[SRP] At Death's Door

[Lightascetic]

Before she knew it, Fred and Ingrid were closing in. The man was fairly quick to remove himself from Anka, though she couldn't quite bring herself to stand as she nursed her mid-section. The shady man's tone of voice and demeanor didn't give him away as much of a killer. She blushed at his words, turning her face to the ground to hide her reddened cheeks.

"Thank you, Ingrid." Anka whispered, accepting her outstretched hand in order to return to her feet. She heeded Fred's words with a distinct nod. "I would at least like to know his name, in case we cross him again. What were you doing up that tree?"

As he answered, the door to the Mayor's house swung open, torchlight filling the yard. Anka froze, unable to take cover like the stealthy man had already had the sense to do.

"You again?!" Peter exclaimed, stepping onto the porch but not leaving the safety of the house. "I thought the guards dealt with you already." He shouted, eyeing Fred and Ingrid with disdain. Before he had the chance to rattle any longer, a taller, plumper and older man emerged behind Peter.

"Now son, let's not wake all the babes in the village." He clasped Peter on the shoulder firmly, cutting off his son's voice. The mayor peeled his eyes to get a better look at Anka amidst the gloom. "I am sure you mean no harm, dancer, but you cannot harass my son like this. I'll turn my head the other way this one time, but if you bother us again, I'll have no choice but to have you removed from Silverglen." He said in a fair tone, turning his son back inside.

"You don't understand, he's in danger!! I saw him... Well, he's not safe right now, and-" Anka spluttered, stepping towards the doorway as the Mayor calmly raised a finger to his lips. With Anka silenced, he motioned with his hand for them to leave before shutting the door, plunging the four into relative darkness once more.

"This can't be the end... There must be more I can do." Anka muttered, pacing gradually away from the property. "This man isn't the threat. Normally when a vision comes to pass, I feel it... shift, like a shiver." Crestfallen, Anka gazed up at the night sky, wondering what she could do next to prevent Peter's death.

"There's no way I can tell what's going to kill him. So, I guess we just have to make him as safe as possible." Anka thought aloud, hoping the others weren't finished in their assistance. With the night becoming ever-more quiet, there wasn't much they could do now. "We should go back to the inn, we should be able to make a plan there."

Protecting someone that didn't want to be protected was going to be difficult.