[h2][color=fff79a]Tyrai Hellsong[/color][/h2]
Having grown bored of watching Torin familiarize himself with his new wives, Tyrai turned her nose in the air with a haughty look and took to wandering around the great hall, careful to distinguish herself from those Gems. They were so petty, either with tears in their eyes or putting on a rebellious front or some other display of sorrow and angst. She stood apart from them, elegant, her polished horns and cascading golden ringlets shimmered in the torchlight. Unlike the Gems in their tattered clothes and hasty beauty preparations, she was clean and dressed in a gown tailored specially to her figure, crafted with deep scarlet silk edged in pearl white. The family crest was embroidered into the intricate design on her bodice, and the thick black ribbon encircling her tapering waistline was knotted artistically behind her back so that the loose ends fell like delicate tails to the hem of her skirt. She had removed the heavy cloak but her long neck was still graced with a fur stole. She felt like a queen amongst beggars, and she might as well have been. 

As Tyrai pretended to wander aimlessly, though never far enough that Torin was out of her sight, she took careful note of everyone present. Many of the Drakken had already spirited their chosen Gems away to their chambers, no doubt eager to plunder their new prizes. Some of them apparently couldn't wait that long, and she scoffed in the direction of one warlord who'd even neglected to remove his hood in time to grope one of the little wenches. He might get away with treating a lowly Geminite so indecently, if it had been her she'd have made him regret it. No wonder the animal had to seek a wife among foreigners, no self-respecting Drakken woman would settle for anything less than being treated like royalty. 

Turning away from them, Tyrai found herself standing face-to-face with a particularly brutish looking fellow. He towered over her, face split into a yellow-toothed grin. His breath was something foul, not to mention the rest of him. Disgusting. A large masculine Drakken like himself would certainly be attractive if he took care to brush his teeth and take a bath more than once every five years, and if his face didn't look so stupid. [b]"Where'd they catch a pretty thing like you?"[/b] he tried to touch her with a grubby hand and she slapped it away. His expression darkened instantly and he seized her roughly by the arm. Tyrai threw up a hand toward his face with a burst of flame that singed his dirty beard and eyebrows. He was startled enough that he let go.

[color=fff79a]"How dare you!"[/color] shrieked Tyrai. She lifted her skirts and fled back to Torin. The now enraged Drakken stalked after her.

[b][h2][color=3a0600]Torin Hellsong[/color][/h2][/b][color=green]Raya T'mivus[/color] [color=ed1c24]Kasari Liesma[/color]

He smiled. The girl's apparent feistiness was mildly amusing. Even her voice was like striking a spark on steel. He answered her question with another one of his own. [b][color=3a0600]"Are you going to prove me wrong?"[/color][/b] He slid a hand behind her ear, running his fingers through the silky locks. He would never know what color they were, would never see how they framed her face or flowed over her shoulders, and he would never care about those things. Colors, images, they were long lost to him. They didn't matter. But fire, he knew fire without having to see it. It was familiar, like an old friend. Even if one could not perceive the light of a flame one could always feel its [i]heat.[/i] And Torin did, he felt it far more clearly than any visual signal could have revealed to him.

[b][color=3a0600]"Who is your little friend?"[/color][/b] he sensed the presence of the lizard at the same moment she had. He heard the scuff of its foot on the stone, felt the disturbance in the air at the flick of its tongue. If he had not been so focused on the space that the girl occupied he would have felt Tyrai's struggle before she cried out. As it was, all thoughts of the two Gems were swept aside the instant her cry reached his ears. He whirled around just as she came rushing back and clung onto his arm. 

[color=fff79a]"Torin…"[/color] she held tightly to him, glaring at the perpetrator as he lumbered up to the pair. He was almost a head taller than Torin, and by the tremors in the floor the younger Drakken guessed much heavier as well. 

[b]"This your wife?"[/b] he demanded. Torin, ever-composed, gave a slight shake of his head in answer. [b]"Then give her to me."[/b]

[color=fff79a]"Torin, he hurt me!"[/color] Tyrai said, sounding both accusatory and pitiful, as if she were a child who didn't understand why someone would treat her so roughly. 

[b]"I'll pay what you ask,"[/b] the brute's tone suddenly changed, softening his words in an effort to get what he wanted. [b]"Name your price."[/b]

[b][color=3a0600]"What is your name, sir?"[/color][/b] A barely-noticeable breeze brushed passed the brute, too light to move much more than a single hair. Torin gauged the other Drakken's equipment. No armor, just a thick coat open at the front. There was a dagger tucked into his belt, anything else hidden under his clothes Torin could not sense. Otherwise, he didn't appear to be armed so long as he didn't count the massive curling horns mounted on the other's skull. Head-butting was an archaic practice, something only children did in games, but if he'd wanted to there was little doubt he could've sent Torin sailing through the air with a toss of his head. Given the context of the situation, there was little chance of that happening.

[b]"Gron Omber."[/b] He waited while Torin appeared to be considering a monetary figure. He waited almost a minute and began to fidget, unable to tell what Torin was thinking since his eyes were masked and face expressionless.

[color=fff79a]"[i]Torin...[/i]"[/color] Tyrai whimpered. Torin suddenly slapped her across the face, not hard, but it stung and she let go of his arm, cowed. 

At last he stepped forward, and Gron gave him the same yellow-toothed grin, forgetting that it wouldn't matter even if he stuck out his tongue at Torin, who stopped less than two feet from him. [b][color=3a0600]"You want my sister so badly?"[/color][/b]

[b]"Yes. As I said before, name your price."[/b]

[b][color=3a0600]"Very well. Gron Omber."[/color][/b] As Gron nodded and reached for his purse, Torin raised a hand, curling his fingers into a fist and stealing the air right out of the brute's lungs. If Gron had been expecting an attack, he may have been able to counter it with his own magic. But his mind had been lulled into thinking this was a peaceful dealing, and he didn't fully understand what was happening until Torin wrenched the dagger from his belt and drove it upward beneath Gron's sternum then stepped back just as quickly to avoid the spray of blood. With his lungs collapsed, Gron was unable to even cry out, and the attack was over before he even realized it had begun. Belatedly he clutched the gaping hole in his abdomen, vainly trying to quell the crimson flow. Torin had pierced his heart.

As the brute fell to his knees and continued to bleed out, Torin considered the dagger, weighing it in his grip then deciding it was worthless and tossing it away. It clattered on the floor just beyond Gron's reach, and his eyes followed it, then looked back at his betrayer. Torin had seemed to have forgotten about him, and was more concerned with the spattering of blood on his hand and sleeve. He drew a handkerchief from one of his pockets to wipe it off. Gron sank lower to the ground, wheezing now as if he were trying to speak. Torin cocked his head, altering the air current to amplify the sound for him. [b]"Wh…Why?"[/b] The word barely escaped his lips before he slumped facedown on the floor in a pool of his own blood.

[b][color=3a0600]"Gron Omber? That is your name, is it not?"[/color][/b] Torin laughed at the cleverness of his joke, and suddenly anyone who had not yet taken notice of the killing did so now. [b][color=3a0600]"I'm sorry,"[/color][/b] he said, still laughing and sounding very unapologetic, [b][color=3a0600]"I drive a hard bargain. I didn't think you'd accept it so readily."[/color][/b]

Tyrai approached him once more, but before she could express her thanks he grabbed her by a horn and pulled her head down. [b][color=3a0600]"Damn you!"[/color][/b] All the mirth vanished from his countenance. [b][color=3a0600]"What did you think was going to happen, strutting around by yourself like a whore. I should have let him have you for the evening, maybe you'd learn your lesson. From now on do not leave my side unless I give you permission. Is that understood?"[/color][/b] She tried to nod, but his grip was like iron. He pulled harder. [b][color=3a0600]"I said, [i]is that understood?[/i]"[/color][/b]

[color=fff79a]"Yes my lord,"[/color] she whispered, tears welling in her eyes, [color=fff79a]"I apologize."[/color] He let her go. She sniffed and hid her face in her hands. Torin put a hand on her head, gently this time, and she took this as a signal to regain her composure. She dried her eyes on her sleeve and took a couple of deep breaths.

Meanwhile, Torin had turned his attention back to the two Gems. The moment he'd turned away a pair of guards had stepped forward to watch them. Now that he was finished, they went back to their posts. [b][color=3a0600]"I do beg your pardon, I haven't introduced myself properly. My name is Torin Hellsong, and this foolish maid is my sister Tyrai. Tyrai, this is Raya and this other one won't tell me her name. Perhaps she'll feel a bit more open after she's eaten something. There is a feast prepared for all of Shadow Worth's guests. Please, come with me."[/color][/b] 

The four of them were escorted by Torin's men to the banquet hall, where some had already gathered. They had to walk past the corpse on the way, but Torin seemed unconcerned. He knew someone else would clean up the mess. Retaliation was unlikely, no one would bother to prosecute him for protecting a family member, especially a female Drakken. 

Their seating was arranged so that Tyrai sat on Torin's right and Raya on his left. He allowed the girl who refused to give her name to sit on Raya's other side and briefly wondered if she still had the lizard, then decided it didn't matter. If she was to be troublesome he didn't want to deal with it while he was eating dinner, and he trusted his guards to keep a close watch on her. On the table were scattered a few appetizers, with the main course yet to be served. There was a platter of assorted fruit within reach. Torin trailed his fingertips over each piece before choosing one, a plumlike thing with deep blue skin. He brought it to his nose and tested the ripeness, then held it out to Raya. [b][color=3a0600]"Have you ever had one of these before? I believe they are native to my country. Is it to your liking?"[/color][/b]