A Raven's Feather, Part Fin

Yup, this is the end of A Raven's Feather. If you've read it all, muchos gracias, and I hope you'll consider reading more of my work ^_^.

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The next day, after they had slept until early afternoon, their investigation resumed. Nicolai came back with the news that people had seen two shapes fighting in the sky over the town the previous night, one of which had seemed to be some sort of bat creature. No one had quite been able to make out the other one, besides the occasional glint of something metallic. Rosa informed Boyar Marinescu of their findings in that manor house, and he pulled some strings to get the town militia to go in force, clearing out any remaining thugs and retrieving the bodies of the victims for proper burial. The man was as good as his word; according to Rosa, he had been very pleased with the results, and had paid them a bonus on top of their agreed-upon salary.

To be on the safe side, the team conducted another search that next night. If there were more goons involved in the killings, then they had decided it best to lay low for a while, as the streets were clear of any such activity. Kai would have probably preferred to stick around for at least another week, just to make sure, but he also knew that mercenaries, in particular outsider mercenaries, could only count on gratitude for so long. If he stuck around, even to try and make things safer for the locals, he would wear out his welcome before much longer, now that they knew he was a warrior; warriors had a bad habit of drawing trouble.

That night, as they got back to their inn – Marinescu had paid the owner quite handsomely to actually allow them re-entrance after dark – they divvied up the reward in the same private room as before. More money than he had seen in some months, and enough supplies for each of them to last at least another three weeks; it was hard to argue with that result.

“Ahhhh...sweet, sweet money,” Nicolai said as he ran his hands through his share of the pay. “Hello, wolf-fangs. How I missed you so.” The man's grin was almost sickeningly cheerful.

“Looks like I won out, after all,” Kai said to him with a triumphant smirk.

Nicolai furrowed his brows, and frowned in response. “What do you mean, 'you won out?'”

“Well, as I recall it, I was the one who chopped that werebat like a piece of firewood. So that means I made you smile.”

“Yeah, right. You and the Boss, you mean,” he said with a snort, and looked to Rosa. “Right?”

“Actually...” Rosa's grin was sly and conspiratorial. “While it's true that we fought him together, it was Kai who flew after him and made the kill. So I'd say that, yes, he wins.”

Nicolai's jaw dropped a little, and he looked for the world as if he had just been utterly betrayed. Rodric laughed, more heartily than he had thus far on the trip, and patted the shorter man's shoulder. “She's got you there, old-timer.”

“Bah!” Nicolai shoved Rodric's hand away, but the motion was clearly only half-hearted. “Bastard can't just do his job, he's gotta expect congratulations for it. Well, you took so long that nearly all of us got bitten in the process. If you'd been a bit quicker about it, maybe we wouldn't have had to eat that awful wolfsbane. Thanks a lot, you slacker.”

“You're welcome.”

Muttering to himself under his breath, as Rodric continued to laugh, Nicolai gathered up his portion and poured it into one of his packs. “Bloody Falkovnian labar,” was the last thing Kai was able to make out as the man left for his room.

“Good night, Nicolai!” Rosa called after him a grin.

“On that note, I think it's time for me to retire as well.” Rodric wiped his eyes a little, still chuckling a bit. “Don't stay up too late, now. We've all had quite a busy few days.”

“Of course. You know how responsible I am,” Kai said while leaning back in his chair, propping his arms behind his head. With a wave, Rodric gathered up his things, and then he, too, was gone.

Rosa had already put her share away, her pouches arranged neatly on the floor with one shoulder strap looped through each of their clasps, and she shook her head a bit as she looked towards the door. “I'd say that's the most fun those two have had in quite some time.”

“Those two?” Kai looked at her in surprise. “You're including Nicolai?”

“Of course I am,” she said with a quiet laugh. “He acts like he swallowed a whole cart full of lemons at once, but he enjoys the back-and-forth as much as we do.”

“And what about you?” he asked with a roguish smile. “Have you been having fun as well?”

“Actually, yes.” She smiled back, and nodded once. “It's not often that I get to travel with a soft-hearted Falkovnian runaway who can't take anything seriously. It's done wonders for my mood.”

“S'what I'm here for, Leader.” Drawing in a deep, relaxed breath, Kai laughed to himself, and then set about packing things up as well. “It's been a blast for me, too. I don't often get to work in a group.” She must have noticed the wistful tone he had accidentally infused that with, because she grew quiet. Just as he finished with his packing, he noticed her scoot her chair over towards his, and he looked back to her once more. She looked...concerned. “...Rosa? What is it?”

She clearly hesitated for a moment, but then she drew in a deep breath, closing her eyes for a second or two. “You know...people like us, we don't get to live like normal human beings. Friends, family, peace and quiet...so much of that takes a backseat to just surviving, sometimes.”

He nodded in response, looking towards the surface of the table for a moment. “Yeah. It's the price we pay for our freedom, I suppose.”

“Freedom...” she dwelt on that word for a moment. “I suppose that's one way to put it, after all.”

“Is something on your mind?” It was a stupid question; of course something was on her mind. The conversation was practically dripping with subtext. When he looked back to her, she had opened her eyes again, and was looking straight at him, studying him again. But not quite in the same manner as before.

“...I do enjoy our banter,” she began, “and I respect you as a warrior and comrade.”

“That goes double for me, Rosa.” Polished sapphires; he had been right on the money with that one.

“But you and I, well...we're not couple material.” She seemed as if she wanted to look away at that, but she held her gaze fast to his own, not breaking eye contact.

He gave a nod. “Of course not. You're too classy for a lazy oaf like me. And, besides, you have your team, and they mean the world to you. I'm just here because a job needed doing, after all.”

It was her turn to nod. “Adventurers often don't have the luxury, anyway. You never know what's going to happen tomorrow.”

“True enough. Though that's why I always say you should enjoy the here and now; since you can only do what you can do, anyway, getting consumed by worry about the future is just silly.”

“I'm glad we understand each other.” She gave a half-smile. “That means you won't read too much into what I'm about to do.”

Before he had any time to respond, she leaned over and kissed him. Whatever he had been about to say vanished quite conveniently, and he happily let it evaporate back into his mind. Words, after all, were not his strong suit.




When he awoke, the moon still hung brightly in the sky, filtering through the high window of the room. The nightmares had come back – they had been bothering him more often as of late – but he had known they would likely rouse him. He didn't even wake in a cold sweat, anymore; it was amazing what a person could get used to. Leaning up a bit in bed, he rested on his elbows and looked around the room.

Rosa was still there, slumbering away blissfully, hopefully in much sweeter sleep than he had known. Her hair was fanned out behind her like red silk, and she wore a peaceful expression on her face that he found relaxing. Tomorrow, things would be back to business as usual, but for right now, he could pretend that he was a normal person, and that this was his world.

Letting his body settle back against the mattress again, he closed his eyes for a bit, and started an abbreviated form of his mental routines. It was only a few minutes before sleep started casting its veil back over his senses. He felt calm enough; turning until he could feel Rosa's body warmth again, he let himself drift back into slumber. For now, everything would be just the way he wanted it.





They all slept in that morning. The innkeeper had been instructed to awaken them if Boyar Marinescu sent word, but no such notification came, so they were able to get a nice, extended rest. When Kai woke up the second time, Rosa was gone, but her spot next to him was still warm. He debated just lying there for a few more minutes, but the smell of steak and eggs won out shortly after, and he tossed the sheets back, getting up and dressing.

He arrived in the common room to see his three companions all sitting at the same table as before. Only Rosa had food; apparently Nicolai and Rodric had already eaten, so Kai ordered some for himself and readily joined in their idle conversation. Rosa spared him a warm smile every so often, but beyond that things were much the same as they had been on the previous day. He didn't mind that, not one bit.

Around early afternoon, they had packed all of their bags, and were milling about the stables, checking on their mounts and generally getting ready to leave. Nicolai was still in a prickly mood, while Rodric encouraged it by poking fun at the man every so often as they talked. Kai just sat on a stool next to Merc's stall, and watched the display, chuckling quietly every so often at their antics.

“So, what are your plans from here?” Rosa's voice suddenly next to him brought him out of his spectating, and he looked up at her with a smile, standing and brushing his clothes off a bit.

“Well, I think it's back to Lamordia for me. There's something there that needs funding, and I seem to have acquired some capital. How about you, Red?”

“I think we may have some work in Invidia,” she said thoughtfully. “Reliable information says that the Gundarakites are making things interesting, so we'll poke around and see if anything worthwhile comes up.”

“Invidia, huh? I'm sure you won't be bored, at least.”

Rosa was quiet for a moment or two; those blue eyes trained on his own, and he tilted his head a little curiously, prompting her to speak. “You know...you could come with us, if you want. That is, if projects in Lamordia can wait for a time.”

Kai smiled a bit. “That would be a lot of fun, but I'm going to be heading through Borca. It's probably not a good idea for someone as irreverent and impetuous as I am to spend much time in a place like Invidia, anyway. Not to mention the fact that if someone did get a good look at my armor the other night, there might be trouble coming to this area before too much longer.”

She gave a quiet laugh. “You're probably right about that. Does this project involve your childhood dream?”

“Something to that effect.” Her knowing smile made him smile back. He was going to miss that smile. “I'm sorry.”

“Don't be,” she said with a shake of her head. “You have to do what you feel you have to do. That's what I believe, anyway.”

“I agree.”

“I do have a question for you, though.” She took a step forward, and poked him in the chest. “Does the ten-foot wall of merde between you and what you really feel ever come down?”

“On rare occasions, yes. I know a certain redhead who got through it smelling like roses.”

Her grin up at him was genuine, and she slugged him in the arm playfully. “I meant what I said last night, you know. What I said in the meeting room, that is.”

“I know you did. And I still think you're too classy for a lazy oaf like me. We aren't couple material.”

“...Would you do it all over again?”

“In a heartbeat.”

Her hand fell from his chest, and she wrapped both arms around his body, hugging close against him. “You take care of yourself, Kai. And if we ever have need of some Falkovnian thuggery, or an abominable bear-man...”

“Provided I'm not neck-deep in trouble, I'll be glad to team up with you again,” he said as he hugged her against him.

Giving a short laugh, she sighed a bit, and then pushed him away gently. “Good. But don't expect a repeat of what happened last night. You know you really aren't my type, when it comes down to it.”

Feigning a look of shock and dismay, Kai acted hurt. “What? Tall, dark, and incredibly handsome?”

“Not at all,” she said with a sly smirk. “Humble.”

Tossing his head back, he gave a great guffaw. Yeah, he was going to miss being around this woman.


Some minutes later, the four of them mounted up, and rode slowly towards the western edge of Verde Terasa. It was a beautiful spring day, with puffy clouds high up in the sky, and a light breeze blowing the scent of nearby wildflowers across the road. Merc actually seemed sprightly for a change.

As the road finally split, Kai rode out separately from the others, turning Merc around again once he was two or so lengths away. “Well, this is me.”

“Alright, then.” Rosa said, bringing her horse to a halt.

“Don't forget, that belladonna's only good for another couple of days,” Rodric called out to him. “Remember what it looks like, so you'll know what to pick should you need more.”

“You're wasting your time, Rodric,” Nicolai said with a snort. “Don't you know a Falkovnian's head is just full of more muscle? He'll probably wind up eating holly, instead.”

“Keep that sunny disposition, Nic.” At Kai's barb, more grumbling.

“Don't get in over your head.” Rosa fixed him with one of her half-smiles, and shook her head a bit. “As if you know how to do anything else.”

“If I do, will you come and rescue me?”

She put a hand over her mouth at his innocent tone, and laughed heartily. “Only if the pay's good.”

“Chances are, I'll be broke.” He grinned widely.

“Then I'm afraid you're on your own, Naustvik.”

“Story of my life, Red.”

Giving a wave, she started to turn her horse and lead the others off, but before she completed the motion, she turned around in her saddle slightly. “Oh, and by the way, it's Lesclide. My last name, that is.”

“Lesclide, huh?” He thought for a moment. “Matches your hair.”

Looking at him quizzically, the joke dawned on her a moment later, and she rolled her eyes. “I may have to stab you for that one, next time we meet.”

And with that, Kai watched them go, turning Merc towards his own path and riding off, the raven feather on his earring wafting a little behind him on the breeze.