[Mature] The Velvet Goose - For What Ails You [Completed]

[The Unreliable Narrator]

Deborah looked at the boy with Marcy, Robert, with sympathy as the bubbly girl dragged him away. When Katarya mentioned the need for an escort, her face split into a soft grin, and she said, "Arty hates Spooks. He'd be perfect for the job, and it'd serve him right." She absently rubbed her neck, and her skin darkened with a blush, revealing a faded mark.

The Cook seemed to consider a moment before nodding and offering his hand across the table. "Right then, that's settled on my account. Talk to Deb, and she'll help you finalize the deliveries. If you leave her an address, we can send a runner when your order comes in." After the handshake, the big man made his way back down to the kitchens without a backward glance. Charlotte followed in his wake offering a tired "Buh-bye Kat" as she went.

With the others gone, Deborah settled back into the booth and pulled a small bound book from a pocket. She flipped several pages and began to jot down notes with a tiny quill as she worked out the details with Katarya.

[Katarya Frost]

"You have my thanks," Katarya said, and meant it. She also breathed a sigh of relief that this first part was over. Still there was much more to it, and she would only find out if she could really depend on them when they inevitably found out what she was. Though she hoped they would not want to immediately burn her at the stake or throw her to the authorities, it was still only a hope at this stage.

Kat gave the details, and smiled. It was a pleasure to meet you.

With that, Kat headed home.

***

Closing the door that led to the shop, she made her way upstairs and lit the lamps. Taking off her cloak, and kicking off her boots, a yawn escaped her. “Not yet,” she said, to herself. “First study, then bed.”

After saying the small spell to break the ward over the box, she took out the old, leather bound Book of Shadows, and turned to the page where she had placed a bookmark. There she looked down at the words, instructions, drawings ... a shudder of excited anticipation went through her. This was magic that her grandmother had certainly never tried, despite her experience and knowledge, and though Kat had the greatest respect for Lilian, she herself knew she would not be satisfied with a life of mixing herbs, curing headaches or rashes ... she would dream bigger.

***

The next week seemed to go by both quickly and slowly. She was anxious to perform the old ritual she had been studying for so long, and a week, at times, seemed like an eternity. But with the heavy order the Cook had placed, plus a bout of bad colds making the rounds in the slums, she was constantly busy. Each night she collapsed into bed (after forcing herself to memorise the words of the spell she was going to cast), and sleep like a log, only to groan in tired frustration when the dawn broke.

***

Throwing her cloak around her, Katarya locked the door to the shop, and picked up the heavy bag and, with her boots tapping on the road, she made her way to The Goose.

When inside, she ordered some wine, took a seat, placed her token underneath the cup and waited, holding the bag on her lap as if were a newborn babe; whatever was in it, was precious to her.

The young witch wondered who this 'Arty' was, and what he would look like. Some brain-dead bouncer, perhaps? She worried at that. What she was going to do required a person with an open mind ... a very open mind. It might even spell the end of her. Despite the situation, she smiled at the pun.

And so, Katarya Frost, the young Witch of Fellsguard, waited.

[Artemis Black]

Artemis hated when Deborah roped him into things like this. They always went sideways, or involved bodies, or left him standing in the rain for hours. Though he had to admit it was worth it for the sounds she'd made at night. When he got the notice from her that the Spook had arrived, he groaned and made his way upstairs. He spotted her immediately as he crested the stairs. It wasn't that Katarya appeared stunningly beautiful, or even all that out of place in the Velvet Goose. There was just an innate presence about her. Even sitting there subtly fidgeting with a satchel, she gave off an aura of independence.

Artemis sidled up to the edge of the booth and slid his way across from her. He was in what he considered business wear, tight bound leathers, a weighted cloak, and form-fitting cloth marred only by the bumps of weapons and equipment. "Hello, Spook. I was told you needed a friend who wasn't too picky," he said by way of introduction. He settled into the booth and did his best to ooze confidence. He could use the coin, he was close to finishing the month's rent. He tossed his hand out to attract the attention of a passing swain. "A haunch for me, anything for you Spook?" he asked her, making sure to keep the sureness in his voice.

[Katarya Frost]

Katarya raised a slender brow as a man ... who could only be the mysterious 'Arty' made his way over to her and sat across from her.

Her first reaction was, almost predictably, one of indignation. "I am fine with just my wine, thank you," she said, to the server, then her eyes went back to her new table-companion. "I'm afraid you were given the wrong name," she said, drily. "I am Miss Katarya Frost. I am an alchemist, and owner of Lilian's. You may call me Miss Frost, or Kat ... but I would appreciate you not calling me 'spook', anymore."

She looked the man over, as subtly as she could. He looked ... capable. He certainly wasn't what she had expected. She assumed some huge, hairy brute would be assigned to protect her. His way of moving, however, was almost graceful. Perhaps this could be a hint that the man knew how to fight ... and to fight properly, not just mindless brawling.

"Also," she said, primly. "I do believe it's customary for a gentleman to offer a lady his name when he joins her table. Or should I just call you 'Arty'?" The small smile on her lips told him that she was not being completely snobbish, and the tone of her voice held some amusement. Since he seemed to do away with any form of social protocol, she would happily play the part of uptight princess.

[Artemis Black]

Artemis balked when she returned his greeting with bite. "Apologies, Miss... eh... Frost," he said, straightening his clothes to calm his ruffled nerves. "I'm Artemis Black, runner and knife aficionado extraordinaire." The thief tapped his wrist sheath and nodded to Katarya. "Most folks who ask for me tend to prefer not to have names. The titles given at the Goose work well enough," he said, shrugging and settling back into his confidence. "Though, given that you're paying me, you can call me whatever you feel like." His boyish grin filled out his face and only faltered for a moment.

The swain returned with a hearty haunch of pork, and Artemis looked to the Witch with a wane smile and sheepishly said, "Figure we'd eat before we went. It's supposed to be a chilly night, and I can't imagine whatever you'll be up to is restful work." He shrugged at her before digging in.

The first bite was juicy, well-spiced, and settled his nerves. He hadn't completely botched things so far, but he was starting to get the sense this was far from his normal gig.

[Katarya Frost]

At the sudden change in his tone, Kat couldn't help but feel a little guilty at being so brusque. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Black. You’ll have to forgive me if I say anything out of turn. This,” she said, with a motion at her surroundings. “Is all relatively new to me.”

She sipped her wine as he ate. Though she should have eaten something, her stomach was a flutter at the though of what the night might bring. "Were you given the extra item, that I requested?" She said, her voice lowered. "I cannot proceed without it, I'm afraid."

Her eyes went to the knife-sheath, then to the rest of him. He looked ... well, he looked like he would be just right for what she needed. Kat pushed a lock of hair behind her ear; she did this without thinking, but realised that this small display of femininity when talking to this rather mysterious, handsome chap, meant that she was interested in him … and not just because he had a way with words that was a refreshing change from the sheer, stupidity that spewed forth from most of the young men she knew. Was she attracted to this man? Inside, she tried to push some rather rude thoughts out of her head. After all, ‘Katarya the Ice Cold Bitch’ had a reputation to maintain.

She cleared her throat, as if that would dispel the thoughts going through her mind. “Please do not take offence at what I am about to ask,” she held her cup just before her lips. “But. how do you intend to defend me, should the need arise? How far will you go to ensure no one sees what I am to do, and if they do … to ensure they don’t speak of it to anyone else?” Her eyes were locked on him as she waited for an answer, hoping he wouldn't take her enquiry as her questioning his abilities.

[Artemis Black]

He'd never been called mister, at least that he could remember; it tickled his ego, and he sat a little straighter. "Not at all, Kat," he said, tasting the name. He liked the sharpness of it, it fit her personality well. When she inquired about the faery teeth, he tapped his own canine and nodded to her in acknowledgment. He felt her eyes roaming over him, noticed the way she shifted, the gentle unconscious move of her hair. He patently ignored the attention, forcing down his own blush and a growing feeling in his pants.

He was startled from his own efforts when she cleared her throat. She went on to ask the tough questions people were always afraid to ask. He took them in stride, set down his haunch, and wiped his face clean with the cloth. "I'm a career man Kat, been doing this my whole life whether I wanted to or not." He flicked his arm, letting a dagger slip into his palm and giving it a discerning inspection. "I'll do my best to simply bonk a fellow if he comes, but if trouble breaks out, I'm here to make sure you survive whatever it is you're doing. Unless you tell me otherwise." He shrugged as he slid his dagger back into its sheath. "No one's going to cry over another stiff in the gutters."

[Katarya Frost]

The answer seemed to please Kat, and she gave him a smile and a nod. "Excellent," she said. Though she wondered; what would the end result of this night really be? She should go alone ... there was no doubt that, after what she would be doing, he would know exactly what she was. But she also knew that roaming the countryside at night would mean either rape, murder, or both. She wasn't a fan of either, so she needed a bodyguard.

Kat's eyes flicked from her drink to him. And she could certainly do a lot worse!

Suddenly, she felt like a foolish young girl, fawning over a handsome man. That was exactly the sort of woman she did not want to be. She sat a little straighter in her chair. "Once you have finished your food, we can go. I need to be here ..." From the loaded bag she held, she put down some rough parchment with a very rough map on it.

“There is a spot, about a mile beyond the city, where I would like to go. Though it’s close enough that I doubt there will be anyone out there to hurt me … bandits and the like … the task I have requires my complete concentration, and I will be somewhat vulnerable. All I need is for you to,” she shrugged a little. “Make sure I am not disturbed.” She leaned over a little. “I cannot stress enough, Mr. Black, the importance that my task is done without interruption. I cannot say why, but there could be … severe consequences if I do anything wrong.”

She sipped her wine. “I appreciate I must sound very mysterious and secretive, but I have my reasons. You’ll no doubt know why, once we’re there and it begins. Until then, I hope you don’t mind if I keep my cards close to my chest.”

She drained the last of her wine, and placed the cup down, retrieving her token. "I am ready when you are."

[Artemis Black]

He immediately noticed her snap to a more reserved stance and suppressed his own distracting emotions. The map she had was clear enough for the purpose she mentioned, he could even get them out along a route where no wandering patrols would come across them. "I'll get a good vantage point, make sure you're left alone. Is there a particular need to protect you from your own... activities?" he asked with a raise of his eyebrow. "Don't worry, nothing you've said so far has been that odd. Folks have their business, and I'm not here to muss with it."

When she'd finished her warnings, he offered her another smile. "It's a nice place to keep cards if you don't mind me saying." He took a last solid bite of his pork, he'd regret not finishing it, but he wasn't about to sit here and waste her time. She was paying him after all. With a smooth motion, he wiped his mouth and slid from the booth to offer his hand. "Ready, willing, and able Miss Frost," he said with a wink.

[Katarya Frost]

Katarya was mortified when she realised she was blushing at Artemis' words. She cleared her throat and simply ignored it (though it seemed, her face would not). "I should be fine," She said, in answer to his question. Besides, if anything does go wrong, you'll not be able to help with a knife!' She tried to push that out of her head. She needed to be cautious, of course, but she also needed to be confident if she was going to pull this off.

Putting her bag under her arm (she had shook her head when Artemis had kindly offered to carry it for her), the two headed out of The Goose and into the cool night's air.

As they had walked, Kat had grown silent. She wasn't being rude, and she was certainly not displeased with the company, but rather she was going over in her head exactly what she needed to do. It needed to be perfect. If it didn't ... well, the Book didn't go into anything specific, but rather stated, quite ominously: 'and should it fail, the consequences will be grave, indeed', which wasn't much help at all.

Beyond the city walls, the air seemed to be immediately cleaner, and Kat's head felt clearer for it. She did chide herself for wearing heeled boots. Though they were modest heels (she wasn't that sort of girl), but she still frowned when they sank into the dirt once they had left the road.

When Artemis told her they had arrived, Kat looked up in surprise. She had been so absorbed in what was to come, she had almost completely walked past the place! "Thank you." She said, looking around. "Yes ... this will do just fine." She turned to face her bodyguard. "Mr. Black; if you could stay back and not interfere in any way, no matter what, I would be most grateful." She glanced to the little clearing in the sparse trees, the ground littered with leaves fallen in the early autumn night. "I would ask you not to watch or listen, but I have no control over that. Whether you will regret the decision to observe ... then I guess we'll see what you think."

She shifted the bag in her hands, and looked at him a moment. There was a possibility, though slim due to her diligent studying, that she might die tonight, and she wondered if she would regret not having kissed this man right there and then. The moon was waxing, lighting the scant woodland around them, and it wasn't too cold. He was handsome, she was putting herself in mortal danger ... why not kiss?

Then she looked away. "If you have any questions, Mr. Black, ask them now. I will be busy for some time." She said, at last.