TRP: Ezra, Gavi, and Raef (Ezra)

**COYOTE**

[A note: The following is a special scene done partially in
Roll 2 and partially over voice chat.]

[SETTING: Afternoon 257.
Gavi rides on horseback to go talk to Ezra, who has Az's jawbone. Raef
follows in secret. Upon arriving, both Gavi and Raef immediately notice several
things: The orc encampment is much farther south than more orc encampments are.
Secondly, this is an army. All orcs here are soldiers. This appears to be a
temporary base, and the army is heading towards something.]

**ABBY**

Gavi dismounted upon reaching the edge of the camp. She
commandeered a nearby orc into taking care of her horse, asked her where Ezra
was, and then strode right on down to the building that had been named as home
base.

She knocked, considered going on in, but decided against it.
Ezra was... touchy. Best to maintain some semblance of politeness.

**MINK**

As Gavi strode into the camp, Raef waited and he watched,
listening to the sounds of the orcs in the encampment; there were more than
there should've been.   He followed her
movements before he followed the trees that skirted around the keep until he
found an opening.   He kept low and close
to the ground as he slipped through it, past the guards that were doing a
shitty job at guarding, and to the ruins. that riddled the area.

Once he situated himself inside one of them, a circular
enclave that offered just enough coverage, he released the mechanical crow to
follow Gavi to where she had gone.

**COYOTE**

 The guards in front of the door nodded respectfully for Gavi
and saluted her. One of the guards opened the door for her, gruffly calling
out: "Shalit Ezra, Shalit Gavirelle of the Sacharet Tribe is here to see
you."

Ezra looked up from inside. He was a burly half-orc, but had
the same small, clever eyes as his father. He grinned when he saw Gavi.
"Doda," he said. "Welcome."

There was something unpleasant and gloating about his smile.

**ABBY**

Gavi smiled back, a bit uneasily. "It's good to see
you, achyan." Entering the room she glanced around, taking in the
dilapidated state. Still sturdy though. Likely the best room in the keep, with
it belonging to her kin for now.

"How's about a hug for your auntie, huh?" Gavi
said, spreading her hands. "C'mere, tell me how you've been."

**COYOTE**

 Ezra didn't move from his post, eying Gavi uneasily. He'd
heard she had the wasting sickness and no doctors could cure it. Most of the
tribe still gave her hugs and pounded her on the back when they saw her, but
Ezra was reluctant. What if she made him ill?

"No thank you, doda," he said. "I've caught a
cold. I'd hate to infect you in your weakened state. What brings you? Come to
watch my victory?"

The jawbone shifted on his neck as he settled down in an
enormous chair of furs and bone.

**ABBY**

Gavi's smile wavered and dropped. She'd heard some mothers
sometimes, wondering where their sweet little boy went. When Gavi looked at
Ezra she didn't wonder. She remembered a little boy throwing rocks at the dogs,
kicking the younger kids. Now he'd grown up, and that violence had-- mostly--
been turned out towards their enemies.

Sometimes, it still made her uneasy. She did her best to
pretend otherwise, grabbing another chair-- this one a simple wooden one, and
sitting down in it. "I'm grateful for the consideration," she said,
and maybe there was just a bit of sarcasm in her voice. "I came to ask for
a favor. Just a simple, quick one."

**COYOTE**

 "Of course. We're family."

**ABBY**

Gavi drummed her fingers against the back of the chair.
"Could I have that jawbone?" she asked, gesturing to the trophy
hanging around Ezra's neck.

**COYOTE**

 Ezra shook his head slowly and sorrowfully. "Sorry,
auntie. No can do."

**ABBY**

Gavi exhaled slowly. She wished she could drop it here. It
was a fuckin' jawbone, what was so fuckin' important about that? Except Raef
didn't think so. And as much as Ezra scared her sometimes, she didn't want
anything to happen to him. And fuckin' Raef was a fuckin' elf, but he made
Griffin feel safe. She couldn't sit back and let him lose that.

"Ezra, please," she said calmly. Didn't want to
demand-- not from him. "There's a bit more to it than you know. An' I
ain't sure I can even explain it if I tried. So trust me, s'better all round if
you let me have it, all right?"

**COYOTE**

 "Nah. I think there's to it than you understand,
auntie. You haven't been around," Ezra said, grinning. "Dad's been
trusting me with stuff now."

**ABBY**

"Your dad always trusted with you stuff, Ezra,"
Gavi said. She was missing something though. Had a feeling it was something
big. "You wanna tell me about what I'm missing then?"

**COYOTE**

 Ezra hesitated. He couldn't stop grinning. Dad said not to
tell anyone what was going on, but-- this was just Gavi, right?

He decided: Eh, fuck it. He'd go ahead and tell her what was
going on with the jawbone.

Just to be sure, though, he took one quick look around. And
suddenly his eyes fell on something. There, above him, was some kind've...
fucking bizarre metal bird. His eyes widened and fixed on it. It was some
kind've... mechanical crow. Watching him.

"What the fuck is that?" Ezra said, jerking back. "Gavi,
did you-- did  you fucking bring that
thing here?"

**ABBY**

"Huh?" Gavi twisted around, following his eyeline.
"What the fuck-- no!" She lunged to her feet, drawing her javelin.
Whatever this thing was, she wasn't gonna let it keep hanging around.

She threw her javelin and it flew true, striking the bird
and going strait through its chest, one of its wings, and jerking it off it's
roost to be pinned to the wall.

**MINK**

Metal clattered against metal followed by the thunk of
something - something thrown - against a wall.
Shit.  Raef twisted himself to his
knees and pushed himself onto the balls of his feet to peer over the edge of
the crumbled wall surrounding him.  He didn't
know what the fuck had happened, but it hadn't sounded fuckin' good.

**COYOTE**

 Ezra's eyes fixed on the bird pinned to the wall.

The bird made a series of whining and grinding noises as it
powered down. A tinny voice began to play from inside it's chest, repeating
what Ezra said.

"Gavi, did you-- did you fucking bring that thing here?"

"Everyone search the camp!" Ezra roared.
"Spies! The elves sent bird to listen to us! Everyone wake up!"

Outside, the guards ran and began to search. Two guards stepped
into the small, ruined watchtower where Raef hide-- and saw him crouched there,
hidden. "Intruder!" one of the guards shouted, and the other guard
lunged at Raef to grab him.

**ABBY**

Gavi froze for a second. She recognized that bird. That didn't
belong to an elf-- that was Hansel's. Had he followed her? Why--

She heard the cries of the guard and shook herself out of
it, charging across to the small round building. But Hansel wasn't there. No,
someone else entirely.

Fucking Raef.

"Hold!" she barked, throwing her hands out and
getting in between the elf and her fellow orcs. "Everybody stand
down!" She glared at Raef, already drawing his weapons, and the orcs,
looking ready to bust his head open. "The first person to lay a hand on
anyone else is gonna have me to deal with ya hear me?"

**COYOTE**

 The guard held. They wavered, looking between Gavi and Ezra.

When Ezra laid eyes on Raef, a slow grin spread across his
face. He nodded to confirm Gavi's order, holding up his hand. "Hold. No
harm needs to come to this man."

The camp around them kept moving. More of Ezra's men shifted
and surrounded the tower, weapons drawn. Two shamans stood at the ready, hands
blazing with red and orange magic, ready to cast spells at Raef. But they held
still.

"You can talk," Ezra said to Gavi. "Let me
make an educated guess. This man is Raef Chastain."

**MINK**

Before he could straighten, the alarm was sounded.  Before he could draw out Orcslayer, Gavi was
there with that - that - He watched the jaw bone swing against Ezra's chest and
his jaw tightened.   The blade pulled out
further only to stop when Gavi glared at him and issued her command.  His eyes narrowed at her before he looked
back to Ezra and a smile quirked the corners of his lips, less than friendly.

"You're brighter than you look," he said, hand
wrapping tighter around the pommel of his sword and the hilt of his dagger.

**ABBY**

Ezra recognized him. Ezra knew his name. This wasn't good.
There went any vague hope of convincing Ezra to let her take care of Raef
herself. Fuck. Fucking shit.

"Raef, don't," she said lowly. Being surrounded by
orcs who'd have no problem with cutting off his head was no time to develop a
sassy streak. "Ezra..." she wasn't sure what to say to him. How much
did he know? What did he want? Well. One way to find out. "What's the
story you heard, here?"

**COYOTE**

 Ezra kept smiling.

He never stopped smiling.

“You asked why you couldn’t have the jawbone,” Ezra said
slowly, turning to face Gavi. “Well, let me tell you why.”

He waved his arm at Raef. “Father came to me,” he said. “He
trusts me now. And he gave me a special mission. He told me, this is the
jawbone of a man named Azrael. He betrayed our culture and laid with an elf,
just like your brother did. He married an evil man named Raef Chastain."

Ezra took a step closer to Raef. His voice got louder to
carry over the crowd. "My father told me, \*Raef Chastain wants this
jawbone. I told him I had his husband's bones. I tried to make a deal with Raef
Chastain and be reasonable, but he refused. He will come to steal it from
you."

Ezra paused. It was close to nightfall now, and the orcs
around camp began to light torches and campfires.

"My father told me, Raef Chastain will try to find this
jawbone and take it from you," he said. "And when that happens, you
need to capture that elf. Because this man, this Raef Chastain, has married
your brother, Imesh. Imesh, the False Scion! He who stole the mark of
Gruumsh!" Ezra began to shout, his voice getting louder and louder with every
word. "And when we capture this devil-elf, we'll keep him."

Ezra turned his back on the crowd. He turned to Gavi.

"Now, Gavi," he said. His eyes were cold and hard
and glittering. "Doda. Auntie. Go back to Imesh, the False Scion. And tell
him we have his husband now, just as planned. We will make a deal with him,
because we are fair, unlike lying elves. Tell Imesh: He has two days to come
here and surrender himself. Or we will kill his husband."

**ABBY**

"Ezra--" Gavi started to lift her hand. But what
was she going to say? Imesh loves him. Imesh never chose this. His name is
Griffin, now. He wouldn't care. Speaking up for him would only make them turn
on her.

It felt strange, being on the outside. It was like she was
looking at them through two sets of eyes. Gavriella Spineripper, of the clan
Sarachet, roaring and jeering with the rest of them. They'd get their Scion
back, they'd send a message to any of their own who dared fuck an elf. And
she'd be right in front.

Then there was Gavi. Doda. Ima. Who could only think this
man makes my son feel safe. Could only picture Griffin with his guts torn out.
Or Griffin's face, but Gruumsh behind it. The part of her that looked at her
people, and wanted to throw up.

Which part could she choose? Gavi couldn't chose. So she
didn't. She turned and left, only stopping long enough to grab her javelin--
the crow still stuck on the end of it. She'd deliver the message. And then who
the fuck knew.

**MINK**

She turned.  Raef
hadn't expected her to stay, to keep talking, but something cool and heavy
settled in his chest as he watched her retreat away from him.  Before she was out of earshot, he said
softly, "Make sure he's safe."
He dropped the dagger and lowered his hands.

**COYOTE**

 "Take him," Ezra said.

And they did.

[end]

Title: Ezra. Summary: Gavi and Raef both go to get Az's
jawbone back. Raef gets captured and Gavi is sent back to deliver the message
to Griffin.