[grimli] take a rest, as a friend, as an old memory • etain

It had been a slow day. Well, it was always a slow day in Grimli. They had no real customers during the day; it was always at night. While that meant every evening was exciting and filled with shouting spectators and suspicious characters parading in and out of the store, it also meant that the days were positively boring. Niska sat at his long wooden desk, facing the door though his eyes were somewhat glazed over and his hand was hovering aimlessly over an invoice for that day’s profit. Total revenue: 0 galleons, 0 sickles, and 2 knuts. His large, callused hand dwarfed the delicate quill, making it look comically small as tiny drops of ink dribbled slowly on the page.

He was getting old. Years ago he could have shook off a fight with a night at the tavern and a shower, but nowadays it was getting a little harder to recover from a bout with a grimlin. He had an ugly black bruise forming on the side of his face, and a deep gash in his right eyebrow that apparently a little soap and spit wasn’t going to heal up anytime soon. His leg was throbbing uncomfortably where it rested beneath the chair. The twinges of pain was making him a mite grumpy and he prayed for any poor soul that might wander in when he was steaming silently.

The light was going down in the sky-- Knockturn Alley returning to its natural gloomy glow. It was almost time to close up. No fights tonight, not right after the big one yesterday, and he was glad of it. Perhaps the younger crowd could keep up that level of enthusiasm day after day, but Niska couldn’t. He chuckled lightly to himself, feeling a bit ashamed of his age. Soon he’d be forty. Then fifty. Then he might as well retire to a monastery and just meditate all day. The idea did hold some promise, thought he tucked it away for later. Not just yet. He was still young and he could still hold his own against the best of them.

Niska got up and gingerly made his way to the door, being careful not to bang his injured knee against any of the random debris Grimli seemed to always have a surplus of. He drew the shutters closed and locked the door before returning to his desk. With a heavy sigh he sat back down in his chair, reaching into one of his drawers and pulling out a very old, very expensive bottle of firewhiskey he kept for days like this. He uncorked the bottle and poured it into the mug sitting on his desk. Niska put the bottle down and raised it to his lips, but just before he could take a sip he paused.

The smell reached him first. The delicate notes of lotus and honey infused with the loud tinge of hot metal and unmistakable scent of blood. Then it was the sound of the door wiggling ever so slightly as someone tried to unlock it. His eyes flashed amber and he saw tiny grains of gold sand seeping into Grimli from outside, the crack under the door glittering faintly. Niska pulled a nearby knife off his desk and  silently got to his feet, moving toward the door, flattening himself against the wall until he was hidden behind the door frame. And not a moment too soon, as the door clicked open and a shadowed figure entered his shop. He waited until the person was a few steps in before he closed the door behind them and turned on the lights.

“You got rotten luck coming in here today. Best state your business and be quick about it, or else there won't be nothing left of you to find.”

Etain sat in her office at home, staring at the file resting in front of her. It was full, her scrawled Arabic filling in almost all the blank spaces on the parchment, and she still had more leads to follow. If there was one thing that she'd gotten good at during these periods of time that she'd had to lay low, it was tracking.  Tracking down information and people, and finding their secret hiding places, and secret thing. With all this skill that she acquired, she still couldn't find Amaranth. Her hands slid into her hair, and as much as she wanted go grip it so she could try and focus, she just couldn't.

Ever since the New Years Eve debacle, Amaranth had been gone. Vanished from the face of the Earth. At first, Etain had been consumed with rage. Why had one of her favorite cousins tried to betray them? Why had Amaranth attempted to lead a stranger into the bowels of the Regan sanctuary for whatever reason during one of the most celebrated holidays of the year? Then that rage had melted to something sad. Had…Etain not showed her love to Amaranth enough? Did Amaranth not know how much Etain cared for her and so felt like it was nothing to give away all of her secrets? Etain just wanted to apologize, to pull her cousin close so Amaranth could feel all of Etain’s love.

Shaking her head, Etain began to go through her notes again. There was so many things that Etain hadn't known, and the one lead she was going to follow was this Grimli lead. She'd been in there once, and had found Amaranth there. It was the last solid location that Amaranth could be seen in. So Etain was going to head there. She just needed a shower, and to put on something pretty so she could feel a bit of confidence. She needed it sorely, when it dealt with this matter.

After taking a too long shower, Etain rubbed her favourite essential oils into her skin, before slipping into one of her favourite dresses. Tony, knowing of her task had laid it out for her, and she'd kissed him softly in thanks. She'd already applied what her mama had always referred to as battle armour which consisted of a prettily made up eye that intensified the brightness of her yellow eyes, and a soft pink natural lip. When she was finished, she'd put on a light, but protective silvery-black dragonskin cloak.

She hadn't realized how late it was when she arrived at Grimli until her hand twisted the knob, and the door was locked. Frustrated, her wand slid out of her ever present hostler, hoping that she'd just missed someone and they were still there. The ivory wand tapped gently on the door knob, and she sighed when it unlocked. Pressing the door open slightly, her wand hand slid back into the depths of her cloak, her wand still within the grasp of her fingers. She paused for a moment before she pressed the door all the way open. There was someone here. She could feel it, like a slow creep up her spine. Walking in, her face hidden by her cloak hood, she turned swiftly when the door shut. Her right hand gripped the wand tighter, but her left hand clenched into a fist. It was one thing to point a wand at someone, but another to unhook a rather large knife from her hip.

Hearing the ominous threat, she holstered her wand, and used her gloved hands to pull back her hood. Large eyes blinked slightly at the sudden brightness of light, and she stared up calmly at her target. Yes, this was exactly the man she wanted to speak to. “I’d quite like my body to stay the way it is, if you don't mind…” Her voice bubbled with hidden amusement. “My apologies for coming late. I was hoping that you'd be able to provide some information for me?”

The magic swirled around her in a hurricane of smoldering gold, almost too brilliant to look at. The smell was overwhelming and Niska had to shut off his magus or he felt he might be blinded. Once the glittering gold subsided, Niska finally got a good look at the woman standing in front of him. He didn’t need his magus to know that she was powerful, he could see it in her face. There wasn’t a trace of fear in those dark features. Thievery and breaking in were one thing, but information brokering was an honorable pursuit, he agreed. Knowing that he wouldn’t be able to intimidate her with just a knife, Niska moved to the wall and hung the ornate dagger back where it originally belonged.

Niska never forgot a face, and more importantly, he never forgot magic. He had seen this woman come in here with Amaranth once before, a long time ago. Niska had only gotten a glimpse of their interaction, but he had been shocked and mildly disturbed to hear someone cooing over Amaranth (in perfect Arabic, no less) and speaking to her as if she was just a normal girl. The way Niska saw it, there were only three humans in Amaranth’s life: himself, his brother Adelei, and her brother Hawthorn. She was a lonely girl, everyone knew it, but no one bothered to get close to her because of who she was what she could do. So when Niska had seen someone who seemed to truly care for her, he had been curious. Amaranth said she was her cousin from the Regan family-- distantly related, it was all very complicated. He couldn’t remember the name but he definitely recognized her magic. This woman’s brilliantly shining dark magic had swallowed Amaranth’s own dull grey ribbons like the sun vaporizing a tiny whispering shadow.

He made his way back to the table and carefully hitched his leg up as he seated himself behind his desk, folding his hands in his lap as he leaned back and looked at the woman before him. She was gorgeous, dark, and deadly, the sort Niska would have fallen for in a heartbeat back in his younger years. But all he could think of when he saw her now was the mystery of Amaranth's sudden departure and what role this woman played in it.

“I remember you,” he gruffly. “You’re Amaranth’s cousin. Invited her to some fancy shindig she was all excited about right before she up and disappeared.” Niska remembered how giddy and unusually nervous Amaranth had been the day it happened. He had to let her off work early on account of she looked like she was gonna bounce right out of her seat. From what Adelei had told her, the poor girl had never had a normal day in her life. Getting excited, flirting with boys, putting her hair up in pigtails or however was how girls were supposed to spend their youth. Niska had been grateful to her mysterious cousin for giving her the opportunity she never had.

But he had also been there that night when he found a frantic, disheveled Amaranth rummaging through the shelves and stealing a book of some minimal importance, her hair and makeup still done up from the party. Niska waved a hand and summoned a chair for his guest, then pulled out another glass and filled it with firewhiskey, sliding it across the table. “She came here that night, after the party. Stole something and knocked me out cold when I tried to stop her.” He paused, raising his glass to his lips. “First and only time I ever saw that girl cry.” He hadn't seen her since. Niska had lost his daughter that day, and Adelei the love of his miserable, bloody life. Dark brown eyes locked onto the woman in front of him and they narrowed. He felt his temper rising, like a sleeping beast stirring awake in his chest after far too long.

“I’m looking for some information too. First you tell me what happened that night and I'll tell you what I know."

She watched as her companion replaced the dagger on the wall. Etain examined it quickly, her fingers twitching  as she realized she wanted to touch it. Her obsession with well crafted weapons was strong, and that wasn’t why she was there. She watched him pensively, examining his every moment was he slowly made his way over to the desk he’d probably been siting at before she arrived. It was a slight hitch to his step, almost unnoticeable, as if he’d beeb sitting too long. She could imagine that his day was slow, and was sorry for interrupting it. Her gloved hand slightly gripped the trim of her cloak before she pushed it over her shoulders. She settled standing in a spot before his desk, slowly letting her eyes trail around Grimli. It’d be nice to explore this place…Maybe another time.

He caught her attention again, this Mr. Zukov. “I remember your face, but we’ve never met.” Eyes lit up at the mention of the New Years eve party before she deflated again. “I..yes. I’m her cousin. Etain…” Until the incident, the party had been amazing. Amaranth fairly glowed under the fairy lights, and Etain had taken many pictures, one which sat in the moleskin pouch that hung at her waist. She refrained from biting her lip, and searched from some place to seat. This was going to be a interesting and torturous conversation.

Just the idea of making Amaranth cry made Etain visibly flinch. She never wanted to do anything to hurt the other girl, but it seemed as if she’d done so unknowingly. How was she to know that New Years eve was the beginning of the end? And Niska had every right to know what Etain knew. From what Etain had heard of that man, he was important. Very important to her Ama, and he’d know where the girl was.

“…She was beautiful that night.” Etain focused on anything but Niska’s face. She wished Tony was there, and she toyed with her red and gold wedding ring instead. “It was the first time I’d seen her after my son was born. I was excited, my cousins were snarky, we’d had some fun.” Etain began to pace around the floor, thinking. “Ama met my Nick. He was enamored with her.” She jammed her hand in her moleskin pouch and dug through it, and pulled out a picture. It was small, but it had Nick sitting beside Amaranth, waving his arms around as he stared at her with a huge smile, and Amaranth holding something above his head. She laid it on the table, and shoved it at Niska.

“Everything was good until I felt this pinch. I was holding the upper level wards that night. It took me a moment to get to the location, and Amaranth was there. And we just stood there and then she vanished. I…I think she was trying to get somewhere she shouldn’t…but I don’t know why.” Etain shook her head, thinking. “I haven’t seen her since. I’d…like to talk to her. I don’t know what I did, but…I have something for her.”  She dug into the moleskin pouch and her fingers brushed against a bundle wrapped in raw silk. Pulling it out, she put it on the desk in front of him.

“Test it or whatever. It’s just…a shield bracelet.. “ Etain spent the better part of two weeks perfecting the shield after the Regans were targeted. All Ama had to do was press against the purple stone and a shield would appear. It was a neat bit of magic made only better because it deflected many spells.

“If…you wont tell me where she is…can we send this to her? I need to keep her safe…” She stared at Niska earnestly, unable to think of what else she could say to convince him. 

Niska listened to Etain as she struggled to explain what had happened that night. That didn’t make sense. Amaranth hadn’t breathed a word to him nor gave any indication that she was going to the Regan party to do anything but be with her family. Something didn’t feel right here, and once Niska caught a whiff of something gone amiss, he was like a dog with a bone and would never let go.

But he was distracted from his thoughts as Etain passed something to him. Niska picked up the picture, careful not to bend or smudge it with his big fingers. Something in his chest tugged slightly and the corner of his lip twitched in a barely perceptible smile. Amaranth had never looked like that before. She looked pretty, like a little doll in her snow white dress and makeup. It was such a different appearance than he was used to. She looked so very happy playing with that child. That was something else Niska had never seen before. Forgetting his audience, he spoke quietly, feeling his throat tighten as he held the picture in his hands. “No one knew you very well, did they, girl? Not even me.”

He cleared his throat and reluctantly put the picture down, pushing it back to Etain as gently as he could manage. This might be the only picture anyone had of Amaranth looking truly happy, and that thought saddened him. “Take a seat,” he said, noticing she was still standing. Her pacing was going to make him nervous and it sure as hell wasn’t helping her. “Have a drink, it’ll calm your nerves,” he said, not so much commanding as suggesting it to the obviously unhappy woman before him.

Niska looked at the bracelet before him, his eyes flashing for just a second as he scrutinized it from top to bottom. As an incidental-purveyor of fine goods, he could immediately tell that it was made with flawless technique and meticulous attention to the metal-working detail. The design was quite nice too, perfect for Amaranth. And above all, the enchantments on the bracelet were strong, woven into the metal in fine strands of delicate yellow spider silk that buzzed just slightly. “This is an impressive piece,” he said, picking it up to look more closely at it. “And I would send it to her if I could, believe me. Just cause that little goblin can take care of herself doesn’t mean that no one should try,” he nodded to Etain as he put the piece down, once again noting the woman's sincere desire to take care of Amaranth.

“Something about that New Year’s business don’t sit right with me,” he said, steepling his fingers in front of him. “My brother Adelei was very close to her. It’s my understanding that he was the one who saved her from those rotten people she called her family. Now that I’m thinking about it, he contacted her about a week before your party, and he only does that when he has a job for her.” Adelei too had disappeared two months after Amaranth did, though Niska was pretty sure he was just out looking for Amaranth. “There as something she said, someone she mentioned when she told me about it... what was it?”

Niska took a long sip of his firewhiskey and racked his brain trying to remember what had happened in the days before Amaranth disappeared. But suddenly a different memory flashed before his eyes: the fozen image of Amaranth rifling through the shelves that night she left. His eyes widened and he shot to his feet, his leg twinging painfully though he ignored it. “When you saw her in your house, when she was trying to get past the wards and you caught her, did she have anything with her?” He rummaged through his desk, and when he couldn’t find it, he pulled the whole drawer out and up-ended it onto the surface of his desk. He dug through the clutter before he pulled out a metallic scarab beetle no bigger than a grape.

“Did she have this? It's a communication device that she and Adelei used sometimes. It’s specially designed to work even in warded areas because it translates the messages and into high-pitched bug chatter and sends it off.” He slammed the scarab down in front of Etain. “These only work in pairs. I picked this one up off the floor the night she left. Didn’t give it another thought cause I figured it fell off a shelf in the scuffle-- but if she had this with her, if she was using this...” He looked hard at Etain, the realization donning on him. “- then she was talking to someone. She was working with someone, maybe not in the same room, but there was someone else there!”

Etain’s head tilted as she sat down, her legs absently crossing at her ankles. She shifted her skirt and spread it, tilting her head to the side. This was interesting. Her sharp eyes catalogued every bit of Niska’s emotional response. This was someone who truly cared about Ama. Her hands gently caressed the bone coloured wand and in a gently, non-violent movement, she tapped the picture. As it copied itself, she took the original and silently slid it back into the moleskin pounch. Leaning back on her chair, she thought for a moment, eyes focused on a point behind Niska.

“No thank you on the drink…” She murmured, thinking. “Unless you have coffee…And not that any of that weak stuff, a proper brew…” She wrinkled her nose, before laughing. Etain leaned back in her chair, eyes lids lowered as she watched him examine her work. One thing that she tried to keep to herself was her pride in her work. As much time as she spent perfecting her craft, damn right she wanted people to at least admire her work. A light blush covered her face, and she ducked her head. “…I’ve been working on it for months. I was hoping I could have given it to her on New Years, but I had to do a full moon ritual for the shield to work correctly.” She almost began to ramble, before realizing where she was. Her blush deepened even more. “My apologies. I like my work…”

Resting her hands on her lap, Etain let her lids lower again over her intense eyes so only a sliver of yellow could be seen from below her lashes. She listened as he spoke, trying to catalogue all the events of that night. “Amaranth and I have a unwritten, unspoken policy. We don’t speak of what she does, and we don’t speak of what I do.” It was as if they danced around the fact that they both did dangerous things. It was for Amaranth’s safety, as much as it was for Etain’s.

When her eyes were attracted by the small scarab beetle, she focused on nothing but that. Her long fingered hands held the beetle and she traced her finger tips over the sides. “I….saw this.” Her eyes flicked around as if she was in the scene again, and it was frozen infront of her. Siting back down, she let the scarab sit in the palm of her hand before she none to gently sat it back down on the table. Swallowing thickly, she steepled her fingers beneath her chin.

As she spoke again, the accent that she tried so very much to hide began to roll out. She sounded exactly like her mother, and it usually freaked her out, but she was so very tired, and so very weary. “I do not understand. I did not make an attempt to hide my relationship with Amaranth. Why would whoever was working with her decide that we were proper targets?” Her gaze, full on and direct shot to meet his. “My family has had a touch time lately. There has been a murder, children beaten, and now this.” Pursing her lips, she let out an audible sigh before sitting back against the chair. “My concern is not for revenge, but more…If someone was knowingly sending her into a trap. My family’s home warding scheme is not something which you play around with. Amaranth knew, so I don’t understand what pressured her do do so…”

“…was It something I did? Did she seem unhappy?”

Niska could barely focus on what Etain was saying but he forced himself to listen. His mind was already running at a million miles a minute, trying to wrap his head the information that Amaranth had been working with someone. His hand brushed mindlessly against the picture Etain had duplicated for him. That was nice of her. He raised an eyebrow when Etain mentioned their unspoken policy. Niska took a quick detour from wondering what Amaranth had been up to, to wondering what sort of dangerous activities her cousin was up to. Magic never lied and Niska knew that Etain was a match for Amaranth, possibly even stronger. Woman looked like she had years of experience on Amaranth.

“The only partner Amaranth ever had was my brother. She doesn’t work well with others, as I’m sure you noticed, so it’s more likely that she was working with the person who hired her when she went into your house. Amaranth’s no fool, she wouldn’t purposefully turn against the Regans, it ain’t smart and it ain’t how her master taught her how to think.” That much of the Boogeyman’s training had stuck with both of them even years after they were freed. “I’m not very well versed on your fancy British wizard politics, but from what I have heard around and under, the Regans aren’t to be messed with. I wouldn’t say the girl had strong family loyalty, but she wasn’t an idiot either.”

“You shouldn’t blame yourself for what she did. From what I can tell, you’re the only one who ever showed her any kind of decency and I thank you for it. If anything… it’s possible that she walked right into that trap knowing exactly what she was getting herself into. She loved you, anyone with eyes could tell the way she talked to you. I’m thinking maybe she took the job in order to protect you. With a job like that, if she doesn’t take it, someone else will. Maybe it was her way of ensuring things didn’t go bad by being right in the middle of it, but it went sideways anyways.”

“That house of yours, you keep a lot of secrets in there, right? And you got enemies. What could be gained by going up where she did? Was there a treasure behind one of the doors? I been wracking my brain trying to find out the why, but maybe you can help me with the who? You would know more about this than I do and I have a feeling you would be about as interested in the answer as I am.”