If there's one thing that Sazed can pride himself on it's a fast getaway. He's had his fair share of practice in that skill, too, though undeniably, this had been his biggest use of it yet. He's pretty sure he's already far enough away that Taako can't track him down when he wakes up. He's extra pretty sure that using some of the merch money to buy himself this new, face-concealing cloak was a very good choice. And he's certain no one's going to trace any of that shit back to him, not anymore. After all, Sazed didn't handle the food. Taako made fuckin' sure of that.
"Do you have any rooms left?" he asks the innkeeper and the guy does a little jerky nod, fishing under the desk for a key. He grunts out,
And Sazed is incredibly pleased that he had managed to snag a good part of their savings before leaving. The three gold isn't a problem. He won't have any problems for a while, with this money. He trades the gold for the room key and follows the innkeeper's instructions to find his room. It's upstairs, in the back.
It's only a little unsettling walking down the dimly lit hallway, but he assures himself with the fact that he made sure all the rooms had a window before checking in. There's a second way out, he reminds himself, just in case his possible escape through the door gets compromised.
He unlocks the door quietly and just barely peaks in, surveying the area. The bed is made, a little mess like the person making it wasn't paid enough to care. There's a clock on the wall and an open door that he can see leads to a bathroom. Carefully, Sazed goes inside. He checks the bathroom first, and then a closet that sits adjacent to it. Nothing seems tampered with. Satisfied, he turns back to the bed.
And there's a man sitting on it.
No. Not a man. Definitely not a man. The figure is taller than anything Sazed has ever seen, though the shadows might be exaggerating his height. He sits on the bed, leaning back on not-hands, acting casual as can be for a fucking ghost that just appeared out of nowhere. Because that's- that's what he has to be, right? His form is flickering in and out, catching between a bright, steady red, and barely there at all. He seems to be shaking.
Sazed does not like this.
"Who the fuck are you?" Sazed whisper-demands. It'd be better, ultimately, if he could sort this out without bringing anyone else's attention to it. The more attention he gets, the more likely he is to be recognized, and-
The figure tilts his head at Sazed.
"An old friend of Taako's," says the figure in a way too normal voice. Sazed would expect that voice out of a fuckin' Fantasy Best Buy employee, not an intimidating cloaked figure that had appeared in his room. But it echos, in a way that sends chills down his spine.
"I don't know a Taako," Sazed lies. It's a shitty excuse and the figure knows it, because it laughs. Somewhere in there, there's something much darker than his voice gives away.
"I think you do, bud," the figure says. It stands suddenly and Sazed backs up, reaching into his bag to draw a kitchen knife he had stolen from the caravan. He draws it on the figure, but it doesn't seem swayed. Sazed doesn't know if stabbing it would do anything, but it was worth a shot if it came down to it.
"Listen," the figure says. "I don't want to hurt you. Well, okay, I do. Very much. But I have I think it'd be better for both of us if you just went back to Glamour Springs and turned yourself in, yeah?"
"Fuck no," Sazed says with a stroke of confidence. He points the knife at the figure. "Like I'd- I'd turn myself in for something I didn't even do-"
"I'm gonna stop you right there," the figure says, voice incredibly quiet but it leaves Sazed's ears ringing. "I have known Taako for longer than you have been alive, understand me? I have never once seen him fucking up like that. But I have seen him scared. And if he had done that on purpose- bud, I don't know if you know, but if Taako wants to hurt someone on purpose, he will fuckin' laugh as they get what they deserve."
Sazed swallowed. The figure had been slowly approaching him during his entire speech, until right against Sazed's face. He could see sparks of light going off under his hood, he could see the paper-thin layers between his flickering form.
"Let me assure you," the figure said, and the knife falls from Sazed's hand, landing with a thunk on the floor. "If I don't kill you, he will. So either we're going back to Glamour Springs to admit to your crimes, instead of blaming an innocent man, or there's just gonna be another unexplained death this week. Understand?"
Sazed nodded weakly, unable to look away. The figure nodded, the layers of his form knitting themselves back together slightly. He floated a few feet back and said,
"I'll be watching you until your in the proper hands. Don't try to run or I will not hesitate to fuck you up, okay bud?"
And he vanishes from sight.
