"I still can't believe you're alive!" Jinlyl exclaimed, smiling more than Yadani had ever seen her smile before.
"Believe it heh, I'm so relieved to see you again.. Even if you're.. Well.." Lilith replied, smiling nervously.
"Let's not talk about that, I'm not going to be like the other vampires. I'll keep you safe this time."
Yadani walked along with Jinlyl, Shelby, and now Lilith, Jinlyl's younger sister, who until about ten minutes ago, was presumed dead. Yadani kept up a smile as they walked, but it wasn't genuine. With all her heart she wanted to believe everything was fine but something about Lilith being back all of a sudden just didn't sit right with her.
Why had she come to the old Guild Hall? Lilith had been stolen long before Jinlyl even knew about The Guild. She would have no reason to go there unless she was looking for something.. Or someone.. And if that was the case, who would have told her about it? Yadani had a faint idea of who could have told her, but she didn't want to believe it. If she told Jinlyl about her doubts she would blow up at her, Yadani knew it. She couldn't really blame her though, it was her little sister.
Jinlyl and Lilith were suddenly laughing about something, so Yadani laughed along so it seemed like she was still paying attention. Once they entered the refugee camp, Yadani glanced over to the one person she thought may have some answers about it all.
"I'm gonna try and take another crack at him, see if he's feeling open to talking today."
"Ugh, I can't imagine ever wanting to voluntarily talk with him." Shelby said, sounding utterly disgusted by the notion.
"Okay guys, let's leave Yadani to talk with her sleazy boyfriend." Jinlyl commented, smiling a little.
"Har har, you guys are hilarious."
The other three went off towards their old friend Brother Martin, probably to tell him about how they found Lilith. Yadani's smile fell once they were all looking away, then she made her way to the large wooden structure at the centre of the camp. It was a wooden tower, a little taller than Yadani, with a large pool of holy water in the middle, and a cage suspended above it affixed to beams of wood.
As Yadani made her way up the stairs of the mini-tower, her eyes landed on the man being held inside of the cage, Styx. His old cloak was wrapped around him as always, and his scraggy orange hair fell in waves on either side of his face. His gleaming, yellow eyes moved up then a grin appeared on his face once he saw who was approaching him.
"Well well, aren't I lucky?" He said in his usual, smooth voice which contrasted his appearance quite a lot.
"I bet you say that to any girl that looks your way."
"Nah, toots, you're the only one for me."
"Mhm, sure I am, because you have so many options right now."
"You think so little of me, I'm hurt."
Yadani suddenly heard Jinlyl and Lilith laughing again and looked over. Yadani sighed and rubbed her upper arms nervously, her tail hanging low behind her and the end of it swinging left and right nervously.
"Who's your new friend? She makes your grumpy dwarf pal seem less.. Well you know."
"Yeah um.. I wanted to ask you about that actually."
"You don't seem too happy about her being around. Y'know if you're getting lonely there's room in this cage for two."
"You wish. I just wanted to ask about Kurgen.. Or 'The Raven' as you keep calling him. If he had taken someone prisoner.. Like is that person likely to escape?"
Styx just paused for a moment then laughed, pinching the bridge of his nose.
"It's a good thing you're pretty, you know that?"
"What's that supposed to mean?" Yadani asked, crossing her arms.
"The Raven? The Raven?"
"Yes 'The Raven', Styx. Come on, this is serious."
"Listen, The Raven and I don't exactly get Sunday brunch every week, I don't know him that well, but trust me if he has someone then there is no way they're getting away unless he wants them to."
Yadani looked down at her feet, back over to Jinlyl, then back to Styx. She said nothing, but Styx quickly realised what was going on.
"Who is that girl, Yadani?"
"That's uh.. Lilith. Jinlyl's sister."
"I thought she said her little sister was dead?"
"No, we just.. Well we thought she might be."
"Wait, The Raven was your grumpy buddie's ex, right?"
"Yeah.."
"And he took her siblings, one of 'em he turned into one of his inventions?"
"Mhm.."
"So that's why you're acting weird and nervous."
"I just don't want Jinlyl to get hurt after what she's already been through." Yadani sighed and rubbed her face, "Brother Martin and The General would probably kill me for talking about this stuff with you."
"Probably, but I won't tell. It gets so lonely in here y'know?"
"Yeah well if you're good, I might be able to help with that."
"Wait what?"
"Nope, that's all you're getting for now, if I say too much you'll get overexcited."
"Oh come on," He pleaded, now holding onto the bars, "You can't tell me something like that and then just leave me hangin'."
Yadani just gave Styx a look then glanced up at the beam his cage was hanging from, then looked back at him. He realised what she meant and rolled his eyes.
"Very funny."
"I know."
It probably shouldn't have, but talking with Styx did make her feel better. However, she was still worried about Lilith and Jinlyl, and now Styx's certainty about The Raven not being sloppy enough to just let a captive go free made her even more concerned. Yadani sighed and sat down at the edge of the pool, looking down at the holy water.
"Do you ever get scared?" Yadani asked, sadly.
"Of what?"
"Of being.. What we are.."
"Vampire isn't a bad word, Yadani. And no, I don't get scared of it."
"What if you hurt someone you care about?"
"I don't have to worry about that, I got no one in my life I'm worried about hurting. Then again, if you were still mortal, maybe I'd be worried about hurting you."
"Uh huh, I'm sure."
The two of them were quiet for a few seconds, before Styx sighed and spoke again.
"Listen, gorgeous, you do not have to be worried about hurting people you care about. Trust me, I've known a few vampires, and you're nothing like 'em. You seem like you'd ask one of the feral rats here if it's alright to drink from 'em first."
Yadani laughed and looked up at Styx, smiling, and tucked some of her black hair behind her ear.
"That was actually a nice thing you just said, I'm impressed."
Styx chuckled and leaned against the bars, "Why, thank you, I do try."
Yadani smiled a little then glanced back over to Jinlyl. Styx followed Yadani's eyes then looked back at her.
"You guys will probably be fine, okay? I mean this Lilith's just a kid, anything happens I think the annoying guards and you three can deal with her. Besides, if that happens, she might get this lovely room, and I'll just have to be put in a different one."
"Ooo now wouldn't that be something."
"What are you doing here?" An assertive voice suddenly asked from behind Yadani.
She quickly got to her feet and turned around, the General standing proudly at the top of the stairs.
"I was trying to interrogate the prisoner again."
"Did Brother Martin give you permission to do this?"
"No sir."
The General gave Yadani a distrusting look. He hadn't exactly been a fan of her, Jinlyl, or Shelby since day one, but that wasn't really surprising. He stepped to the side, out the way of the stairs, his eyes fixed on her in an intimidating gaze.
"You should get back to your friends." He said, his tone making it clear that it was a demand and not a suggestion.
Yadani bowed her head politely then made her way down the stairs, glancing at Styx on the way down, who winked at her just before she was out of eyesight.
We'll be okay. It will all be fine. Jinlyl is going to be fine. Shelby and I will keep her safe. Everything will be just fine.