Two Crows Watch from the Gallows Tree (part 6)

(This rp has really helped me find everyone's voice, actually. It's helped me work out a lot of kinks in the plot too.)

"Ah, a very useful skill to have! Is Gaius thinking of employing you, then?"

"Is Ky here?" Sera asked Pratik. "Did she arrive with Gaius?"

(Glad to hear it! It has revealed a plot point to me that I am still struggling to fill haha the plan was for Zander to be her mother’s brother — but if her mom grew up in the township, then they’d know Zander wasn’t actually related to the family. But he looks nothing like Petrir and he’s estranged from his family anyhow so I’m not actually sure what to do there…)

“Something like that,” Zander said with a nod. “We’re teaming up, anyhow, to get to the bottom of all this.”

Ky’s head snapped towards him. “What? No. It’s just as dangerous for you as it is for me. You’re staying here too.”

“I’m not,” Zander said mildly. “I’m leaving quite soon, in fact.”

“No,” Ky repeated, glaring at him. “You’re staying here. You promised.”

“I did no such thing.”

“You said you’d spend more time with me.”

“And I have.” He looked at her gently. There was nothing like one of his nieces to make him feel like an asshole. “I’ve spent three full weeks with you. And I’ll come back once it’s safe.”

“You won’t be safe if you leave!” she insisted, upset.


“She is,” Pratik confirmed with a nod. “With some others. One of Aleth’s other slaves, Tadaaki, and his family. And Ky’s… uncle.” He still couldn’t wrap his head around that one. “Came along too.”

Emery was silent, a bit surprised by Ky's outburst. He kept silent to see where things would go.

"The more the merrier." Sera glanced at Rickard, who looked a bit bewildered.
"Sorry, who's Ky?" he asked.

Ky briefly considered threatening suicide if he left, then decided that would not, in fact, be her best leverage. At best, that would result in Emery being her baby sitter. At worst, it’d get back to Tomhas. Not to mention it wouldn’t be fair. “I won’t stay here if you won’t.”

“That ship has sailed,” Zander looked at her evenly. “It’ll only be a few months. I promise.”

“You can’t promise that if you go kicking a hornet’s nest for no reason!”


“Tomhas’s new daughter,” Pratik offered, deciding that was easier than explaining the mess that was Ky’s life. “He adopted her out of a bad situation.”

"She was a slave?"
Ada had a feeling Rickard would get along with Ky. What little she already knew of the girl matched up almost perfectly with the way Rickard was; perhaps they could trauma-bond.

“She was,” Pratik confirmed with a nod, figuring that would be public knowledge soon enough. At least within this Keep. “Sweet girl, but timid as all get out.” Much like him. He wondered if they’d be able to find comfort within a friendship, if that should come to pass. Rickard was old enough to be her father, but he understood her far more than the rest of them possibly could.

"Ah." Rickard dipped his head. "It was very kind of Lord Loquitur to take her under his wing, then."
Gaius stepped out of his study, glancing at the small group and giving them a nod. He was about to depart for the first floor when Rickard took a deep breath and stepped forward, shoulders tensed, then dropped to his knees.
"Sir," he said shakily, "I--I can't begin to express my gratitude for your tolerance adequately, but I want you to, to know that I'm in your debt. I'll do my utmost to carry my weight. My life is yours to do with as you please."
Gaius stared down at Rickard, then glanced at Sera and Pratik, then back down at Rickard. "I don't want your life," he said finally. "Stand up, please; I'm no king." Rickard scrambled to his feet, eyes wide. Gaius gave him a patient look. "You owe me nothing, Rickard," he told him. "Live freely and do as you please." Rickard looked a bit distraught by this declaration but he gave a dip of his head and bowed at the waist.
"Yes, sir."

Pratik’s respect for Gaius skyrocketed in that moment. He’d expected him to take Rickard in, but the fact he refused to bask in the glow of Rickard’s desperate adoration put him a line higher in Pratik’s book. Doing good for the sake of doing good, not for thanks, was something Pratik found admirable.

"I must be going," Gaius continued, "but be welcome, you and Ada both." He said this in Akarataran, then gave a small nod and limped toward the stairs.
Sera gave Rickard a gentle nudge and smiled at him, and he gave her a shaky grin in return.

Must be time for Ky’s tour, then. Pratik buried his hands in his pockets. Perhaps he’d use this excuse to get Zander alone. Emery would rat on them both, no doubt. But they couldn’t do anything at all about it after they had a chance to talk. And they definitely needed to talk. Zander had a penchant for showing up when something big was happening. And Pratik wanted to know what it was.

"Well, I'm going to go see what May and Ivar are up to," Ada said briskly. She didn't speak Moon Speech or Nortung and neither of them spoke each other's language either, but she found May's presence a comfort. The woman was very quiet, almost as quiet as Imali--shell shocked, no doubt. But she was pleasant and nice to be close to. Ivar was a frightening presence with his wild hair and white skin and man-ness, but he was very gentle with May and that endeared him to Ada.

Pratik nodded to her, trying to think of his best course of action. He considered walking with Gaius and offering to be the one to fetch Ky — that’d give him an excuse to go up to Zander’s room anyhow. Actually. He stepped towards Gaius. “I can go grab Ky for you, if that’s where you’re headed?”

"It was not, but that would be kind of you," Gaius replied, eyeing Pratik. "If you wouldn't mind."

“Not at all!” Pratik said with a grin.

"Thank you in advance, then." Gaius turned and limped away.
"He doesn't like Pratik very much, does he?" Rickard murmured to Sera.
"He's wary of him, like he is with all new employees," Sera replied with a shrug. "He'll come around like he always does, but I don't think he dislikes Pratik. If he did, Pratik wouldn't have been rehired."
Ada strode off to find May and Ivar.