samaritans abound

[shamees]

It was like any other day of travelling for the convoy. The same pacing, the same rhythmic shaking, the same rumbling of wheels and pounding of hooves. But as former soldiers of war in a mission, they had arrived with illusions of constancy dispelled. They weren't here for a calm and stable life. They volunteered to go straight into the flames to do what they could for people who needed a little bit of hope. In this day fashioned just like the other, they had found a badly injured young woman who had already lost consciousness from blood loss.

There had been not a second wasted when Shamees and the other soldiers jumped out with vulnerary at hand, others with weapons as they formed a secured circle around, watching out for the attackers that might still be around. Bandages and tourniquets were used at once to stop the bleeding while Shamees repeated the same mantra, the same prayer for Heal. There was no healing the dead. There was no saving the dead. They went through the procedure without questioning the futility of it. An hour must have passed when fresh blood ceased adding to the thick coat of dark red on the ground. Her lacerations were coiled with new muscles and, very pale as she was, she was going to live.

Three hours had passed since they brought the young woman in, four since she had been bleeding to her death.

Shamees groggily rose from the floor, having dozed off on a corner, and once he was up, his feet automatically took him to the bundle of cloth on the other side. Beneath the pile of expensive fur was their patient. Beside her was a makeshift table, a small wooden crate with untouched food and a glass of water on top and beside that was the remains of the young woman's clothes, bloody and destroyed from her violent encounter. She had one more belonging with her, but dying or not, Shamees did not trust a stranger with a sword while he was around. He realized she might panic, but that was not a problem she wouldn't be able to get over with.

Seeing as the young woman was still unconscious, Shamees turned around. He didn't see a set of new clothes. She should be around Harana's size.

Tsan'lo

[Tsan'lo]

Tsan'lo could feel all the bumps on the road. But she wasn't "awake" in the real sense of the world. She was simply drifting between the planes of consciousness and unconsciousness, trying her hardest to at the very least one end of the spectrum. But she just simply could not. She did remember how she had ended up like this. Roads were still dangerous, but for once it was not bandits that had done a lone traveler in. It was wolves. Too many for her to handle. She had killed a few of them first, but then one had gotten her from behind. Pathetic.

Pathetic. She was pathetic. She could hear their voices in her head. They were mocking her, telling her to continue training until she'd be what they wished for her to be. She was angry. And anger was something that always got her up and about. Her eyes opened quickly, scanning the area. She was inside a cart. And there was someone else. She could also feel herself be naked. Were they planning to... No. She wouldn't let them.

She silently reached for the glass of water, lifting it up as she then smashed it against the box, shattering it and creating herself a nice, sharp weapon. The sound echoed around the cart as she stood up, one hand wrapping some of the furs around her body with one other hand holding the shattered glass threateningly at the male.

"You won't get me that easily, mongrel."

shamees

[shamees]

Before he could take another step, the monotonous rumblings of rolling wheels against uneven earth shattered with the breaking of glass. Already knowing what he would see upon turning around, Shamees was impassive at the sight of their patient threatening him with a piece of shard while trying to keep herself modest. Her comment of stubborn resistance flew past his head.

"Are you lucid?" Shamees asked. "Try to recall what happened before taking action. You should have stayed lying down and pretended to sleep." She wasn't to blame to act on instinct all of a sudden. It seemed like something jolted herself awake, perhaps a dream reminiscent of her deadly encounter that alerted her brain. Being able to sleep soundly after going through that was not a pleasure most survivors go through.

Shamees made no move other than to talk to her patiently. He wasn't concerned of her makeshift weapon. If she wanted to attack, she could have done so while his back was turned. Her behaviour was purely defensive. As long as he didn't do anything while she was very agitated, they wouldn't have any problem. The way she was being now - unreasonable and distrustful - was understandable.

Tsan'lo

[Tsan'lo]

She furrowed her brows as she stared at the person, still pointing the glass at him. She knew deep down that she could not win against him easily. She could mayhaps try and dash forwards and slash at his throat, but if she failed he could easily wrestle her down. She was still weak from... What had she fallen to? She kept her brows furrowed as she thought about it before finally remembering. Wolves.

She continued to stare at him for a long while before throwing the glass down into a corner, shattering the little sharp piece completely before slumping down into a sitting position, keeping the furs around her body mostly not for moderation but just to keep herself warm. She felt cold, actually. Really cold, and her skin was pale. How much blood had she lost to the wolves? And... How much would she lose for all the favors this man would ask of her? She knew he would want something from her.

"I guess I should be thankful." Her voice did not radiate any thankfulness.

shamees

[shamees]

Shamees watched comprehension muddle behind her eyes. The pause she'd fallen into meant that Shamees' words had reached out to her and she was locked into processing a rush of memories. Or perhaps not. She could simply be debating whether he was tricking her or not. He stared back at her, showing more hardness that dared her to strike than transparency to win her trust.

The shard hit the corner of the wagon where Shamees had dozed off at hard and disintegrated into tiny crystals. She slumped down and wrapped the fur around her like a second skin. Taking a good look at it now, Shamees realized that the fur they'd given her was wolf fur.

"You should be," Shamees emphasized, cautious of the way she had expressed it. He wanted to add the amount of medicine and the number of times Heal had been used on her for an hour to give her an idea how she was at death's door moments ago. He wasn't asking for her gratitude but she could be more grateful for the fact that she was alive. Deciding to allow her peace, Shamees withheld his thoughts and took his staff lying against the supply crates.

"Eat. Keeping yourself still isn't going to help regain your energy." Shamees held the staff with two hands and positioned its orb clutched at the top above the young woman's head. He closed his eyes and chanted Heal again.

Tsan'lo

[Tsan'lo]

She could notice the emphasis in his voice at the fact that she should indeed be thankful. She decided to not push further on, reaching for the crate of food as she begun to eat. She had wasted all her drinking water on her foolish try on escaping her "captors." She was in a way thankful to the man and... Whoever his accomplices were for saving her. She could die in a more honorable way later on.

The food wasn't anything truly special. Just some pork and beans, but it would do. As she dug in, she kept her watchful eyes on the man as he proceeded to heal her. He seemed to be still rather young, maybe in his early twenties? Why did she care. She turned her eyes down back into the food, chewing on it for a long while before sighing, whispering silently. "I'm... Thankful." Why had she admitted such again, albeit in a much more respecting and normal voice? Oh well. She had her moments.

shamees

[shamees]

Casting Heal for what could have been the hundredth time of the day, the magic being produced out of the staff seeped more of Shamees' energy than normal. He could feel the headache crawling back at his head and the wooziness falling upon him. He had both the natural and trained endurance of a very able fighter. He could withstand fighting all day, exerting his body beyond its limits. But magecraft and the healing arts did not test physicality but quality, quality that Shamees still lacked after five years since he held the staff.

When he finished, he kept himself from releasing the heavy breath in his chest. Showing weakness was not something he was accustomed to do. His voice did not seem to be ready to operate again, so he merely nodded to her reiteration of gratitude until he felt more confident he wasn't going to gasp out words.

"Good. You're taking it well." Cool and professional. It was better to encourage others to draw strength for themselves than to let them limp with an arm around another person. "My name is Shamees. I'm a merchant and the head of this convoy. We're currently travelling east to the closest town. While we were on our way, we found you unconscious and bloodied on the forest - that was roughly four hours ago. We're not doubling back or making any pit stops, so if you want to step out of the caravan, you'll have to wait for a few more days. Questions?"

Tsan'lo

[Tsan'lo]

So he was a merchant? Merchants always remembered if people owed them. Give it some time and he would already be asking her for favors while somehow managing to get her in more debt. She scowled at this, chewing trough her last piece of pork as she then scurried deeper into her furs, letting out something akin to a mix of a guttural growl and a yes.

"I'm in debt to you. As much as I despise such, and admitting to owe someone." She furrowed her brows as she thought about how to easily get into a sort of deal that would not tie her down for too long. "I... For my pride and honor, wish for you to take me as... Anything you'll need. Bodyguard, caravan guard, even just someone who'll lift around your wares."

She furrowed her brows, her hands hugging the wold hide tighter around herself as if to protect herself from something. "But only for a month. One month, with normal payment. Then I'll leave. It's a fair way for me to repay you the favor... Even if I will not enjoy it."

shamees

[shamees]

Shamees awaited for a question, but what she asked was a request. He listened as she went on uninterrupted, speaking lengthy and clearly bitter of her own words. He let her talk, watching her pull the fur, and when she was done, his respond, as patient as when he was listening, followed quickly.

"Miss, I have no use for your pride. Your personal dilemma with your conscience or honour, or whatever you want to call it, is not my concern. We are understaffed - I admit - but it is not the extra muscle we need. You're greatly underestimating the business if you think you can simply waltz in and do work for a month, much more to be paid. Here, the weight of each person's individual task is great that the carelessness of one is not something to be overlooked. You're clearly unwilling to volunteer. Don't force yourself with something so inane and worry about your health instead."

He already had an idea of what type of person this young woman was. He didn't mean to ridicule her - partially, maybe he did, but only to slap herself completely out of the stupidity of it for her own sake.

Tsan'lo

[Tsan'lo]

She gritted her teeth at his answer. "Make it no pay then, if that has to be it. If not that, I won't give up." She coughed, spitting some blood on the side but decided to ignore it as she then returned her furrowed brows at the man, now getting angered. "Don't you go calling me a miss. I'm no miss. I'm Tsan'lo, call me a bloody woman if you have to call me something. I'll force myself to follow you until the month is over, even if you try to bloody kill me! This is about MY honor. MY pride. MY debt. And I'll pay it back before you can get it off of me in some other way."

She finished with aptly smashing her fork down onto the plate. She might have been acting rather childishly, but to her this was more important than anything else at the moment. Who was this mongrel to deny her repaying her debts and upholding her honor? Did he consider her a burden? She would show him. She would truly do so, even if it would kill her.

shamees

[shamees]

Her indignation was met with the same cool face, listening and, once more, responding accordingly. The young woman, Tsan'lo, was losing her temper quickly for the most contradicting reasons. They'd just used up a hefty number of precious medicine on this single person and Shamees had exhausted himself to keeping her alive only for her to threaten to throw it away again? For her pride? It infuriated Shamees, but he did much better than her to keep it from his facade and disorient his thinking.

"I have reasons to believe you are unable to fit the job as I have already explained to you. Don't toss your feelings at me, Tsan'lo. If you had money to spare, then by all means, we can settle your imaginary debt like how we settle our wares. Keeping you alive had not come in cheaply, though we have regardless provided it freely. But you are unable to do that. No money to pay, no experience to work. If you wish to blame someone, then take it out on yourself. I have done my part. Keep on imposing on me and you will owe me a greater deal."

Tsan'lo

[Tsan'lo]

She furrowed her brows. This man was frustrating her greatly. Where was her sword? She felt like stabbing him. Rather deep and hard, too. Probably to death, yes. That'd be fine. She looked around for it but sadly she could not find it, returning her gaze to the man as she thought about what to do. She was trying to scan him, find anything she could use to crack him down. She could not find anything, which just made her more and more frustrated.

She twisted the fork around the plate, fuming for a while before letting out a grumble, seemingly accepting defeat. "You... You... Ghrn. You save my life and I offer you a simple yet efficient way to make us even! Yet you simply... Throw it away? What is this? That is not at all a smart thing to do. You'd clearly be making a loss out of it. It's stupid. Making you stupid."

She had gone into her ranting phase, trying to wrap her mind around the logic of the man, which in a way was clear. But to her it was the most impossible thing to wrap her mind around since she had left her parents.

shamees

[shamees]

For the third time in their discussion, Tsan'lo was given complete silence and Shamees' undivided attention. He did not twitch the slightest when fury burned in her eyes as she made a not-so-inconspicuous movement of looking around - no doubt searching for something to stab Shamees with. Shamees showed no fear, not the smallest hesitation to take back what he said. She struggled and fumbled for a comeback; Shamees knew it was done.

He didn't say anything immediately following her rant. Perhaps he had nothing else to add as Tsan'lo had already admitted her "defeat." But that wasn't the case. If one looked closely, something different surfaced out of Shamees' image of perfect calmness. The aloofness bridled together by careful control and rationality softened to reveal a deep, incomprehensible look. The longer one would take notice, the more one would realize it was only a glimpse of something far, something poignant.

Shamees closed his eyes as if to seal away the emotions that had leaked into the light. When he spoke again, it was in the same cool voice full of reason, "If you think of me as a fool, then you don't have the slightest idea behind the swings of your sword. You cannot put a value on a life." He looked at Tsan'lo seriously. "It was impossible from the start to pay me back. Not for lives that are saved, or for lives that are lost..."

At that moment, the curtains slid open and through it entered a young man around Shamees' age. He appeared wary, looking at the situation first before speaking up but Shamees beat him to it before he could open his mouth.

"Where's Harana?"

"Harana?" The young man was caught off-guard by Shamees' sudden question. "At the next caravan."

Shamees moved to leave. "I'll have him bring her fresh clothes. Keep her company."

The young man nodded vaguely as he watched Shamees exit. "Okay..." It seemed there was something going on before he had interrupted it. He decided not to dwell on it and turned to Tsan'lo with a wide, friendly smile.

"Hey. How are you feeling?"

Tsan'lo (visual reference for the new guy. sorry, shamees ditched. he'll be back.)

[Tsan'lo]

She tilted her head as the man spoke about things such as the value of life. What was he on about? Why would he... Did he consider her life important? Bah, foolish thoughts. He probably meant something else she just could not understand in her angered and still weak state. But she did notice the apparent insult behind her sword play. "Why you..."

Before she could unleash another barrage of anger and insults at the man, they were rather rudely disturbed by a man. They switched a few words. Apparently he would go and get her some clothes to wear. So he'd even waste some of his band's own clothes for her, yet he wished for nothing back?... The man truly WAS a fool. She turned her head to the newcomer, eyeing him up and down.

"That doesn't belong to you." She sneered. "Although I'll already admit I'd like to stab your... Foolish commander or whatever he wishes to be. I simply offer my life under his service for a month yet he denies it, yet still wastes time on me! If he wished to not do anything after rescuing me, he should've just left me at the roadside. Truly foolish."

shamees

[shamees]

The young man's jaw slackened and hang loosely, speechless and confused for a second. Just what kind of conversation had he interrupted? He laughed and shook his head.

"Take it easy on me. I'm not going to play mediator between the two of you. Just two things: one, he's not a commander. He's the leader of the convoy but I can't really blame you for thinking he's military. Two, he has his reasons, I'm sure. And...it's a three, but none of us would have left you dying there. Did you want to die?"

The young man spoke very differently from Shamees. He was more relaxed just from the fact that he was allowing himself to show emotions. While Shamees had been civil, his presence was very intense and authoritarian. No wonder Tsan'lo thought he was a commander. (Though that...was in reality, not at all far from the truth.). Shamees' companion was more openly empathetic. His question, though very direct, was spoken gently and tinged with concern. Had the same words come from Shamees, it would have been as sharp as needles.

Tsan'lo