Dorota’s gaze dropped to his chest instantly. Her heart skipped a beat and she had to clench her fists to keep from reaching out and snapping the medallion off of his neck. Please tell me that’s what I think it is.
« Actually, Adrian, I don’t think you need to just yet, » she said quietly. She slipped her hand around the hilt of her sword, just quickly enough to make sure he’d notice.
«That’s a very a unique design, you know, » she told him, narrowing her eyes at the slight bulge of the medallion beneath his shirt. If he had anything to do with the Crimson Lord, she couldn’t let this go. Not with the reputation he had.
And just as she thought it, Dorota realized. Adrian was the man behind the shadow. The thief who somehow always beat others to their treasure. The one who, without fail, outran and outearned and was never caught. She almost felt her heart swell with excitement, but kept her expression neutral.
Well, shit. She'd noticed. And she might even try to fight him! He'd thought that the day couldn't get any worse, but it seemed that he was really, really wrong. As soon as he got out of there, he was going to buy a longer chain so this would never happen again.
"I guess." Adrian shrugged, hoping she didn't know what the design meant. Judging on how she'd reacted, though she knew. "But let's not get too excited about it, hmm?" If she drew her sword and attacked him, he should probably be able to draw his own from the sheath on his back. Hopefully.
A small smile flicked across her face, but it didn’t last.
« I’m a thief because I need to be. And that design means I may not have to be for much longer. »
He didn’t look at all happy with his slip-up, and that made sense with the scraps of information she’d gathered. She did, however, want to keep this lead to herself. She let her hand fall off her sword, knowing full well she could outrun this guy. She dug through her pockets for a moment, her eyes never leaving Adrian’s face. She pulled a long, thin, nearly invisible bronze chain out of her pocket.
« Don’t let anyone else see it. I don’t need to tell you what someone would do for one of those, » she murmured.
"…Right," Adrian said slowly, his eyes narrowing. He had no idea what Dorota was suggesting. Would she turn him into the Queen's Men, or would she force him to bring her to the Crimson Lord? Either one didn't appeal to him in the least bit. Adrian tensed up slightly when she reached into her pocket, but relaxed when she pulled out the chain. At least that was one thing he didn't need to worry about.
"Yeah, I know." Adrian reached out for the chain. Medallions like the one he had were very rare, and only a few people actually knew the true significance of them. And most of them were in jail or dead. He didn't want to end up like them.
(Could you tell me a bit about the Crimson Lord if that’s okay?)
(Yeah, sure! Is there anything you want to know?)
(What’s his job/role? Is he like an urban legend type? Is he a literal lord?)
(He's an actual person, though a lot of people have never seen him in person (he's super mysterious). He's not an actual lord, just a normal person who has a really big grudge against the Queen's Men, the Queen, and the gods. The Crimson Lord has some magical power granted to him by a demon, which basically makes him enemy number one for the Queen's Men. Also, he kills a lot of Queen's Men, so that's understandable. Most people in the area that he controls are scared of him, though they'd pick him over the Queen's Men any day. His proclaimed mission is to get the Queen's Men out of his area and 'save' everyone. Is there anything else you'd like to know?)
(Not specifically, I’m just trying to find a valid motivation for Dorota to want to find him. She could want to work with him, especially if Adrian already has a reputation she aspires to sorry I’m thinking out loud)
(Alright. I mean, working with the Crimson Lord would probably get her good things, especially if he succeeds, though it would put a target on her back if the Queen's Men knew she was with the Crimson Lord. And you're good, thinking out loud is fine!)
(Alright I’ll stick with that then, and sorry one last thing, could they stop by Dorota’s family’s house?)
"Alright," she started firmly. She crossed her arms, resolutely parked in front of Adrian as she stared him down. "You're going to follow me. I can outrun you easily, or turn you to the Queen's Men with your name. We're going to make a pit stop, and then you're going to take me to see your Lord. Clear enough for you?"
She kept a benevolent smile on her face, starkly contrasting her determined stance.
Adrian stared at this strange woman in front of him. "Fine. Alright. Just one question, though. Why do you want to see the Crimson Lord?" He raised his eyebrows slightly. Adrian didn't really care that much about Dorota's response, but he was slightly curious. And he wanted to stall her just a bit. There was no way he was actually going to bring her to see the Crimson Lord, so the mention of a pit stop was appealing. It would give him time to think up and escape plan and execute it.
She clicked her jaw, thinking. "None of your business," she said finally. Nudging Adrian to start moving, she checked the Queen's Men were gone.
As soon as she was sure the coast was clearly she lightly pushed Adrian out of their hiding spot and fell into step next to him. "The first stop is a bit of a ways off. How far is it for us to teach the Crimson Lord from here?" she asked quietly.
Adrian shrugged slightly, eye darting around before locking onto Dorota again. He hadn't anticipated her answering him, so he wasn't too disappointed. Adrian let her push him around a little– after all, he would probably be long gone soon. "Okay. From here?" He paused, thinking. The Crimson Lord frequented several places, and Adrian needed to think about the place where it would probably be that day. The biggest place was about ten blocks away, and that was probably the most likely place where the Crimson Lord might be. "About ten blocks that way," he pointed down the road, "is the most likely spot." Adrian couldn't help a small, amused smile from appearing, though it was gone in a second.
Dorota looked off into the direction he was pointing and nodded approvingly.
"Perfect. You better hope you haven't just lied to me."
Off they went in that direction. They walked until the sun set, and then a few more hours. Eventually they arrived on the edge of a forest beyond which the roofs of a small clump of houses, barely a village, was visible.
"I didn't." Adrian held up his hands defensively. He was slightly surprised when Dorota started going that direction– hadn't she said she needed to stop somewhere? But they kept going, and going, and going. Adrian was not particularly happy about the hike, especially when they kept walking even after the sun set. "Wow, when you said it was a little far off, I thought it was going to be an hour walk, tops. Not… whatever this is." He complained as the houses came into view, trying to keep the weariness out of his voice. It had been a really long day, and he just wanted it to end already. Maybe Dorota was just trying to wear him out so he couldn't run away. If that was her plan, it was working, though he would never let her know that.
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