Clara raised an eyebrow. That was… interesting. "What did you want to talk about? Obviously you have some friends that could do just fine helping you."
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"Hah, friends. More like a bunch of cowards who say grand things but don't mean them." Luci rolled her eyes and stepped into the tavern. The inside looked exactly like one would think a tavern named 'Sword and Rose' would look like: old, small, and simply but beautifully decorated. "They're all for getting rid of the queen, but as soon as I bring up the fact that we might be able to kill her, they all look the other way and claim they have to go see their grandparents." She glanced at Clara with narrowed eyes. "I hope you don't end up like them."
"I don't intend to. That would have been a waste of my time if I wasn't serious about it." Clara sighed, entering only to lean against the wall near the door, not one to typically socialize.
"That's good." Luci nodded and looked around the tavern. There weren't a lot of people there, though they had all stopped talking and turned to look at them. "Oh, stop staring. Go back to your own business, you drunkards. And don't start any fights. I'm not working right now and you might accidentally kill yourselves." The people all groan and turn back to whatever they were doing. The volume inside the tavern increased slightly, from you-could-hear-a-pin-drop silent to moderately loud. "Come on, Clara. We'd look less suspicious sitting down than standing near the door."
(Hey, I might be offline for a while for mental reasons. I wanted to say this now in case it's been a few days and I haven't responded.)
"Of course, sorry." Clara watched Rena fly away to elsewhere as she sat down at an empty, worn-down table. "What all did you want to say, then?"
(Okay, thank you for telling me.)
Luci followed Clara to the table and sat down. "Well, I was going to ask you: Do you want to kill the queen with me?" She leaned forward, eyes staring right into Clara's. "I can't do it alone, and you seem pretty invested in this thing so far, so… what do you say?" Her eyes were deadly serious, one brow arched slightly.
"Depends. How much of a plan have you got?" Clara's face was blank, but she tilted her head in interest. She focused her eyes on Luci, trying to see through her. So far, she checked out. Luci , like her, wanted the queen dead, and she seemed not the type to wait for someone else to do it.
"Quite a lot of one. I know where it is, I know how to get there, and I know how to use it." Luci grinned, her eyes sparkling ever so slightly now. She was so close, so very close. All she needed was someone to agree to come with her and she could make it through the woods. "Is that enough of a plan for you?"
"What makes you think it's going to be a walk in the park?" Clara scowled, questioningly. "What makes you think that I am fit to help you?"
"Oh, it won't be a walk in the park. I just know things that might be useful to us. We'll probably die before we even get to lay our hands on that sword, but at least we're trying," Luci said, her voice passionate. "And, well, you've followed me up until now, so you must be just a bit brave. You're living and breathing, as far as I know. Haven't you heard the legend of the Everlasting Woods? Never go in alone, or you'll be lost and mad before the day ends." She leaned back in her chair, eyes focused on Clara, waiting to see what she would do.
(I had a spur-of-the-moment idea, so please tell me if I need to rewrite my response.)
"Hm. I've been there before-it's been a long time since, though." Clara's eyes quickly flashed a golden hue before she flinched. "Not a nice place for the unprepared." She folded her arms onto the table, rapping her finger against the wood. After a few beats of silence, Clara spoke, "I am not brave. However, I cannot let you go by yourself."
(No, you're good!)
"Been there before, huh? Impressive." Luci raised her eyebrows at the strange change in Clara's eyes but dismissed it quickly. It might be a sore subject and she was not about to run away someone who'd supposedly been in the woods. If she was telling the truth… One could read all about the woods– their silence, the eerily steady rain of leaves, the ancient beasts that supposedly lived there– but someone who'd actually been there was even better than a book. "Well, thank you for not letting me go by myself. When do you want to go?" Luci glanced around the tavern, which was slowly and steadily filling up as it got later.
(Pardon my short response!)
"By morning light. Should we meet here tomorrow?" Clara bit the bottom of her lip, pausing. "There are things that lurk during the night. Paranoia is one of them."
"Morning. I can do that." Luci nodded. "Yeah, that'll work. Just… make sure no one's following you, or I'll probably get killed." It was a risk bringing Clara there in the first place, but this place really was the best place to discuss treason and other illegal things. "But you probably already knew that, oh wise one." Her mouth lifted into a teasing smile. "Is there anything unconventional that you would recommend me to bring?"
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