IN MOUNTAINS MADE OF ASH —//this was way longer than intended lol. basically the last paragraph is important, the rest is just explaining her backstory and motives and stuff haha

Iona could remember it all. She didn't dwell on it, though. There were plenty on both sides that had memories just as horrible as her own, regardless of what side they'd fallen to. Her family had been peaceful. They hadn't attracted attention, they hadn't been warriors. But then the war ended up on their farm. There had been a list of accusations against them but Iona had never been able to picture her parents as the type to harbor criminals or whatever else they were accused of. She had only been a child then and didn't understand everything that'd happened. All she knew was that she'd been walking home when she saw the flames and heard the screams of her family. She had turned and ran. She dropped the baskets she was carrying and never looked back. She now held great shame for the moment, when she turned her back without a thought on the people she loved the most. She told herself that they'd been such a long time ago now, it didn't matter. There were plenty with stories like her's, she wasn't special. The basic instinct to survive had won out sentiment and even now she wasn't sure if she'd be able to say that had changed much.

She'd gone back to look for them but all she found was death and destruction. She'd found her mother's body and that had been enough for her. She assumed the rest were dead and turned away, walking from their farm for one last time. The events following that were a blur of activity and grief and pain. She had learned how to survive on her own, learning how to deftly move in the shadows and the places no one looked. She was too small to simply fight her enemies, she had to outsmart them. With the chaos that spread throughout their land, no one paid mind to a few missing loaves or coins. Then, of course, it escalated. Entire towns seemed to be missing significant amounts of resources and money, and not just from the soldiers and fighting that swept by. There were entire shipments that never arrived, ships that were missing most of their stock. It was quiet business, but a growing one. Iona had no interest in the wealth of it all, no. That wasn't what she wanted.

Money wasn't a consistent currency, it could change or dip in value with the whims of the stocks and the rulers. No, she wanted information. So, she stayed guarded and learned what she knew on her own. She couldn't say why though. Some would say she sought revenge for what happened to her family and perhaps that was part of it. There was certainly a fire that burned in her against those that'd taken them from her but she placed most of the blame that night on herself. Everyone had a reason for everything they did and she wanted to find those reasons but she couldn't even identify her own. Perhaps it was she didn't want to be a helpless girl caught in a war again. She knew too much for her enemies to kill her, she held valuable information and was known to trade for the right price, and she knew too much for them to threaten her because there was nothing stopping her from destroying them from the inside out.   

It was nice but not what she wanted. She hadn't made a proper name for herself. Criminals that did that were idiots. Why build up such a reputation and then give away some of your information or allow people to identify you? Why given a unifying name to a ghost that wasn't meant to be tracked? There were many names for her in different towns, some of which were fake ones that she offered in order to do business with the locals or put on a friendly air or get more information, and some of which were made for the wind that blew into town and took with it all precious items it could find. She didn't know most of them and, honestly, didn't care to know most of them. Now, though, she wanted things to be different. It wasn't that she was trying to be better, but she did want some kind of direction. She'd been alone for so long and even she was susceptible to loneliness. She'd heard of the official split of the kingdom and knew she'd never be useful for the righteous leaders that sat in Griffingate so she came here instead. Blackfall.  She wasn't sure about how she felt about being tied to any location or pledging her 'loyalty' (whatever that meant to her. She didn't like to think about it too much). However, it would be a nice place to stop. Besides, there was business here and there was always money to made for someone like her where business was booming. If she didn't like it, she'd take what she needed and be off. If she did, maybe she'd stick around for awhile longer.

She had passed the castle long ago and now entered the city itself, her eyes following the large buildings in interest. The streets were mostly empty now and she began to question whether or not anyone was truly here but then she heard the buzz of activity. The docks. Likely a place where she'd be spending most of her time, whether she traded or not. It was easy to slip things from unsuspecting victims in large crowds, after all. She wasn't really the sort for petty thievery anymore, though. What a shame, in her early days she would have loved a place like this. Silently, her feet carried her towards the noise. —AND CLOUDS OF SMOKE

"SPEECH"

Amren had been watching the pair from a short distance away, arms crossed over her chest as she weighed her options: continue lurking in the shadows as she got a true feel for this Iona person or, make an introduction the only way she knew how. At least Cain had approached the new girl first, most likely attempting to ensnare her with that easy charm of his. He quite liked to talk, she had noticed, and it seemed as if almost everyone dutifully listened. Even she did, to some degree (much to her chagrin) and perpetually felt strangely intrigued by her commander.

[b][color=#414a4c]"Hello, girl," Came her sudden greeting, a feline smirk curving her lips as she found her place on the other side of Iona. Her words weren't nearly as friendly as Cain's but it was obvious that she didn't care, hands finding a way to rest upon her hips as she continued to walk with them. [color=#414a4c]"My name's Amren. You're obviously new here. Where did you come from? Why?" She fired off her questions carelessly, unbothered by the simple fact that she could be infringing upon this stranger's privacy. She had never been one to care much for others and the faster that everyone - including newcomers - understood that, the better.