Alarra stared up at the sign for the Peaches n Cream Brothel, the rain thundering around her and wondered how she had gotten herself in the mess she was in. Truth be told she didn’t really wonder why, she knew. She had, in her father’s eyes anyway, committed the sin of love. Noble girls did not fall in love; they were to marry someone who would be beneficial for the family financial and power wise. And you certainly did not fall in love with the son of a rival family.
For that she had been disowned and through her clothes were now ragged from all the travelling she had done it was not exactly unnoticeable that she was of noble birth and because of that no-one would employ her fearing she was a fugitive or would be spoilt and lazy. Alarra sighed; she had been left with only one real option, the profession that didn’t care where you came from.
On the bright side it would anger her father greatly if he discovered his only daughter had become a prostitute. That certainly would not do any good for the family’s reputation. Alarra smiled bitterly at that thought, she knew she shouldn’t want revenge on her father she was a lady after all but she couldn’t help but hate him. He had disowned and her and planned on telling everyone that her lover, Guise had raped her and the shock had caused her to join a convent. Who knew what would happen to Guise.
Alarra looked again at the sign, she had been staring at it for about half an hour already and at the same time racking her brains for any other solution, even though she knew there wasn’t one. Well except maybe becoming a bounty hunter. She didn’t want to kill though and being female she knew she wouldn’t be taken seriously anyway.
She was broken from her musings when an old woman passed muttering something about how the whores should be in the building not loitering outside in this weather. Alarra laughed internally, someone thought she was a whore already.
She got up from the ground, her mind now made up. She would no longer be Lady Alarra of the noble Caerace family; she would be Alarra, whore…or Alarra, deceased…
She went across the street the rain drenching her more than she already was and knocked on the door.
That 5'8 figure of a man weakly made his way towards the tavern, his eye sight had already began to fade, the rain just made his vision worse. Almost running right into Alarra as he saw a sigh. "So... damn hungry, where the hell can a man buy some food!" That mutter of the old lady towards Alarra, caused him to growl lightly.
"I am not a whore" He grunted quietly, retrieving a rock from the ground and swiftly throwing the thing, aiming to graze her nose with it. The rock practically whistled through the air. That hunger had made his aim slightly off. Causing him to hit a bum behind her instead. He suddenly noted Alarra, the fact she by the door as well allowed him to actually see her despite the weather. A light frown tugged his lips at her attire, "Lady you'll get sick out in this mess like that"
He removed his black coat, a crimson t-shirt now visable, holding the coat out to her. He nodded lightly for her to take it. "Name's Ferver, you here to eat this world famous peaches people keep telling me about... they better come with a drink" He rubbed his head lightly, hungry wasn't the word for him. He hadn't ate in over a week in his little hunt, and he was severely dehydrated. He began to knock on that door himself. "I've never had to knock on a produce store's door before, this is one weird place" Well he was obviously clueless that this was a brothel, but he was always clueless in the first place.
Alarra looked at man as if he was crazy, which he noted he probably was or at least very dense. Didn’t he realise this was a brothel. When he offered her his coat she shook her head, she hoped to be inside in a minute so she wouldn’t need it. She knew her attire was not the best travelling attire and certainly didn’t keep her very warm but it was all she had. ‘Ferver’ knocked on the door as well louder than her fortunately but considering the weather it was barely audible.
Alarra glanced across at the man again and realised that now she looked properly he didn’t look that great; he looked half starved and dehydrated.
Softening a little she cleared her throat and said, “I’m Alarra…�
"Pleased to meet you miss Alarra," He nodded lightly to her, glaring at the door for a moment before pushing it open himself, walking inside enough to hold it open for her. He noticed the glance, and a light frown graced his face. He honestly had money for food and water, "Look I know I look like some half-starved beggar, I've actually been trying to find .. well an old freind of mine"
"Meh, but enough about my stupid excuses miss Alarra, I'm sure you could use a bowl of peaches too right?" Those eyes began to wander towards the inside of the building. The light smile that had began to form on his lips vanished. "Oh... , well now I can" He coughed lightly, "See why it's world famous," That face flushed a cherry red.
"I didn't know you... uh" He pointed towards her then inside the building. "Were uh... well y'know with other... and stuff", he already had began to stammer and avoid eye contact, he still was going in there. He might be able to get directions to a tavern at least. "M' sorry I bothered you miss Alarra"
“You don’t need to call me miss,� Alarra commented but Ferver was too busy feeling embarrassed at what he had seen inside and Alarra had to comment that barging in had been a tad rude. She couldn’t help feeling that way, she was of noble birth after all and some habits died hard.
Alarra had to suppress her giggles when she assumed the man had finally twigged as to what kind of institution ‘Peaches n Cream’ was.
Then when he pointed to her then to inside the building she simply said, “I’m not a client and I’m not a prostitute…well not yet anyway.�
Alarra was quite surprised when Ferver still went inside and not wanting to stay out in the rain she followed and was able to properly see what had made the man so embarrassed. She had been expecting it however and didn’t really make much of fuss out the near naked men and women.
"So mi... Err Alarra, what in Rhy... uh I mean Hades made you want to go and choose a profession like that, if you don't mind me asking." He quickly avoided the name of his homeland, after all stories about falling from the sky into an entirely different world tend to make people think you are a looney. He still had a rather flushed face, but was getting over the initial shock of finding out the real motive of the building.
"No offense to the trade, but y'know.. some less tolerant people look down upon it," He shrugged lightly at the comment, he didn't really think anything was bad about brothels. "I mean, I'm... well I used to be a mercenary of sorts, and people looked down on me for that... well I suppose there are people even more ignorant than I am"
"Do you know if they have drinks in this place," He commented to her, rather embarassed to admit he was thirsty, he hated to ask for much of anything.
Alarra sighed, “Well no-one else will employ me. I don’t really have any other option.�
It didn’t really surprise Alarra that the man used to be a mercenary, there was just something about him. Now he had said that she began to notice something a bit unusual about his aura. Though she was of nobility she was still a magic user and as a result she could sense people’s auras and there was something quite dark about his. He seemed nice enough though so she decided to trust him for now.
Alarra went across to one of the slightly less shady looking women and said to her, “Is the owner in? I’m looking for work.�
The women looked Alarra up and down then looked past her at Ferver and said, “And him,�
“No idea why’s he’s here,� Alarra lied, there was no point relaying the man’s embarrassing mistake, “but he could do with a glass of water, he’s nearly dropping from dehydration.�
He scoffed lightly at the first statement, "There is always another option, may not be as easy to find as the first, but it's there," A thankfull nod was issued as she didn't reveal his own foolish mistake.
Those eyes now locked on to another woman that worked in the brothel. Thinking it was the one that Alarra had been talking to. "Yeah, I've been tracking someone down, and haven't really drank in a while if it's not any trouble. Despite my appearance I'm not a bum" The dehydration was obviously getting to him. The stranger moving to retrieve him a water, those digits of his digging in to a pocket to retrieve a gold coin, with rather bizarre looking engravings. "Hopefully that'll work"
She came back with a pitcher of cold water, and he began to down it. "Say... Alarra, you haven't seen a lady about" He held his hand to shoulder level on himself. "With blue hair have you, y'know... ranting and carrying on about burning villages down?" He finished off that water in an amazing amount of time. His body reacting rather quickly to it.
Alarra narrowed her purple eyes at Ferver’s statement about her having another option. He could never really understand her position. Then he further embarrassed himself when he began randomly talking to another of the workers at the brothel.
As for the women he was looking for she couldn’t remember seeing her and she was sure she would have noticed someone like that.
“No, I haven’t seen her.�
Realising that the owner may take a while to come, Alarra settled herself gracefully onto one of the sofas, with all the elegance of lady (again some habits die hard). She watched with amusement as Ferver downed the pitcher of water in record time and was relieved when he seemed to perk up a little after it as well, he didn’t look as deranged anyway.
Alarra was curious as to why Ferver was looking for such a strange sounding woman but it seemed rude to intrude so she did ask. But then again he was quite strange himself
A sad nod was issued as she stated she hadn't seen the blue haired woman. "The sad thing is I don't even have a clue who she was" He nodded lightly, a brow erking as she sat down so gracefully on the sofa.
"So if you don't mind me asking, ... who exactly are you running away from?" Those eyes narrowed rather quickly at her form. He had taken a guess as to why exactly she was so deperate for a job. Normally royal runaways fetched a good amount of gold for their safe return. That pitcher of water had given that poor brain of his a nice cooldown from his little search.
"Either that or you just worked for one of those pompous asses that run things and managed to piss them off" He nodded lightly, those eyes flickering green just for a moment, he had a thing against the more cocky members of royalty. He had a thing against anyone that was more cocky than he was.
Suddenly that serious streak in him ended, "Err, sorry... I try to read people way too much," He scratched the back of his head lightly. That darker half of him still tugging beneath the surface of his being, begging to be let loose on this new world.
Alarra couldn’t help but notice the man’s sudden change in attitude and the way his eyes flashed green. She had been right, there was something…dark about him. However she decided to indulge him.
“I’m not really running…I was thrown out of my family and basically left to fend for myself…� he sighed, “I disobeyed my father a few times too many…�
There was a darkness to the man, she knew but the him she had seen so far seemed pleasant enough and it was kind of nice to have someone to talk to for a change, other than herself. The same also seemed to be true of him. Alarra couldn’t help noticing something he had said though, that he didn’t really know who the one he was chasing after was, that was rather strange.
"Well, no offense but he sounds like a jerk to me... blood is blood after all", he nodded lightly. Keeping that dark side at bay for the time being, not showing the slightest sign of struggling with it.
"At least you know who he was and why he threw you out though, that's some form of closure" That final memory of the blue-haired woman flashed in his mind again. For some reason that memory made his heart feel like someone was squeezing it.
"Y'know you could always hire me to convince the old man to change his mind." He toyed with the idea lightly himself, he didn't kill anymore; But he could still be extremely intimidating. The guards were his only real concern, due to his new anti-death policy on life. "Then again... you are free to make your own choices now right?, I'd take freedom over changing myself any day"
Alarra sighed and muttered to herself, “It’s not me I’m concerned about…�
Then to Ferver said, “It’s okay, really.�
The truth was she was glad to see the back of her father but she hoped it would be under better circumstances, like when she eventually got married but that wasn’t to be. Alarra had been a bit alarmed at Ferver’s suggestion to kill him though, that was a bit extreme.
Ferver was very strange she thought, many things he said had sounded odd, like when he said that at least Alarra knew why she had been thrown out. She guessed that the statement had something to do with the blue haired woman he was searching for.
"I mean scare him into letting you back, I don't kill people anymore" Obviously he had detected that alarm from her. Something caused a chill to run down his spine, but he couldn't quiet place his finger on what it was. "This place isn't haunted or anything is it?"
Those blue eyes peered over the room, careful to avoid locking eyes with anymore strangers. After not seeing anything too out of the ordinary, he issued a light shrug. "So I guess this job'll get two birds with one stone, you'll have money, and I'm sure you've thought of how much your dad'll be pissed to find out about it." He chuckled lightly.
"Best be carefull, I know I seem like a nutcase, but I'm sure worse than me wander into these places, and not for the same sort of peach I was after"
“I know the risks,� Alarra assured him, “but like I said I can’t get any other job, most people can tell I am…well was nobility…It will be nice to think I’ll annoy my father though, me working here won’t do anything for our family’s reputation after all,� she smiled.
Then she added, “And this place is haunted by the way.�
She wasn’t sure if that was what had made Ferver anxious but she knew the place had a ghost, her magical abilities allowed her to sense the spirit. It didn’t seem to be threatening though, more like a trickster, probably a poltergeist. She knew, like Ferver had said that some shady people came to such places as Peaches n Cream but she couldn’t be picky.
"Well his reputation deserved to be ruined for being suck a strict jerk," He huffed lightly, it was amazing how he took sides without even knowing the slightest bit about her father. "If I were you I'd start handing out advertisements outside the castle just to rub it in"
A light gulp graced his form at the mention of there actually being a ghost, obviously he wasn't very fond of ghosts. "Those sort of things common in these lands?, oh you're just trying to scare me." Those eyes still looked about yet again. Making sure nothing was floating, and no painting was staring at him.
"Well let me know if they get too rough around here, I may be a has been, but I still have some whupass left in me when someone ever needs it"
Alarra laughed at both Ferver’s use of the word ‘whupass’ because it was something most nobility would consider vulgar and also his nervousness at the fact there might be ghost around.
She smiled evilly, “Well you can always call me if you get too scared of the ghost.�
[OOC Sorry, it's short, it just seemed to fit O.o]
A brow erked at that laughter, followed by a light huff. "Well, even if a was scared of a ghost I think I can handle it by myself... not like sneaky, evil, undead things" He issued a light little shiver. "Bother me, ..... you were kidding about it though right?"
He sounded a bit hopeful that time. "It's cold in here y'know" He rubbed his arms lightly trying to play off that shiver from earlier, but he wasn't exactly good at lying. "You really want to work around a ghost?, I mean, they float around and make noises and stuff... creepy"
"Oh... I guess I'm treating it like a stereotypical ghost, y'know.. better try to stay on it's good side, I'll probably end up being one sooner or later...must be creepy doing... well you know it in here.... that perverted ghost is probably watching most of the time... shame on it."
(ooc: It's ok lol, it happens to the best of us n.n;)
It was quite amusing watching him get to flustered, Alarra thought. Strange that a grown man could be scared of something like that but she guessed everyone had their weaknesses.
“No, I wasn’t kidding about the ghost but it doesn’t really bother me, the house I used to live in was full of them. I’m pretty use it isn’t threatening though, just a prankster.�
Poltergeists generally were just pranksters, few were actually evil. It wass because they liked to play tricks on people in life that made them become a poltergeist when they died anyway. As for the not so innocent ghosts, well they weren’t solid so couldn’t really harm you.
"... oh, well then... probably just terrified of my mighty... er greatness" He nodded lightly to himself, "I have got to come up with some better slogans" He scoffed lightly at himself offering a light grin to her. Well at least it seemed the mention of it not being threatening seemed to relax him.
"It's pretty crazy how the things that creep in the night, manage to scare m... I mean err most people" He coughed lightly to himself, offering a light bit of laughter afterwards. "As if I'd be afraid of something that's already dead... or something"
Alarra had to suppress her laughter again but she couldn’t help but smile at the man. However her amusement turned to annoyance when she realised how long she had been waiting, it was rude to make a lady wait. She would just have to look for the owner herself.
“I’m going to look for the owner,� she said to Ferver, “He’s made me wait long enough. Want to come?�
He seemed to get a bit nervous again at the thought of being left 'alone' in the haunted brothel. "Sure... uh I mean, not that I'm scared of this place or anything" He offered a meek smile, and a hand to help her out of the sofa.
Still rather on the lookout for a spook to pop up, he tried to remain discreet about his fear. Those eyes casual drifting to peer over at random objects, that cool calm aura gradually returning with each object that didn't lunge at him, or portrait that didn't stare directly at him.
As well as looking for the owner, Alarra really wanted to have a look around as well. Ferver being there was company but she hoped that no-one thought one of them was a whore and the other a client, that would be embarrassing and Ferver seemed to get embarrassed easily.
However the corridors didn’t seem that busy and the people they did meet in the corridors didn’t seem to notice them there and just carried on with their business. Alarra couldn’t help think it would be easy to break into Peaches n Cream, nobody would notice, though then again who would want to break into a brothel.
Though there weren’t many people in the corridors, the sounds coming from the rooms could hardly be missed and Alarra doubted that Ferver hadn’t heard them. Because he was behind her she couldn’t see his face but she guessed it was a bright shade of pink.
Ferver was freaking out a bit too much to be worried about self-image. Those eyes attempting to avoiding veiwing the workers and their customers. The sounds as she had guessed had his face a rather bright pink.
"I.. uh... oh my... well they sound like they're having fun in there" He managed to sputter out, he'd kill for a set of earplugs, there were some things in other people's lives he didn't really need to know happened. He tried to start up a conversation to drown out the noises... but that was pretty much impossible.
Those eyes noted the fact the place would be relatively easy to steal from as well, brothel's normally carried a large amount of money within their till. Those eyes fading to that deep green momentarily as the wicked thought of stealing crossing his mind, swiftly turning back to that blue hue.
After wandering through the corridors for a bit, with Ferver’s face getting redder and redder they eventually found a quiet, deserted room. However Alarra was quite surprised it was deserted. It seemed to be some kind bar but what was at one end caught her attention, a piano. She didn’t like to brag but she could play pretty well, it had been expected of her to be able to play at least one musical instrument.
She walked across to it eagerly and opened the lid. It had finger prints on so she guessed it was used quite regularly, like any good instrument should be. She seated herself at it and began playing a few notes, hoping that she wouldn’t be heard, she and Ferver weren’t actually supposed to be there after all.
[OOC Sorry if its crappy, I feel crappy O.o. I'm never letting my Mum cook burgers again. Ever. >.<]
Upon reaching the room with the piano, he attempted to grab her shoulder and stop alarra from just barging in. He missed just barely, and meekly made his way into it.
A brow erked as she approached the piano and began to play a few notes. A smile crossing his face, those eyes fully shifting over to green this time. That voice a bit more gruff. "Heh you are just full of suprises aren't you lady"
He leaned up against a nearby wall, that right boot being placed back against it as well, those arms moving to cross upon his chest.
(lol it's okies)
Alarra hadn’t noticed Ferver’s sudden change in behaviour as she began playing a full song, her eyes intense with concentration, oblivious to all around her.
The particular song she was playing had been taught to her by her brother, who had just stood watching as her father threw her out. All her family had abandoned her that day.
That brow lowered once more, curiosity reflecting in those eyes at the intensity she exhibited. Obviously this song had something to do with a key point in her life, but that was all he could assume.
He merely listened, for some reason the song made something feel as though it was twisting within him. Nothing painfull, just a tension inside. Those eyes closed momentarily, letting his mind drift, that smile remaining plastered on his face for the moment.
Alarra stopped playing when she felt as if the temperature in the room had dropped. At first she thought maybe the ghost had made an appearance but then she looked at Ferver. His eyes were closed but there was a very unsettling grin on his face. She had sensed a darkness in him earlier but she hoped it hadn’t surfaced now.
"Er…Ferver are you alright?�
Those green eyes opened as she spoke, that grin fading quickly. He maintainted his leaning position on the wall. Those arms still across his chest. "No,... why do you ask?" He took a step away from the wall those eyes locked on her the whole time.
"That song has a story behind it doesn't it Alarra?, brings back some sort of memory?", She was rather lucky, normally when he had these shifts he killed everything he saw. "Music soothes the savage beast right?, I mean that's what they say... so how can it cause pain"
Those eyes of his seemed to be trying to read the emotion from hers. Almost like an animal would. Though his own emotions remain heavily shrouded, he showed no sign of aggression or sorrow.
“Are you Ferver? Or was the man I met before Ferver?� Alarra said coolly, she wasn’t really scared, she was a sorceress so she had magic to defend herself with, “I sensed a darkness in you when we first met but I ignored it. I guess I shouldn’t have.�
She stepped away from the piano and looked at ‘Ferver’, a few minutes ago if he had asked about the song she probably would have told him the story behind it but she didn’t trust the man in front of her now. She suspected that this was indeed the true Ferver, and she just wanted to get away from him.
“I am going to look for the owner, please don’t follow me,� she said turning her back on the now green eyed man.
A light chuckle passed his lips, "Well you could say the two of us are yin and yang... of course... people are supposed to by stuck between the two sides... my dear freind Yana, miscalculated exactly where she was sending my ass. Of course, when one is breathing their dying breath... doesn't give you much time to focus" A light scoff passed his lips. "Oh pshh, if that's not rude I don't know what is." He huffed.
"You go from playing the piano for me to shunning me, y'know it's not every day you get to meet a famed mercenary" He wagged a finger at her as he spoke the last portion. "If you were smart, you'd be asking for pointers, I highly doubt you wanted to grow up to work in a brothel, and anyone can go bounty hunting, or body guarding... all ya' have to be is off in the head slightly."
Alarra was a little confused by the man’s ramblings but said, “Unfortunately I don’t like the idea of killing people for a living.�
Though she had her magic, if Ferver was one of those mercenaries that dealt especially with magic users then she could be in trouble. And if he was like he claimed, a ‘famed mercenary’ then he probably had dealt with magic users before. That could be a problem.
When he mentioned someone called ‘Yana’ who it seemed her had also killed, Alarra couldn’t help but wonder if they had been the blue haired woman ‘good Ferver’ had been searching for. And if it was, it seemed he had been on a futile search.
"...Well first off you have to break a few eggs to make a omelet" He grunted lightly towards her. "You don't have to kill people... hell I did more body guard work than anything else."
A smirk slowly crossed his face, those eyes gradually. "...I" That gruffness in his voice began to fade. "Damn... too soon, look don't tell him about Yan..." That name gradually grew into nothing more than a yawn, those arms stretching upwards.
A brow erked as those eyes opened once more following the yawn. "Umm Mis... I mean Alarra, why are you looking at me like that" His face lightly reddened. It seemed he was back to 'normal'.
Alarra paused then said, “Ferver do you know you have a…split personality?�
She kind of liked Ferver, the nice Ferver anyway and she felt he had a right to know about his less pleasant side.
She was glad it had subsided for now though, even if it hadn’t tried to hurt her it may have tried to hurt the innocent (well sort of) people in the brothel and she wasn’t sure if she could protect all of her, she didn’t think her magic was strong enough for that.
"Split personality.. err uh no" He coughed nervously, he had always wondered about those blackouts he tended to have. "I mean, y'know just fainting spells every now and then."
"Why do you ask?" A brow lifted, as he attempted to hide the fact those little brain cells were hard at work with attempting to cope with what she had asked.
Alarra wasn’t sure what do. He didn’t know about his darker side and telling him could alarm him but if she didn’t say anything his other side might do something really terrible.
“Are you sure? You haven’t heard…voices in your head or anything like that?�
He paused, aparantly thinking hard on the subject, "Well I mean every since I woke up on the ground... I've had these weird images, and fainting spells." He scratched the side of his head.
"Oh stop teasing me" He commented with a light huff at her, honestly thinking this was all a joke. "So I pass out from time to time.. probably just some weird allergy to something"
“You’re not very observant are you, Ferver,� Alarra thought.
Most people would take things like that seriously and would be worried about them but it seemed he merely ignored them, just shrugged them off.
“I’m not teasing you…There is another presence inside of you.�
"Er well I guess you are right... so any clues on how exactly to get rid of it," He scratched the back of his head lightly. "I mean like an exorcism or something?"
"Wait what if I'm the one inside of it though" Those eyes widened a bit, "I don't know how I could have done it but still"
“I have no idea I’m afraid. This isn’t exactly my specialised area. As for you being the one inside of it, again I don’t know…�
Alarra was a sorceress but split personalities and demons, like she said were not exactly her specialty. Her area of skill was seen by many others as useless but it had saved her life a few times.
She tried to think if she knew anyone that might be able to help. Most of the sorcerers and magic users she knew were arrogant and pompous when in fact they had very little magical talent. Alarra had been the best in her family at magic but it made her father all the harsher with her.
Then she remembered someone. When she had been looking for a job she had encountered a very strange bard by the name of Keir Faser who was said to be able to sneak up on people without their notice and surprise them, but more important it was claimed that he could exorcism demons. Maybe he could help Ferver or at least help him make sense of his situation.
“Actually I might be able to help you…If you find a man named Keir Faser. They say he can exorcise demons. He might be able to help you to work out whether you are the one in your dark self or vice versa.�
A light aura of sadness seemed to surround him, it seemed he was doomed to have whatever it was inside of him. His mind was already reeling with the possibility he could be the intruder in this body.
He really perked up when she came up with a name that might help, "Really!,.. err um I mean that's wonderful" He tried to hide his excitement. " So where exactly might we find this guy... "
Those eyes peered about the room hopefully, that chin stroked lightly afterwards, "Well, I'm stumped yet again" He sighed lightly yet again seeming to slip into that deep depression he was in moments earlier.
“Last time I saw him he was in Ketra. He’s probably still there.�
When she had met Keir before, she got the impression he would be remaining in Ketra for a while so the chance of him being there if Ferver tried to find him were quite good. Though Ketra was a city, it was still only one city so it should be too hard to find someone and Keir was the sort of person you’d notice.
“Cheer up, I’m sure he’ll be able to help you in some way.�
[OOC I think this thread is coming to an end]
He nodded lightly as she gave him an area to search for the man, a broad smile gracing his lips. "Thanks Alarra, if you ever need anything let me know" He offered making a mental vow to himself.
And with that he made his way quickly out of the brothel and began his trip towards Ketra.
(-pets the thread- poor thing)
Alarra was glad that she could help Ferver, now it was time for her. And so she began her search of the brothel again in search of the owner.
[OOC Just a little note to end it cleanly for Alarra ^^]