Warp Token update

2k words. Sorry for the delay guys a combination of busyworking, procrastination, and confusion on how to write this next bit caused some confusion.

***

The guards dragged him around the corner and out of sight, Roderick shooting Skyseeker a frown, the rat woman shrugging in response. “What? Could mean other Skaven in city! Best keep eyes peeled.”

“What part of being discreet don’t you understand?” he sighed, rubbing his temple with a hand. “What did you do? Why are they hauling that poor man off?

“Poor!” she echoed. “Man-thing deserved what happened. Uhm, not that I would know what happened. Or that anything did happen, yes-yes…”

“You’re horrible at lying, lass,” he said, prompting her on. She stared up at the sky, refusing to make eye-contact, Roderick shaking his head when she refused to add anything.

“Very well, don’t tell me,” he grumbled. “probably for the best I don’t know what happened anyway. Let’s forego exploring and move on, before these Skaven sightings start to spread.”

He strolled into the square, Skyseeker hurrying after him. She opened her muzzle to speak, then stopped herself when Roderick flashed her an annoyed look.

As the blended in the crowd, the scent of cooked meat began to hang thick in the air, Roderick following his nose towards its source, soon coming before a stall towards the centre of the market. Behind the countertop was a portable kitchen, the sections of stoves and appliances connected together by brass hinges and cogwheels, reminding Roderick of foldable compartments one might find in a toolbox. The kitchen was open to the sky, letting the smoke rising from the beds of coals dissipate into the air. A pig roasting on a spit was being tended by two men in chef aprons, one of them walking over to address the people lining up.

“Feel like bacon, Skyseeker?” Roderick asked, joining the queue.

“What is bacon, and why are we here?” she asked back. “Thought man-thing said we should be moving on.”

“I’m not walking another step on an empty stomach. This shouldn’t take a minute,” he answered. “And bacon is meat from a pig, by the way, a farm animal.”

She licked her front teeth at that, Roderick just able to see her eager expression through the shadow of her hood. After a few minutes, it was their turn in the line, Roderick ordering two serves of meat, then another when he remembered Skyseeker’s endless appetite. The chef wrapped his order up in a paper parcel, Roderick handing over a sum of gold in exchange. Next, he located a fruit stand, buying a pair of fresh apples to go with the meat. Meal in hand, they departed the square from the northern side, finding a secluded alleyway where Skyseeker could expose her paws and muzzle away from prying eyes.

Unwrapping the parcel, Ropderick handed over a strip of bacon, watching as Skyseeker chewed through the tough meat effortlessly with her sharp teeth. Her eyes seemed to sparkle as she swallowed it down, her mouth forming a little o of wonder.

“Palatable!” she exclaimed. “Best meat eaten since ever!”

“Nothing like bacon to start off the morning,” he replied, starting on his own piece. The bacon was just under the point of being burned, exactly the way he liked it, the fruit adding a sweet aftertaste.

“Apologising,” she suddenly began, Roderick turning to see Skyseeker peering up at him, a dim look in her eyes.

“What?”

“For causing ruckus,” she explained, clicking her front teeth together in what might be irritation. “Was not thinking straight last night, which is unlike me – being an intellectual. Not intention to make Rick-rod angry.”

“I’m sorry too,” he replied. “I shouldn’t have snapped at you like that. Alcohol can make a person do crazy things, especially if it’s there wet behind the ears. I remember my first night on the town was just as disorderly.”

“Oh? What happened?”

“Well, me and a couple of friends went out to a tavern not unlike the Crippled Gryphon, celebrating something or other. A couple beers in, one of us thinks we should relive our youths and play a game of hide and seek on the street outside – it’s a children’s game, where a group of people hide while one person tries to find everyone. Anyway, a couple rounds later and I’m trying to hide, and by this point the street’s pretty well known, and all the good spots are taken. But then my eyes turn up, and I get the brilliant idea that nobody’s going to find me if I’m up on the tavern roof.”

“Should have fallen and broken my neck that night, but by some miracle I make it up there, and I settle in behind the chimney, drink in hand. A couple minutes go by, and I hear people shouting my name, telling me that they give up. Not a chance of that, I thought, drunk Roderick’s going to win this game. After a suspiciously long while, I peek over the gutter and see my friends have gotten the town guard involved in the search. That should have been my que to realise people were getting worried, but I’ve never been one to let victory slip me by.”

“I close my eyes for a moment, and next thing, it’s dawn. I’d spent the whole night up on that roof, freezing my balls off for some stupid game. My friends were inside, having long given up, and one of them gave me this look, said he just about to go inform our field commander that I was missing in action.”

“Did you tell them where you were sneak-hiding?”

“Not a soul,” he chuckled. “And that’s what bothered my friends the most in the end”

Skyseeker giggled, failing to suppress a smile. “Would not have told either,” she said. “Need hidey place for next game!”

“Needless to say, I’d been drinking quite a lot, and my sense of judgement was pretty far gone by that point. I assume that was the same case with you last night.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” she snapped. “Had control of all faculties, like always! Always know where I am, what I am doing.”

“So when we… washed each other, slept together, spoke about all those things… that wasn’t the ale talking?”

“Ale… may have had some influence,” she admitted, staring at the spot between her feet. “Did… man-thing not like bathing? Wil do better next time, promise!”

“No, no, the bath was fine, really. I enjoyed it,” he stammered, his cheeks warming.

“S-So did I!” she chimed, locking eyes with him for a second. She looked away, scratching her muzzle pensively. “A-Anyway, what… ‘speaking’ did Skaven do? Not that I forgot!” she hurriedly added. “Just need remindening, please.”

“Well let’s see,” he began, noting Skyseeker was tensing up as she waited for his answer. “you asked me what kinds of things I look for in a woman, then wrapped up the night by saying you liked me.”

“What.”

Skyseeker had the deadpan look of one who’s just been told a terrible joke, the Skaven hiding her expression by slamming her paws into her face. “N-No, wait-wait! Th-That’s not… I never said that! That was ale talking!”

“You just said you had control of all your faculties.”

“Stop nitpicking!” she complained, glancing through her fingers to give him an exasperated look. “Stupid man-thing drink jumbled words! Made me sound like breeder in heat who wants attention. Which I’m not! Well, technically am that, but that’s not point!”

“You know,” he began, a mischievous smirk on his face. “We stupid man-things have a saying. A drunk man’s words are a sober man’s thoughts. Means you were being your most earnest back there.”

“B-But I’m not a man-thing! That doesn’t count!” she wailed, pulling her hood over her face to conceal herself from him. “A-And I like you as FRIEND. There was NO romantasy in Skaven’s words. Negative amounts, actually! Why would Rick-rod even suggest otherwise? Wait, did you? Stop smiling at me like that-that!”

She bent so far forward her head was almost resting in her lap, Roderick chuckling as she started babbling on under her breath. He didn’t get the impression that she was disgusted by his implication, it was more like they’d taken her by surprise, and her clumsy explanation suggested he’d embarrassed her greatly. It was amusing to see her so flustered, Skyseeker was always so focused on her mission, that he’d started to think it was all she cared about. It seemed he was wrong.

“Perhaps the ale had more of an affect on you than you care to admit,” he said, trying to rescue her verbally.

“Perhaps,” she agreed. “It was a long naptime. Saw very interesting things, including man-thing’s- NO. Stop.”

She met his eyes again, quickly looking away as she snagged another bacon strip from his parcel, stuffing it – and her whole paw – into her mouth. Roderick took another bite of his apple, the two falling silent as they ate. It wasn’t an awkward silence, though there was some tension in the air, but one of a wholly different quality than before.

His implication might have been considered uncouth if he’d spoken them to a human woman, but Skyseeker didn’t appear offended, the occasional glance she sent in his direction proving the fact. Her excuse for explaining how she liked him had been clumsy, but endearing in a way, and Roderick would be a fool to not realise she may have a small crush on him.

He thought back to how indecisive he’d been right before sleeping, debating his conflicted feelings towards Skyseeker. Perhaps he could put into writing what his words never could, and make a poem about her. He had done so once before with a previous suitor, around the time he’d first signed on with the Imperial army. Nothing had come of it in the end, but she hadn’t complained about his poetry skills…

He would need time and some parchment first, but with a bit of luck, he’d have both by the time they’d set sail.

He looked up at the sun, seeing the morning was passing swiftly. Tossing the apple core away, he dusted off his hands, gesturing to Skyseeker with a gauntlet.

“You ready to move, lass?”

She nodded, wolfing down the last of her bacon, licking her paws clean with her long tongue.

“Ready-Ready! Let’s catch that ship!”

-xXx-

With their bellies full, they pressed on through the tight streets of Portomaggoire, the dwellings as colourful as they were unique, no two buildings quite the same in size or shape. They took on a more rustic appearance as they approached the city’s western portion, form giving way to function as warehouses and industry took precedence.

They soon came upon a staircase, Roderick taking the lead as he began descending the steps, Skyseeker trying not to trip on her cumbersome disguise as she followed after. Two residential buildings sat flush against the steps to either side, their windows open to let the salty air seep inside. The scent of the sea was as thick as soup, Roderick resisting the urge to pinch his nose. He’d spent most of his life fighting far from the coast, so he wasn’t as accustomed to the smell of the ocean as these Tileans were.

He peered up at the rooftops, hand on the hilt of his Skaven sword as he scanned his surroundings. Until he was proved otherwise, he would take the elves’ threat seriously, thought it remained to be seen if they would catch on to Skyseeker’s true identity.

His companion noticed what he was doing, following his gaze up as she squeezed past his flank.

“Any pointy-ears?” she asked, something metal in her paw catching the light as she held her arm out. “Say word when you do, give them nasty surprise!”

“Put that away,” he chided, pushing her arm down. “Flaunting your Skaven stars is a good way to draw suspicion.”

“It’s warp-star, stupid!” she corrected. “Get it right!”

As they reached the bottom of the staircase, a flock of seabirds raced up from the rooftop ahead of them, their small wings framed against the blue sky. Ther were dozens of them plaguing the air, Roderick watching what must be half a dozen flocks draw circles overhead. Every now and then one of them would swoop down to the ground a short distance to their left. They were getting close to the port.

They stook another staircase down, this part of the city made up of tiered levels as the land lowered towards the sea. After dipping beneath an archway and turning another corner, they emerged into the most spacious part of the city yet.