Jamie frowned as Lydia rebutted them, evidently terrified that talking to them would just make things worse for her. While the Redcap considered herself far better at handling past embarrassment than this timid merchant was, her recent experience in the arena made it easy for her to sympathize with the poor girl. Even aside from that, Lydia's predicament hit close to home for another reason, as well. That alone was enough to spur Jamie into action. Looking genuinely sympathetic, Jamie took a slow, steady step forward, making sure not to make any sudden movements, so as not to startle the girl.
"Look, Lydia, we really do want to help you. We're workin' for the queen, but we're not with the guards. She asked us to look into who's been doin' this to people. We need your help, okay? Just tell us what happened. We're not gonna tell anyone. We just need somethin' to go on." Jamie murmured softly, so as not to give anyone nearby an idea of what they were talking about. She knew firsthand how little Lydia wanted people to know about what had happened.
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