[center][img]https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/992864037962526720/1000801172313092126/silas.png[/img][/center][colour=7B68EE][hr][b]Trials and Tribulations III[/b][/colour] [Hider= Street Hoghs] They were staring at a disadvantage. It annoyed Silas, sending him pacing while one by one the other pairs were allowed to begin. Ahrora was bothered too, even if she contained it better; her one eye darting wildly to measure the remaining competition. But when it flickered back to Silas, seeing his eyeless face staring back she stopped chewing her bottom lip long enough to give a smile. [color=3CB371]“Lucky we both know how to make the most of a bad hand.”[/color] He only nodded in response, finding his throat too tight to comfortably speak. The moment they were permitted to take off, the pair split. Silas ducked left, Ahrora right. They had considered their plan carefully, waking at dawn to run drills through Mudville’s filthy narrow streets until they’d gotten a sense of each other's pace. She was fascinated by his past back-alley escapades and truesight. Silas liked her accented Avincian and nimble grace, keeping stride with him easily, even over rooftops through the morning mists. Ahrora’s laughter and the hot bitter coffee had made his throat tighten then too. He found the water token first. Resting in the center of a fountain, he’d noticed the magic signature emanating from it, similar to those used in the melon race. His hand slipped into the cool water, just as an eruption of heat energy tore through the sky in a column. There was no light or colour to it, just a heated burst of air to the sky. It was their agreed upon signal; Ahrora had found the first gate. He moved to her position and the system repeated again. It was Ahrora that crossed the finish line. Just barely missing out on first place to a pale Vossoryian. Silas still cheered for her from the other side. *** There was no way of actually speaking with the short citizens of the Hegelan city, but with enough gesturing and counting neskals Silas managed to [i]‘barter’[/i] himself a pair of prime shots and a runed blanket of hard wool. It glowed in his not-sight with gentle arcane energy, and was warm to the touch as though heated by flame. It brought back memories of cold winters in Mudville, of carefully wrapping hot bricks in frozen sheets to try and bring warmth into the drafty attics. Of his mother. When he returned to the finish line, Ahrora was still there, waiting for him a few feet from the portal meant to return them to Ersand’Enise. Her eye quickly surveyed the items in his arms and lighted pockets. [color=3CB371]“Enjoy your shopping trip?”[/color] [colour=7B68EE] “We agreed beforehand- your team got the bonus points.”[/colour] She sighed and dismissed his defensive tone with a wave. [color=3CB371]“Forget it, I’m just bitter we didn’t get first. Really thought we had it for a bit there.”[/color] Silas hesitated, then offered in a more conspiratorial tone; [colour=7B68EE]“Still got the better of that Eskandish noble though,”[/colour] She responded by looking to his face with a wide grin. Marljin had thrown taunts and illusions at nearly each gate. Somehow they’d managed to keep pace with her, and careful communication allowed them to avoid the worst of her trapping mirages. The pair fell into an awkward silence as they watched the last of the teams pass through the end-line. [color=3CB371]“Show me yours and I’ll show you mine?”[/color] Ahrora finally spoke up, casually gesturing to her eyepatch and Silas’s own face. His head tilted at the suggestion, a smirk growing. [colour=7B68EE]“Don’t think I’ll be able to see anything much differently than I do now.”[/colour] She frowned at him, but her tone remained light: [color=3CB371]“C’mon, I’m curious. I’ll make it worth your while.”[/color] She held the last syllable, gently swishing a previously unnoticed vial of prime shot clasped behind her back. How she’d managed to snag it at the pace they’d been going was a mystery. He shrugged [colour=7B68EE] “Not sure what you’re expecting. But I’ll hold you to it.”[/colour] The fabric caught in his hair as he pushed it over his forehead to reveal the deteriorated and shrunken remains of his eyes. Even as she leaned close, Silas struggled to read Ahrora’s expression. True to her word, she raised her eyepatch to reveal the empty socket he already knew lay behind it. [color=3CB371]“Wanna touch it?”[/color] She whispered and he wrinkled his nose. His face was expressive when it wasn’t half hidden. Ahrora only laughed at his disgust and moved closer still; until all she had to do was lean forward for her lips to press gently on his ear. Silas froze in surprise, which only coaxed out another breathy laugh as she planted a second warm kiss on his slightly agape mouth. [color=3CB371]“Till next time”[/color] She said, pulling away too quickly, stepping backwards through the portal before Silas had regained enough composure to speak to her. Not that he’d have even known what to say. He yanked his blindfold down again, doing what he could to hide the red flush of his face before following her to rejoin his team on the other side. It wasn’t until much later, while doing a cursory sorting of his winnings that he noticed a missing prime shot from his collection. [/hider] [hider=I See You] [colour=7B68EE]"Come to collect tithe if I have?"[/colour] Silas replied with a question- but not expecting the stranger to answer. The uneasiness and surprise of being found before even noticing the priest remained well-concealed behind a coy smile that betrayed only the insincerity of his words, despite their tone. It wasn't as though he'd yet done anything worthy of accusation anyways. [colour=7B68EE]"I seek only the blessings of Reshta and Eshiran for the upcoming trial."[/colour] [colour=F0F0E6]"Oh, is [i]that[/i] all?"[/colour] the Dread Priest replied, leaning forward in his seat and clasping his hands. [colour=F0F0E6]"Silly me. Here I was thinking you were here for something much more clandestine."[/colour] He shook his head easily enough and remained smiling, but there was something in his eye: something that Silas would not have been able to notice, of course. A glimmer, perhaps, of a cat. Was the powergazer a mouse? [colour=7B68EE]"You wound me sir."[/colour] Silas clasped a fist against his chest in gesture of exaggerated offense, while the other remained buried in its pocket. [colour=7B68EE]"Are the poor and deformed souls not also permitted to seek the pentad's mercy on a restless night?"[/colour] The blond-haired priest smiled indulgently, sitting in repose now, his expression beatific as it so often was.[colour=F0F0E6] "And what mercy is it that you seek, brother?"[/colour] [colour=7B68EE]"Fortune for tomorrow and a good night's rest."[/colour] The lies slid out easily, though Silas's impatience and discomfort with the conversation began to make itself known through his left toe; silently tapping on the floor. He had little desire to withstand a full interrogation of a dread priest. [colour=F0F0E6]"That is all, then?"[/colour] the priest asked.[colour=F0F0E6] "I shall ensure that it is yours."[/colour] He rose, eyes darting to Silas' shoe for the barest of moments, and held out his hand. " he smiled. [colour=F0F0E6]"Will you accept my blessings?"[/colour] Silas hesitated in silence, letting the priest's offer hang unanswered too long. He held no trust in the esteemed brother or desire to make physical contact with him. Unfortunately he had successfully lied himself into a corner and scrambled to find reasonable objection. [colour=7B68EE]"A fair and impartial blessing?"[/colour] his smile tightened as he tilted his head in speculation, [colour=7B68EE]"Your team will be competing tomorrow too after all."[/colour] [colour=F0F0E6]"You will receive the customary blessing of my order,"[/colour] the dread Priest confirmed, [colour=F0F0E6]"on my honour."[/colour] His smile was friendly enough, but there were - perhaps - just a few too many teeth. [colour=F0F0E6]"I will admit that it is not often one asks for the blessing of a Dread Priest"[/colour] [colour=7B68EE]"Didn't ask."[/colour] Silas reminded him flatly, returning his exposed hand to a pocket, all the more assured he did not want whatever this unnerving boy was offering. [colour=7B68EE]"Not for your blessing anyways- If Reshta seeks to favour me it will be because my own words and devotions."[/colour] [colour=F0F0E6]"Oh, well then,”[/colour] the priest replied, [colour=F0F0E6]"I suppose I shall be going."[/colour] He rose and smiled, all lips and no teeth. [colour=F0F0E6]"If Reshta truly decides to favour you, I suppose you will bear [i]close[/i] watching."[/colour] He never breaks character, but his eyes narrow for just a moment. He turned to walk away. [colour=7B68EE]"I always appreciate an extra pair of eyes."[/colour] Silas replied, his usual flippant grin returning as the priest turned to leave, taking his body full of blood and head of hair with him, untouched. For all his comfortable facade, Silas found himself rather shaken on the walk back to his room. He'd felt much more the dread priest's mark than the other way around . The cautious and reasonable part of him knew it best to back out now, before any reckless action could be taken. But that piece had always been rather small, and easily ignored. Spending so long scouting the cathedral had been a mistake, but he decided to return again. In the morning, along with the early worshipers as to better avoid any further chance of running into Brother Lamb or his comrades. *** The Dread Priest continued to track the boy's location for some time after he had left. The walk back to the cathedral wasn't long and the robed figure slipped in, after some time, through a side door into the sacristy. Letting the glamour fall away, Brother Lamb turned into Sister Cadence. She headed back into the Bishop's apartments, for he had been kind enough to give her and the rest of her team free run of all but the private areas. If that boy was snooping, it occurred to her, there were likely others and they were almost certainly after the church's secrets, discontent to simply leave some things to the Pentad and their servants. She went to speak with Lumen, Flint, and the shadow sister first, preparing to make haste to her teammate's position immediately afterward. There was a threat here: possibly a dire one. [/hider]