The two assassins returned in silence. Qumo sighed. Clearly this was another step backwards. If they had had ample of time on their hands he would have locked them up in a room, or better yet: a cell, not letting them out until they had resolved their issues. At least it would spare him some headaches. As an afterthought he realized that it might be a bad idea, they could potentially end up killing each other with how hurt they both were at the moment. Hurt that would probably lead to violence considering their occupation. He wished he could make them see what they had in front of them, but he knew it was useless. They clearly weren't ready. After all, they weren't stupid, they were stubborn.

He knew he should have said something but truth be told: he didn't know what to say. The silence followed them out of the forest and into the village which meant that they entered a potentially hostile zone without anything resembling a plan. There seemed to be people everywhere and they far outnumbered the population he would have expected in a village like this. People looked ragged and worn, as if they were living on the street rather than in the comfort of their homes. Recalling the conversation with the bard he realized that the observation most probably was correct. These were refugees. Hopefully that meant that they were too occupied with their own problems to notice three impostors, but it was more likely that they would be on their guard: watching out for anything out of the ordinary.

He tightened his fists around the reins. His second assessment was right. Prying eyes followed them as they rode, but it shouldn't have come as a surprise: their horses were of a good breed, standing much taller than the ponies they passed.

"We should have left our horses behind." Milo said, obviously seeing the same thing.

"Is that your solution? Getting rid of the horses? I suggest we dress up instead. Posing as mere farmers won't to us any good. We will be less questioned as nobles," Vigilante said, and Qumo couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at her indifferent tone. She sounded like the old Vigilante, the one she had been before she had shed the coarsest parts of her thick skin.

He thought about her suggestion for a while. Posing as nobles wasn't really an option. They didn't know enough of the society to pick a name that would keep them out of trouble. He couldn't agree with her.

"You're not convinced Qumo, then let me demonstrate," she said before he had time to voice his opinion. She halted her horse, then urged it to stomp around, showing its nerve to the staring crowd. Vigilante's expression changed into contempt and superiority in the blink of an eye, and he was taken aback by her skill as an actress.

"What is this? idiots... No welcome? Take me to your sorry excuse for a lord."

Her voice was ice, and her eyes were so menacing that he found himself avoiding them just as the rest of the crowd.

For a while there was silence, complete silence apart from the irritated sounds that slipped from Vigilante's horse. It was as if the horse acted with her, and together they made a very imposing pair. Finally a woman stepped forwards. She placed herself on the ground, on her knees and looked down.

"Please forgive us milady. I will show you to Lord Acklem directly."

She rose and Vigilante waved at her to lead the way, still sneering. Of course the woman had no idea why she needed to excuse the villagers, but that wasn't relevant. The important thing was to appease the woman on the fiery horse.

So much for avoiding attention, Qumo thought. He didn't know what to think, he was afraid that they would get in serious trouble and he wondered if they were ready for it. He turned towards Milo, seeking reassurance or perhaps confirmation. He didn't find it. Instead he saw that the Nyx wore a slightly amused expression, but somehow also sad. He couldn't really read it, but one thing was clear: the Nyx wasn't worried. He guessed he would have to worry alone.

They followed the woman through the dirty streets, and apparently Vigilante's act worked as a treat. No one dared to look at them. It sickened him to see the downcast faces, but just this once he couldn't have been happier. Finally they arrived at a tall gate attached with rusty hinges to a ragged stone wall. They stood there for a while, waiting for someone to open. As the seconds passed the woman looked more and more uncomfortable until she gave up and shouted through the steel bars.

"Visitors to Lord Acklem."

There was a rustling of light armor on the other side, and two guards appeared. They stared at them for a short while, seeing their tattered clothes.

"Begone before we arrest you for stealing horses," one of them said. The woman on the ground whimpered, clearly confused and afraid. The feeling seemed to transfer from the frightened woman to the guards as they met Vigilante's eyes. They bowed immediately, murmuring apologies.

"Excuse us Lady Darra, we did not expect you."

"Clearly!" Vigilante answered haughtily, staring at the guards that now avoided to look at any of them.

As they entered the gate Qumo felt both relieved and uncomfortable. This could turn out so very wrong.

-----

Milo was grateful for the veil that hung over his face. No one would admit a Nyx into their castles without iron shackles around wrists and ankles, yet here he was. The hallway they entered wasn't a very grand one. It wasn't even a very pleasant one. The walls had been white washed at some point, but the color was fading, revealing a dark greyish tone beneath. The walls seemed to shrink in on them as they passed through the narrow corridor and the lack of windows made it dark despite the flickering torches.

He watched Vigilante saunter with ease and purpose before him. He wasn't surprised at how the guards had fallen for her act, if it was an act, he wasn't sure. It was difficult to tell what kind of background she had, but one thing was clear, she knew how to make people grant her whatever she wished for.

As they stepped out in the light again he almost turned around to go back. The scene before him had him tightening his jaw, in fact his entire body tensed. Three young women with collars around their necks sat naked in front of a man who had the cruelest eyes he had ever seen. It got even worse when the man smiled wickedly towards them, showing off a row of blackened teeth.

"What is this Peyton, have you brought me a new toy?" the Lord said while assessing Vigilante's body, obviously directing his question to one of the guards. Milo wanted to punch the man for looking at her like that, but he couldn't, not without putting them all in danger.

The guard had no time to answer before Vigilante stepped forwards. She didn't utter a word as she closed in on Lord Acklem. He grinned beneath his veil when he saw the Lord's expression shifting from surprise to confusion, then to realization and lastly to something unreadable. The man seemed awed and scared at the same time, while trying to hide it behind a mask of humor. Perhaps he was thinking that he could joke it all away.

"You could do with some lessons in mannerism Lord Acklem. And where is your veil, I do not wish to see that face of yours," Vigilante stated with contempt. "...and these women would be of better use as my maids during this stay rather than sitting idle at your feet," she continued. Milo winced, wondering if she'd gone too far, but almost laughed out loud when he saw the man's reaction. Lord Acklem looked ready to soil his pants before he quickly collected himself. The three young women must have sensed his unease because they started to shift around, probably unsure if they were supposed to stay or walk away.

"Go and dress yourselves, then pour me a bath!" Vigilante ordered.

As they stood up it became clear that their collars were connected to thin chains fastened to the Lord's chair. When nothing happened Vigilante sighed dramatically before she signed for him to open them. He stepped forwards and quickly dislodged their terrible necklaces despite the locks, just as Vigilante must have planned. He grinned again, clever girl, he thought. She knew how to show off her power without being too obvious about it. Now the Lord would know not to dismiss her "servants" so easily.

"Must we do everything ourselves?" she asked rhetorically, not inviting the Lord to answer.

As the women scurried away Lord Acklem took the opportunity to let his eyes wander, following their naked bodies hungrily. That short break must have helped him to regain some courage because he looked back at Vigilante with a new purpose.

"May I inquire as to why you are dressed in this fashion Lady Darra?" Lord Acklem said with strained force. Good, Milo thought, he was assuming that she was the same Lady as the soldiers. There must be some kind of resemblance between them.

"You may not Lord Acklem, you only need to know that we were never here. We will leave again as soon as we have arranged proper clothing. I hope that your seamstresses are sufficiently skilled."

"I can assure you that they are," Lord Acklem answered.

"I would have thought otherwise considering the lack of clothing on your maids," she retorted. A slight blush crept up onto the Lord's cheeks, but it seemed to be as much from anger as it was from embarrassment. When he didn't answer she continued once more, "We will dine with you tonight, then we will be on our way. Now would someone escort us out of this wretched room?"

She looked around and pointedly stared at one of the guards, demanding that he would show them. Just as it seemed as if Lord Acklem couldn't get any redder, he opened his mouth to speak, but then the annoyed Lord must have thought better of it as Vigilante stared him down. Milo chuckled silently, clearly this Lady Darra must be someone rather important if she could get away with handing out orders in another's household.

"I am very honored to receive your company," the Lord grumbled, and flicked his hand towards the guard, allowing him to show them their rooms. Milo let out a breath he didn't know that he had held.

As they turned to go, Vigilante's eyes only swept over his, indifferent and cold, and he tensed once more. He didn't think that his heart could take much more. Seeing her behave as though the world was hers to command made him love her even more, however, it was useless, useless agony.