Wake up! - 1.5

Lex cleared her throat as she stepped forward and pushed her hood back, attracting everyone's attention and clearly exposing the bump on her cheek which twitched and moved as they watched.  "I am a witch," she said.  Not wanting to be left out, Ann held up her hands and pointed at her scales.

The two squires fell back against Sir Kade, who looked disgusted.  He looked back and forth between Lex, Ann, and Red.  "You deserve each other," he finally said as he walked into the tavern, followed closely by his lackeys.

Lex stepped towards Red.  "I'm not actually a witch.  I made a Pact," she said as she pulled her hood back up.  Red nodded, understanding what she meant.  She'd gained her magical powers through a Pact, likely made with an Old God by appearance.  In return for an unspecified amount of service to be paid at some unspecified future date, she had been granted a portion of that God which would slumber in her and slowly awaken, granting her increasing magical powers as she discovered how to make it awaken.  It was a Faustian bargain that people made when they didn't already have magical power yet wanted to attain some more than anything else.

Ann stepped forward and put her hand on her friend's shoulder, directing her attention to Red.  "You have a friend, you said?"

"I do.  His name is Miles.  Let's go get him."  Red directed them to another tavern, more dilapidated than the one they'd stayed in the night before.  They walked up to a room at the back and he held out his scythe.  "Hold this for me, please, you should wait out here for a moment."  He walked in, leaving the door open behind him and the girls could hear the sound of drapes being thrown open and a curt, "Merciful Heavens above, it's not even noon yet and this may be my last weekend to sleep in!"

"Come along Miles," he rasped, "I've found a couple others for our party.  I'd pull your blanket off, but it wouldn't be fair to them."

The two girls looked at each other than stepped over and looked through the doorway to see a good-looking brown-haired man with an arm thrown over his eyes and a woman on either side of him.  A blanket over kept them decent, mostly.  Ann whirled back against the wall, blushing, while Lex stepped in, unclipped a waterskin hidden in a fold of her robe and wordlessly handed it to Red before turning and walking back out of the room.  Red smiled and stepped closer to the bed, rasping, "Miles, my friend, you look thirsty."

"No, don't," Miles called out, "I'm coming, I'm coming."  Red stood watching there for a long minute as Miles gave no sign of actually moving then poured a little of the water onto Mile's ear.  Some splashed onto one of the woman who shrieked, pulled the pillow out from under Mile's head and put it up between them as a shield as the other woman laughed.  Miles groaned and climbed out of the bed over someone as he pulled his clothes on then tucked his tunic into his pants and slowly pulled a thick leather vest on.  He buckled on a rapier and a few other accouterments then picked up a broad brimmed feathered hat and a lute, his eyes clenched mostly shut the whole time.  "Very well, take me to our new partners."