“”
30 Ymiden 719
Before he could even finish his stretch the knocking began again and Balthazar slowly walked to his door to answer it. Before his hand touched the doorknob, the knocking began again but this time Balthazar opened the door before the final knock and found a short, stout man with thinning hair and a thick beard standing there holding up his fist with fearful intent to knock again. Balthazar recognized the man from the Inn near Spear gate where he had put up some of the flyers with directions to his house. Balthazar had decided that it was time to lean back into his public works in order to improve his skills. Going out into Fool's Run and the Crags had become a pointless trip ever since he lost his magic. Everything felt pointless.
Thirty trials had passed and he had at most discovered a method of flaying fire to fuel his magic but he didn't want to use it. He feared the thirst more than most and so he'd been restricted to his body and what he could do with it. He had put up the flyer in the inn last season and the flyer hadn't been taken down since. Ironic it would only drum up business for him now that he was ill equip to handle it.
"My name is Gebb, we met-" The short man began to explain as he folded his hands behind his back. He stood with his chest puffed out a little like any true Yari would have when they came to ask for help. Balthazar could tell from the movement of the man's arms that he was wringing his hands behind his back. He was nervous.
"That was last season. Why are you here?" Balthazar asked but he already knew the answer. Gebb had a problem he needed solved.
"My brother, Jeeb, has gone missing. You're flyer said that-"
"That I have a wide range of skills and can help with any number of problems. I know, I wrote the flyer." Balthazar countered before he could have more of his writing quoted to him by another customer. Any other day he may have been more polite about this exchange but today Balthazar didn't want to get up and do anything. Today he just wanted to rest and his rest was being interrupted by a small man with a personal problem. Just as the thought crossed Balthazar's mind he felt guilty for it. He had power and so it was his responsibility to help those that he could.
Well he had had power. Now he was just a man who was quick with his fists and surprisingly clever... maybe that would be enough to help Gebb. And if it was enough to help Gebb then maybe Balthazar could keep making a living off of this. Balthazar pulled his boots on and began slowly tying them while Gebb lingered awkwardly in the doorway.
Gebb puffed his chest out again. "Well can you find him?"
"I can look for him." Balthazar said quickly as he finished tying his boots and stood up. He lifted his arms and twisted his torso a few times to pop his back and then he walked out the door into the city. Balthazar shut his door and turned to Gebb. "Where was your brother staying?"
"He had a house near the Gold Gate but I already went by and knocked- he didn't answer."
"That's because typically dead and missing men don't answer doors." Balthazar replied dryly as he motioned for Gebb to lead him to the house. Gebb stood reluctantly for a moment because he didn't like being talked down to and Balthazar realized that. "I apologize. It has been a stressful in the city with Emea closed off." Balthazar held up his hands in surrender and Gebb seemed to loosen a little.
"I hear ya. I can't go a night in a bar without some mage challenging someone so that they can flay them. This city isn't safe anymore. Not that it eer really was safe to the scrawny. You know, when I first moved here you couldn't-" Gebb began a rant that would continue for the entire walk to Jeeb's home near the Gold Gate. A long rant about how times had changed in Yaralon and how things had become more dangerous ever since mages learned to flay life force from individuals. Then the conversation turned towards the horrors in Etzos but by then Balthazar was only really listening for anything so outlandish he would have to reply. Gebb just wanted to talk and Balthazar could facilitate that.
When they arrived at Jeeb's house Gebb seemed to run out of things to say. Balthazar walked up to the door of the moderately sized, stone building with a wooden door and a boarded up window on each side. Balthazar pulled on the door but it didn't budge so he turned to Gebb. "Stay out here and make sure that nobody comes out except me." said Balthazar. What Balthazar meant was "stay here so that you don't get in my way" but he figured that would be too rude so he opted for what he said instead.
Balthazar took a step back and sized up the door for a moment before driving his heel into the door right beside the knob. The door shook and the wall cracked a little but the door did not open so Balthazar did it again. This time when he kicked it, the door caved inward allowing the ether-less mage to enter. Balthazar gave the house a quick once over to make sure it was empty and then he honed in on what appeared (based on the presence of his bed and nightstand) to be Jeeb's sleeping space. Balthazar stepped over to Jeeb's nightstand and rummaged through the drawers. He didn't find anything of note except a reminder to pick up some merigolds from the Temple of Raskalarn before mid day.
Balthazar walked back to the entrance and called out to Gebb. "Any chance your brother is at the Temple of Raskalarn picking flowers?" he asked as he held out the note. Gebb took it in hand and gave it a quick read.
"He's been gone for a whole trial. I doubt-"
"It was a joke, Gebb. I know he isn't there. Doesn't it seem odd that he'd go to the Temple of Raskalarn and not... I don't know... the Temple of Aeva for flowers?"
"Maybe a little but what's it matter where a man gets his flowers from?"
"It matters quite a bit when that man has gone missing."
"Missing?"
"Did you hear that?" Balthazar asked as turned to the house and gestured for Gebb to follow him in. He listened carefully but he couldn't hear the voice anymore.
"Oi' who is it! Who's there?" Gebb shouted as he picked up one of the chairs in the house and lifted it above his head, ready to swat whoever was in the house following them.
"Put the chair down!" Balthazar barked and Gebb reluctantly obeyed him. "You can come out, we won't hurt you." Balthazar said into the air because he didn't know who he was addressing. Silence hung in the air for a few trills before the soft voice squeaked back.
"I can't."
Balthazar smiled because at least now he knew he really had heard something. "I promise we won't-"
"No I really can't! Jeeb moved his bed over the door to hide me and now I can't get out!" The voice cried out. Balthazar quickly crossed over to Jeeb's bed and began trying to push it but Gebb took a few more seconds to register what was going on before he helped Balthazar push the bed off the trap door. Removing the bed revealed a small handle sticking out of the floor. Balthazar reached down and pulled on the handle, opening a secret door and revealing a staircase down into the basement of the home where a young woman with curly red hair and a friendly face was standing.
Balthazar took a step back in surprise and gestured to Gebb, then to himself. "He is Gebb, I am Balthazar. You are?"
"Merigold."
