Abandi

Ryogen gagged as he saw the tattered corpse of the tortured man and started reconsidering whether it was safe to be around Gemini. He decided that she must be very devoted and in love to go to such extremes. He just hoped those extremes never landed on him. He started walking away from the mess whilst inspecting his new broadsword. It was stained with blood, but underneath was a sharp blade made of a tough metal. The hilt was customised, with brass tips extending out and a gemstone resting in the centre. He assumed it had been stolen from a nobleman. The thudding of his footsteps were the only sound he could hear, apart from some birdsong. He had started to develop blisters from walking so long; luckily Eridani was not very far away at all. He had no hilt of any sort, so retrieved one from the bandit chief before setting out again. They passed trees, and rivers, following a path that seemed to stretch on forever. Ryogen was tired, so he didn't talk much as they walked. Eventually they rounded a corner on the dusty path and saw buildings.

"Where should we go first?" He asked, surveying the structures. He could spy a fair few fields not too far away, but decided not to think about jobs at the moment. Abandi had plenty of money, somehow.
 
Abandi smiled and held her brothers hand as they walked, secretly thinking about the Shadow woman. She was afraid of her own power, but she wanted to be able to protect her brother. It was a confusing matter for a girl with the psyche of a small child. When they saw Eridani, she let go, running forward. there were children playing in the dusty street, a dog barking and running with them as they played. Abandi approached them slowly, two dirt stained boys with frogs in their hands. They looked at eachother and instantly starting chasing after Abandi with the frogs outstreched, accepting her without any sort of hesitation.
She giggled with excitement, running back and forth on the dusty road, her linen dress flowing with her movements. she hid behind a cart of hay, waiting for the joyous boys to find her. She squeeled when they popped their heads around the cart, chasing after her once again.
 
Gemini thought to stop Abandi but she seemed to be having so much fun that she said nothing. If Ryogen wanted his sister to stop then he would make her.

"I think the first thing we all need is a bath. Then some food. Let's find the closest Inn and use some of that mysterious coin your sister "found" to get us cleaned up. Once are all clean and full we can think about what's next." She looked at Ryogen as she spoke but kept walking forward down the road to town. Eridani was just another small farming village like most of the other villages around this area. She knew the road they were on was where the Inn would be, since there was only the one road going through the whole village. She had them walk until they came to the One Eye Inn. 'Fitting.' She thought, seeing as how they'd just come from Ogres Cross. She smirked at what she hoped was a joke and pulled open the heavy wood door. She walked up to the man behind the bar. He was a little overweight but had strong arm muscles, he was cleaning a glass, and he had two eyes. 'Good, that would be the last thing I need.' She held in a chuckle.

"What can I do for you ...?" He trailed off after taking a look at the first two who entered and knew right away. "A hot bath and some food is my guess. Pay upfront for the bath and room and I'll see about getting you a hot meal." He looked to the woman in front, she seemed to be leading the man with one arm and a girl who looked 15 but who was bouncing around like a toddler. She shook his head, it mattered not. As long as they paid he didn't care who they were.

Gemini looked to Ryogen.

"Ryogen, I will let you bargain with the Inn keeper since you are in the possession of the coin." She said it quietly so no one could hear, it was not good for anyone to know who held onto the money. She gave him a smile that she hoped would boost his confidence. She had no idea what his bargaining abilites were and she hoped they would suffice and not leave them all dirt poor. She promised herself she would step in if need be.
 
Abandi immediatly stopped playing when she noticed her brother following Gemini toward the Inn. She bowed her head to the two boys, running after her brother loyally. Dust kicked up under her small feet as she ran, her haid fanning out over her back. When she breached the heavy door of the Inn, she looked around curiously as if she had never been inside before. She ran her hands over the glossy bar top, watching the large bartender as he spoke. When their eyes met, she puckered her lips childishly- turning away from his manyly gazes. She stood behind her brother as Gemini asked him to bargain, watching as the bar patrons one by one turned their heads to look at the three of them.

"stinky..." Abandi said under her breath, refering to herself and her companions, finally realizing they had been travelling all day and smelt of sweat and blood.
 
Ryogen slid up to the counter where the man was standing. It was made of old and dusty wood, with many ringstains where the ale cups had been sitting many a time. Carefully and calmly, he counted out 15 copper pieces into three separate piles to show it was for the hot baths. He then added 2 silver to each of them. He saw the man had looked a little shocked, so added an extra silver to the pile to sate him. As the man was about to speak, he interjected:
"This is a fair price. Accept it or we'll take our money elsewhere." The man looked a bit miffed, but obviously there was some competition around, as he quickly scooped the three piles up and said:
"The rooms are up there" He motioned to the stairs. " You'll have room 103, just look for the number. Not that luxurious given what you've paid me, but I think you'll find it satisfactory" He remarked rather icily. "Now," He pointed at a doorway. "The food court is through that door. Menus are at the tables."

Ryogen thanked the man and led the two girls through the doorway, to which they were greeted to a large room filled with tables and chairs. There were a few groups, one family of four chatting very noisily. He knew Abandi would probably like a window seat, and located a table for three with one. The pane had a nice panoramic view of a dusty street, and after that, farmland and rolling hills. As he browsed through the menu he thought it would be nice to get to know Gemini. He couldn't ask where she was from or she would return the question, and he didn't think she would buy their usual cover story now that she had seen Abandi. Instead he asked what he hoped was a harmless question:
"So where did you learn to fight like that?"
 
Gemini sat back in her chair and let out a deep sigh. It felt good to finally sit, she couldn't wait for a hot meal. When Ryogen asked the question she sighed again, thinking back to when she had first learned to fight.

"It's a long story, but I will try to keep it short and light. A couple months after my husband was taken, I moved to Rondanae city. When I got there I had little to no money and nowhere to live, but I knew I needed to move on. One day I was attacked in an alley and I was saved by a mysterious woman. After she saved me she told me she was in need in help, even though I didn't know what the help was she needed, she had offered me a place to live, food and coin. So I took the job. I learned to fight from her, and we became very close. In the end she gave me her scimitars. It was a very bittersweet day.'' She shook her head to clear it, her thoughts lingering on the many memories from that time, even without speaking them out loud they were still very strong in her mind. "It's not somewhere I would want to go back to, but if the need arose I would go without hesitaton if it meant I could find my Leoric." She finished, looking at Ryogen and hoping he wouldn't ask for more details. It pained her to talk about the past as it was, and even though she knew she owed them at least a little information as a traveling companion, she did not want to go any farther into it.
 
Abandi looked curiously out the window, her mind creating more than what was acually there. She saw children and animals, people hanging garments on clothes lines and elderly people gossiping. Abandi's world was always a little different than everyone elses. she looked around the dining area they sat in, watching the people and studying everything she could about her surroundings. She sat low in her chair, afraid. In every shadowy corner she saw the dark woman with her bright purple eyes and it frightened her.
Abandi... She heard the woman speak to her within her own mind.
 
Ryogen nodded intently as he listened to the woman's sad story, but made a mental note not to ask anymore about her past. It had almost seemed to have darkened the atmosphere somewhat. Even Abandi looked a little out of it, he thought. He wondered if the recent events had taken their toll on her or whether she was just nearing adolescence. The silence broke when a waiter approached and queried what they would desire. He browsed the menu, and quickly ordered the cheapest item, the stew. He noted that it didn't specify what meat. He also ordered plain water to quench his thirst; he made a point of staying away from alcohol: it usually brought him too many memories.

"Abandi, what do you want?" He asked as he handed her a menu.
 
Abandi continued to stare, afraid to look away from the corner. When her brother suddenly thrust the menu in front of her face, she jumped. She looked over the menu frantically, trying her hardest to look back at the woman in the corner, almost as if she was trying to keep her there. "Chicken leg" She randomly pointed her finger, selecting whatever she landed on and moving her eyes back to the corner of the room. She whimpered when the woman was no longer there, turning in her seat to try and find her.
 
Gemini gave Abandi a look with one eyebrow raised then looked to the waiter. She knew the stew was the cheapest when Ryogen ordered it.

"I'll have the same as him, and bring us some bread please." The waiter nodded and left with the orders. Gemini looked over at Abandi again, who was turning all around in her chair.

"Abandi, is everything ok? You look like you lost something."
 
Abandi's eyes started to water as she forgot to blink them. She whipped her head around fast to look at Gemini. Her grey eyes shimmered weakly in the dim lights of the dining hall.
"It's the woman, in the shadows..." She held her head down, looking tired. Abandi wrapped her hands around herself, rubbing the exposed skin of her arms, which were covered in goosebumps.
"She's staring at me..."
 
"What woman? What does she look like Abandi? Can you describe her to me?" The last thing Gemini wanted was a spy checking up on them. She didn't know who would send one on them but it didn't matter, when she found this woman she would find out.
 
"What do you mean?" Abandi tilted her head cutely to the side. "Can't you see her? She looks just like me..." Abandi turned in her chair again, looking at the shadow woman. She had a demonic smile, vapid and somehow alluring. She raised her hand and waved, slowly blending back into the darkness.

"Oh...well... she was there..." Abandi chewed her lip nervously.
 
Gemini looked at Ryogen to see if this seemed familiar to him and then back to Abandi.

"She looks just like you do? Hmm, no I didn't see anyone with your features." She said to Abandi, not wanting to show how confused and nervous she got but definitely wanting answers. She looked back to Ryogen.

"Do you see anyone who looks like Abandi, Ryogen?" She asked him sternly, hoping he got the hint that she wanted to know if he had any idea what was going on.
 
Ryogen's face darkened when he saw Abandi in clear distress and the problem folded out. He wasn't aware of anything like this happening before, though the dark part of Abandi had definitely caused them a lot of trouble in the past. It explained why she had been acting funny earlier, at least. He was concerned, but did not say anything or give it away, in case she should panic even more.

"I didn't see anything. Perhaps you're just tired. I know I am!" He reassured her, then told a few jokes as they sat waiting in an attempt to entertain her and to keep her mind off whatever was troubling her. Once or twice he did glance over his shoulder, but saw nothing.

When the meals arrived, he tucked in with vigour, giving Gemini a nod of thanks for ordering something cheap. He couldn't wait to get clean and sleep.
 
Once they had all woofed down their food Gemini, Ryogen and Abandi were directed to where the seperate male and female baths were, behind the bar area and out two seperate doors. Gemini nodded to Ryogen as they went their seperate ways and took Abandi's hand.

"Ready to get nice a clean?" She smiled sweetly to Abandi and walked over to where there was a place to undress and put their clothes out for someone to come pick up and wash.

"This place is a little bit fancier than what I'm used to." She said to Abandi as she lowered her aching, dirty body into the hot spring. "Have you ever been anywhere as nice as this Inn?" She asked Abandi as she glanced around the outdoor area, it had a large fence with benches and hooks for robes that they could wear after the bath.</SPAN></SPAN>
 
Abandi disrobed without fear and jumped into the hot spring, causing a little bit of a splash. She sunk her head halfway under the water, blowing bubbled with her mouth. It took her a moment to speak, still searching for that mysterious shadow self of hers.

"Ryo and I used to bath in one of these together!" She laughed and played with the gentle steam that rose off the water. "We had one inside though..." Her face was sad for only a brief moment before she splashed water at Gemini.
"Where did you live?"
 
"Remember how I told you that I used to live with my husband? Well it was just a small cottage and the bathing area was simply a tub where we would put water in and let it sit in the sun for the day to warm up. In the colder months we would heat the water up over the fire before pouring it into the tub. It wasn't very luxurious, but it worked to clean us when we needed it." Gemini explained to Abandi as she watched her play in the spring.

"Have you seen that woman who looks like you since we came out here Abandi?" She tried to ask lightly, hoping the information about her old home and the bath would have calmed the girl some.
 
Abandi listened to her story, streching out her long pale legs and flexing her toes. "Ryo used to give me baths in a tub like that!" She squeeled, happy to have something in common with Gemini.
Abandi looked at her as if she had never mentioned the woman. "No, she's not here... she's with Ryogen..." Her face turned to the wall separating their baths, like she was listening.
"She doesn't like my brother because he takes care of me....she wants me to be a bad girl..." Abandi put her face in the water, blowing bubbles again.
 
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