Dross on the streets [White Tower Group: Patrol]

[Lugh]

Beron

"It's the waiting that gets to you," Natyla agreed as Beron complained of the nerves"Fortunately, we don't have to sit here and stare at their ugly faces the whole time. While they're sleeping off their Tower-borne nap, let's go search the rest of the house. They said something while we were listening."

Beron realized in the heat of the moment he had forgotten what the men had been saying. Still as Natyla suggested they look around, Beron realized any clues they could find would help. “Sounds good, I’ll be back if I find anything,” Beron said as he checked the knots one last time, collected his daggers and headed up the stairs.

Climbing quietly, Beron moved up the stairs and tried to ignore any sounds from the main floor as Natyla began her search. After ascending the stairs, he let his eyes adjust to the dusty dim hallway, and began going room to room. Slowly opening each door he quickly saw that there had been little taken. Beds and wardrobes had been ransacked, but the dresses and clothing had been left. Judging from the home, they probably took what jewelry they could find and left the rest. As he checked the first room his concern grew, and when he reached the last door his nose told him what he had been dreading. Opening the door slowly, he swatted the flies away and sank into the Void to help ignore the stench. Three bodies lay in the corner, and Beron felt anger trembling at the edges of the Void. After finishing his search of the room, he collected sheets from the beds and gently wrapped the family in a roughspun shroud.

Curious and wanting fresh air, he made his way back to the first room they had entered. Checking the alley and seeing it was still empty, he slide out the window. Grasping the waves he pulled himself out and over the hanging lip of the roof, the tiles warm beneath him. Carefully making his way forward, he was careful not to crest the roof as he knew that would reveal him to any watching eyes.

Finally reaching the chimney, he slowly pulled himself up and cursed when he spotted movement in houses down the road. It was impossible to tell at this distance whether there were more bandits in that home. But as he waited to see if anyone had noticed their fight, he spied a more troubling sight.

A plume of dust rose in the distance, Beron’s experience as a scout telling him it was most likely a group of mounted men. Cursing he made his way back down to the main floor, knowing Natyla would want to know what he’d seen.

[Bella]

Natlya made her search of the downstairs, although there wasn't a great deal to find. The most interesting sight on this level of the house belonged to the men that they had fought and hog-tied. There was clear evidence of the bandits having made themselves quite at home here, if their home was a pigsty.

She was returning to the room where their captives were just as she heard the Ji'val returning down the stairs. It only took a moment to hear some haste in his steps on the stairs.

Wondering what he had found, she returned to the foyer to meet him on the stairs rather than waiting for him to come find her. She saw him and opened her mouth to say something, when a shape rather abruptly flew through one of the windows beside the door. It had been shattered of its glass, and the boards that had once covered it lay on the floor.

More accurate than the figure "flew" was that it swung in. There was something over the window frame that left the figure grip it and swing in from...somewhere.

Natlya didn't have much time to think about it. There was suddenly a new person in the house that was uninvited, and she pulled her sword in a single, swift, fluid movement. Her body tensed, ready to take on any challenge. She almost lunged forward to see to taking out this new threat, but before she did, she recognized the figure.

"Lysira," Nat said with rueful sigh. "Good way to get yourself skewered, but nice entrance."

The silent Gaidin smirked and shrugged with one shoulder. 'Best to be swift,' she signed. Nat translated it after a moment for Beron. I come with news. We may have a spot of trouble heading our way.

OOC: Would Beron like to chime in and agree?

[Lugh]

Beron

Beron was about to report what he had seen when suddenly the room filled with the sound of breaking glass and wood crashing against the floor. Spinning to help cover Natyla’s offhand side, his dagger leapt into his hand as he assumed a guard stance.

"Lysira," Nat said with rueful sigh. "Good way to get yourself skewered, but nice entrance." Beron had to shake his head when he realized both of them had jumped at the silent Gaidin’s surprising entrance. Still he felt some pride at having been able to respond as fast as he did.

The silent Gaidin smirked and shrugged with one shoulder,
Beron couldn’t help but wonder what had caused her to crash through the window, and as she flashed a series of signs to Natlya, Beron realized he would have to try to learn the signs. Natyla translated quickly, and Beron found it confirmed what he had been thinking.

“I am sorry I need translation Gaidin, but I agree with you. I was just searching the upstairs, and finding nothing I decided to climb to the roof. When I reached the high point on the roof, I was able to spot a large plume of dust approaching,” Beron reported as he realized that at first glance his spotting a cloud of dust might mean little to them.

“I was a scout before signing onto the Grey Tower. This is no carriage, I was too far away to judge numbers for sure, but I would say more than four with the amount of dust, and riding hard to kick it up the way they are,” Beron concluded, confident in his assessment. He had been a keen eyed scout, and he found himself hoping the two Gaidin took him seriously. Natyla could hand herself, he had seen it. With two Gaidin and Beron to aid them, a handful of bandits would be a chance to right some ills in the area.

[Bella]

'Good eye,' Lysira signed/Nat translated with a small smile on the diminutive Gaidin's face. 'There are six of them riding this way, and from the layout of the area and what I saw, they must be coming here. They don't look like men riding toward a fight, however. My instinct says they are coming back to meet with whoever has been in this house, who I assume you took care of.'

"They're hog-tied like prize pigs in that room over there," Nat said plainly, to which Lysira nodded. "Chances are we could get out of here before we arrive and skip a second fight, but they don't have a right to be here doing as they do. I'm not inclined to do that."

Lysira shook her head in clear statement that she wasn't inclined to either.

Natlya looked at the trainee. "You have a choice," she said seriously. "You won't lose face if you choose to return to the Grey Tower group now and let us settle this matter," she said. He was still a Drin, after all, and would not be held to the standards and choices of two hardened Tower Gaidin.

[Lugh]

Beron

Beron felt a flush of pride for a moment as the silent Gaidin confirmed he had been correct. As Natyla translated, Beron realized that he agreed it was most likely the six men were coming here. There was one fortunate fact, they would not be expecting the three of them to be inside the ruined home.

As the two Gaidin were discussing their reluctance to leave the bandits to their own devices Natyla paused and looked at Beron. "You have a choice," she said seriously. "You won't lose face if you choose to return to the Grey Tower group now and let us settle this matter," she said.

Having seen the Natyla fight, Beron had little doubt that two Gaidin could handle themselves. Still the count of six was a best guess as far as he knew, and when he thought of the bodies in the alley and the rotting family upstairs; his blood heated in a way he had felt only once before.

“I cannot leave these men to do as they will, any more than I would let Trollocs run loose. I will follow your commands and aid you as I can Gaidin. I am staying,” Beron’s voice was hard with anger as he checked his knife and throwing blade.

[Bella]

Natlya's mouth twisted into a pleased half-smirk and she exchanged a knowing look with Lysira that Beron probably wouldn't be able to figure out, but they understood. (This was not to cast aspersion on Beron, of course, but simply that two of the most inscrutable creatures in the world were women and Gaidin, so female Gaidin... Well, you get the idea.)

"You do the Tower proud," Nat said simply. "Well, let's get ready. Which direction were they coming from?"

Lysira pointed, then began to sign. Nat followed along, nodding to herself. "They'll probably come in from the kitchen. If they are mounted, they'll need to stable the horses first and the stable is by the kitchen. Beron, go double-check that our friends in the other room are secured and not able to help their friends. Lysira and I will begin setting up a few surprises to slow the newcomers."

[Lugh]

Beron

"You do the Tower proud," Nat said simply. "Well, let's get ready. Which direction were they coming from?"

Lysira pointed, then began to sign. Nat followed along, nodding to herself. "They'll probably come in from the kitchen. If they are mounted, they'll need to stable the horses first and the stable is by the kitchen. Beron, go double-check that our friends in the other room are secured and not able to help their friends. Lysira and I will begin setting up a few surprises to slow the newcomers."

“Of course Gaidin, I will make sure of the knots, see if I can find gags as well,” Beron said with a nod to each of the women. He quickly grabbed the greasy tablecloth from the shattered remains of window and table; before heading into the main room once more.

Groaning sounded as he entered the room, his footfalls light and careful to see if the men had awakened. He saw one trying to twist and pull his hands out of the ropes, but all movement ceased when he got closer to the men. Stopping to check the knots on the first two, he realized that one was still unconscious, his breathing shallow and ragged. The other one was breathing easily, but offered no resistance at all as Beron cut and looped cloth through their mouths as a gag. Checking the bonds to ensure they were secure, he was glad to see the knots were still tight and well made.

The third man showed blood on the floor, and when Beron gagged him he could see ruined teeth and pink spittle on his shirt. Natyla must have knocked teeth out Beron thought to himself with grim satisfaction. The knots were tight and well made on his bonds and with the gag Beron was certain the man would not be able to call out.

The final bandit fought Beron as he tried to leverage him up for the gag. His wrists were raw and cut from the bonds, but the rope clearly held. Unwilling to risk the bandit calling out for help, Beron struck him hard with the handle of his dagger, the blow to the back of his head once again knocking the man out. Wrestling the man into position, he gagged him with the last strips of cloth, and then forced him away from the others so no bandit could aid another.

With that duty done, Beron looked for anything that might be of use, but beyond a few simple weapons there was little of importance. He thought for a moment, then using the shutters tried to close off the windows if possible.

Returning to the kitchen, he spoke to Natyla and waited for her to sign his words to Lysira, “The others are gagged and secure, I doubt they will awaken in time to aid the others.”

[Bella]

"I've seen better places to lay traps in," Natlya commented dryly as she and Lysira walked through the kitchen, looking at every corner where wreckage lay. The bandits had really done a job on this house, and she could only imagine they had done a job on the previous tenants as well, although she had not found any bodies downstairs.

There wasn't much they ended up doing in the kitchen, aside from rearranging the damaged pieces to make it harder for them to walk in and buy them a little more time.

Lysira moved to the window and looked out. From the way she leaned right and then left and then right again, there was probably too much in the way for her to see the road or the riders, but she looked all the same. When she leaned back, she confirmed that she couldn't see very far but at least they weren't arrived yet.

The two women turned when the trainee entered the kitchen, and he spoke directly to Natlya. It took her a moment to figure out why. In fact, she didn't. Lysira did. She looked at Nat and signed, 'Let him know that I am able to hear, so he can address me as well.' Natlya nodded with understanding.

"Don't worry," Nat said with a small smile, "Lysira Gaidin's hearing is excellent. It is only her vocal chords that are faulty." The tiny mute Gaidin nodded once in agreement. "Good work on the prisoners. The last thing we need is them flanking us while we're dealing with the incoming. There hasn't been much we could do in here, but they should be slowed."

Lysira signed again and Natlya translated. "Lysira suggests that you and I frame the doorway from the kitchen to the interior, make them bottleneck as we take them on. She's going to be up the staircase and will use her bow on those not engaged with us."

[Lugh]

Beron

“Sorry Lysira Gaidin, I did not realize I was cutting you out. I will remember for the future,” Beron ruefully replied as he looked around at the mess and debris, along with the furniture.

“Sounds like a good plan to me, the walls will keep them contained and unable to surround us at first. And with a bow above, the bandits will be in for a surprise. Although, there is a room I left closed because of the flies and stench, I unfortunately found the family on the floor above us,” Beron said with disgust at the grisly find he had discovered. These bandits had much to answer for, and as he helped to clear some of the mess to improve their footing, he did his best to keep a calm clear head. Falling into a rage too early would serve no one.

“With the bandits arriving through the door and coming into here, is there somewhere you would prefer me to be Natyla Gaidin? I would not want to get in your way with being less experienced,” Beron asked as the telltale noise of arriving horsemen began to echo over the streets.

Bold as a Tinker at a fair these men Beron thought with disgust as he heard the riders making no efforts to hide their arrival. These men were drawing attention to themselves, cowing the few villagers who remained with a reminder. Drawing his dagger, Beron realized that his best plan was to help keep Natyla from being overwhelmed. If he could force one or two to turn and face him, or cripple an opponent from behind, he believed the woman would be able to handle the rest.

[Bella]

Natlya tilted her head slightly and looked him over for a moment. "Somehow, I don't imagine that you are so inexperienced as to not know how to stay out of the way of a swinging blade," she commented. The redheaded woman was hardly a mind-reader, of course, but she was good at reading people. It was a skill she'd learned as a thief and conwoman, and it had continued to serve her well.

She knew their time was running short. The tiniest Gaidin was making her way up the stairs, silent as a mouse. Her bow had magically appeared in hand while there were five arrows in the other.

Examining the door, which they had shut to buy themselves some more time, she saw the way the hinges worked, how it would open, and the way the men would walk through. "Stand to that side," she directed, putting herself more in the direct line of entry. She would be their first line of combat, with Lysira taking them out as available and Beron to back it all up.

Before they could discuss tactics anymore, Nat heard a sound in the courtyard just beyond the kitchen. She held up a finger for silence, and they all melted into their positions. She pulled her blade again and held it at the ready, just beside the door and out of immediate sight of those who were soon to enter...and were not likely to ever leave again.