Kidnapped!

[Tolleson]

--Genny--

And stay she would, Drache was stunning and entirely devastating. A defensive stance taken her face would harden at the flicker of red hair. Whether or not she knew then who it was would have been difficult to say. The nicked man was upon her as Drache's wrath was unleashed upon the rest of them.

He came at her again, low and for her stomach. Her stomach pressed back bowing her form into a crescent. It was an odd and nontraditional defense, but his jab missed and falling short he stumped forward and she took an aimless swipe at him. She had a surprisingly quick reaction but it was badly placed and used without the proper force, giving a good slash to his face and spraying hot blood on her own as she teetered and fell back. Poor fellow had a rather nasty surprise from Drache just as a sick grin came over at seeing Genny fall.

Drache grabbed him then as Genny stumbled back to her feet and rushed to to face the other two of unknown affiliation. Her hand pulls back and she seems set on slapping the man but she doesn't she lets loose and clocks him square in the jaw. Her hands are trembling, but the blood on her face is hot and her eyes angry.

--Tready's Rescuers--

Avheri fought on with Drache as an ally but it didn't last long. With the exertion of the attack she was breathing hard and stumbled. She wouldn't remain standing long, the red haired girl was seen coming and her body fell, the elf unconscious. Ahveri hit the ground her illusions melted. The boy turned into a near identical likeness of his sister who was already before him and without a moments hesitation had her fist in his face.


--The Nicked Thief--

The gash on his face was hot and though it wasn't deep he could tell it would leave a nasty scar. He spit blood on the ground as Drache approached, but was clearly surprised to find her quite so near or his feet so high above the ground. His hands fled to where she held him, prying uselessly.

"The Hat... She's not 'ere," he spit, grinning as if he'd said something clever. But fear was in his eyes as he dangled. He grip must have tightened or he saw that he was the only one remaining. "... Spare muh'life and it is yours," he breathed, quick and shallow. Blood pouring out of his face faster now, light-headedness kicking in.

[Drache]

The half-dragon blinked and turned to watch Genny, surprised by the fierceness with which the redhead plowed her fist into her twin's face. One of the half-dragon's brows arched and a sudden look of revelation flickered across her scaly visage. Suddenly things were starting to make sense. The unconscious elfling was ignored for the moment but not forgotten. She lowered the bleeding man, unable to keep him aloft for too long with an injured arm. One of her eyes was squinting, which only made her look more angry.

"Indeed," she growled, unamused by the man's answer and attempt at wit. The offer of his life was met with interest and she looked him over. One didn't offer themselves to a dragon lightly, a fact that he would quickly learn. Drache wasn't in the habit of taking prisoners, but impulsive as she was perhaps she was about to make an exception. Her tail thrashed and although he would be able to stand on his own now, her grip tightened.

"That leaves two quessstions unanssswered, human, and I am running out of patienccce."

[Tolleson]

--Genny--

Angry, Genny found her own prisoner. Rope was acquired from the camp and Tennant didn't seem to put up much of a fight when she bound his wrists. For once she was none to concerned with the well being of his fallen friend. Another thief scum, no doubt. Though eventually, as she was tying she looked over to Drache, sweat wet and blood drying on her brow. "Perhaps your man can carry that one to the Rememdium..." Perhaps she should have also added she thought a guard to mind her wouldn't hurt as well.

Her attentions returned to her brother, the spare rope cut just long enough for her to hold him at bay before her blade was delicately sheathed. "I am turning him in," she called bitterly, already on her way to the main road, which was still far off. Drache could join her or do what she liked the prisoners she'd claimed. For her part, Treadwell was recovered and she had in hand exactly what she'd come for.

--Nicked Thief--

His loyalty only went so far but he was not happy about the concession. Still, a dragon had his life in her hands. "tha tax... coin is in the cave," he lifted his hand to show the way. "Andre... if it please you," still gripped he wheezed tried to regain a sense of calm."

[Drache]

Drache turned her rather deadpan expression towards the pie-maker, her eyes flicking over her now-bound twin. So many questions! But with a slight smirk the dragoness figured that now was not the time. Genny's wound appeared to be fairly superficial, and her twin looked decently cowed, so she dipped her horns in a nod. "I'll sssee to it."

She turned her attention once again back to Andre and chuckled darkly. "-My- man. I like the sssound of that." Without fanfare, she released her grip on the dark-haired thief and hooked one claw into the shirt over his left pectoral. With a jerk she ripped it open and pressed her thumb against his olive-toned skin. Before the man had a chance to react, the Dragoneye rune was burning into his flesh, a magical brand in the shape of a flame with a Draconic 'D' at it's heart.

Horrified, Andre gasped and stepped back to look down at it, but the pain subsided quicker than his surprise and expressing his indignation was not worth losing his life at the claws and teeth of the dragon-woman in front of him. As he looked on, it faded to little more than a light scar and all he could do was bite his lip and glance back up with an expression of mixed anger and fear in his brown eyes.

"It means I will be able to find you if you run," she smiled smugly, answering one of his unasked questions. "You can do better with me than you might if I turn you in for your crimes," she pointed out, gesturing with one set of claws to the partially wrecked campground, "ssso do what I asssk and I'm sure we'll get on famousssly."

Doubting it, but not having much of a choice in the matter, Andre gritted his teeth and even affected a stiff, begrudging bow. "As you say, My Lady. I will not run." Perhaps he had ideas of slipping a knife between the half-dragon's wings instead.

"And ssso it ssseems that we have sssome work to do," Drache said, affecting a businesslike demeanor. She didn't trust Andre for a moment, but she was apparently confident in her ability to control him for now.

The dragoness eyed the campgrounds and flicked her tail back and forth in consideration. First and foremost, she instructed Andre to begin packing the rickety wagon with what was obviously much of the stolen property that Myrkentown had been in an uproar over. There were gems, coin, decorative weapons and armour, all manner of expensive little trinkets and heirlooms. There were tapestries and books, which the dragoness eyed covetously but would grudgingly return. There were quite a few items branded for delivery to Thessilane, a Thessilane seal for official documents, and Thessil-branded chests of coin and casks of wine. These items Drache grouped together, for she intended to have sent to their destinations, with letters of explanation penned -most- modestly by herself, of course.

She checked on the exhausted elf, wrapped her in a cloak, and settled her in the horsecart while Andre loaded up all the missing tax money and went to fetch some horses. Now that their masters were all lying in heaps on the ground, there were several to choose from. It was a good thing too because the additional animals came in useful for loading up with more things. The half-dragon proved to be quite efficient, even though she had to move away so that the beasts of burden would cooperate easier with her new servant. She busied herself by systematically looting the corpses of anything worthwhile, and before they left she had Andre give her the names of all the thieves she had slain, scribbling them down on a piece of salvaged paper.

The last thing she did was to quench the fires with a curt flick of her claws and climb sinuously up onto the cart next to Andre. She peered with glittering eyes at him through the dark as he guided them through a narrow bumpy track in the forest towards the road. He tried to ignore her, responding to her instructions mutely, her questions with monosyllabic answers.

They stopped briefly at the Rememdium so that the dragoness could deliver the elf and check in on Tready, who had apparently already left, and then headed to town to purchase delivery for the Thessilane goods and turn in the rest to the Constables.

[Treadwell]

Dawn. The twenty-seventh day of the eighth month, 211.

"The money's back, mmph mmph?"

Sleepy, puffy-eyed, yellow-pajama-garbed Aloisius Treadwell stands in his front parlor with his front door opened up so he can talk to a visiting constable. Councilor Treadwell smokes sluggishly at his pipe and stands there absently scratching his belly with the handle of his walking cane.

The constable before him slowly nods his head. He's a little gray to the face; he hadn't expected to actually wake the old man. He certainly didn't want to see Councilor Treadwell in pajamas that fit him much too snugly.

"Good good! Bring it all here, mmph mmph, and carefully! I have to judge that everything's accounted for, and I'm not going in to my office to do all that just yet, hmm hmm!"

Aloisius gives the man a nod of his own head and a flappity-flap of his free hand to urge him away. He then shuts his front door and turns to toddle back to his wife and his bed. It's too darned early to be up already!