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Nov. 7th, 2008 11:51 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sagesariaKarrah Chapter 8, chapter word count: 925
Chapter 8
Karrah and Ryder were soaking wet by the time they managed to get themselves and their belongings into their tent. Karrah wasn't entirely comfortable with sharing such a closed space with the boy, but the bardesses insisted on it.
"You sho' ye don' wont me to look at it?" Ryder asked as he drew the tent's flap closed, referring to Karrah's broken hand.
"I'm fine." she insisted, kneeling on her own half-damp bedroll. Her monk's robes were soaked from the rain. She tried to at least slip off the top of the uniform, but with one hand out of commission she struggled to undo the strings that tied it in place. She cursed under her breath fiddling with the tie with one hand, barely able to reach it. Ryder noticed her struggling and crouched next to her, undoing the tie for her. She blinked at his help, sliding the wet robe off of her shoulders, now in only her uniform pants and the blue undershirt she wore underneath.
Setting her top aside, she looked at Ryder, who was now sitting with her. He looked back with the most sober expression she had ever seen him with. There was some silence except for the patter of rain on the roof of the tent, then Ryder spoke.
"Karrah..." he started slowly, "Whot 'appened today?"
Karrah looked away slowly, knowing what he was referring to but not wishing to answer, her stubborn self-reliance returning.
"Somebody jus' troyed t'kill ye, Karrah. An' I c'n see in yo' a'itude that you know whoy." he came a little closer to her, his voice encouraging and no longer the cheery tone Karrah was so used to, "Ye c'n trust me, Karrah. I won' judge ye...I've a'ready made up me moynd 'bout ye. Please jus' tell me..."
Slowly Karrah let out a sigh, using her good hand to pull her pack toward her. Carefully she fished through it and extracted a small, carefully wrapped bundle. She set it on the floor in front of Ryder. He looked at her, then down at the bundle, carefully taking it in his hands and unwrapping it. The dagger that Karrah's guild found the first night she was attacked rested inside the cloth. Ryder's eyes went a little wide as Karrah explained.
"The same woman who attacked me tonight dropped that. She came after me before, when I was still living in the guild house."
Ryder frowned.
"I know this mark." he said soberly, pointing to the engraving on the blade.
"You do?"
"It's the symbol fo' a clan of rogues called th' Shadow Cats. An' a dangerous clan at that. Nobody gets away fr'm 'em aloyve...it costs a pre'y penny t'give 'em a target. If they're after ye, someone mus' really want ye dead...'oo would want ye dead, Karrah?"
Karrah sighed.
"That's exactly the trouble...I don't know. I don't know anything before four years ago."
Ryder's eyes went a little wide again, "...is that where that scar came from?"
Karrah nodded, ashamed.
"I don't know anything about myself. I don't know where I came from, I don't know anything I've done, I don't even know my real name. It's been eating me alive for four years...I can't sleep, I can't stop thinking about it...that's why I want to go to Freeport. I want to find out who I am. Find out why these people are after me. Just...feel like I'm not just some nobody monk living a pointless daily life."
Ryder was silent a long time before he put a hand on her shoulder.
"You ain't a nobody. If you're nobody, I'd 'ave 'ad me arse 'anded t'me by those guards a few days ago. But I know 'ow much it 'urts t' not know whot ye doin' in loyf. If you're sho' Freepo't's the way t'go, I'll see to it you get there safe."
"I can take care of myself." she responded, almost automatically.
"I know ye can. But it'll be dangerous if th' Shadow Cats are after ye. There are rumors that they dwell 'round there."
Karrah looked up, her eyes slightly narrow.
"How do you know so much about them anyway?"
Ryder smiled a little.
"I'm a travelin' bard, Karrah. I 'ear things."
She didn't question that, instead shifting to settle more on the bedroll, suddenly wincing and clutching her hand as she had accidentally leaned on it.
"Still 'urts?" Ryder asked, looking at her. She nodded, still cringing.
"Well no wonder if ye keep clingin' to it loyk that." he crawled over to her again and took her wrist, pulling her bad hand away from herself.
"It'll 'eal faster if ye 'old it flat loyk this." he gently pressed his hands over hers, carefully not to agitate it as he urged her hand flat and carefully felt around to see that the bones were in place. Rummaging through his own bags he found a roll of worn cloth bandages and a small rod. Laying the rod carefully over the broken hand he began wrapping the bandage around it, splinting the bones as they were.
"It's only a temp'ary fix but it'll 'elp ye t'eal until we can foynd someone t'fix it up for ye."
They didn't talk after that, the rain on the roof once again the only sound, as Ryder wrapped the cloth taught around Karrah's hand. She watched him quietly, somehow enjoying the touch of his hands, how strangely soft they were. Was it his bandaging that suddenly made the pain diminish?
Chapter 8
Karrah and Ryder were soaking wet by the time they managed to get themselves and their belongings into their tent. Karrah wasn't entirely comfortable with sharing such a closed space with the boy, but the bardesses insisted on it.
"You sho' ye don' wont me to look at it?" Ryder asked as he drew the tent's flap closed, referring to Karrah's broken hand.
"I'm fine." she insisted, kneeling on her own half-damp bedroll. Her monk's robes were soaked from the rain. She tried to at least slip off the top of the uniform, but with one hand out of commission she struggled to undo the strings that tied it in place. She cursed under her breath fiddling with the tie with one hand, barely able to reach it. Ryder noticed her struggling and crouched next to her, undoing the tie for her. She blinked at his help, sliding the wet robe off of her shoulders, now in only her uniform pants and the blue undershirt she wore underneath.
Setting her top aside, she looked at Ryder, who was now sitting with her. He looked back with the most sober expression she had ever seen him with. There was some silence except for the patter of rain on the roof of the tent, then Ryder spoke.
"Karrah..." he started slowly, "Whot 'appened today?"
Karrah looked away slowly, knowing what he was referring to but not wishing to answer, her stubborn self-reliance returning.
"Somebody jus' troyed t'kill ye, Karrah. An' I c'n see in yo' a'itude that you know whoy." he came a little closer to her, his voice encouraging and no longer the cheery tone Karrah was so used to, "Ye c'n trust me, Karrah. I won' judge ye...I've a'ready made up me moynd 'bout ye. Please jus' tell me..."
Slowly Karrah let out a sigh, using her good hand to pull her pack toward her. Carefully she fished through it and extracted a small, carefully wrapped bundle. She set it on the floor in front of Ryder. He looked at her, then down at the bundle, carefully taking it in his hands and unwrapping it. The dagger that Karrah's guild found the first night she was attacked rested inside the cloth. Ryder's eyes went a little wide as Karrah explained.
"The same woman who attacked me tonight dropped that. She came after me before, when I was still living in the guild house."
Ryder frowned.
"I know this mark." he said soberly, pointing to the engraving on the blade.
"You do?"
"It's the symbol fo' a clan of rogues called th' Shadow Cats. An' a dangerous clan at that. Nobody gets away fr'm 'em aloyve...it costs a pre'y penny t'give 'em a target. If they're after ye, someone mus' really want ye dead...'oo would want ye dead, Karrah?"
Karrah sighed.
"That's exactly the trouble...I don't know. I don't know anything before four years ago."
Ryder's eyes went a little wide again, "...is that where that scar came from?"
Karrah nodded, ashamed.
"I don't know anything about myself. I don't know where I came from, I don't know anything I've done, I don't even know my real name. It's been eating me alive for four years...I can't sleep, I can't stop thinking about it...that's why I want to go to Freeport. I want to find out who I am. Find out why these people are after me. Just...feel like I'm not just some nobody monk living a pointless daily life."
Ryder was silent a long time before he put a hand on her shoulder.
"You ain't a nobody. If you're nobody, I'd 'ave 'ad me arse 'anded t'me by those guards a few days ago. But I know 'ow much it 'urts t' not know whot ye doin' in loyf. If you're sho' Freepo't's the way t'go, I'll see to it you get there safe."
"I can take care of myself." she responded, almost automatically.
"I know ye can. But it'll be dangerous if th' Shadow Cats are after ye. There are rumors that they dwell 'round there."
Karrah looked up, her eyes slightly narrow.
"How do you know so much about them anyway?"
Ryder smiled a little.
"I'm a travelin' bard, Karrah. I 'ear things."
She didn't question that, instead shifting to settle more on the bedroll, suddenly wincing and clutching her hand as she had accidentally leaned on it.
"Still 'urts?" Ryder asked, looking at her. She nodded, still cringing.
"Well no wonder if ye keep clingin' to it loyk that." he crawled over to her again and took her wrist, pulling her bad hand away from herself.
"It'll 'eal faster if ye 'old it flat loyk this." he gently pressed his hands over hers, carefully not to agitate it as he urged her hand flat and carefully felt around to see that the bones were in place. Rummaging through his own bags he found a roll of worn cloth bandages and a small rod. Laying the rod carefully over the broken hand he began wrapping the bandage around it, splinting the bones as they were.
"It's only a temp'ary fix but it'll 'elp ye t'eal until we can foynd someone t'fix it up for ye."
They didn't talk after that, the rain on the roof once again the only sound, as Ryder wrapped the cloth taught around Karrah's hand. She watched him quietly, somehow enjoying the touch of his hands, how strangely soft they were. Was it his bandaging that suddenly made the pain diminish?
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