The Grander Plan

[Haldor Falkenrath]

It was meant to be a simple pit stop, a time to get a drink while they waited for their ship to be refueled and resupplied. He and Freya had entered a little cantina to do just that, several pairs of eyes immediately on them. The establishment was filled with a variety of characters, from the customers drinking, the bouncers keeping watch and the dancers mesmerizing the former. Many of those eyes were fixed on the Falkenraths, not that it was anything new to them. Their height alone was enough to make them stick out, albeit it was nothing like after they had left Midvinter, walking around a bustling city still dressed in furs and hide.

That and the giant axe on Haldor's back was a pretty big factor too.

But that wasn't present today, though one glare from the towering man was enough to intimidate anyone dumb enough to approach them.

Once at the bar, they both ordered their drinks and Haldor grumbled about how no place provided suitable tankards for his thirst. The cups always felt like they belonged to children when clutched in his hand. Freya chuckled, suggesting that he shoul;d just bring one along with him wherever he went. Haldor snorted in amusement...but was seriously considering it. They got settled in for the evening when a pair of young men strode up to them with drunken bravado. He would've told them to kark off if he didn't get a kick out how hilarious their attempts to flirt with Freya were.

It was very poor to say the least, and thankfully his wife wasn't too annoyed - and just simply ignored them.

However as the two attempted to one up each other, he caught sight of their true goal. A third man carefully made his way to Freya's blind side, his fingers sliding into one of her pockets and plucking something out of it. He held back on instinctively lashing out at the man, instead watched as he just as slyly slipped away and headed for the exit. Haldor was on his feet immediately, pushing past the two others and tailing the thief. It would've been more wiser to silently follow, but that wasn't Haldor's style.

"Thief!" His voice boomed out the moment he stepped out of the cantina. It put the fear in the young man's heart, enough that he immediately hauled his ass down the street. The chase was on, with the chased having to push his way through the crowd while others simply moved out of Haldor's way. No one was about get in the way of that goliath as he ran. It took them around several corners, the culprit attempting to lose his pursuer by using a network of alleyways which seemed to work after a while.

The young man stopped in the middle of a four way intersection. He took a moment to catch his breath, glancing in every direction to ensure he had lost Haldor.

Well...that was until he turned around and was greeted by a fist smashing into his face. Everything turned to nothing for the thief, feeling his body hit the ground before the lights went out. The next time he awoke, he felt rather light, as though his feet weren't planted onto the ground. As his consciousness slowly came to, he felt as though his blood was rushing straight to his head. Upon opening his eyes, he realized why.

He was being dangled upside down over the edge of a platform, with an endless abyss beneath him. The young man immediately started to panic.

[member="Freya Falkenrath"]​

 

[Freya Falkenrath]

This wasn’t the first time Freya and Haldor had stopped at a cantina with the intentions of relaxing and having a drink, waiting for their ship so they could continue their travels. It also wasn’t the first time the two had befallen stares full of intimidation, wonder, and curiosity. If it wasn’t due to their size - though if one were to ask Freya, she was sure the intimidation was solely due to her husbands stature, alone, it was usually due to their nature of dress - donned in thick furs and hide.

The two, thanks to Freya, had gotten better at blending in with appearances - at least in terms of clothing, but nothing could be done about the rest of them. To Freya, they were meant to stand out - it was just something the pair would have to get used to outside of Midvinter.

No matter if they enjoyed it or not.

Once at the bar, Freya and Haldor took a seat and it hadn’t taken Haldor long to make a quip regarding the glasses drinks were served in outside of their home. A chuckle left Freya’s lips, the sound light - like her voice, it was a stark contrast to her stature. Her voice came out smooth, low - directed solely at Haldor. “The glasses are smaller, because their people can’t hold as much liquor. Maybe you should just bring your own along with you, Hal.”

A smile pulled at her lips at her husband’s reaction to her suggestion, though it was quick to diminish when they were approached by a pair of young men. A raised eyebrow, a sip of her drink, and shifting to face away from them and towards Haldor was her immediate reaction to their poor attempts at flirting, though when it was clear they weren’t giving up so easily she shifted back towards the more ‘brave’ of the two. Fake smile adorning her face, Freya brushed her hair over her shoulder, reaching out as if to take the man’s hand after he asked if she wanted to leave with him. With a brush of her fingers over the man’s forearm a chill swept over his body, chilling him to the core - skin rising in goosebumps at the contact. As soon as she had seen the effect of what she had done Freya dropped her smile and a simple ‘no’ left her lips, turning back to her husband and ignoring the men - who looked rather offended she would rather focus on the man next to her and not them.

This ended up being a poor decision as the next few moments seemed to happen quickly. Plucked from her pocket was a small wooden carving of a Varactyl Haldor had made for Freya many years ago. It was an unexpected gift, having left Freya stunned when the gruff man had forced it into her hand and walked away quickly, embarrassed and wanting to get far away from his feelings as he possibly could. As they were growing up, Freya had always been obsessed with the various creatures she had heard stories of from her parents, the Varactyl in particular had always been a favorite. This gift from Haldor had meant more to her than he knew at the time, and she liked to keep it close to her. So as soon as Haldor had jumped on his feet, her hands flew to her pockets and she realized what had happened she took off after her husband and the thief - haphazardly throwing credits to the bartender in the process.

Freya had made it to the four way intersection in time to see Haldor throw his fist into the mans face. Part of her was incredibly turned on by the sight, but the more logical side of her knew now wasn’t the time, instead moving to meet Haldor as the two stood above the man, before she could take her carving back, Haldor had already lent down and plucked it from the man's unconscious grasp, smirking once he saw the thing that had been taken from her. Before he could say anything she quickly took it from his hand, putting it back into her pocket, cheeks heating up slightly as she whispered a thank you, to him.

The two found themselves only a few minutes later stringing the man up by his ankles, body dangling dangerously over a platform, and Freya found herself caught between a laugh and an eye roll at the man, because as soon as he woke up curses, screams and panicked words tumbled past his lips.

Sharing a look with Haldor, she smacked the man on his shoulder, causing him to sway a bit - which led to another round of panicking, before speaking up.

“Oh come now, quit your panicking. You’re safe… for now.”

[member="Haldor Falkenrath"]​

 

[Haldor Falkenrath]

Haldor's expression was stony, intimidating to the smaller man that was presently be held upside down. He glanced over at Freya, amused at her little action that had caused the guy to panic even more. Although it quickly frustrated the giant, who had to tighten his grip as his captive started flailing.

"Stop squirming like a child."

The young man immediately stopped, eyes full of fear aimed directly towards Haldor.

"Look, I'm sorry I stole from you! J-just take the item back okay?!"

"I already reclaimed it." Freya's words seemed to ignite some semblance of hope in the young man,

"That's great, now you can let me go?" He looked at Haldor but still got not outwards expression. Looking at Freya however, he saw mirth and it took a few moments for the credit to finally fall. "Wait! No, no, please do not let me go!" The pair both chuckled at the man's sudden realization. Haldor looked to his wife for direction, they had got what they wanted from the young man; taking back what he stole, but Haldor was tempted to teach the young man a lesson.

Well, that was until something began to beep...and didn't stop. Tension filled the air as the man realized just what exactly it was. He opened his mouth to speak but Haldor was quicker, rummaging through the rest of the man's pockets. Within them were some credit chits, a strange looking pin and a comlink. Haldor tossed everything but the latter over to Freya for her to inspect.

"Answer it." The man fumbled a bit, almost dropping the comlink as he tried to orient himself correctly. Who knew it took a bit to get use to doing things while being dangled upside down.

"H-hey it's me...yeah I'm good." Neither Haldor or Freya could hear the other side of the conversation, but the guy's reactions were a good gauge of what was being said. He paused, glancing down at the bottomless pit beneath him. "Oh I'm just...hanging out. Yeah I am, can you blame me? I just managed to get away from two giants-" The young man froze when he felt Haldor's grip slip slightly, almost like a warning. "Am I fine? Uh, yeah I'm uh...quite high right now. Yes, yes I know I shouldn't be taking so much spice."

[member="Freya Falkenrath"]​

 

[Freya Falkenrath]

“Stop squirming like a child.”

Haldor’s voice rang through the air - deep and gravelly, strength behind each word that slipped past his lips. Goosebumps arose on Freya’s skin, her husband’s voice always having that effect on her.

There was goosebumps on the theifs skin too - though Freya knew that was from a completely different feeling her husband gave him.

Fingers clenching around the stolen item in question, Freya held it up accompanied with her statement, proving to the man that she had been quick about retrieving it back. Pocketing it, Freya shifted on her feet as an amused smile pulled at her lips.

“We’d be happy to let -” Dimples forming on either side of her mouth, a sassy retort started falling from her lips as the man was quick to rebuke his statement. To say he noticed his slip up disappointed her was an understatement, dimples quickly disappearing in turn for a frown. “Oh… nevermind then.”

Glancing over at Haldor, she gave him a wink when he had to stifle a chuckle at his wife’s amusement. She could be viewed as childish in this moment, but she couldn’t care any less. To her, it wouldn’t bother her a bit if this man were to learn his lesson - specifically at the hands of Haldor; but he was trying to get better, do better. She shouldn’t encourage him. A slight shake of her head and a soft smile were aimed at Haldor - he had done more than enough, they had gotten what was stolen back, and had frightened the man half to death. Before either of them could say anything a beeping rang through the air. A comlink was the culprit, and while Haldor focused his attention on the man and his call, Freya focused on the items he had tossed her, carefully pocketing the credit chits before setting her attention to the strange pin.

It was small, even smaller so flipping between her lithe fingers. The edges were raised, a rigid metal circling the outside - but it was the center part of the pin that had caught her attention. The design was that of a scorpion, metal raising and concaving in intricate detail, making the arthropod stand out among its background, tail and claws with pointed edges, sharp enough that if she pressed hard enough (and she did) it would draw blood. A smear of deep crimson spread against the dark metal of the pin, casting a haunting sort of effect upon it.

It didn’t sit well with Freya, especially with what she had known of the creature. Glancing up worriedly at Haldor, she held up the pin in question before eyeing the man once more.

Who was he?

“What is this?” Her question had slipped out, a soft mutter, though loud enough that Haldor and the man could hear her.

[member="Haldor Falkenrath"]​

 

[Haldor Falkenrath]

There was a moment where the young man was simply staring at Freya. With a wide-eyed look, he was positively scared as he looked between her and the pin. More so than being dangled over an endless looking chasm below.

Haldor let out a grumble, loosening his grip slightly to get the man's attention. His eyes snapped over to the giant, a cold expression greeting him.

"Answer her question."

"I-I can't..."

The young man didn't get a vocal rebuttal, instead Haldor let go of his leg and allowed him to plummet. A scream tore from his throat, but only for a moment as Haldor quickly snatched his foot and pulled him back up.

"Look...they'll kill me if I tell you, find out I ratted on them."

"And you think your fate will be any different here?"

He looked down, letting out an audible gulp.

"It's a pin, obviously. But it's also a sign of admittance, to a group known as 'The Stingers'. They're located in the back of a club...not too far from here." The man looked between Haldor and Freya. "That's all I can say, I can't betray them."

Haldor hummed in thought, recognizing the fear in the young man's expression. Whoever these people were, they instilled enough terror to keep his lips zipped.

"Very well." He glanced over at Freya, saying nothing but giving her a particular look. The young man's fate was in her hands. Haldor was tempted to just drop him, eliminate any possibility of him alerting his friends. But his wife had been the one wronged, so it was her right to decide.

[member="Freya Falkenrath"]​

 

[Freya Falkenrath]

Heart racing, veins pulsing beneath milky skin - Freya watched the man as he explained to her and Haldor the significance of the pin. He wasn’t willing to give them up, a loyalty that may lead him to his grave.

Freya had to give him that, at least. It was hard to come across individuals as loyal as he - with how he was portraying himself at least. The line was clear down the middle. On one hand, Freya knew they could easily allow the man to fall to his death, wind whipping at fragile skin, through clothes, until there was a sickening crack - the noise nothing more than a whisper on the wind from how far up they were. The other hand however, was as simple as letting the man go. Her mind was overtaken with thoughts of betrayal, there was no promise that this man wouldn’t run off and warn the others about them, about what they had seen - learnt from him.

The cool metal of the pin flipped between her fingers, pausing only after she met her husband’s eyes. He was leaving it up to her, it seemed.

Slowly, she walked up to the man that had stolen from her, boots hitting the ground with soft thuds. The closer she got to him, the more she saw his eyes widen, pupils dilating in fear. It took everything Freya had to not smirk just then.

Reaching out, lithe fingers wrapped around the man’s forearm. Her fingers turned icy blue, complimenting the tattoos that littered her skin. Slowly the ice crept onto the man’s arm, and it only took a moment for the man to try to start squirming away from her. Pain was etched into his face, and it took a firm squeeze of her hand to get the man to focus on her.

“You won’t die by our hands… today. But know, we will know if you tell them about us. There is no second chances for you.”

With a loud thud, Haldor dropped the man - and Freya watched amusedly as the man scurried off, tripping and ramming into discarded crates that littered the area; his fingers wrapped firmly around the frostbite left on his arm.

Moving to her husband’s side, Freya looked up at Haldor, a soft smile pulling at her lips. A smile that was meant solely for him. Her voice came out soft, largely different from the biting tone she had just used moments prior.

“Did I make a mistake?”

Her fingers danced along Haldor’s muscular arm, until her hand found his, discreetly placing the pin in his - large hand encompassing both her own hand and the pin.

“We should check this out..”

[member="Haldor Falkenrath"]​

 

[Haldor Falkenrath]

Haldor watched as his wife slowly approached the man. His expression betrayed very little of the emotion that he was feeling, only really visible to those that knew him; like Freya, who could tell he was very amused right now. Most of the people they met were intimidated by him, being the taller and generally larger of the two. But it was when he moved aside for her, that things completely shifted.

What exactly would she do, if he was letting her take center stage. Freya certainly wasn't a slouch in the physically imposing department. But unlike Haldor, she had a more...icy edge to the way she did things.

And that wasn't referring to her cold glare.

He pulled the poor man closer to them, but still dangling dangerously over the edge. It was enough for Freya to grab his arm and work her magic. Fingers shimmered into a light blue colour, before flowing out across the man's arm. Haldor kept his grip firm as the young man began to squirm in pain, probably biting his tongue to not scream out. His focus was shifting though, and it took a sharp squeeze from Freya for him to snap back to reality.

Freya's word was law here, and Haldor dropped the man safely onto the ground. A moment barely passed before he picked himself up and ran as quick as possibly could. His path consisting of several crates and barrels along the way. He felt the inferno within become calm as Freya moved to his side.

"No, you did not." He remained staring for a moment longer, where the man had disappeared, before looking at his wife. "Personally I would've knocked him out to be sure, but that is me talking." Haldor was confident they had left a lasting impression on the young man.

He threaded his fingers in between Freya's, taking the pin into his other hand and examining it for himself. Small enough that there was a likely chance he'd crush it if he put any real pressure against the metal.

"Mmm, we should." Haldor rolled the pin between his fingers, testing the workmanship of the item. "It's well made, not something you manufacture on a large scale. Which tells me this isn't some group everyone is allowed into." He handed the pin back to Freya, after all she did like collecting little trinkets.

"Come, let's see what clubs are located within the area."

[member="Freya Falkenrath"]​