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Lucius Nepos is standing outside the headquarters of the Blades in Hawk's Aerie, a stout, wide stone building with an equally stout wall ringing it. He's in all actuality outside the Gate, eating an apple. The man is not on duty, judging by his clothing.
The violet clad figure of Avelyn goes sliding down a side alley and then reappears not far from the Blade headquarters, moving across the street and toward another road that would lead away from down. Her golden hair shines in the torchlight, a beacon against the darkness.
Lucius Nepos's eyes are caught by the sight of that familiar figure. He ceases crunching the apple, chucking it away into the gutter and following her carefully and quickly. The soldier's hand rests on the scabbard of his sword, ceasing its movement.
Avelyn continues along her way. If she realizes she's being followed, there are no outward signs of it. Her pace is swift but not hurried.
After the last few unusual encounters around Avelyn, Lucius is not taking any chances. He's looking over his shoulder, looking around, into every alleyway,n nook, cranny as well as keeping an eye on the woman in front of him.
As Avelyn continues away from the town, her pace finally slows and she seems to be hanging about for the sole purpose of enjoying the view before her, out toward the river.
Lucius Nepos is making a serious attempt not to be heard as he walks behind Avelyn. This is made much easier once they've gone off of the cobblestones outside the main roads, his boots not making much sound at all on the ground. He slows to a stop once he's found a bit of foliage, taking a knee in the bushes to watch Avelyn.
The tailor has stopped along the shoreline and just stares out over the water, her expression grave. It seems like she's talking to herself and some of the words trail back toward Lucius. "...you must take the plunge and do what is necessary... the time for sitting and hoping has come to an end."
If Avelyn is talking about a literal plunge in the river, Lucius Nepos doesn't realize it. He remains where he is, his typical 'alert' expression plastered all over. His eyes are wide, body tense and breathing faster than usual.
Avelyn flops down into the sand and just draws her legs up against her chest, staring out at the water. She falls silent and just lets out a heavy sigh.
It's apparent that Lucius is going to wait a little bit longer before he reveals himself. Finally, he gets up from his seat and walks on over to Avelyn, greeting her before he gets there. "Evening."
Avelyn twists and looks over to Lucius as he approaches, only bobbing her head up and down in greeting. "Good eve," she murmurs.
Lucius Nepos arches an eyebrow and motions at the ground next to Avelyn. "Mind if I have a seat?"
"Please do," Avelyn replies somewhat cautiously. "I was not expecting you to seek out my company at all." She lifts a brow. "Is there something I can do for you?"
Lucius Nepos narrows his green eyes at Avelyn as she asks him that, but evades the question, with one of his own. "Any luck on your sibling?" He plops down on the ground, lifting his sword belt so that the scabbard rests on his lap.
Her expression clouds over. "No," is her somewhat curt answer. "I fear I have remained idle for too long and now I must take more drastic actions to see her safe return."
"Why don't you just bloody well engage the authorities in helping you?" The Corporal is cross at Avelyn, that's certain in his tone.
"And what are they going to do?" Avelyn asks, her expression annoyed and frustrated. "Perhaps it has just been too long since I trusted the authorities to do their job." She frowns. "And the Blades... they always have something more important at hand than helping the common folk."
Lucius Nepos spits on the ground. He wrings his hands and shakes his head, a deep frown set on his lips now. "Oh really? There are five thousand or so of us, to serve a realm of hundreds of thousands. How, pray tell, can we do more than we do? Do you know what I was doing in the Shadow District, for the last few months? Do you?"
Avelyn's expression becomes grave. "Yes, I do know," she murmurs. "I know where you were located and what you were doing."
Lucius Nepos narrows his eyes. "Right. That's what we do. We fight them so you don't have to. Our resources are limited. The House Guard and the Guild Militia? They do the same, in their areas. Again, limited numbers. The wilderness we don't claim to own; we do what we can in the major areas and on the major roads. Such is the way of Fastheld, and has been for hundreds of years. It's evidently the way the Light intended. But perhaps, if you plead your case, something /can/ be done. Pray tell me exactly what happened to your sister and you'd have my word. I might be a Corporal, but I'm a member of the General Staff. That means something."
Avelyn springs to her feet and begins to pace. "It's my fault," she murmurs. "She was taken because of me. Because I have made enemies for my choices. They want to use her as leverage against me." She drops down to her knees in front of Lucius, leaning in close to her, eyes focused on his. "Do not get involved, Lucius. I could not bear to see someone else I care for be harmed because of me."
"You're maddening, Avelyn. You tell me not to get involved. You tell me you will not tell me any details until it's resolved. You cannot resolve it yourself." Nepos rises, as well, anger all over his face. "You may as well swing the axe yourself, then. Or, you tell me. Those are the options."
"Lucius..." Avelyn remains kneeling on the ground for a few moments, staring down at the sand beneath her before climbing to her feet. She steps a short ways off, conveniently out of reach of both sword and hand and then turns back to the Blade. "My feelings for you have always been genuine. You made me wish that I could have had a normal life and been able to spend it with you."
"I'm not interested in playing games. I've told you what it will be, or what it won't. Your decision." Lucius stares her down, hands at his hips.
There is a slow intake of breath before Avelyn looks away from Lucius. "I told you that they took her to get at me," she says quietly. "I refused to rejoin their ranks. Perhaps my decision came from my interactions with you. I used to be filled with such bitterness and anger toward your kind but I couldn't help but care about you. From the very first moment we met."
"Then tell me. What ranks. Who are they. What are they. What do they want." Lucius replies, evidently not swayed by her words. His hands are crossed over his chest. "Mages," Avelyn whispers. "They want what I possess. The sheer power of what I control."
Lucius Nepos's eyes widen a little bit. "What.. what's that?"
~The power of the mind,~ Avelyn's voice whispers into Lucius' mind. ~In many different manifestations of that.~ She takes a few steps back and looks up at the Blade with great sorrow. "You now know my darkest secret. Will you try to kill me now?"
Lucius Nepos looks shocked at the woman's admission, slowly stepping backwards, eyes widening by the moment. His right hand rests on the pommel of his sword, but he doesn't pull it out. Nor does he say anything more.
Avelyn slinks a little further back, keeping her gaze focused on Lucius. "As I said, Lucius, my feelings for you were genuine. I wanted to tell you the truth, but I knew that I would lose you once I did, and I so desperately wanted to hold on to you for as long as I could."
Lucius Nepos is not the smartest man in the world, but he does know when he's outmatched, and he does remember his lessons of Light and Shadow. Still, he ventures something, while continuing to back away. "I knew something wasn't normal about you. There was something different..."
"Are you going to send the Church after me now?" Avelyn asks quietly. She looks up to Lucius sadly.
"How can I send anyone after you? I consorted with you... I layed with you." Lucius looks a mix of scared and angry at the whole situation. Now about ten metres away, he stops.
"I'm sorry," Avelyn murmurs. She sighs. "You shall not have to see me again."
"You need to run.. run far away. Maybe in time I will be able to talk to you. I've never thought about the Shadow, I don't know..." Lucius appears to be grasping for words here. His hand his still on the pommel of his sword, white knuckled as he stares at Avelyn.
Sadness in Avelyn's eyes before she turns and in the blink of an eye, just vanishes from sight.
It has never been known for Lucius Nepos to be called a coward. He's faced terrible conditions on the battlefield time, and time again. But he has never faced sorcery, not truly. The soldier turns, and runs.