The Morning After

Rolling over in his sleep, consciousness began to return to him. Unable to sense the woman beside him, whom he'd been with the night before, Jungi's eyes fluttered open in search of her. Glancing up, he found her standing by the window, drawing the window curtains open to let the light of early afternoon in. For a moment, he stared; though he visited Fort with fair frequency, her appearance was still foreign and exotic to him.  Lucia had auburn hair like a silken cascade that licked at the small of her back, while lascivious curves created a most comely silhouette behind the sheer nightgown she wore.

Desiring her again, Jungi shoved the bed covers off of him so that he could go to her. Stepping up behind her, one hand rested gently on one of her slender shoulders, the other gathering her hair so that he could lay lustful kisses along the side of her neck. Alas, his lover jumped before he could do so, "Jun!"

Jungi's hand shot up to rub his nose where her head hit as Lucia jumped in surprise. Startled when she spun to face him with a look of horror, Jungi backpeddaled, nearly tripping over his own feet.

"Jun! Trevor is coming! You have to get out of here! Hurry!"

That same look of horror was shared by him then. Her fiance must have been outside on the lower level, making his way here, when she opened the window. With that realization, a slight bit of fear crept over him -fear or more likely just adrenalline. If he didn't hurry to leave, he'd be caught; though by that point, it was likely that they'd be found out anyway. Still, he'd have to run.

Frantically, Jungi reached for his pants. Tripping as he tried to fit one foot into them, he clamored to get back to his feet, finally managing to get his pants pulled up and buttoned. Poking his arms through the sleeves of his shirt, he had little time to worry about buttoning it or fastening the belt that hung loose through the belt loops of his jeans. Trevor's knock was already being heard at the door.

When there came no immediate answer, the man was already shouting, "Lucia! It's me!"

At the sound, Jungi was glancing that direction, half expecting for Lucia's fiance to come barging in. Was he always this impatient?

Trevor's voice rose again, repeating her name with another series of knocks.

As Jungi grabbed up his shoes in one hand, Lucia kissed his lips and with her hands then shoe'd him toward the door, whispering harshly, obviously agitated, "If he catches you, he'll try to kill you, Jun! You have to run!" The woman's eyes showed her concern, more for him than for herself. Her hand's came together over her mouth in an expression of worry, not knowing what to do.

Looking between Lucia and the door, he nodded, accepting that he'd have to bull rush his way through the door to not get caught. Glancing back into Lucia's eyes one last time, Jungi bid her an anxious farewell, "This is goodbye, my love. If we never meet again... then know that you will always be in my heart." Somewhere. With every other woman he wooed and used. Before he looked away, Jungi could see the frightful, hopeful tears in her eyes. Women could be so easily moved by passion and drama.


Focusing on the door then, an angry man's fists pounding from the other side, Jungi reached for the door handle. Unlatching it, he allowed it to open, placing himself just behind it; and as Trevor took a step through, Jungi solidly kicked the door, throwing it out and open, toppling the man over with it. That was all the opening he'd get. Barefoot, shirt open and shoes in hand, Jungi sprinted down the corridor leading to the stairs.


Caught completely off guard, Trevor fumbled to get back to his feet, but seeing another man sprinting away, he seemed to find renewed fervor with which to give chase. Trevor was up then, and running as fast as he could in pursuit of the trader.


Making giant lunges to get down the stairs to the lower level of the apartments, Jungi hardly looked back -he could hear Trevor racing behind him. Jungi's heart pounded in his chest, and though he was a little worried, because he didn't know just what this Trevor was capable of, he couldn't help but grin, amused by the whole situation.

Once Jungi rounded the next corner of the building, he'd be home free; he could make it into the streets and disappear. Fate didn't seem to want to let that happen however. Rounding that corner, Jungi nearly fell on top of two gruff-looking fellows congregated there; and when they heard Trevor's shouts as he neared, they immediately turned on Jungi.

Great. Now there were three.

Jungi shouldered through the two men, utilizing a couple of quick effects to knock them to their knees before he dashed for the public streets.


As Jungi shot out into the open road, the three brutes too close on his heels for comfort, he made a bee line for the nearest, busiest scene -the wharf. Not only would there be many people to disappear amoungst, but there would be storehouses for tradesmen, stalls of seacrafters selling their fish, etc. Maybe there might even be sailors eager to take a fight off his hands that he could get involved somehow. Something would work out.


By the time he reached the wharf, Jungi's breathing came heavy, obviously a little winded; but he could still hear the shouts of the running men behind him. Pausing for a moment, out of sight, he gasped for breath, turning his attention back to see how close Trevor and his men had come on his tail.

ClEaRlY, it was time to run again!! So, Jungi took off from the wall, heading into the busiest section of road.

Taking a deep breath of the salty sea air, Emberlynn stared out over the bay.  It was a shame her siblings weren't here to enjoy the morning with her.  Her messengers hadn't been able to locate them for months, and she was growing more worried that something had happened to them.  She still had hope that this wasn't the case, but the lack of contact was leaving her itching to go seek them herself.  With no location, though, she knew it would be a wild wherry chase at best, and she could wind up giving up this first permanent home ever for nothing.  But it didn't stop her from wondering where they were, how they were faring.

The cry of a sailor drew her gaze from the horizon and towards one of the ships-- not Thatch's, she mused with a small smile-- and she brushed a strand of hair behind her ear.  The men aboard were clearly gearing up to set sail, tending to the masts and rigging, and she took a moment to enjoy that sight as well, envious of the job that allowed the seafarers the chance to travel and see new places.  One day, maybe she'd have the means to set out and go wherever she wished, visit the island of Ista or, if she were brave enough, the southern continent that no one had been to in Turns.  But that was all a dragon's smoke dream right now, and she had to concentrate on more practical matters.

Like purchasing the fish she'd been tasked with acquiring this morning.  Of course, with a healthy dose of socializing and listening to the latest gossip as she did so.  Her favorite fishmonger liked to talk-- the wife of one of the most prominent fishermen at Fort Sea Hold.  Her son, who could often be found hauling the day's catch in at this time of the morning, wasn't hard on the eyes, either, which gave Ember a little more enjoyment in picking up her smelly goods.

Taking another deep breath, the young barmaid made sure her path across the busy road was free of carts before heading towards the usual stall.

Speaking of those who weren't too hard on the eyes...Jung was about to share the same path that Ember found herself on. Naturally, the two of them collided.

Unable to stop his momentum as he headed down the hill in bare feet, Jungi toppled right on top of Ember, only able to try and compensate for the collision and fall with the help of one hand, because the other was still holding his shoes. Right away, Jungi's eyes were filled with shock and concern, especially after recognizing he'd just run right into a very attractive lady. Oddly though, his first thought wasn't on apologizing. There were still three men close on his heels, whom he was trying to evade.

Looking into Ember's eyes, the trader was obviously distracted by something other than the fact that he'd run over her; and at just that moment a thought struck him. "You'll have to forgive me. Come with me! I need your help." Picking himself up from the ground, Jungi was hoisting the dark-haired woman back to her feet as well, taking time at least once to look back over his shoulder in the direction from where he'd come.

Grabbing her wrist, Jungi pulled Ember along with him, escaping the main road through another alley. Periodically looking back, Jungi took them to the next major road, at which point he paused before walking out into it, so that they could catch their breath. In his mind, as he dropped her arm so that he could manage to put his shoes back on, all he was thinking were apologies, but that's not what came out. "Will you help me? I think making a crowd would help me disappear, and having an accomplice...well..." Jungi's eyes looking her over once briefly, he smirked, "not something they'll be expecting to look for."

Straightening himself to look back once more from where they'd come, Jungi hands worked to at least half-way button his fine, collared shirt. Tucking it into his pants so he appeared more presentable, he realized he'd forgotten that his belt wasn't even buckled. Wondering just what the girl he'd just picked up might be thinking, he almost blushed. Then, decidedly, he figured he wouldn't be able to blame her for whatever she thought or said after, considering a half-dressed man had just temporarily abducted her.

"Can you make up something? We broke up. I've been drinking. Anything. I'll play along. Hit me, too! It'll draw a crowd and then they won't be able to find us. I mean.. me." Meeting the girl's eyes again, the expression formed there must have been a bit remorseful as he searched her gaze, trying to decide if she was about to just run off and ditch him or not. "I'll pay you back when we get outta this. Okay?"

He was hopeful. Very hopeful, and he just knew this was all going to end up marring his golden reputation.

Ember's left hip had hit the ground hardest, a wince flashing across her features before she tried to gather her wits and figure out just who had knocked her to the ground.  She didn't really recognize him, which was about all she had time to note before she was being hauled to her feet.

Help?  Just what could he need help with?  Had he intended to run her over?  What, or who, was he watching for over his shoulder?  Puzzled, the barmaid allowed the young man to drag her along for the moment.  She didn't think he was one of Thatch's men, especially since the Red Star's Revenge wasn't currently in port.  Was he a sailor on another ship, then?

Taking the moment to size him up as he dragged her down a narrow passage between stone walls, she took in his barefoot, half-dressed state, and was pretty sure she'd be dead on in guessing he was running from an angry husband or lover of a woman he'd just been trifling with.  Or possibly the father of said female.  If he'd been racing to get to work, or catch up with someone, he wouldn't have been turning to look behind himself.

Dragging in air when finally he stopped, Emberlynn cocked her head to the side and eyed him.  "They won't be expecting someone with you?"  A sly grin curved her lips and she made a point of looking him up and down.  "Let me guess, you left her behind.  Would she say you were worth it?"

Intrigued, she couldn't help but tease him.  Of course, she could see what other women might find appealing in his earnest expression-- he was certainly attractive enough-- and wouldn't have blamed anyone else for falling for it.  She would pity them a little, though, since she was also guessing he was pulling a long string of hearts behind him.

That being the case, plus the fact that he'd just basically abducted her and interrupted her morning tasks, Ember didn't feel too much remorse at making him sweat for an extra couple of moments.  When he nervously glanced around again, she shook her head and stepped a bit closer.  "I guess we'll just have to find out," she murmured, eyes twinkling.  Leaning in further, as if she was stepping forward to kiss him, she added in a low tone, "Don't forget-- this was your idea."

And with that she screwed up her expression into one of angry hurt, hauled back and slapped him.  She'd not put all her power behind it, but it had to look convincing, right?  Plus, she figured he deserved it for all the hearts he'd probablly broken.  "How could you?!  You told me you weren't going to see her ever again!  But you were with her all night, weren't you?" The note in her voice was just on the verge of hysterical, a sob, as if she were truly upset.  "You promised me!"

As the Trader was finishing straightening his attire, Jungi kept looking up at her, a little curious about that whole mischievous twinkle in the woman's eye. He even smirked, finding himself amused -if not a little frightened of what sudden plan she might have come up with.

"Let me guess, you left her behind. Would she say you were worth it?"

Was he worth it? Jungi's expression showed a bit quizically. Something like that didn't matter. He should be asking if the girl had been worth the trouble of having to manage escaping a man that appeared to be willing to rip his head off over a measley short-lived affair. The man was totally over reacting. Anyway...he didn't have to answer that question.

Looking back in the direction from where they'd come, he didn't take the time to. Instead, Ember was leaning in toward him. And as she did, pinning him with that wild, rogueish stare all her own, he found himself leaning back from her in a somewhat commical manner, 'afraid' of the anticipation he saw in her.

The slap hit him harder than he'd have liked to admit. Jungi was almost glad though, just for dramatic effect. Surely someone had heard or seen it. Letting the force of it turn him aside, he stumbled, doing well to act completely horrified at the results of her well-played wrath. Her expression seemed genuine and it made it all the easier for him to play along.

Fumbling, foot over foot before he skidded to the ground, Jung was scrambling like a startled buck to get back to his feet, stuttering over the accusation.

Moving back to Ember's side, he touched her arm with gentle effect, looking side to side, both for the men who'd been chasing after him, as well as to 'nervously' see if anyone had witnessed their little tiff. "No, no, you don't understand."

As Ember appeared about to cry, obviously VERY upset, he could feel the snide comments and glances being thrown their way by bystandars. "I-I-It was just goodbyes. It wasn't anything. Y-you believe me,..don't you?!" His voice was pleading, and he reached to take both of her arms in his hands so that they faced eachother.

"Don't let it end like this. I promise I've changed. Just...Just let me prove it to you, baby. I really do love you." Probably just for the sake of provoking her further (for more dramatic effect), he leaned in and kissed Ember on the lips. And not a quick kiss. He kissed her fervidly.




[rofl. omg this scene is almost too much hahahaha. love it. What if Bladen happened to show up!? rofl. then he'd be running from Bladen! hahahha omg he'd die.. Kaaate. Kate, we need you!]

Night watch would have been preferable to being up at the inhumane time he had to be up in the morning. It was still dark when he had to be out on patrol to relieve the night watch. Fort Sea Hold, he had come to realize, was much more riddled with crime than he would have assumed upon arriving. There were thieves and spies all over the place. Smugglers made it easy to move stolen goods out of the Guard’s reach.  Everything that should not be a secret was and those things that could probably be kept to oneself were made readily available to hear. So it was no surprise, at all that when a couple of candlemarks had passed and the majority of Fort Sea Hold was awake, that there would be a ruckus coming from the same direction as the docks.

He didn’t run, it wasn’t late enough in the day for running, nor would he have much need to run. Bladen figured there were citizens trying to stop whomever had stolen what.  He sighed. Bladen was used to dealing with bigger things. His family had protected Lord Holders for generations and now he was relegated to patrolling a sea-hold. He wasn’t arrogant enough to think he was better skilled than the men who currently held those positions but he certainly had not been expecting to be the least accomplished of his family. The fact that Lancelle and S’dric were riders and he had lost two good friends was not easy either.

Today his mind seemed determined to focus on family and home. He missed his home and he missed feeling welcome. He was certainly not welcome here at the Sea-Hold. The people here regarded the Guard with a kind of fear that made him think that no one here had nothing to hide. Everyone was guilty of something. He didn’t like to think things like that, he wanted to believe people were innately good. Seeing a crowd gathering near the market, he walked that way. He heard the raised voice of Emberlynn and forced his way to the front, which wasn’t hard with such broad shoulders to push people out of the way when they wouldn’t willingly move.

Watching the scene, not nearly as captivated as the rest of them as he was more concerned about why there were men running towards them now… what was Ember caught up in now? Bladen crossed his arms, watching the argument. The people around him started to move away when they realized he had a blade sitting at his side. As more and more of them realized he was a Guard they started to move away quietly.

When Jungi kissed Emberlynn, he forced himself to watch, unmoving. Bladen had no claim on her but he could not deny he was extremely jealous. He would be better not to get involved then. He might not treat the other man as fairly as he deserved. Then again, he knew himself better. He would never betray his morals because of a woman. No matter how beautiful and kind.  
Walking over to them as the kiss had continued past a moment, he reached for the man’s arm. “What goes on here?”

"Don't understand?" Ember tried to interrupt.  "What's there to understand?  You went to her!"  Her voice was a bit wobbly, as if she were actually about to cry.  She turned away as if brushing off his hands, lifting her own hands to her face even as he tried to draw her closer.

"No you don't!" she cried when he claimed to love her.  But she let him pull her hands away.  And then was a bit surprised when he kissed her.  Considering he'd told her to hit him, though, she shouldn't have been.  And if she'd pegged him right from the beginning, a total playboy would do exactly as he'd done now if he was really trying to convince a girl to stay with him.

Since she was supposed to be the one he'd left behind, she couldn't pretend to give in so easily, right?  So she pushed at him.  "No!  Don't kiss me when you just came from her bed!"  But of course, determined as he was, he just kissed her again.

Not that he was a bad kisser.  In fact, given other circumstances, she might have allowed herself to enjoy it.  But she was supposed to be the girl he'd just cheated on, so to do so would go against her character.  And Emberlynn had always been good at keeping herself in character.

Plus, a somewhat familiar voice was interrupting from somewhere beside them.

Pushing Jungi away again in a show for the onlookers, the barmaid nodded towards him and told Bladen, "Short version?  He just kidnapped me."  Her tone was even and fairly reasonable, as if she were just discussing the weather.  Not at all as hysterical as she'd sounded a moment before.

Being shoved back from her, Jungi fumbled on his feet until the voice of authority seemed to bring him back to some other reality. At first he believed it to be the men who'd been tailing him.

Eyes wide, half suspecting one of the brutes to come at him, his body tensed a little in preparation to move quickly. But his pursuers from earlier did not make themselves known. Rather, as he glanced toward the voice, it seemed to be a Guard; at least by the look of the uniform.

Shock painted upon his expression again as the woman tried to sell him out.

What? Kidnapped?

Astonishment was vocalized with an almost drunken stammer, "Kidnapped?!" Glancing back and forth between the two, he seemed frantic to beg again for her favour, even though Ember had just had her fun slapping him around pretty good. She had quite a strong arm on her for a lady. He'd have to remember that for the future -just in case.

But for now, he was left to the helpless pleading of a man who'd just been dumped by his lover. Well.. sort of. He played the game a little differently than others.

"Kidnapped? Oh, I assure you, she was acting in cooperation... that makes her an accomplice, not a victim. She enjoyed it as much as I did." Not sure those words would help their situation, Jungi shot a weak glare back at her, seeming rather suspicious of them both right at the moment. Though, he never really worried about odd situations like this -he was too accustomed to them cropping up on him. It just made life more interesting. And honestly, he wasn't really worried about getting himself arrested either; though he'd rather avoid it altogether.

Her answer was short and to the point, which was actually preferred given the situation. "You are saying he kidnapped you and..." Although he was inclined to believe her just because he knew her, he had no qualms hearing the other person's story. "you are saying you were getting along and cooperating. A lover's tiff then?" He repeated to get both stories straight, if he was amused or upset or even concerned, he didn't let it show on his face. It was odd though because he did keep an eye on Ember and he had yet to meet this fellow or even see him.

"Emberlynn, may I speak with you privately for a moment?" He meant only in regards to what was happening right now. If he had anything to say regarding his feelings for her it would be done when he wasn't working. He half wondered if despite his attempt to be cool and collected, she might still notice that he was jealous.

"Would you like to issue a complaint against this man?" He asked quietly,  calmly. He'd like to issue a complaint. "If not, then you are both free to go. I'll do what I can about the crowd."

Although he was perfectly capable of handling this situation, he secretly wished he hadn't been the one to find Emberlynn in one like this. He had made no secret to her the way he felt and no doubt that would make things a little awkward right now, even if he was acting as professionally as possible.

Ember eyed Jungi with a raised eyebrow, deliberately teasing him since she was sure he could take it.  In fact, he'd probably dished it out often enough himself.  "And you believe every time a woman seems to be enjoying your kisses that she's telling the truth?"

Since it was Bladen that had found them, and from Jungi's reaction the guardsman wasn't who he was running from, she didn't feel so bad about throwing him to the hounds.  Especially since he was dragging her after him.  Not the most chivalrous of moves, which she was sure Bladen would catch on to.

And indeed the Guardsman didn't disappoint.  Still true to what she knew of his character, he kept things fair by listening to both of them.  But in the end, whether it was because he knew her, or because she was female, he seemed more inclined to believe her over Jungi.

Stepping to the side with Bladen and ignoring any protests the other man may have made, Ember considered his question for a moment.  "I suppose I have no real complaint.  Unless you count the part where he nearly ran me over in the street.  But that's hardly a crime, and no harm was done."  It certainly wasn't anywhere near consorting with possible smugglers.  "I'm not sure he'd appreciate you getting rid of the crowd, though.  He was pretty desperate to gather the group in the first place, in order to hide from someone."  Angling herself closer, as if her next words were a secret, she added, "I suspect the husband of the woman he was last sleeping with.  Given the fact he's been running with his shoes in his hand instead of on his feet…"

Then, leaning back and eyeing the two of them as if she had sudden inspiration, she grinned slyly at Bladen.  "Although, I'm sure arresting him in public would have the same effect as my slapping him did."  Her voice was pitched just loud enough that Jungi could probably hear, just because she felt it only fair to pay him back for however many hearts he'd managed to dangle along on strings.

Whether she enjoyed it or not, she had still cooperated with him in all of this; well, in the running away part. But that was beside the point now. Jungi eyed the two, Bladen and Ember, a bit warily as they talked secretively, wondering just what discussion passed bewteen them. In the mean time though, besides straining to overhear, he'd also gone back to fixing his appearance.

Smoothing out the creases in his shirt and properly folding down the collar of it about his neck, Jungi turned his attention briefly back down the alley way. Just about that time, the three men who'd been following him came in a rush around the corner. But of course, all they'd taken time to notice just yet was that the Trader was present; they hadn't noticed one of the Hold Guard nearby, quite yet.

Feet picking up again, Jungi ran by Bladen and Ember. "Sorry to leave you, my dear, but maybe you were right. Our relationship would never have lasted." Pushing his way through the crowd, there were shouts behind him and infront of him from pursuers and onlookers alike. And putting Bladen between he and the other men, he disappeared into the small throng of people, breaking into a sprint on the other side.

Normally Bladen would have believed neither of them because given the situation there was some compliance from her at some point. Whether she knew how far the man would take it was the real question but as she said, no one was harmed. At least not yet. From what he heard of the men here, they were rather protective of their wives considering sea-farers and Traders came through with regularity and regularly tried to seduce bored wives. Although in his mind, that was as much the wife’s fault as the man who was seducing her. Not to say the husband couldn’t also partially be at fault too.

And on that same train of thought, hadn’t this Trader fellow done enough damage. It probably was not in his best interest to flirt and carry on with Ember in front of him. It seemed though that there was shouting coming from the back of the gathered crowd. He didn’t realize what was happening before they came running.

He didn’t really have time to react to Jungi before the men nearly ran Ember over. He took her waist in his hands and promptly lifted the beautiful woman and swung her out of the way as gently as he could manage. There was the faintest blush on his cheeks, “I apologize for my forwardness, my lady.” He then realized he hadn’t removed his hands from her waist and instantly removed them.

She might not care that he had done so but he might be the slightest bit mortified at his boldness. Bladen was protecting her though, surely she would forgive the transgression of coming into her space and forgetting he was holding on to her waist would certainly be forgiven. Wouldn’t it? The other man had kissed her without much concern on her end, or at least she had not seemed to dislike it.

No but she’d already turned him down so he needed to be more careful about how he interacted with her. For his own good if not hers. Anyway, he didn’t stay put long enough to enquire after her health. He took off after the men who were after Jungi. Vigilante justice was not permitted here. He would bring those men in if he could catch them for endangering other citizens as well as intent to harm another person. He was a much faster runner than one might think, judging by his muscular torso but he was perfectly conditioned to run long distances. Last time he had been distracted this time he wouldn’t be and he would catch these men and bring them to justice.

Emberlynn watched Jungi disappear for a moment before quickly swiveling to see what it was that had sent him running again.  His last words were simply a teasing parting shot, nothing more, she knew, though she wasn't sure what Bladen would make of them.  Not that there was any reason to worry, and she was certainly not going to do so.  Such things happened at the Wild Green-- maybe not with any real frequency, but it wasn't the first time a man had used her as a smokescreen.  He was perhaps the first to take it quite so far, but then again, she wasn't at the tavern, where her well-being was looked after by big burly men ready to remove a patron who'd became overly amorous.

No, instead, she was on a public road, where anything could happen.  And a single Guardsman had come to defend her honor.

Whether he'd been on patrol duty or not might be the question at hand-- she was hazarding a guess he had been, because it was either that, or he was following her around and she hadn't quite read 'stalker' in him.  And that being the case, it didn't necessarily mean it was her specifically that he was rescuing, but simply a girl who appeared to be in distress.

Or so Ember told herself, because she wasn't going to read further into it-- there was no point, as she'd already turned him down, and had completely valid reasons for doing so.  So he was simply here doing his job.  Even if she had faintly noticed his irritation at the situation, as well as just how long it took him to let her go when he swung her around out of the way of the men chasing Jungi.

"No apologies needed," she told him, though she wasn't at all sure if he heard her as he rushed off.

Watching his figure disappear into the same crowd that had swallowed Jungi, the young barmaid shook her head in faint amusement at the thought that she'd just been thrown over twice in a short span of time.  Bladen was definitely on guard duty, she decided then.  Because she had the feeling he wouldn't have cared what happened to Jungi if he hadn't been-- he'd likely have left the other man to fend for himself if duty hadn't called.

But such was the life of a Guardsman, and of this one in particular.

And she couldn't deny she was interested to see if he had anything to say about it later.

Taking off from the other side of the small crowd, Jungi was disappointed that the diversion hadn't really worked out well as planned, but at least the small crowd drawn was enough to slow the men on his tail.

Jungi knew that these boys had something to do with one of the smuggling groups in Fort; and they weren't exactly your low ranking lackeys, so it had been worth the effort sticking it out to gain a little insight from them. Still, it'd taken far too much effort on his part. Rihan was really going to owe him one, after this. But, he could consider what his pay back would be at a later time; for now, he'd need to dispense of his pursuers completely.

Looking back behind him, the trader could barely see that the Guardsman who'd been questioning him earlier was now hot on their trail, likely giving chase to the men after him. At least he could hope. Or... in the worst case scenario, the Guard had assumed that with other men chasing him, perhaps they'd been earlier victims of his, now out to seek their own justice. Either way, at least they were all spread out now. It was fortunate that the crowd had hindered them being able to pass through the cross roads as a group. That would make it easier for him to pick them off in one on one confrontations if he wasn't able to lose them otherwise.


The Trader rounded the corner into another alley, knowing that whoever was closest on his trail would be following shortly after. Looking ahead of him now, Jungi thought he saw a possible escape route through the back entrance of a building, so he scaled the short platform that, on one side, had stairs leading up a short flight, a railing curving around the side of it and down the steps. Jumping the banister there, he tried the handle of the door and finding it unlocked, went in, quietly closing the door behind.

It was almost a sure thing that his pursuers would guess he'd gone into one of the back doors to get away -or at least out of sight- because there was only one other crossroad up ahead he'd have been able to take; but it was unlikely he'd have made it that far before at least one of them approached from behind and seen him. Thus... anticipating further pursuit, Jungi turned from the door to head through to the front side of the building so he could escape back out onto the frontal roads and disappear for good, this time. Hopefully.

Turning away from the door however, Jungi realized that there was no through-route getting into the building and out the other side. Confronted with pitch blackness, as he felt around, he realized he was in a store-room of some sort. A store room with funny stairs and in a place like this with no access to the main building without going around the other side? Who built a store room like this? Seriously.

With an exasperated growl, Jungi rolled his eyes in disbelief, and just to be sure, fumbled around in the dark a moment longer to try and find some other way out. That was, until he heard voices from outside getting closer. And then one voice stopped right in front of his hidey hole. That was when he knew he'd been found out.

Moving back to the door Jungi hid just inside, against the wall, waiting to see that first crack of light. As soon as the door opened, admitting one of his pursuers, Jungi landed a solid kick into the man's gut, sending him into a backward stumble until he hit the guard rail. But, figuring that this might just be his only chance to take the man out of their little game of tag, the Trader pressed him with another attack.

Throwing another couple of punches and another kick while the man was in an indefensible state, Jungi threw him down the short flight of steps. Seeing that the man remain there, prone and groaning in his unexpectedly worse-off condition, Jungi leaped back over the railing, landing on his feet so that he could take off at a run again. But only after glancing back the way he'd come one more time, to see if anyone else had rounded the corner.



[Aaannnnd Kate can be the judge of that. I'll stop him there so Kate can fill those details. Hehehe]

Bladen did hear what Ember said but he was in too much of a hurry to acknowledge her words. Later, perhaps she would tell him what was going on. Then again, she didn’t owe him anything so she did not have to tell him anything. No, Bladen would try not to interfere where he wasn’t wanted, at least for a little while. The man who had been messing around with Ember was a fast runner.

The Guardsman was however in hot pursuit. The men chasing Jungi were never lost to his eyes until they rounded the corner into the alley. Before he could do or say anything to the men they were incapacitated and it looked like the man they were pursuing would have no qualms doing the same to the next person who confronted them.

“I see that you can handle yourself. Be careful who you make your enemies Trader.” Bladen said as he moved to the side so as not to block the route should Jungi wish to leave from that direction. “It is probably a good idea if you get out of Fort Sea Hold as soon as you are able. These men might not have valid claims against you but they will fabricate some and you will then be placed in a holding cell until the Captain lays judgment upon you.”

“Unfortunately it is my job to do what is right by law and so I must take these men in for questioning.” He paused. “You are free to go as you’ve done nothing unlawful.”

Before Bladen rounded the corner after the rest of them, Jungi knocked another guy to the ground, leaving the man groaning, but not quite willing to get back on his feet right away. But that seemed to be the last of his pursuers.

Hearing Bladen approach, Jungi shot a glance in the Guard's direction to make sure it wasn't someone else out to get him. His posture relaxed though, upon recognition, after which he looked back down to the ground breifly, where the other men lay prone.

Indeed, Jungi had fled from the 'scene of the crime' to escape the retribution he probably deserved, thus it appeared as though the Trader was trying to also avoid fighting. It was self defense if the others caught up to him. So, he wasn't really worried on that account.

As for the Guardsman's concern on his account, there was no need to tell Bladen that he already knew what kind of men he'd made enemies of; his process was rather selective. He also couldn't tell Bladen that he was employed by a Holder of Telgar, lest there be some undue suspicions as a result. Likewise, Jungi didn't want to get himself tied up in a detention cell over something silly like this. There were other more important things to be worrying about than getting himself out of that kind of a tiresome mess.

So, squaring himself up to Bladen, he smiled in an amicable way, nodding his appreciation, "Sorry for the trouble this has caused. I do appreciate your help. You're probably right though, that I should make my way from here. I'm on a tight schedule anyway. I'll leave these men to you."

Though he wasn't certain if perhaps the Guard might need assistance, since there were three men and only one of Bladen, he figured the Guard would either ask his own assistance or have a way of calling for help from other nearby Guards if he should need it. But,... those things said, Jungi offered another nod indicating that he would excuse himself first if he wasn't needed.