Knock knock knock.
"Aye! Come in!" The voice cut above the din of the streets and the mousy haired man that had knocked stepped inside the small shop. The sign that hung above the doorway proclaimed it as a healers shop and the inside provided the proof if there had been any doubt. A small store front greeted the stranger, there was a bare wooden counter that stood in front of the back wall where several shelves held jars of different medicines for some aliment or another. At the very back corner of the right wall was another doorway.
"Are you here for the headache cure?" The voice asked and after a few seconds wait the man finally saw the owner of the voice as she emerged from the back room, pushing aside the tapestry that hung over the doorway. A few seconds of silence followed as the man tried to piece together the little speech he had prepared endlessly on his journey here. The woman's solitary eye stared him down, and he found that his usually silvered words were tarnished.
"M-Miss Reneth I have seeking your help on a most important mission." He said finally stumbling over the first few syllables. If he had been expecting some kind of question or even just a word of acknowledgement he was disappointed as Reneth simply raised an eyebrow and moved to stand behind the store counter.
"I am Elren and I represent his Majesty Holteron and-" Elren found himself cut off mid sentence by Reneth her eye narrowed down to a mere slit at his words.
"No." She said with a stiff shake of her head. "I do not care what the offer is, any loyalty his Highness feels that I owe the crown was forfeit when I was branded a traitor."
"The kingdom has been facing increased attacks from the south-"
"Well that is a shock."
"-some items of importance were lost in transit. Items that select few know how to handle." This seemed to catch Reneth's attention, without even being told she understood what had happened. The rumors of monsters were the hottest piece of gossip and even as out of the loop as she was trying to stay it was hard to miss. And as for the items, well, there was only one time she could remember when something she and her old companions had sent something dangerous back to the capitol.
"Still don't see how this is my problem. There are always more pawns who are willing to die for king, country, money, whatever it is people want these days." Reneth said leaning over the counter, she knew the usual cards and none of them interested her at this point. Why would they when two of those had betrayed her and the last, well people were always idiots, there was always some need for a healer, enough that she could earn a living.
"What about for friends?" Elren asked his words a very poorly disguised threat. In the tense silence before he spoke again he tried his best to ignore how one of Reneth's inched towards the dagger hanging from her hip. "Your friend Telrec, quite the nice family his has, same with Grelgar, and Alree. We thought you might be a little more willing knowing that your friends were being left alone."
Part of her wanted to laugh, to tell this so called emissary that he could just try and pull something and that she would be more than happy to watch anyone who dared get their asses handed to them by Telrec the nightmare, Grelgar spinesnapper, Alree the Hellraiser. But last time she had seen Telrec he had been cradling his newborn son with his two year old daughter hanging from his arm, Grelgar had five children and had cared for his elderly parents as well, and Alree well she had been three months pregnant when Reneth had visited her two months ago. Anger bubbled in her chest and she could not even bring herself to look at the man who had invaded her shop. Knowing that silence could be just as dangerous as misplaced words she very slowly nodded her head, unwilling to open her mouth incase she ended up saying something that she would regret.
"Oh good, there is a boat leaving tomorrow called The Serpent. The Captain has been informed that you will be joining the crew as a ships doctor. He has also been informed that you really shouldn't be left alone if the ship docks." Elren said with a snake's smile. From a pocket he withdrew an address that gave the location of the ship. Placing the slip of parchment on the counter he gave Reneth another pleasant smile even though her eyes were still glued to the stretch of counter between her hands.
"You leave at dawn."
