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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Drusilia Nailo" data-source="post: 741322" data-attributes="member: 2062">Dru walked down the main street of the kesir, watching the sun set over the city.  This was to be the second night of her coming of age party.  Papa had gone on ahead to get things ready, and told her to be at the Unity Courtyard at sunset.   There was to be a feast of some kind, and Dru thought that he may have hired a bard, but she wasn't sure about that.    She was dressed far more casually than she had been last night... Papa had told her that it would be acceptable to wear trousers and a tunic, as long as they were nice.    This meant that she could at least wear her weapons, which was a tremendous relief.She was almost to the courtyard, when she heard a sound in an alleyway.  Freezing, she listened, and then frowned.  Someone was trying very hard to be quiet, and was not succeeding.  She could hear them shifting around, waiting.  Waiting for what?  Her?  She frowned.  Papa would be annoyed with her if she was late for the festivities, but this needed looking into.  Slowly, she pulled out her rapier, wishing that she'd been able to talk Papa into getting it enchanted for her.And as if on cue, a streak of silver that was a throwing knife flew from the alleyway.  Only her quick reflexes saved her, as she ducked low, letting the weapon fly over her head and crash harmlessly into the brick building behind her."Coward!"  She scowled at the alleyway, and decided to charge.  No sense in letting him stay behind cover while she had to dodge his blades, however clumsily they were thrown.   She ran towards the alley, rapier held out in front of her.  "Die, you stupid scum," she growled, before even seeing her opponent.There were two of them, both humans.  One looked surprised and even fearful at her charge, the other only leered.  She took an instant dislike to him and ran her rapier through his midsection.  She felt the blade bite into flesh, and quickly withdrew it, watching him turn into a red fountain.  Surprisingly, the wound wasn't a mortal one.  He snarled in rage and pain, and pulled his own blade on her.  He came in, slashing at her once, then again!  The first one missed, but the second one struck her in the arm.  She felt it spasm, and then go numb, and her rapier fell to the ground with a clatter.The other she could hear sneaking up behind her.  She whirled around, pulling one of her daggers, and used it to parry the blow that he was about to make with his sword.The wounded one slashed wildly at her, missing badly.  His eyes were starting to get cloudy, and she knew that if untreated, he would die.  Good, she thought savagely.  She whirled on him, and ran him through again.  He dropped to the ground, gurgling.  "Nooooo!"  The other  man sounded horrified and turned on Dru.  "You killed my friend, you elven b*tch!"  He stabbed at her with the dagger with such speed that she was unable to react beyond staring at him.  The dagger sank into the flesh right above her right hip, and she was suddenly in terrible pain.Gasping, she took a step towards him, determined that he was not going to win.  He would at least not get to witness her death, if it came.  She stabbed him once, in the stomach.  When he sank to the ground, she yanked her blade out of him, and then slashed his throat.  Looking down at the corpses in disgust, she sighed.  "My clothes are all bloody now," she said, trying to forget about the pain in her side.  She tried to remember Papa's lessons.  Oh yes, always check the bodies.  She bent over the first one, and started going through his cloak.  A vial of something.  Dared she hope?  She pulled it out, and saw that it was the same familiar color as most of the curing potions that she had drunk in the past.  Cautiously, she uncorked it, and sniffed it.  It smelled the same. Hoping fervently that it wasn't poison, she tipped the vial back, and drank it down... and was immediately rewarded by the worst of her wound healing itself.She quickly searched the other bodies, and took their swords and daggers.  Carefully, she stepped out of the alleyway, looking both ways.   And the street came alive.  Doors to darkened shops opened, and elves poured out onto the street.  They were all looking at her, and smiling, and applauding.  And, there was Papa, stepping out of the shadows.  He too was applauding, and walked up to her."Papa, what is going on," she whispered frantically, trying hard not to blush, and wondering if anyone had seen her kill the two men.  He gently turned her so that she could face the crowd.  "Is there any doubt that my daughter is a warrior?"There was faint chuckling all around, and one of Papa's men drug the two bodies out of the alleyway.  The bodies were left sprawled in the center of the street for all to see.At Dru's stunned expression, Papa smiled, and explained.  "I decided that tonight, we would celebrate your warrior prowess, but of course, to do that, you needed to prove that you did indeed possess such prowess.  You just did that."Dru looked back at the bodies, and to Papa again.  "You- how did you know that they were going to attack me?""I hired them to."Dru felt the blood drain from her face.  He hired these men to attack her?  She looked back to the bodies again, and felt like she was going to be sick.  But she started to become aware that the kesir was getting quiet.  Everyone was waiting for her to respond in some way.  She turned to face the crowd once more, and grinned,  causing them to break into applause."Come, let's go to the feast!"  Papa put his arm around Dru's shoulder, looking proud.  Father and daughter led the procession to the courtyard.  Dru looked back at the two bodies, lying forlornly in the street.  She felt sick again, and had no idea of how she was going to be able to eat.</blockquote>

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