Random 41

"Yes. I'll save my energy to pretend I'm not for later."

Sebastian smiled and patted her on the shoulder. "Good idea. You still shouldn't worry. It'll go fine, one way or another."

Sylvie was distracted enough - and trusted Sebastian enough - to not take that at patronising.

"I'm having trouble stopping trying to figure out ways how things could go - with little succes, by the way -, and how many of them would cause more problems than they'd solve." She gave a not very amused sounding chuckle. "So chances are she's either gone, or tell us- me without any problems."

Sebastian looked at the road they were walking along, allowing his eyes to follow a small dog moving in the rain. "You'll go mad if you think of all the possibilities," he said in turn. "I find it helps to not care what the outcome is as long as it's an immediately safe one, and I have faith in your ability to stay safe." Then he snorted. "But then... that's me talking, isn't it."

"Yes," she answered, her tone possibly being the dryest thing for miles around. But it was dryly amused. After a deep breath she added, "Thank you," and hesitated for a moment.

"The thing is that so far the worst that could happen was that I ended up dead, or... Well, and now, what're we trying to do? Save an entire city? The thought seems presumptuous to me."

"Worst? I'd not forgive myself if that happened," he sniffed, squinting at the road. "Nor failure, for that matter. It is presumptuous. But I know I haven't a choice in the matter," Sebastian said, placid but a little tense. He was bitter, but took care not to show it. He didn't want Sylvie to mistake his anger at the gods for anger at her. "What else can we do, really?"

"You have the choice of whom to ask for help." She shook her head, about her own behaviour rather than him, and continued, almost babbling, "Sorry, I... there's this feeling I can't quite grasp. There should be people higher up, someone with authority and experience who can handle the big issues." She blinked, and added matter-of-factly, "Gracious, I had no idea how childish it is until I said that."

Sebastian smiled faintly. "This whole mess?"

"Possibly that, too," she said, smirking.

He nodded. His expression didn't change. For a moment he gave some serious thought to the idea of people higher up, with authority and experience. Maybe someday. He detested authority and the power that came with it enough to not care. "It's not an unfamiliar feeling," Sebastian finally said.

"Is that what gods are? Or part of it?"

"Sometimes," he said. "They have their rules as to how they can influence things." There was something he had been afraid of for as long as he had known about the possibility of a problem here. It was the possibility that whoever was behind this all was, like him, well, appointed to take care of something. Like sabotaging Canyet and the crops. It certainly wasn't unlikely, and that was an even bigger reason to not get local authorities involved.

Sylvie kept quiet for a while and tried not to think, beyond finding the way. Eventually she came back to the problem at hand, obviously calmer than before.

"Well, if she's gone, there's still the chance to find her asking around. If I can talk to her, something will come of it, even if it's just being able to track her if she runs, or determining this is a wrong track."

Sebastian nodded, smiling but not too widely. He was happy that Sylvie came to those conclusions. Watching someone more than a new and nameless face be so nervous over something was never fun. "Exactly, so no worries. Things go as they will and there's always a way."

Leading where? But that had been quite enough moping, even if it would have been mostly a joke.

Elmsend was a rather long street, but at least they didn't have to follow it all through. Sylvie pointed out one house in what was more or less a row of them. Not two were alike, or even just the same height. The buildings here were big, but honeycombed for many people or small families each. The Newt - "New town" something or other originally - was barely higher than the four-storeyed neighbour, but had one more floor.
The entrance was a door up a few steps in the centre, and there was a very low double door at the right edge at ground level.

"You will stay outside?"

Sebastian nodded. "I will." Then he looked at her, committed some feature or detail to memory and nodded again, slower. "I'd wish you luck, but it seems redundant. Don't let your guard down."

She smiled, eyes nearly closed, answered, "I'll try to not let you down," and left.

The staircase had generously sized landings, part of which were used as storage area, others for socialising. Someone watching a game of cards on the first storey landing knew Kirrya, and sent Sylvie up to the attic. She found the door she'd been directed at more by feel than sight - remembering Sebastian's remark about his eyes definitely pushed her to not trying to augment her night vision.

A knock got a grumpy "What?" in reply.

"Kirrya?"

Another "What?", rising to irritated.

"Was that a 'yes'?" Sylvie asked calmly.

The door was finally opened, though that might have more to do with the wall-pounding of someone in the next room than anything else. "Yes. What is it?" she hissed.

"Possibly business you might find profitable. Could I come in?" Sylvie kept her smile barely there, and appeared very calm.

Kirrya looked at her suspiciously. "What trade?"

"Trade for information."

She was suprised - and still suspicious - but let Sylvie in, whose hand passed near her reluctant host's shoulder before she look a steb back, as far as she could go in this tiny room. The taller woman had to duck her head because of the sloping ceiling. There was a low bed, but she half-sat on the windowsill instead. The window was shuttered, a candle on a holder next to the door spread a bit of light. Kirrya stayed at the door, arms akimbo.

"What is it, and why me?"

Sylvie hesitated a moment. "The information I'm looking for has to do with an object found in here." She held up the small box she'd kept hidden in the folds of her cloak so far.

A moment's confusion, then Kirrya's eyes widened in recognition. Sylvie raised a finger to her lips. "Shhh, we don't want to annoy your neighbours." So she had found the right person. Good.

Kirrya made a step in her direction and asked in an urgent tone that wanted to be a whisper, "Where did you get that?"

"Is that important?" Sylvie could not read her face well, since the light was behind her, but the stance was aggressive. Well. Don't look troubled, and take the initiative. She threw the box in a gentle arc into the middle of the bed. Kirrya twitched back a little. "Call it a gesture of goodwill - everything back apart from the glass spindle. Something about that item is what I'm interested in. Who made it?"

Now Kirrya looked nothing but confused. "But it is useless..." Then her jaw set, and she snatched up the box and checked the contents, finding them there, as the visitor had said.

Said visitor smiled now. "It interests me. Do you know who made it?"

She nodded, too bewildered to think first. "It's important to me. Not who... I'll tell you if I get it back, too."

Sylvie frowned. "Hmm. Tell me about its creator, and you'll get it back in, say, a week at most."

"Why should I-"

"Why should I trust you to tell the truth? Look, the thing itself is, as you said, useless. All I care about is finding the person who made it. Once that's done, I don't need it, and I'd be happy to give it back."

Seeing that Kirrya hesitated, but guessing, hoping that she believed her, Sylvie got her own purse and counted out the few coins of higher value. "And that should tide you over for a week or so, no?"

Kirrya stared at her, having not the slightest guess at her reasons. But one more hitch ocurred to her. "And that monster won't come after me, will he?"

"Monster?"

"With the pointed ears and glowing eyes..."

It gave Sylvie a pause. She managed not to laugh. "He has other things to worry about. No problem."

"All right."

---

Not very long after, Sylvie stepped out on the street again and scanned the gloom for Sebastian. And that much worry about that little. Really?

A monster with glowing eyes raised his head and stopped pretending to be a part of the wall. He looked at Sylvie, considering her body language before he took the first steps toward her. "How did it go?" he asked, although considering how calm Sylvie looked and the time she had taken there, he really didn't have to ask. Did he?

"Oh, good. Good." She smiled at him, looking a bit dazed. "D'you think there's anywhere inside where we could get a little something to eat and out of the rain?"

Sebastian watched her for a time before he nodded and smiled. He had been relieved to see her out of there already. Knowing that it went well was a bonus. "Should think so," he said warmly.