Drawing the curtains

[Ziad]

Ziad only noticed then how anxious he was, only then when his frown deepened at the approaching young woman. Just perfect, he thought. As is he could need another witness in all this mess. "Is this lad working for you?" he asked when she walked closer, tossing a look after the red headed woman who was walking back into the building, ignoring the fact that she had called her by a name he had not completely caught. Best to keep this simple. He motioned at the lad with the apple. He had noticed she had tossed him glances which meant he was either her employee or her son and she was a little young for the latter.

[Maeve]

She was halfway through the door, halfway inside the comforting darkness of the little building, when a feminine voice called her name from the street, confusion colouring its hesitant tone. But she didn’t even have time to turn around to see who it belonged to for the man was already addressing her about the young lad. Blankly puzzled, still somehow not completely registering everything, she turned on her heels and stepped back outside, her eyes coming to rest on a dark-haired woman further down in the street.

At first look she had no idea who she was, but as she glanced at her carefully, studying her soft, friendly features closely, the creamy-coloured face of the brunette slowly turned into something remotely familiar.

She knew that woman. Had met her somewhere...

But her mind was so messy at the moment it was hard to connect the dots. Searching her memories for any hint as to how she might possibly know her, the pieces slowly fell into place. The Nomad... The cargos... Trades... Letters... That's how she knew her. How she was connected to her. Although it was a connection she would have preferred being spared of at the moment as a wave of intricate emotions flooded over her once again. And that’s why she just stared back at the young lass, Kalani was her name as she recalled, simply unable to speak because of all the other memories her connection to her was stirring.

[Kalani]

Kalani's attention was on Maeve -- at least, she was almost certain that was who the red head was -- and almost missed the frown the guard cast her way. She did notice when he addressed her, however, indicating the lad with a brief motion of the hand. The brunette nodded without hesitation, though a questioning gleam was in her bright, sapphire eyes. 'He does,' she confirmed verbally, then queried, 'He hasn't done anything wrong, has he?' It seemed the best reason for a man such as the one before her to be wondering such a thing. Her glance went briefly to the boy, but there was nothing in his stance or gaze to indicate guilt of any kind.

Her attention was distracted then by the Celtic sorceress returning, stepping closer. A myriad of varied emotions chased across the flame-haired woman's features, but Kalani was most comforted by the glint of recognition. She smiled briefly to Maeve -- though could not help feeling a bit puzzled by some of the confusion she had seen in the older woman's eyes -- but focused again on the man, thus far unintroduced, waiting to see what he would have to say.

[Ziad]

Ziad was a good obersver. It was part of his job and he would have been a lousy guard if it had not been so and therefore he noticed the glances that were exchanged between the two women, trying to place them. It seemed, he thought, as if they were familiar with each other but not on the terms of family or close friends, if it were so their reaction would have been a different one. However, the fact that they did know each other made it all the more urgent for himself to stay here and have an eye on her. Them. He couldn´t afford any kind of strange gossip to spread. He had his neck too tightly in a sling already.

"No, there is no need to worry," I answered to her inquiry, smiling faintly. "I wonder if you can spare him for a while. I need someone to run an errand for me and I would like to send this boy to a friend of mine." He stepped a little closer to Kalani, voice lower so the red head who had stepped out again would not eavesdrop. "She´s a resident healer and I want her to have a look at the girl. I think this is really important." After that he added an urgent look. Not pleading, not authoritarian, but halfway stern, the kind of look that most people would summumb to, making it near impossible to deny an order. This was no order, but a request, still, it was the same matter.

[Mala]

Mala watched silently what went on between the attendees. When the young brunette called the Celt's name, the ghost had turned to her as well, observing her with a slight frown but quite some interest in her eyes. The stranger seemed to know Maeve and when Maea sensed the Celt returning to the door, she could feel the recognition in the redhead, too. Mala herself however had no memory of the young lass and so she just watched her for some time.
Although she had not spoken much yet, one could easily tell that she seemed to be a nice person and hope stirred inside of Mala that maybe the presence of the younger one might be of help to the sorceress next to her.

When finally the guard spoke up to the merchant again, Mala took a step into his direction and listened intently to his words. It was obvious that he did not want Maeve to hear any of them and for a second the ghost wondered just what the reason for this might be. But she shrugged it off, suspecting that she would get to know eventually. The man had given her no reason to mistrust him so far and even though she could sense that something deep inside made him be nervous, she saw no darkness in his heart and trusted that the friend he called for would be a good person as well.

[Maeve]

Still dazed by a cumulating doze of feelings, but slowly coming around with the notion that she truly was back in the real world, a notion that was becoming clearer now that she had a familiar face before her, she quickly became alert and vigilant when the guard stepped away from her to finish what he was saying in a low voice so that Kalani would be the only one to hear. She knew that he probably meant no harm by the gesture -- he was most likely just terribly edgy and anxious about the magical mess he had gotten himself into due to some unfortunate circumstances -- nevertheless, trust had never been her forte, and the man’s behaviour at the moment wasn’t helping.

As she wondered just what the heck he was telling the young woman that implied her not knowing about it, she narrowed her eyes suspiciously at him and put her hands on her hips in slight irritation at being dismissed so unsubtly. However, as she glanced down at the ground a little, she almost smiled sympathetically, thinking how destabilized he probably was about the whole situation, trying to cope with everything as best as he could in accordance with his juridical status. Poor man...But she couldn’t remain indifferently still and silent at his excluding low tone, especially now that Kalani was involved.

“Listen, I know I’ve been pretty distraught and around the bend since we’ve met, with reasons,--” she made sure for her voice to indicate that there were reasons for how shaken up she had been only moments ago and that she actually was sane “-- and I’m glad for whatever help you’re trying to provide, but see, I promised you I wouldn’t run, not that I would trust you, so I think you ought to revise your whispering methods if you don’t want me to reconsider my word.”

Then she crossed her arms on her chest with her eyebrows slightly raised at him, expecting he would understand that she would not be treated as delusional or nuts, and that there was no need for secretive undertones.

[Kalani]

The assurance that her young employee was not in any kind of trouble was a reassurance that was greatly appreciated and Kalani smiled in return. There was still curiousity in her vivid blue eyes, wondering what was behind the inquiry in regard to the lad, however. That answer was quite swiftly answered thereafter by the guardsman. The dark-haired maiden nodded in affirmation, answering, 'He has finished his duties for the morning; if you wish to send him on an errand and he wishes to take the job, that is fine with me.' Out of the corner of her eye, she could see the aforementioned boy perk up at the mention of another job and smiled inwardly. She knew his family to be quite poor, his father crippled after terrible accident and therefore unable to provide for his family, leaving his son to scrounge what money he could. Having caught the boy trying to clumsily pick her pocket, she had instead offered him a job. She had tried offering his family money, but they were too proud to accept charity. However, she did know that the young lad was always looking for jobs to increase his income. Kalani paid him well -- more than any other merchant helper, she knew -- but with only one working, even the generous wage she paid was often not quite enough to make ends meet.

Her thoughts on the boy, brief as they were, ended up swiftly dismissed as the tall man stepped closer to her in a fashion that indicated he did not want the approaching red head to hear what he had to say. Kalani wondered at that, but chose not to make any comment. It seemed apparent that the guard did not know Maeve, therefore it would stand to reason that if he spoke on a topic that might be possibly considered offensive to the Celt that he would not wish her to hear what was said. She nodded once more, this time in understanding as he spoke of a healer. While she could not imagine why he would think Maeve needed to see a healer, she had just stepped in on the situation and did not know all the details. The flame-haired sorceress did not look as though anything were wrong with her, but Kalani was no healer and wouldn't know the first clue as to whether someone had something wrong with them or not.

The motion of hands being placed on hips caught the young merchantwoman's attention and she focused once more on Maeve. It was clear the red-head was not at all pleased with the excluding tone the guardsman had taken and such was made even more crystal clear by the statements uttered by the Celtic sorceress. Kalani then turned curious sapphire eyes to the guard, wondering how he would react.

[Mala]

At the young redhead's words, Mala couldn't help but rise her eyebrows slightly. Her voice was strong now and showed almost nothing anymore of the fear and confusion that had readiated from her soul only moments before. Her inner turmoil seemed to have easened and it occured to the ghost that just maybe the brunette who had just entered scene had something to do with it.
Following the Celt's movements with her sea blue eyes, Mala felt herself being more and more interested in the young Lass. Still she had no idea just why the shift had brought her here, or what it had exactly been in the first place but sensing that the neutral energy had left this place anyway she decided to focus more on the situation at hand. It was obvious to her that the source of this Maeve's magic did influence her nature as well and it made her wonder about the way she and her son were really connected.

[Ziad]

Ziad nodded at Kalani´s words in approval, waving the boy over. The led tossed the woman a look and since she was apparently fine with it, he came closer. Ziad placed a hand on the kid´s shoulder and was about to explain where Caipra lived when the red headed stranger spoke up. He paused before he could start to explain and his eyes lowered to the ground, not in shame, but in thought.

She was right. He sighed inwardly. There was the utter need to keep things under control and shouting around what kind of orders he was giving to keep it that way wasn´t going to help. She was right.

He slowly raised his eyes again, turning to look at her, taking in her tired, confused form for a moment. "I apologize," he then said, a thin smile playing around his lips. It was no smile of mockery, but rather one that betrayed how tired he really was behind the professional surface. "I did not mean to give that impression. I want to help you. I am sending this child to a friend." He walked back towards her. "Please, let´s go back inside." It was a defensive, calming gesture, one that was part of his self as a guard, displayed on occasions such as when calming down a growd. Or a scared horse. "And wait for her there. She is a friend."

[Maeve]

With every second that passed by, with the pain silently bottling up into some remote part of her heart where she usually stashed everything that hurt too much, she could finally feel herself getting a grip. She just locked up all the feelings that threatened to let her composure slip and then threw away the key. That was the best way to deal with things now, or so she convinced herself.

Eying the guard closely as he came near her to concede her point, she realized this was actually the first time she was getting a good look at him. Tall, but merely an inch more than her, a strong confident stature fit for battle, brown hair framing his stern and commanding face, pale blue eyes that betrayed how helpless he truly was against the strange circumstances he had to deal with at the moment. And beneath his stubborn need for authority, she could tell he was a fair and honest man, whom she had nothing to be mistrustful of.

“Alright.” That was all she granted him as an answer, her brown eyes quietly acknowledging the rest.

[Kalani]

Kalani was uncertain whether to stick around as the guard turned his attention to Maeve. Perhaps she should have returned to her own business, but her nature would not allow such. It was clear she had a friend who was in need and that immediately dictated that she help in whatever way she possibly could. She did not need to worry about her wares; it would be another half hour at least before anyone was stirring abroad and looking to purchase anything, and she had another employee who could take care of things. Therefore, there was not anything to hinder her helping Maeve. Thus she followed the guardsman back to where the Celt stood, ready to offer help in whatever way was needed.

Idly, she wondered where the rest of the crew might be. And then she felt a flutter of excitement at the realization that the Nomad must be in port, if Maeve was here. Would they have the response from her brother -- who was not brother by blood, but who might as well have been in the eyes of both -- in exchange to the last letter she had sent with them? It had been over a year since last she had seen them and a year since she had sent the letter. She was eagerly awaiting news from home. Kalani may have made a happy life for herself in this land, but home would always be the kingdom she had left behind and those she had loved there.

[Ziad]

With one eye still on the red haired woman, the captain of the guard quickly explained to the boy what he had to do, describing where Caipra lived and that he ought to get her, rouse her if necessary, that this was very important. He gave the child a small coin, small but quite some money for a simple helper. "You will get another one if you return after your task is fullfilled," he said and watched the boy dash off down the street.

He then turned to face the two women, moving and making a gesture to beckon them inside. Maybe it would be good to have the other woman with...what was her name? Maeve? at least until shortly before Caipra arrived. They seemed to know each other, maybe that would help the girl to calm down. "Please, let´s go inside," he said before doing so himself, stepping in waiting for the women to follow.

[Maeve]

As the man turned to the young boy, she listened closely to what he said to him, still feeling mistrustful even if she perfectly knew deep inside that there was no need to be. It was as if the shock of her abrupt and unexplainable return had somehow misbalanced her instincts. Like her feelings and her thoughts were both so raw and so flimsily on edge that she couldn’t properly sort out what was going around her. Like she was unable to correctly distinguish what was safe and real from what was hazardous and tricky anymore, even in the most obvious of situations. Like right now. And it was frustrating.

But then an imperceptible frown wrinkled her brow. Something about what he was describing...It sounded familiar...the maze of streets and turns he was depicting...like a distant itinerary she had once followed. A remote memory. Too remote to make its way clearly in her head yet she tried to force it through. But the man was already finished. And the lad took off with the coin, the feeble reminiscence already floating away.

Lifting her gaze up as the guard made his way back inside the building, she looked at Kalani and smiled sympathetically. She didn’t want to get the other woman involved in all this mess, but she couldn’t deny that she was glad for her familiar presence either, even if it roused up a great deal of undesirable memories and feelings.

“Hey.” She didn’t even know how to engage her in a conversation, like she was still emerging from the thick fog that had caught her off from civilisation for so long; it felt like even the simplest of things such as “hello” were awkward.

Not really knowing what to do, she slowly walked back to the entrance, turning around to face the blue-eyed brunette again. “Come on in.”

[Mala]

When the boy left to get the friend the guard had sent him to, Mala - only for a moment - wondered whether she should follow him. The young woman had to admit that she was somewhat interested in the person he was calling for help. But the lad was too soon gone and finally the ghost decided that it didn't matter anyway. She would get to know the stranger if only she stayed here and right now she didn't have any other plans anyway. Having met her son's friend under so mysterious circumstances kept her bound to this place. She didn't want to leave and even though she knew well that she had almost no means to intervene or contact her in any way, she wanted to stay with her and make sure that she was going to be fine.
So when the redhead passed her soon after, waving the brunette oposite from her in, Mala moved to follow her, too. Still she felt puzzled by all the events and so she let her deep blue eyes linger on the young woman, taking her in and contemplating on her fate. And it was in this moment that it occured to her, that just maybe -despite everything - there was a way for her to help - something she could do.
Mala took a few steps away from the young women, almost left the building as walls were no border for her bodiless shape, before she closed her eyes to shut her mind off from the world that surrounded her. Then she searched in the depths of her heart for the trace of those it belonged to. Often she had done this before, most times didn't even need to concentrade, but today things were different. She couldn't feel them; felt nothing but the mingled tracks of too many souls and lives. The ghost at first frowned at this most unusual phenomenon, but then quickly she understood. Because beyond all those traces she felt the last remnants of the alien energy echo in the depths of the elements. It stirred them, disturbed their ancient ways. But much to her relief, she didn't feel any threat coming from this; knew it held no danger. Merely like the wandering waves which followed a stone having been dropped into the water this uproar was. She would just have to wait till the elements calmed down. And until they did, she would stay here and watch silently and unseen over this young soul.

[Kalani]

Watching the young lad head off, Kalani's attention was drawn back to the guardsman, who had turned to face herself and Maeve. She was distracted for a moment as the Celtic sorceress offered an oddly awkward greeting, but though there was something in the other's tone that piqued the brunette's curiousity, she did nothing more than answer, 'Hey. It's been a long time.' As she moved to go inside as suggested by both the guard and the Celt, she then addressed Maeve once more as she queried, 'Where are the rest of the crew?'

Kalani could not remember seeing Maeve away from the rest of the crew; therefore, it struck the young merchant woman as rather odd that the flame-haired sorceress was out here all alone. Where were the others?