Old Company

[Ren Caverly]

Ren was a fairly secretive girl. That wasn’t the first thing that jumped to anyone’s mind when seeing her, but it was true. Somewhere after tiny, after weak, helpless, fragile, anti-social, shy, awkward, and generally clumsy, she was secretive. Actually she was secretive before most other things, but that couldn’t come up unless people talked to her, and she made pretty sure that most people weren’t able to do that. It wasn’t that she hated people. She was afraid of people, and she was bad for them. She wasn’t going to forget about Anya, and at the same time, she was never going to talk about her.

She also didn’t like the exchange of money. She hated it. She couldn’t exactly explain it. Maybe because so many things had been kept from her due to a lack of funds. Maybe because her parents had been so wealthy. She just knew that she didn’t like it. She didn’t judge anyone else for it, but if they put too much value on money, she wasn’t going to put as much value in them. That didn’t really matter, no one cared about Ren. No one could care about Ren. She didn’t exactly go out of her way to give them a reason to care.

[Ren Caverly]

Ren was not used to her past coming up, not in any way that others might notice. However the name “Rovan” rang immediate alarm bells. The small woman’s honey brown eyes went wide in and instant and she snatched the paper off the bulletin board.

“… Are you okay?” someone who clearly did not know Ren asked. She didn’t know him, he didn’t know her, and she normally didn’t get near the bulletin board. Actually she just wanted an excuse to get out of the guild. She was feeling even more anti-social than usual, and she was afraid someone might talk to her. This man wasn’t helping any. “Just got an itch for jewels and adventure?” he asked ignorantly.

“No,” she said, her tone very clear. She took the paper and walked off quickly. She read it as she walked, easily avoiding walking into someone she didn’t see, the luck she had when she wasn’t actually looking at her feet or paying attention.

Rovan, a trader, needed someone to meet him in Hargeon and escort him to Clover. Hargeon….. that’s a port city. If head to Cerulean I might be able to get a boat tonight and meet him. It says he’s waiting in Hargeon for a few days. Of course…. He would never want his goods in danger, she thought with a sigh. She didn’t even stop. She didn’t go to her room, she didn’t grab food, she just left. In retrospect that was a fairly stupid plan on her part.

[Ren Caverly]

Ren was not used to her past coming up, not in any way that others might notice. However the name “Rovan” rang immediate alarm bells. The small woman’s honey brown eyes went wide in and instant and she snatched the paper off the bulletin board.

“… Are you okay?” someone who clearly did not know Ren asked. She didn’t know him, he didn’t know her, and she normally didn’t get near the bulletin board. Actually she just wanted an excuse to get out of the guild. She was feeling even more anti-social than usual, and she was afraid someone might talk to her. This man wasn’t helping any. “Just got an itch for jewels and adventure?” he asked ignorantly.

“No,” she said, her tone very clear. She took the paper and walked off quickly. She read it as she walked, easily avoiding walking into someone she didn’t see, the luck she had when she wasn’t actually looking at her feet or paying attention.

Rovan, a trader, needed someone to meet him in Hargeon and escort him to Clover. Hargeon….. that’s a port city. If head to Cerulean I might be able to get a boat tonight and meet him. It says he’s waiting in Hargeon for a few days. Of course…. He would never want his goods in danger, she thought with a sigh. She didn’t even stop. She didn’t go to her room, she didn’t grab food, she just left. In retrospect that was a fairly stupid plan on her part.

[Ren Caverly]

Ren walked for under an hour to get to Cerulean. Normally this walk was something longer. Normally she was at her leisure. She enjoyed her time alone, and she took full advantage of it. Normally she wasn’t clutching a job listing and speed walking to the nearest port. In her tights, school girl skirt, and thick hoodie she had actually worked up a bit of a sweat to get there. The sun was going to set soon, and she remembered hearing that a ship was leaving port at sundown. A random comment she had overheard while avoiding being in a conversation. If that ship was going to Hargeon, Ren couldn’t afford to miss it.

Upon reaching Hargeon she was thrilled to learn that the ship was in fact going where she needed it to. Unfortunately it cost money. Normally that was a discomfort, but today it was a tragedy. She would miss the boat if she went back, she had no money, but she couldn’t leave. Ren chewed on her lip for a good minute before she saw some crates being loaded onto the ship. No. Ren….. she wanted to repeat that over and over again. Her parents told her never to break rules, and Ren was a very good listener. She glanced back at the paper before folding it up into her hoodie and heading to the crates, stealthily.

[Ren Caverly]

Ren had a lot of experience with going unnoticed. It was basically her unappreciated talent. Ren appreciated this talent all the time, but other people might not. They also didn’t appreciate when they wanted to find her and could not. This was how Ren managed to get to the crates, that and generally being tiny. Also people were rushing around to leave on time. That let their guard down, but it didn’t do anything for her actually having time to think. Luckily Ren was very intelligent, and she could think on her feet…. When it mattered this much.

Ren tried to lift the lit to one of the crates. It was not working. She bit her lip a little harder and tried to next one. Nope. She moved on to a barrel. This one was light and she nearly tipped it over, despite her general weakness. This was due to having been working with the heavy crates moments earlier. She pulled the lid off one of these without trouble and found it empty. Good…. Well, not if…. Nothing to hide under…. her lip was really starting to hurt. Ren really didn’t have the time to waste thinking this out, so she climbed inside. She was tiny and curled up into a bit of a ball and pulled the lid back down on her with her shadows. There. Safe.

[Ren Caverly]

Ren was basically a black cat. Bad luck. But sometimes bad luck didn’t win. She made it inside her crate and the men working nearby started moving things. “Hoy, why is this so heavy? Aren’t there empty?” Ren heard someone say as her crate shifted. It seemed they were moving the crates on a plank, a few at a time.

“Yeah. Shipment made here, someone just renting barrels. It’s a stupid way to do it I think…. But whatever, why are you asking?”

“I just said it was heavy,” came the response, clearly less than appreciative of being questioned. It was silent and Ren could only imagine what the men were doing. Men were scary enough. Eventually she heard, “It is not because I’m weak, idiot.”

“Okay, then open them up and let’s check,” came a less than convinced reply.

…. No, no, nononononono, no. Ren was frantic, what could she do? She couldn’t be caught. She would be thrown out, miss the ship, and miss the job. No, no, no. She could now hear the barrels being opened and had to cast a Shadow Veil over herself. The lid was removed, and she lay there, in her ball, able to peer out of her dark hiding space at the man. She could see the sun was starting to set and the atmosphere was growing dark. Without the ability to see through her magic the man closed the barrel and moved on.

[140/150 MP]

[Ren Caverly]

“So you’re just weak?” the other man asked. It was the last mocking remark Ren heard. After that her barrel and all the others were loaded up. That was fine by her. She didn’t argue one bit. She hardly even breathed. The trip was cramped, and she longed for a time when she could stretch out her legs. She knew she would need to get out of the barrel before they hit shore, but until she heard them coming to port she stayed there. Her bedroom at home had been a prison, but this sort of thing could make a girl claustrophobic.

Luckily she pulled herself out of the barrel and snuck in with the rest of the crowd without being spotted. She used her general avoidance for people as a good cover. No one talked to her because she seemed like a timid little girl. It was completely accurate, but for a rare change, she was driven. She kept her hands in her hood pocket and held onto the edges of that job request. It was morning now and they were at Hargeon’s port. The young woman was a night owl, but right about now she should be finding a nice place to curl up and take a nap. Either her bed, or a roof somewhere. Anywhere safe and hidden. Not today, today she had work to do.

[140/150 MP]

[Ren Caverly]

The little woman tugged at her sleeves until they were several inches past where he hands ended. She pulled her hood up over her head as she walked into the marketplace. Standing next to a caravan and a horse was one thirty year old, red haired man. He had a bag with him, no doubt his jewels, according to Ren’s thoughts. He was short by most standards, but he was still taller than Ren. She tugged at her sleeves again and finally stepped up to him.

The awkward silence was no doubt all in Ren’s head. It was the market, early morning, people were out and about talking all the time. In fact this man even seemed to be selling a few things. Ren didn’t care what he was doing, she just stood there near him. Finally, slowly, that voice spoke up. “… do you want something?”

Ren cautiously pulled her hood down and opened her mouth to speak. She wasn’t really sure what she planned to say. Something. It was something she’d spend all night thinking about, between the paranoia, the soreness, and the general suffocating fear of being found. All night. She didn’t even get a chance to work up the courage to speak before he spoke for her.

[140/150 MP]

[Ren Caverly]

“Renata?”

Ren stiffened, her eyes had ventured to his face and then immediately went down to the ground.

“Still shy, I see,” he said, with a small laugh. He was a very serious business man, and she didn’t expect him to soften for her. Even the slight change was an unexpected comfort for her.

“H-hello Rovan, I didn’t r-really think you would recognize me.”

When her eyes dared go upward again she saw him smile. “Of course I recognize you. Tiny girl like you, and you’re all grown up. You look about the same. Still a shy ball of nerves I see. Actually, what are you doing out here? Its quite a ways from Era,” he reminded her. As if she didn’t know. Ren was well aware of the distance from her former home. Right now, it wasn’t ever going to be far enough.

“I moved… um,” she refused to stutter. She might pause awkwardly, but she wasn’t going to break her words. She had to give a good impression, she had to, “I’m actually in Lamia Scale now. I saw a job for you… so I came here. You need someone to guard your stuff… right?” she asked. She knew the answer. She also knew he might not trust her to actually guard his things.

[140/150 MP]

[Ren Caverly]

Rovan looked at Ren. She was a tiny little girl, and she didn’t look tough at all. “I didn’t even know you used magic. Well, if you’re in a guild…. I do need to leave as soon as I can, so I guess that will work,”” he told her, clearly thinking a lot about this.

Ren smiled weakly, “Okay good. When do you want to go?”

“Now would be best,” he said, packing up a few things immediately and directing the horse to follow him out of town. Ren fell into step next to him, walking along without saying anything at first. When they left town Rovan started talking to her again. She wasn’t exactly sure how to answer. He had delivered things to her parents years ago, and so she knew he was going to ask about them. Where were they?

“I, uh, I don’t really… know… they left, in the war stuff, and… all that,” she said awkwardly. He looked surprised. It made sense though, being surprised. What kind of parents would abandon their daughter? Especially in a time of war? Ren clearly didn’t want to talk about it, and Rovan clearly didn’t want to upset her, so the topic was dropped.

[140/150 MP]

[Ren Caverly]

“So, Renata, do you like being part of a guild?” Rovan asked as his change of topics. She stayed seated near him and didn’t answer immediately. It took some consideration. She knew the simple yes or no answer, but she wanted to give a longer answer. It was odd, really, for her to want to give a fuller answers. While she was thinking he decided to add something to his question, “I know you seemed like a loner before. You were always hiding.”

I wasn’t hiding. I wasn’t good enough… I was hidden… she sighed, “I like being in the guild, y-yeah… I’m still a longer, I guess…. It’s a home, but it… I’m… I don’t really talk to a lot of people,” she said, settling on that complicated answer.

“Well, Renata, you should really open up more. Its lonely being on your own so much. I guess you must be used to it, but that doesn’t make it right. You’re a young adult, you need friends.”

“Maybe…” she shrugged, fidgeting slightly. She knew she might like friends, but it never ended well for her. It didn’t end well for anyone else either. She might have liked friends, but she didn’t seek them out. Hopefully he would sense that this was another sensitive topic and drop it. It was sad, everything he could talk about seemed like a sensitive topic.

[140/150 MP]

[Ren Caverly]

The topic, thankfully, was dropped. Ren was glad that Rovan was understanding. She relaxed a little around him. It was a strange feeling, like he was something familiar, but in a good way. So many things from back then were bad, but she couldn’t look at them that way. It was her youth, it was… important to her. She didn’t want to dwell on that negativity right now, so instead she talked to Rovan. They took breaks every so often, they stopped to rest and to eat some food, and to stretch their legs, and eventually it was nightfall. Ren preferred the night, but Rovan kept saying he was worried. He was a paranoid man, so this didn’t really surprise Ren to be honest.

What surprised Ren was when it seemed Rovan was correct. She started feeling like she could hear something. She felt like something was amiss. Rovan was talking but she wasn’t concerned with what he was saying. … what is that noise?

The carriage came to a stop when a man on a horse pulled in front of them. Rovan’s horse was startled, but he managed to stop. “Get down,” the man said. Ren could see his black mask over his face and she glared.

[140/150 MP]

[Ren Caverly]

Rovan looked to Ren. She was there to protect him, right? She was in charge. She needed to be responsible. Well this was a girl who would rather fall down a flight of stairs than stand up and speak her mind to a group. Being responsible was not her thing. Still, Ren did stand up, and she did say something, along the lines of that he should go. That last a good few seconds.

The man waved a hand at her, knocking the girl back with some wind magic she hadn’t been expected. This was something she could handle, but Rovan also fell out of his carriage, and she soon noticed another person riding up to prey on the situation, also a man with a black mask.

Ren started shaking just forcing herself to stand back up, and when one of the men got off his horse and near the carriage she cast a Shadow Hand to grab his leg and pull it out from under him. He was surprised and managed to fall, hitting his chin on the carriage and letting out a yell. Ren felt guilty for a moment, before the other man realized she had magic and turned his attention, and a blast of wind in Ren’s direction.

[125/150 MP]

[Ren Caverly]

Ren put her arm in front of her face, catching the Aero Cut with her Shadow Gauntlet and deflecting it back. For a girl so completely defense based, she normally didn’t send damage back at opponents. The bandit clearly didn’t expect this either, and was hit with his own attack, sending him off his frightened horse, who made a run for it.

Rovan was standing up somewhere, keeping out of the fight, but when the other robber started running toward him, Ren did the same. She managed to slide in front of Rovan when an Aero Cut was coming at him, putting up her Shadow Shield quickly, anxious to protect someone she cared about.

The robbers clearly hadn’t expected any resistance, and when the spells kept coming, the man immediately looked intimidated. Intimidating wasn’t a word usually associated with the five foot three inch stick girl, but she’d take it if it run the robbers off. It did just that, and the both ran away fairly quickly.

Ren’s shadow’s faded and she went to help Rovan back into his carriage. Although he appeared stunned, he wasn’t going to sit around and wait for something else to happen. Ren sat next to him, keeping an eye around them to see if anyone else might come out and attack them. Luckily nothing bad happened.


“That was pretty impressive, Renata,” Rovan told her near Clover. She blushed and fidgeted, “Do you fight like that all the time?”

“N-no, I…. I fall a lot more. And I don’t really fight. I don’t like to… its… scary,” she said, any bravado completely disregarded. He chuckled and said she did well, and she merely fidgeted more. When they reached the destination he insisted on paying her, although she nearly argued with him. She was a pushover, and didn’t want him to lecture her. She could just see him talking about how much her parents valued money, and asking why she didn’t. She valued it just fine, that wasn’t it. Luckily that was avoided and she said goodbye, before heading back toward Lamia Scale, not even spending the night.


[105/150 MP]
[Done]

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