#panrachus
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The Long Burning Torch ch 8
Alright, here we go, continuing what might be (rip) the longest day of Xaeryn's life for my @shepherds-of-haven 20's AU. (And a big thanks to @emeraldgreaves for code diving for me again <3)
Wordcount: 8,350~
---
Xaeryn's knee-jerk instinct was to correct 'abducted, not kidnapped'. As if that made a lick of difference to the fact Red was gone because someone had taken him.
Closely on its heels came Sun above, this is my fault. It wasn't as if Red was involved with anything else that had even a sliver of a chance to put him in danger; it had to be the research he was doing for her, or something else related to the case.
She shook off both thoughts and made herself focus. Panic wouldn't help Red. Her detective skills might. Would. "Could I see his office?"
Pan gave her a concerned look--probably heard the slight break in her voice. "Xaer, are you...?"
"Crying about it won't find him any faster," she said brusquely, squaring her shoulders. "But if those responsible" --for abducting him--"left any clues, especially if there's something I could use to help scrying..."
He nodded, an understanding gleam in his eye. "I think security's done and didn't find anything to make them suspicious, but you deal with this sort of thing more than they do, so if you wanna take a gander..."
He gestured toward the office, then followed a pace or two behind her, hands shoved in the pockets of his trousers. He didn't say anything and let her take in the scene.
It looked the same, roughly, as the last time she'd visited, just sans one tall, charming headmaster to greet her with an easy smile and warm green eyes. It almost offended her that Red's office looked the same without him in it, which was silly.
But it looked the same. There were no signs of a struggle or a fight.
Xaeryn traced a finger along the edge of the desk, smiling slightly at the trio of books half on top of each other, the stack of six more haphazard next to the chair, the charcoal grey suit jacket hanging off one corner of the chairback. It was the sort of space she could guess belonged to Red Antiqua without ever seeing him in it.
The books open on the desk were familiar ones; Jalis desert tribes, pre-Castigation artefacts. The research he'd offered to recompile for her. She stared at the desk and chairs for a long moment.
"... a girl does need a job eventually, and I’ve always loved a good mystery.”
“Or even a bad one..."
She didn't like how hard it was to focus on the task at hand; she was behind the eight ball enough without getting distracted by their bull sessions here over the past sennight--
She straightened.
"Ryn? You need to leave?" Pan asked.
Xaeryn shook her head. "I'm fine," she said, voice steady. "There are books on the chairs."
"Yeah, that's Red for you." Pan shot her a questioning look. "You know the man's borderline incapable of putting away books he 'might need later', even if later turns out to be two months down the road."
She couldn't help a small laugh. "No, I do know that. The books are still on the chairs. Whoever took him didn't try to be chummy and draw out their visit. When he has company that's staying, he moves the books so they have somewhere to sit. So this was quick in and out, no signs of struggle, and they didn't try to play coy. This was a mission."
God help her, it was hard to stay and sound detached about this.
"Well, night watchman says he didn't hear or see anything odd and he's always been honest and faithful in doing his rounds. He does stay on the first floor, though, as there's no other access to up here than the lobby, and there's another watchman outside." Pan crossed his arms, looking thoughtfully around the office. "So either they knew his schedule, got blazing lucky, or... didn't come through downstairs."
"If they didn't come through downstairs, maybe they had a Traveler," Xaeryn mused. "But it would be a gamble to translocate into an unfamiliar space as small as an office." She frowned.
"Maybe they just scaled the outside of the building," Pan suggested. "Wouldn't take more than an hour of waiting to gauge the outside watchman's rounds."
"And figuring out which window would be unlocked?" Xaeryn countered, just to see how far they could follow this possibility.
Pan's eyes narrowed, and he swore under his breath before darting down the hall. She arched a brow at the abrupt departure and resumed examining the room until he returned.
"The corner office," he said, scowling. "It's unoccupied right now, so we use it when we need a break. Sela's always smoking charch in there, and then Bart opens the window to get the smell out but he never remembers to close it all the way. And if the door's mostly shut, you wouldn't see it from the hall. Hael."
"Even if we accept that theory for how they got in, how would they make a clean sneak with Red?" she pointed out. "He'd either be struggling or..." she wrinkled her nose at the phrasing even as she said it. "...dead weight."
Pan ran a hand through his hair, rubbed the back of his neck, and eventually shook his head. "Search me."
Xaeryn mulled it over for a bit, looking at the other books on Red's desk, smiling at the scraps of paper sticking out to mark pages. "What if... both idea are right? They came in through the window, but translocated out? Their hideout would be a familiar destination, thus safe to Travel to. It's an effective way to get an... unwilling or unconscious companion somewhere without much fuss."
"That means there probably were only one or two of them..." Pan sighed, worrying his lower lip between his teeth. "I offered to help him. With getting things together for you. I already know some of the details and I can keep my mouth shut. He said it was fine; this sort of thing is fun. B'sides, it wasn't like he minded doing it for you--"
Her heart squeezed. "He said that?"
"No, but, Xaer" --Pan arched a brow at her-- "I know both of you well enough to read between the lines."
She couldn't argue that. "How many times do I have to remind you you can call me Red?"
"Anyway, if I'd stayed, and there were only a couple of these toughs, maybe... maybe it would be an attempted kidnapping."
Xaeryn shook her head. "Depends how badly they wanted him." Her conversation with Briony and Darius was too fresh in her mind. "You might also be hurt or dead, and that's the last thing he'd want. Or that I want."
"Good point." He sucked the inside of his cheek. "Why would someone want Red that badly, Xaeryn? Is this... because of your case?"
"I think so." She winced. "I just don't know what part of his involvement would make him an appealing target." She hugged her arms in close against her chest. "If it was something specific or just because we were seen together and the people I'm after thought taking him would... hurt me."
They weren't wrong.
"I don't want to know all of what's going on, Ryn," Pan sighed, "but if that's the case, these sound like some pretty nasty brunos to mess with."
"They are." No point sugarcoating it.
Pan didn't reply, just leaned against the wall sucking his teeth as he watched her.
Xaeryn circled the desk again, hoping desperately for something that would be a clue or--
A curling corner of notebook paper peeked out from under one of the open books on the desk. She shifted the tomes aside and found a whole sheaf, covered front and back in sprawling notes. He'd even written in their shorthand, which made a small smile tug her lips despite the circumstances.
"He got a lot down," she muttered under her breath, the familiar shorthand making something twist in her chest. I hope you're okay.
"Yeah, I think he foisted his class on someone else so he could just work on this all day." Pan pushed off the wall and approached. "Not a shocking twist."
Xaeryn looked up from the paper, brow furrowed but didn't rise to the bait.
Pan, however, was undeterred. He sat back on the edge of the desk, giving her a skeptical look. "You two have always been thick as thieves, but it made him a special kind of dizzy to have you come waltzing back into our lives, y'know."
The twist in her chest went tighter. "I didn't know, actually. But it's always wonderful to reunite with old friends."
"Uh-huh. Old friends." Pan studied his nails a moment, then looked back at her with brows arched. "And what happened between you old friends the night of the gala to make him not say a gods-blessed word the whole way back to the hotel?"
Her fingers tightened, crinkling the paper. "That doesn't seem like a relevant line of inquiry, Panrachus," she said, gaze fixed on the page before her.
"It is to me," he countered with a knowing smile. "Maybe something in there relates to why he got nabbed."
She didn't like that thought. Even more than she disliked Pan's prying. "Nothing happened at the gala."
"And after?" Pan asked pointedly.
"...I might do something dreadfully improper."
"Also nothing." It came out sharper than intended. Thanks to your timing. Xaeryn cleared her throat. "Beyond what you already knew; I got jumped on my way back and Red helped patch up the result of defending myself." She waved the bandaged hand as proof. "I'm glad he was there; it would've been a nightmare to do alone."
"Mm-hm."
She shot him a narrow-eyed look. "Why do I feel like you don't believe me?"
"I dunno." Pan gave her a look that spoke volumes. "Do you feel like part of it shouldn't be believed?"
She looked him dead in the eye. "Nothing. Happened."
"Alright, I believe you," he shrugged. A beat. "Did you want it to?"
The whole messy torrent of emotions she been damming up since that night surged in her chest. God help me, yes.
She was saved from a moment of naked vulnerability by something gleaming on the desk, down among the books and paper. She dug for it and came up with an earring, amber bead transfixed on a small gold hoop.
"Hello there," she murmured, cradling the jewelry in her palm. "Last I checked, Red wasn't one for earrings."
Pan shook his head. "And he's the only one who's been in this office since we got back from Haven..."
There was always the chance it came from a student who'd visited prior to that, but it was the only lead she'd found. Xaeryn did not want to dwell on what she'd do it it was a dead end. If it was her fault he'd been abducted, the least she could do was save him, too.
No time like the present, she told herself, and with a deep breath sat in Red's chair. Part of her would rather have her full focus for a scry, but she didn't want to wait the two hours it would take to drive home. There was a driving, itching need to do something now. She pulled out the small bronze dish from her handbag. Scrying with so small a focus would give her a fearsome headache, but she didn't care if it let her find Red.
Pan watched from the other side of the desk, lapsed into anxious silence.
Alright, you bastard. Her hand curled around the earring. Where are you?
Scrying on the present was like sticking her head in a shallow pond to see what was on the bottom--blurry or shadowed at the edges, but she could pick up the detail she was after.
This time, however, was like trying to dive into a frozen lake.
She could see the potential for a vision, but slammed into something that blocked her from reaching it. Dead air.
Xaeryn broke the attempted scry, heedless of the dull ache starting at her temples. "No, no, no..." she mumbled, looking around the room.
"Xaer?"
"It didn't work," she said sharply. At least that confirmed the earring didn't come from a random Solhadur student, but that wasn't worth beans if she couldn't use it to find him.
Her gaze lighted on the jacket hanging off his chair and she seized it, fingers curling in the charcoal grey fabric as the smell of dusty books and his cologne filled her nose. She stared fiercely at the scrying focus, daring it not to work.
Dead air, again.
Her heart lodged in her throat and she tried to push it back down. Think this through logically, Xaeryn. It can't be coincidence, this implies it is indeed the people who have the Torch--Kaza and his allies--who took Red. They clearly have a VERY good Binder laying wards. Maybe Neon would know something; Pan said he's working in Haven now, I could ask--
"-ryn." From Pan's tone he'd repeated her name a few times at this point.
"I can't see him, either," she admitted, numb at having to say the words aloud.
"So... what next, then?"
What, indeed. There had to be something else. Something she could do, someone she could talk to. She couldn't be powerless, not now, not for this. She fought the desperation tightening her chest. Calm. Panic will only cloud your mind, and how will you help if you aren't thinking straight? It took a few moments of sitting in silence, absently rubbing the fabric of Red's jacket between her fingers as she forced herself to follow her advice.
"Well," she finally began, "given I got the same result attempting to look for Liefred or the earring's owner as I do for Solimer's Torch, it's likely they're together. It's the only times I've had this happen when I scry, so I feel it's a logical assumption. I have Thieves Guild in Haven keeping an eye out for unusual activity in Ashtown--the most likely hiding place for these hooligans. I can see if they noticed anything since I last spoke to them. Having a..." Hostage? prisoner? "...person to stash in the same building might've stirred some some activity."
"All the way back in Haven?!"
"That is where my prime suspect currently resides," she pointed out. "And I have an appointment with a pair likewise working against him; maybe they saw something helpful if the Guild didn't."
Pan sucked his teeth a moment, then cracked a small, wry smile. "Red would have a heart attack if he knew you'd made a deal with a Thieves Guild."
"He can fuss over my choices til he's blue in the face, long as it means he's safe," she retorted, pushing to her feet. "I'll ring with updates, do you have a direct number?" She scribbled it sideways up Red's notes as Pan rattled it off, collected her scrying focus to tuck that and the earring in her handbag. Maybe later she'd have better results than just a headache.
"Maybe I should come with you. Just back to Haven."
Xaeryn shook her head, resting a hand on Pan's arm. "Just in case the security teams figure something important, if you're here you can pass it along."
His expression said he saw through the excuse to keep him somewhere safe, but he nodded. "Fine."
"I'll be in touch," Xaeryn promised. She hesitated to return the suit jacket. "Do you think he'd mind if I keep this? To try again later."
"Not a drop," Pan said, shaking his head. "Find him, Xaer. And be safe, huh? I don't want to lose one friend, let alone two."
She nodded, not pointing out those request may well turn out mutually exclusive, and headed for her car.
---
Her head was awhirl the whole drive home, but she didn't have time to puzzle it out--or speak to Thieves Guild--when she got back. She was cutting it close on making her meeting with Briony and Darius. One-God willing, they'd know something that would help tie King Kaza to Red's abduction, or at least gotten something pointing to where he had stashed the Torch.
Xaeryn parked, made a brief visit to her office to lock the notes and earring in her desk, and headed briskly for the meeting. She turned the corner just in time to catch a flash of green hair as Darius ducked into the curiosities shop.
While smart not to visit the café so soon, especially since he and Briony rather stood out as customers, it made Xaeryn wish she'd warned them of the shop proprietor's eccentricities. Chandry was harmless but... off-putting to some, and Darius didn't seem the type to handle off-putting well.
But she had bigger concerns now. Xaeryn took a deep breath as she pulled open the door, but there was only so much her nerves were willing to ease.
Darius wasn't immediately visible when she entered, but he found her quickly enough. "You look riled, miss lady detective."
Xaeryn flashed a flat look for his tone. "It's warranted. Where's Briony?"
He craned his neck to look around the store. "Either on her way, or I guess she couldn't breeze on his majesty." His eyes narrowed. "You don't look happy 'bout that. What's tricks?"
She looked down, pretending to browse the curiosities on offer. "A friend of mine was abducted. I'm of a mind it's connected to our... suspect; this friend was helping me with research on the Torch."
Darius frowned, playing with a dinged up first aid kit. "That's the only connection?"
"I don't need anything else," Xaeryn hissed. She dropped the charch pipe she hadn't really been looking at. "He's a professor, for Heaven's sake! The only thing remotely dangerous he's tied to is this!" She gestured between them. "I wanted to ask Briony if she'd noticed anything in King Kaza''s behavior or visitors that might help me narrow down when he was... taken."
"We need to find the Torch," he growled in an undertone, "not your sweetheart."
"Friend," Xaeryn corrected tartly--and far too quickly, even she heard it.
"Can I help you find anything?" Chandry's arrival had been so quiet it made Darius flinch, whatever remark he was about to make lost in staring at the garishly made up--or painted, Xaeryn had never decided which side of the line it occupied--face of the shop's owner and namesake.
"Not today, Chandry," she said with a small shake of her head. "Just browsing."
"In that case... make sure you look at the new arrivals," Chandry said, patting the rolled up rugs on a nearby table. "And, smart as you are, maybe you can help me with something." He leaned forward, elbows braced on the topmost rug.
It was the fastest way to get their relative privacy back, and he had saved her from a rather embarrassing turn of conversation, so Xaeryn indulged him. "Oh?"
Chandry grinned. "I've been having a wonder this morning. Which streets," he began conspiratorially, " would have the most ghosts on them, do you think?"
Xaeryn pretended to mull it over, though the answer was obvious, even tapping her finger to her chin dramatically. "I guess it would be... dead ends?"
He all but clapped in his enthusiasm. "Correct!" A flourishing bow. "I shall leave you to your shopping." He bounded off.
"Took long enough," Darius grumbled.
"Chandry's not so bad," Xaeryn said defensively. "You just need to know how to talk to him." There are benefits to being on his good side. But they were here for a purpose. "Back to the matter at hand, I am aware of your deadline; I'm fairly sure my friend's being held in the same place as the Torch."
"What makes you so sure?"
"I can't scry on him, either!" She bit her lip. "It's the same dead air feeling as trying to do so with the Torch, and it's something I've never encountered before, so it seems a logical conclusion."
"Hm," Darius grunted. "Y'know, if Jarkyth sent the brunos who grabbed your friend, there might not be anything to glean from Ackshin."
"I thought about that. D'you know if either of them employ Diminished? Aside from Briony."
"A few, I think," he shrugged, "but you'd have to ask Bry for specifics. What about your friend; he a Mage? Put up a fight?"
"He is, but his specialization is Conjuring, translocation, not combat."
"If he's a Traveler, why-"
Xaeryn held up a finger to cut him off. "I'm trying not to think about that. None of the answers that spring to mind are pleasant, especially in relation to my best friend."
Something glittered in Darius' eyes but he didn't pursue the thought. "Didja learn anything new before you got distracted?"
She had to grit her teeth not to snap Red being abducted wasn't a distraction. Instead of giving him the satisfaction of getting under her skin, she relayed her deal with Thieves Guild and plan to talk to them when this appointment was done. "And you? Did your behind the scenes snooping turn up anything?"
"Yes and no." Darius did a double take at a fishbowl--complete with fish--before pulling himself back to the conversation. "I tailed one of Ackshin's toughs, all the way to blazin' Ashtown, but she gave me the slip." He scowled. "Felt like we were close to where she was goin', too."
Xaeryn stiffened. "What part of Ashtown was this in? I can have the Guild look more closely."
"South-eastern, I guess I'd call it," Darius said after a moment. "Almost plastered against the outer wall."
It made sense for them to be away from the main drag, though she wouldn't have expected quite that far. Unless they knew of some way out through or under the walls.... For now the important thing was having a smaller area for search.
"Alright," she murmured, half to herself, "I can work with that, provided the Guild will play ball."
"Don't suppose you have anything more actionable for me, miss snooper?" Darius interrupted her train of thought.
Xaeryn grimaced and shook her head. "No, just the deal with Thieves Guild. I'm afraid I've been a bit preoccupied by the abduction today. So unless them making a bolder move helps you in some way, I don't."
He grunted and glared at a table of kitchen paraphernalia. "Gods damn this twisted up kn-"
The door jangled forcefully as it swung open to admit a new arrival, familiar pink ponytail swishing as she looked around.
Briony's eyes flashed when she saw them and it clearly took effort to act nonchalant on her way in their direction. She called a polite response to Chandry's greeting without even looking, dodged a small table, and finally reached Xaeryn and Darius. "Glad I didn't miss you," she murmured, examining a display of commemorative playbills and paintings. "Kaza had a couple meetings where he wanted a show of strength an' I think someone might've been tailing me--"
"And you still came?!" Darius hissed. Xaeryn couldn't disagree; it seemed a terrible risk.
"I lost them first!" she retorted, flicking him an annoyed look. "I've been doing this as long as you, Darius Torren, I know how to lose a tail!"
"Oh, but they're so useful for swatting flies, why would you want to lose a tail if you had it?" Chandry interjected, and Briony looked briefly taken aback by both his sudden presence and appearance.
At least she recovered faster than Darius, showing a warm smile. "Oh, I mean a much less useful kind of tail."
Chandry shrugged at the explanation and disappeared between shelves once more.
"All else aside, I am glad you made it," Xaeryn said to steer them on track. She had to take Briony's word she'd truly shaken the tail. "Any developments for you?"
"Jarkyth came by for a bit before lunch," Briony said, after a quick glance to assure Chandry was moved off and there were no other customers in the store. "They shut themselves in the sitting room for near an hour. They're planning something with the Torch, and I feel like--"
"Any other visitors or messages this morning?" Xaeryn interrupted. "Perhaps that evoked a change in demeanor?"
Briony gave her a curious look but nodded. "He got a message during breakfast that prompted a very smug smile." Her brow furrowed. "Come to think, he did say something to the messenger that I didn't catch. Wonder if that's what made Jarkyth come over; they've been really careful about appearances. Why?" She crossed her arms. "You're being sort of intense, Xaeryn. It's scaring me."
Xaeryn explained the circumstances. Again. "And with what you say occurred, I think it's a safe bet our friends are responsible."
Briony's expression shifted aghast and she reached over to squeeze Xaeryn's shoulder comfortingly. It was a surprisingly hefty squeeze. "Are you doing alright?"
Xaeryn nodded. "Don't have the luxury to be otherwise."
"Anything I can do to help?"
"Actually, yes. Do you know of any other Diminished among King Kaza's entourage?"
Briony's face screwed in thought. "That came along? Just a few. It's funny; he's superstitious as hael, likes to flaunt me at every opportunity, but he's also nervous about trusting in magic too much. There's a Binder, to do his protective wards. Shy little redhead, I've never heard her speak and don't even know her name," she said regretfully, twirling her ponytail as she continued. "Heron's Ket, mostly here for his skill with battle magic, but he's a fair hand at conjuring--"
"Traveing?" Xaeryn's brows arched.
"He... probably could if he had to," Briony nodded, then gave a small gasp. "You think he's the one who took your friend?"
"Seems likely," Xaeryn said. If he was a full-blood Ket he could do it single-handed. "Are they the only ones?"
"For Ackshin, yeah. Jarkyth has a few 'judiciously placed servants' he's alluded to. Mostly things like Binding or Seer, useful but not dangerous if they decide to turn on him. Has a Shifter Heron won't stop nattering about." She smirked. "I think he's stuck on her."
Darius snorted. "Not important, Bry."
"You never know, D." She shrugged and turned to Xaeryn. "So, why do they want your friend?"
"I've been trying to figure that," Xaeryn sighed, trailing her fingers over a dark lantern. "Even from unpleasant angles. If they know I'm on their trail and want to keep me in the dark, I've already learned--and written down--near everything about the Torch, and there are... more final ways to remove him as a source.
"If they want to use him as leverage to make me dust on the case, you'd think they'd be more blatant or would have left a note-"
"Unless they're countin' on your big brain to fill in the blanks," Darius interjected sardonically. "An' you knowin' without them sayin' serving to make you more suggestible."
"Such a ray of sunshine, D," Briony groused, elbowing him sharply.
"He has a point," Xaeryn said, gritting her teeth at the thought. "But they'll be quite disappointed if that's their goal."
Briony flashed a fierce smile as she shifted to a shelf of knick knacks. "So, what's our plan, then?"
"Darius mentioned trailing one of the king's people to Ashtown. I'll have Thieves Guild watch the area more closely if they're amenable" --and she'd sweeten the deal if that's what it took to make them amenable--"you and Darius keep an eye for our friends' behavior so we can act swiftly if they do anything hinky." She tapped a finger to her lips. "I hate being stuck in so reactive a course, but I fear it's where our options lay."
Though if opportunity presented itself she would seize it with both hands.
"I guess you're righ- Oh, this is adorable!" Briony gave a delighted (and distracted) squeal as she snatched a small ceramic ahfuri off the shelf. It was adorable, but-
Xaeryn cleared her throat.
"I'll keep eyes peeled," Briony promised, cradling her find.
"How're we passing along anything we see?" Darius asked.
"Telephone or wire, I suppose," Xaeryn replied.
"Right." Briony nodded, wiggling slightly as she glanced toward the counter. "I'm gonna go pay for this." She darted across the store.
Darius fixed Xaeryn with a steady look. "You will tell us if you learn anything, right, miss snooper? Before you go harin' off after your friend alone?"
"Have you decided to worry about me in his absence?" Xaeryn said dryly.
He just arched a brow.
"I promise to pass along anything I learn, I don't promise to wait before acting on it."
Darius chuckled and glanced at Briony, who was chatting up Chandry with another warm smile as she paid. "Don't s'ppose I can blame you for that." He tugged on his cap. "See you soon, lady detective."
Briony noted him leaving and darted after him, barely remembering to grab her purchase.
Xaeryn smiled and browsed a few more minutes before heading for the door herself.
A hand on her arm stopped her just before she exited. "One moment," Chandry chirped, pressing something into her palm. "Don't forget your prize."
Xaeryn blinked at the bronze sun brooch. "Prize-?"
The riddle.
"To the victor go the spoils," Chandry proclaimed, releasing her arm to give another bow, and then ducked away. Rather than drag things out by protesting or trying to insist on paying--experience said he wouldn't take a danar--Xaeryn slipped the brooch in her handbag and headed for her office.
---
It hit her like a thunderbolt halfway up the steps--it was midafternoon and she'd not eaten since breakfast. As if summoned by the realization, her stomach cramped and her knees bobbled on the next step.
Xaeryn scowled at the reminder she needed to eat. There was too much to do, she needed to talk to Thieves Guild, she needed to poke around, she needed to find Red before--
Her stomach growled loudly.
I think there's still my half a sandwich left from yesterday, she surrendered--reluctantly--to her body's urging. After all, she wouldn't get much done if she fainted from hunger. The half sandwich. Perhaps an apple. Ten minutes to eat. She could spare that. Red would fuss if he knew she wasn't taking care of herself.
Xaeryn smiled wryly as she unlocked the door. That was better motivation than anything. She checked the back of the door as she closed it; no sigil showing, so no break-in attempt. She collected the sandwich and apple, opting to sit at her desk and review notes while she ate. Maybe there was something helpful she'd missed.
There was quite a bit to review, though less than it appeared by page count given Red's sprawling shorthand. He didn't doodle like she did, instead filling the page edge to edge. It didn't look like he'd found anything new while getting this together and it was easy to skim.
As she tucked the papers back in the drawer her gaze landed on the earring. She set down the small remaining portion of her sandwich and stared.
Couldn't hurt to try again...
She removed the earring, fetched her scrying disk, and cleared her mind to focus. The disk's surface clouded, cleared, and gave her nothing but the same dead air.
Xaeryn growled and glared at the earring. "Where is he?!"
She'd run into protective wards or sigils before blocking scries. This was different; just empty not blocked, and it kept happening on this case--
The telephone rang. She very seriously considered not answering. She needed to get to Ashtown. But that would be unprofessional, and what if it was Pan? Or Darius, or Briony, though this would be awful quick for one of them. So she sighed and picked up the receiver. "Xaeryn Shrike Investigations." Please be quick.
"Finally!" Ms. Aerin huffed on the other end. "I've been trying to reach you for hours, Miss Shrike!"
Really should get a secretary... "Apologies, there was a development and I was out of office." She ran a hand down her face.
"From your tone, I'd reckon this is not a positive development in the direction of recovering the artefact and arresting the thieves?"
"It might lead there," Xaeryn acknowledged. "But the actual occurrence is not. They abducted my friend who'd been helping with research."
"Ah. My condolences, Miss Shrike. Is there any chance of them learning compromising details?"
"Not if I've followed the trail to correct suspicions, no. He knows the history and legend around the Torch, but not the current state of my investigation." She shifted her grip on the telephone. "And my suspect is already familiar with all of that."
"Ah, so you do have a firm suspect."
"Mm." The brooch slid out of her handbag when she nudged it aside, and Xaeryn picked it up to toy with as she talked. "I was pretty firmly on his scent after the gala, but I met a couple... inside men, shall we say, who confirmed my suspicions. So I've found the man, I believe, I just need to find where he's stashed the artefact" --and Red--"and proof of his complicity in the matter."
"Excellent! Mr. Syndran told me you had some promising leads from the gala, I'm glad to hear one of them panned out," Ms. Aerin said. "The case has felt... treading water too long."
"Oh, yes, I suppose those developments did occur after we talked," Xaeryn murmured, tracing the bronze sun's rays.
"Talked?" There was a frown in her voice. "Miss Shrike, I wasn't there."
Something cold skittered down Xaeryn's spine to swirl in her gut. "What? I grant that it was a full night, but I distinctly remember talking to you."
"Then apparently I have a doppelganger," Ms. Aerin said tartly. "I didn't go, Miss Shrike. I was dealing with the effects of a traitorous sandwich at lunch."
Food poisoning?? "Then who..." The nagging sensation of just missing something was back. Followed like a bucket of ice water by the thought of the conversation she'd just had.
There's a Shifter working for Jarkyth.
"Did you inform Mr. Syndran you wouldn't be attending?" Xaeryn asked, willing her voice to stay level as her mind raced to incorporate this twist.
"Of course. I called the office." A pause. "I was honestly surprised to learn he attended without me. But the Hall is an important enough contract, I suppose it makes sense..."
Xaeryn shifted in her seat and cleared her throat. "Ms. Aerin, to all appearances, he attended with you."
There was a long silence as the other woman processed her words, followed by a snort. "Do you expect me to believe some impersonator managed to fool Riel Syndran into thinking she was me for several hours?!?!"
"Not for hours," Xaeryn corrected. "A few minutes for the drive to the gala, and then a short chat every so often throughout the evening. Mingling's the point of such an event, from my understanding. And at one point when I was chinning with him he mentioned 'you' were bustling about as if the gala was your responsibility instead of the museum's."
"That is the sort of thing I would do," Ms. Aerin sighed. "Still, I wonder how she pulled it off. And why."
"Information would be my guess," Xaeryn said. She idly clipped the brooch to her blouse and pulled out her notepad to page through. "My chief suspect is the king of Elinden, who has cultural and religious motives if he is indeed responsible, and at least a few high-placed political connections who could hire or employ someone skilled at disguise. The only motive I could imagine would be nosing around to see if there's information they missed. Or something they need that I have, or if there was worry I was too close on their trail." She flexed her bruised hand, evidence of the answer to that.
"And what would they have learned from your chat with her?"
"From me? That I had talked to Miss Aescar about people who tried to buy, claim, or steal the Torch. And that my notepad had been stolen. Nothing they didn't know already."
"They knew about the notepad?" Ms. Aerin said, arched brow in her voice.
"Oh, right." Xaeryn explained the reasoning behind that belief, the words trailing off as she reached a particular note from her inaugural meeting with Briony and Darius. She stared at it a moment, then decided to take a shot in the dark. "Ms. Aerin, did you go to the museum to oversee the arrival of the artefacts?"
"That was the plan," Ms. Aerin replied. "However, there were a couple... issues that arose requiring my attention, so I had to leave before they were done."
Got you. Despite the nagging sensation still growing at the base of her skull, Xaeryn smirked. "Thank you. Enlightening as this conversation has proven, was there a reason you were trying to reach me? I have a couple time-sensitive angles to investigate..."
"Just looking for an update; we hadn't heard from you yet today and Mr. Syndran is getting restless at how long things are dragging out."
"Believe me, I share his disapporval of that," Xaeryn said, running a finger over the notepad page. "I'm highly motivated to change it, and hopeful one of the new angles will bear significant fruit."
"Very well then, I'll leave you to it. Good day, Miss Shrike."
"Good day." The nagging grew stronger as she dropped the telephone back in its cradle. She was missing something, something right in front of her, and she couldn't help but feel it was something vital.
Deep breath and half a step back, she told herself. If Ms. Aerin hadn't stayed to oversee the whole delivery at the museum, and she knew from Darius and Ferrin's accounts nothing happened to the couriers' caravan on the way through the city, then it seemed clear the Shifter masqueraded as her to get access once the delivery arrived but she'd left. Xaeryn pulled out the photograph of Solimer's Torch. It wasn't even the size of her palm; easy to conceal in a handbag or pocket--or your blouse if you were feeling bold.
I know how they did it. The adrenaline rush at that victory was somewhat dulled by knowing these people--smart, bold, and desperate--had Red.
The Shifter had probably been emboldened by her success at the delivery--faking bad humor so people were glad to be rid of you was one off the oldest tricks in the book. Enough to attempt something more daring, like copying Aerin again for the gala--
Xaeryn sat bolt upright in her chair, the nagging turned to gut-wrenching revelation as pieces clicked. There was one more thing the Shifter had learned from her at the gala.
Red was the only other person who could read her shorthand.
Nausea twisted and she almost tasted her lunch again. It really was her fault. She'd relayed the damning information to the culprits with blithe ignorance.
And now that she knew, and was recalling the encounter with a more critical eye, all the clues seemed blatantly obvious. The chillier manner, the repeated 'Detective Shrike' rather than 'Miss', the vague prodding at topics they had already discussed.
Self-flagellation later, tracking down Red now, she scolded. The one silver lining to realizing her gaffe was that if they had abducted Red for such a purpose, they'd need him alive, conscious, and (mostly) unharmed.
The swift counter to that--and extreme incentive to hurry--was she had no idea how far they'd go to make him cooperate. Or what they wanted from her notes. Or if they would believe what he claimed about their contents.
There was not, however, any doubt in her mind what would happen once they had what they wanted.
She needed to talk to Thieves Guild. Now.
Xaeryn pushed away from the desk with vigor, only just remembered to lock up the case paraphernalia, and headed out the door, determined steps carrying her toward Ashtown.
---
She'd wound her way through the streets and was just in sight of the cat graffiti outside the Guild's warehouse when movement raked her peripheral vision and a lanky figure dropped off a low roof nearby.
"You're sure gettin' easy with navigating our streets, Miss Shrike," Chase said with a grin, shoving his hands in his pockets. Dust or dirt smeared the sleeve and front of his dark red shirt, and his green eyes twinkled as he examined her. "Quite the skill for a proper lady to develop; people will talk."
"An excellent memory is actually quite a useful skill to refine as a detective," Xaeryn corrected. "I need to speak with you."
"Oho, straight to the point." He was still grinning. "This about the deal you made with Ari?" One hand came out of the pocket to gesture toward the warehouse door.
"Yes." She gripped her handbag tightly more out of urgency than concern. "I wanted to talk about the terms."
"Changing them on us already?" Chase made a tsking sound as he turned into a room, smaller than where they'd spoken before, more of an office. "Not wise to play around with Thieves Guild, sunshine."
Xaeryn grit her teeth. Miss Shrike. But it wasn't worth it. "Not... changing in any way meant to be detrimental or unfair to you," she said, taking a seat when he offered. "You know I'd asked your people to keep an eye for anything hinky. I was wondering what the trade off would be for more closely examining a smaller area."
"So, rather than a general 'let me know if anything weird happens on your turf', you want us to poke around part of it for something specific?" Chase sat behind what approximated a desk as he spoke--planks balanced atop crates--and put his feet up.
"Yes. What change would that bring to our bargained price?"
He smirked and played with one of his rings, studying her face with a keen look in his eyes. "Well, seeing as we've already made a pretty lyss off you, which I'm sure you'll at least partly claim as a business expense, so Merchants Guild foots the bill" --he gave a Cheshire grin at the thought--"I don't want any more of your money."
She arched a brow. "No?" The hair prickled at her nape.
Chase slid a knife free of its boot sheath and stared at the blade nonchalantly. "No, I think for this I want a favor." His eyes flicked to hers. "Regardless of if we find what you're after."
"Accepted, but I won't do anything illegal," Xaeryn said without a beat of hesitation.
"Darling, this is Thieves Guild," he drawled, his grin unwavering under piercing green eyes.
"And I"m certain there's at least a few legitimate things you can think of to ask me," she countered. "Nothing. Illegal." She'd square anything else between her and the One-God, but she wasn't going to jeopardize her livelihood doing something that would turn the police fully against her. She was already sort of a grey area to them. If push came to shove, she'd look for Red and the Torch herself.
"If it has to be on the up, then two favors," Chase said. He was studying her with narrowed eyes and it made her wonder what he saw.
She didn't feel like playing games to get an answer out of him, however. "One regardless, two if you're successful. I'm interested now in just the south-eastern quarter, near the wall in particular. Looking for a building that's being used to stash at least one stolen artefact and a... captive. But before you shift into that, did your people see anything from the more general assignment?"
"Twiggy blonde in the northeast part of the district, just hanging around." He waggled his brows. Xaeryn knew as well as he did people did not loiter in Ashtown for their health. "But she didn't do anything much; lingered and left, so I'd wager she got dusted on by whoever was s'pposed to meet her."
It didn't seem relevant, but she filed it away nonetheless. "Thank you. I'll be checking soon to see if you've found anything with the narrowed area."
"Anxious, are we?" Chase said with a knowing smile. "And could I get a description of this 'captive'? In case we see them, we should know if it's the right person, wouldn't you say?"
"He's tall, red hair, green eyes, street clothes sans jacket and perhaps tie." He didn't always wear one. "I'm not sure how they've been treating him, so he might be roughed up." She stood. "And this is a time-sensitive case that has already drug out longer than desired, so perhaps I am a bit anxious for its conclusion."
"Hopefully we'll find something that can help with that goal." He swung his feet down. "Be seein' you, Miss Shrike."
"You certainly will, Chase." She made her way outside, blinked through the dim-to-bright shift again, and briefly considered poking around herself before deciding to return to her office. Perhaps scrying on Red directly would work this time... If she could just see him, it would help the worry gnawing in her chest. No matter how dire the straits.
---
It did not work. Still nothing. Xaeryn hated feeling powerless at the best of times, not being able to do anything now, with Red in harm's clutches, was pure torture. It was getting harder and harder to fight off the frantic, paralyzing dread as each avenue she explored dropped a dead end in her path. She even got desperate enough to poke around the king's hotel, but that, too, came up empty.
She wasn't truly hungry, but when dinner time came she didn't have anything else to do except pray and go over notes again. Wait for Briony or Darius to reach out, if they would have cause. So she fixed something small and made herself eat. She didn't taste a bite.
To keep herself from pacing a hole in the floor, she decided to give scrying with the earring one more shot. Third time's the charm, wasn't that the saying?
Yes, she was getting a headache from scrying so much in one day. (Or trying to.) No, she didn't care if it would let her find Red before something happened to him.
There was a sense of last-ditch finality to this attempt as she prepared. Logic would dictate giving up if it failed to produce result again. Xaeryn wasn't sure she could be logical about this.
She pinched the earring between her thumb and first two fingers, focused on the bronze scrying disk, and sent up a prayer. One-God, please.
The surface wavered, clouded, cleared on an image. A lightning bolt of desperate relief seared through her and she almost lost the scry before focusing greedy attention on what she could see. A tall man, well built, with silvery-white hair. She strained her concentration until pain lanced her temples and could make out the Ket tattoo on his wrist and earring the match of the one she held in his ear. The background was fuzzy, but she got the sense of generic grandeur, like a ritzy hotel. Another figure stepped into the bounds of her scry--King Kaza Ackshin.
Xaeryn struggled to keep her breathing steady as hope nipped at her soul. A solid connection.
There was another silhouette at the edge, just a shadow, but it might've been Briony. The posture and ponytail looked right.
Her subject--Heron, she'd guess--and King Kaza were exchanging words, which the silent nature of scries meant she didn't catch, and their positioning made it hard to read lips. But it was clear from body language they were preparing to leave. The toll was too much and the scry faded as the figures headed out of the room.
Xaeryn's heart pounded with adrenaline and exertion in equal share as she sat back.
A lead. Oh, blessed God above, she had a lead. They were heading somewhere, the gamble was if it was where she wanted to find or something unrelated.
She was on her feet and halfway across the room before she remembered her promise to Darius. If Briony was with King Kaza, did that count as one of them knowing? Did she really have time...
Xaeryn groaned, turned back the desk, and called the place Darius had said he was staying. No, "Mr. Thrace" wasn't in, did she want to leave a message for him? Deep breath through her nose. "Tell him to meet his snooper friend by the Ashtown gate. She's not going to wait for him long." She hung up before the desk clerk could respond.
If she hustled, she could pick up the king's entourage at the gates and follow. If that's where they were going. If it wasn't, she'd be out of the office, should anyone try to reach her, and miss a vital update.
She had to follow this. To be so close, have this dropped almost literally in her lap...
What she'd seen of King Kaza's expression was eager--he was looking forward to wherever this would lead. That thought alone tipped the balance. There was only one course of action for her and she knew it.
Xaeryn didn't even bother with a hat this time. She only grabbed her handbag because it held her dagger, and if she'd chosen correctly, she would likely need it.
Please let me be right. Please let him be alright. There was no way to ensure someone knew what she was doing--she really should get a secretary--so she'd just have to hope. Hope Briony was truly along, or Darius wasn't out long to get her message, or something. This might very well be the culmination of her case, and all she cared about was saving her friend.
"Nothing. Happened."
"Did you want it to?"
Her hands were shaking as she locked the drawer, locked the door, and hurried toward the Ashtown gates, thoughts on Red and a fervent prayer in her heart.
#queens fic#shoh#shepherds of haven#xaeryn shrike#liefred antiqua#panrachus#briony stormbreaker#chase trinaeste#tlbt#ryn/red
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Out of curiosity, is Pan pan? :D
I waver between dubbing him "bi" or "pan" (I think his own feelings on the matter are nebulous), but for all intents and purposes, yes! 😂
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... and Pan 💗
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SHEPHERDS OF HAVEN RECRUIT FORM - RHIANNON VASI
(template by @shepherds-of-haven !)
.
BIOGRAPHICAL INFO
name + nicknames: rhiannon vasi - rhia (by red, and later the other shepherds), sunshine/frosty/ice-queen (by chase)
titles: captain of the shepherds, the hero of haven, the dragonslayer
callsign: aethereal (possibly glacier)
gender: cis woman
sexuality: bisexual
pronouns: she/her
racial heritage: hunter
age + flower day: 28 years + 12 leph (winter)
height: 5’3” (160cm)
“a female mage with waist-length tousled raven hair and attractive stormy grey eyes. you're wearing your shepherds uniform and sun medallion. you have a streak of white in your hair as a result of your hunter heritage, and your cloak sports a golden eagle clasp.”
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BACKGROUND INFO
weapon: daggers
magic specialization: elementalist (aetherai)
birthplace: maj
education: circle-trained
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MISCELLANEOUS INFO
past jobs: freelance mercenary, bodyguard, library assistant, tavern waitress (that one lasted like, a solid day and a half before she blew up on a rude customer)
likes: fancy cloaks, books, khav, stargazing, sweets & baked goods, picnics, cats, snowy or rainy weather, quiet days, inside jokes, cuddling with her friends & loved ones
dislikes: people prying into her past, pickled vegetables, enclosed and/or crowded spaces, swimming, being Known™ in haven
strengths: magic (both brute force & controlled), knife-fighting, working with children, speed, cleverness, quick-thinking, introspectiveness, honesty
weaknesses: social situations, overly stubborn, past injuries (particularly on her hands) sometimes make it hard to fight physically, brute strength, holds grudges, emotionally repressed + PTSD, has a major guilt complex & will push people away/get herself into dangerous situations to “protect them” (doesn’t consider her own safety to be an important thing, essentially)
hobbies + special skills: wood carving, studying magic/history/astronomy, writing poetry, impressive gambling skills (she’s good at people reading and has a great poker face; she just struggles when she has to like. actually talk LOL)
major arcana: the hermit
dnd morality alignment: chaotic neutral/true neutral; leans towards the good side there, though
meyers-briggs personality type: intj-t
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PERSONALITY
heart of gold / will of iron (it’s a 52-48 split- very close)
rebellious / loyal
independent / social
tactful / straightforward
bold / cautious
charming / stoic / intimidating
witty / sincere
resentful / forgiving
self-preserving / self-sacrificing (rhia claims she’s self-preserving, but she’s really... not)
book-smart / street-smart
one-god / atheist / old faith
bright mind / silver tongue / razor wits / nerves of steel
overall personality: although as a child/teen she was confident and playful, ten years of life alone and on the run have hardened rhia and caused her to retreat into her shell. she’s always been headstrong and stubborn, but now she tends to come across as rather prickly or icy to people she doesn’t know or trust. when you do get to know her though, it’s clear she’s more awkward than intentionally mean, although her personality can still come off as snarky or abrasive when she’s in uncomfortable situations or around unfamiliar faces. rhia can be a bit temperamental at times, but (though she’s convinced otherwise) she’s a good person with a kind heart who’s incredibly protective of those she cares about, no matter how much she may try to deny or bury it- she never asked for the powers to save the world, but she’ll be damned if she won’t do it... regardless of the cost to herself. she blames herself entirely for the loss of her village and is terrified of hurting the people she loves like that again, but joining the shepherds is the biggest catalyst for rhia trying her best to open up once more. though she’s always cared for them in her own way she’s now beginning to truly trust them, and with red around she’s slowly starting to show her softer side again, too.
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RELATIONSHIPS
best friend(s): red antiqua, halek prince, riel syndran, briony stormbreaker, caine
preferred mission partner(s): red, halek, blade (they butt heads, but rhia trusts his work ethic lolol), and ayla or briony. generally a team that she trusts to get stuff done & won’t give her a heart attack (i.e. working with chase or trouble can be fun, but rhia is Stressed)
friendly rival(s): probably chase a little bit, just because they tend to snark at each other a lot. they’re good friends though! she and ayla also get a little competitive since they’re both elementalists, but it’s the type of rivalry that pushes them both to improve.
love interest(s): red antiqua (ex and current)
first kiss scenario: okay but the fact that i could 100% see that being their first kiss as teenagers + a possible first kiss once they get back together... good shit. (and i do have a WIP where rhia gets injured... 🤔)
enemies: ebert, the endarkened, the autarchy, moonsilk (not really she’s just big mad + halek is her bff ajsjjsjsj)
.
REFERENCE QUOTES
“she’s got a passion for learning, that one. miss vasi was the best assistant i’ve had in ages, and though i often found her reading on the job she always finished her work. very detail oriented, too, although i do wish she hadn’t left so suddenly. it always did feel like she was running from something.” (- librarian from an unnamed city in Blest)
“rhiannon’s vicious in a fight, i’ll give ‘er that much. she’s not exactly the most chatty o’ folks, but if yer looking for a good bodyguard you ain’t getting’ much better than ‘er.” (- fellow mercenary)
“i think she might hold the record for the shortest amount of time a waitress ever worked here. to be fair, i don’t really blame her for throwing a drink in that man’s face and threatening to shove her foot up his you-know-where when he made that comment, but business is business.” (- owner of an inn in an unnamed city in Blest)
“rhia was always at the top of our class in the circle; she was confident and funny, and even when she got in trouble it was clear the teachers loved her! she was always happy to help anyone with their work, too- or anything really. she was great fun, one of the good ones. i do wonder what happened in those years she was gone though, because seeing her again, it was like she was almost... sad. like a light all burnt out. i hope she’s alright; i’ve been a little worried, and i know red and neon have too. red especially, if you catch my drift.” (-panrachus )
#shepherds of haven#shoh#shepherds of haven mc#shoh oc#shoh recruit form#oc: rhiannon vasi#i’m procrastinating writing again (although i am Almost done with this rhia/red fic i’ve been working on holy shit)#but in any case: rhia has been living in my head rent free and i love this disaster woman <3#i was too lazy to edit the artbreeder image to add her white streak or beauty marks lolol but it’s fine#i know i’ve done some art & fic with rhia but i don’t think it’s rlly touched on some aspects of her character i’ve been fleshing out?#so a solid intro post felt in order ahshjsjsjsj
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A Long Time Coming
4. An accidental brush of lips followed by a pause and going back for another, on purpose.
this can be blamed on @shepherds-of-haven for all the recent Red meta as well as @queen-scribbles for joining me in screaming about our favorite Traveler/Archmage
Iorwen/Red, some spoilers for chapters 1-3 of Shepherds of Haven, definitely not at all canon compliant and I have no idea when it would fall on the story’s timeline anyway, rated pg for some smooches
---
“Yikes.”
“Hmm?”
Red turned the book he was thumbing through toward Iorwen so she could see it. One of the pages had a picture of a shapeless black mound covered in mouths and eyes and mushrooms, colored with such a heavy hand it looked like someone had spilled ink on the page. Underneath the picture was thoughtfully labeled in a careful hand, Clochus The Devourer. “Is this really what he looked like?”
Iorwen grimaced at the picture and the memory it brought with it. “Not exactly. Less mouths, more…” she wrinkled her nose, hating that she couldn’t find a better word than “ooze.”
He made a face and closed the book with a thump. “I still can’t believe you’ve really fought something like that. Twice.”
“Three times,” she muttered, biting her lip to keep from frowning as she remembered Blaphemel staring at her through Rika’s eyes, those dark cramped tunnels, the summoning circles and terrified children.
The smile he turned her way was as fond as it was proud. “You are amazing.”
She ducked her head, embarrassed at the praise. “Not really. I just did what I had to.” She glanced up at him under her eyelashes, studying his profile. A hint of that smile still lingered in the corner of his mouth, telling her that he noticed her attention, but he didn’t say anything about it. She dropped her eyes to her lap again. “I’m sorry I never told you.”
That made him look her way again, making no attempt to hide his curiosity. “Told me what?”
“About the… the Words. About all of it.” She still didn’t know why he’d tolerated her, especially that first year in the Veiled Circle. She’d been grumpy and half-feral and not even subtle about avoiding the subject of where she’d been before she’d arrived there, and he’d still been determined to befriend her. “It was a very fresh wound when we met. It was hard to talk about. It’s still hard to talk about.”
“I understand.” Red smiled gently at her and reached over to cover her hand with his and give it a light squeeze. Then he did that thing he always did, not quite changing the subject but redirecting it to something safer, clearing the heaviness from the air with an easy grin. “I always figured you wanted to cultivate some sort of air of mystery. That you wanted to make yourself seem more intimidating.”
Iorwen chuckled. “You caught me. Mystery is sexy, right?”
“I don’t think you need any help in that regard, Wen,” he said playfully, his grin widening.
She rolled her eyes, but didn’t hide her smile or the way she was blushing. “Says you.”
Red grabbed another book from their pile of assorted topics they were researching and settled back on the sofa. After a moment, she joined him. It had been a long time since they’d done this, locked themselves in the library or their dorms with a mission, a pot of khav, and their collective body weights in ancient knowledge. The only thing missing was Pan and Neon and this could have been a scene of them at eighteen instead of twenty-seven.
She didn’t think much of it when she pressed her side to his, when his arm settled over her shoulders to pull her closer, when she reached up to lace her fingers with his. It was comfortable. Familiar. Like all those years alone on the road were just a bad dream and she and Red were in the library past curfew, studying possibly-forbidden magics as an excuse to spend time together.
“I’ve missed this,” she whispered. She didn’t say I missed you, but he still heard it in the silence that followed.
His thumb traced little circles on the back of her hand. “Me too.”
Time passed in comfortable silence, both of them content to simply lean against each other and read, but after a while Iorwen noticed Red occasionally glancing up from his book to look her way. She tried to ignore it as best she could, but she could no longer concentrate on what she was reading. When he stopped tracing circles on the back of her hand and instead shifted so his thumb caressed the inside of her wrist, she had to bite her lip to keep from saying something.
"Hey, Wen?" he asked slowly.
“Hmm?” She immediately turned her head to look his way, too quickly to pretend she hadn't been waiting for him to call her name.
They both froze. As they’d settled onto the sofa, she hadn’t realized just how closely they were sitting. Now she couldn’t notice anything else.
He’s right there. Close enough that their noses were brushing, that she could feel his breath on her skin. His eyes were wide, surprised and maybe a little afraid, but he wasn’t pulling away. Neither was she. She opened her mouth to say something, but doing so made her lips just barely brush his and anything she might have said was lost in a gasp.
Neither of them moved for a long moment, as if moving would bring the real world crashing back on them, would drag them back from this precipice they’d been inching towards since they were teenagers.
A dull thud echoed through the room as Iorwen’s book slid out of her lap to the floor. It shattered the tension and finally spurred her into motion. She closed the tiny bit of distance remaining and pressed her lips firmly to Red’s.
Iorwen wasn’t a very good liar, not even to herself, so she could admit she’d thought about kissing Red before. Dozens of times, at least. Silly little daydreams when they were in school about what could have been if she hadn’t been too afraid of ruining what they already had. More recent ones too, less fanciful but no less wistful.
The real thing was so much better than she ever could have imagined.
There was no hesitation, no startled moment of stillness. The moment her lips touched his, he was already kissing her back, sweet and slow and perfect. His fingers tangled in her silver curls and he clung to her like he was drowning and she was the only thing that could keep him afloat. She grabbed fistfuls of his shirt as if she could somehow drag him closer even though they were already pressed against each other. When his tongue swept across her bottom lip, seeking permission, she opened for him eagerly and was rewarded with a strangled, needy noise that she felt all the way to her toes.
She was dizzy from the taste of him as much as from the lack of oxygen when they finally parted to catch their breath.
Red stared at her with naked awe, tracing his thumb along her cheekbone, then the scar on her jaw, then her bottom lip. He tried a couple times to say something, but only monosyllabic sounds came out, so he just shook his head.
Iorwen couldn’t help it. She laughed, a giddy, helpless giggle escaping as the tension became too much. “I’ve wanted to do that for years,” she admitted.
“You have?”
She nodded.
“So have I,” he murmured.
Oh. Oh. “You mean we could’ve--”
“Yeah.” Now Red was laughing too. “Yeah, we could’ve.”
She could feel his smile against her lips when she kissed him again.
“Hey, Red, are you--”
They dove apart, leaping to opposite sides of the couch as the door opened, and glanced up with identical guilty looks in time to see Panrachus’ slack-jawed surprise give away to a wide, wicked grin. “Fucking finally! Neon! You owe me twenty lyss, you--" The rest of his sentence was lost as he pulled the door shut again.
Iorwen slid back across the sofa so she could press her face into Red's shoulder, shaking with silent laughter. "Well, that's that, then. The whole compound knows."
His fingers trailed through her hair, the motion so effortlessly affectionate it made her heart skip a beat. "How long do you think they've had that bet going?"
“I dunno. I think I'm a little offended that Neon would bet against us.” Poor Saleneon had listened to her hopeless pining even at her most teenage and dramatic, did he really think they were that bad at communicating? Actually, no, after taking a moment to think about it, she agreed that was probably fair.
He chuckled. “I think I’m a little offended the bet was only twenty lyss.”
“Hmm,” Iorwen hummed in agreement. She sat up a little so she could press a kiss to his cheek, and before she could pull away Red turned his head to capture her lips again. They let the conversation fall away so they could get lost in each other once more.
At least until the door slammed open again as Pan and Neon both rushed into the room.
#shepherds of haven#shoh#iorwen emroth#iorwen/red#red and iorwen are kai and eder with a touch more self-awareness#at least they KNOW how stupid they are about each other#I want to write a lot of fic of wen red pan and neon as teenagers#it'd be like marauders era harry potter shenanigans without the shade of future doom hanging over it
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How tall are Pan and Neon?
I think Neon is at 5'7" or 5'8" (he was even shorter as a teen, obviously); I've gone back and forth on Pan because, as a Shifter, I think he slyly adds some height to himself at different times (usually around women LMAO)--my guess is that he's naturally 5'10" but he's usually walking around at 6'0"!
#Shepherds of Haven#Pan#Panrachus#Neon#Saleneon#still don't remember their last names 🫡#I KNOW Neon's is in some internal document in my files somewhere but I've started to get sloppy with my organization#height
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did u change Pan's full name at some point? I was reading Red's day off and I found him called "Pantalaimus" at one point
Oops, that's a mistake! I don't believe I ever changed his name in the game itself, but Pantalaimus used to be his names in the novels like years ago, and I guess I unconsciously used that one when I meant Panrachus! Thanks for catching that!
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The Long Burning Torch ch 5
I have vanquished the internet demons and finally bring you the next chapter of my @shepherds-of-haven 20s AU :D
----
After spending a few more minutes annoyed at her inability to talk to Red about the gala, Xaeryn managed to wrench her thoughts back to the case. There was still daylight, she had time to investigate the alleyway following up on what Ferrin had said. Just in case she wound up pushing toward evening, however, she opted to drive rather than walk. There’d been a few news articles recently about an uptick in pickpockets, and it wouldn’t do to make anyone worry.
There was, as luck would have it, a spot not far from the mouth of the alley, and she deftly maneuvered her car into the space between two much newer-model automobiles. Their gleaming black finish made hers look positively dingy by comparison but also brought to mind her tail from the last visit to the museum. Neither, however, had accents of any color, and she was equal parts disappointed and reassured as she headed for the alley.
She started at the entrance and worked in toward the gates, figuring she could continue down the other side if she came up empty. Part of her was cynical about finding anything so long after the fact, but the stubborn part--frustrated by her slow progress on this case--refused to give up without confirming. It didn’t look like this alley was cleaned all that often, maybe there was something useful.
Besides, it was a distraction from the other thing she needed to find--the nerve to ask Red about the gala. It was much more elusive quarry than anything case related.
What was so hard about asking him?
I don’t want to inconvenience him when he’s already doing so much for me.
You know he’d be happy to help, floated through her mind and only made matters worse.
Disrupting his schedule to travel all the way to Haven is a little different than turning him loose on a research project, she countered, nudging aside a tattered tarp with her shoe. Nothing.
He just told you he doesn’t have as much going in right now. And both of you would drop everything to help the other and you know it.
Alright, fine, I don’t trust myself. The fact sat solid in her chest as soon as she admitted it, brusquely poking around a stack of discarded pallets. I’m afraid if I ask him to do this, even if it is genuinely as a friend, I won’t be able to hide the way I feel under those circumstances.
It was a tricky thing, carrying a torch for your best friend. And delicacy had never been a strength of hers. She was all honesty and no varnish, too blunt-
Forthright, Red’s voice corrected gently in her head.
--too forthright to be good at playing games and she dreaded what might happen if Red picked up on something bothering her.
Well, your options are ask him or not go, so if you want to make progress on this case you better get ahold of yourself. You can do this. You are a professional, aren’t you?
Her foot hit something that skittered away with a clattery rasp, breaking through her internal debate. A keen glance after the object revealed only a rusting crowbar, and Xaeryn gave a soft growl of disappointment. Not far from the crowbar, however, something silver and promising glinted from a jumble of discarded paint cans and crate frames half-stacked into a shelter. She shifted the debris enough to reach and found herself holding a fine black leather sheath, dagger-sized, silver tipped and accented. A silver insignia at the top, opposite the beltloop, bore an unfamiliar crest--what looked like crossed lightning bolts or vines surmounted with a sword, or maybe a lance. It was difficult to tell at that scale.
She balanced the sheath on a nearby broken crate, pulled out her notebook and a pencil and took a rubbing of the crest. A quick shorthand annotation where she’d found it, and then she started to stash it all in her handbag. It would be a bit of a tight fit, but better than carrying her find where it would raise eyebrows.
Xaeryn paused just before slipping the sheath in her bag. She studied it again, catching her lower lip between her teeth. What if... A quick glance at the wall behind her to ensure it was relatively clean and she leaned against the stone while focusing hard on the small sheath. There might, if this belonged to the green-haired man, be enough trace of the owner left to Scry a clue.
The world fell away in a watery grey roil, clarifying into a scene almost as disorienting as the shift itself. The viewing angle was odd, a blur of motion off-center drawing her attention. It shifted into focus, resolving into a pair of figures mid-scuffle. One was a green-haired man, clothes decent but nondescript aside from currently being mussed by the fight, the other she couldn’t make out beyond a wild beard and the impression of ragged clothes. A street bum maybe? They tussled, each getting in a few good licks, there was a gleam of metal in their grappled hands, then one’s foot caught the sheath, sending it spinning toward its resting place and jolting Xaeryn out of the vision.
She teetered, slapping one hand to the wall for balance. After a few moments, her head cleared and she looked at the sheath clutched in her other hand. Now to figure out the heraldry, see if this clue could carry her even further.
“Finally, something solid to chase,” she muttered under her breath. It was a relief, like gaining purchase after trying to run on ice.
Satisfied she’d gleaned what she could from the sheath, Xaeryn slipped it into her handbag and continued searching to see if there was anything else. An hour or two combing the rest of the alley came up empty, but she didn’t mind terribly, not with the dagger sheath tucked in her purse. A flash of discordant color caught her eye as she passed the back gates again despite the lengthening shadows; a drip of red paint on the cobblestone and one metal gatepost. Dried, but not faded, so fairly recent.
Her thoughts went to what Ferrin had seen; the green-haired man trying to grab or touch one of the trucks. What if, rather, he’d been marking it somehow? Worth looking in to.
Two clues for the price of one. Should’ve given him more money, Xaeryn mused as she headed out to her car. She checked her watch. The library would be closing soon, not enough time for a proper research session. She could do that tomorrow. As well as making a couple phone calls.
Nerves fluttered in her gut, knowing what one of those needed to be. She took a deep breath and pushed them down. It was just Red. She could talk to Red. She did it all the time.
About this sort of thing? the skeptical thoughts broke in again.
Xaeryn ignored it, settling herself behind the wheel and starting the car. She could ask him about this. Hopefully without fumbling. It was just asking a favor of a friend, one she knew he’d be amenable to granting because he’d said as much.
So why wouldn’t the butterflies go away?
She shook her head to chase away the thought and headed back to her office. Today had been very productive. Whether it was further cowardice or simply pragmatism, she was done with... anything tied to the case for the night.
---
Xaeryn stared at the telephone as if it would bite her. The same internal debate that had kept her up half the night still raged in her head.
God’s blood, woman, just because you’re dizzy for the man... Call him. It’s for a case. Not like you’re asking him on an actual date or confessing your feelings or anything like that. Just asking for a favor. A slightly awkward favor, maybe, but just a favor.
Before she could talk herself out of it (again), Xaeryn snatched up the receiver and dialed Red’s office number. Maybe she’d get lucky and he wouldn’t be in, she could put it off-
“Hello?”
She fumbled a moment, trying to get her stuttered heart back in rhythm. “I... almost didn’t expect you to be in this early.”
“Ryn?” The surprise was clear in his voice.
“Mm-hm.” She shifted the receiver to her other hand and bit her lip. “There’s... I forgot to ask you something yesterday.”
“Oh.” Red still sounded off-kilter, but the usual warmth was creeping back into his voice. “It’s good you called, actually, I did-”
“More research?” Xaeryn guessed archly, laughing when his silence served as an answer. “Liefred, when do you sleep?”
“When I need to,” he said, which was... not the answer she wanted, but was the one she’d expected. “What did you want to ask?”
“It can keep a few minutes,” she said, happy to take a little longer plucking up the nerve. “What did you find in this research?”
He yawned, which made her smile and wonder if he’d been asleep at his desk. “Given the source is a book of legends, I’m not sure if this is truth, or hearsay, or a complete tall tale, but if someone believes it’s credible I guess that’s irrelevant b’cause it could still be motivation-”
“Liefred.” She couldn’t help but smile. “I’ll take anything you were kind enough to find me.”
A sheepish chuckle. “Just wanted you aware, so you can take it with the appropriate grains of salt. There’s supposedly, according to this legend, a ritual that at least the original tribe to find Solimer’s Torch used, that could... focus its general protection and good fortune on an individual for a short while. The scholar who recorded the tale wrote that her source claimed this ritual could make the subject... invincible. I’m not so sure about that part,” he admitted, voice straining briefly as if stretching. “Seems a bit far fetched. Focusing magic can be done, but a good luck charm making someone fully invincible is a bridge too far for me without more evidence.”
Xaeryn laughed softly. “Fair. But like you said; doesn’t matter if it’s actually true, all it takes is someone believing it is to become a reason they’d try to get their hands on it.”
“True,” Red said wryly, “though I wish them the best of luck getting it to work in that case. This book was buried in the dustiest corner of Solhadur’s library and it’s the only thing I’ve found that so much as mentions such a ritual. And even this only has vague descriptions of what’s involved, hardly point by point instructions to make it work.”
“Mmm. Can you tell me what it says, regardless? Never know what’ll be important.”
“See, this is why you always aced tests,” Red teased. “You write everything down.”
“Hence the shorthand,” she returned lightly. “You can fit more on a page and I was tired of spending a fortune on notebooks.”
“I figured it was something like that.” He rattled off what he had, and Xaeryn scribbled it all down with a note in the margin about the dubious veracity. “So, what did you want to ask me, Xaer?”
She’d completely forgotten the purpose of her call, chinning about history, and the reminder felt like being shoved off a cliff. “Oh. Right. Um.” Her gut twisted in a knot and she swallowed hard, pencil tapping rapidly against her knuckle as she scrambled for the best way to do this. “You remember mentioning the King of Elinden was going to be at a gala here in Haven, if I wanted to take the opportunity to talk to him?”
“Mm-hm.” The quiet grunt was laden with blatant curiosity. Of course he remembered, it had juts been yesterday.
“Well, Ms. Aescar, the current owner of Solimer’s Torch, is also going to be there.”
“Sounds like the perfect place for you to investigate; two for the price of one,” Red said. “But I don’t see what it has to do with me?”
“I need a date,” Xaeryn blurted, then fought the urge to bang her head against her desk because that was the wrong way round.
The dead silence on the line meant she’d caught Red more than a little off-guard with it, too.
“The Merchants Guild, well, Whitestone Couriers, can get me tickets to this gala, but it’s apparently unseemly to attend solo, so I... need a date. Since I’m not seeing anyone, I was... hoping you could come? It’s tomorrow night and I’m so sorry for asking last minute-”
“Of course I can,” Red cut her off, fondness in his voice. “Anything for you, Xaer, you know that.”
A strange mix of emotions she did not want to deal with blossomed in her chest, relief so sharp she could taste it. “You’re sure? Don’t you have classes or-”
“I’m sure. I can get other teachers to cover whatever needs it. The students will probably be happy to have someone who doesn’t veer off down rabbit trails every twenty minutes,” he said dryly, then cleared his throat. “And I told you it’s a lighter load right now, anyway. You said tomorrow night?”
“Mmhm. Starts at six.”
“I’ll be there.”
“Liefred, you’re a lifesaver,” Xaeryn said fervently. And I could kiss you.
“What’re friends for?” he countered warmly. “I’m happy to help.”
“Oh, and it’s, um, black tie, so you’ll need a suit,” she warned, her equilibrium coming back, then added teasingly, “assuming you still have one.”
“I’ll dig it out of mothballs,” Red retorted with a laugh. “See you tomorrow, Xaeryn.”
“Mm-hm. Thank you, truly.” Xaeryn bit her lip, more hovering just on the tip of her tongue. But the words stayed stuck as always, tangled on a decade’s absence, on things she’d left unsaid before. So she settled for another grateful hum of acknowledgement when he insisted it was no trouble, they exchanged farewells and hung up.
Xaeryn braced her elbows against the desk, rested her face in her hands, and let out a long sigh of relief. Thank the One-God that’s over with. It wasn’t really; she’d still have to get through him being here, seeing her office and home, keep her feelings tucked away through him accompanying her to this gala.
“If there’s dancing, I might not be strong enough,” she mumbled into the heels of her hands. But at least the asking part was behind her. She could call Ms. Aerin and confirm she had a companion, pass along the needed information. And she had a few new questions of her own, after the visit to the alley last night.
A couple deep breaths to truly regrasp her composure and she picked up the telephone again. This call would, at least, be much easier to make.
“Whitestone Couriers, how may I help you?” Ms. Aerin answered on the first ring.
“It’s Detective Shrike,” Xaeryn said, leaning back in her chair. “I was able to find a companion for the gala and wanted to give you the details you needed.”
There was a brief rustle on the other end, then, “Go ahead, Miss Shrike.”
Xaeryn gave her the names and titles to pass along to the museum. “I also followed a lead last night which bore fruit, along a couple branches, and raised some follow-up questions for you, if you have the time.”
“We aren’t busy yet,” Ms. Aerin confirmed. “Ask away.”
“First off, I assume after a completed delivery, all of the vehicles involved are returned to the garage for maintenance to make sure they’re in good working order?” Mr. Syndran seemed the type.
“Correct, standard procedure,” Ms. Aerin said briskly. “It’s the best way to catch minor issues before they turn into major ones. They are also cleaned, checked for heavier wear and tear, that sort of thing, before you ask.”
“That is where I was heading. Do you keep records of anything found and dealt with in this maintenance?” Xaeryn tapped her pencil against the notepad, absently doodling a bird in one corner of a page.
“Mm, Mr. Syndran insists on detailed reports. So if any vehicle is consistently having problems it can be replaced, and if any driver is repeatedly rough on their vehicle they can be reprimanded.”
“Do you have the records from the artefact delivery handy?” She added a tree below the doodled bird, telephone wedged between cheek and shoulder.
“Oh, yes. They haven’t been filed yet, they’re still on my desk.” A rustle of paper. “Are those the only ones you need?”
“Yes, I believe so. I’m just wondering about something from this trip, not comparing to previous ones.” Xaeryn shifted to hold the receiver. “Did any of the trucks have paint on them?”
“Mmm...” There was a pause as Ms. Aerin shuffled through the pages. “Yes, actually. Trucks one, four, and six all had green paint on their tires, wheel wells, running boards. Truck four also had some red streaked on the rear panel and tailgate,” she read off. “They said there was a painter’s truck that upset on one street. Is that helpful?”
“Very.” A buzz of anticipation had started at the back of her mind. “One other record I do need; do you have the manifest of which artefacts were on which trucks?”
“Not in front of me, but just a moment.” Ms. Aerin set the phone down with a soft clunk, there was a minute or two of silence--which Xaeryn filled with more doodling--and then, “Miss Shrike? The Torch was on truck four.”
Gotcha. Xaeryn grinned. “Thank you Ms. Aerin, you’ve been a tremendous help. I’ll see you tomorrow night at the gala?”
“If all goes well,” Ms. Aerin confirmed. “Goodbye, Miss Shrike.”
“Goodbye.” Xaeryn hung up and steepled her fingers. This lead was paying off so well, she might toss Ferrin another deucalion if she ever encountered him again. Although, she mused, I did have to chase him down to get it. Maybe we’re even.
For now, though, she had more work to do. And if she walked to enjoy the weather, the library would be open by the time she got there. She flipped back to the notebook page with the insignia rubbing to confirm it was clear enough she wouldn’t need to bring the actual sheath to research the design. Satisfied it was, she jiggled the drawer knob, then pushed to her feet to fetch a hat and head out.
---
The library was even quieter than normal this early, which made the argument the reference clerk wanted to have seem all the more asinine.
“Why can’t I see those books?” Xaeryn demanded in a harsh whisper. “I don’t even need to take them out of the building, I’m quite happy to do my research right here.”
“It has recently become a trend among the youths and miscreants of the city to... deface our books,” the clerk replied stiffly, adjusting one sleeve so the cuff was straight.
“Do I look like either of those things?!” Xaeryn hissed.
She didn’t miss the look the clerk flicked at her illadrin-glow. “Irrelevant, as the time and funds spent repairing or replacing books has led to the decision against lending out some of our more vital or venerable texts unless an acceptable reason can be given.”
“I need them to do research for a case,” she said with a huff, just barely holding back the you twit she wanted to stick on the end. She wasn’t going to pass this off on Red, too, she wasn’t. He’d already gone above and beyond and this was simple enough to do herself. Or so she’d thought.
The clerk arched a brow. “You hardly look like you belong to the police force, miss. And they have their own records, anyway.”
With an exasperated sigh, Xaeryn pulled out her ID and PI license. She fanned them out to display. “Freelance detective, not police. May I please use the reference books to work on my case? I’ll sit right where you can see me if I really have to.”
After a narrow-eyed look at the cards, the clerk sighed and relented. “Very well. I’ll bring them out, you take a seat.”
“Thank you,” Xaeryn muttered, shoving the cards in her skirt pocket for easy access in case anyone else gave her trouble. She understood and even endorsed caution in caring for books, but these lengths struck her as a little screwy.
It only took a few minutes for the clerk to wheel out a small cart half-full of thick tomes, leave it beside her table, and retreat behind the circulation desk. Xaeryn wasn’t fooled; she would be under scrutiny the entire time she had these books. The sensation of being watched was not going to help with doing this quickly.
She sighed, pulled out the reference books, and tried to ignore the eyes-on-her-back feeling as she dug into her research. It didn’t take long before she was surrounded by an array of opened books; flipping pages to cross-check information, scribbling notes as she read. The hours flew by, and she barely noticed when the original clerk was replaced by a young woman with white blonde hair in an unseasonably warm sweater. (She only noticed at all because the woman asked brusquely if she needed anything, which Xaeryn met with an equally brusque assurance she didn’t, not even looking up from her book.) The books were very informative, perhaps too much so. There were at least fifteen countries, city-states, or sects with lighting in their heraldry. Dozens, both archaic and contemporary, with a line or weapon of some sort surmounted over lightning or vines or the like. She finally narrowed it down to a half dozen with heraldry that was close match to the rubbing she’d taken of the sheath’s insignia. Two of them belonged to factions currently embroiled in the conflict on Elinden; the current king--Kaza; more of a warlord, if she was reading right--and his strongest contender. She wondered briefly if that made clashes between them confusing as she neatly stacked the books on the edge of the table near the cart. She knew how librarians were about shelving books. She stowed her notepad in her handbag and approached the circulation desk.
The blonde still seated there raised disinterested lilac eyes and arched a brow.
“Just wanted to let you know I’m finished,” Xaeryn said. “So someone can reshelve the books.”
“Sure,” said the blonde with barely a glance at the table. “Have a good day.”
“You as well,” Xaeryn replied, despite the farewell lacking any warmth and sounding more rote than genuine. She mulled over what she had found on the walk home. Too many threads were tying to Elinden for it to be a coincidence. The island’s distance from Haven--and insular focus on a four-way civil war--would explain why it had taken so long to arise as a possibility. There was also, she mused, a high concentration of Mages among the populace, which would increase the odds of unusual hair colors. Like green. She really needed to find a way to talk to the king at the gala, and maybe some of his retinue as well, if she could swing it.
Xaeryn was so lost in thought as she approached her street, the sudden, harsh yank against her handbag caught her completely off-guard. She still instinctively curled her arm in to hold on to it, but the thief had too much leverage with the element of surprise on his side, and she lost her grip.
She lunged after the bolting figure, noting what she could of his appearance as he dodged around a corner. Xaeryn was trailing by just enough that when she rounded the corner he had disappeared from sight.
“Dammit,” she growled, scuffing one shoe against the walk. She ventured a short way down the alley, but with no dagger--it had been in her bag--she didn’t press too far.
She made her way up to her office, mentally scolding herself for her distraction the whole way. She knew there were pickpockets and purse-snatchers in the neighborhood. There was worse, too, though that, fortunately, was still rare. It was still not a good idea for her to have been paying so little attention.
When she reached her door, Xaeryn sent a small prayer of thanks to the One-God that caution had paid off in one respect and withdrew the office key on its chain around her neck, clinking softly against the one for her desk. Bordering a dodgy neighborhood as she did, it was prudent to keep her keys safe from said pickpockets. Just in case. She entered, checked the sigil--no sign of further attempts to enter--and removed her hat before sitting at the desk to take stock of what she’d lost.
Pocket change--a couple deucalions and a handful of lyss--she wouldn’t miss too terribly, a plain but serviceable dagger about which she could say the same-- and her notebook. Her ID and PI license were, thank God, still in her skirt pocket, and she set them on the desk with a small sigh of relief. They would have been a pain to get reissued.
But her notebook. All of her notes, all of the interviews, all the info Red had found for her. All gone. And to someone who would like as not throw it away.
It was a bad day for her and the thief both, Xaeryn reflected, unless he had been in the market for a dagger. Not much money, and the notebook was worthless to anyone but her as they wouldn’t be able to read it. But to her it was hours or work, pertinent information, ripped away just when she needed it most.
With a much heavier sigh, she pulled out a sheet of paper and started rapidly recording everything she remembered from the library. Best to start with what was freshest, and she could try for other things after that.
---
She wrote until her hand cramped, then a little bit more before reluctantly coming to halt. She also jotted down and roughly sketched what she’d caught of the thief’s features. But there was a reason she usually doodled nature rather than people and this was a reminder why.
Xaeryn tucked the pages she’d filled in the desk drawer with the photographs and sheath and locked it. With research and other excitement out of the way, and her entry to the museum gala confirmed, there was another matter that required tending to, much as she dreaded the thought.
She needed an evening gown.
---
The rest of the day passed uneventfully; the tedium of shopping and then some more time spent reconstructing notes from interviews and such. Trying to ignore the steadily building flutter in her gut at the thought of what tomorrow held.
One-God only knew how she slept that night, but she did. Xaeryn very pointedly did not look at the garment bag protecting her evening attire as she dressed. That was for later, now she pulled on her favorite blouse--blue with white and green embroidery at the collar--and wide-legged trousers. The day was spent copying her sloppily scribbled notes into a new red-bound notepad that had been one of her purchases yesterday for clarity’s sake. She did a little more poking around the museum, but they were starting to increase security for the gala and she didn’t want to draw suspicion, as that might complicate her entry to the gala later.
Really, there wasn’t much to do until she could interview Ms. Aescar and the King of Elinden, which left her at loose ends. Xaeryn hated that feeling with a passion on normal days, today was even worse.
She cleaned her kitchen--something she’d been meaning to do, anyway, and a good way to fill the time--then tried to read a book. But even Tarquin the Elder’s grandiose theories weren’t enough to hold her focus today, and she was almost relieved when a knock on the door interrupted her eighth time through the same two pages.
She marked her spot and hurried across the room, glancing at the clock as she went. If this was a client, she hoped they were succinct. Red would be here--
She opened the door.
---now. She blinked. “Liefred.”
He smiled, warm with only a hint of hesitation. “Xaer. Don’t tell me I spoke to a very clever imposter on the phone and this is an unexpected visit.”
Xaeryn laughed, the moment’s teasing enough time to gather her wits. “Unexpected, no. Earlier than expected, yes,” she admitted.
Red’s smile went sheepish and he ran one hand through his hair. “Yes, sorry. We may have overestimated how long the drive in would take.” He gestured to a familiar figure behind him in the hall.
“We nothin’,” Pan laughed. “That was all you, Liefred. Ryn, good to see you.” He held out a hand to shake in greeting.
Xaeryn did so with alacrity. “And you, Pan. Though I am surprised” --turned back to Red as she motioned the pair into her office-- “you didn’t just translocate.”
“Not a good idea with an unfamiliar city this size,” he said, running a curious eye over the room and its furnishing as he spoke. “Especially one so developed. The odds are too high of ending up on a roof or halfway through a wall, or somewhere you shouldn’t be, that sort of thing.”
She grinned and half-sat on the edge of her desk. “Why does that last one sound like the voice of experience?”
Red coughed, ears coloring to match his hair at her teasing tone. “I’m sure I don’t know what you mean.”
Pan nodded broadly behind his back, mouthing ‘Tell you later’, which made her snicker.
Red ignored the exchange. “And, anyway, it didn’t seem worth the bother when I have a friend with a car.”
“And I thought it would be a good chance to see a couple of old pals,” Pan continued, leaning against the wall. “You, of course, and Neon apparently got himself a job with a Mage company that specializes in Enchantment and Binding; I was gonna see if I could track him down and surprise him.”
“Neon’s in Haven?” Xaeryn said, brows arching. She wished she’d known.
“At least a few months now,” Pan nodded. “You didn’t know?”
“It’s a big city,” she sighed, shrugging. “And I hadn’t been in touch with anyone from Solhadur for a decade until recently.” She almost thought she saw Pan smirk when her gaze drifted to Red. But it was gone a moment later and she chalked it up to imagination. “So I assume that’s what you’ll be up to while we’re busy tonight?”
“Yep. And if it doesn’t work out, well,” Pan shrugged, “I’m sure there’s plenty to do, either out and about or back at our hotel.”
“The Quarters’ Rest,” Red volunteered before she could ask. “I figured the gala will run late, they usually do. So we can just sleep here and worry about getting back to Capra in the morning.”
“Smart thinking,” Xaeryn said. It was a good hotel; decent, clean, and modest enough it had escaped being booked up by the visiting wealthy. She bit her lip in thought. “It’ll be good to have the time at the gala; you never know how much conversation it’ll take someone to loosen up. And it gives you somewhere to relax, with a bit of elbow room when it’s time to change. On that topic” --she braced a hand against her desk and smiled at Red’s examination of her bookshelf-- “should we meet at the hotel to head over, or do you want to meet here? This is a bit closer, and if the weather holds we may even be able to walk. If it doesn’t, I have a car.”
“Let’s say here,” Pan suggested before Red even opened his mouth. “I can drop him off before I go hunt down Neon, pick him up again at, what, midnight?”
“That works for me,” Red agreed. “Ryn?”
“Cat’s meow,” Xaeryn confirmed. She drummed her fingers against the desk. “Be here at twenty of six so we have time if we walk, then we’ll aim to return at midnight.”
Red and Pan both nodded.
“We should go check in, get settled,” Pan said, pushing away from the wall. “Xaer, again, good to see you.”
“You didn’t do that first?” She hoped no one had bothered their luggage, sitting on the street unattended. Not a worry that would usually occur, bit with that dip snatching her purse yesterday...
“Somebody” --a significant look at Red-- “insisted you be our first stop.” He grinned and headed out the door.
“I wanted to make sure you knew we were here,” Red said with a one-shoulder shrug.
“Telephones exist, Liefred,” Xaeryn said dryly, but couldn’t help a smile. (Or deny her heart skipping a beat.)
One he returned with mischief in his eyes. “I also confess to curiosity about your office. Since you’ve gotten to see mine twice, it seemed fair,” he teased, then cast an approving look around the space. “You’ve made a nice niche for yourself here, Xaer.”
Xaeryn’s smile widened and she fought down the flutter in her gut. “Thank you. I quite like it myself.”
“It suits you,” he said warmly, turning toward the door. “I shouldn’t keep him waiting...”
“Of course. See you later.”
“Twenty of six,” Red confirmed with a nod, giving her arm a friendly squeeze on his way to the door. “I won’t be late.”
---
He wasn’t late. There was a small part of Xaeryn that wondered how much credit belonged to Pan for that and how much had been Red remembering the time on his own.
Any teasing she’d been contemplating to that effect, however, was precluded by the matching low whistles from Pan and Red when she opened the door.
“Guess that answers the question of if I look presentable,” she laughed instead, face and neck warming. It had been a very long time since she dressed up, and never this fancy. Or maybe that heat was from Red in a tuxedo.
“I think presentable is, uh, underselling it,” he fumbled, and the flutter growing in her chest got stronger.
“Yeah, I thought you gumshoes worked best with a low profile,” Pan chuckled. “Gorgeous dame walking in with glad rags like that, your profile’ll be anything but low, Ryn.”
“Thank you, but I think you underestimate the quality of people who attend these sorts of shindigs,” Xaeryn demurred. Regardless, she couldn’t fight a pleased smile as she ran a hand down the shimmering deep-blue evening gown, playing briefly with the long silver-tasseled necklace that matched the sparkling headband nestled among her hair. She turned to Red, smiling--unsteadily, but hopefully he missed that part--as she ran another look over his ensemble. “Fortunately, I do believe we’ll fit right in. You’re looking very handsome, quite a bit beyond presentable yourself.”
And despite the joke about digging his tuxedo out of mothballs, it fit like it had been tailored that day. The deep black and crisp white shirt were a flattering contrast to his tan skin, and Xaeryn feared distraction would be a bigger problem for her than subtlety tonight.
Red laughed and glanced out the window. “Thanks.”
“Though I see your hair’s up to old tricks,” she said fondly, throat dry around the words. She stepped closer, praying her pounding heart wasn’t too obvious, and gently ran her fingers through his hair to comb it back into place.
Red went still, a soft laugh escaping as she finished. “Thank you. It seems no matter what I try to tame it, it maintains a mind of its own.”
“Persistence is key, I suppose,” Xaeryn said with a wry and somewhat shaky laugh of her own. God’s eyes, I don’t know if I can do this.... One last smoothing of wayward red strands and she withdrew. “There-”
Red’s hand brushed her ear and it was her turn to freeze, heart in her throat.
“Your, ah, earring is crooked,” he said by way of explanation, gently nudging the jewelry into a proper position.
“Oh, thank you,” she said, watching a muscle in his jaw twitch in time with her heart skipping a beat. Her fingers grazed his when she instinctively reached for the earring as well, even knowing he’d taken care of it.
“So,” Pan spoke up, and Xaeryn couldn’t suppress a flinch at the reminder of his presence, “midnight’s a good time for me to come back?”
Xaeryn cleared her throat. His tone might be casual, but they’d been friends too long for her to miss the mischief in his eyes and it made her nervous. “Yes,” she replied, hoping she had enough composure to sound just as casual. “That should give plenty of time for me to have my conversations, perhaps do some other investigating, if warranted...”
“Don’t forget time for mingling and dancing if they have it,” Pan pointed out, grinning now as he shoved his hands in his pockets. “So you don’t blow your cover.”
Who’s the detective here? She bit back the retort with some effort, pulse fluttering at the thought, and restrained herself to a, “Yes, of course. If we happen to not be back yet when you get here, you can go have fun for another hour or go back to your hotel and we’ll call when we make it back.”
“Right.” His grin widened. “I’ll see you later, then, pals. Try not to have too much fun.”
“He’s knows we’re going to a museum, right?” Red muttered, and she huffed a quiet laugh. The location was tailor-made for them to have too much fun.
“This is business,” Xaeryn returned primly, slipping her arm through Red’s like a proper aristocratic couple. “And unlike some, we know how to behave ourselves.”
Pan laughed--“Touche”--and pulled the door closed behind him.
“So...” Red began, looking down at their linked arms.
“So...” Xaeryn echoed, trying valiantly not to let the warmth soaking through his suit jacket distract her. “I know I mentioned walking, and it would normally be my preference, in all honesty. But I was thinking about it, and for an event like this it might raise eyebrows if we arrive on foot. We should probably take my car.”
“Mm, good thought,” he said, making no move to slip his arm free of hers even if they were still just standing in her office. “Aren’t you worried about it getting damaged?”
“Not particularly. Events like this typically have valets, who tend to be careful, given the consequences of mishandling a patron’s automobile. Besides, while mine is nice enough to not be an eyesore, it isn’t so nice I’ll be distraught over a few dings.”
“Practical and pragmatic as ever,” Red teased, lightly elbowing her in the ribs.
“It’s part of my charm,” Xaeryn rejoined just as lightly, not wanting to ruin the moment by admitting the opposite usually proved true. People tended to be off-put by her manner almost as much as her magic.
Red chuckled. “Well, since we don’t need the time to walk over, are we having a chat here, or just going to arrive unfashionably early? This is your show, Ryn, I’m just here to help out.”
“If we go at a mosey we won’t be terribly early,” she said, even if she quite liked the thought of bumping gums with him in her office for a bit. “And it might be good if I can get a slant on people as they arrive.” Just because her clues were pointing to Elinden didn’t mean she was closed to other options.
“If that’s best for you,” he said easily, bumping his shoulder to hers.
Her heart fluttered and Xaeryn bit back a smile. “Just let me get my purse.” The small grey clutch barely had room for her keys, notepad, and a compact in case she needed to freshen her minimal makeup--either in truth or as a ploy to snoop. But it was the most she felt she could get away with for an event like this, and the blue and white beading was an excellent complement to her dress. She returned to link her arm through Red’s once more. “Shall we, Headmaster?”
“We shall, Miss Shrike,” Red answered with one of his dazzling smiles, and they headed out the door.
God help her.
#queens fic#shoh#tlbt#xaeryn shrike#red antiqua#panrachus#ryn/red#these two are gonna be the death of me#fancy party pining let's goooooooo
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Hilarious how loud Red would be yelling at Pan to CLOSE YOUR HEAD PANRACHUS SHUT! UP! (PLEASE) if he was here, but siiince he's not (:3) Pan is, uh, prying and hinting and planting seeds
#queen rambles#writer stuff#tlbt#i'm almost sad i split him and neon up for this bc neon would 100% be helping if he was here
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WIP Game
Rules: Post a sentence from your WIP then tag as many people as there are words.
tagged by @greyias @storyknitter and @captainderyn so you get THREE sentences of tLBT 👀 ft. Ship Captain Panrachus of the SS Ryn/Red
“We should go check in, get settled,” Pan said, pushing away from the wall. “Xaer, good to see you.”
“You didn’t do that first?”
“Somebody” --a pointed and meaningful look at Red-- “insisted you be our first stop.” He grinned and headed out the door.
I have no idea who’s been hit with this tag so far, so just open tagging anyone who hasn’t been and wants an excuse to share(or who has been but wants an excuse to share again xD)
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So did Pan genuinely rum over to Red and tell him ex mc still has feelings for him?? Or was that just a tease??
Pan's more subtle than that, he doesn't generally go around spilling others' business for them unless he absolutely has to! He'd probably prod Red along, like if Red was wondering out loud if he should try to rekindle something with MC again, Pan might say slyly, "I think you should go for it, I have a strong feeling MC likes you too," but he wouldn't outright say "MC told me X, so you're good!" He's a troll, but he tends not to get over-involved in that way, despite how much he threatens to!
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absolutely losing my mind at how your “pan” hashtag for panrachus shows up colored like the pansexual pride flag
I love it ☺️ And honestly I deserve less for naming my characters things like 🍳, 🔪, and 🟥
#Shepherds of Haven#I remember every time I tagged something with 'blade' Tumblr asked me if I wanted the number to a certain hotline... 😭#Pan#Panrachus#silly
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Good afternoon. First of all, thank you for your work. I heavily enjoy ShoH and, especially, characters. Please, feel free to ignore next two questions, especially if you have answered those. 1. Out of curiosity: how would Pan convey to Red, that MC is still interested in him (subtly or directly)? 2. How would Red react, if MC would be treating their new relationship as casual again (Oblivious to his feelings) ? I am sorry if my English is confusing. Good luck with writing and have a good day.
Hi, that's a good question! (And thank you so much for your lovely and kind words!)
1) It depends on how MC is still acting around Red and if they're trying to be subtle or more obvious that they'd be interested in rekindling something with him! If MC was sort of acting shy or flustered around Red and Pan got the feeling that they had their own reasons for not talking about it with him, he wouldn't bring it up or would, at best, drop subtle hints. Mischievous as he is, he can be pretty hands-off when it comes to people's feelings and isn't interested in dropping bombs on issues that he's not directly involved in. If MC was acting really obvious about it or was seemingly exasperated by Red's pussyfooting around the topic, Pan might bluntly go "you know MC's totally still into you, right?" after watching them exchange smoldering looks of longing for the 500th time. Just depends on what the situtaion is!
2) I think Red would want to hurl himself off a cliff if MC was still like "yeah fuck buddies!! :D" after rekindling their relationship again LOL. To tell the truth, Red's learned his lesson and would 100% NOT become romantically involved with them again in the first place without being absolutely clear about how he feels and where he'd hope the relationship to go. NO FRIENDS WITH BENEFITS RELATIONSHIPS. He's not into that! So if MC somehow ignored that talk and those very clear explanations, I'd think their relationship is doomed already lol or Red would at least get pretty upset and frustrated; he might even want to put things on pause!
Thanks for your question! And for more Pan > Red+MC content, have you played the alpha and seen Pan's drunken stumbling over to MC to suss out how they feel about Red? 😂
#Shepherds of Haven#Pan#Panrachus#I forgot his last name#Red#Red Antiqua#spoilers#mild#alpha build#alpha preview
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Did Red really mention to Pan that he was still interested in us, or was that entirely Pan playing the sneaky matchmaker?
This is how the exact conversation between them went in my head:
Pan (drunk): “So... MC is back...”
Red (also drunk): “yeah... of all the things I was expecting to happen, that was not one of them.”
Pan: “you guys gonna get back together?”
Red: “w--huh?? no, we were--that was when we were kids. I haven’t thought about it! Too busy facing down demons in a netherworld... Why, did MC say something?”
Pan (sipping his drink): “mmmmm-hmmmm” (walks off to go talk to MC)
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Pan, omg I love him... 😭 Pan is amazing 💕 can we put him in the RO cage fight with Croelle and Halek??? 🤺 He will be destroyed, I know that, but...
I put an Easter egg about this in Chapter 4, just for you 😂😂😂
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VERY important: who does each RO gush about their crush to?
Ooh good question!
Blade: typically nobody, but if he were to go through something he couldn’t keep silent about (like MC and he were fighting or MC did something really sweet and he was just walking on clouds), I think the ONLY person he’d talk to about it would be Trouble and MAYBE Chase if Chase was annoyingly persistent about it and was like “ya know~~ I’m great at this stuff~~~ I give great advice!!~~~” and Blade was in the right mindset to go “UGH I HATE YOU FINE”
Trouble: I think he’d confide in pretty much anyone he trusted and who seemed open to talking about it, but probably his go-tos to gush would be Chase or Briony! Advice would be to Chase, Briony, or Blade!
Tallys: she doesn’t gush to anybody lkfdjjg if MC does something really cute she goes into her room and screams into a pillow, she tends to hold her feelings really close to the chest! But if it were a situation (like Blade) where she HAD to talk about something to somebody, it would be to Shery!
Shery: she also doesn’t naturally ‘gush’ because she’s often too shy to make ‘everything about herself’ and like go on for long periods of time, but eventually (once her crush is discovered and encouraged) she’d be confiding in and gushing to Briony! Also, weirdly Mimir (when she was going to be a part of the Shepherds RIP)!
Chase: he isn’t a natural gusher (gosh I guess few of these people are!) but when he does feel the inclination, he shouts it from the rooftops… or gushes to Trouble or sometimes Red and occasionally Blade!
Riel: I truly can’t see him gushing to anyone... but if he were to, I don’t know, like politely/smugly brag about MC in some way, it wouldn’t be directed to anyone specifically except maybe his right-hand assistant Aerin?...
Red: He tends to gush more to his friends Panrachus and Saleneon, but if they weren’t around it would probably be to... I don’t know, actually! Halek? Riel? 😂
Ayla: Lavinet is her go-to for gushing, or equally Shery, Lavinet, and Briony in a group setting if they’re already all gossiping, lol!
Briony: Red and the combination of Shery, Lavinet, and Ayla in a group setting are tied for first for her!
Lavinet: Everyone who will listen She tends to gush to Ayla and Briony in equal turns! Whoever’s closest, really!
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