[img]https://i.imgur.com/MMhK4f8.png[/img]

[b]- The Previous Night -[/b]
[b]- One of the Guest Bedrooms, Remdal Estate, Zerul City -[/b]

Angora sloped into the room, exhausted. She had been slogging about the city almost all day, trying to at least cobble together an outfit that didn't resemble that of a dockside girl from bartering her various jewellery that she had collected whilst she was under the influence of the... thing in the sword. Try as she might, she could not quite understand what it was that compelled her to do what she did in the wilds, what the spirit... or outsider... or whatever it was called, actually [i]was[/i]. Olan had tried to explain it to her as best he could, but it was no real use - Angora simply didn't understand what - or who, if it was a person - it was. 
All she knew for certain was that it had tried to take control, and Iridiel's ritual had beaten it into submission. At least, that was the idea, and Angora's hope for the future. She unslung her pack onto the tiled floor next to the bed that had been given to her, and sighed heavily, walking over to the window overlooking the surrounding view. 

It had been a very long day indeed, and... by the gods she ached. Her whole body simply [i]hurt[/i]. 

Not a sharp, stabbing pain as one might expect from, say, an injury or a torn muscle or anything, but just a dull, throbbing pain in all of her joints. She pulled up a chair and sat down, the wood creaking slightly as she rested her weight onto it. '[i]H-Huh... I suppose this is the first time I've actually been able to think for myself for more than half an hour...'[/i] she thought to herself. [i]'I guess the spirit's influence was able to push me to the limit without needing to rest.'[/i] Looking around the room, she noticed some bottles of red wine - an import from Relimon perhaps - and some crystal glasses, almost begging to be drunk. Angora cracked a wry smile. She could certainly use a good, stiff drink, and a warm bath and bed after such a long time in the wilderness with none of the creature comforts and relative security of home, at least such as it was. 
The latter gave her some concern, however - the Firm likely learned of her arrival back in Zerul the moment she passed through the gates. It would have been pointless to try and conceal herself - she was known to the Firm, and any efforts to camouflage her presence might actually have made the situation more obvious to an internal observer. Still, there was little she could immediately do, given the circumstances. She could sleep on it.

'[i]Problem for another day.[/i]'

Angora reached down to unlace her boots, but before she did, she noticed movement out of the corner of her eye, to her far left, in the room. Despite her weariness, she sprung to her feet, starting for her blade, before realising it was not at her hip, but instead out of her reach, with her pack, she having covered it up in an attempt to make it less obvious that she was carrying an unbelievably rare artifact of the gods... well, at least as best you can conceal such an item. No matter, she would be able to overpower-

Nothing. She must have imagined it. [i]'Must be getting tired.'[/i] She sat back down and unlaced her boots, kicking them to one side before getting up to walk over to the wine bottles, taking one in her hand and, unsheathing a knife she had purchased earlier that day, she opened the cork with a couple of twists of the knife. She sat back down and took a long, thirsting drink. The heady, intoxicating, sensuous liquid washed down her throat, a welcome relief from naught but water, or the odd travel drink or caudle that she could steal from travellers, for months on end. By the gods, it was good... She took another drink from the bottle, and sank back into the chair, letting her exhaustion flow over her as a swollen river would flood in times of plentiful rain. Civilisation... you couldn't beat it. She took drink after drink, staring out at Zerul City, until she finished the bottle... It had barely taken her a few minutes to drain the entire thing. [i]'I must have missed that more than I thought. Still, you know what they say... alcohol, the source of, and answer to, all of life's problems.'[/i]

A fresh wave of exhaustion washed over her... it was no use, she had to sleep. Angora got to her feet and eased herself out of her ragged excuses for clothes, allowing them simply to fall to the floor in a rumpled heap of effectively rubbish. Gods, she must have looked a state to her travelling companions, with her wild, unkempt hair, her no doubt foul and offensive smell, and whatever it was that passed for clothes she had on her back. But now, she felt free. The old Angora, the Angora of crime and punishment, was there, in that heap. The new Angora stood atop the pile, victorious with her companions' help. On cue, in the distance, she could hear the raucous shouts, and songs, and laughter, of the far-landers, Iridiel and Domnall... they sounded like they knew how to enjoy themselves at least. Free drink did that to people, she guessed. They were laughing and conversing in their own language - Domnall's rougher, coarser, almost more stereotypically-barbarian tones evident against Iridiel's more rounded, mellowed speech. Angora walked back over to the bed, her feet padding softly against the stone floor, as she listened to the two of them. Perhaps Iridiel was of townsfolk stock, whilst Domnall was of the wilds, like her? Who knew... Her mind wandered as she lay on top of the covers, wandering to her other companions... Olan, the kindly old man, the one who had taken pity on her and tried first to commune with her when she was first under the spirit's influence, and who had given Iridiel the idea that there was someone beneath the spirit's influence, trying to get out. She owed him, owed him an awful lot. She owed Iridiel, too. And she owed Jaelnec.

Jaelnec. 

She whispered his name, almost rolling it around her mouth as one might roll about smoke from a fine tobacco pipe or cigar, to savour the sweet, smoky taste. She stared at her reflection in the empty wine bottle, and reached out to take hold of it.