Missed Steps and Pitfalls

[Nayt]

[is lined with missed steps and pitfalls.]

Antigahn was easily one of the largest cities Kayli Narasc had the the pleasure of seeing for what felt like years. The difficulty of getting into places like Emain Macha, even before the End of the World, made her stray from these such places in general--but now she had no choice.

---

Getting there was actually something of a surprise. She and Hrothgar, who since relinquished duties of carrying Aiden to Kei 'til Kei was tired (which didn't take long; she wasn't used to a hundred some pounds of baggage, especially when carried bridal-style, but she refused to say anything about it), passed through the small forest north of Ceildh within half a day's time. What followed was something of a hellish hill that should have been dubbed a small mountain, at the very least. The dirt road continued, however, and they managed to climb the gargantuan hill well enough--

When suddenly, there was a city. It was a fairly immediate image, simultaneously occurring to the both of them the very moment they crested the hill. Set between two high sloped valleys, beset by forested hills much like the bare one they just ascended, was a small yet sprawling metropolis, spread out and occupying the whole of a large basin betwixt the valley. A thin river seemed to run through the middle of it and bent around hills rather specifically, both mapping out the contours of the valley and concealing itself behind smaller hills, from the view of Hrothgar and Kei.

From the crest of the hill, the two travelers would be able to make out very distinct attributes of the city. First and foremost, it was walled and guarded; secondly, its centre seemed to be devoted to a sprawling open marketplace; and thirdly, its residential district, distinguished by the size of the buildings, appeared to be the elliptical first layer of the city, whilst the central sectors appeared to contain larger structures-- multi-story structures --likely devoted to commerce and business of various types.

The comfort of the sun was departing for the evening and it was still a few miles downhill to reach the city. Kei looked to Hrothgar for answers.

"W-well . . ." she huffed, a bit exasperated from the climb, "Now what . . .?"

[adi]

Hrothgar held up his hand to catch his own breath. He was very thankful Kei had insisted on carrying Aiden- he would have never made it even a quarter up the hill if he hadn't. After a few moments at the top of the hill spent resting, he surveyed Antigahn below them. He knew it would be ridiculous to just walk right up to the gate with an injured person and expect to be let in without any suspicion.

As far as he knew there was no history of bandits between here and Ceildh. What story could they give? Would it make them appear more suspicious if they waited for daylight? Hrothgar couldn't judge how much sleep he would get if given the opportunity, or if they would have been followed. Rubbing the stubble on his jaw with the back of his fingers, he sighed. All he wanted right now was a decent bed.

"Well, the only decent plan I can think of is to just keep going," he admitted."We can rest for a bit here to get enough gumption to get to the gates, but I think it would be best to arrive yet tonight. It makes us look more suspicious, what with Aiden injured, but we would regardless. There will also be fewer people on watch after dark, and less chance of running into other people along the way."

"If I remember correctly, Antigahn has a decently sized hospital on the east side. It's big enough to at least have one doctor or nurse around at night. If I'm honest about our story and the men are easily moved by tales of misfortune, we can manage to convince one of the guards to escort us to it. So even if we're broke, Aiden should be able to make it. That's about as far ahead as I've thought. I don't know about lodgings for us."

[Nayt]

Resting for a moment sounded good. Kei, just as out of breath as Hrothgar-- if not more --nodded to him with the utmost exasperation. She hobbled to the side of the road and carefully set Aiden down to lay on his side, just before she sat down next to him.

She thought about Hrothgar's suggestion as she rested, and couldn't really argue with it. Having slept outside in the woods more often than she'd slept in a bed, the idea of bunking it outside again for another night or two didn't bother her much. Also, she had Hrothgar here. That tremendously decreased their chances of being hit by thieves or murderers or summat. Those sorts of types didn't come around these parts too often, but this was a larger city. More people meant more variation. Sleeping outside might've been a bit more dangerous out here . . . but if it was their only option . . .

"Then we'll do that," Kei breathed.

If they were both convinced that getting Aiden to safety before looking after themselves was worth it--then so be it. Kei was convinced; Aiden was just a kid, after all. If Hrothgar wasn't so convinced, then she'd have suggested another option, but he seemed as willing to go out of his way for this kid's safety as she was. So why hesitate?

"We'll get Aiden cared for, then think about lodging . . ."

[adi]

Hrothgar remained standing as they rested momentarily, pacing once or twice with a slight wobble trademark of sleep deprivation. He wanted to fight the temptation to sit down, because if fell to it there was no stopping how long the chain would continue-- soon he would tell himself it was okay to rest his eyes for just a moment, to lay back in the grass-- and then Aiden would be no closer to proper medical treatment than when he was carrying him down the inn steps. The exhaustion and stress of the past 24 hours had not only caught up to him, but had filled a sock with bars of soap and absolutely pummeled him.

... Why didn't they just call the authorities from the get-go? Aiden surely would have gotten medical attention immediately, and the worst that could have happened to either him or Kei would have been a stressful interrogation. And if there was any justice they would be proven innocent. Then maybe Hrothgar could be setting off in his initial direction instead of doubling back on the path his cowardice started. Hrothgar rocked on his heels and rubbed his face with the butt of his palm. He was not looking forward to the headache that was to come with returning to a big city so soon, and with such suspicious baggage. When Kei was rested, he did not bother to offer carrying Aiden again. It was plain to see that even walking downhill by himself was a challenge.

Night came after their rest, and the trio made their progress towards the gates, though not with much nail-gnawing and worrying from the conscious scholar. At least Antigahn was big enough to have a rotating team of guards, he thought as he tried to keep his feet mostly beneath him. Probably. And surely so many people passed through the gates that they would not remember an unremarkable scholar's face. Probably. Hrothgar had been avoiding mentioning his father's name in areas he knew they had business in or areas of large trade, so at least he had that. Hopefully. As they arrived at the torch-lit gates of the city, Hrothgar prepared to explain their situation in the most eloquent way he could manage at that time.

The tired freckled man jabbed his thumb over his shoulder at Kei and the boy she carried, "He's hurt. Bad. We were gonna use your hospital, if that is alright. So he doesn't die. Please?"

[Nayt]

Hrothgar walked ahead of Kei, who trailed behind by several feet. Though she'd rested somewhat, it wasn't quite enough. She couldn't carry him with the same degree of stamina as before. Though Hroth was the first to speak, he was not the first to move. The nearest guard lifted his hand to suggest they stop.

The town guard dressed themselves like something of a small militia would. They were lightly armored, with plate-mail mostly covering their chests and shoulders and iron bucket-helms set smugly atop their heads, the iron cut enough to show most of their faces. The one that stood closest to Hrothgar and Kei was not explicitly large, nor was he terribly small, either. He was a bearded man, and seemed to command the two men behind him, those closest to the gate. They'd yet to close the gate for the night, but that was amongst their duties in the very near future. Hroth and Kei arrived just in time.

The man eyed Hroth, then passed his gaze over to Aiden, where he was practically cradled in Kei's arms. Kei didn't make eye contact with the guard.

"Right," he replied--but entirely devoid of sarcasm. He was stone-faced and deadpan through and through.

There was no denying that Aiden was terribly injured. His clothes were cut up and he was covered in bandages, many of which were fairly stained with blood.

"Jareth," he looked behind him to a younger guard, "Show them to the hospital and make sure this child is cared for. Escort these two to me immediately when you are finished."

The younger guard-- one who looked far too young to even swing a sword efficiently --nodded hastily. He saluted the older guard and replied, "Sir!"

[adi]

Hrothgar could not manage a reply to the commanding officer, as his response did not particularly allow for argument or extension. He pondered giving his thanks, but by the time he decided it was an appropriate response the moment had passed. Instead the scholar simply nodded and waited for Jareth to motion to follow him, which he did dutifully.

The commanding guard was well within his rights to be suspicious, Hrothgar assured himself. If he was a guard he probably have had sent someone to take Aiden and kept himself and Kei outside of the city, but he supposed they both looked haggard and not much of a threat. At least Aiden would be safe and taken care of. Hrothgar raised a hand to bite and rip at his fingertips as they trudged with the young man named Jareth towards the hospital, partially out of nervousness and partially out of staying awake. He was understandably not feeling much like entertaining any sort of conversation.

[Nayt]

Jareth led Kei and Hrothgar close to the center of the city. It was an older city, all built on brick roads with raised cobblestone for sidewalks. Buildings were collected with minimal planning and some roads seemed to make no sense. It was a confounding maze, to be truthful, especially for two terribly fatigued people like Kei and Hrothgar. Jareth seemed more than capable of negotiating the city, though. Scarce few citizens were out on the sidewalks and it seemed only a handful were actually making use of the roads with horses and drawn carriages.

Near the center of the city was Antigahn's hospital. It wasn't renowned in the least and seemed more focused on keeping large amounts of patients than it did actually treating them. It was a large structure with no individual rooms; each of its rooms were built to hold an upwards of twenty patients at once, and every nurse ran herself to death to make sure all were cared for.

The hospital itself was fairly standard. Its contemporary inadequacy was exactly what was to be expected from an organized union of medical professionals. Luckily, Aiden didn't any serious medical care. He just needed to be in the hands of someone that could spot and treat infection better than Kei and Hrothgar. It wasn't like Aiden needed any serious procedures. Hopefully. They'd have to check later.

If they could . . .

The militia office was near the gate Kei and Hroth entered from. It looked like a standard wooden guardhouse built just within the city wall, right up against it and to the left of the gate itself-- but there didn't appear to be any other guards but the one from earlier within. The guard house had only one window, and that was next to the door. It was a single room structure, with a desk set in the middle. The guard sat on one side and two empty seats set on the other. Kei and Hrothgar were escorted to the two seats by Jareth, who then departed to stand outside. The guard within had yet to remove his helmet or anything of the like. He sat calmly and looked between Kei and Hrothgar.

"Now then," the guard began calmly, "Would you care to explain to me what just happened?"

[adi]

Hrothgar wanted to immediately answer the officer that no, he would not care to explain what happened, he would much rather care to try and sleep. But he knew no good would come of it, so he held his tongue. Besides that, the man was calm and it seemed wrong to snap at a man who was not only doing his job, but doing it in a fairly pleasant and calm manner.

"Uhm," the scholar began, sitting rigidly in the chair he was provided. "Quite a bit. Would you like me to start with just the lates--- well I guess it doesn't matter. I'll start at the beginning, I guess that is always best, right?"

"I was traveling to Ceildh, and ran into Aiden. That's the injured boy we arrived with. I ran into him, kind of literally. He fell over, and so I helped him pick up his stuff. It turns out he was being chased by a trio of people. I don't remember any of their names except for the man named Braxa. There were a man and a woman with him, and I still don't know why they were chasing him. Or even if they were bad people, but if someone is chasing a kid then I am not very inclined to think of them as particularly friendly, I guess."

"I tried to talk to them and figure out why they were chasing him, and then the conversation turned threatening and then Aiden... did this whirlwind thing with some paper-" here Hrothgar began to gesticulate as he retold the events of the past few days as best as his tired mind would allow. He would allow Kei to interject if she felt the need to clarify, but would dominate the explanation for the most part.

"-and so we bandaged him up and I let her sleep a bit and in the morning, we kept heading here. Then we met you and Jareth the gate." Hrothgar finished. He slumped back in the chair. "I realize it probably would have been best to just alert the guards back in Ceildh, but I guess... I guess I just panicked and wasn't thinking straight at all. All I probably ended up doing is made Aiden's condition worse by dragging him all the way here and getting Kei involved, but--I don't even know, at this point, sir. I'm tired."

[Nayt]

Kei had helped in the narration. Sort of. There were a lot of details she was particularly fuzzy on, mainly everything before she met Hrothgar and Aiden back in that library in Cieldh. Even beyond that, though, she didn't say that much. Hrothgar seemed capable of covering everything, albeit in a tired and worn out way.

But really, that only helped his case even more. Someone as worn down as Hrothgar had very little reason to lie, after all.

". . . I see," was all the guard said by the end of it all.

The guard removed his helmet at long last and set it on the corner of his desk, immediately before relaxing back in his chair. For a moment, he looked more like a police officer than any member of the city's militia. He had a hardened face and short red hair; it was curly, but too short for that to be too noticeable. Without his helmet on, it was much easier for Kei and Hrothgar see the scar that started at his hair-line and descended diagonally across his face and down to the right edge of his jaw. It was permanently discolored and impossible to not notice.

Kei had seen many a scar in her lifetime, but they were generally things one could live through. This militiaman's wound seemed like something that'd kill even a supernatural human being.

"While I'm not inclined to go against Cieldh's jurisdiction," he paused, "I'm also not inclined to agree with their militia's decision to declare a child a dangerous wanted criminal."

He leaned forward and folded his hands upon his desk.

"I'll have someone look into this. If Cieldh's reasoning is flawed and your friend is innocent, the three of you can go from here as you like. If we find that your friend is guilty and justice would be better served by returning him to Cieldh--then so be it. Until our investigation is complete, you will stay within the confines of our city. You will not be held in jail; you may do business here as you like."

He didn't inquire if Kei and Hroth understood, or even ask if they accepted these terms. This wasn't a request, it was a statement.

[adi]

To say that Hrothgar openly gawked at the man's facial scar would be a minor understatement. He fully leaned back in his chair while hissing through his teeth at the sight of such a disfigurement. A choice phrase was murmured barely under his breath about divine manure as his eyebrows slid up his face. He quickly realized how rude he was being and quickly tried to remedy it.

"Are you sure I can't get one night in a jail cell?" Hrothgar inquired jokingly, hoping to ease any sort of awkwardness he might have caused. Granted, the man was probably used to such a reaction, depending on how recently he had received such a scar but that didn't make it any less rude on Hrothgar's part. "I don't exactly have any money for an inn, haha."

"Uhm, on a more serious note, sir," he continued, sitting up in his chair at the man's statement. He tried to look a trustworthy, upstanding citizen. Or as best he could with the glaring signs of fatigue he was showing. "If there's anything else that I can do to help-- such as get into more detail about what happened after I'm rested, or anything like that...I'm fully willing to."

[Nayt]

Kei glanced over at Hrothgar with a look of concern. Hroth wasn't rested at all. If he didn't get some sleep soon, he was going to be belligerent for days, regardless of how much rest he was granted from then on. A jail cell might have been a place to sleep, but it wasn't Kei's preferred method of resting, and it certainly couldn't be Hrothgar's. He was joking, but by the look on the militiaman's face-- that humorless stare --Kei half considered the possibility that the man might actually be considering the possibility.

"H-hey," Kei whispered to Hrothgar. It was an audible whisper, something she wasn't trying to make unheard by the scarred guard, but it wasn't exceedingly imperative to the discussion as a whole, either. "I'll do what I can to get a good room, okay? Don't worry about that . . ."

Well, it wasn't a promise or anything. The potential that she could fail to find an inn that would give them a room if she promised them a full day of work for the next day or two was very real. If she couldn't find such a thing, though, then they'd just have to sleep in an alleyway somewhere, and Hrothgar could just user her lap or stomach or chest or something as a pillow.

As absolutely absurd of an idea as that was, it was literally the last possible option, and considering how in debt she was with this man . . . just about anything she could do for him at this point, she felt obligated to make it happen.

"While I cannot arrange for sleeping arrangements," the guard began, only to pause to glance from Hrothgar to Kei, "Any further information would be appreciated. You can find my in this station at most times of the day. If I am not here, I'll be in the barracks. You need only ask a militiaman for Hollis DeRinth."

[adi]

"Okay," Hrothgar conceded to the miltiaman's lack of humor and his own exhaustion. He could not even bother to explain that he had meant it as a joke. He stood after Hollis gave his name and did not bother with formalities such as shaking hands. That was something people on equal terms did, and as far as he could tell he and Kei's titles of 'innocent civilians' was suspended under suspicion.

It felt strange to just up and walk out of an interrogation-- though he had never been in one before so he didn't have anything to compare it to. Nevertheless Hrothgar and Kei did so, and he stood and waited for the woman to start moving so he could follow, hoping he did not end up tripping over his own two feet. He would accompany her to an inn door if she needed his haggard and wearied appearance to further showcase their need for a room, but sincerely hoped he would not be asked anything that required actual cognitive functioning.

[Nayt]

Kei was feeling a little more confident by the time they got out of the "interrogation," if only because it'd gone so well. They weren't arrested, and that town guard actually seemed extremely fair. This whole mess would probably be cleared up in no time.

"Don't worry," Kei said to Hroth as they left the small guard house, "I'll get a room for us. This is a big city, after all. Someone's got to be sympathetic here."

And so, Kei stopped at the first inn they found. It was a high class place, the kind that middle and upper class folk used for weekend getaways. Kei tried to open the door, but it was locked. She knocked instead, and a portly middle aged woman soon opened the door.

"Excuse me, ma'am, but we're looking for a room. We don't have any money, but I'm willing to work off the bill--"

It was surprising how casual the door was shut in her face. And so, with steeled determination, she decided to make way for a different inn. One that looked shadier. Big places weren't going to deal with this gig and that was fine. Kei fully accepted and understood this fact. At this point, she and Hroth looked about as classy as drowned sewer rats, anyways. No upstanding place was going to want them around, even if they had the money to pay for rooms. Shady places would just have to do, but beds were beds at this point. It didn't matter where they slept, right?

"Um, excuse me sir? We're looking for a room, but we're a bit strapped on cash. I was wondering if you have room for a temporary employ--"

"H-hello? Ma'am? We don't have any money, but--"

"Hello, sir? Are you looking for any help around your establishment by any cha--"

"Um . . . sir? Hello . . . we just ask for a second of your ti--"

"Excuse me, ma'am--"

Kei stood in the middle of the street. It was dark, now. She could barely see a thing on these roads anymore. The bulk of the city's citizens had shut off their lights, and inns simply weren't taking business this late. Staring at the last run-down shack she'd tried, Kei felt the urge to curse loudly and throw something-- anything --at their front window. Though she decided against it, she still couldn't get the taste of shock and disgust out of her mouth.

[adi]

Hrothgar stood staring at the inn door, jaw working back and forth as his tired mind tried to interpret what having a door shut in their faces actually meant. He squinted his eyes in genuine effort to think, and shook his head. It would not be worth the effort to knock again. He was really in no state to explain any more and could not trust himself to hold his temper. "It's okay."

"We can find... a bench or something?" He tried to assure Kei, though he seemed surprised and almost aghast at his own sleepy words. It wasn't okay-- he'd never slept on the street before. Wasn't a trader's son above that kind of thing? It's not as if he had any practice in being some sort of hobo or street rat. If he was in his right mind he would knock on the door and demand a room, straight up! Did the innkeeper have any idea how much absolute shit he had been put through in the past few weeks? No, he clearly did not or else he would have had a god damned heart and empathized.

Instead of expressing any of this, Hrothgar just turned on his heel with a bit of a wobble with his face set in a frown. He continued on in the dark until he could see the outline of a tree, and the hard cobblestone wore away to dirt and choked tufts of grass. He guessed it was some sort of park, or even if it wasn't a park, a single tree in some sort of half-effort square of sorts. The scholar all but collapsed near the base of the tree, tucking his satchel under his head and sourly cutting off any conversation with a curt wish for sweet dreams.

[Nayt]

"I-- . . ." Kei caught herself in mid-huff, only to realize that Hrothgar was all but wandering off on his own without her. He was absolutely delirious and the only way to keep track of him would be to run after him-- which Kei took to quickly. "H-hey! Wait up!"

---

When Hrothgar awoke the next morning, his head was no longer set upon a satchel, but was instead propped up on something much more comfortable and less ridden with jagged fragments of things. Hrothgar did not sleep with the side of his face on a veritable back full of rocks.

Instead-- after he'd sufficiently awoken, at least --Hrothgar would find the side of his head propped up upon a clothed thigh. A woman's thigh. All he'd need to do was sit up or look up to see who he was laying on (and ultimately making his sleep just a little bit better): Kei. She was still sound asleep by mid-afternoon, as she had to get herself comfortable whilst letting Hroth use her as a pillow for the night (something she felt obligated to do for him just this once), something that was ultimately difficult, if not impossible, if only because her only form of a pillow came in the form of hard as hell tree bark. Needless to say, her sleep was pretty lackluster, but Hroth's would-- or should have, at least --be pretty decent, all things considered.

Indeed, they were in a city park. It was large and sprawled out like a miniature landscape or nature preserve. And indeed, they were the source material for whispers and weird looks. A few local homeless folk in an alleyway just outside of the park's entrance watched Kei and Hroth curiously, though.