The Slums of Euridayl

26: Lynet the Bored

Their training with Horus had dragged on for the span of a year and a half when it came time for them to break away. Thyma had already left some time that spring. He'd received a letter while they visited an Inn in Dillac. It was from his mother, saying that his older sister had passed. Thyma was reluctant to the news at first, until a little down the letter he learned that his sister had been murdered.

The look in his eyes then was terrifying. He'd looked up with likely the most genuine smile anyone had ever seen on his face before. Selphie had frowned but spoke no sort of protest and the others were unsure what to make of it. The small and angry man had been a begrudgingly comfortable member to their unit. He was sufficient and adaptive, and really what more could you ask of a bandit? Still, the man packed his knapsack and headed for the docks at Taudor. He mentioned not where he intended to go, only that it was overseas.

Alias had waved her goodbye and he'd blown her a kiss in return. Lynet didn't even bother scowling as she watched him go. She and Alais had already been considering their next move as well, now that they were both rather proficient with weapons. It wasn't as though they couldn't stay with Horus any longer. The older man was welcoming and his strong arms seemed to want to hug them closer every night around the fire.

Selphie was a treasure to them as well. She tended to them in such a delicate and motherly way that at times it brought Alais to tears. Neither of the girls had ever known parental love and to receive it was an emotional thing for them. Selphie's rough hands were wise with age and they could weave the girls' hair into braids expertly. Her brown eyes were kind and her voice was sweet as honey in a cup of tea.

Still, the warmth of the summers spent with Horus and Selphie had started to render the both of them restless. There was no problem to resolve in a group with such a healthy dynamic. No fight to be had and no battle to be won. Nice as it was, that wasn't the sort of lifestyle either of them fancied in the long-term.

It was Kau who finally put what the group had been thinking to words.

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Fire licked up the curtains of the small cottage home with unbelievable quickness as the family they terrorised sat with numb eyes. They were an elderly couple with two house cats and no children to be found. It seemed in their long lives they had become very accustomed to misfortune and being raided by a troupe of bandits was unworthy of their fear.

Kau and Lynet had been put to the task of gathering all the valuables from inside. They'd done a good job of it too. Gathered what little coin the elderly couple had and the brunt of all the food they'd stored for winter. Some of Kau's braids had slapped Lynet in the eye as he rushed past her and she went to retaliate when her eyes landed on the object of the tall man's attention. It was an ornate and gold-detailed pirate ship. The two of them gathered it carefully, it'd surely be worth more if it was sold with no damage.

Selphie and Alais has been given the task of tending to the elderly couple and keeping them out of the way. Selphie opted to tie them up tightly to a tree outside their home. The woman had tied them firmly with a great deal of focus and then she took a slow and laboured seat on a tree stump nearby. Alias had been befriending one of the couple's tabby cats when the old woman looked to Selphie somewhat passively.

"You're getting a little old for this work, dear."

Selphie raised a brow when she was struck with the realisation that the woman was speaking to her. She turned to face the woman, sun illuminating her smooth brown skin in such a way that her cheek glowed and she shot a dazzling smile.

"You're right."

The old woman smiled back a bit humorously before shutting her eyes and letting the icy winds of Dillac caress her. Her husband was in a certainly less accepting mood and grumbled his disapproval next to his wife.