[Iravati/Zachary] - Arrested development?

[shadowyarts]

Who: Iravati and Zachary
When: Monday, March 21st, early morning :>
Where: Bastan
Before/After: N/A
Warnings: Blood, death, arrests

Keeping an eye on Zachary had given Iravati something to do, and his company was not unwelcome. He let her speak at him, which was more than enough to keep her satisfied, and as "jobs" went, it was painfully easy. Keep relaxed, keep him occupied, and keep him safe. Paladins did the brunt of the work for her. Ha, job. Iravati wasn't getting paid for this.

But there was a bizarre sense of satisfaction in it. It was best not to consider that for longer than she had to. Bastan's siege was a temporary change of pace, and that was something Iravati could appreciate it. The fact that it was only temporary was a large part of the appeal.

She hopped down from a nearby fence as Zach left the infirmary, probably on another errand. "Yo," she greeted, falling in step with him. "Busy day?"


Zach startled a little at Iravati's voice. He'd almost forgotten about her, his mind on everything else, but he gave her a sincere smile once he remembered. At least he didn't jump a foot in the air that time.

"Always," he answered. The infirmary seemed to get more and more wounded each day, and with less and less of them leaving, that meant more and more people to deal with. A part of him regretted working there now, but the thought of the alternative...

Nope, not going back out on patrol.

He started walking towards the market, glancing this way and that. Still skittish, but not as terrified as previously. Nothing had leapt out to eat him or crush him since the siege started, and he expected it less with each passing day. Getting used to a siege. That was... sad, really.

"You keeping busy?" he asked, glancing towards her. What did she even do when she wasn't following him around talking his ear off?


She brought her hand to her mouth as she yawned. "Busy enough." It was enough of a hassle finding a place to sleep at night. Last night, she had found a nice tree in the park. Good foliage, that one. Even the paladins wouldn't see her up in that tree on a usual patrol, and the berserkers probably wouldn't think to knock it down if they got over the wall. There was nothing to be said for the noise, however.

Even with the yawn, Iravati was still rubbing her eye. Sleepiness, get out. "One's got to be careful with this siege. I suppose it would feel busy even if I did nothing." She looked down at him. "So what's the errand today?"


The siege would make things seem busy, even on a normal day. Most were hiding indoors by then, and even then they fretted, spied out the windows, considered trying to escape the city. And those that weren't were rushing around the city as if staying outdoors would be the death of them.

Zach could relate to that. It was oddly comforting to know he wasn't the only one worried about it.

He pulled a small bundle of papers out from under his arms. "Delivery. Guess I'm a postdragon now," he said smirking. Some were requisition forms, others were reports. He had to deliver them. He'd actually volunteered to do it, but they would've given the job to him anyway, so he didn't feel all that brave offering.


Iravati glanced at the stack of papers with feigned interest. On any other day, the assassins may have wanted to see what was in that stack. And on any other day, Iravati still would not have cared enough to find a way to get it. She already had a list of excuses and fits to through when they asked her why she hadn't brought anything back out of Bastan.

"Think it pays well?" she said, hand at her chin. "Postdragons, I mean. Do they get paid in food, or..."

Her idle musing was interrupted by a flash of movement out of the corner of her eye. Their pathway had brought them closer to the wall than Iravati remembered, and she never actually expected--

She grabbed hold of Zachary's shoulder and gave him a forceful shove just before the berserker was on top of them both. His guild affiliation was obvious, given the furs and armor he wore, and not to mention his hair hadn't been groomed in at least a week. Not that Iravati had time to nitpick. She leapt back from the berserker's spear, swung in a broad stroke, giving her the time she needed to pull a hidden dagger from her coat.

True, she knew how to use a sword, but in the panic of battle, that's not what came out. She whirled, flanking the enraged berserker. A single strike was all it took. Not right away, of course, but a few taunting twirls and dance-like evasions later, the poison took and he hit the ground. Ha! Blind dogs. They couldn't hit the broad side of Bastan palace if... if...

Something warm and wet spread out from her torso. A growing dizziness had her feeling unaware of herself, and she lifted her hand to look to the blood. Huh...


Zachary wasn't the most observant fellow. He hadn't even noticed the berserker when Iravati was shoving him away, and at first he thought she was attacking him - serve him right for trusting someone claiming to be Ravi's sister...!

But when he looked up from where he'd landed and saw the guy charging, his eyes went wide and he scrambled backward across the ground, then looked around for his staff, lost as he'd fallen. Not too far, though. He rolled towards it and grabbed it up, standing quickly and turning back towards Iravati and the berserker. The papers he'd been holding were a lost cause, however.

Not that he even remembered them.

The spear worried him, and he kept his distance, muttering the words of a protective spell he cast on Iravati. Unfortunately, it went off too late, and took effect only after she'd been hit. He noticed it before she did, and chanted a minor healing spell to at least keep the bleeding minimal until he could inspect the wound.

His eyes went wider still, Zach staring in shock as he watched the berserker fall to a small dagger, without taking more than a scratch of damage. Something was off, but he wasn't sure what that was.

But she was hurt, and that overrode his other thoughts as he ran to her side. "Iravati!" Ravi would be furious if he let something happen to his sister when he wasn't around...! "Here, sit," he said, voice calming as he tried to focus on being a healer, offering her an arm for support.


The guard would be here soon. They may have already seen. They needed to get out. She leaned into Zachary and obeyed his instructions to sit in spite of her thoughts.

"We should... go," she said struggling to focus enough to form her thoughts. "We should get out of here." What healing he had supplied was mending her wound: a slash across her stomach, which had no armor thanks to her need for a disguise. But it was shock that was getting to her more than the injury.


"What?" It sounded incredulous, Zach glancing up at her face before looking back to the wound to inspect it, using more of his magic to ensure it healed properly. "No, the guard can help. You'll be all right." They'd be there soon and they'd be able to get rid of the berserker and any others that managed to make it into the city, and help him get Iravati to the infirmary. She needed to rest, and to give the magic time to do it's job. Going anywhere might make it worse before it got better.


"They can't find me." Iravati hadn't meant to say it so upfront, or so quickly. She didn't watch Zachary as he worked, afraid to admit she wouldn't take it well. Getting hurt wasn't something she did. This wasn't even a job. This was... was a thing... thinking was getting difficult.

"We need to go," she repeated.


He gave her a shocked and confused look. "Why not?" It was out before he could think about it. Maybe he shouldn't have asked. If she had secrets...

What if she was the traitor in her family like Victor was in his?

...But as much as he hated Victor, he wouldn't leave his own brother to rot in a prison cell. And Ravi wouldn't want his sister there.

Maybe he'd regret it later. Maybe he wouldn't. Either way, he helped Iravati stand and offered support so she could walk with him. "I have a room at the church." Or would that even be safe? If she didn't want to be found... "Umm. I don't know where else would be good."


"That's fine," she said. Still not thinking. Was that more dangerous? It didn't matter now. She managed to get to her feet and thought to walk on her own, but decided against it. Hey, if Zachary was offering.

"Let's go."


Zach wasn't sure that was a good idea. But he didn't know what else to do.

"Okay," he said, sounding uncertain. He lead her off towards the church, taking a longer route that would ensure a smaller chance of being seen by the guards who were on their way to the scene, pausing behind a carriage when a few went past. They'd probably want to question witnesses... Maybe Zach could go back and tell them what happened after Iravati was resting? He didn't have to mention where the girl who'd killed the berserker had gone....


Iravati flinched as the guards past them, and if she hadn't been disoriented, she would have been more impressed by Zachary's cunning with the carriage. The kid knew how to avoid trouble, in some ways. She could give him that.

Think. Focus. Her wounds would be fine. It was only a little blood loss and a little shock. A lot of shock. She sucked air in through her teeth, closed her eyes, and reopened them, promising herself the world would be sharper when she did. So much for that promise. Iravati's word had never meant much, she reflected.

Once she was inside the church, she was confident she could remain hidden. Stealth in place was certainly easy enough.


It was convenient, otherwise he wouldn't have even considered the carriage. Lucky for Iravati.

The church, however, was guarded. Two guards stood outside, and while their attention was focused towards where the fight had occurred, they were still in front of the doors, and Zach paused, uncertain. Mmmmaybe he could sneak around with Iravati and get behind them and they'd be too focused to ask questions?

Sneaky he was not, however, and when he tried to move around to the other side to get in behind the guards, one of them spotted the pair, and of course a guard-robed cleric with a woman leaning against him in obvious distress was worthy of note.

"Need a hand?" one of the guards asked, attention now turned towards them.

Zach flinched. "Uh. She just needs rest." Yeah that'd totally work.


Iravati froze a moment, forcefully reminding herself to get a hold of herself.

"The infirmary is not far," the other guard said. Infirmaries were bad. Him approaching was worse, and that look in his eye worse still. Iravati knew that look. That thinking, critical look that slowly shifted into a kind of realization. "Hey..."

Hey nothing! Iravati forced her most charming smile. "It's nothing so bad as that..." Clothes covered in blood? What blood?

The guard reached in. Rude! But Iravati was too slow to react, and he pulled her coat aside where her dagger was not so well hidden, nor the secret pocket of venoms with it. Iravati's smile didn't waver, but she couldn't think of an excuse to go with that. "Ah..."


It was just a dagger. Zach didn't think anything of it, shifting his cane around to try and shove the guard's hand away. "She needs rest," he said again, more firm.

"I'll be she does," that first guard said, skeptic, having caught a peek at that dagger and the pocket. "No one enters the church without inspection."

That was a lie and Zach knew it. "Since when?"

"Since now," the guard replied, making to grab Zach while he left Iravati to his companion.

He didn't have much choice. He couldn't fight and even trying to use spells against his own would just make things so much worse. This was all a mistake, anyway, right? They'd let them go and Zach could take Iravati up to lay down and rest, and then he'd write to Ravi about helping his sister out and everything would be fine!


It took every ounce of will Iravati had not to stab the guard right there. Stab at, perhaps, but the point was, she wanted to stab him. Then stab the other one. Then disappear and run. That would reflect poorly on Zachary. (Why did she even care?) Her reflexes were dulled. They would drag her off, and she could stab them then.

Her dagger hit the ground as the guard searched her. Then another. Aaand another still. The guard eyed her a long moment, and with a sigh, Iravati reached into her boot and dropped another. That satisfied him, and she had to hide her grin of satisfaction that there was still another for her use.

He took the poison. Of course he took the poison. It didn't take much inspection before he knew what it was. "We're taking you in," he said.

"Yeah, all right, fine fine."


Zach let out the breath he'd been holding. He wasn't sure if Iravati would go peacefully or not, especially after dropping so many daggers, but he was glad she did. "This'll get sorted," he said to her, trying to smile before the guard holding him took his staff away and started dragging him off.

It'd all be fine! He hoped.


Iravati blinked, then started to struggle as she noticed Zachary coming along too. "Whoooa, okay, look, the kid had nothing to do with--"

The guard's grip went hard enough to force her to wince, shutting her up. She realized after it was a stupid thing to say. Trying to protect him might make Zachary more suspicious. Did it even matter now? Iravati clenched her jaw and glanced at Zachary.

Yeah, better hope this all got sorted out.