She sat in horror at the tavern with the party. Shock hadn’t finished working it’s way through her system. Anger still held Kat as well, and it was pointed directly at Kizry with a fire and burning hatred only possible of someone who had lost a very close friend.
Oddly enough, the Orc was the most rational and calm about the situation. Every time Kat would get too vitriolic, Syndic would be there to breathe enough rationality into her to keep her from acting on the hate. Whenever Kizry would let her mind run down a rabbit hole of things being her fault, he would make eye contact with her. Sometimes he would even gently elbow her to get her attention before bringing his mug to his lips, signaling she should do the same.
She did. The repetition and the motion helped to keep her from spiraling too deep into her own head. And the drink helped her from thinking too clearly on what had transpired in the first place. She was still devastated. Edain had joined them when he heard the news. A halfling with dark, curly hair and a normally impenetrable jovial attitude, he was never hard to spend time with. In fact, Kizry loved to spend time with him. He was the one person she truly considered family in this town.
They had grown up together in a small town a few hours to the north, and when she said she was moving to the larger city of Claxx, he simply started packing. He was her best friend, there was no doubt. And sometimes it even seemed like he had enough luck to counteract her own. Tonight, there was no Hallmark smile on his face though. Tonight, they all grieved. Edain hadn’t even known the man, but he knew how responsible Kizry felt for those around her.
Edain disappeared for a minute before returning to the somber crowd with enough flagons of the good stuff for each of the party. Syndic thanked him. Kat simply scowled, and then cried while drinking the booze. Edain himself pushed the cheap ale from Kizry’s hands and pressed the new flagon into her palm, then tapped his own glass to hers and said “Tonight, we drink for a fallen hero.” The other glasses clinked into his as well. Even Kat pulled herself together for a toast to her friend. The liquor in her flagon was quickly drained though, and she was back to her fifth ale. Syndic didn’t bother stop her from overindulging. He knew she was aware of the headache she was conjuring for tomorrow morning. It was her decision to press onward. She was a big girl. And while she wasn’t making the best decisions, as long as she wasn’t ringing Kizry’s neck, he seemed contented enough to let her make them.
Syndic prodded Kizry one more time, and drank with her before turning his attention to Edain. “I trust you’ll make sure she stays safe tonight then?” gesturing at Kizry. Edain nodded solemnly as Kat began to boil over again.
“Like she needs protection. She got away from the horde of undead fine! It was Bryn who needed protection. You failed him, you miserable cu-“
“Please, breathe Kat. She’s frozen solid with regret. She hasn’t said a word because she’s blaming herself enough as it is. She’s clearly grieving too. She told us what happened and we know it’s the truth because it’s exactly who Bryn was. You know it wasn’t her fault, and you KNOW Bryn would have done the same for any of us. There was nothing she could do.” Syndic cut her off with a hand on her back. “It’s done. We can’t go back in time.”
Edain nodded and put his arm around Kizry’s shoulder and lead her from the bar. “You’re okay, friend. Come with me. I want to talk with you tonight, if you can muster the words for me.”
Kizry was silent. Still lost in drunken, foggy thought. She obeyed Edain, following dutifully, and silently. He lead the woman back to her home, where he used her key to open the door and sat her down on her bed. The shock and overthinking seemed to wash away in the comfort of her own home, and Edain watched as Kizry broke into tears.
“I should have stood and fought them. I should have gone back. It’s all my fault. I can’t believe I did this again! I got someone killed and it was MY FAU-“
“It wasn’t your fault, Kiz. You heard the orc. This was the final wish of a dying dwarf. Protecting you. YOUR LIFE was his final request. Your job now is to keep walking through this plain of existence for as long as you can, in honor of his sacrifice.” Edain said sternly, his face draped in shadows in the dimly lit room.
“Did you hear what else Syndic said? It’s over. He’s gone. You can’t go… Back in time…” a thought came over her, and a hand reached for her earring.
“It wasn’t your fault, Kiz. You heard the orc. This was the final wish of a dying dwarf. Protecting you. YOUR LIFE was his final request. Your job now is to keep walking through this plain of existence for as long as you can, in honor of his sacrifice.” The line repeated and Kizry began to tear up again. Of course. It hadn’t gone back far enough to save him in the crypts, why would it go back further now? It hardly felt like she’d gone 30 seconds back. Magic was useless. It couldn’t bring back the dead. It couldn’t undo the tragedies she had wrought.
“Kiz, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be so harsh with my words. I just know that there’s something out there for you. Something bigger than a little dungeon and a friend you met so recently. And he thought so too, or he wouldn’t have done what he had. You’re destined for something more. I can feel it. You may feel unlucky, but you’re still here. You’re still alive! You made the right choice to escape, or I would be just as broken and disheveled as that elf, and without a Syndic of my own, I might have killed the dwarf who left you behind. Basically, we’d be in a worse situation all around.” He smiled softly, but his words couldn’t erase the pain of the day’s events.
“Thank you for taking me home. Thank you Ed. I mean it. I’m sorry.. I’ll be okay for the night. I really just want to curl up and sleep off this inevitable hangover.”
“Kiz… I’m sorry, but I can’t just walk out now. You can sleep it off, but I’m staying here for the night. You rest. I’ll sleep on the couch. I want to be here in case you need me. I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if something happened to you that I could have helped prevent. Be it from yourself, or from that Kat character.” he gave a half teasing smile when he brought up the other girl.
He knew Kat wouldn’t try anything. Everyone did. She had a Syndic to keep her rational. Kiz on the other hand had an Edain, and he knew she would let him spend the night. She didn’t really want to be all alone anyways. ‘The nightmares would probably be terrible tonight’ she thought to herself. “Okay Eddie. But you’re not sleeping on the couch. I can make room here.” She patted the bed. She missed the look in his eyes before and after her next comment. “I trust you. You’re not the type to get all handsy like other men would be. You’re a good friend.”
She didn’t notice the heartbreak when she found his eyes locked on her. She was too wrapped up in her own. He was smiling, and that was all she cared about in that moment. She flopped down on the bed, and began drifting off in her clothes, on top of the sheets.
Edain’s smile finally failed him and he found himself tearing up a bit himself. He had no intentions of being ‘handsy’, but he did wish he could hold her. To keep her safe and comfort her. He wished she would love him as he loved her. No matter. She would wake tomorrow and need his help with the hangover, so he was falling asleep beside her, laying on the sheets with her, fully clothed, though far less drunk. He lay with his back to her, as he heard her snore, and he allowed himself to sniffle. Then they slept, together alone.
Kizry woke up to the smell of pancakes and bacon. The smile on the man’s face was enough to break her frown, though it wasn’t enough to smile. ‘Not today. Still too soon.’ She thought, as she stretched and clambered out of bed. Slipping into a chair at the table, she asked “What’s the occasion?”
“I just like you. Suck it up, Kiz. You’re stuck with me.” He winked and dropped a pancake on a stack of two more, then slid the plate to Kizry with a bottle of syrup sliding up to her next. He began to hum to himself as he plated a few more pancakes and sat down across from her at the table.
“You must have gotten up really early for all this.” She said, gesturing at the sliced fruits, bacon, pancakes, and fresh syrup he had brought for them to enjoy.
He simply relaxed into his natural smile. “No earlier than I normally am. You were just sleeping in.” He gave her leg a little tap with his foot under the table.
Kiz jumped slightly, and then found herself closer to smiling than she had been since she had set out on the trip with the group who was now split. “Don’t tease me. I still have a hangover from all the booze you and Syndic were giving me.”
“Do you have a plan for today? It had better be a short plan, since you missed most of the day.” he prodded again.
“It’th enly eight en the mrneng!” She said with a mouth full of pancake. Finishing her bite and then “It’s only eight in the morning, you jerk.” She repeated. “I was thinking about going to talk to the people who hired us and ask what they were after.” her face turned sour and she looked down at her plate. “If it was important enough to send someone to their death, I should get an answer on what they wanted in the first place.” She played with the small earring she now wore, almost subconsciously.
“You really think they care? I thought you said that a group connected with the government of Murcia was responsible.” he watched as she shoved another piece of bacon into her mouth, chewing and swallowing before replying again.
“It was, but… But what do they need it for?” She asked, half absentmindedly.
“You mean what do they need and what is it for?” He asked. Slightly more concern was showing on his face which had already wrinkled with worry.
She flipped the hourglass and tried again. “It was, but what do they need? Why do they need it?” She said, deliberately. She watched his face as his initial concern remained. “They killed someone with that. The least they could do is tell us what he died for, right?”
“I hate to say it, Kiz…”
“Then don’t.”
“… But they didn’t kill him. The zombies in that stupid dungeon did, and there’s no way they will see it any other way. Murcia is know for it’s government involvement in treasure acquisition, and not for it’s kindness to those who do the acquisisting for them”
“Dear, that’s not a word.” The smile returned to her face for just a moment. “And I know what they say, but the people who sent us were people after all. They should have a soul. Maybe they’ll understand? They should still be waiting for word of our success or failure. I just want to know what he died for.”
They spent several minutes eating, broken by a few check ins from Edain wondering if she was sure, before she began to ready herself for the day ahead. She went to the bathroom and pulled on a fresh set of clothes in solitude while Edain cleaned up. He wouldn’t have stared if she had done this in the main room of the home, but she would have still blushed knowing he could have. She was actually blushing at the idea, now. ‘Why am I getting all flustered about the thought of being a bit vulnerable with him?’ she thought. ‘He’s the most calm and rational guy I know. He wouldn’t do anything that would make me feel uncomfortable.’
She knew deep down that it wasn’t discomfort spreading the rosy red through her face, but she refused to think about it. ‘He’s a great friend.’ She reminded herself.
Kizry was on her way to the meetup with her contacts shortly after. She had taken a lot of water, as her head wasn’t fully back to normal yet, but she was making her way through town now, on her own. She passed the market district and headed for the capital building.
On her way she saw a few kids in an alley behind the markets, where it looked like they had grabbed someone’s wallet. She shrugged and headed on. Stalls of vendors were preaching the superb quality of their wears. From food to trinkets to traveling gear to simple jewelry. She noticed one of the jewelers, a catfolk, was eyeing her earring. She smiled at him, halfheartedly and he flashed a false smile back of his own. He held up a necklace that had a similar look to her earring and waved her over. She held herself in place for a moment, looking at the necklace and then begrudgingly made her way towards the vendor.
“What is that design called?” She tried to sound nonchalant, but failed as the man pointed to her ear.
“Whatever it is, you’ve already got one, right? Why not make it a matching set?” He purred in a near hypnotic voice. “You like the look, don’t you?”
“I love the look, but It feels gaudy to have multiple. I didn’t even get the other earring when I picked this one up.” She toyed with the man. She knew she was no good at striking a bargain, but she would try her hardest anyways. Who knows how it might turn out? “Does this one change color when you flip it?”
Her question threw him off for just a moment. “Does yours?” he asked interested in her jewelry more than ever.
“No of course not” she lied. She had seen it change colors after the first time she flipped it. The black had drained from the ebony wood for about 30 seconds. She smiled at the cat face looming over her and pointed to the necklace. “What does it look like when it flips then?” The furry face contorted into uncertainty before flipping the necklace and letting the sand drain down the hourglass. “That’s exactly what I meant! See?” She said happily, pointing at the sand in the glass which was clearly the same color. “It changes colors!” she stared at the sand, filling the bottom of the hourglass. “Now the bottom is white and the top is clear! It’s like magic!” she said. The cat chuckled nervously at her, clearly buying the veil of stupidity she was playing.
“Would you like it? It’s only 3 gold coins!” The man said, matching her enthusiasm at seeing the sand shifting through the glass.
“I would, but I only have 1 gold and a handful of silver…” She said, her face deflating into a much more realistic embodiment of her feelings.
“I could bring it down a little bit more, just for you.” He smiled.
“Would you?! Oh but I need my silver to buy my children dinner tonight, and I already have one just like it, as you’ve said… I really shouldn’t. Thank you though!” She waved politely and started to wander off, when the voice rang out from the stall again.
“Wait!” He had a look of sadness on his face. “For your kids sake, I can lower the cost to a one gold and three silver. Would that leave enough to feed them?” He smiled at her, with a hint of predation in his eyes.
She counted her fingers, moving from one to another, then stopping at the fourth. “I don’t think so. I have to have at least six gold to afford a decent meal for them that won’t leave them hungry. I have so many children.” She sighed, her eyes allowing the real depression she felt to cross them for the first time since this morning.
“Then one gold. Just one gold. I’m not heartless, and I can see you love this necklace.” He sighed, reaching out with the necklace in hand.
“Thank you! Are you sure?!” She said with false glee. As she pulled out the gold, she made sure not to open her purse wider than she needed, as the rest of her coinage was not silver at all. She placed the gold in the man’s hand and gingerly took the necklace from the vendor.
The down payment for this job had been quite the stipend, and she had hardly gotten through a few gold of the tens of coins she now had rattling around in her coin purse. She would be going to the bank to trade some of the gold for larger denominations soon.
“Thank you!” Kizry’s singsong, false joy practically punching the man in the face. She was still impressed she was able to get the necklace at that steep a discount, but she was
After the exchange was completed, she simply walked off from the stall and took off her earring once she was out of sight. She slipped it into her pocket, and then draped the chain of the necklace over her head. It fell into place with a satisfying twinkling of the silver chain links. She smiled as she looked down at the pendant. This should do nicely.
The vendor smiled his own smile. Another client came up to purchase a trinket, but he shook his head. “Sorry. We’re closed for now. I’m just about packed up for the day.” Kizry was already long gone, but he had fulfilled this portion of the bargain. Now it was on to the next leg of his journey. He smiled at a cloud poking out over one of the buildings. He was feeling very lucky, and he knew that this would create chaos in all the right places.
It was another several blocks to the Capital building, but she now had a plan in place for her arrival. A plan she wouldn’t have been able to pull off without the help of this necklace. She tucked it into her shirt as she walked into the building. The large glass panes swinging open precariously on their hinges were a testament to the ruins of buildings from a time long forgotten. Often found on the bottom floor of a dungeon, they looked slightly intimidating. And yet in this setting they were almost inviting, with the way that they showed the inside of the building to the outside world, it made it seem like the government had nothing to hide.
That of course was further from the truth than the farthest reaches of the galaxy, and Kizry was well aware. She grabbed the handle and swung the door wide, walking in with a dramatic flare. Eyes landed on the halfling as she strut towards the front desk. She stepped onto the platform beside the desk for the shorter races, and looked at the receptionist. They were a simple half-elf. Their features were rather well manicured and it seemed like they put extra effort into their looks in the morning. Kizry became slightly self-conscious at the realization she had essentially just rolled out of bed.
“Hello there. How can I help you today?” the woman said, here long eyelashes fluttering in a mask of calm that was betrayed only momentarily by her surprise.
“You can let me see the man who assigned my party to the quest into the dungeons.” She said flatly, but with a soft tone of exasperation that was hard to hide.
“Which party would that be? And which Dungeon were you sent to?” the woman chirped in a pleasant voice, as if she hadn’t just been scared by a small face popping up from behind the counter.
“There can’t have been that many funded expeditions to a dungeon in the last week. I’m from a party of four.” A shrug from the desk worker was the only reply. “I wasn’t supposed to say the name of the benefactors, but-“
“Oh that party! Give me just a moment. They will be with you shortly.” She interrupted with a haste that was inhuman. Kizry rolled her eyes and hopped from the counter.
She had hardly made it to one of the seats in the lobby before the man she had met the week before was at a door, waving her back. “Follow me, Kizry. We have much to discuss.” Once they were through the door from the lobby and into the hallway leading back to the offices and conference rooms that she had seen only a few times before, he spoke again. “I hope your team is alright. I haven’t made contact with anyone of them at this point, though we heard there was a group that almost matched your description having an argument at a local tavern last night.”
“That’s what I came to you to talk about. One of our team members died, and I want to know why.” The look on the man’s face was perplexed, but not surprised.
“You want to know why the man died? He was with you, not us. Maybe you had best return to that dungeon and search for your answers there.”
“He died right before I found a secluded room with no doors. I found myself trapped there when this appeared at my feet.” She lifted the necklace out of her shirt just enough to give the man a glimpse. “A door appeared behind me and I made it out safely. My friend was not so lucky. I want to know what this thing is, what it means, and why he died.”
“That.” he couldn’t remove his eyes from her neck. “That is the trinket we sent you down there for. It’s exactly as described..” He was almost drooling at this point.
“What is it? What is it supposed to be? What did he die for?!” Kizry started to raise her voice. The man held out his hand, in request of the trinket. She ripped the necklace from it’s perch around her neck, letting the chain snap as she yanked. The pressure left a mark on her neck, but the look of horror on the man’s face was priceless. The halves of the chain now fell to either side of her clenched fist, still clutching the fake version of the item. “You want it so bad? Take it!” She threw it at the man, who just about dove to catch it.
He straightened himself up, trying to regain his dignity, as he held the trinket. “You want to know what this does?” he reached his hand to the hour glass in the center. Kizry crossed her arms and stared at the man.
“You can just tell me! Why do you want it? Who created it? What benefit could it possibly grant?” She stalled.
“You really didn’t try it, huh?” He shrugs and smiles at her with malice painted on his face. “It turns back time. And now that I have it in my hand, you’ll not remember the last minute or so anyways… It’s a gift from the goddess Chaldira. She’s known for her luck and her Impeccable choices in any given moment. Many claim it was her ability to see just far enough into the future to make the right decision. Most have never heard of this trinket, but it’s the physical embodiment of that power of hers. Many claim she would be just as unlucky as the average human if she never got the choice to find the right path forwards. And we have been searching for this for hundreds of years now. It will give us the edge in any situation. It’s the ultimate weapon!”
Kizry flipped the hourglass in her pocket, and the man began to straighten up, after catching the necklace. He patted down his suit which had wrinkled as he leapt for the necklace. “That wasn’t very polite you know.” He said. “I do want it so bad, but it’s worth nothing to us broken. It’s magic may keep it from breaking too easily, but who knows how much force it would take to shatter magic glass of this age.”
Another idea in her mind flared and she flipped the hourglass in her pocket again.
The man’s position didn’t change. He still had the necklace in hand, and a sly smile on his face. “You’ve done well to bring us this trinket. And you didn’t use it before you came here?” He questioned. “I would think for all your questions, you would have toyed with the thing at least once.”
“I lost my friend, I got really drunk. I woke up with my hangover, and then I came here. There wasn’t much time to be playing with toys. I need to know why my friend died. I need to know it was worth losing someone again.” She practically growled at the still nameless man. “Did he die for the benefit of the people? Did he just die for money? What was it all for?” to her relief, the man’s hand left the trinket as it slipped into a hidden compartment on the top of the desk, looking more like it fell through the solid wood, than into a drawer.
“It was for the greater good. But you are owed some money, aren’t you? You were not the only survivor right? Should we split the reward now, and let the others pick it up, or should we trust you’ll divvy it out appropriately?” He smiled.
“I’ll take it to them.” she didn’t have to force herself to let the look of disgust wash over her face. She really didn’t want the money. But she had to make this believable, and she couldn’t let the others not get their share when this man figured out the trinket was a fraud.
“That’s what I thought.” the man shrugged. “You really knew what your ‘friend’ died for this whole time then, didn’t you?” He lifted a large bag of money from the floor, and let it hit the desk top with a thud. “Greed will one-day take us all, I fear. Greed for money, Greed for length of life…” He smiled with a look that said he knew her. He didn’t know her at all.
She grabbed the bag and opened it. It was ALL platinum. She needed to go to a bank immediately. Luckily she knew the main bank in town would likely be the bank that her traveling companions had used as well. She huffed as she pulled the sack over her shoulder. A slight miscalculation of it’s weight almost had her toppling to the floor. She had never even considered there was this much platinum in one place besides a bank before. The heft was decently impressive.
She gave one last look over her shoulder at the man, who simply wiggled his fingers over his shoulder in a disgustingly playful goodbye. He was gross, and his assumptions of her made her sick to her stomach. After making it out the building, she went to the bank on her next stop.
The bank of Claxx was a large and heavily magicked building with plenty of people looking for opportunity and some even finding it. Most were bringing a handful of gold. From the size of the bag, it was likely assumed by most that she was there to convert her coins from copper to silver, or even copper and silver to gold. To maintain this illusion, she simply waited in the line with everyone else, bag at her feet in front of her, drawstring pulled tightly closed, and her eyes feigning impatience like everyone behind her. It took about twenty minutes before she was at the front, and the teller asked for her name and account info.
“Hi there. My name is Kizry Cozalmin, I have a rather private matter I’d like to take care of, if we could go somewhere a bit more… quiet.” The woman gave her a look of worry and then called a guard over to escort her to the bank manager.
“Gart is the manager. Brichen will take you to him. Gart should be able to help with whatever your private matters are. Thank you Brichen.” she gave one last odd look, before turning to the person in line behind Kizry. “Next!”
The large Orc body guard offered to carry the bag, but Kizry simply shook her head and followed the man. He lead her to a door that looked too small for him to fit in, and then let her walk inside. It didn’t take long before he was standing behind her inside the room, and she was face to face with a smaller humanoid with sparkling golden eyes and a hint of golden scales peeking out of the neckline of his finely tailored suit.
“You must be Gart, then?” Kiz looked the man up and down.
He nodded and gestured for her to sit at the chair on the opposite side of his desk. There were two chairs. One was a size more comfortable for dwarves and halflings, and the other was a more standard sized chair for the larger humanoids. She half expected the orc to take a seat with them, but he stood by the door, simply watching the exchange. Gart spoke for him. “Sorry about him. He’s not here to scare you, we just have some people who have tried to hold us up by getting into my office and taking the vault keys. It didn’t work, but it was a valiant effort. We had to implement a few extra security measures.” The man let out a short chuckle that almost resembled a grunt. “More to keep me safe than the contents of the vault.” the sharp teeth of his smile struck her as his face peeled back around them. Long fangs hung in place of his canine’s. He caught her stare and shrugged. “I hope you aren’t afraid of dragons. We have to fit into society too, you know.”
“I was more interested in what an orc could do to protect a dragon from thieves.” She admitted. Her eyes, still searching his form.
“Oh, well… Truth be told, and we don’t share this very often, so try to keep it between us… Dragons in human form are only as strong as a human of the same body composition. We’re honestly not much different from them, short of the scales, teeth and eyes. And I can’t exactly transform to defend myself in this small office. I would probably break down the walls. And we can’t have that!” He laughed heartily at this, and Kiz smiled, more comfortably than she probably should have. “But you didn’t come to talk about me. What is in this large bag of yours?” He gestured to the sack still sat between her legs on the floor.
“I… Well, I need this divided 3 ways, and have one deposited in my account, then the other two should go to my traveling companions who… couldn’t make it.” She lifted the bag to the desk and poured the contents before the golden dragon. His eyes twinkled, but his face gave no hint of surprise or confusion. He simply nodded and began sorting.
“And who are these friends of yours? Sorry, Traveling companions.” He corrected himself without meeting her piercing gaze.
Kizry leaned on the desk with a sigh. “I don’t know their last names, but I can provide you with their first name and a decent description.” She shrugged. The dragon nodded and looked up for just a moment, to meet her eyes. She continued. “There’s a lithe young half-orc named Syndic who is a life caster, and a healer. He usually travels with the other member of the party. Her name is Kat and she is an elven elemental caster who has been known to be quite kind and sweet, but… Lately she’s been rather harsh and drunk. She just lost a close friend, so I’m not sure which version of her you might get.”
The dragon nodded, still counting, then waved his hand towards the orc in the doorway, who began to lumber back into the main lobby of the bank.
Kizry leaned back in and added “And I need someone added to my account. They should be able to withdraw any amount they want, and should have full authority over my bank account, as long as they’re not being coerced. A halfling named Edain SanLovi”
“I see. Your partner, is he?” The dragon smiled teasingly.
“No… Just a friend, but if I don’t leave him access, I worry I may not be able to give him access later on.” She muttered.
“You didn’t steal this, did you?” The dragon stopped counting for the first time since the platinum hit his desk. “We can’t take stolen coin. And it would explain the lack of balance in your account before this… deposit.”
“I didn’t. I wouldn’t. I am no thief. But I may be in trouble regardless. I was paid this at city hall and-”
“No worries. I understand. If City Hall is involved, that means the Murcian government is involved, and that explains the amount of pure platinum here a lot better than thievery. It also means I want nothing to do with your story. I’m simply a banker. I will keep the coin safe. I will deposit it to the three accounts you’ve selected and I will grant your boyfriend access to your account.” He returned to his counting.
Kizry went to war in her own mind against the idea of telling him that Edain was not her boyfriend. When the words finally left her mouth they sounded less than honest, even to her own ears. The dragon simply flicked his eyes back to hers, gave her a slight smirk and a wink, then returned to counting the platinum. Her stomach seemed to roll within her, uncomfortably. She couldn’t quite figure out what the issue was.
“You won’t likely get the same coinage back, is that okay with you?” He asked her.
“I just need the money available, not the exact coins.” She said, sounding much more sure in this, and not fully understanding why. The dragon gave a knowing nod and spent another five minutes counting.
Finally he finished, and looked back at her, with three equal piles and a single coin still sitting in the middle. “Does thirty three thousand three hundred and thirty gold each sound about right? That would leave one platinum left over.”
She nodded and dropped two more platinum on the table from her coin purse. “Let’s make it thirty three thousand three hundred and forty each. I’d rather not have either of the others worried that I cheated them out of as much as a single copper.” She took a deep sigh and looked at the dragon as he finished updating his banker’s logs. What she could only assume was a combination of magics opened a hole on the ground next to the desk.
The dragon pushed the coins, pile by pile into the abyss. They disappeared quickly and quietly. He then returned his attention to her, and offered a hand to shake. “I wish you luck on your journey. Your friends will have to confirm their accounts here to receive the money and make sure it doesn’t go to someone with the same names you gave us. As for you and your boy friend.” He took extra care to separate the two words, but the implication was still the same, and sent a deep blush to Kizry’s cheeks.
“You both will have access to these funds wherever you end up, as our logs have already updated the rest of the branches within Murcia of your deposit. And unless you access the money through a government run bank, they should not have any record of your location or access to the funds without knowing a handwriting expert who knows exactly which bank managers and tellers handwriting looks like at each of the thousands of locations. It’s not likely, but also far from impossible.” He gave a warning look to Kizry, before standing up and walking her to the door of the office. “Now. Do try to be safe. The Murcian government is not known for it’s kindness to people who are not then thousand percent loyal to them. And I rather enjoyed your company today. Hopefully we’ll meet again soon.” Kizry nodded and went to shake his hand again, but he pulled her into a hug. “And if you’re ever at this branch again, please skip the tellers and head back here. I’ll tell Brichen to let you straight through next time.” He gave her a much too friendly pat on the back, as she stood frozen at the door, confused by the sudden overly cordial nature of the creature. Then she nodded uncomfortably and headed out the door.
Kizry ran through the city, heading for her home. As she traversed the markets again, she passed several stalls and though she was looking for the one from before. It seemed like it had never existed to begin with after walking down the same path she took this morning.
She walked into the house that had quickly become her home in the city over the last many years. She took a moment to look over the space. Most of the space was simply open, from her sleeping area, to the closet space tucked in a corner with a hanger rod where her clothes lived. There was no wall between that and the kitchen, nearer to the door, instead using the dining table as more of a separation between the two. Her bathroom had walls and a door, though this was the only space to be separated. The bath, toilet and sink in the small secondary room was just enough to fill the space and there wasn’t room for much more of anything. It was even a little cramped in room. The place wasn’t a palace like she could now afford, but it was certainly comfortable. She’d grown to love her home.
She sighed with resignation and knew what she had to do. She had even guaranteed this plan was necessary when she took the money and didn’t give the man her earring. She began to walk to the corner of the room where her clothes lived. She pulled a bag from under her bed. Her clothes landed in neat piles, stuffing the inside of the bag, before she turned to her toiletries and other important day to day items. She had done this recently, but never with the finality that she felt in her heart today. She set the packed bag on the bed and went to the kitchen to grab a piece of paper and a pen. She sat herself down at the table and began to write. She’d been thinking a lot about what she would tell him, but now everything that came was from her heart. It was natural to her.
Dear Edain,
You’ve been my best friend for as long as I can remember. I grew up holding your hand when we would walk to school together. You were there when my life was turned upside down, and you were there when I ran away to Claxx. You’ve stuck by my side for it all, despite my terrible luck in life.
I don’t regret a moment of it. And I want you to know that this is not out of malice or regret that I have made this decision. It is out of love for you and hope for your future without me that I leave. It is because of my misfortune that I bring to myself and those around me that I needed to get away. I will not be back. I will not see you again. I’m sorry I couldn’t wait to say goodbye in person, but I know you’d just follow me if you could. You deserve to be free and live your own life. You should follow your own passions. You should revel in your own power and grace.
I have cherished our time together, and I will never forget you, but it’s out of safety for you that I need to keep myself far from your reach. I run from a group of people who will gladly hurt or kill you if it means getting their hands on the things that they tried to take from me. I haven’t let you in to even talk about the items they have requested, as it could have put you in danger. If they come, show them this letter. Below this letter, I have left the deed to my home. You can sell it if you’d like, or you can rent it out, use it however you think is best. It’s yours now.
I granted access for you to withdraw money from the riches I’ve acquired as well. Please use it to fund your future. You deserve to be happy until the end of your days. And I will be happy knowing you lived a good life because of whatever luck I’ve mustered. I may take money out and deposit some here and there over the next few years, but I promise you’ll not be able to find me from those transactions.
I never really realized it until today, but I think I have something to tell you. I thought about all the good times we spent together and all the great days and nights we had fun, smiling and laughing like we would never have a care in the world. You helped me find the me I wanted to be. You helped me to realize the things I need in life. One of them is to keep you safe. So I have to go. Keep that smile you always shared with me on your face, and you’ll find someone just as wonderful as you, to spend your life with. Someone who won’t be a liability to you. And when you find yourself the perfect lady, I just hope you don’t forget about me.
Edain, I love you.
I’m sorry I never said it before. You deserve better, and I just can’t be that for you. I hope to see you’ve bought yourself a castle somewhere nice and high on a hill, where you can be the prince I always knew you were. I hope to hear great things about you on the wind. And if I ever remove this curse, I hope to someday come back and give you a hug for all the kind words you shared with me.Your best friend forever,
~ Kizry Cozalmin ~
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