#thiggins

This got axed due to rearranging the order of events, but it was a fun look at the city.

The minis I made for our DnD campaign, yahooo!

Once again tagged by @muddshadow (thank you!!!!) for one of these! So first I’m going to reverse tag @muddshadow, tag @amayalbooks, @pinespittinink, @sentfromwolves, @kashacreates, and anyone else who likes doing these!

Your words are:

All of these snippets are from SIEGE OF BERTHINGTONN (Book 2) which desires to be rewritten even though I’m in the middle of drafting RELIC OF THE GODS. Thanks. Hopefully this will abate some of the desire to jump ship and work on something else!

YET

Riela noticed, then, that Mama wasn’t back at the bar yet. She did a quick glance around the room and decided that her orders could wait a minute. She went into the kitchen and started for the side door.

Then she heard the gunshot. It had come from the direction of the garden.

She slammed her tray down by the sink and ran out the side door. She heard footsteps behind her and figured Paul or Adrian must be following her.

The sight in the garden next to the peach tree was something Riela struggled to piece together. Mama stood there, holding one of those sword-guns, the shaft of the walking stick lay discarded next to her. Three figures lay motionless on the ground. The one directly in front of Mama was the one who’d been shot. Of the other two, one’s throat had been slit and the other one was missing an eyeball.

Mama slowly lowered the sword and Riela disjointedly realized the handle was the same as the one from her walking stick. Of course.

“Riela,” Mama said, not looking at her. “Would you be a dear and help me dump these… no wait, that’s bad. Can you go summon the guards from their game of cups? Or are they playing bones now?”

EVER

“Honestly,” Janna said. “I want a big wedding here.” She paused, swallowed. “But…” she drew the word out. “I’m not sure I want to wait around and plan with all the unrest we’ve had on the streets. I walk to and from this place every day and the stories of random knifings and men getting brainwashed by those… those women…”

She sighed and Adrian rubbed at her shoulders in a comforting gesture. “This isn’t home right now,” she continued. “And unless inner-town decides to do something to help, it’s not gonna be home ever again.”

Mama heaved a sigh. “I understand you completely,” she said, her voice soft. “So are you staying or are you eloping?”

“I think we’re eloping,” Adrian said.

Mama reached into her pocket and pulled out a large sack of coins. She thumped it on the bar so quickly, Janna jumped a few inches.

“My wedding present to the two of you,” Mama said. “Get yourselves outta here before you change your minds.”

SMOOTH

“Last guard,” Killian shouted. “Where’s the fucking Priestess?”

The Priestess stiffened and turned her attention away from Rinnie. She locked eyes with Killian. Her eyes narrowed in concentration and she formed her left hand into a fist, starting to gather ice into it. Rinnie didn’t want to see that spell come to fruition. She focused her energy and adrenaline into a ball of kinetic force. She threw it at the Priestess.

Without breaking her concentration on the spell against Killian, the Priestess put up a shimmering shield to deflect the kinetimancy. The force hit a nearby table instead, upending it and all of its contents.

The Priestess finished loading ice into her hand. She threw it in Killian’s direction. Rinnie looked at him in horror, having to peer through table and chair legs to see properly. She watched in awe as he turned ever-so-slightly at the exact second the ice would have collided with his face. The motion was so smooth and subtle, he was able to connect it with a punch to a tall fisherman’s solar plexus. Rinnie thought she might’ve seen him smirk.

The ice flew past him and nailed one of the dinner plates hanging on the wall. It shattered and fell to the floor in shards, while an eight-inch dagger of ice remained lodged in the wood.

Rinnie turned back to the Priestess. Riela had fled the area and Rinnie couldn’t say she blamed her.

KNOW

Mica got up, like she usually did, to go get herself a glass of wine or mead. As she crossed the threshold of the library, Rinnie sat bolt upright, energy gathering at her fingertips. Mica froze, wide-eyed.

Killian reached over and put a hand over Rinnie’s. She released the power and quieted, belatedly processing no danger. Her breathing still came labored.

“Relax, Rin,” he told her. “Mica’s just going to get a nightcap. Perhaps you shouldn’t ward the whole library?”

Rinnie frowned at him and took two long breaths out of her nose.

“How’d you know there was a ward?” she asked him.

“Felt it,” he said with a shrug.

“Sloppy,” she muttered to herself.

“Am I good to go downstairs for a bit?” Mica asked.

Rinnie nodded and Killian laughed.

“Maybe get Rin some of what you’re having,” he told her.

“Sure!”

CALL

They went right in at Thiggins’ place. A little bell above the door rang as they entered. Dr. Thiggins came bustling out to the front shortly after. Relief crossed his face as he saw them and Rinnie wondered if he ever slept either.

“Ms. Edgewing,” he said.

“Please,” Rinnie insisted. “Call me Rinnie.”

He nodded. “The man we patched up, Lukas…”

“He’s actually why I’m here,” Rinnie said. “What about him?”

“He’s having all the symptoms of withdrawal, but I can’t pin down exactly what he’s having withdrawals from. I’m wondering if it’s not exactly physical in nature.”

Doctor Thiggins greeted them inside. Rinnie relaxed upon seeing the man. She was honestly grateful to see him alive, even with others specifically mentioning him earlier. It was still good to see for herself. She was feeling almost hopeful about the day, despite the dreariness.

“Ms. Ed…Rinnie,” Doctor Thiggins said with a  smile. “It’s good to have you here.”

Rinnie adjusted the strap of the Kretchma to make it sit more comfortably alongside the Hinkenbauer. “What do you need me to do?”

Before he could answer, a man ran into the room, saluted Doctor Thiggins, and reported: “Sir, Colonel Chambers wishes to speak with you. He’s on the stone.”

“Why didn’t you tell me you were military?” Rinnie asked, a wry smile pulling at the corners of her mouth.

Some cut exposition, where some of the details did transfer to the next draft, but there's a few lines that I want to make sure get back in there for the next round.

🩺Swore the Oath of Mercy 🩺Doesn't let the military or the government dictate his career 🩺Cares about the people 🩺Used to be in the military, so he knows how they work - both the institution and the soldiers 🩺Has a small clinic outside of a hospital 🩺Curious

(Picrews under the cut!)