whimp!" Glimmer then adresses Thorne "I'm quite alright really cousin. Just angrier than the devil himself. I cursed him two ways to next maestrun and he couldn't take it like a real man so he beaned me with that ol' rollin pin I bet he did. I'll get him yet. And now he seems quite smitten with me. I'd like to tie a steak to his man bits and set ol' Atta's wolf free on him I would. He could use with a good cutting and gutting I say. Where's Taklinn? And where's Ras. Can you help get me out of here? Slicing and dicing onions is getting old. If he thinks this is humiliating I'd like to see what's left of his ego when I rip it out of his breathing head and stuff it so far up his arse he'll never forget the wrath of a SERIOUSLY BITCHY FAE!" Glimmer screams. She turns so red during her ranting that it appears she has something resembling pixie dust encircling her.
For the outside world, Ripper's face appears stoic throughout the verbal flurry by Glimmer. Though her eyes remain that same black mirror they have been since seeing her kin dragged from the tavern. Finally, once her cousin's temper has seemingly abated slightly, the shadow of her eyes slips away into a bright red. Despite this colour, there's something...precocious in them. Ripper leans away, standing up and making a show of folding her hands behind her back gently.
"Dear Cousin, I would never ever ever dream of breaking the law. And though I don't agree with your punishment....I musn't damage public property, that would be rather...pest-like. And I wouldn't dream of doing something so -squirrely-."
Another brief nod, and she begins walking toward the training hall and the tower.
"I'll go and fetch Takisacks for you though. Perhaps some company will make the time pass faster. And I'd like to get one of the healers to look at our dear tavernkeep as well. We'll bring water."
Taklinn walks from his conversation by the Warrior's Hall, intent on not letting Glimmer have to bear the abuse alone as he sees Thorne walk away. With a nod to Thorne in passing he goes to stand vigil over Glimmer. As he approaches he says softly "Don't worry lass, ye'll not be alone through this trial, and me memory is long. These scum will all fall before me axe." He cuts the strips binding his shield to his maimed arm and takes the shield in his good hand, protectively standing in front of the stocks to guard Glimmer. "If me arm had the strength to wield a weapon I would smite these dogs fer the tratment they've given ye. There time has come though, and they better pray to the Immortals that they don't stand afore me on the field." he finishes saying his diatribe softly so that only he and Glimmer can hear it.
As night closes on the stockades and the soldiers become sparse, Glimmer whispers softly to Taklinn "Do not worry my love. Stay very still, no matter what you hear. When you turn around, I'll be gone. Meet me back at the Warrior's Hall. Quietly and quickly." At that, Glimmer begins mumbling something softly about needing to find some nuts and being very itchy. After serval seconds of what sounds like a very small struggle and various sounds of something chewing through rope, a small squirrel hops out of the hole in the stockade and runs quickly away.
Taklinn looks smug as he says quietly "Aye lass, I will have ye out o' here soon enough, I am just waiting fer me opportunity to spring ye." After he hears the sounds behind he turns slowly to see what is going on. He takes a step back and gasps loudly when he sees the empty stocks. He quickly and quietly (for a dwarf) steals away to the Warrior's Hall mumbling "Maybe the rumours are true and she is a witch of some sort. Oh Espidrel, what have I gotten meself into?".
Please don't go
Wolf, I love you so
And I just want you to know
Tregard wheezes as the wolf disappears from sight. "Wolves so fast, bards so slow" he says head tuck between his knees. "O Immortals, I'm gonna vomit" runs out of his mouth along with his lunch. As his spew recedes, the bard finally notices where he is. Before him is town's tavernkeep locked in a stock. Ressik stocks. No one else does humiliation as through and efficent as Ressik's goons. Locked memories come rushing into Tregard's mind and another figure replaces the tavernkeep in the stocks. "Dear Rowan, why didn't you keep your mouth shut." Tregard cuts off the memories and checks on the old man. The old man whimpers when Tregard draws close. "Hush, i'll go get help'" the bard says calming him down. As Tregard turns towards the Warrriors Hall, the tavernkeep mumbles "Don't leave me" Tregard freezes with indecision mind torn between present and past. At the second plea, Tregard does what no one did for Rowan and sits down next to the stocks. The bard slouches against the wood and belts out
When I was just a baby,
My Mama told me, "Son,
Always be a good boy,
Don't ever play with knives,"
I stabbed a man in Flane,
Just to watch him die,
When I hear that whistle blowin',
I hang my head and cry.
The cook gently places the limp body of Glimmer on the ground next to the stockade and gingerly opened the boards. With the help of a soldier, they place Glimmer into the stocks and the cook gently gives her a kiss on the cheek. "A little bit of humility will do you good, sweetie, and it'll make your food taste better too."
The cook walks away, but returns a few minutes later with a small plate of onions attached to a string, and a bucket full of cold water. Putting down the plate of onions for a moment, he grabs the bucket with both hands and douses the fairy, causing her to wake up with a start, and then hangs the onions directly under her nose.
He winks to Glimmer as she begins to come to and mocks coyly, "A lady place is in the kitchen, or in the bedroom, but since you wanted to help so much, I figure'd I'd put my little treasure on display for the whole town to see." Not waiting around for Glimmers reaction, he turns sharply on his heel, and returns to the tavern to finish preparing the new kitchen.