Lady of the Desert (M)

[visualspice]

Zarrah gave a fake smile at his comment, but said nothing. She was tired, exhausted and thought camping there would have been a good idea, except she turned away and simply replied. "Let's keep moving. We won't need to waste time with all this water and protection from the son. Let me grab my clothes and we can head out."

She moved across the way, not caring if he could see her nudity or not as she fetched up her clothes, then moved her back to him again when she was standing in the shallow waters and began pulling on her clothes, well, the bandits clothes anyways.  Rolling up the pants so they rested just below her knees, she did the same to the sleeves, though worked at tearing them off so they wouldn't bog her down int he water, and used some of them to wrap around the injury around her throat, so as to prevent it from rubbing open again from the cheap, rough material of her make shift clothes.

Once secure, she said nothing to signal they should press on now, but that's what she was doing, moving silently through the waters as she made her way into the dark pit of the caverns.  That's when she called back to him. "You should probably get the lamp."

But said no more as she waded through the darkness.

[Lion]

[haha.  Son.]

She didn't have to say anything to get the answer he expected.  There was nothing too say!  What do you say to the man who apologized but clearly was not going to let you go no matter what happened?  She had no reason to answer him and he could understand.  But that still didn't mean it didn't piss him off.  But it was a futile anger, quite short lived as he reached for the fallen lantern that surprisingly hadn't become smashed upon their fall.

He snatched it up and stayed close to her as they followed the current.  Castor, already being quite wet, waded through the stream, keeping up with her as they followed the path outward.  They would both have to hunch as the tunnel abruptly was getting lower, the rocks around them alive with moss and algae.  The stream suddenly flowed into a pile of rocks.  The tunnel stopped there.

Castor crouched and dropped the lantern by the side of it.  There the light drifted up, losing itself into the darkness of the cavern ceiling.  However, something caught him from the corner of his eye.  He looked up, seeing the tiniest circle of red light pour in from a small hole.  Castor grabbed the lamp again and stepped closer, revealing a pile of boulders leading up to their first, and perhaps only way out.  "C'mon!" he said, motioning for her to follow, as Castor began to scale them.

His heart was racing with excitement and it was certainly a lot better than staying in this filthy forgotten cave.

[visualspice]

Zarrah craned her neck.  Did he really think that could lead them out? Zarrah would have assumed they went the wrong way when she too, spotted the thin line of daylight.

"Even if we scale that wall, you expect us to fit through that small hole?" she questioned, but who knew, he had the strength to punch holes through men and explode their heads, so why couldn't wonder boy just 'make' them a way out. 
After watching him, she finally joined behind him, but climbed more slowly and carefully than he.  Once they reached the upper edge, it was quite and awkward location, thinly running along the wall as she peered down at the waters below.

Turning around, she crouched behind Castor to examine the small hole, then looked around to see if there was anything else like it, but as she moved to examine another tiny crack, her footing gave out beneath her and she began to fall...

[Lion]

He had no time to answer her, when the smile on his face deafened him to anything but the sight of freedom.  There was nothing greater to him, not of the flesh or of the glint of gold, that could persuade him that there was anything more glorious than the sun, the air, and the earth beneath it, away from the squalor of being trapped in the darkness below.

He was about to reach for the light, reddened with the rising sun, despite the warning of its heat.  Castor's expression changed when he detected the tumbling of something slipping on rock, however.  It was like time slowed as he turned around and saw Zarrah vaguely in the light.  He let go of his place on another boulder and dropped himself onto his belly in an attempt to catch her hand, but his hand only closed around air.

And he could only watch as gravity took her, and could only hope that she could break her own fall...without breaking her neck.  "Are you all right?" he yelled out, only managing to see her form vaguely in the darkness down below.

[visualspice]

She managed to break most of her fall, curling into herself as she tumbled and landed by kicking off the rocks to slow herself until she broke and fell back into the waters, catching herself by her arms as her black hair fell over her shoulder.
Closing her eyes, she tried to steel her frustrations, but it was proving difficult. She was tired, no- exhausted, and now she'd have to climb all the way back to the top of that damn pile of rocks.

"I'll live," She spat back, it being evident she was in a foul mood. She trudged back through the water and began her slippery ascent, when, fingers kept tripping up on rocks, and the second climb up seemed more impossible than the first. When she made it to the top, she looked anything but happy as she let out a sigh and stood behind Castor.

"Let's just get out of this damn cage, shall we,"S he said, turning away, a frown deepening on her face as she crossed her arms over her chest. She really just wanted to get out of here and find somewhere to rest. The day had been far too long and trying,- she couldn't imagine how Castor was feeling, after all, he did have to drag her around when they were running from sandworms.

[Lion]

She was visibly upset, that was understandable.  He could only be bewildered as to how she slipped in the first place, but maybe she just didn't have the gripping power he did.  She almost seemed irritated at him.  Castor grumbled to himself about stupid warriors tripping over themselves and having the nerve to be angry.  "Well, it's not like it's my fault you tripped," he commented, climbing back to his former position.  He peered through the hole again, it was big enough to put his hands through it.

Within seconds a fist came through, knocking rock left and right.  Then another as Castor did indeed make it large enough to fit through.  When it was big enough to stand in, the hole leading out to a gently sloping hill that rolled down to the dunes below, Castor stood to the side, leaning against the exit, looking out to the sun as it slowly began to rise.  It was one of the most beautiful things he'd ever seen, the wind calming and blowing against his skin and hair.  He was filthy, covered in the dirt and dust of the cave, even after the stream.

Castor stepped out of the exit, and proceeded to scamper down the slope, sliding on rocks here and there.  In the distance, plainly in sight, he could see something that resembled trees.  That must have been the oasis she spoke of.  If it was this close, than that truly was were the water led.  Castor couldn't get there fast enough.

[visualspice]

Where he saw freedom, and a hopeful future towards his freedom, she only saw them being one step closer to being back in chains.  She had been to this oasis before and knew it was one the city folk frequented.  She took her time, staring off at the vastness of the world, at the eternal ocean of sands and rock before she began to descend. 

She was tired, irritable, and wanted nothing more to do with Castor. Although it had been fun, and she was stinging with remorse, the acidic taste for revenge was returning, heating her veins. She would never get her chance if she turned soft now and turned herself in...
Her eyes looked lethally towards the oasis.

Perhaps her change of heart might not ever happen. She had nothing to live for, and only left a trail of sin in her wake, and it seemed her current companion would so easily be done with her- he made sure to point that out on more than one occasion.  She supposed it was fun while it lasted.  It was then she felt something in the pocket of her clothing and realized she had a knife.

Smirking, she left it alone and proceeded to follow Castor.
The game wasn't up yet, and it seemed the Oasis was looking all the more pleasing as the two approached.


Sand dusted behind them as they neared the fresh smelling Oasis. It was a wonder how different the Oasis could smell compared to the desert. One second you're in air that's dry and hot and merciless and the next, you're stepping inside a cool, refreshing shaded area dotted with  trees that rustled softly over head, their shadows dancing across Zarrah as she moved through it.  The small stream only ran for about half  a mile before disappearing into the desert again, and she was surprised this Oasis was empty.

There wasn't a person in sight.

Granted, the sun had only just begun to rise, it's colors turning the once black night into a rich, blood red hue.  It was as beautiful as any Oasis hoped to be, and like most, it had a few areas open where the women of the nearby villages could stop by to do their laundry and washing, and this one in particular was a favorite spot for laundry, this being evident in the ropes hanging between the trees, and even a few had a couple garments still clung to them-

One being a rather lovely violet clothe, which Zarrah approached and admired the way it carried lightly in the wind.  It would make a lovely wrapped dress, as such was the fashion to those who could afford such silk and color.

[Lion]

The oasis was a much welcomed sight compared to the barricade of the cave.  Castor had spent his life underground long enough to last well more than the three decades of his years, and the misery there-in...that was enough to last a hundred lifetimes and more.  He never wanted to be trapped in the darkness again, and while he was in there he had a fleeting thought to the man he called father, drunk in the mines, singing a song as he ofttimes did, and falling...falling so far so hard to become a mangled mess at the bottom of an abandoned shaft.  He didn't see his body, but his mother did.  He remembered how shaken she was. Maybe he wasn't the best husband in the world, they fought constantly, but she loved him despite his flaws, wished he could change.  But then...

Castor shoved the thought from his mind.  The sun, though young, had already made him break out into a sweat and Castor jog-walked to the welcome shade the oasis offered.  It was evident the oasis was often in use the travelers or people that lived in the city nearby.  It was wide and large, flourished in vegetation and growth.  As they approached, Castor was possessed by the smell of not only fresh, cool water, but of the fruit that grew in abundance.  There were empty stems were they had been plucked and left over peelings where they'd been savored.

Luckily, it seemed vacant and Castor finally slowed his pace as he made his final approach, washed over by coolness of the water.  He was beaming, again.  He'd never take water for granted again.  But instead of rushing to the pool, he stayed to the side, straying toward a tree with hanging fruit, reddened and rip for the picking.  He pulled it gently, careful not to crush it in his grasp.  Without further adieu, he sunk his teeth into it, the taste sweet and life giving.

Here, even with the sun out, was where he wanted to rest most of all.

[visualspice]

Leaving the violet clothe alone, she turned back towards Castor, observing him reveling in the Oasis.  Many men and women alike, had similar expressions when coming upon these small, desert paradises, but the look Castor wore... she had to wonder, but cast the thought aside as she slowly approached him.

"You know those are poisoned." she replied with a smirk as she approached, stealing a fruit for herself and sinking her own teeth into it.  "But since I'm a murderous witch, poison doesn't affect me." Her remark was smart and meant to cut at him again, but in a darker humored sort of way.  The fruits always tasted the best in the oasis, and she wiped the dribbling juices off on her sleeve.

Moving away from him, she examined their surroundings.  She felt anxious, knowing people might be arriving soon to do their daily washing.  But that's when it occurred to her, she looked nothing like the Lady of the Desert, the lethal lady of legend.

Walking away, she had no desire to linger any longer around Castor.  Their idle chit-chat was making her irritable, and also restless.  In a place that was a small slice of paradise, it had become a place of limbo for Zarrah.  Also, at any moment, she could find multiple ways of escaping.  As she finished her fruit, she wasn't sure why she hadn't turned tail and run, but she knew her body was exhausted and she needed rest-

but most of all, she needed to get away from Castor.
And so it was decided, a few quick glances around the Oasis and she already knew his fate.

Yes, the women would be coming soon.
Letting the seed of the fruit fall from her fingers, she continued to merely walk away from Castor, hoping to catch his attention that she wasn't about to stick around him- and if she didn't capture his attention when she disappeared, all the better....

Either way, she was going to put her plan into action.  As much as they had been through together, she was not about to give herself up so easily.

[Lion]

In the wake of their companionship, Castor almost forgot she was his victim.  He had a job to do and there was only one way to go do it, and that was to get it done.  Where she was dreaming dreams of escape, Castor knew they were enemies, and he could not let himself forget that.  He watched her like a wolf eying his prey, as he bit into the fruit yet again, her words ringing in is ear.  "I'll take my chances," he replied and leaned against a tree, continuing to eat as if it were just another day in the desert.

Castor was watching her with hawk-like eyes as he discarded the peeling on the floor, having no real place to discard it.  He was satisfied, tired and sweaty, but not an idiot.  He could see her stepping away, and as he wached her, saying nothing at all, he crossed his arms over his chest and looked at the ground almost negligently.

"You try to run," he said, "but you and I both know you won't get far.  I intend to deliver you alive, though maybe not so well.  You saw what I did to those men.  Just because I saved your life doesn't mean I won't be afraid to use my power on you." He said.  The ice in his eyes hardened and darkened and he no longer felt any remorse about her destined fate.  The Relic was all he cared about.  He needed that Relic, lest the demon drag him to hell.

"Take another step away, I'll rip your arm from your body," he said dangerously, uncrossing his arms and poised for the attack.

[visualspice]

Ah, there it was.  She smiled at the cruelty of the situation but kept walking.
"I'll take my chances,"s he told him with a playful wink, meant to be a blow at his callousness, and kept walking away. She wasn't even going anywhere in particular, nor did she make a dart to get away from him. If he wanted to play that game with her, so be it.  If he killed her-
she'd just come back.... and she doubted she'd be worth as much missing an arm.


and the cycle would go on, never ending until the last life was spent.


Then she paused at the very edge of the Oasis, staring out towards the city, seeing it just off on the horizon, and even saw the faint specs of a few travelers heading their way.  She wandered how long it'd take Castor to race after her, shake her like a rag doll and demand she listen to him.

Yes, it was about time to have some fun.  She wasn't known as a fox, a vixen, a desert ghost and mystery for nothing....

[Lion]

"You're running out of warnings, woman," Castor addressed her.  He took a step closer for every step she took back.  She was dancing with his mind, toying with him, and for that it only served to make him even more angry at her, but unless she actually bolted off or was about to attack him, he didn't know if he could control his rage enough to not kill her.  Then again, he thought, the contract was for her to be alive.  Not quite in one piece.  He'd have to take his chances with that.

Saying nothing, Castor stalked forward, ready to close the distance between them.  "I tire of games and if you think you can slink away, you've got another thing coming.  I walk in chains every day, and I'm not about to let the only thing that can get me closer to my freedom," he bellowed his face turning red, eyes feral.  "You're coming with me to the city!  And if I so happen to kill you, they'll just have to be satisfied with that."

[visualspice]

"Oh, so the truth comes out?" she replied coyly, though did not stop her casual advances through the trees and ferns.  "So you're wanting your own freedom by costing me my own? But I suppose it's only appropriate that one murderer exchanges their life for another. After all, we, who bend the rules, often fall prey to them.  It's an area, a shade of grey." Zarrah continued, still weaving through the trees.

Just a little bit longer, she thought. If I can survive enough to make it just over past the next set of trees...

Thankfully she was moving swiftly, never turning her back on the approaching man. She could sense his anger and it burned at the back of her neck in warning. SHe knew very well she was playing with fire.

And if he as fire, she'd be the water to snuff him out.

Treading lightly, and making sure not to draw any attention, she crossed over a roped foot trap, and hoped her hungry lion would take the bait.

It was here, against an out cropping of trees she leaned against them, staring over at the horizon. The moment of truth would arrive soon enough-
either he'd become the fool and fall right into her cunning trap-

Or she'd been torn to pieces like those men who sought to harm her.


Either way, Castor would get what was coming to him. And she'd feel bad, if he suddenly didn't turn into some feral animal of prey.

"It's beautiful," she commented lightly, looking at the sands.  "How vast and open the world is when you're allowed to explore it.  The way the sun paints the sky unto day, even the deadly heat, the chill of the night and stars... " She closed her eyes, listened to his approach... and waited.

[Lion]

"You don't understand," Castor explained, gritting his teeth.  "The master that holds me is unlike any you've encountered.  If I don't find that Relic..."

How she was infuriating him!  Castor didn't know whether he would be capable of stopping himself if he charged after her, ready to tear her to pieces.  But the more she toyed with him, the madder he got.  Castor stopped his advance however, just before the animal trap and paused.  "You're going to allow an insolent bitch like her get the better of you?" chided a voice in his head.  The Demon spoke in words and whispers that tangled in his mind and Castor was having difficulty concentrating.

He began to feel woozy, and he held onto a tree trunk to hold himself lest he fall over.  His head was spinning and suddenly, he doubled over on the ground, clutching his head between his powerful hands, moaning in agony.  A high pitched sound that only he could hear was screeching in his ears.  Castor cried out,  his mind in pain, his eyes burning as if they were being drenched in hot tar.

"You weak pitiful thing," the voice growled.  "You're more wretched than an insect, deserving of no mercy!"

"Stop!  Please!" he wailed.  "Stop!"  But there was nothing he could do as the Demon grabbed hold of him.  Castor writhed and twisted on the ground until he could stand no more.  His eyes, in one final moment of focus, honed in on Zarrah, looking desolate, desperate, empty.  At long last he passed out on the ground, exhausted but alive.

[visualspice]

As he went on, trying to angrily explain to her his situation, she continued to ignore him, staring off towards the distance.  She'd rather not look at him if he was about to tear her to pieces, but then she thought she heard something- Did he fall, collapse?  Then another noise, much like a struggle lured her to turn around.

Zarrah couldn't believe what she was seeing, the man now on his knees, clutching his head.  Was he in pain? It sure looked like it, but why?
"Castor?" As his eyes looked at, and his consciousness began to fade, all she could do was stare at him until he passed out into a heap on the ground.

Her eyes narrowed on him.
"This better not be a pathetic trick,"s he muttered, knowing full well he collapsed mere inches from her trap.  If she wanted to escape, now was the time to do it, as she cautiously approached, ensuring to step through the trap, not on top of it as she reached Castor's side.

She studied him a moment, looking down at his body. His face was still wrinkled in pain.  Whatever had happened to him must've hurt. She kicked him lightly with her boot.
"Castor?" she said, but when he didn't stir, she got to her knees, her hair falling over her face, which she cast aside in one sweeping motion and studied him.
"Castor?" she said again, her voice low and gentle, but also cautious.  She looked down to his chest, but it was hard to tell if he was breathing.

Leaning over, she rested her ear against his chest, and felt his breath, his warmth- she even felt the beating of his heart, which was seemed to be angrily pounding away inside his chest.
Lifting her head up, her black hair still remained folded across his chest as she looked at his face., studying him curiously.

She could only deduce what could have happened to him was internal.
"You know if you're trying to trick me into becoming your prisoner again, I'm right here," she told him playfully, even wearing a smile, but when he did not stir, her expression fell.  "And here I thought he was going to tear my arm off," she said with a sigh and glanced around to see if anyone could have been responsible for this, but again, the only noise was the gentle rustle of a morning breeze caressing the vegetation that grew heavily in the oasis, and the occasional flapping of the vacated purple cloth.

He was far too heavy to drag anywhere, so it looked like Castor would have to sleep off whatever it was that over came him, though, perhaps, she thought, it might serve him right to have hurt himself with his own anger.  He was, after all, a bit more than just frightening when he got upset.

She remained at his side however, taking a moment to study his features, from the strength of his muscles, to the handsome features of his face and trim cut of his hair.  She even took a moment to gently stroke his cheek with a sad smile.
"Too bad we didn't find one another under different circumstance,"she said out loud, though knew it probably wouldn't have matter. This man had only one objective- that artifact and it seemed to be the only thing that got him going in the morning.

Smirking, she noticed the rope nearby.  Dropping her face close to his, smile smiled, breathing lightly over her lips and spoke to him, hoovering over his lips as if she was about to kiss him.
"You'll forgive me when you wake up for taking advantage of such an opportunity at my own freedom now, won't you?"  She even considered that kiss, but only smirked and pulled herself away, her scent lingering across his form as she made quick work to fetch up the rope.  It was only then she paused to consider their scenario.

"Well, I can't leave him here without so much as a goodbye," she thought to herself, then smirked when she got an idea. She knew she couldn't leave him a letter, but figured to leave him with one thing better.
In a few quick motions, his clothing was discarded, folded neatly into a pile. She left his boots on, and his the "chains" around his wrists (though, truthfully when she tried to move them, they would not budge, but figured just to ignore them) as she went back to her work, biding his legs together with the rope from the trap.


Smirking at her handy work, and the way he looked naked, (which she took a moment to appreciate), she then turned away and looked for something nearby.
That's when she noticed a wooden ladel and she got a wicked idea.

Perhaps she would get a chance to say goodbye.  Filling the ladle with water, she returned and stood over Castor, once again, appreciating her efforts before tossing the cold water on his head.

"Castor," her voice almost purred as she tried to goad his attentions.  "You should really wake up..."  She couldn't help herself but want to stick around to see his pride, thwarted, as he would become swept up and away into her trap.

Backing away, she placed one hand to her hip and smiled at him, waiting patiently like a coy cat for him to wake.


OOC: She's horrible, lol.

[Lion]

Castor did not feel himself being moved, lifted, or undressed.  His mind was blank, he was lost somewhere in the oblivion of nothingness that came with the torment he'd endured.  There was no war, no peace, no pain, no love, no hate, no anger.  Just cold emptiness.  Then something shocked him on his head and he took a sudden deep breath.  He jerked awake, gasping for air, his arms flailing towards the ground.

His head felt heavy, his face felt as if it was being pulled toward the ground.  He looked up to what was now down, seeing the sand and soil before him.  Wait?  What!?  Castor pulled his head up, seeing his booted feet had been bound by a thick rope, likely that set by a hunter.  As he realized just what happened, Castor saw Zarrah and lunged a hand at her in futility.  "Godsdammit!" he howled.  "Let me down!"

Of course, he didn't expect her to listen to him.  And that only served to make him even more angry.  Castor growled and wriggled his feet against the rope, trying to loosen it.  He grunted, having to double take once more as he realized he was in fact naked.  Well, mostly.  Why had she even bothered to leave his boots on?  "What the hell is wrong with you?  Did you really have to undress me?"  Castor bellowed.  "You have at least left my underclothes on!"

[visualspice]

"There's a group of ladies that comes to this spot every day to do their laundry." she simply replied, smirking devilishly as she watched him struggle, her eyes taking in his body appreciatively.  "Their a lively bunch, pretty nice companions to know when you're low on supplies." her eyes flickered playfully as she watched Castor.
"I just thought I'd leave you as you are now, to make things a bit more... interesting." she informed him, her smile becoming wider. "Besides, what's the shame of having a good body if nobody can look at it." she told him with a shrug.
"Do you really want me to cut you down so that you can hand me over to those wretched scumbags you work for?" she smirked at the thought.  "Now, don't be angry with me.  It's a dog eat dog world out there, and if you're not quick or clever enough, why, you'll end up like the sad, pathetic murderess prowling about the deserts."  With a smirk, she evaded his hands if he thought to grab her but produced her knife to his throat.

"Now, don't try anything too funny and I'll let you have a chance to escape before those women get a hold of you." she grinned as she moved nearer to him, a hand lightly caressing the side of his face.
"It's a shame I'll never see you again." she said, and decided to leave him with a most genuine of parting gifts, as she leaned forward, lips sealing to his in a most needed, heated and intoxicating of kisses. She hadn't kissed a man like that in ages, and when she pulled away, she dropped the knife, just so it was inches out of his reach beneath his head.

"Be gentle to the ladies that find you now," she said with a grin, then tossed the violet clothe hse had procured over her shoulder.  She had takne the time, when he had been unconscious, to change into a more appropriate attire, a wrapped dress, made of that fine silk she had procured hanging on an abandonned rope.

"ANd the women won't bite," she informed him, taking another fruit as she stepped towards the ends of the Oasis. "Well, at least not hard."
Smirkig, she gave him one last look before she might very well have disappeared from his life...

forever.


Barely half an hour later, the women that regulared the Oasis had quite the shock in deed, dropping their baskets as they gaped at the very handsome, well muscled and naked man just hanging off of a tree.
The largest women picked up her basket first, hugging it to her hip as she grinned.

"Well, well, well ladies, looks like our dreams have come true," she giggled, moving towards the hanging men.  "So who wants to play with him before we cut him down?" she said, snatching up the knife Zarrah had abandonned a she neared where Castor hung.

"Say deary, let me know if your a virgin alright?" she said with a bellied laugh. These women were hardly innocent, especially in they way they flirted and eyed up the hung man.


Zarrah's plan had been wicked..
wicked indeed!
but at least the women were harmless, after toying with him (playfully) they would eventually let him go, but she knew they'd all give him a hard time.

"SO, mind explainin' yourself before we cut you down? Is it another sad tale comin' across that Lady of the Desert?" the hefty women said with a grin, tapping her thigh iwth the knife.

[Lion]

Castor grit his teeth, well and thoroughly enraged.  If there was some other world where such an anger would cause certain death, indeed Castor might have died from a heart attack.  His pressure was dangerously high and it didn't help that he was upside down.  He swore under his breath and knew exactly what he would do to he if ever he had the opportunity to capture her again.  She would regret the day she hung him in such a way.  He tried to reach for her again just when she danced away from him and he growled in impotent rage.

"You stupid bitch," he grumbled, seething. He spat at her only to receive a blade to his throat.  He wasn't afraid of her steel.  In fact he well and thoroughly invited the knife to end his misery if only it meant the end of her enjoyment.  "I will find you.  And when I do...you'll regret the day you met me.  You won't have skin left on your back!"  But that was all he could say before her mouth met his in a heated kiss.  He only grimaced at her affections, and wiped his lips from the slobber she left behind.  That however, couldn't remove the tingling sensations, that remained in heir wake, a warmth entirely separate from his anger.

He was left hollering as she departed, leaving him to rot in the oasis.  Castor hung there, trying to find a way to reach that wretched knife when, a half hour later, true to Zarrah's promise, arrived three women with their laundry baskets, wandering into the Oasis.  Castor let his fury steel him from any embarrassment he might have felt from being seen in his barest of attire.

Despite their laughter, Castor only frowned.  "I don't have to explain anything to you, cow," Castor snapped at the hefty woman.  She only laughed at him and glanced back at her companions and waved the knife as if he were a child that just had his candy taken away from him.  "I don't suppose you're looking for this?" she mocked.  "It's right here.  Just reach for it.  You've got a lot of nerve for a man hanging from a tree as bare as a newborn babe."

"Don't mock me.  You either help me or you don't."  More laughter.  "Fine!  I'll get myself out.  I'm going to kill that stupid tramp!"  Castor leaned back and gave a hearty enough shove to loop forward.  He found strength enough to pull himself up, and as he did so, another woman ran underneath him and slapped him hard on the behind.  "HEY!"  Castor eventually reached his feet and snapped the rope with his grip, falling hard on the ground.  He unbound himself and got up.

"Get away from me!" he bellowed, as he scrambled for his clothes, finally blushing from all the unwanted attention.  He stuffed himself into them, kicking sand at the women when he finally had them on.  They just laughed at him all the more as he ran toward the direction of the city full throttle.

Oh, he'd kill her!  Lady of the Desert his ass!

[visualspice]

OOC: Bwahahahaha


IC:
Zarrah made good use of her time, putting as much distance between her and her would be capturer. It wasn't time for her to be subdued just yet, especially not when a fresh band of slaves was being paraded through town.  A group of pitiful looking scraps they were: dirty men, women and children a like, looking sadly around the city that was to be their next destination in life.

Not all slaves were treated badly, perhaps the pretty ones would have been as lucky as Zarrah had been, and live the life as more of a sexual slave, rather than one that was beaten and worked all day, but both sides had their consquences and neither option was ever pretty.


Zarrah had taken a lot of effort to blend in with the bustle of the village, keeping close tags on the cart of people to where she followed it, watching where it was parked beneath a manor-
and the particular manor of the man whom she despised.

Was Carnavus up to his old tricks? And did he really have the money to purchase all of these slaves?

not that she cared, all she needed was a minute, the guards to be distracted and that's exactly what she got.
It didn't take much effort to seduce the man into the alley way, and she had kissed him, much like she had kissed Castor before pulling a knife blade across his throat, the warm blood spilling between her fingers.
She hissed and worked at wiping off the evidence before peering back into the street.  No one was watching..
She pulled her scarf around her mouth and made off with the guards set of keys.
Approaching the cart, she hastily worked at unlocking it.

"Quick, make a run for it," she told them, but the worn people only stared at her.
"Quick, before somebody sees!"


And it wasn't long before chaos ensued, working breaking out the Lady of the Desert (or, something of the sort) had done it again-
Slaves were on the lose, being hunted through the streets as they attempted to make their get away-
though a few were left dead in their pursuits, Zarrah kept a close watch, helping where she could..


All the while knowing full well Castor could be arriving in town at any moment, and so she was to be sure to keep herself out of clear- or, at least out of direct lime light as she skirted pass a group of men, going by unnoticed.

She smiled as she heard them talk about her.
At least she had some good in her- despite all of her killing, the fact some of those slaves could not go off onto freedom....

She stared up at the sun, the day was getting hotter. She'd have to find somewhere to rest soon. Peering over towards the direction of the Oasis, she wondered how Castor was fairing now...

[Lion]

By the time he made he made it to the city entrance, Castor was covered in sweat, clothes drenched well through.  The leather of his tunic was slick with it and he walked into the city breathing hard, as if he’d just run a marathon.  He ignored the speculative looks they gave him as he wandered through the streets, looking for the Sword and Saber Inn as it was called.  That was where his contact told him to meet him.  Castor could not have looked more worse for wear even if he’d successfully brought his target to the inn.

The desert heat had taken its toll on the gauntleted man, he looked haggard.  Like an animal that had long been trapped in a cage and had finally given its chance at freedom only to have the bars smashed into its face once more.  Castor’s shoulders were slumped, heavy, as if a great burden had been heaved onto them.  He walked into the Sword and Saber with a few glances his way, but he already knew where the man was waiting for him.

He was a bearded man, robed in glorious cloths of silk, immaculate white despite the dust surrounding the city.  He was slender in build and his black curly hair was covered in a white cap.  He sipped a small cup of tea and was reading something a book when Castor burst into the curtained back room.  He didn’t need to turn around to know it was him and simply motioned him forward.  “Please, sit.  Have some tea,” the contact said.

Castor approached him slowly, unsure how to break the news to him.  But the man looked at him from the book first.  “I see you are alone.  This doesn’t look good for you,” he murmured gently in this thick accent.  “It’s all right.  I should have known you would have more success chasing after the wind.”

Castor slammed a fist on the table, cracking it upon impact.  “I had her in my grasp.  But I’ll find her I promise.  And when I do you better have that map.  I need that map.  Please, just give me one more chance, Sarfeir.  I’ll find her.  She won’t escape again.”

Sarfeir shook his head and uncrossed his legs.  He closed his books and took his final sip of tea.  “You know that was not a part of our deal, Mr. Bain.  You were supposed to bring her here, more or less alive.  This is my final day in town.  I will not be returning for several months.  Mr. Carnavus will not be happy with your failure.  And as a result, you will not be rewarded with the map.  I do not have it with me, so do think you can rob me.”

Castor stopped him right there.  “If you didn’t have it with you, how would I have known that you would have given it to me in the first place?”

“You will never now, Mr. Bain.  I’m afraid, I must go now.  You will do best to remember this in the future.”  Sarfeir stood, pocketed his book in his robe and bowed genteely to Castor.  “Good bye.  It was…interesting doing business with you.”

Castor grit his teeth in desperation.  He reached for the cup of tea that the man had been drinking, and crumpled it to dust in his grasp, before throwing it to a wall.  “Sarfeir!” he called, but the man didn’t turn back, and departed through the curtain.  As he left, Castor got up from the table, leaning over it.  But Sarfeir had said something that caught his attention.  There was that name again.

Carnavus.  Was that who really had the map?  Castor looked in the direction of the curtain.  He knew who he had to find then.