A Tale of Tregardes - Printable Version +- Hydaelyn Role-Players (https://ffxiv-roleplayers.com/mybb18) +-- Forum: Role-Play (https://ffxiv-roleplayers.com/mybb18/forumdisplay.php?fid=27) +--- Forum: Town Square (IC) (https://ffxiv-roleplayers.com/mybb18/forumdisplay.php?fid=21) +--- Thread: A Tale of Tregardes (/showthread.php?tid=21293)

A Tale of Tregardes - Tregarde - 01-24-2018 It was a slow week at the inn in our little hamlet, maybe that’s why those ladies left such an impression. It’s not like we don’t get travelers passing through on a regular basis, though they never stay long - we are only a rest stop for merchants going to where the real money is, and adventurers need something more exciting than this languid town. The day was sunny and pleasant, and the door was open to air the place out. I was wiping down the counter when a pair of shadows stepped through the door. Once they were in enough for me to get a good look I saw they were both young Miqo’te ladies. One was of average height and lithe of figure. She sported somewhat short hair, black with dull orange streaks, braids on the sides. Her eyes were a shade between yellow and green. On her back was a short bow. Her clothes were mostly of rich blues, and those of someone who favored freedom of movement. The other one was, in many ways, the opposite. Tall and a little more stocky of build than a typical Miqo’te - but it was clear that she just had a larger frame, and a lot of lean muscle to go with it. The light armor provided decent protection, with a sword on her hip and small shield on her back. Her hair was cropped along her jawline, a pale off-white with dull orange streaks. Her eyes shown a bright blue. Her attire favored rich reds and dark golds. Both were tanned, as people who spend much time in the sun. The two went to a table, the dark haired one smiled and waved at me, while the tall one gave a friendly nod. I stepped around the counter as they took their packs off their backs. They saw me approach then sat down with a look of relief, I’m sure in part because neither had to approach me to make an order. I’ve always been good with faces, and what struck me about the two as I got closer was the similarities rather than the differences. That shade of orange that streaked the hair on both was the same. The shape of their ears, the eyes, nose, curve of their lips... not perfect matches, but very close. There was no doubt these two were related, probably sisters. I greeted them and asked what I could do for them. The dark haired one chimed, “Hi! Hey, how long have you worked here?” I told her, with a little pride, that the place had been with our family for five generations. “Oh good. Say, in the past few summers, you wouldn’t happen to have had a Hyur pass through, about so high,” she raised a hand up, “late forties, salt and pepper hair...” She continued to describe a charming sounding gent, painting a vivid picture of him with her words. “Goes by the name Nicolae Tregarde.” “He would have been asking about us,” the light haired one said. The dark haired one glanced around, “oh, where’d Lu go?” “Where else?” the light haired one said with a shrug. “To the market to haggle for baubles we can ill afford.” “Hope she finds something nice,” the dark haired one replied without an ounce of sarcasm, then turned back to me. “So, did he happen to come by that you recall?” I told them that I certainly would have recalled such a person, especially after she had described him so well, but that no, I had not seen him. “Well... damn,” the dark haired one said as her ears drooped, disappointment in her voice and on her face. “That’s another one off the list,” the light haired one sighed and leaned her elbow on the table, head tilted in the palm of her hand. “Running out of places.” Now I was curious. I asked, if they didn’t mind, what this man was to them. “He’s our papa,” the dark haired one said. “Adopted,” the light haired one added, anticipating my question. Clearly they had been through this before. I said I’d love to hear the story of how they came to be adopted by a Hyur, to which the dark haired one perked up and said in a sing-song, “story time! Story time!” This one didn’t seem to stay down for long, and I even noticed a hint of a resigned smile on the other. But first I took their orders. I fetched a couple meads, apparently they were going to let this Lu fend for herself when she got here, then introduced myself. The dark haired one said cheerfully, “I’m Moire, and this is Katarina.” She waved a hand to her sister, “a cat named Kat.” “Mo...” Katarina scrunched her face at her sister. Like some Miqo’te she found the comparison to domesticated pets annoying. She then looked to me, “Trina, please. Anyroad, I was named after our papa’s mother.” “And I was named after ma’s ma,” Moire said with a little pride. “Uh, adopted ma’s ma, not our mama’s ma. Obviously.” Katarina made a motion to a chair, she could tell this might take a while. I glanced around to make sure the other customers were fine. Just two others, locals, they would get my attention if they needed anything. I could tell that they were as curious to hear the story of these travelers, but were discrete enough to not barge in. I sat and asked the two, please, to continue. RE: A Tale of Tregardes - Tregarde - 01-24-2018 Katarina began, “When she was young, our mother joined up with a troupe of traveling entertainers.” “She ran away to join the circus,” Moire joked. “They were not a circus!” “They should have been.” “You belong in a circus, then we could put you in a cage.” Katarina then raised her voice like a ring-master introducing an act, “Come, see the annoying cat-girl! Be amazed at how easily she purrs,” she said as she raised her hand to scratch Moire around her ear. Moire ducked and swatted the hand away with a giggle. “Watch how she chases rats for her daily meals, eating them raw!” “Eww!” Moire made a disgusted face. I couldn’t help but smirk at their antics, and caught the other patrons stifling snickers of their own. They way they could go from sullen to mirthful so quickly bespoke of a closeness. “As I was saying,” Katarina continued, “entertainers - singers, dancers, performers. It was a small troupe, but they were good at what they did. From what we’ve heard, our mother fit right in.” It confirmed what I had suspected. The unusual names, the accent in their voice, the bits of jewelry they sported and colorful trims on what they wore, all pointed to them coming from the people who never settle. Among some settled people they have a reputation as thieves and swindlers, but I’ve always found those types were uncommon. Most were decent folk just trying to make a living. “Apparently she could dance with the best of them,” Moire said, while raising her arms up as if she was about to start a dance herself, were she not still seated. From somewhere she had produced a pair of finger cymbals for each hand and tapped them together. “She could mesmerize an audience, leave them enraptured and awestruck, tossing all their valuables at her feet.” “Katarina shot her sister a look. “Do you have to exaggerate everything?” “I prefer the term ‘embellishing.’ And yes, I do, it makes stories more fun.” Katarina rolled her eyes and Moire picked up the tale, “One day the troupe came to a town from one direction, and from the other came a solitary Miqo’te traveler. He was charming and handsome, a vagabond with a roguish smile.” “He was a scoundrel,” Katarina interjected, a hint of contempt for her sire clear in her tone. “From across the town square their eyes met, and in that moment their destinies were bound to each other,” Moire continued with dramatic flair. “It was market day, and the square was crowded with people and caravans hustling to and fro. They approached, two souls reaching for each other, nearly loosing sight of the other more than once. But fate would not let them be parted before they even met. They came together and-” “She got knocked up,” Katarina said matter-of-factly. Moire humphed with a frown. “I like to call it a passionate romance.” Katarina shrugged. “Doesn’t change the end result.” She then looked at me, “he was a burglar-” “A cat burglar,” Moire said in a goofy voice. Katarina shot her sister an annoyed look before turning back to me. “He was a thief with a silver tongue, with a habit of breezing through a town, pockets heavier with gold than when he came in, and leaving a trail of broken hearts behind him. We know of one half-brother for certain, could easily be more half-siblings out there.” “I bet mama would have gotten him to change his ways,” Moire said in a dejected tone. “We’ll never know. Of all the places he could have robbed, he chose the manor that actually had competent guards. He was caught, convicted, and executed.” “That’s the boring version,” Moire said, then started her tale, putting some drama into her telling. “He was so enamored with our mama he wanted to give her a ring worthy of her. But the only place to find such a ring was the nobles’ manor, and they were not the sort to part with their treasures. So he snuck in, found the most beautiful ring he had ever seen, and was about to make his escape when the trap was sprung! Oh, if only he had listened in the markets, he would have known the lord was a cruel, vicious man, who purposely let would-be thieves enter his palace. Once captured, he would offer them a deal - if they could make their way across the grounds they could get away with anything they carried. “With no other options, our sire tied the ring to a thong around his neck so it would be close to his heart. When he was released he ran like the wind! Leaping over hedges, dodging around trees and fountains, he quickly closed the distance to freedom. By the time he was half way across the lord had loosed a dozen arrows his way, only one had nicked him. The lord was impressed, but he wasn’t about to let anyone actually escape, and gave the command to release the hounds.” By then, everyone’s eyes were on Moire as she spun her story. “Hearing the beasts, our sire redoubled his efforts. Heart pounding, lungs and legs burning, he sprinted faster than he had ever ran before. But the hounds had caught the scent of blood and soon caught up. Fighting would be futile against such monsters, he tried to dodge and evade. But it was to no avail, these were the hound’s grounds and they were trained hunters who knew all directions their prey could go. One hamstring was cut, then the other. In a frenzy they set upon the crippled Miqo’te and savagely rendered him, only mere yalms from the gate.” Katarina stared at her sister, ears back, brow furrowed and eyes wide in horror. “Twelve, Mo, that was morbid!” “Oh wait, wait, you didn’t let me get to the best part.” Katarina looked at Moire with an expression of dread. Then Moire continued in a tone of pure tragedy. “But when the lord examined the carcass, the ring could not be found. The hounds caught a scent of something beyond the gate and started barking. When the lord looked, there was nothing, but a shrub swaying slightly, and yet there was no breeze that night. Had someone been hiding? In a last, desperate move had the ring been thrown? He ordered a search, but nothing was found.” Moire took a deep breath, then let out a mournful sigh. “Sometime the next day the ring was found, by the keeper of the hounds, peeking out from a pile of shite. In their frenzy, one of the beasts had eaten it. The ring was cleaned, but some small bit must have stuck in a crevice, because whenever the lady wore the ring and someone would kiss her hand, they could never figure out just where that smell was coming from. The end.” There was just something about the ridiculousness of the ending, and the earnestness in Moire’s delivery, that we all could not help but to start laughing. I could even see Katarina smirking behind a hand covering her face. After a few moments to let the laughter die down, Katarina spoke up. “Well, despite Moire’s rather colorful interpretation of events,” Moire smiled proudly, “our sire had always managed to stay one step ahead of authorities. But this time all those steps caught up while he was in prison, which is why we know about his past. Including a dozen aliases, so we can’t even be sure what his real name or tribe was. With all those charges against him he was deemed ‘beyond hope of redemption’ and,” Katarina made a motion with her thumb across her neck. “So sad,” Moire said, “he didn’t even know about us. Actually, even mama didn’t know about us yet when he died.” What happened afterwards, I asked. Katarina shrugged. “Life went on. Then our mother realized she was pregnant. Several months later she had a troubled birthing and didn’t make it.” Katarina then glared at Moire, “she most certainly did not die of a broken heart.” “Sheesh,” Moire rolled her eyes, “even I wouldn’t go there.” She continued to fall under her sister’s glare. “Probably. Highly unlikely. Okay, we can move on now.” Katarina gave a nod. “Anyroad, the Tregardes were close to our mother and had no children of their own, so they took us in and raised us. Well, you could say the whole troupe raised us, but it was Nicolae and Dominique who became our papa and mama.” From the look on their faces, it was clear the two were remembering good times. I asked them what happened. RE: A Tale of Tregardes - Tregarde - 01-24-2018 The faint smile faded from Katarina’s face. “Same thing that happened to everyone: the Calamity. The troupe was wiped out. As far as we could tell, ours was the last wagon. Mama fell trying to help another aboard, she slipped from my grip and...” The sisters reached for the other’s hand while Katarina took a deep breath to steady herself. “Well, one moment papa is driving the wagon as hard as he could, looking for a place we could hopefully wait it out. Next moment we’re waking up, nearly a hundred malms from where we remember. The wagon gone, and only a scattering of our supplies around. To this day, we have no idea what happened.” It was indeed a most vexing puzzle that everyone has had to endure - what happened? For those of us who survived, most were able to pick things up and move on. But for others, it is a question that haunts them still. For these two, who had lost everyone they cared for, and yet still be able to laugh and joke, showed a resilience that few possessed. Moire picked up the story, but without any added drama or embellishments. This time she wasn’t performing, she was telling her experience. “We gathered up what we could, and after a some debate, and maybe an argument or two, determined we would search for papa. If we survived, he may have survived. And that’s how we’ve spent the past few summers, traveling from town to town, taking odd jobs to buy supplies or passage to the next stop. Not all that different from life before.” “Just with a little less song and dance.” “That’s what you got me here for,” Moire said adorably while leaning to tap the side of her head to Katarina’s shoulder. “Did have one bit of good luck, though. Found our cousin Ludja earlier this season, so it’s possible others from the troupe survived. A bit of bad luck, she agreed to travel with us for a time.” “Is someone talking about me?” a smoky voice said sweetly from the doorway. In walked a Hyur, tall as a Highlander but slender like a Midlander. Skin so tanned some would call it brown. A strikingly beautiful face was framed by raven black hair. Piercing, violet eyes swept across the room and she flashed a quick smile at the other patrons. She came to the table with just a hint of a sway in her walk. Her clothes consisted of rich colors, sashes on her hips accentuated her movements. If it was humanly possible, I’m certain I would have heard jaws dropping and hitting tables. I immediately determined to keep an eye on this one. Someone like this could easily stir trouble, even if unintentionally. And if she stirred trouble intentionally... well, I hoped for her sake, she wasn’t about to do so. “And how are my two most favorite cousins?” Ludja gave the sisters a kiss each on the top of their heads before dropping her pack and taking the one free seat. She noted how there were only two drinks on the table, “aw, nothing for me?” “Didn’t know how long you’d be,” Katarina said. “Wha’d ya get? Wha’d ya get?” Moire asked like an excited child. “Oh, I found this,” Ludja set down a silver necklace with a few pieces of lapis attached. Katarina rubbed a hand across her face. “Hells, Lu... how much did this set us back?” “Hey, I got a good deal,” Ludja said with a sly smirk. “Practically a steal.” “That’s what I’m worried about,” Katarina said dryly. “Now, now, I paid for it, in front of witnesses even. Not my fault if I just happened to get it well below market value.” I heard one of the patrons let out a quiet whistle of astonishment. Admittedly, I was rather impressed myself. We knew the only place that would have a piece of jewelry like that, and the proprietor was known for driving a hard bargain. If Ludja had indeed made such a deal, it was nigh a miracle. Katarina let out a nearly inaudible grumble then looked to me. “You have beds available?” I nodded and guaranteed all were clean and free of vermin, even in the common room, or their stay and all meals were free. It wasn’t always easy to keep to that guarantee, with some of the folks who passed through, but we have our ways. “Got one large enough for a Roegadyn?” I noted she asked for a bed, singular. It was practical, the three of them could fit in reasonable comfort and keep each other warm. Again I nodded to the query and told her we have a couple, one in it’s own room even and told her how much it was. Katarina shook her head, “the common room will do.” I heard small sounds of disappointment from the other two. “Come on, Kat,” Ludja said plaintively and gave her cousin a nudge, “it’s not thaaat much.” “Pleeeaaaaase,” Moire pleaded while nudging from the other side. “You paying for it? You?” Katarina glanced at the the two. “I’ll pay you back,” Ludja said with a firm nod. “When have you ever done that?” “There was that time, back in that village with that Lalafell with the funny tattoo.” Katarina blinked at Ludja, “that was nearly a full moon ago! “Still proves I’m good for my word.” I couldn’t help but wonder how many times a scene like this had played out between them. Katarina buried her face in her hands. “You two aren’t going to let up, are you?” “Nope!” they both chimed with determination. “Trust me,” Ludja said in a comforting tone while placing a hand on Katarina’s shoulder. Katarina mumbled a curse under her breath then relented. “Fine, fine. But when we’re starving you get to decide which of your limbs we cut off to eat.” “Yay!” Moire clapped her hands together. “Marvelous,” Ludja beamed, then looked to me. “Now, what fine drinks does your establishment have? Oh, and I think we’ll be needing some bowls of that delicious stew I smell.” Katarina mumbled something about it being their last hot meal. RE: A Tale of Tregardes - Tregarde - 01-31-2018 But it was not their last meal with us, hot or otherwise. While Ludja had been perusing the markets she heard how a noble’s caravan was coming through and would arrive early evening. But she waited till they had secured their room to mention this. A shrewd mind lurked in there, for I surely would have rented the room to the noble or retainers otherwise. They retired to the room, only to emerge a bell later when the caravan arrived. All had changed, the sisters dressed in a way that matched Ludja from earlier, and the Hyur even more colorful than before. Then the magic started. It was quickly apparent they had indeed grown up with an entertaining troupe. Ludja danced with a sensuous grace; sashes, veils, and beaded trim accentuating her every move. The silver and lapis necklace glittered around her neck. Moire had a mandolin and a melodious voice to go with it. Katarina provided a steady beat on an improvised drum. Not quite the musician of her sister, nor the dancer of her cousin, but still quite competent, and when she wasn’t busy being ‘the responsible one’ of the trio she could sport a wicked sense of humor. My suspicion of Katarina’s other role in the group was proven correct when she handily subdued a retainer who had a couple drinks too many and wanted to get a little too touchy with Ludja. When things started to wind down Moire switched from song to telling an epic tale of heroes in ages past. It was a fine way to end the evening, and by the time the trio went to their bed they had amassed a fair stash of coins. They also left a few disappointed faces that none of the ladies had invited anyone to join them. Ludja’s insistence for a room made a lot more sense then, not just for privacy, but also because they could bar the door to prevent anyone from trying to get a little extra ‘entertainment.’ The trio stayed to rest and plan their next move. The money they made was enough so they would be quite comfortable. A trade caravan was scheduled to go by in a couple days, with bandit and beast tribe activity of late there was a good chance they could get hired as freelance guards. The next couple nights weren’t as lively as that first, but there also weren’t any passing nobles to entertain. As they had planned, when the trade caravan stopped to rest, they got hired on. The caravan was going to push on to the next town, thus they were only staying a bell, which was enough time for a good meal. As I brought the ladies their lunches I overheard Ludja asking the others, “and if he’s not there, then what?” “Then we continue on. You know that,” Katarina said, then gave a thanks when I set down their meal. Ludja shook her head. “You’ve already covered half of Eorzea.” “We found you,” Moire replied. “Yeah, and I only made it because my parents tossed me on that chocobo and made it run, no one else was as lucky. You have to start facing that we’re it, we’re the last.” “I’m not ready to give up yet,” Moire said with determination. “Nor I,” said Katarina. “Maybe we’re the last, maybe not. We know the chances of finding any others are slim. But what else are we going to do?” Ludja muttered a curse under her breath before she replied. “Settle. Start anew. It won’t be the same, but we’ve done pretty good so far. Even before we found each other. But together...” Ludja trailed off with a wistful smile. “Together, what, we’ll just keep running away again?” Ludja frowned, but Katarina continued before she could reply. “You’ve seen what’s going on. Beast tribes are rising, if rumors are true they’re even summoning Primals again. Garleans are being spotted everywhere. About the only thing missing is a moon about to drop on us.” “And what did you expect us to do? We were singers and dancers, not fighters.” “That’s a load of dung. We were both. We had to fight off bandits and the occasional beast tribe somehow.” “Kat...” Ludja pleaded. “We had to protect ourselves. Sure, the three of us were kids at the time,” I’d learned earlier the sisters were 13 and Ludja 14 when the Calamity happened, “we’re not kids anymore, and since that day we’ve all done what we had to, to survive.” Ludja humphed and rested her chin in her hand. “You can be really bloody annoying when you make sense.” “Ain’t that the truth,” Moire said while rolling her eyes in an exaggerated manner, trying to lighten the mood. It worked, I saw Katarina’s expression grow a little less stern. “But she’s right. I was already pretty decent with a bow, you could make with some basic finger wiggles,” Moire did a comical imitation of someone casting a spell, “and Kat here, well, breaking things was about the only thing she’s good at so I guess she had to do something with it.” Katarina elbowed her sister, “brat.” “I guess the point is, we weren’t exactly helpless then, and we sure as hell are a lot less helpless now.” Ludja ran her hand across her face. “Alright, fine, so we aren’t helpless. But that doesn’t mean we have to run off and join a Grand Company.” She paused a moment while she looked at Katarina’s expression. “Oh, you’ve got to be kidding...” Katarina shrugged. “It’s not out of the question.” “Grand Companies get people killed! Hells, even free companies do. Do you have any idea how many never made it back from Cartenau? For that matter, how many never got that far?” “Yeah, I do,” Katarina nodded once, then leaned back and crossed her arms with a resigned expression. “But I don’t think I can sit this out. Not this time.” Ludja muttered a curse while looking towards the heavens, then looked to Moire, “and what do you think?” “Where Kat goes, I go.” “That’s not much of an answer,” Ludja replied sardonically. “Maybe not to you, but it’s my answer.” Moire leaned forward towards Ludja, “Truth is, I’ve been thinking pretty much the same for a while. Besides, just think about it, all our lives we’ve sang and told stories of heroes and the deeds they performed - now we have a chance to live it!” She finished with some enthusiasm in her voice. Ludja replied in a much less enthused tone, “you want to be a hero?” “Hey, it would be something new, fun, exciting! And better than shoveling chocodung, which I have done so I know what I’m talking about.” “I’ll reserve judgment on the ‘fun’ part if you don’t mind.” Ludja shook her head while sighing, “I can’t believe I’m hearing this.” Katarina leaned forward. “Why not? It’s really not all that different from what we’re doing now. We just need to find a company that suits us. Truth be told, I kinda missing having people around.” Her tone spoke volumes. They all grew up in a small, tight-knit group, it had to be lonely since the Calamity without them around. Ludja thew her hands up in resignation. “So much for The Traveling Tregardes.” “Oooo, I like that!” Moire chirped then looked to Katarina, “why didn’t I think of that?” “Because it’s actually a good name,” Katarina said in a deadpan, to which Moire replied by sticking her tongue out at her sister. Katarina then turned to Ludja, “I’m not saying we won’t ever settle and try to restart the troupe, just... not yet. There’s things we got to do first.” Ludja asked in a hushed voice, “when, then?” “I don’t know,” Katarina shrugged. “When this crisis is over.” “That could be a while.” “Then it takes a while.” Moire reached forth and placed a hand over Ludja’s. “Lu, we’re family, and nothing can change that. But by blood you may be the last Tregarde. We won’t hold it against you if you want to find somewhere relatively safe and start replenishing our numbers.” “Oh hells,” Ludja rolled her eyes, “do you really see me with a pack of brats hanging on my skirts?” “No,” Moire chuckled, “but now that you put that imagine in my head...” By some unseen signal both Miqo’te sisters glanced at each other with a mischievous glint in their eyes, then dropped to their knees by Ludja, clutched to her skirt, and began chanting, “mommy, mommy, mommy.” “Nooooooooo!” Ludja flailed her arms ineffectually. In a childlike voice Katarina asked, “mommy, are you going to leave us?” She may not have been quite the actor of her sister, but in that moment her tone was gut-wrenching. Moire waved a hand at Katarina, “how can you walk away from this?” “Quite easily,” Ludja said while swatting at the sisters. “Twelve help me, I’m actually starting to think about it.” “Yay!” Moire clapped her hands and both sisters went back to their seats. “I said I’ll think about it. No promises.” “That’s really all we can ask,” Katarina said with a touch of relief. Ludja put an elbow on the table and pulled her meal close. “Assuming I go along with this madness, what’s the plan?” Their dynamic was an odd one. In some matters Katarina took charge, in others it was Ludja. Moire had initiative, but rarely lead anything outside of a song or story. Sometimes they would talk things over first. Katarina scratched an ear in thought before replying, “we’re getting kind of close to Ul’dah. I figure we make our way to the city and see if we can find papa, or any others who may have survived. After that I think I’m ready to stop searching. While there we begin looking into companies and see if any suit us.” “Big city, not going to be easy to find anyone. Lots of competition for our regular business,” Ludja said, referring to song, dance and stories. These three were good, real good, but even they could have a hard time in Ul’dah. “Yeah, not getting my hopes up. But I figure if we don’t find anything we like there we should be able to make enough to get passage to Gridania.” “Oooo, I like Gridania,” Moire said excitedly. “All those trees and forests and animals and stuff!” “Also closer to the Garleans,” Ludja said matter of factly. “What about Limsa?” “Grriiidaaaniiaa,” Moire said while tilting her head sideways. “Nut,” Katarina poked Moire, then looked to Ludja. “If Gridania doesn’t work out. But I’m kinda with Mo, the forests always felt more like home than the seas.” Ludja rubbed her chin. “Lot of traveling. We’ll need to make money. I dunno, could work. Maybe once we pick a spot I’ll hold the fort while two do the adventuring stuff.” “Heh. You can be our housewife,” Moire said jokingly. Ludja said sarcastically, “oh, that’s just what we need, rumors of the three of us in some torrid love affair.” “Who said they had to be mere rumors?” Moire said with a sly grin. The other two looked at Moire with shock, which caused her to wiggle her eyebrows suggestively. The other two turned away and made exasperated sounds. “Oh, gods no!” “Ew, ew, ew!” “That’s just wrong!” “You’re sleeping on the floor!” Moire broke out in laughter. “You should have seen the looks on your faces!” Time was running short so they concentrated on their food. I went back to the other patrons. When it was getting close to time for them to leave I went back to their table to pick up their dishes. The trio thanked me for making them feel welcome and the excellent food. As they shouldered their packs Ludja reached into a pouch, then set a stack of coins on the table by Katarina. She divided the stack and put half back in the pouch. Katarina blinked. “What’s this for?” “Said I’d pay you back.” Ludja winked as she walked to the door. I noticed she was no longer wearing the silver and lapis necklace. “Well, I’ll be damned.” Katarina muttered. “Stop gawking and hurry up, slowpoke,” Moire teased and poked her sister while heading to the door. Katarina smirked and shook her head, then grabbed the coins, waved at me, and made her way out. “Would be nice to get repaid more than once a moon,” she called out as she exited. I had a feeling the next chapter in their lives was just beginning.