Archer's Ramblings - Eld Based Stories

[Archer]

Hello and welcome! ^-^

So you've stumbled upon my little thread of writing. If you do decide to read my writing, I'd be positively thrilled to hear what you think! You are more than welcome to post here as I'll be linking everything to this post. Or you may PM me, if you so desire.

The only thing I ask: please be polite! :)
I write for my own personal enjoyment and tend to be very self-conscious about my writing, but I would still love to hear anyone else's thoughts, opinions, constructive criticism, etc. The opinions expressed in my writing do not necessarily reflect my own opinions. If you do have a problem with anything I've written, I ask that you please PM me so it can be settled quickly in a private manner. I have no doubt that not everything I write will fit exactly with what everyone else imagines for Eldemore, so please keep in mind that this will reflect how I imagine Eldemore would be like based on the current lore.

Since I'm using a few different point of views, not everything will need to be read in order. Specifically, everything with the same character label should be read in order. Different POVs can be read out of order. :)

Table of Contents:
(In the recommended order of reading)
Part 1 - (Ainsley, December 28th, '13)
Part 2 - (Jax, July 19th, '14)
Part 3 - (Ainsley, January 14th, '15)
Part 4 - (Ainsley, January 23rd, '15)
Part 5 - (Ainsley, January 31rd, '15)

[Archer]

Based (rather loosely) on the Yuletide event. Captain Willy, Fiore, and Azara do not belong to me, the other characters do. The Golden Rune is also my own creation.

Beware: there is a chance that there are writing errors within the following text, I will be working on fixing any existing errors.

Again, opinions expressed by my characters do not reflect my own, personal opinions :)

- | - | - | -

Darkness was beginning to fall over Silverport by the time Ainsley arrived at The Golden Rune. The town was alive with festivity and beautiful lanterns floated over the buildings, lighting the sky with golden light. Travellers and tourists filled the streets, taking in the marvel that was Silverport’s Festival of Lights.

Ainsley pushed open the door of The Golden Rune and hurried inside. Her light skin was flushed from her trip through the crowded streets. Not only had the tourists gotten in her way, but she’d also had to skirt around Azara’s light post. The rune dragon had become particularly reactive with the increased number of people around and was prone to dive-bombing anyone that ventured too close. There were several people that had taken to stealing the glass that the dragon was hoarding, though Ainsley was unsure as to why they would bother with such a thing.

Inside, the pub was full of people and noise. Lanterns lit the space, revealing the visiting tourists as well as the few locals that had chosen to come out. Servers ran back and forth among the tables, taking orders and carrying out drinks and food that they had learned not to drop or spill even in the busiest of situations.

Ainsley quickly pulled her jacket off and moved around behind the counter to store it. She hurriedly tied her hair up, resulting in a messy auburn ponytail, and tied a coin pouch around her waist.

“Well, you cut that a little close, didn’t you?” a voice said from beside her.

She looked up into the bright eyes of her friend and coworker, Peyton. The older girl was smiling down at her, blonde hair tied back in a perfect bun. Ainsley straightened, green eyes meeting her friend’s. “It’s crazy out there, this has to be our busiest year yet,” she replied.

“You’re telling me,” Peyton answered, looking across the counter to the full tables. With that, the two parted, Peyton returning to what she’d been doing and Ainsley taking over her section of tables.

The evening wore on, and the pub remained busy throughout. There hadn’t even been a lull in customers after the dinner hour. As customers filtered out even more came in, looking for food and drink and good company. The room held an excited air, as though it were charged with energy as everyone enjoyed themselves. There had been a few small incidents, of course, where people almost came to blows. The situations were quickly diffused by the practiced staff, though, and for the most part things remained peaceful.

Ainsley turned just in time to watch the doors of the pub open once more. A tall gentleman strode in, easily recognizable by his longer hair, beard, and feathered red hat. Even more recognizable, though, was the purple-hued creature riding upon his shoulder. The sea serval watched everyone the pair passed as they crossed the room to their usual table in the corner. Captain Willy, as he was commonly referred to, took a seat, and his sea serval, Fiore, slid gracefully to the floor.

Like most of the locals, they frequented the pub. Despite the number of times Ainsley had seen the pair, her trust in them had not grown. It wasn’t exactly a secret that the man had once done less favourable work, and the creature at his side was part of a species that was known for thievery.

People flocked around him, listening to one of his many stories. As Ainsley passed the table carrying a tray full of food and drink, she caught short snippets of the story. It was a tale she’d heard many times before, one from before the Captain had begun his glass business. He entertained his listeners with the details of a fight, telling them of the man that had saved his life. The man that he described was one with silver-tipped black hair and wore a red blindfold. Despite the object obstructing his vision, he’d fought better and faster than anyone could have imagined.

It was a good story, but one that Ainsley was skeptical of. Wild and bizarre things could happen in Eldemore, but this story just seemed too far-fetched in her opinion. No human could fight that well blind.

She was so distracted by her thoughts that she didn’t see the boy until they collided. The tray wobbled dangerously in her hands as the glasses slid around on its wooden surface. One glass tipped dangerously, beginning to fall as Ainsley struggled to steady the tray. The boy that she’d run into grabbed the glass before it could dump its contents across the floor and shatter. Cider splashed over his arm, but he’d managed to save most of the drink.

With the glass returned to its place, she quickly set the tray on a table and grabbed the cloth that was on it. She turned back to the boy, hoping he wouldn’t complain to one of her superiors.

The first thing she noticed were the brilliant blue eyes that were studying her. His gaze flicked to the cloth that she offered and he plucked it from her hand, pressing it against his cider-soaked black sleeve. Ainsley was relieved to see that he didn’t look upset; in fact, she could see a small smile on his well-tanned face.

“I am so sorry,” Ainsley apologized, the colour slowly starting to fade from her cheeks.

“Hurry up, Syn!” a voice called, catching the boy’s attention. He glanced up from his arm to look over Ainsley’s shoulder at whoever had called.

“Don’t worry about it,” the boy, she assumed now that his name was Syn, replied, tossing the cloth onto the table. He smiled down at her, giving his darkened face a wild look as he brushed past her and headed away.

Ainsley glanced back at him briefly before grabbing the tray once more and heading to its destined table. As she placed the plates and glasses on the table, her customers slid their baubles across the table to her. The lantern light caused the golden baubles to gleam brightly. When she reached for the coin pouch that was always tied around her waist when she was working, she found that the pouch was missing. There were no baubles, and she could feel her cheeks reddening once more.

Syn had crashed into her intentionally. It was no wonder the boy had been smiling instead of angry at the spilled cider. He’d robbed her.

“Your drinks are on the house,” she said, taking only enough baubles to pay for the plates of food. Thoroughly embarrassed, she turned and headed quickly back to the counter.

She scanned the busy room for any sign of the dark-haired boy, desperate to find him and get the baubles back. If she didn’t, there was no way she’d receive pay for her evening’s work. What worried her more was the possibility of losing her job. She needed the money if she was to pay rent for the month; otherwise, she’d end up on the street and winter was only just beginning.

She was almost at the counter when she caught sight of a black shirt and the back of a black-haired head. The door of the pub opened and he disappeared out into the night.

“Cover me!” Ainsley said desperately to Peyton as she passed the counter.

The older girl watched her pass, startled. She’d caught the urgency in her friend’s voice and didn’t argue. Ainsley would have to return the favour later. For now, she needed to focus on finding the thief.

Ainsley ran towards the door, pausing when she reached it. Two large men stood on either side, keeping watch over the pub and ensuring that no fights broke out.

“Gareth, I need your help finding a boy that just left,” Ainsley said, addressing one of the men. “He’s a thief,” she added when she recognized the questioning look on his face.

A hard look came over his face and he turned to lead the way out of the pub. Two dire wolves cut Ainsley off as they followed Gareth out. When they were through the door, she followed, joining them outside the building. Her gaze searched the street, hoping to catch a glimpse of the thief.

“That way!” she said, pointing down the street. There were less people out now, and she could just make out Syn’s head as he and two others walked down the street trying to blend in.

Ainsley, Gareth, and the two grey-furred dire wolves ran down the street after the thief, dodging around the people that still lingered. One of the boys that was with Syn glanced back to see the group running after them. He said something to his companions, causing Syn to glance back as well. The black-haired boy broke into a run and his two companions turned, disappearing into an alley to leave him on his own.

The dire wolves sped up once they were certain who they were chasing, racing ahead of the two humans. People up ahead hurried to get out of the way lest they be accidentally knocked over by the large creatures.

Syn turned down a side street and made it another block down the street. Despite having only just rounded the corner onto the mostly empty side street, Ainsley heard the sharp whistle echoing off the walls of the surrounding buildings. The dire wolves were almost upon the boy when she heard it.

Wing beats.

The air itself seemed to move as they grew louder. She felt the wind and saw the shadow racing over the snowy ground as the beast passed over her and Gareth. A massive rune drake that looked as though it were made from ice descended upon Syn, causing one of the dire wolves to skitter sideways from surprise and fear.

Someone sitting atop the large white creature dropped a rope, allowing it to drag over the ground as it sped forward. The drake slowed slightly as it flew over Syn, it’s massive wings filling with air before it beat its great icy wings and soared upwards.

As the rope passed Syn, already beginning to rise above the ground, he grabbed hold and was pulled off the ground. The second dire wolf bunched its muscles and leaped upwards after the boy. It grabbed hold of the only object it could in those quick seconds, Ainsley’s coin pouch. The pouch ripped, causing the dire wolf to fall back to the earth in a shower of colourful baubles.

The drake soared away, carrying Syn away with him. As they disappeared over the buildings, she saw him clambering up the rope and onto the creature’s back.

And then he was gone.

- | - | - | -

Grey Dire 1 - Grey Dire 2 - Rune Drake

[Improvising~]

Love it! Please continue!

[Archer]

Oh, thank you! I plan to, just a matter of finding time and actually writing XD

[Silverhart]

This is so awesome! ^^ It really sucked me in, and it's very well written. I hope you continue the story! I had a lot of fun reading it. I should read more of these. *scampers off to go read more*

[Archer]

Ah, thank you so much! It makes me happy to hear that ^-^
I certainly plan to, hopefully sooner rather than later.

[Archer]

Soooo I've decided most/all of my writing is going to tie together. Reading every single piece won't necessarily matter, though. Apologies for this, I've been trying to work through a lack of motivation... It may come across choppy as I was only writing a few paragraphs (sometimes less D:) at a time. Silly me changed all coin references in the previous piece to baubles. XD

If anyone is interested in drawing humans (headshots are fine), I'd be happy to pay in pets or FR for my characters...

Beware of typos.....

- | - | - | -

The sky was a dark ceiling of solid cloud, blocking any light that the moon or stars may have cast. Light that a single traveler and his feline companions would have given many baubles to have at that moment.

We should rest, the soft voice came. If Jax were not used to the sound of his companion’s voice in his head, he would have sworn someone had actually spoken aloud.

The young man stopped walking, rubbing at his face with his hands. While he could not make out the grime in the darkness, he could feel it on his dark skin. They’d walked so long through the ashes that they were now coated with layers of dust and grime. He turned around to face his companion, eyes on the sky. “You’re right,” he conceded.

Of course I am, came the response, though he knew that the words were forced. Both man and liger were uncertain, and fearful, for what the remaining hours of darkness might bring.

“We can’t remain here long, we’ll have to keep moving,” Jax muttered as he settled himself onto the hard ground.

I just need a break from carrying her, my muscles ache from trying to keep her balanced, Zaria admitted. The liger stepped before Jax and crouched down so that her keeper could pull the much smaller liger from her back. There was a quiet sound of relief as the weight disappeared.

“We just have to get through tonight,” Jax replied, his voice hushed as he gently placed the small liger on his lap. She didn’t stir at any point while he was moving her, lost in a deep, and hopefully peaceful, sleep. The poor thing hadn’t even lasted until sunset, exhausted from all of the walking the day before and already weakened by malnutrition. Like both Jax and Zaria, she was covered in grime, the bow that was tied around her neck bore no resemblance to the bright colour it had once been.

Jax rubbed his forehead, pushing his dark, grimy hair off his face. They were lost in the Ash Moors, in the middle of the night, and to make matters worse, there were probably some very bad men still searching for them. He wasn’t sure his day could get much worse.

The liger that they had rescued rolled over, stretching across his legs so that one of her hind paws hung over and just barely touched the ground. Her wispy tail flicked up a puff of dust before stilling once more. When he was certain she was not waking up, he looked over to where Zaria was pacing, her outline barely visible in the darkness.

Zaria stilled, her voice cut through the silence, Do not make a sound.

Jax froze, muscles tensed and ready to move on a moment’s notice. He strained his senses, trying to pick up whatever had alarmed his companion, but whatever had caught her attention was still too quiet for him to hear.

Time to go!

Zaria bounded back towards Jax as he pushed himself off the ground, his aching muscles screaming at the movement. Despite the sudden movement, the liger in his arms did not awaken.

“Which way?” Jax asked, attempting and failing to see anything approaching in the darkness.

I… don’t know, Zaria responded, her hesitation clear.

Before Jax could respond, he heard the faint sound of wing beats. The words caught in his throat as he tried and failed to determine what direction it was coming from.

We’re surrounded. Zaria’s voice was a whisper in his head as she confirmed his suspicion.

The wing beats grew louder until he could see the drakes coming toward them low over the ground. They landed in a circle around them almost unanimously, their taloned feet hitting the ground with a thud. Lanterns flared to life, blinding Jax and Zaria with the sudden light.

Zaria shifted closer to Jax, her side warm against the back of his legs as they waited for their sensitive eyes to adjust to the harsh light. Jax blinked impatiently, bracing for whatever was to come.

“Turn ‘er down a notch, lads, wouldn’ want ye’ blindin’ our friends ‘ere.”

Jax didn’t recognize the voice, but he was grateful when the lanterns suddenly dimmed to a more bearable glow. With the softer light he was able to make out the outlines of the drakes surrounding them.

“What’s going on?” he muttered under his breath, as he turned. After a short search, he found the source of the voice, the outline of a single man visible between two of the drakes. The figure was nearly shapeless, even the face was shrouded by some sort of hood.

I wish I knew…, Zaria hesitated, keeping close to his side.

“I hate t’ask, bu’… wha’ brings ye’ to this dark place?” the figure asked.

Private business, Zaria responded warily, taking a warning step forward so that she stood between Jax and the stranger.

The lanterns burned brighter for a brief moment, and large, clawed feet shuffled against the soft ground. It was clear that Jax and the ligers were at a serious disadvantage.

“Dangerous business, ye’ mean.” The stranger pulled his hood back, revealing a weathered face and small smile. “Ye’ cross’d some bad people, i’ would seem, an’ now ye’re lost.”

Jax placed a hand on Zaria’s back, wondering if perhaps they would have to try running. He knew they wouldn’t get far, not in their current condition. He wasn’t even sure they’d get past the drakes.

When he didn’t get a response, the man continued, “Why don’ ye’ hand o’er the li’l one an’ we guide ye’ out of this blasted place? Maybe b’fore your friends show up?” The way the light played across his face made arch of his left brow very clear. It was obvious he wasn’t entirely concerned about their ‘friends’.

Zaria turned her gaze up to Jax. No words passed between them; Jax simply nodded. It seemed they had only one choice before them. If it turned out this man and the drakes were a danger, they’d find a way to escape, but for the moment they would cooperate.

“Nuri, if ye’ll take the li’l one,” the man suggested. One of the drakes stepped forward, lanterns following. Illuminated by the drakes around it, its features became clear. To Jax’s surprise, the lanterns were attached and other lights were embedded in the drake’s dark skin.

Spirit lantern drakes…. Zaria sounded as surprised as he felt. All of them.

Nuri bent towards him, wings close to his sides. Carefully, Jax set the small liger upon the drake’s back and watched the drake walk away. The pygmy remained undisturbed and unaware of what was going on around her.

“Zane, ye’ can carry the boy. We’d be-,”

Zaria nudged Jax and he immediately spoke up, cutting the man off. “That’s alright, we’ll be fine on the ground.”

“So be it. Follow us then,” the man replied, pulling himself up onto the back of one of the drakes as Jax swung himself onto Zaria’s back.

The drakes turned in unison, powerful wings beating as they lurched forward. Clouds of ash swirled up in their wake, but Jax and Zaria were already past them and moving.

Seven of the drakes flew close to the ground in a loose ‘V’ formation. The eighth drake, the one carrying the stranger, flew higher in the sky and stayed at the lead. On the ground below, Zaria ran after them, both her and Jax keeping an eye on the lights above.

Neither said a word as they followed the group, but Jax could feel Zaria's nerves. There was no doubt she could sense his worry as well. For all they knew, the group they were following could be the enemies they’d been running from in the first place.

- | - | - | -

Zaria - The Pygmy Liger - Those Awesome Drakes

[Silverfang]

Ah, I'll try to read this as soon as I find time!

[Silverhart]

Yay! More Eld stories! ^^

Oooh, very exciting. I hope you continue it! I want to know who these 'friends' are, and why Jax and Zaria are on the run from them.

[Archer]

It's been a while... oh well! Did I mention that one should not expect consistent updates from me? Anyways, I've gotten back into this story and am having quite a good amount of fun with it! I've actually got almost two more sections after this part done, so no need to worry, I won't leave it hanging.

This takes place several days after Part 1, on the final day of the Yuletide event.

If there are noticeable inconsistencies as new lore is officially added, I may be going back to fix things within my own writing. With the lore update, I will hopefully be doing more writing as well. XD

I did go through and do some editing, but I wouldn't be surprised if I missed stuff, so I do apologize!

- | - | -

“Oh, come on!” Peyton whined, trying and failing to pull off a pouty face without laughing. “How can you not want to come?”

“It’s the same thing every year. Honestly, I don’t know why you still go.” Ainsley didn’t bother to look up from the book she was reading at the tiny kitchen table.

“I still go because it’s always fun. You had fun last year,” she pointed out, giving Ainsley a pointed look that was ignored. “And besides, there are always so many people to meet! Our friends will all be there later tonight.”

For all Peyton’s efforts, though, she might as well have been talking to a wall. Ainsley was determined to spend the night in, she was tired of the festivities by that point and just wanted to stay in and relax. Her shifts at the Golden Rune had been changed so that they were during the morning and mid-afternoon instead of evening, as the owner had felt she was not perceptive enough resulting in the theft. Between that and the constant noise from the festivities, she was just looking forward to a quiet evening to herself.

Before either could speak, there was a crashing sound and several alarmed squeaks. A small creature came tearing around the corner into the tiny kitchen area and jumped up to land unceremoniously on Ainsley’s lap. The brown and gold otterling squeaked angrily up at Ainsley as a second otterling tumbled passed the table where she was seated. The smaller blue otterling came to a stop at Peyton’s feet, looking directly up at her as it lay there on its back. The small creature squeaked happily at her before rolling over and settling into a seated position.

“Good luck having a quiet evening with Alharic in the house. If you’re not coming you can watch over him,” Peyton said with a laugh. She bent down to scratch the jade otterling between his ears and help him climb up onto her shoulder without getting tangled in her long hair.

The otterling on Ainsley’s lap had calmed down, though she continued to shoot hostile glances across the small room. Whatever Alharic had done had clearly upset her.

“Easy, Zo.” Ainsley gently ran her hand down the otterling’s back in an attempt to settle her. The otterling, Zolani, relaxed and laid down across her lap. “I don’t imagine Kallai is up to any good,” Ainsley muttered, noting the absence of her bonded companion - a troublesome glass smith otterling.

“You know you still owe me,” Peyton said, now that Ainsley was no longer looking at her book.

“How so?”

“I had to cover your tables earlier this week while you were out chasing down a thief.” Peyton's face brightened as she watched the skeptical look on Ainsley’s face disappear as she recognized that Peyton was right. “Shall we start getting ready?”

Ainsley didn’t answer right away, first helping Zolani down from her lap and standing up. “You win,” she finally answered, grimacing.


- | - | -


The sun was starting to set when Peyton and Ainsley left the small house that they rented together. Snow crunched under their booted heels and the hems of their dresses skimmed the top of the snow, but the air itself was reasonably warm for winter with the ocean water keeping it from becoming too cold. Peyton’s companion, Alharic, chattered excitedly from his position on the girl’s shoulder. Not one for crowds, Zolani was staying home, and Ainsley couldn’t help but wish she could as well.

“Oh, this is going to be such fun!” Peyton squealed, seemingly sharing her furry companion’s excitement.

“So fun,” Ainsley muttered under her breath. She brushed a short lock of auburn hair behind her ear, unsurprised that it had managed to come loose despite how tightly Peyton had done her French braid for her. Upon first agreeing to go, her friend’s enthusiasm had been infectious, but after sitting and having her messy hair yanked on while Peyton tried to make it look remotely neat she had started remembering why she hadn’t wanted to attend.

“Cheer up, we’re going to a celebration, not a funeral.” Peyton nudged her playfully, kicking a bit of snow up at her. “It’s the end of Yuletide! And Malakai always throws the best celebrations!”

A small smile crossed Ainsley’s face. The end of Yuletide meant that most of the tourists would be packing up and leaving and the town would become peaceful again. That she could celebrate.

“At the very least, he always has the most delicious snacks,” Ainsley added, starting to feel a little bit of her friend’s enthusiasm once more.

Alharic chirped happily at the mention of food, glancing over at Ainsley with wide golden eyes.

The small oterling suddenly looked behind them, a look of alarm crossing his face. He let out a sharp warning bark, eyes fixed on whatever had caught his attention.

Ainsley looked back, wondering what had caught his attention. After a moment, she saw movement near one of the alleyways. It was too small to be human, and it seemed to have noticed them as well. The creature barrelled towards them, causing Alharic to squeak with alarm. The small otterling was all show, and as soon as anything seemed truly threatening he would always hide.

As soon as the light hit the creature coming towards them, Ainsley recognized Kallai’s dark coat. The otterling attempted to stop, but his speed caused him to continue sliding past them several feet. Once he’d stopped, he bounded back over to them and dropped whatever he’d been carrying before her. Ainsley bent down to take a look at what he’d found, grinning upon seeing the tarnished jar lid he was so excited about. It was then that the otterling seemed to really look at her, clearly noticing the dark green dress and carefully done hair, and all thoughts of the not-so-shiny object he’d found were forgotten.

He started chattering indignantly up at her, standing up on his hind legs as if that would further help his point. Kallai clearly felt as though they’d forgotten to invite him on their outing, or that’s what she assumed at least, as he continued to give her an earful.

“Hey, I would’ve invited you if I could’ve found you,” Ainsley told him, holding her hands up defensively as she straightened back up.

It took a moment for it to sink in, but he stopped whatever lecture he’d been giving her. Treasure forgotten, Kallai bounded ahead of them as they continued walking, more excited than his companion even though he had no idea where they were going.

It didn’t take long for them to cross the town and reach Malakai’s manor. As they’d gotten closer they’d noticed more and more people that were also on their way, and the entire area around the manor was brightly lit with what seemed to be hundreds of lanterns. It was hard not to feel excited, the very air around them seemed to pulse with everyone’s enthusiasm.

Every year since Malakai had inherited his family’s fortune he’d hosted an end-of-Yuletide celebration at his manor. It seemed to grow in size and popularity with each growing year as well. The event took over most of the building and the beautiful frozen garden behind it, and it had everything from dozens of floating lanterns to visiting to dancing and music. Malakai spared no expense, hiring extra staff each year specifically to help with the event.

“You’re excited now, aren’t you?” Peyton laughed, looking over at her knowingly.

“Just a little bit.” Ainsley tried to fake a frown at her friend before giving up and simply sticking her tongue out at the other girl.

Kallai squeaked up at Alharic, nearly bouncing with excitement. The smaller otterling barked back at him before leaping from Peyton’s shoulder. Before either girl had a chance to say anything, the pair took off into the crowd.

Upon recognizing the worried look on Peyton’s face, Ainsley reassured her, “They’ll be fine! Last year Kallai spent most of the night playing in the gardens and he didn’t get into any trouble.”

Peyton sighed, recognizing that there was little she could do about it now. The smile returned to her face as soon as they entered the great hall, though, and took in the sights and sounds.

Most of the tables and chairs had been cleared from the room, with only a few remaining at the edges to hold foods and drinks for guests. Musicians looked out over the guests from the balcony above as they filled the large space with festive music. The room was crowded, with the space in the center full of dancing guests enjoying the music and company. People off to the sides chatted freely, fighting to be heard over the music and people around them.

They hardly paused, having seen much of it the years before, and turned to head towards the snack tables where they would normally meet up with friends. A voice cut through the noise, stopping them in their tracks. “I assume you’re from around here?”

Both girls turned to look, finding a young man smiling at them. He was dressed nicely like anyone else there, and his short brown hair smoothed neatly. Despite the fancy attire, Ainsley couldn’t help but notice a thin scar across the bridge of his nose that marred what might have been the image of a perfect gentleman.

“Yes, we are! How could you tell?” Peyton replied, looking him over curiously.

“You just arrived, but aren’t ogling everything you see, so I assumed you’d been here before,” he answered, his gaze thoughtful. “My name is Fletch, and you lovely ladies are…?”

“Well, I’m Peyton.” She gave a small curtsy as she answered, perfectly polite and seemingly quite happy to play along. “And this is Ainsley.”

Ainsley simply nodded, and added, “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“And I, you. As you’ve just arrived, may I get you ladies a drink?” he offered, slipping away among the crowd as soon as Peyton said yes.

“Well, he’s certainly charming,” Peyton said, her gaze following him to the edge of the room where the tables were. “Do you think he knows how to dance?”

“Why don’t you ask him?” Ainsley replied, shaking her head slightly at her friend’s response. “Everyone will be missing us.”

“We’re early, besides, I’m sure they won’t mind terribly if we’re late.” Peyton was unconcerned, looking back at her friend only long enough to respond before looking back to where Fletch had gone.

Ainsley followed her gaze, eyes narrowing a moment later when she saw him talking to a figure that looked surprisingly familiar. It took a moment, but as soon as he turned slightly she realized where she recognized him from. “Oh, come on.”

“What’s wrong?” Peyton asked, alarmed.

“That’s the jerk that almost cost me my job,” she ground out through clenched teeth.

- | - | -

Alharic - Zolani - Kallai