Parvil, Aspen, Kanin: A Chat

The two groups stood opposite of each other, both with an amount of distance they felt was enough to keep some form of upper hand against the other, while maintaining the illusion they were holding a tenuous disadvantage should the other make a move. Though neither party seemed particularly willing to have a fight. Aside from maybe the shorter elven woman with the satin blonde hair. She seemed more on edge than the other two. Kanin stood muscles between relax and spring ready, taking in the three before him. Still odd. In all his years elves traveling together wasn’t anything near an oddity but the mix of elves was odd. Not many half gnomish elves around, especially with what looked to be at least half the elven side being frost elf. The taller female was harder to place her lineage, pure elf for sure, but not sure what kind. Maybe frost as well. But the man, he was tall for an elf, and not of a kind he’d ever seen. Not that he knew of, maybe something a long long time ago, but if he was something that strange he’d be old, maybe almost as old as Kanin himself, but the tall elf man didn’t carry himself with that kind of weight. Kanin watched the tall elf man seem distracted for a moment before he shook his head and spoke.

“Where to start…” he said trailing off. “I’m Parvil, that’s Aspen, that’s Yefka.” he said, clearly. “I won’t sugar coat it because it’ll get us nowhere and be a pointless waste of time. We are on the hunt for a killer. Killed several and I’m underselling it, retainers for a Duke, or something I forget, big shot.” Parvil shrugged. “Also suspect number one in the killing of a different Duke and Dutchess and the kidnapping of their child. And again, no sugar, you meet the description.” Parvil’s hands shot up in a disarming motion, one of placation to let him finish. “However…” he went on, “You don’t seem the type to know a fight and how to finish it, especially if someone is making a run at you, you don’t strike me as a cold blooded killer.”

“What gives you that impression?” Kanin said.

“For starters.” Parvil motioned to Anika. “She had the opportunity to run from you to us for protection. If you'd killed her parents she’d have taken the risk to run.” he said.

“And she didn’t.” Aspen said, “Which could mean it could be kidnapper syndrome, but that doesn’t seem likely.”

“You are very trusting of someone who looks like me.” Kanin said, not motioning to but clearly meaning all his scars.

“Seen worse dealt with worse.” Parvil said matter of fact.

“You’ve seen the carnage I’ve left behind, you know what I could do to you.” Kanin said just as matter of fact as Parvil.

“See you could. No doubt about that I’m sure you could send my head flying if you wanted. But I don’t think you want to. I can tell you are tired. I’m tired. I don’t want a fight and I don’t think you do either.” Parvil said. “So just tell us what happened, and how little Anika ended up in your care and we’ll help you get out from under this situation.”

Kanin started from what was for him the beginning of this whole affair. Starting with being in the city when the nine hells broke loose and it was chaos, hearing the small screams choked by smoke, the men chasing her, Kanin didn’t shy away from telling the details of how he dispatched them, saving the girl, attempting to take her to the uncle and him being the one that started all this. But without solid proof neither Aspen or Parvil could do anything about it right now. The girl was safe; they'd figure out the next steps if this rabbitman’s story held water.

Aspen let out a breath. “That’s a lot to take in all at once.”

Sheepishly, Anika spoked up. “I didn’t see the man’s face but I know what he used to kill my parents.”

Parvil knelt down to her level. “What did it look like?”

“It was like a big, big,” she repeated for emphasis, “hammer thingy, but it had like a bowl on the end with nubby bits.” she said.

“Nubby bits?” Aspen asked.

Anika nodded. “Like spikeless spikes.” she said, “Just like long round things.” she knelt down and stuck her finger on the dirt and started to draw the strange warhammer. Just as she described it. A brutal looking thing.

“No wonder the bodies looked like that…” Parvil thought. “Was the man big or small?” Parvil asked.

“Giant.” Anika said. “At least to me.”

“Do you remember anything about him? I know you didn’t see his face but anything is helpful.” Aspen said.

“Greyish skin. Like a rock.” She explained.

“Hill Giant.” Aspen and Parvil said in unison. “A lead at least.”

“I didn’t see a Hill Giant when I rescued Anika, so he must have just been the one to do that job…” Kanin said.

“More and more complicated.” Parvil mumbled. “If all you say is true…”

“We’ll try to help.” Aspen finished. “But we’ll need more information, and we won’t expect you to trust us blindly. We'll tell you what we are allowed to share. Some information is confidential and something we can’t avoid. We aren’t ‘forced’ strictly to keep the secret but its a danger for us to break the vow. I hope you can understand.”

“Then I expect the same courtesy,” Kanin said. “I can promise I will not willingly or knowingly lie.” he said.

“That’s the most we can ask.” Aspen said.
Parvil looked around, then up to the sky. Checking the position of the sun, seeing it was creeping its way across the sky and much farther to setting than he’d planned for today. “Not to make a big deal of this situation but I’ve done about twice as much fighting today as I normally do, and as yourself and Anika saw my magic has a strange effect on people, myself included. I’m rather tired so… could me take the rest of this conversation to civilization were we could discuss all this over a warm meal in a warm inn?”

“Oh! Oh! And dessert!” Anika said.

“Yeah sure…dessert.” Kanin said.

Aspen smiled slightly at how the rabbit man Kanin, seemed to be determined to keep a distance from the child but obviously cared a lot about her.

Parvil clapped his hands once. “I’ll trust you to walk at the distance you want, and won’t force you to take the lead," he said, and started walking. Aspen and Yefka falling in formation. The five of them walking towards the setting sun.