Unchained [M] [SanctifiedSavage]

[Lowen Thorn]

Amaya's smile was almost genuine when she accepted. Genuine, but well hidden.

He wasn't far behind Inaya after she had dressed and left. It didn't take him too long to dry off and put his clothes back on. When he caught up, he found her and Eimee together and they were soon led to the large room full of beds.

"Oh wow," Amaya muttered. "This is so great."

He sighed. No sense in complaining.

He took the bed closest to the door.

'Smells funny in here.'

[SanctifiedSavage]

There was a bit of rank 'human' smell. Body odor and the press of so many in a small, warm space, but Inaya would've taken that over... well, just about anything. When Eimee picked a bed, she tugged on Inaya's wrist. A wordless request. Inaya gave Amaya's hip a pinch to say 'good night' before she slid onto the uncomfortable bed next to Eimee, curling around the other girl who fitfully fell asleep.

It took Inaya longer to drift off, but she eventually did while playing with Eimee's hair.

Morning came and Prem roused the hostel bedroom by banging on the wooden doorframe and announcing that breakfast was ready. If anyone wanted to eat, they needed to "get up and get at it". Eimee startled awake, but Inaya woke up slower, and confused.

She still wasn't used to being out of her old house.

Inaya shooed Eimee off to breakfast while she sat up and fixed her dress.

[Lowen Thorn]

Amaya slept like shit. The bed was hard. The smell was funky. He occasionally glanced over at Inaya and Eimee sleeping and a hint of jealously flickered in his eyes.

He was well awake before Prem barged in like some sort of raging battleaxe to announce that breakfast was ready. He shot the man a flat look, eyes narrow, before yawning and watching the guests, if that's what you called those people, filing out of the room.

He was still sprawled out on the bed, hands behind his head to prop him up just slightly, when Inaya began to stir. "Morning, sunshine," he said. "Have good dreams?"

[SanctifiedSavage]

Inaya shook her head a little and yawned, stretching with her arms over her head and her back arched. "No, not quite. Still not used to waking up outside of my own bed. I'm sure that'll change soon enough." She rubbed at her eyes a moment before combing through her hair, giving a nod in the direction of breakfast. "You going to get something to eat?"

[Lowen Thorn]

Amaya shrugged. He supposed he ought to, given the day ahead.

So they ate and they left, and Amaya managed to swipe a dagger from Prem's collection when he wasn't looking. He never intended to free slaves on his venture through the slave trade, but seeing Eimee somewhere, hell, anywhere, that was not there made him feel a little better. He wasn't some heartless oaf, even though he may have portrayed himself like that at times. No, seeing her away from that and happy was a good thing, he decided. She even gave him a hug upon their departure, which he thought was sweet. She was a sweet girl.

Inaya, on the other hand, was pretty adamant about going with him. He didn't necessarily like it, but he had to admit that she came in handy time and time again, and he felt more comfortable having her around him than setting her loose on the world. At least Eimee had a place to go, Inaya did not.

That, and he'd be lying if he said he didn't enjoy her company.

They were a little over a hundred yards from the entrance that led to the underground. He made absolutely sure that they had no went the way they came out, but instead the way he initially went in. Sure, it was heavily guarded, and would be easier for them to be noticed, but he would take that over shit water any day.

He handed Inaya the dagger. "Here," he said, calculating their next move as he studied the guards at the entrance. "Got you a present."

[SanctifiedSavage]

Inaya lingered in the room, enjoying the quiet and being alone. She hadn't really been left alone since she was a little girl. The novelty of privacy was just... Something she savored. It was rare and precious. Even so, she got up and shuffled off so she could stuff something into her mouth for the coming day.

She didn't want to go back to that place. Really. She had half hoped that they'd hear something about Nicholas running off to a brothel. A bar. A tavern. Someone's estate. Anywhere but back to where she'd just escaped from. Inaya tried not to let Amaya see how much it bothered her, and while she was very good at schooling her expression, she didn't stand still very well.

When he presented her with the dagger, Inaya's carefully crafted composure shattered in surprise. She smiled just a little. A dagger she could use. A dagger made her feel better. "Thank you," she murmured softly before sighing a little. "I could probably distract them... but it might be easier for you to get in if you walk up and present me as an escaped girl you're returning. They're bound to have heard some got away... I doubt anyone is going to know you by face unless you hit them."

[Lowen Thorn]

Amaya opened his mouth to say something, but closed it. Okay. Why not? It was a good plan, after all.

"Follow my lead, pretty lady," he grinned. He wrapped his fingers around her wrist. "Sorry about this."

His grip on the woman's wrist tightened, and he all but dragged her through the desert plains to the entrance of the destination. "I got one!" he shouted out, waving his free arm frantically as he pulled Inaya behind him. "Quit struggling you stupid fucking whore! Quit yer-- fellas! I got a live one! Open the gates!"

[SanctifiedSavage]

She hated that it was a viable plan, and likely the one to get them in without being peppered with arrows or... whatever else on their approach. She tucked the dagger in the folds of her dress, let out a long breath, and nodded when he gripped her wrist.

Then she struggled. Inaya didn't really have to play pretend. Amaya was stronger than she was, and even if she had wanted to, if he held on tight enough she couldn't really get away from him. So she struggled and spat curses at him. If anyone knew who had gotten away – Inaya, a former noble's wife, a woman who had gutted a fellow guard – then they'd know from her struggling and long hair that was likely who she was.

Hopefully, their attention would more than likely be on her rather than Amaya. Inaya was good at drawing an eye.  Never mind that her heart was really racing. What if they got caught, what if she didn't get to leave this time...

[Lowen Thorn]

"Quit. Yer. Struggling!"

Amaya continued to to drag her across the desert, and he was even doing too good of a job or Inaya was one hell of an actress. What looked like two guards from far away turned into four as they closed in on the entrance. Four of them. One for each side of the gate and two men in front of them, holding their spears and swords like they were protecting royalty.

Piece of cake.

"That's the bitch that stabbed Bob," one of the men not stationed directly by the gate said. "Good work, guy. Bring her in."

"She almost got away from me too," Amaya replied, a prideful grin smacked on his lips as he pressed forward. "This one is one hell of a firecracker, let me tell ya!"

The gates were open. Well, open enough for the two of them to slip in now. As if on cue, he let his grip slip from Inaya's hand and whipped around. "Grab her!" he said frantically. When the guards started to react, he sprung to action.

Punch. Kick. Uppercut. He knocked three of the guards unconscious in a matter of seconds, and the last had his hands full going after Inaya.

If there was ever a time for her to use that new toy he gave her, it would be now.

[SanctifiedSavage]

It wasn't much of an act. Inaya did want to get away. Even if he'd accidentally let go of her too early, she wouldn't have dashed away. Even if that's exactly what she wanted to do.

Instead, she continued to curse him right up until they were through the doors. Inaya hated the way they eyed her as they approached... Fuck them all.

Then, she was set loose and Amaya went after them. They didn't seem to realize that he was a danger. The closest lunged after her, as instructed and actually got ahold of her dress for all of three seconds. Long enough for Inaya to draw the dagger and plunge it into his forearm.

He screamed, she withdrew the blade, and shoved it in his eye. He went quiet, still, and limp.

When Inaya straightened from wiping it off on the guard's shirt, she frowned. Again, he'd managed to knock them all out without doing much damage. Inaya was starting to think he was sparing them on purpose. If he'd expected her to leave someone alive, he probably shouldn't have given her something pointy.

[Lowen Thorn]

Amaya planned on intervening in Inaya and the remaining guard if he had to, but she had managed herself just fine. His face didn't change all that much when she killed the man, and he was able to put it behind him almost immediately.

He understood why she did it. He understood how she could so easily kill these men. After everything they had put her through, he would want to do the same.

"Nice job," he winked before peering through the door.

The coast was clear. "You ready? It's not too late to turn back, y'know."

[SanctifiedSavage]

Inaya clenched her jaw, steeling herself. She very much wanted to go, but she wasn't about to admit that to Amaya. For a handful of reasons. Besides, she'd never let her fear get the best of her when she'd been a captive. She wouldn't now.

So she tucked the blade away and gestured with a wave. "After you, oh fearless leader." Using the quip to help cover how anxious she really was.

[Lowen Thorn]

"After you, oh fearless leader."

Amaya blinked. Fearless.. leader? That sounded familiar. He shook off the brief moment of déjà vu and nodded. "Right, c'mon," he said before moving through the door.

The main entrance hall was practically empty. He figured there would be more guards once inside the underground maze, especially considering their previous stunts. Perhaps it was their previous stunts that caused the lack of guards up front, and kept them closer to Nicholas and the rest of the highest bidders. Still, they turned a corner and the bounty hunter acted accordingly: taking them quickly, quietly, and efficiently. This process became routine as they ventured further into the dungeon halls, stretches with nothing, corners with guards, knocking them out when he could and leaving the remains to Inaya to deal with as she pleased.

After some time of quiet navigating, they came to a fork that split into three pathways. The echoes of the patron's nipped at the walls surrounding them: some laughing, some fighting, some fucking, all of them most likely drunk. How long do these type of shitty events go for, anyway? At some point these men had to go home, right?

He peered over his shoulder to look at his companion. "What is your woman's intuition saying," he started in a whisper, "about which path to take?"