An important matter

[Ziad]

Ziad raised an eyebrow slightly, trying to make out what she was referring to. He had the feeling that he literally had his head in a sling and whatever he was saying was exactly the opposit of what he should say, what his duty as a captain oft he guard demanded him to say. If he really were that good a guard, he would not even consider his next words.

"Go on..." he said, his voice trying to maintain a neutral tone even though slight traces of curiosity and tension filtered into it.

[Caipra]

Caipra perfectly knew what it cost him to say that. No other guard would have consider such a thing. Even if he hadn't approved her idea yet, she already felt thankful toward her friend.

"I can erase their memory...not all their memory, of course, just what they saw tonight. I think it's the best way to avoid any problem. Everything could come back to normal by tomorrow, for everyone."
"Almost everyone" she said to herself. Bryn would never be the same after this, but it was another problem.

She raised up and came closer to Ziad, showing that this conversation shouldn't last any longer. The others could start worrying.

[Ziad]

Ziad thought about it, his face still remaining neutral, not betraying the inner turmoil his inner voices were waging at the moment. "The man who came to me," he said. "does have some influence. He´s the son of one of the wealthiest merchants of the city and he was also the one who got attacked ... killed nearly if I am to believe in his words." Ziad knew the man. Not well, but he had had encounters with him now and then. He was exactly what this sort of status could turn a man into. Rich, influencial ... and with an attitude that showed all this, but in an unpleasant way. Ziad had told him to remain at the guards quarters ´for his own safety´ as he had told him and as he had been convinced at the moment. Or had there been something already, suggesting that he keep the man out of the way so news wouldn´t spread and it would be easier... to cover things up? That idea violated pretty much everything about his ethics as a guard, therefore he pushed it back completely. But admitted the thought that, if he agreed to Caipra´s idea, it would make things eaier. Hopefully.

"I do not know who he told about this already. He arrived about half an hour ago." With the stench of ale emanating from him, but not enough to be considered totally drunk.

[Caipra]

"Hmm, I see." Caipra didn't like those people who thought they were more important than the others. But the fact is that he indeed had some influence (thanks to his money) and this was not good news for her. Without talking about the fact that he must have talked about what happened to him to some people by now.
"Well, The more people know about it, the more it will be difficult for me to cast an enough powerful spell which will touch everybody."
She was already thinking about something, but she never dared to do such a thing before. The old sorceress needed some time to be prepared.
"Maybe you could try to find all the people that man could have talked to, before tomorrow morning. Then, I will try something to make them forget. If you...agree on this, of course."
Caipra just realized that she didn't have Ziad's approval yet. If he disagreed, she would still try to do something to help Bryn, But it would be so much easier with Ziad's help.

[Ziad]

There was one thing that Ziad didn´t like about this all and it was difficult for a moment to put his finger on it, before he knew: it was being told what to do. Yes, she was his friend and yes, she had saved his life and he would be eternally grateful for that, but that still didn´t mean he liked the power that granted her over him and the fact that it made him feel torn between his responsibilities as a captain of the guard and his role as a friend who was helping someone who was concerned for the well being of a young woman. The conflict was to put these two together, to make them fit and unconsciously he was trying to do just that.

There were basically two options: following her suggestions or following his orders. Thinking about them, he came to the conclusion that both could end in trouble: the first for obvious reasons, the second in case the whole thing escalated despite his efforts to keep things in order. Going through with things would mean to arrest the young woman and it would mean he would have to file and follow up the case for order´s sake. To see who else might be capable of magic, to see who else might have escaped the authority´s grasp. And that put him into a peculiar situation once more because of that really happened, Caipra might be discovered or rather... the connections he had to her. Something told him that this would not really keep his head out of trouble either.

All this raced through his head while he remained calm and unwavering on the outside, but the silence between them had stretched on a little too long so his mask could not be kept up completely as perfectly as he would have wished.

"I ordered the man to remain at the guards quarters" he stated "and left a man to guard him." He had a few hours only and he knew it. "I will make sure that there will be nobody else when you meet me there an hour before sunrise." This was usually the time when the city became busy and the biggest part of the guards was ordered away to overlook the filtering in of the traders that were approaching the city gates. "I trust that you know how to get there without rousing suspicion."

[Caipra]

Caipra nodded with a smile. She felt very grateful toward Ziad for his agreement. She knew what it could cost him if someone knew what they were going to do. The wise sorceress promised that she would do anything to avoid any more troubles.

Caipra thought about the time when magic was not forbidden in Basra, everything would be so simple right now. Of course, Bryn attacked the men, consciously or not, but it would have been like all the others troubles that happen when night fall over the city. But unfortunately, this day, things were different, and they had to deal with it.

"I'll be there before sunrise." she declared, showing her determination.
She came closer to the guard and took his hand, watching him in his eyes.
"Thank you, Ziad. I'll never forget this."

[Ziad]

Ziad gave a sound that sounded like something between a grunt and a snort. He would even have rolled his eyes slightly, had this not been so oddly unfitting of a captain of a guard. After all, one had to try and keep things in order whereever one could - in particular when other people were successfully demasking his authorities.

"You just make sure I will never come to regret this." he replied instead of giving her a straight "You´re welcome" which he was rather sure she didn´t expect anyways. He held the eye contact for another moment, making sure his message had sunk in (of course it had and he knew it but well... the authorities and keeping up things thin again...), then turned around to leave and opened the door.

[Kriss]

Kriss was calculating things when her chef came from the kitchen and asked her if they still got some oil. The narked woman thew down everything and stood up. She hated when someone disrupted her. She gave cooker some foreboding look and aksed,
"And where is Abir?"
Abir was a young girl who worked in Kriss' tavern. She was supposed to take care of stuff like that.
"She already left."
The archer rolled her eyes.
"Of course, she is never around when you need her." It was not the first time when tavern's owner felt disappointed of her worker.
"I'm going to check it on my own. Take a look at tavern and my son for a while." She orderd to the man and came to door of the depot. The arecher was about to opened them but someone seemed to be faster.

[Ziad]

Ziad had cast another meaningful glance back at Caipra when opening the door and the fact that he was rather jumpy already - best indication that he very well knew that what he was doing was against his better judgement - didn´t help either. Therefore, the young woman´s sudden appearance took him by surprise and he could just in time avoid to flinch.

Her again... Of course. Had the circumstances been any different, Ziad might have reacted to her presence in a more charming way, but his nerves were a little edgy now already, therefore he just gave a curt nod the kind manners required in the presence of a lady (even if she were just a simple tavern owner, but in that way he knew his manners well) and meant to step past, just as if emerging from her storage room in the dead of night was the most normal business in the world.

[Kriss]

When the door was opened Kriss petrified. Her shock was very visble at her face. The woman was not sure if it was really him or her eyes played tricks with her bacouse of nerves. After so crazy and nervous day everything was possible. But to her misfortune it was really that stubborn guy. His ignorant behavior made her even more angry.
What the hell had he been doing in her storage room?
She put her arms on her hips and turned at him,
"Excuse me! Could you please tell me what were you doing there?"
Mad look of Kriss granted better manifestation of her confusing.

[Caipra]

It was definitely the day of unexpected situations. Caipra surely felt as surprised as Ziad to discover the tavern's owner in front of them. She didn't see Ziad's reaction, but she could clearly watch Kriss's one. First the shock, and then anger.
The old woman wondered how they were going to explain what they were doing there, but she noticed that Kriss was more expecting an answer from Ziad, so she decided to slip away quickly to leave them alone. She knew that the guard could handle the situation alone.

She watched them with a little smile on her face and said:
"Well, I think it's time for me to leave. It's very late, I need to get some sleep. Ziad. Kriss." She nodded before passing between them to leave the room.
She was trying to retain a laugh until she became serious again when she approached the crew, still at the table. She prepared to face them again.

[Ziad]

Ziad shot the older woman a glare that she probably didn´t notice before he turned his attention at the fuming tavern owner in front of himself. She was blocking the way and he didn´t like that, so he took a better stance, unconsciously trying to look more authoritarian.

"Don´t take it personal, but not all matters of the guard of Basra personally concern everybody else." he said.

[Kriss]

When Kriss figured out that Caipra was there, too she felt completely confused. What these two could do there alone, or maybe they were not alone and someone elso was going to come out from her supply depot. She had saw them both going somewhere together but Great Odin why there?
The archer was watching Caipra's leaving and she did not say anything. Not that she did not want, she just was in deep shock and did not know what to say.

Ziad's words reminded her why she hated him so much. She looked again at him and said,
"Don't take it personal, you cheeky nitwit, but it's my tavern! And wanna know what the hell you two were doing in my storage room!" The blood was burning in her vains. She thought her day could not be worse.

[Ziad]

"Just for your information," Ziad stated, trying to keep his composure, but not being able to completely hide a growing anger. Mostly because she was right about one thing: the storage room had probably not been the best place they could have picked. "It would take just a few words to have your pretty tavern raided by my men on my command and it would be interesting to see what kind of folk is hiding around here. So you better just take it easy lady when I take what is already in my authority to have a short talk with a friend away from the company of a crowd of drunken hoodlums."

For a moment, he had to bite back a grim smirk, feeling the slightest tinge of pride at his little speech. He had to admit she had a certain fire in her that made her pretty attractive, but she, too, had to know her limits.

[Kriss]

Now he did overdo it. Kriss was like a volcano just before the eruption. In the same moment something got to her mind. For sure he did not know that he plunge himslef. She put an evil smile on her face and said to him,
"The same men of yours who recently got so drunk that I had to kick them out?." She had kept that situation in mind very well. It had been the biggest tussle since she had bougth that tavern. She gave him another smile and add,
"Very well. I can't wait to see them again. Bring the permision with the royal seal and I will show you the whole tavern on my own. I have nothing to hide."
Her last words was not true at all but there was not anything what could prejudice her, except her new guests, Caipra's friends.

The smirk came on her face.
"Oh and when you go to Omar for the seal, don't forget to tell him that I would love to relate him how his royal guards entertain theirsleves."
The sarcasm in her voice clearly was annoying him. She decided to finish that pathetic conversation.
"I would offer you the ale which you like so but you are here on business and I think you are already leaving. So excuse me," She made a move with her arms showing him to whisk off.
"I got to take something from there."
She gave him another perfidious smile and went into the storage room.