Mara and Seren reach the abandoned cooper’s yard beside the river road. Hadrik remains beneath the third alder, while the yard lies silent among warped hoops and empty barrels.
A young adult woman with a narrow, weathered face and dark braid watches from behind the stacks. Her brown travel coat is patched at the elbows, and one hand grips a folded scrap.
Lessa Orin
Stop there. No promises, no safe conduct, and no hand extended as though protection belongs to you.
Seren halts several paces away and lowers her hands. The woman’s gaze moves between Mara’s scarred forearms, Soulcatcher, and the road behind them.
Seren Vale
We are looking for the former carrier Veyra’s people intend to retrieve. We know what protection meant in her mouth.
Lessa Orin
Then you know why I keep this. The scrap marks where her loyalists expect the next passage, but I reveal it only on terms I choose.
She unfolds the scrap just enough to show a gray-glove mark and a river crossing, then closes it again. Her eyes remain fixed on Mara, waiting.
“I cast stun on her " any way as you where saying"”
SUCCESS (Legendary Arcana, rolled -1)
Mara’s hand turns toward the former carrier. A muted pulse of violet force crosses the yard, slipping past the folded scrap and striking the woman cleanly.
The former carrier’s eyes lose focus. Her knees buckle, and she sinks against the barrel stack, unconscious but breathing, the scrap falling safely beside her.
Seren Vale
Mara. You stunned her.
Seren catches the scrap before the river wind can carry it away, then crouches beside the former carrier without touching her more than necessary.
Seren Vale
She is unharmed. We have time to move her before the loyalist reaches this yard.
The spell leaves no claim or tether behind. The woman remains still beneath the warped hoops, while the gray-glove mark and river crossing show plainly on the recovered scrap.
“"well she did open up like a threat, cheak her for weapons and bind her hands," I say, cheaking the scap of paper. " She'll be able to talk in a moment." I say”
SUCCESS (Legendary Perception, rolled +2)
Mara
She opened like a threat. Check her for weapons and bind her hands. She’ll be able to talk in a moment.
Seren passes Mara the folded scrap, then shifts aside. Mara searches the unconscious carrier’s coat, boots, belt, and sleeves, finding a narrow knife and a weighted cord.
Mara removes both weapons and binds the woman’s hands securely before her, using a strip of spare cloth that leaves her wrists supported without cutting circulation.
Seren Vale
The knife is ordinary, but the cord has knots for restraint. She came prepared to resist someone, not merely to hide.
Mara unfolds the scrap carefully. Its gray-glove mark sits beside a river crossing and three short strokes, while faint overwritten ink reveals a second meeting point near the cooper’s yard.
Mara
The scrap records an expected passage, not a promise of protection.
Seren Vale
The loyalist expected her here, and the second mark gives us where they would move her afterward. When she wakes, we can ask without taking the choice from her.
+ New Item Acquired
Narrow knife
+ New Item Acquired
Weighted cord
“I put the carries gear in front of her, and let seren speak plainly”
Mara places the narrow knife and weighted cord before the former carrier, keeping both within sight but beyond her bound hands. The folded scrap rests beside them.
Seren crouches several paces away, leaving the former carrier room to wake without looming over her. The yard remains quiet beneath the warped hoops and empty barrels.
The former carrier stirs, blinks at the gray sky, and draws one careful breath. Her gaze settles on the weapons, then on Seren’s lowered hands.
Seren Vale
You are awake, and your gear is in front of you. We removed the knife and cord, but we did not search beyond what was necessary or take your scrap.
Seren Vale
Veyra’s loyalists expect you here and planned to move you afterward. We came first because we want the truth, not because we claim authority over you.
The former carrier studies Seren’s face, the weapons, and the supported binding around her wrists. Nothing in the yard presses closer, and the scrap remains visible between them.
Lessa Orin
Then ask plainly. I will answer what I choose, and I will not mistake your restraint for protection.
“" I stunned you because you sounded like you where threatening. I wanted to protect us and yourself." I say plainly then I offer terms she can freely accept”
SUCCESS (Legendary Persuasion, rolled +0)
Mara
I stunned you because you sounded like you were threatening us. I wanted to protect us and yourself.
Mara keeps her voice plain and leaves the weapons where the former carrier can see them. The supported bindings remain secure, but no force presses against her.
Mara
You may accept these terms freely: answer only what you choose, keep your scrap, and leave when you decide. We will not claim you or call restraint protection.
The former carrier studies Mara’s scarred forearms, then the open yard beyond the barrels. Seren remains still, giving the woman room to refuse without pursuit.
Lessa Orin
Those terms are better than most offered in Veyra’s name. I accept the choice, though I do not yet trust either of you.
Lessa Orin
I will answer one question first. Ask whether you want the expected passage, the second meeting point, or what Veyra did to the carriers.
She nods toward the scrap without reaching for it. The choice is hers to make, and the yard remains quiet around the three of them.
“I loosen her bindings and step back, " the choice is yours dear, any information on Veyra is welcome." I say plainly”
SUCCESS (Legendary Persuasion, rolled +3)
Mara
The choice is yours, dear. Any information on Veyra is welcome.
Mara loosens the supported bindings around the former carrier’s wrists, removes the cloth, and steps back beyond easy reach. The knife and cord remain visible on the ground, untouched.
Lessa Orin
Then I will tell you what I know. Veyra’s loyalists expect to move me at dusk, using the river crossing marked here, but the crossing is a decoy.
The former carrier retrieves her scrap and unfolds it fully. Beneath the gray-glove mark, faint lines reveal a second route leading to an abandoned ferry-house north of the road.
Lessa Orin
The real passage is through the ferry-house cellar. Two loyalists wait there, and a third watches the road. They carry no badges, only gray thread sewn inside their cuffs.
Lessa Orin
Veyra wants me alive because I remember the names she ordered changed. She does not know I copied the original accounts before they were altered.
She offers the copied accounts beneath the scrap, keeping her fingers on them rather than surrendering them. Her posture remains wary, but the information is freely placed within Mara’s reach.
“" so your like the girl the town records called ' carrier-ledger' ?" I ask”
SUCCESS (Legendary Persuasion, rolled +4)
Mara
So you’re the woman the town records called “carrier-ledger”? I ask.
The former carrier goes still, fingers resting on the copied accounts. Her wary expression sharpens as recognition passes between the old title and the living woman before Mara.
Lessa Orin
Yes. That was never my name. It was a label clerks used after Veyra’s alterations made my testimony inconvenient.
She turns the upper account toward Mara. Several original names remain legible beneath the later ink, along with a dated seal from before the records changed.
Lessa Orin
My name is Lessa Orin. I copied the accounts before they were altered, and this seal proves the copies predate Veyra’s revisions.
The confirmation gives Mara more than an identity. Lessa’s original seal establishes a lawful witness point, while the ferry-house route remains marked as the loyalists’ intended trap.
Lessa Orin
If you mean to protect me, protect the names first. They are the people Veyra tried to turn into obedient records.
✓ Quest Accepted
Secure Lessa Orin’s copied accounts
✓ Quest Accepted
Protect the names in Lessa Orin’s original accounts
“" are these another set of records?" I ask”
SUCCESS (Legendary Reasoning, rolled -2)
Mara
Are these another set of records?
Lessa lowers her gaze to the copied accounts, then separates them from the older ledger fragment. The river wind lifts one loose corner before she pins it down.
Lessa Orin
Yes, but not another ledger. These are my copies of the original testimonies, made before Veyra’s people altered the town records.
She opens the bundle fully. Each page bears matching dates, witness marks, and a repeated seal impression, while later annotations cross out names and replace refusals with apparent consent.
Lessa Orin
The accounts identify who refused, who was pressured, and which clerks changed the wording. They also show where the originals were carried before disappearing.
As Mara studies the seal, its old preservation charm releases a sharp pulse through her scarred palm. Two fingers stiffen, and a fresh violet spark briefly lights the cooper’s yard.
Lessa Orin
That flare may have been seen from the ferry-house. You have the records, but if we remain here, Veyra’s watchers may come sooner than dusk.
“" I see, I was sure councilor Merrow took care of these, she was vetted by Kynes and Bren beforehand. " I say shacking off the seals effects”
SUCCESS (Great Health, rolled +0)
Mara
I was sure Councilor Merrow took care of these. Kynes and Bren vetted her beforehand.
Mara rolls her wrist and draws the violet flare inward. The seal’s pulse breaks apart across her palm, and the stiffness leaves both fingers cleanly.
The copied accounts remain intact. Their old preservation charm settles to a quiet warmth, no longer pressing through Mara’s scar or altering the pages.
Lessa Orin
Councilor Merrow? Then these may have been meant to reach her, not remain hidden in my keeping. I never knew whether her review was complete.
Seren Vale
If Kynes and Bren vetted her, Merrow may have recognized the altered records before the clerks buried the originals. That gives us a lawful witness point.
Lessa gathers the pages into two neat bundles, separating her copied testimonies from the older ledger fragment. The ferry-house route remains visible, but neither record summons anyone.
Lessa Orin
Then I will show Merrow what I copied, if she still holds authority to receive it. The names should reach a witness before Veyra’s people reach me.
“"Dear, that took place a fortnight ago." I share. " That's why I asked if these are new records." I say plainly”
SUCCESS (Legendary Persuasion, rolled +2)
Mara
Dear, that took place a fortnight ago. That is why I asked whether these are new records.
Mara says it plainly, her restored fingers resting beside the copied accounts. The pages remain quiet, their dates and seals visible beneath the fading preservation charm.
Lessa Orin
A fortnight ago? Then Merrow’s review should already have happened, unless these copies were withheld before they reached her.
Seren Vale
The timing matters. If the accounts were copied before the alterations but surfaced only now, someone preserved them outside the council’s process.
Lessa checks the dated seals against the ferry-house route, separating the age of the testimonies from the recent preservation pulse that touched Mara.
Lessa Orin
The records are old, but this bundle was rewrapped recently. I cannot say who prepared it, only that the copies were kept intact until now.
“" may I take a look?" I ask”
FAILURE (Legendary Persuasion, rolled -1)
Mara
May I take a look?
Mara reaches toward the copied accounts, but Lessa keeps the bundles against her chest. The old seals cloud beneath her fingers, turning every line into unreadable gray.
Lessa Orin
Not directly. The copies recognize my custody, and they will not show their contents to another hand without a witnessed opening.
The preservation charm tightens around the pages without tearing or burning them. Lessa folds the accounts closed, leaving only the dated seals and matching witness marks visible.
Seren Vale
Then the bundle is not refusing Mara. It is refusing an unrecorded transfer. We need a witness before anyone examines the text.
Lessa Orin
I can read selected passages aloud, or we can take them to Councilor Merrow and have the opening recorded. I will not separate them from my custody here.
The accounts remain with Lessa, their contents inaccessible for now. The ferry-house route lies between the yard and Merrow’s lawful witness, while the quiet river road offers no safer shortcut.
“" may I take a look?" I asking to see the records”
SUCCESS (Legendary Persuasion, rolled -1)
Lessa studies Mara’s open hand, then places the copied accounts on an overturned barrel between them. She keeps one palm over the seal while Seren steps close as witness.
Lessa Orin
I will open them here, with Seren witnessing that I retain custody and that you examine without taking possession.
Seren names the terms aloud. The old seal brightens, recording Lessa’s custody, Mara’s examination, and the limits of the offering without clouding the pages.
Seren Vale
I witness the opening. Mara may read and compare the accounts, while Lessa keeps custody and may close them whenever she chooses.
The preservation charm loosens. Ink resolves across the pages: original testimonies, dates, witness marks, and later alterations that replace refusals with apparent consent. The records are now plainly readable.
Lessa Orin
There. You can see which accounts were changed and which names vanished from the official copies. Nothing here grants authority over the people recorded.
Mara has the records before her for examination. The ferry-house route remains marked beside the copied testimonies, while Lessa’s custody and refusal to surrender them stay faithfully preserved.
““Darling, those terms are formalities without authority. You're dancing around a dead system. The Archive is gone, and its ledgers hold no power.” Mara smirks. “In short, your insistence on announcing your consent is violating my consent.” She calmly examines the records.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Reasoning, rolled +0)
Mara
Darling, those terms are formalities without authority. You are dancing around a dead system. The Archive is gone, and its ledgers hold no power. In short, your insistence on announcing your consent is violating my consent.
Mara smirks and calmly examines the opened records. She compares the original testimonies with the later annotations, tracing every replaced refusal, vanished name, date, and witness mark without taking the pages from Lessa’s custody.
The comparison succeeds. Mara identifies three accounts altered after their initial witnessing, two names removed entirely, and a repeated clerk’s hand disguising coercion as consent.
The old seal answers her scrutiny with a sharp violet pulse. Cold shoots through Mara’s scarred palm, numbing two fingers and leaving a thin line of blood where the binding edge catches her skin.
Lessa Orin
You have seen the substance, then. The records do not command anyone, but they show precisely where the clerks made refusal disappear.
Seren Vale
And Mara’s point stands. A witnessed consent cannot become a new demand for consent every time someone reads what was freely opened.
The pages remain readable, and Lessa’s custody remains intact. Mara has the evidence she sought, though her stiffening hand makes further magical examination costly.
“Mara looks between Lessa and Seren, then sighs. “Darling, you've both missed my point entirely. I never questioned your right to keep your papers, Lessa. I'm questioning why every mundane interaction requires a ceremonial declaration of consent, custody, and witnesses.” She raises her bleeding hand. “I'm reading documents, not invoking a dead institution. Yet somehow, every time I question these ridiculous rituals, another bloody seal attacks me.” Her smile turns icy. “Consent is a choice, not a fucking incantation. Now, can we investigate Veyra without holding a committee meeting every time someone turns a page?””
SUCCESS (Legendary Persuasion, rolled +1)
Mara
Darling, you've both missed my point entirely. I never questioned your right to keep your papers, Lessa. I'm questioning why every mundane interaction requires a ceremonial declaration of consent, custody, and witnesses.
Mara
I'm reading documents, not invoking a dead institution. Yet somehow, every time I question these ridiculous rituals, another bloody seal attacks me. Consent is a choice, not a fucking incantation. Can we investigate Veyra without a committee meeting every time someone turns a page?
The violet pulse gutters across Mara’s bleeding palm and fades. The pages stay open, their seal quiet, while Lessa looks from the records to Mara’s raised hand.
Lessa Orin
Yes. You are right. I made protection into procedure, and the procedure answered your reading as though it were a trespass. I will keep custody without demanding ceremony.
Seren Vale
Then we stop formalizing every breath. We have the altered accounts, the ferry-house route, and Veyra’s loyalists to investigate. We act plainly, and we ask only when a real choice matters.
Lessa closes the records without invoking the seal and tucks them beneath her coat. Seren gathers the marked scrap, leaving the yard’s evidence organized but unclaimed.
Lessa Orin
The ferry-house is our lead. I will come willingly, keep my papers, and speak when I choose. No committee, no ritual, no pretending dead archives rule the living.