Vanya- campfire

Vanya chose to sit on a tree stump a couple footsteps away from the majority of the soldiers. She was not a good company to have at the moment and she refused to be distracted by their chants and other shenanigans. She couldn't bear their overwhelming joy and even less their desire to force her into dancing and chanting with them. So the elf isolated herself from her band of brothers. She took her knife and a wooden stick she started to carve when she heard the muffled sound of boots walking on the soft ground. Someone was coming closer. She quickly changed the way she held her knife to prepare herself for an attack and lifted her head.  Richard was standing in front of her. He was just dressed in a loosely fitted black shirt a pair of black pants and his old trusty pair of leather boots. Because their last mission took several weeks, Richard was sporting a scruffy beard and his hair was long enough for him to be able to tie it into a loose low ponytail.

"What are you doing alone, Vanya?"

"I needed some time for myself."

"Seems like you always need some time for yourself. All these years and you still don't want to spend a full night with us? Are you afraid of getting drunk?"

She rolled her eyes and shook her head. How ridiculous that statement was! She wasn't scared of getting drunk, as a matter of fact, she always got shitfaced whenever she indulged in drinking. What bothered her was that she tended to speak of things she would rather keep to herself.  She didn't want to spill her guts and expose her weaknesses to the greedy eyes of friends who could turn into foes with a hefty load of money. She pursed her lips together and twirled her knife in her hand. 

"Nope. I'm not afraid. I just don't feel like getting drunk with you guys." She shrugged, planted her knife into the tree stump, and tilted her head to the side to look at him straight in the eyes. "What do you want, Richard?" 

"Why do you assume I want something from you?" -He asked, furrowing a brow as he was curious about what she wanted to say. Vanya sighed and put both hands on her knees-. 

"Because I know you never ask something without wanting something in return. So... Tell me, what do you want to know?"

Richard knew little about Vanya except that she was of noble ascendance and, for some reason, became a gun-for-hire. He knew her parents were dead and she was angry but he didn't know why. He shouldn't be bothered with her past like he was because so many of them had awful pasts. So many of them were orphans, products of war, forged with fire and hardened by battles.  Vanya's unwillingness to share elements of her past, her aloofness, and her rough exterior piqued his interest. Perhaps that was the reason for his interest in her He shrugged, closed the distance between them, put his foot on the tree stump, and bent a little forward. 

"Why did you leave the royal court?"

"Why do you care?" -She almost bit her tongue while trying to reply to him. The question made her blush as he didn't expect her to retort with her own question. He furrowed his brows and looked at her with a confused look on his face.

"Why wouldn't I care about you? We've been together for 15 years now! It's a very long time in human years, Van." She pursed her lips and wrapped her arms around her leg. "I'm serious. You're my friend, and I know when something is on your mind. It's the only topic that gets you all defensive."

"I don't want to open old wounds, Rich. I left the court because I wanted to! I /had/ to!" -She tried to defend herself but it didn't come out as very convincing. So Richard's blue eyes stared at her with a harsher glow.

"And yet, you still cover your face when we walk into the royal city. If you didn't care about being recognized you wouldn't do this. So, I have to ask, what is it that you are so afraid of?"

"I'm not afraid. I am /angry/!" -She pointed out, unable to stop herself from speaking to him. Richard tilted his head to the side, now certain that he was starting to have the real answer to his question. She was angry and immediately he started to wonder who or what made her angry. Was it the court itself? Was it someone peculiar? She realized it was too late to backpedal and she was way too angry to think about lying. So she ran her hand over her face and moistened her lips.- "My parents were framed, I don't know who or why but they were framed and I can't do shit about it except find the people responsible for it. Because they were of noble ascendance, they were disgraced and marked as criminals instead of killed. My mother couldn't deal with the shame and she killed herself. My father took all the odd jobs he could to provide for me but that killed him. I left the court because all I could think about was finding the one responsible for the slander to force them to admit the truth or kill them if they didn't want to." 

Her orange eyes set upon Richard's face as she wanted to study his very reaction to her words. She was taking a huge risk by confiding in him but she trusted Richard more than anything else. He was her friend, perhaps the only friend she ever had in her life and she knew she could trust him. They had each other's backs for so long that it became second nature for them to care for each other. Still, she felt awfully vulnerable at this instant because she didn't know how he would react to her answer.  The elf expected anything from the human,  from laughter to a lecture but he did nothing of the sort. The mercenary sat next to her, his frame looking in the same direction as she was. His attitude was friendly, which made the elf relax next to the soldier. He glanced at her and quietly laid his arms against his thighs. 

"Do you have any leads?"

"Not yet.  I know that it's not an average noble who started the rumors. It came from a very powerful noble. I would... I just need to ensure it's not who I think it is."

"Who do you have in mind?"

"The King." -Vanya whispered, almost unsure of her words. Richard blinked-

"The What???" -Vanya's ears flipped and lowered and she covered her face with both hands.-

"You heard me well. He was a prince when that happened... I know it's a big accusation but you really have to trust me and my guts. They're telling me that it's him but I need to know for sure that he is involved in my family's disgrace." -She held onto his hand and squeezed harder- "Please, Rich... Swear to me that you're not going to tell my business to the others."

"I  swear on everything I hold dear!"

"Thank you. I appreciate it. "

" I'll help you in your quest. I know how hurt you are and I want to wipe the smug grin off of the king's face anyway. So count me in. I'll help you." -She pinched her lips together and nodded slowly. It was settled then. They would investigate and give her justice.-

It was settled.