This Happens Too Often

[Rebekka Stromholm]

Trouble wasn't just a word. For Rebekka, it was a lifestyle. One she'd lived since the day she was born, and one she'd assuredly die from. Case in point, the alley scuffled she'd just escaped from. Despite wearing a sword at her hip, she'd been a target for being alone. At least that was the reasoning she'd come to for why four men had popped out of the darkness with daggers and swords out. Their mistake.

After the battle she was the one to walk away, although she hadn't managed to come out completely unscathed. She'd been caught off guard admittedly, so she had a few dings and cuts to show for it. But the majority of the blood wasn't hers. "Idiots." She stated to no one in particular. Although she couldn't help but feel alive after all that. Her blood was up and her adrenaline too. Despite the events prior, she was grinning like a mad woman.

Although she had to tone it down a little once she realized how suspicious she looked. Blood splatters weren't exactly a normal thing to sport around out in the evening public. Even if there were less people around, she didn't want to chance running into the guard. So she took as many side routes as she could while heading towards her house in the city. She couldn't get past the gates like this, and the day was almost over anyways. But in her haste crossing a slightly busier street, she managed to dodge one person only to knock over someone else. "Hey!" She said, irritation in her voice. All she wanted to do was get behind closed doors. Was that too much to ask?

[Alexandra Sawyer]

There were many things that made Alex relieved she was no long being used as a courier for the Enclave. She vastly preferred having a single location to venture out to rather than being tasked with wandering about the city with various parcels attempting to find her destinations. So far she was finding being a chambermaid remarkably easy, compared to other hardships she'd endured but at least when she was running around Goldcrest like a lost puppy she was guaranteed to get back to the Enclave well before dark instead of waiting to be dismissed by her employers.

Alex tugged at the edges of her cloak, wrapping it tighter around herself as she stepped out into the night air. There were still a number of people moving about in the streets, which she always found a bit odd. She kept to herself, ensuring her head stayed down as she rushed along on her way home. She found navigating the city at night was much easier when she attracted as little attention to herself as possible. If she could just get to the Enclave without being noticed, she considered the trip a success.

Intent and hope didn't often yield results. Alex hadn't been paying attention, she was weaving in between a pair of slow moving wagons when a jarring bump sent her to the ground. She let out a yelp of surprise, her hands coming out to break her fall. She sucked air in between her teeth in a harsh hiss of pain as she looked at her scratched and bleeding palms. Her head snapped upward at the annoyed shout and she caught sight of the obviously frustrated, dark haired woman. "I-I'm sorry." She stammered weakly. She hadn't even noticed the blood spatters beneath the intense weight of someone being angry with her. "I wasn't watching where I was going."

Eyes quickly narrowed in the dim light as Alex's mind started to catch up with what was going on around her. She spotted the blood, the exasperated expression on the older woman's face and was able to put two and two together. "Are you okay?" She asked, slowly pushing herself up to her feet. "Are you hurt?"

[Rebekka Stromholm]

She could barely hear the hiss of pain from the other person once they landed. Though she didn't really care all too much. That is, until she looked down at her unfortunate victim. Rebekka's heart skipped a beat when all she could see was some young girl. Her mind inadvertently went to her own sister, and before she could stop herself a tentative "Nora?" left her lips.There was even some concern in the tone. But then she realized it was, in fact, not her younger sister. The irritation returned, but it could not return in nearly as much force as it had initially now that her siblings had entered her thoughts.

She wasn't watching where she was going? Rebekka snorted and bent to help lift the tiny girl up by hookah her hands under the girl's armpits. She was pretty light. For Rebekka at least. "Just be more careful kid." She responded. Seeing the young girl was making Rebekka realize something. How was she going to get home and avoid questions from the rest of her family? Blood would definitely raise eyebrows and bring about unwanted questions.

Shit, even the random girl had noticed. And her words were making others look over. Rebekka cursed silently and pulled the young girl away from the main area and into a side alley. Whether she liked it or not. "I'm fine alright? Don't go announcing things to the public." She replied. The last thing she wanted was more questions. Rebekka's gaze flit down to the girl's hands and she glared for a moment before rolling her eyes. "Let me see your hands." She grumbled after a moment. "And what's a kid like you doing out so late?"

[Alexandra Sawyer]

Alex only partially caught the name hesitantly being spoken. It didn't immediately connect that she had been the target of the name due to being distracted by picking herself off the ground and the bloodied woman standing in front of her. By the time Alex did figure it out, the time to address it had come and gone leaving her to be curious as to who Nora was and why she had just been called that.

There nearly came a protest at being called 'kid' but hands that were far stronger than their owner looked cut off any hope of Alex speaking. She gladly accepted the assist to her feet, even though it felt like a little more 'carrying' as opposed to 'helping', a thought that was largely proved correct when Alex found herself being dragged off the street proper and into a nearby alley. "Oh, hey..." She muttered, almost resisting before thinking better of it. "Well, okay." She sighed and went along with it. It's not like she had much choice in the matter anyway.

"I-I-" Alex's eyes widened at the accusation and she stammered over the single letter word far more than anyone in their right mind should have. After a few failed attempts to even get that out, Alex clamped her mouth shut and simply nodded, issuing a low exhale of breath in the process. She hadn't meant to announce anything, she was only showing concern for a fellow person.

"I've been assigned to the Orland Estate." Having grown frustrated with her own stuttering from before, Alex spoke the words slowly and deliberately. It was apparent she didn't do well when things around her got... weird. Her heart had started to race even as she lifted her hands for Rebekka to inspect. Strange woman with blood splattered clothes weren't Alex's favored company, though she wasn't about to go offending anyone. "I'm the Admiral's daughter's chambermaid. I was walking back to the Encl- erm..." Alex caught herself and quickly changed course. "I was walking home."

[Rebekka Stromholm]

The plethora of emotions going across the girl's face were almost amusing to watch. If Rebekka had been inclined to care that is. As it were, she wasn't paying attention to them. She was too busy getting them out of the public eye. To her surprise, the girl didn't even really put up a fight. Even if she was being taken into an alley by a complete stranger covered in blood. Either the girl was stupid or she had something up her sleeve to make her confident. Although from the stuttering and apparent lack of confidence to even oppose Rebekka, it might've been the former.

The Orland estate? Rebekka glanced up in slight surprise. Though her attention soon turned to the girl's hands. They were scratched up and a little bit bloody. Normally Rebekka couldn't give any less of a damn, but she actually felt a little guilty. Not that she would ever admit it. But the reminder of her younger sister was too strong. So Rebekka searched her pouches while listening. Eventually she brought out some clean wraps she was going to use later on herself and began wrapping up the girl's hands.

Even half distracted, Rebekka caught the almost slip. There weren't many words starting with that combination, so it was easy for her to figure out. This girl was an enclave mage. It made Rebekka hesitate, but only for a split second. Then she finished up her wrapping. "Returning home at this hour? Not the smartest idea. There's a hell of a lot of trouble you can run into at night, and not all of it nice." Rebekka replied with a wry smile. She gestured to herself and the blood splatters. "Perfect example. You should at least have a friend."

[Alexandra Sawyer]

Alex certainly didn't cut an imposing figure whenever she made her way through the city streets. She was diminutive in stature and everything about her body language screamed 'child', in spite of her age. In many ways this served to help the young mage, as she was hardly looked upon as a threat or a target for thieves, as children rarely carried much coin. The almost whimsical way in which Alex not only traversed the city but also her life in general as aided, no doubt, by the wondrous and powerful mysticism that coursed through her entire being. Her magic could easily have been considered a curse, but it was at least a useful curse.


The young mage hadn't protested or even winced a Rebekka performed a quick binding of the scrapes on her hands. She didn't think she needed them, but infection was all too common these days and she was thankful for the kind showing. She nodded in thanks and offered a polite smile up to her unlikely doctor. "I'm thinking whoever had decided to mess with you needs these more than me." She said quietly, pausing a moment to see what response her minor quip would draw.

"I'm not usually dismissed to late." Alex admitted. Her magic notwithstanding, she agreed wholeheartedly with Rebekka's assertion. While she could defend herself Alex didn't enjoy making her way through the city in the dark. It made it that much easier to get lost. "Lady Orland can be... difficult at times." She frowned at that. Alex was never one to profess any sort of disdain or negativity towards others but the noble whose estate she'd been assigned to tried that mindset like no other.

[Rebekka Stromholm]

Fortunately the girl wasn't fidgeting too much when Rebekka was binding her hands. It made things go far faster. Her eyes snapped to the girl when she made the little comment on whoever had been foolish enough to fight Rebekka. She blinked for a second before laughing. It sounded a tad harsh, as usual. But it was helping break the odd tension. Not to mention it helped lighten Rebekka's mood a little. "Believe me, they're going to need a lot more than bindings." She replied with a wolffish grin. It was a bit dark, but Rebekka didn't care. She was dark.

She wasn't usually dismissed so late apparently. Which made Rebekka scoff. Until she heard the name Orland. Then Rebekka stared. "Wait, Orland? The Orland?" She asked. This little girl was serving that wench? Rebekka hadn't even met her, but she'd heard enough stories. Rebekka burst out laughing, shaking her head. "I don't know wether to pity you or not." She finally said once the laughter had subsided enough. Afterwards she regarded Alex with a smirk, feeling much better than when she met Alex initially. She almost forgot about the blood splatters. Almost. "She as bad as I'm thinking?"

[Alexandra Sawyer]

Alex had no idea why she found amusement in the dark haired woman's reply. Maybe it was because Alex had started along the somewhat macabre path herself and Rebekka merely furthered the conversation along. Or maybe Alex was growing more accustomed to the violence that seemingly surrounded her whenever she ventured out into the city. She couldn't escape it herself, even though she had actively attempted to do so. It was like the the darkest underbelly of humanity sought out anything that was bright and tried to stamp it out.

"Yes?" Alex's brows furrowed as she peered up to Rebekka. She had no idea Lady Orland carried such a reputation, though given her picky, fickle ways this fact came to no surprise, even to someone like Alex. She went to respond, getting so far as to part her lips and draw in a breath before freezing and thinking over her words. She exhaled sharply and frowned. "She's not that bad." Alex said finally. She had no reason to defend Lady Orland or her family seeing as how she was not employed by the Orland's themselves, rather she was 'on loan' as it were through the Enclave. She held not allegiance to the military family or their city, for that matter. "She'll never admit it but I think she likes it when I sing while I'm doing my chores." Alex admitted while stifling a bit of a giggle.

[Rebekka Stromholm]

The girl's brows furrowed but Rebekka didn't care. She was too busy cracking up at the fact she met someone who had to deal with that harpy. The poor unfortunate fool. It almost made Rebekka sympathetic to the girl. Almost. But not quite. Eventually she calmed down her laughing and realized the girl was about to talk. Until she paused and Rebekka raised an eyebrow in question. She wasn't that bad? Rebekka snorted and rolled her eyes, a taunting smirk on her face. "Yeah, sure shortie. And I'm just the paragon of sweetness over here."

This girl actually sung to the Orland whelp? Rebekka could only stare with a look. Then she shook her head and snickered. "Now there's somehing I wouldn't expect. You must have a pretty good voice if she doesn't complain." She responded. Then her smirk morphed into a grin and Rebekka folded her arms over her chest. "Do I get to hear a song? Or is a big bad merc like me not good enough for it?" She questioned, teasing the girl. She didn't expect a song at all. Hell she hardly expected anything from this conversation. Still it was entertaining in a way. And the darker it got the less likely anyone else would notice the blood.

[Alexandra Sawyer]

Bright, brown eyes lit up again. It was as if Alex received unending enjoyment out of every word spoken to her, like the mere act of conversing with a stranger was among the most fascinating endeavors she could undertake. She stifled a giggle, watching Rebekka while she spoke. "'Sweet' is a matter of perspective." She pointed out with a curt nod.

Alex had already forgotten the blood spattered across Rebekka's clothes. She moved along now fully preoccupied with the conversation about the spiteful, bitter noble. "Oh, no. I'm not much of a singer." She insisted, a sheepish smile touching her features. At the request Alex's eyes widened and a flush of crimson rushed into her cheeks. "Oh, I-" She stammered a bit. "I couldn't just... out here..." She nervously brushed a stray strand of hair from her cheek and shook her head shyly. "I'm not good enough for anyone to want to hear."

[Rebekka Stromholm]

Wow this girl was cheerful. It was so odd to see, especially when Rebekka was apparently on the receiving end of such good spirits. And this was after her initial snap at the girl. Now she was stifling a giggle and saying "sweet" was a matter of perspective. Rebekka snorted again. "Sweet isn't in my description." She replied dryly. It really wasn't. The word was never used in the same sentence as Rebekka's name unless there was an "isn't" between them. Although her siblings would beg to differ. They were the only ones to see the genuine caring side of Rebekka. And she was planning on keeping it that way.

Not much of a singer? Rebekka gave her a look, complete with one of her smirks. She'd gotten the little pixie to start blushing. "If that Orland whelp doesn't cut your tongue out for it, then yes you kind of have to be." She responded. Her little request got even more of a reaction out of Alex. Rebekka found herself grinning wickedly as she stammered and suddenly went shy. Rebekka waved off the last bit with a dismissive gesture and an eye roll. "Pffft, like I said; if the Orland girl actually lets you do it, then there's a reason." Rebekka leaned forward slightly, the grin still there. She was having far too much fun with this. "So now I'm even more curious to hear you. Won't you sing me a song, little pixie? I might even say please."