𝙳𝚊𝚜 𝙷𝚎𝚛𝚣: 𝙱𝚞𝚌𝚑 𝙴𝚒𝚗𝚜

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟏𝟖

Feeling the pass of time, Eber's eyes open and he sits up. Checking over the cave, he finds some men asleep, wrapped in their horses' blankets, while a few are still awake, quietly talking by their fires. Krow rests comfortably by one of the fires, his mind in slumber. Passing the same surveillance over Lorelei, he sees she is fast asleep, tucked into her shawl, holding what is left of the chunk of bread.

He stands and collects his sword, latching it back to his side before aiming out of the lair. The scrape of leather soles on the cave floor waking her slightly, Lorelei sits up, seeing him leaving.

Outside the cave, somewhat up the ridge, sits Jorin by a fire. The winter winds, blocked by a flapping sheet of cloth, strung from the ground to the trees.

"Jorin." The man snaps his back straight as he hears his name, his body seconds from slipping off into a hunched over nap.

"Captain!" He jumps to his feet with Eber coming up the ridge. Down the way between the horse lines, Cerny stirs, looking up to watch Eber pass by.

"I am relieving you." Pleased, Jorin gives a 'yes Sir' and darts along for the warmer place. Cerny's head follows the man down the ridge. The horse lets out a puff of hot breath as his eyes and head then follows Lorelei up the ridge. Eber takes his seat by the fire, drawing his sword from its belt and resting it against his shoulder. Movement catching his attention, he looks to see Lorelei flop a blanket on the cold ground by the fire and him. She sets down her chunk

of bread and locks eyes with him, lowering to her knees on the blanket, then plopping to her side.

Seeing she favors his company over others, even in the cold of outside, he looks forward at the fire, keeping quiet and uninterested in her presence, what he assumes has earned that favor. She opens her eyes, looking into the forest. "Tell me Soldier, do you think all women are whores?" Her manner turned away from him, like her body.

He stares at the fire. "What does it matter what I think, Girl?"

"...I am just curious."

Eber reflects on his life, its current state and its beginning. "I am the son of a whore, a woman whose child was the result of her earnings, not love, or desire to be a mother."

A thought passing through her mind, Lorelei rolls to her back, her bright blue eyes continuing up to him. "In that case, I would think you are far more predisposed to think women whores."

Coldly, he expresses the ideals his birth has given him. "I do not like weak people. Whores are weak women who have let men put them in that position."

She hears his seriousness, his opinions from an impacted childhood of damaged upbringing, and respects it with, "They let men put them in many positions, the good ones anyways." She punctuates with a chuckle at her humor that turns to a snort.

Blinking, Eber lifts a brow, looking her way. "...You are... odd."

Her head rolls to him, her hair bunching on the ground under her cheek. "And you are a man who does not like whores... You are... a freak." She gives a couple small laughs, turning back over to get some sleep. Having a moment of thought over her words and her play with him, Eber looks back to the flames, a lift of his lips into the corner of his mouth leading to one soft chuckle.

The middle of the night blusters, the winds swirling small funnels of snow at times.

Letting out a small grunt of frustration, Lorelei sits up, her hair messily around her face and shawl dropping down. Passing a glance on Eber, he looks from the woods to her. Lifting to her feet, her glance turns more to a glare at him. "I will be back." Wrapping her shawl around her tightly, she starts to leave the small camp.