[WFRP2e] The Power of One - Part 2 - "Transire Benefaciendo"

[BananaPhone]

Taalia Giovanni

Perhaps Taalia was imbibing the Tilean custom of affectionate-arguing, because she had spent half an hour before departure trying to convince Bella not to come. This would be incredibly dangerous, she stressed, they would be heading into the marsh-adjacent section of the city where the Skaven lurked about, she insisted, but it was to no avail. Bella was coming, whether she liked it or not, and Taalia, for all her other forces, had to resign herself to protecting three people.

And so that's what she geared up to do.

Much as with her trip to Remas, Taalia looked like some sort of bodyguard when she stepped out in preparation to depart and escort Maso Cestie. She wore her mail armor upon her figure, her steel helmet upon a head and her white-blonde hair done up in a bun underneath it so it could not be grabbed from behind. On both of her hips were her holstered pistols alongside a scabbard for Daybreak, over her back was her shield and in her hands was Leonardo, her trusty blunderbuss that had been her stalwart companion for so long. As they were heading into a literal thieves den, Taalia made sure not to carry any currency external to her clothes, instead shoving a small purse into her cleavage underneath her clothing and mail armor. If a thief could manage to extract that through two layers while evading her notice then that was impressive enough to think that he deserved the treasure within.

Naturally, she sheathed her dagger into her right good quality riding boot. Just in case.

Taalia wasn't messing around. She knew the potential danger they were entering, and it frustrated her to no end that Bella couldn't see reason. Those were the thoughts occupying the shepardess' mind as they moved along the river in the gentle gondola, a process that would have, were she on some type of date, been a surprisingly romantic affair. But not this time. The trepidation was palpable and there was no whimsical love to be found here.

As they entered the more closed off section of the city where well-kept architecture gave way to the buildings that time forgot, Taalia visibly tensed up and kept her eyes peeled on their surroundings. She had good sight and excellent hearing, and she would use both to the best of her ability to spot whatever danger may be lurking in the vine-gripped buildings. Frogs croaked, insects buzzed and the eternal choir of crickets and bugs filled the air as if they had ventured into some untouched swampland.