The Wreckage of My Past Keeps Haunting Me

[Alexandra Sawyer]

Alex was slowly but surely growing more comfortable with her surroundings.  Her first few weeks in Goldcrest had seen the young mage awestruck by the sheer size and scope of the city.  Thankfully, Alex was nothing if not resilient and she soon found herself able to navigate the maze of streets and districts with relative ease.  This prompted her superiors at the Enclave to occasionally send her off to act as a courier.

Carefully weaving her way through the bustling city streets, Alex neared the docks.  She always found the sound of the ocean and the salty smell in the air cathartic.  Even though her few memories of the sea weren't the most cherished, it was calming to pause and looked out over the sunlight shimmering atop the water.  A thin smile touched the young mage's lips as she took in a deep breath.  The din around her seemed to fade under the calming affects.  She was still carrying the small satchel of invoices she was supposed to be delivering to the Mariner's Union but she allowed the task at had to be forgotten for a fleeting moment.

Snapping back to reality, Alex turned away from the sea with intent to continue on her given mission.  Eyes narrowed as she spotted something eerily family among the random faces moving about around her.  The sensation of deja vu sent a chill running along her spine.  It couldn't have been the face she was thinking of, it had to just be someone who looked similar.  Never one to refrain from acting on her curiosity, Alex started moving closer to the curious figure.  The shroud of night and the shock of the events that had just happened may have clouded her memory, but Alex felt she'd never forget the face that looked down upon her and, for some reason, showed her the mercy not reserved for her parents.

The man was talking to someone, the nature of the conversation was lost on Alex.  Given their location she assumed it had something to with ships or cargo or something, but that wasn't her focus.  With a furrowed brow she crept nearer, trying to match the dark haired man's features with her hazy, emotion laden memory.  She didn't dare wish to draw attention to herself before she could verify whether or not her curiosity was unfounded leading her to climb atop a stack of shipping crates that were placed near a docked ship.

Alex's plan, while solid in theory, didn't work out the way she'd hoped.  As she leaned in, attempting to get a closer look at her target, Alex slipped and tumbled from her vantage point.  She issued a surprised yelp on the way down, her arms flailing about until she landed in the dirt at the foot of the very man she was hoping to avoid.   It was instantly obvious from her stature and the robes identifying her as a member of the Enclave that Alex didn't belong climbing among the crates waiting to be loaded upon the docked ship.  Nevertheless, there she was, laying in a small cloud of dust that had been raised from her fall, staring up at Brandr with a look of wide eyed shock.

[Brandr Friedrich III]

When it came to negotiations, he was a very shrewd man. It wasn’t often that Brandr was sent for such meetings, and even more rarely so that he was sent alone. He had a way of brokering deals that many felt was a bit too forceful. While he never outright threatened potential clients, he wasn’t exactly warm and inviting. He knew what the crew was after, he knew the time frame and the resources needed to achieve said goals, and he was rarely willing to compromise on their requests. It was something that was off-putting to many potential clients, but he felt the pros more often than not outweighed the cons. Today was one of those days. It had only taken him a few moments to understand why. There was something unsettling about the specifics of the job, and particularly the man who was inquiring about said job.

The Bloody Crown was known for her less-than-reputable clientèle. They were often willing to take on jobs that most other members of the union would not, and they did so at great cost to the contractor. They weren’t above bending the rules, bribing officials, and occasionally making problems disappear. They stretched their title as privateers as thinly as possible without tearing it at the seems.

“I was told that discretion was among one of your specialties, I hope this will not be a problem?”

The man questioned. His voice was high, masculine, but the bass seemed somewhat forced. As if he was aware of how feminine he sounded and was attempting to mask it. His words absolutely oozed with an arrogance that was testing Brandr’s patience. It wasn’t the the man was outright insulting him with his line of questioning, but the seeming lack of outright respect was starting to get on Brandr’s last nevers.

“Of course not.”

Brandr responded, a coy smile tugging at his broken lips. Trying his best to remain as diplomatic as possible given the situation.

“But I won’t be bringin’ any live cargo onto my ship without know what it is. There is no room for negotiation on that matter, no amount a’ coin is going to change that, friend. ”

Friend. The word was delivered as thought it was an insult. The man was tall, lanky. He stood a good head over Brandr, who was no slouch, but didn’t look as though he weighed over seven stones. His skin was white, sickly, and his over-sized robes looked to be covering a great deal of cysts and blemishes upon his skin. He had kept his distance for the most part. It seemed as thought it was conscious effort to stay out of Brandr’s reach, or at least that of his blade’s.

“That is unfortunate.”

The delivery was cold, dry. Brandr’s right hand rested on the pommel of Drachentoter, his fingers wrapped firmly around the dragon’s head. The leather wined as his grasp tightened, his gaze remaining upon man. In the heat of the discussion he had lost his bearings on his surroundings; they weren’t alone. By the time this realization had been made, the young girl’s body had come crashing down. The man looked in her direction, brows raising and nostrils flaring.

“We shall continue this conversation at’a later time.”

Brandr said firmly, not looking to create an even larger commotion. The man didn’t seem to heed Brandr’s words. Stepping forward, he reached into his cloak. Before he could take two steps forward, he was met with Brandr’s hand upon his chest. Palm open, with a dagger tucked beneath his thumb, the length of the blade pressed flat against the man’s robes.

“Do ya’ not understand the common tongue?”

The lanky man looked down at Brandr, then to the blade. He took a step back, obviously perturbed by the actions that been taken. Spinning on the back of his heels, he disappeared into the crowd as quickly as the girl had fallen from the nearby crates. Before he turned to see her face, he spoke.

“I hope ya’ have some business for me, dame. You just cost me quite a bit a’ coin.”

[Alexandra Sawyer]

It wasn't him. It couldn't be.

Alex's mouth worked in a futile attempt to form words but none escaped under the weight of the voice addressing her. She was utterly oblivious to the nature of the business she'd interrupted though she didn't need that added stress to an already paralyzing fear. The only thing running through her mind was the troubling sensation that she'd seen this man before. With his back to her, Alex couldn't get a good look at him, even from her new, much closer vantage point. This was possibly her saving grace as it gave her a few moments to collect herself.

"I'm terribly sorry... Sir." Alex added the last part almost as an afterthought. She quickly moved to climb back up to her feet, glancing down to smooth out the robes that easily identified her as a member of the Enclave as well as assuring she stuck out from a crowd in nearly any district in Goldcrest. "I didn't mean to bother you." It felt like an outright lie and probably came out as such but Alex didn't care. Carefully she started backing away from the stranger, averting her gaze throughout. She suddenly didn't want to know the man's identity. Hopefully she could slip away and forget the entire debacle happened.

[Brandr Friedrich III]

Brandr watched the crowds as the passed by. While conflict had been avoided, if only momentarily, the man had left a bitter taste in his mouth. With a fluid motion, he returned the dagger to it's sheath on his right forearm, not looking to startle the girl anymore than it sounded like she already was. 

"Do ya' get paid for eavesdroppin'?" 

One could never be too certain, especially in Goldcrest. He had seen enough in his life to no there was no such thing as a true neutrality, especially when it came to such places. Everybody has an agenda, whether or not they're honest with themselves about is an entirely different story. He prefered to be paranoid and alive than naive and dead. 

"You're pretty lousy at it, if ya' are."

The smirk practically painted itself across his broken lips. After a moment or two, he stepped away from the mouth of the alley and took a step back. Turning around as he did so to take a good look at who had interrupted his meeting. From what he could see she looked young. As to how young, he wasn't sure. She was looking away from him, she looked uncomfortable. She was an enclave mage, that was for sure. He could pick their painfully plain garb out of a crowd within seconds. Like many of the entities active in the city, he didn't trust them. Not that he though they had any interest in his affairs. 

[Alexandra Sawyer]

"No, Sir. Mages don't get paid at all." The response came before Alex realized she was speaking. If she'd been smart she would have kept her mouth shut and continued on her way in hopes the man wouldn't wish to bother with her any further. Sadly, this didn't seem the case. Silently Alex wondered what, exactly, it was she had gotten herself into.

"That I am." Alex would agree with his sentiment and even offer a nod to prove it. The young mage struggled to keep her mind from jolting back into dreadful memories triggered by the familiar face of the man standing before her. At that moment Alex determined he was not the man she thought he could have been. It was foolish of her to have believed it possible from the beginning.

"I'm terribly sorry to disturb you." Alex stood straight, reaching her full height of all of five feet tall. She'd gathered herself well enough to speak without sounding like a stuttering child even if she still lacked the sort of edge and self confidence most mages carried themselves with. "You looked like someone I had met in Abrea but I see now I was wrong." Even though she was telling herself that she couldn't shake the feeling that maybe, just maybe this was someone she would need to keep a close eye on. "I shouldn't take up any more of your time."

[Brandr Friedrich III]

As her back straightened and she presented herself, Brandr instantly recognized her. A slight frown formed upon his lips, unsure of how to navigate the situation. He wasn't fond of loose ends. But even more so, he wasn't fond of variables. It would be foolish to believe that one could truly eliminate all variables from play, but there were definitely some that you hoped you would never have to address again.

"Seems like somethin' that best be spoken of elsewhere ..."

While she had been quite inept at eavesdropping, there were others that weren't so clumsy. Brandr wasn't too worried, but one could never be that safe. He approached her slowly. His well-built figure framed by the fur-covered cloak that embraced the entirety of his form. His leather arm was black. Clean, but obviously warn. As he came to stand in front of her, gazing down her on, the dragon's head pommel peaked out from beneath the edges of the cape.

"Why have ya' come here?"

He stated plainly. Goldcrest seemed like an odd choice, especially for somebody who was looking to hide. Granted, when it came to protection and anonymity for mages, The Enclave was possibly the best choice. But not when one was walking around in the light, plain as day, without a care in the world. The night was not one he would soon forget. However, it seemed with her backpedaling that possibly she couldn't place his face; that was something he was content with. For her own safety and his reputation.