Tristan met Vincent's gaze with a firm, unrelenting glare, discerning the pirate's level of fortitude. He didn't like this new turn of events, and he certainly didn't like Evewen's smug expression.

Tristan flashed a condescending grin at Vincent. "I don't think you know what you're getting involved in here, friend. She's not just another pretty face to rescue. She's a devious, lying little traitor. She's brought this on herself. You wouldn't want to stand in the way of justice, would you?" He was testing the other man, to see his reaction. Trying to find a working foothold to use.

"No, but this isn't my kind of justice." Vincent said coolly, wondering if the rather confidant air about this man was born of actual skill, or was a screen to hide his inferiority. "And, I doubt you are less of a cheat or traitor yourself." he provoked. "And you most certainty have less courage then her." He tried not to smile. Why was he almost enjoying this?

Evewen watched the men and actually chuckled aloud. She shrugged her shoulders and said to Tristan, "Honestly, Tristan, what will taking me back accomplish? Nothing." She grinned. "You won't won't get anything when my mother finds that I return with empty hands."

A faint glow was just barely dusting the tops of the trees when Telwyn arose. She had been awake for hours, but lay still and quiet, knowing that the others needed their rest. Now that dawn was breaking, she began to rouse the others. First she touched Micah and ended her round of gently touching shoulders with Susanne. When everyone was beginning to stir, she strode to the center of the clearing and placed her hands on her hips as the early morning breeze played with the hem of her cloak.
"Up you get, my sleeping beauties!" she laughed cheerfully, "We have a long way to go and the faster we get there the better!" Her bright eyes keenly and playfully scanned the group, as though checking to see if anyone needed some extra help in getting up.
When she was, apparently, satisfied that they were all getting up on their own, she moved in a bouncy, energetic sort of way to the place where Micah had slept and knelt to pack up the salve that he had set down near him. When she finished scooping it into a leather bag, she rose and looked around at everyone again as she tucked the bag under her cloak, fiddled with something and brought her hands out empty.
She pursed her lips for a moment as she looked at them, then said, "I doubt that anyone has much, if any, food with them. Am I correct?"

Shyanne groaned when she woke up. She was still tired and worn out, but she sat up anyway. Getting to her feet, she pulled the cloak tighter and said, "How far is Dravon?"

Susanne let out a soft moan as she began to wake from her sleep. Her mind struggled to bring her back to reality after spending hours in a blissful world of rest. Her blue eyes opened, fluttering as her conscious side forced them to unseal. The sun was just rising, and the air still held a bit of its chilly tinge, but most of twilight's cold had worn away. She sat up stiffly, adjusting the blanket as she did to fully cover her legs. Her body felt more refreshed then yesterday, but she could still feel the weightiness of exhaustion in her eyes, and slightly, in her limbs, but it was getting better. Telwyn, cheerfully, greeted them, her voice breaking the silence of the clearing

Susanne, got up carefully, and was surprised to not feel the aching in her feet that she had had yesterday. They felt much better, the pain of the cuts gone. She smiled, a faint smile, and stood straight taking a deep breath. Telwyn then asked if any one had any food, and Susanne shook her head. She was, a matter of fact, extremely hungry. The food the bandits had given them, having to be split 6 ways, hadn't do much to ease her hunger. She felt her stomach growl at the mention of it, but she tried to ignore it.

Shyanne inquired how far Dravon was, but, since Susanne honestly didn't know, she said nothing, and retrieved her blanket from the ground. She looked over at the young beautiful lady, looking a slight disgusted,and recalled last night, when she caught Shyanne looking at her and Micah when she had accidentally fallen and he had caught her. She again wondered if there was something between them that she was interfering with. She sighed, softly, and waited.

Tristan was considering resorting to more physical measures, knowing he, Quill, and Blink outnumbered the pirate, when Evewen's words hit his ears. He stared at her, confused. "What? Empty handed? Where's - where's the thing?" He knew that was all Sephora really wanted, and she'd have his head if he returned without it. Whatever it was.

-------

Micah felt a soft tap on his shoulder, and his eyes shot open immediately as he awoke with an unnatural start. Perhaps it was an effect of the constant danger that had surrounded them for the past few days, or perhaps it was because he was subconsciously on the alert the whole time he was asleep; but whatever the cause, he immediately awoke and his heart raced for a second as he tried to figure out what was happening. It took him only a few seconds to realize there was no danger, and he felt a bit foolish for the shock; but he assumed no one had seen.

"No, no food," Micah noted. "It's a pity that ordeal with the bandits came up - we had a nice deer with lots of meat left back at the cave." The very memory of the meal brought back the smell and taste, and made Micah all the more hungry.

He stood to his feet, stretching weary limbs and shaking the remnants of fatigue away from his eyes. "I'd go hunt, but I don't have a bow. Anyone?"

Evewen laughed, holding her hands out to him, showing him that they were empty. "You tell me, Tristan."

She was tired of arguing with her mother on every subject under the sun and she had no intention of facing Sephora again. Evewen would try everything to avoid a confrontation.

Telwyn clucked her tongue disapprovingly and grinned at the same time, "My, those bandits are certainly inconsiderate, aren't they? At least one of their number just absolutely needed that odd little bauble. How anything could be worth being kicked out of your home is more than I can fathom." Her smile faded slightly as she uttered the latter remark and she looked thoughtful for a moment.
Suddenly rousing herself, she turned towards Shyanne and grinned, "A fair ways, mi' lady! Dravon is still about five days hence! And that's only if we move quickly and are not hindered. Which brings us back to the food problem." She turned back towards Micah, "We have no time to loiter around here while someone goes hunting, so I'll see what I can find while we walk." Glancing around at everyone with a strange laugh, she added, "This will, I'm afraid, entail some walking on empty stomachs, but I assure you it is better than being found by those we try to avoid." She moved to the edge of the clearing and looked back at the little group, "If everyone is awake enough to move, I suggest we set out and finish waking up while we walk." Laughingly, she tucked her hands under her cloak again and withdrew the water skin she had used the night before. With a grin, she tossed it to Micah, "We'll be passing a spring later in the day. You folks can sip on that until we get something to break our fast."
Then she stepped into the cover of the trees. Apparently, she expected everyone to follow her immediately.

Micah caught the water skin with one hand, holding it up to discern how full it was. The answer was less than he would have liked, so he didn't drink any himself. He turned to the others, who were quickly rising and following after Telwyn. He approached Suzanne, curious about the effects of Telwyn's healing balm. "Good morning," he said with a grin. Abruptly asking how her feet felt seemed awkward, so instead he offered her the water skin. "Are you thirsty? It may be awhile before we reach the stream."

-------

Tristan stared at Evewen's empty hands. The situation had suddenly taken a turn for the worse. Even if he managed to get past her new-found bodyguard and bring her back to Sephora, he'd still be in trouble because she didn't have the thing. Tristan had no idea what that thing was, but he could tell by the way Sephora spoke of it that it was very important to her.

He quickly considered his options. Sephora had said to hurry back if Evewen wasn't at the coast; perhaps they could just return and say they hadn't found her? They might fair better with a lie than they would facing Sephora's wrath at the truth. However, he wasn't sure he wanted to give in just yet.

Tristan switched tactics with little more than a quick dart of the eyes and a twitching grin. "Evie... listen. There's no need for this hostility. We've been friends for a long time - beside the slapping and hitting and such (which I might add was entirely on your side)." He chuckled lightly, shaking his head as if recalling fond memories. "Anyway. Let's work this out, hm? We both have a problem - the same problem, actually: your mother. She'll be upset with me for not getting the - whatever it is - and she's already upset with you about the whole betrayal-of-the-clan-and-release-of-our-prisoners thing. So... make things easy for me, and I can make things easy for you. Get it?"

Susanne smiled as Micah approached her. She took the water skin gratefully. "Yes I am, thank you" she said softly, and gently lifted it to her lips. She took gulp, then capped it again and handed it back to him. Her hand brushed his when she did so, and she gulped, wondering for a moment if she should ask about him and Shyanne. Was there anything? She looked back up, and decided it might not be the best place, or thing to ask.

**

Vincent crossed his arms over his chest as he watch Tristan and Evewen conversed. His olive green eyes kept a hard watch on the other two bandits. It seemed they the bandit was going to try and take the easy way out. 'Make me a deal'. Vincent chuckled. Yeah, right.... he though

Evewen stared at Tristan, her eyes narrowing a fraction. She chuckled. "You're right, Tristan." She shrugged. "It's such a pathetic trinket, too, but obviously it means a lot to her...which is why I took it..."

((OOC: LadyGrace, sadly, is no longer able to continue writing in Vayond. So, I am now taking over her character. ))

Viris nodded, "Ma'am, we are searching for this person." he held out the wanted poster, showing Liam's face.

"He is a fugitive from the law, we are King's soldiers, looking for him. He was reported to be in this town, and this young fellow." he motioned at Jack, "Said he had seem him staying at your inn... do you have any information?"

Grace's eyes flicked towards Jack then back to the apparent officer. Her heart was thumping in her chest. Liam? A fugitive? From the law!? So he was an outlaw!! A criminal!! As she stared at the poster, the image on it flexed and morphed into a three dimensional portrait in her mind's eye. She saw Liam's face as he bade her an emotion charged farewell. She saw him walking beside her, gazing gently at her with an expression that made her heart pound. She saw him lying unconscious on the bed, helpless and wounded severely. She thought of his companion, so kind, gentle and well-mannered. Were these memories the memories of an outlaw? Were they? Was that noble face the face of a criminal?
On top of these confusing and trust shattering mental conflicts, there was the fact that Grace had promised to keep the two men's presence a secret. She had never been released from that promise. Even if Liam was a criminal, what had he done to deserve betrayal from herself?
These thoughts raced through Grace's mind as she stared hard at the poster, as though trying to recall the face depicted there. "I..." she began, then swallowed rapidly as a tiny trickle of sweat ran down her brow, hidden behind a clump of golden hair. Then she looked up swiftly at the officer, her uncertain tone and attitude suddenly gone. "I don't really remember that face," she placed a hand on her hip and with the other flicked her hair out of her face, helped by a toss of her finely sculpted head. "I have many men come and go through here. Why should I remember this one in particular?"

---------------------------------

Telwyn was practically dancing through the golden sunlight that filtered shyly through the canopy of leaves above the little group. Her step was springy and she kept glancing back to make sure everyone was following her, mouth open in a silent laugh, bright eyes shining with energy and pleasure in the gorgeous morning. Or it would have been gorgeous if the wind wasn't so nippy. Telwyn didn't seem to mind that part though.
After about twenty minutes of walking (or dancing, take your pick), Telwyn suddenly stopped and stiffened. In one swift motion, she had whipped out a bow and strung it, and in another she had an arrow to the string. She stood motionless for a moment, then slowly lowered the bow with a wry twist of her lips and shake of her head. Then she continued on walking, now holding the strung bow casually in her hand.

"That's a big, fat, lie Grace" Jack sneered from behind Captain Viris. "I saw you with that man several times. You went walkin' with him! He staid right here in your inn!"

Jack was determined to ruin her and Liam, after she betrayed him, or so his twisted mind thought. He looked up at Viris. "I'd tell you were he went myself, but I don't know. He told her though....I saw 'em talking"

Grace fixed Jack with an icy stare as her lips tightened angrily. "How dare you call me a liar?" She raised her eyes to the officer, bristling with apparent righteous fury over being accused, yet her anger was not directed towards the officer. "Perhaps I did speak to this man. Perhaps he even stayed here! But like I said, I don't remember. I speak with every person who comes in here; I tend to their wants and serve them to the best of my ability. I simply do not remember serving this particular man," she gestured to the poster in the officer's hand as she flicked her gaze towards Jack, her blue eyes flaming with rage. Beneath her anger (which was indeed real) fear was gripping her heart and the silence of the officer was making panic try to gnaw at her. Perhaps she should have left her argument right there, but she took it a step further in hasty desperation, "It is, perhaps, below me to even mention this, but this man has a rather- shall we say, unsavory reputation in these parts."