not going to smile today | Glowfic Constellation

Accept our Terms of Service
Our Terms of Service have recently changed! Please read and agree to the Terms of Service and the Privacy Policy

"Salut, do you have anywhere else to stay?"

"Sir?"

"There will be riots tonight. They might target me. I'm not staying here tonight, and I can get myself out of a fight, but I can't easily evacuate you with me. Do you have anywhere else to stay?"

"...I can try?"

"Alright. You're off-duty until tomorrow night. Use the backdoor, and maybe head for the Bell if your first try doesn't work out."

"That was my first thought."

"...It should be fine. I don't think anyone's taken that cannibalism pamphlet seriously. Not enough for a mob, at least."

"I heard about that," she says warily.

"They say lots of crazy things, it wasn't specific enough to start another riot, and it's been days. Tibex would take you in, but that's too close, if the Bell's no good... try the Temple of Abadar, as your backup, the big one where people go to see the Arch-Healer. If the riots are anywhere, she'll be watching it."

"Yes, sir. Thank you." She sets down a rag and heads for the back. Quickly.

"Goddesses and gods guide and protect you," he murmurs, and gets ready to renew his arcane locks.

There is a fountain in the square his temple... well, house, he's covered the holy symbol and stopped having open hours... faces, and a bench, because this was once a nice district and may be so again. And while he can run away, the house can't.

So come sundown, a man in a cloak is sitting across the square at the end of the bench, watching for torches. He has the path to two different alleys to run into scoped out, and also dimension door and fly prepped, a free spell on his bonded ring which could be another or a rope trick, and a scroll of teleport in his inside coat pocket because he has resolved to never be without it until further notice.

He's a coward, but a strategic one. It's not that scary to goad a mob into chasing you, if you can be sure that, before they catch you, you can be on a rooftop in a moment, and they wouldn't be able to guess which one. And he'd really rather this than try to defend his belongings. A mob is like an enraged bull, right?