With My Eyes Sealed In Blood... [M]

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**May not want to join if you are uncomfortable in violent or sexual situations...**

My Character's Link: http://www.spiritsoftheearth.net/smf/index.php?topic=18369.0

     Years had passed since Maelynn's father, Rulikk, had died. She had been traveling with an uncontrollable wanderlust, and a bad case of loneliness. Now, she was selling some pelts in the wonderful town of Ketra.
     She hadn't been here since she was about 11 years old, and yet, the place had hardly changed. Sure, the signs had faded and weathered, but what else hadn't?
     Taking refuge in a tavern just past the gates, she kept her thin, brown, cloak hood up to cover her dark hair and pointed ears. She had given her horse and cart to a stable-boy, who greeted her with a curt nod. She slipped inside the foul-smelling structure, floors stained in rum and blood from drunken bar fights.
     Heading towards the counter was an issue, wandering men singing slurred tales blocking her way. She paid for a room and quickly made her way up the creaking stairs, unaware she was being followed by a young man at the foot of the steps...

[Wicked Basket]

Tien's conscious had fallen silent a long time ago. He did what was necessary to take care of himself. Legality was not an issue. So when an walked in and paid for a room, he saw his chance. The stairs were extremely creaky, thwarting any attempt to sneak by. However, by following the elf up the stairs he could conceal his own footsteps within hers. As soon as the elf began making her way up the stairs, he followed her; matching his footsteps with hers to hide his climb.

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     Maelynn hadn't noticed when a simple, but heavy thimble fell from her satchel and rolled down the stairs. Her ears pricked slightly, and she turned swiftly to try and catch the object before it rolled out onto the tavern floor. She was soon surprised by the male that stood face-to-face with her. Her facial expression did not change, but her fingers tightened around the railing. Being a near-mute, she didn't say anything to this stranger, but instead looked down at the thimble snagged on his left shoe.

[Wicked Basket]

Tien froze as the elf suddenly turned around and faced him. Following her gaze, he discovered that she was interested in a thimble by his foot. Tien wanted to get moving again as soon as possible to decrease his chances of getting caught, so he quickly picked up the thimble and held it out to the elf before whispering.

"Keep going."

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     Blushing slightly at her idiotic behavior, she took the thimble with a thankful glint in her eye before turning to continue up the stairs. As she opened her bedroom door, she quickly found that it was... "occupied" by a couple who obviously didn't pay for the room.
     Swiftly closing the door, she cringed away from the sounds inside and bumped into Tien. She apparently wasn't going to have an easy night. Not having the coin to pay for another room, Maelynn sat down against the wall between two doors and settled down, knowing that she'd get thrown out in the morning on charges of loitering.
     She messed with the thimble he'd given back, placing it on each finger, each not fitting in the large object that had been her father's. She missed him dearly, and just being in this place made her heart ache.

[Wicked Basket]

Fortunately, the elf began moving as soon as she got her thimble. Tien followed her the rest of the way up the stairs and only relaxed when he reached the top. As soon as he was in the clear, Tien sat down in the hallway and waited. He was waiting for it to get late so that he could take one of the rooms that wasn't taken. He said nothing more to the elf, for he had no more use for her.

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     Mae looked over at the boy,where she could see a slight portion of a scar on his cheek, a bit of his eyes, and the color of his skin. She looked away, eyeing the thimble again. "A hiding Thanati should cover himself better. Your scar is showing." She whispered softly, finally pulling back her hood to reveal her dark blanket of hair, and her pointed ears showing slightly. Her skin was pale like the snow and her eyes the color of chocolate.
     "Might as well pass the time, émigré. My name is Maelynn, so if you talk, just call me Mae." She said, her voice low so that others would not hear.

[Wicked Basket]

Tien's eyes widened as his hand flew to his cheek. He then turned his head and glared daggers at Mae.

"How did you know," he asked.

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     "My father was a trader. I've been around. Seen things. I've been to your homeland. Elves have good memory, and a good eye." She says, her eyes softening as she looked into his. "You don't have to hide it from me, or get so upset about it. Who would I tell? I have no friends or family. I'm a lone traveler most of the time. Every once in a while I find someone to travel with, but it never lasts." She goes on without a hint of sadness or loneliness in her voice, but her face cannot hide her torment.
     "So, my new refugee friend, where are you headed? I'm a merchant, I can make some time to help you get to where you need to go." She said with, for the first time, a small smile.

[Wicked Basket]

Tien didn't really know how to respond to everything Mae had just said. He just stared at her in mild shock for a moment before sighing deeply and removing his hand from his cheek.

"That's just it," he said adjusting his mask so that no one else would notice the scar. "I don't know where I'm going."

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     "If you don't know, why don't you travel with me to the north? I could use some company, and I think you'd enjoy learning about how trade works." Mae suggested, looking up as the door across from them opened and out barreled a burly man and a woman who seemed to be a prostitute.
     Maelynn cringed internally and glanced away. She peered through the open doorway at the room with the messed up blankets and pillows strewn across the floor. "I'm trading pelts. They're pretty soft if you don't want to sleep in one of these... used... rooms..." She offered quietly.

[Wicked Basket]

"I've spent many nights sleeping on dirt with a rock as a pillow," Tien told her. "A bed is a bed to me."

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     She nodded silently before gesturing towards the room. "It's all yours then. I'll be downstairs in the morning when you wake. Think about it. I need company, and you don't know where you're going. All I can say is keep moving." She said, standing and brushing off the back of her cloak.
     "Sleep well, friend." She gathered her things and descended the stairs, her feet creaking even though she was moving quietly.

[Wicked Basket]

Tien simply looked at Mai quizzically as she left. He had no idea what all just happened. He had used her to sneak upstairs, she immediately discovered his origin, and now she was just going to give him the room that she paid for? Not only that, she wanted him to travel with her. She just asked a complete stranger to travel with her.

With a shrug, Tien got up and went into the room. The bed was a mess, even more than he thought it would be. Too afraid to asleep under the covers, Tien simply made the bed and slept on top. Perhaps he should go with the elf. It wasn't like he had anything else to do. She didn't pry for information either, which was also nice. What did he have to lose?

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     Mae walked out into the chilly night air, making her way to the stables. It wasn't the first time she'd slept in a barn, and it certainly wouldn't be the last. She climbed into her cart that had been stored just inside the stable in the cargo area.
     She settled down in the warm furs, no longer smelling of foul meat and animal since she'd cleaned them in a river. Maelynn sighed as she laid her head down on a rolled up pelt of a wolf, thinking of the boy. Was she crazy for inviting him? Maybe. Could she get murdered? Possibly. Did she care? No... She didn't. Her goal wasn't to survive. It was to help someone who needed her. This young man had been through hell, and although she didn't even know his name, she trusted him. Besides, what's a little danger compared to making an alliance with a new companion?

[Wicked Basket]

Tien spent the night the same may he always did: on and off sleeping with frequent nightmares. Sleeping on a bed was no different than sleeping on the dirt with the nightmares taken into account. He never got much sleep either way. His main concern right now was to get downstairs without being caught.

[TattooedGraphics506]

     Mae was up before dawn broke, and had her horse and cart ready just outside the tavern. She made her way inside, knowing everyone would still be asleep. She took a seat at a small table and waited for the Thanati boy to show his face.
     As she waited, she tried to mull his possible answers over in her head, trying to figure out why he may respond the way he does when she pries the answer from his lips whether or not he wanted to travel with her.

[Wicked Basket]

In order to avoid the squeaky stairs, Tien ended up just sliding down the railing and do his best to land quietly. Luckily he was able to avoid detection and he looked around for the elf woman. When he found her she was sitting at a table alone. Tien went and sat down across from her.

"Where exactly are you going," he asked.

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     "Well, I would say wherever my heart desires, but that's not true. I'm heading for Hyoite. They are in need of some furs and meats that are exotic up that way. It's quite a trek, but it'll pay well." She replies, examining her hands and not once looking up at him. "So, are you interested, or not? I have the horse and cart ready. Make your decision now, or I'll have to leave without you." She says as she stands, pulling up her cloak hood.

[Wicked Basket]

Tien thought about it for a second. He did need money, and it wasn't like he had more pressing matters he should be attending to. And although spending a lengthy amount of time with the same person was not something he normally did, it was a good opportunity to earn some money.

"Alright," he said. "I'll come."