Three different reactions decorated the room at his declaration: surprise, panic, and confusion.
"The Dorbakah?"
"Oh gods no, not bloody them!"
"...Dorbakah?"
Clearly pressed for time, Sima didn't care for their response, and left with the words, "We'll talk as we walk, so pick your asses up and let's get the fuck out of here!"
Mariya and co. looked confused as they stared into each other's eyes, but they quickly followed, having to run so they could catch up with Sima who was already rushing down the stairs with barely abated trepidation.
"Explain," Malkov pressed when they reached him.
"Dorbakah— also known as the Nightingale Thieves back home, are a group of female-only thieves that specialize in stealing, deception and espionage. They were created by their leader Huanying Qingfeng, and are a fucking pain to deal with cause the organization spans all four regions," Mariya took the liberty to explain, her expression deadly serious.
"Yeah, this is why the brotherhood doesn't get in their way either," Sima interjected, "Mostly because they always come back, but also because they're usually harmless,"
She snorted, "Hmph, that's until they aren't anymore," The group fell into silence after that, either with nothing left to add or having to take some time to fully digest everything.
Soon, when they finally stepped outside the inn, they were met with chaos. Everyone was rushing: the citizens, the guards and hell, even the city lord already sat his fat arse inside his palanquin.
Grabbing a wayward lady, Sima interrogated her, "Oi, why the hell is everybody rushing? It's just some thieves, why is the whole town trying to escape?"
She tried to get away from his grasp, but being in a state of distraught and fear, she was forced to answer him, "H-Haven't you heard? It's not just a platoon! The leader herself is coming! We need to escape before we all get robbed naked!"
Again she frantically attempted to escape him, and to her relief, he let her go.
"I d-don't know you guys, b-but my brother said they're coming from the north! A few of them are already here, s-so you should run quick!" She warned them and headed off, getting lost into the sea of people probably looking for her family.
Sima returned to his companions with a grim look on his face. And they knew what it meant:
You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.
"Our camels are to the north..." Malkov stared worriedly off into the distance, specifically at the northern wall.
The group muttered creative profanities under their breaths, but despite them wanting to run in the other direction, without a camel, they knew they wouldn't get far.
"No time to waste then, let's take 'em back and get outta dodge, we'll find a way to the void after they clear away," Sima cast a cautionary glance in Mariya's direction, as if to remind her 'yes, we're still going in where giant poisonous scorpions are hiding'.
To his bewilderment, she took it in stride and ignored him.
'Damn, maybe the Dorbakah are a bigger problem to her than I thought,' He mused to himself as he covertly scrutinized her every move.
It was weird, watching the usually aloof-cum-I-don't-give-a-flying-fuck-if-we're-gonna-die friend act so... so ridiculously worried. Because as far as he knew, from Malkov and Connor's anecdotes, she only acts like this when someone major in her life does something to— oh god that's what's happening, isn't it?
"Mariya," He intoned, careful to be as quiet as possible for fear of alerting the others.
She didn't notice.
"Mariya," Again, Sima echoed, this time a little bit harder and a little bit louder.
She didn't notice.
-Grip!-
"What?!" She turned around to fix her dark eyes into his, frightening everyone but Sima with her sudden shriek.
Unconsciously, his grip tightened on her wrist causing her to wince in pain.
"What aren't you telling us?" He didn't break his gaze from hers.
She spat venomously, "Nothing,"
"Hmph," He suddenly pulled her close, and using her arm still in his grasp, pushed it towards the north, making it look like she was pointing at the wall.
"What scares you out there," He whispered in her ear, "Out where the Dorbaka— No, where the Nightingale Thieves are, hm?"
She didn't answer, even when he kept pressuring her, she refused to budge. At least... until the ultimatum.
"Mariya, I just want you to know I'm not asking you for selfish curiosity, or for the sake of being a busybody, and certainly not because some stars told me to," She almost wanted to smile at his absurd comment, "I'm asking because— right now, there are two people behind me who don't know what's going on; two lives who are implicitly trusting me when I command them to go to straight at the north wall. Now, by proxy of this trust, their lives are in my care, and I can't have unknown variables floating about. I'm sure you understand my position, yes?"
She gulped, not liking at all where this was about to go.
"So I beg you to tell me, if not for our friendship, at least do it for Malkov and Sans's life. Please," And she knew it then.
She had to come clean.
"O-Okay. You win, I'll tell you everything," Her voice quivered even after she'd already decided, because what she was about to say was never going to be easy. Never.
She could feel his hold on her slacken, and a rush of relief ran right through her hand from the blood flow resuming its natural course, creating a sharp tingly feeling on her fingertips.
"Guys," She heard him address the others, "Mariya has something to say," Before the blazing focus of their gaze stabbed into her.
"I..." This was it. The moment of truth. She didn't know how they would react, or even if they would even look at her the same way, but just this once, her trust for them won out the fear...
Too bad she wasn't able to say anything.
"Mariya! Look—" Was all she heard before her face hit cold, hard sandstone, and another kick to the side of her head destroyed any semblance of consciousness she had remaining. With her last licks of agency left, she glanced at the face of her attacker...
...
...
'...Mom?'