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The Quivering (Open)

Started by Listenbeastie, February 06, 2013, 06:25:57 AM

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Listenbeastie

(Warning: contains some semblances to foul language.)

The damp, splintered planks creaked beneath the woman's feet. She'd been pacing for a little while now, running slender fingers along her shaved head. The woman paused mid-step (finally!) before turning toward her guest. Her eyes glistened faintly with the potential to break but she seemed to have composure for the moment. "You know I can't do that. I have duties here; they come before anything else."

She was addressing a man- or rather, a boy- who was almost dwarfed by her even though her height wasn't all that impressive. He tensed and straightened, his own eyes narrowing beneath the shadow of his makeshift hood. The lad brought a hand to his chest, sweeping the other about the small room. "Yes you can! They're not gonna check the brothel, they think they know better! I won't even take long! Besides, you owe me!"

"I owe you from those years ago, yes... but I do this for business now. I wasn't in danger, really, nothing that made a difference." She squinted, struggling to maintain control. Nervously her hands lifted to toy with the edges of her cloth mantle. She wasn't dressed for work but she was on her way and if she didn't get a move on soon she'd be late.

"Don't give me none of that, you're protected here, he could have killed you." The boy half-whined. "Please, I helped the girls like you asked all those times, you gotta help me."

The woman frowned, approaching the boy and placing a hand on his shoulder. She started to push and he stepped back without much force. "I'm sorry, you'll have to find somewhere else. The port is big enough that you should be able to find somewhere. You've done so before."

The fellow simply whined wordlessly; she opened the door behind him before he could walk into it, successfully maneuvering him outside. Letting him go and pacing both hands on its edges the girl's frown only deepened. "Please be safe." With that and the slightest tremble in her shoulders the woman closed the door.

The man looked down, stray red bangs falling over shut eyes. Hands coiled into fists and his shoulders quivered as well. Initially he was too sad to be angry but the pity and somberness was quick to pass. "Augh...." He slammed both fists against the door repeatedly, causing a ruckus. "Let me in you sodding tosspot!"

There was no reply from within.

The boy stepped back after a moment, growling wordlessly. Then a hand was placed on his shoulder.

____________________


The streets had exploded into chaos. First one gang had attacked a street rat, then other gangs attacked them. No one group was all that large but combined they caused quite a bit of unrest. Soon the local guardsmen were rounding up those unlucky enough to get caught while others dispersed and fell into hiding. A few sailors had stopped to spectate and by some miracle didn't get attacked during the fight; patting each other on the shoulders once it was over and laughing, heading off to tell their 'mates' about it.

The boy had taken quite the beating but managed to flee before things got too out of hand. Adrenaline had prevented him from realizing just how awful the bruises felt but even after it wore off he refused to acknowledge the dull throbbing pain. He sat quietly in an alley atop a pile of discarded crates, glaring at a nearby cat who yowled up at him.

Corona Starfire

How it actually happened would probably never be truly answered. But, regardless, the fact of the matter was that, after only a few moments sitting upon those crates, the young man would suddenly find himself rocking back and forth before the whole pile would come tumbling down around him. Chances would be that, in the struggle, he would witness a brilliant flash of light fade out, revealing a beautiful young woman who would slowly stand from within the toppled crates. How she had gotten under there, who knows. But regardless of the reason, she was there, standing right in front of him, amidst the fallen unorganized pile of empty crates as if she had simply been sleeping under them until this point.

She looked to be in a daze, wiping her eyes and moving her silver hair away from her face. She was dirtied, as if she had just been rolling around on the ground (and by all accounts, she apparently had been). Her clothes were simple, and not something a typical thanati citizen would be wearing. In fact, besides her silvery hair which resembled the hair color that was in-style right now with the thanati, she looked nothing like how a typical local would be. She opened her eyes, revealing their color which matched perfectly to her hair. Looking around, she rubbed her head as if in pain, a confused look displayed across her face.

Where in the world was she?

She just now noticed the young man nearby, and glanced at him for the first time. She was rather short, but he was actually shorter than she was! "Ummm... hello there." She said with a sweet but quiet voice. Her mouth formed a half-smile, still showing the obvious confusion about her.

Listenbeastie

As the crates began to rock about the lad moved to get off of them; to no avail, soon he was tumbling noisily in the collapse. The toppling supplies failed to mask the sound of Tye uttering a string of curses more than unbecoming of his heritage. Once the dust had settled his legs were sticking out of a spot between some of the disturbed items awkwardly. Then the girl started to move and he cut off a pained groan to get up and try looking intimidating. "Oi!"

"What'd'youthinkyou'redoing--" The woman's appearance caught him off guard. There was a difference between looking at someone and then looking at someone. Runty had finally gotten to the second part, it seemed. "...You some sort of crazy trickster foreigner? You look like one, alright. And its scarce that any of those pearl-boasting 'good' folk swagger with their ugly pig faces down here." He kicked away one of the smaller crates (with more difficulty than he'd like to admit) and stepped forward, one hand ducking toward a sash he wore likely hiding a weapon. So far he wasn't making any move to draw it, so the situation wasn't too dire. Just as well he didn't seem to hear her greetings.

"Causing a ruckus like this... you're gonna get us both in trouble. Bet you don't even know what you're dealing with. Blind-poxed tom-tug..." Aaaand he stopped making sense. It was almost as though a living curtain was insulting her.

Corona Starfire

Her eyes widened and she stared at the boy in disbelief when he started insulting her. Despite his nonsensical words, she seemed to fully understand the intent behind them. She looked down at her feet and frowned in apology, seemingly ashamed of her actions. "I-I apologize, good sir. I didn't mean to disturb you." Her face lifted to look at him once again. "I shall leave at once, I promise." She bowed in a formal manner before turning away, attempting to walk towards the entrance of the alleyway. She had a sort of frantic look about her face, clearly being just as confused as he was about the whole situation.

She had no idea where she was or how she got there. But something was wrong, very wrong. She knew that there should be at least two others with her, but that young man was certainly not one of them. How, then, were they separated, exactly?

Unfortunately, the sight before her eyes as she peered out from the alleyway didn't help much. She was clearly in some sort of port town, but one that she never remembered visiting before. She let out a deep breath, feeling slightly overwhelmed by the whole situation. She stood completely still, as if she were an animal who had been locked in a cage their whole life and finally got a taste at freedom, yet was completely unsure what to do first.

Listenbeastie

...And to walk out of the alley was to prove that there were many, many things to do. In this particular area the 'streets' were narrow and filthy. The smell of the sea was strong in the air but it was mixed with sewage and other undesirable things. There had been rainfall recently, kicking up some of the filth into puddles all around them. The place was a mess.

While Runty mumbled to himself in exasperation and rubbed a bruise hidden on his arm the yowling cat had lost interest in him. There were too many falling things around the lad for its taste so it padded enthusiastically after the girl. The beast was also very filthy, with what could have been a dark brown or gray coat obscured by collected dirt and missing multiple whiskers. Its tail had missing patches of fur and its tongue hung swollen and exposed to the elements, clearly unusable and perhaps infected.

The beast fixed hazel eyes up at her and yowled again, trying to step about her casually with the intent of brushing against her leg. Flea-ridden and ill or not, it was still a cat.

Corona Starfire

The dirtied young woman took a moment to consider her next action. Basic survival skills: Food, shelter. Food, shelter. Those two things were important, right? Thus, she should take care of those needs first before anything else. That made sense, at least. But where was she, anyways? Information. Yes, information was important. Food, shelter, information.

She looked down at the feline rubbing up against her leg. Seemingly comforted by its presence, despite appearances, the woman knelt down and attempted to pick up the creature. "Poor thing, you look absolutely famished!" She would exclaim, in attempt to hug the creature upon her breast. If it had no complaints, she would continue to hold the cat in her arms, seemingly not bothered by its uncleanliness. "Umm.." She realized now that the young man was still there. "I'm Nina, by the way." She gave him a warm smile. Hopefully this person could give her some information. "I don't mean to trouble you, but would you be willing to tell me the name of this settlement?"

Listenbeastie

The cat let an audible 'Mrrrrow...!' as it was lifted but did not protest to being held. Instinctively the creature rubbed the side of its face against her as its tail flicked about calmly. Its breathing was loud and easy to hear for the girl; a side effect of its illness, no doubt.

The boy stiffened, having already assumed that the girl would have just wandered off. "That's a shame, you did a good job of it, I thought you might have done this profhes-- prolfu-- expertly! You're standing in the Port of Jin'ta, Nina. Terrible to meet- I mean nice to meet you, or something. You lost? If you are you're gonna see trouble before you get out of sucktown, here."

He growled something beneath his breath (proof that he's a social butterfly, truly) before continuing. "You turn left and you'll pass through bad territory but make it somehow and turn right at the carpenter's and you'll get to the place where merchants wail about how their wares are better than others. Lots of guards, there. Turn right now, though, and you'll pass the worst brothels in the port and get to the docks. Its a windy place full of sailors. Might be welcome at some of the taverns, maybe... But chances are someone's gonna try and shank you along the way."

Runty pushed the few strands of hair back beneath his hood as he ranted, stretching once finished and fixing an irritable gaze on the cat. Hopefully its enough information to make the happy noise person go away, the fellow pondered. Really, she wasn't very happy looking, but he didn't like bright colors.

Corona Starfire

According to what this young man was saying, she was currently in a fairly bad part of town. Or maybe the whole town was that bad. How in the world did she manage to get here? She didn't walk, that she could remember. This didn't seem all too surprising to her though, for some reason. It felt that being here randomly somehow made sense. She wasn't sure how, but it did. So, at the very least, something was apparently going right.

Her new acquaintance seemed to show a bit of awkwardness, and she gave an amused smile as he gave her a quick summary of of the port. "Oh my.. it seems rather dangerous here, then." Nina made her way over to him, giving a big smile while still holding the cat in her arms. She turned her head to one side and made a quizzical look. "So then, if someone really could quite possibly.. shank (she said this word as if she didn't know what it meant, although apparently could guess it wasn't good) me, then I guess it wouldn't be good for me to be alone, then. Right?" A smile formed on her lips once again as her eyes gave off a look that could only be interpreted as hint hint.

Apparently, Nina didn't quite take the hint from him that he wanted to be left alone. Or, maybe she had but ignored it. If the kid had known her well at all, he would have been able to guess that it was almost definitely the second option.

Listenbeastie

Her suggestion caused Tye to sneer and take a step back (mindful of the mess of crates). "Oh no. No way. Firstly you're not alone, if you get in trouble you can just toss that vermin at whoever's trying to get you. Second off, I'm not going back out there! There was a fight not long ago and if the guards catch anyone odd they can say goodbye to having hair or a decent reputation." The rat lifted an eyebrow, the expression hard to catch beneath the cover. "Not that I should be worried or nothing. Its just a matter of crossfire, an-- toads take it, you get it."

The aforementioned beast continued to rub against her arm affectionately, perhaps not as stray as it looks.

Runty paused to consider despite his initial response. Kicking more objects aside he paced (a subtle means of not remaining so close to another sentient being), thinking aloud. "Then again, maybe its not so bad as... or mayhaps if we take that route... No, no no..."

Corona Starfire

Her face was filled with shock at the suggestion of throwing the cat at someone. "What!? Toss Colt!? I can't do that!" She frowned dramatically and rubbed her head gently against the cat's. Apparently, she had given it a name.

Nina looked somewhat hurt that he refused to help her. "Hey." She started with a soft tone. "It can't be so bad, can it?" She walked over to him, closing any distance he may have made, and stood right in front of him so she could look him in the eyes (as best as possible). "I'm sure we can find our way through. I just don't know my way around, is all. But if you're leading me then I'm sure not to get lost, right? Besides, you look like you could use a meal. How about.. you show me a bit around town, and then I buy you something to eat for your trouble? Think of it as a job, if you want. You're hired, okay?" She give a big smile before placing the cat upon her shoulder, as her arms were getting tired from holding it for so long.

Nina offered this job to him without even checking to see if she had any money. Considering her dirtied clothing, she certainly didn't look like she had any coin on her. At this sudden thought, she reached into one of her pockets and produced a small leather pouch. Opening it so she could peak inside, she confirmed that were was indeed some form of currency inside. She couldn't remember ever seeing it before, nor was she sure of its worth. However, something told her that it was enough. Somehow, once again, she just knew.

Listenbeastie

As the woman approached the thief went from preparing another awkward retort to freezing as she stepped just slightly too close. Though it might be difficult to tell, especially given that he was quick to hide them behind his back but the lad's hand faintly quivered. "...You're not just planning on tricking me, are you? It won't go well for you if you are...!" His eyes were wild with emotion that was otherwise unclear because of his obscured face. At proximity she could see some scar tissue lingering beneath his left eye and those remaining strands of dark hair he was so persistent to hide.

As she inspected the pouch he attempted to as well but soon after backed up; and promptly tumbled back over one of the many objects scattered about the ground. Cussing loudly and hissing after the fall, Runty was hasty to regain his composure. "--C-colt's a stupid name anyhow. Lets just go, right? Probably made too much noise anyway."

Corona Starfire

She simply gave him an amused smile when he asked if she was tricking him. "Okay, I promise I am not deceiving you. How's that?" The girl asked as her hand reached up to rub the side of the cat's head. "I think Colt here will join us, too! With the three of us, I'm sure we'll be fine even if a couple of thugs try to take us out!" She clapped suddenly in excitement, which made her new feline companion jump slightly as if startled.

Nina would offer a hand to help him stand after he fell (although, if he ended up refusing it, she wouldn't make any mention of it). "Okay! I'm glad you decided to help me, mister -- Um.." Looking to the side with a slight blush on her face, she realized he hadn't given her his name. "May I ask your name?" She asked, turning to him once again. "I don't think things will work out very well if I don't know your name, right?" She either didn't notice or didn't mind the fact that he called Colt a stupid name. As for the feline himself, he managed to crawl up on Nina's head and perch himself right up there, which seemed to make the girl become slightly unbalanced for a slight moment. Since it was malnourished, it wasn't too heavy. A disease-ridden cat upon her head surely didn't look the most appealing, though.

Listenbeastie

Perhaps out of awkward desperation to get on his own two feet the street rat decided to take her hand hastily. He was quick to look around, almost as though searching for anything threatening already. "Don't like giving my name. If you're someone that needs a name, though, call me T. Yes, T." Runty shot the cat a mistrustful look before letting go (or trying to let go, anyway) of her hand.

"Where do you want to go again?" While waiting the fellow adjusted his cowl again, likely in the midst of nervous fidgeting.

Corona Starfire

"Okay then, Mister T! I am in your care!" She said excitedly, allowing him to let go of her hand without incident. Despite how fidgety he was, the girl didn't seem to notice. Colt simply gave a plain mrow in reaction to the young man's look.

"Um.. where to go first?" The young woman made a weird face, as if having trouble making a decision. "Well, where do folks normally go around here when they need food and lodging?" She shrugged. "That's probably the best place to start, right?" Also, her hope was that people who could give her more information would be there. In addition, along the way she intended to get her new found friend - as much as he would surely disagree with being called a friend - to warm up to her more, and maybe he could also be a reliable source of information. As things were now, he obviously didn't trust her enough and she wasn't about to push him too far.

"Yes, Mister T. Your first assignment as my employee is to bring me to an establishment that offers nourishment and lodging." She stood tall and proud for a moment, as if giving him a formal order. Then, after but a moment, she broke down laughing in amusement at her own tone. Clearly, she wasn't one to take such a thing so seriously. "But if there is more than one, I'll leave which one we visit to your own discretion." She winked with a smile on her face. Poor Colt nearly fell off the girl's head when her body shook from the laughter.

Listenbeastie

While the girl spoke he fixed her an inquisitive stare, a once more raised eyebrow finally evening with its partner once she laughed. Folding his arms he stated simply. "Follow me, then. Just keep in mind, though, if the guard tries to get me you're on your own." With hat the little man maneuvered around her and out of the alley. Glancing both ways he turned right, locked in perpetual alert and tension now that they were in one of the streets.

Despite this, it was clear the streets weren't all that different from the alleys. Hanging objects like clothes or curtains dangled from buildings, disjointing the already somber light while broken things lay collecting at each corner. They passed more alleys and holes in the wall, some occupied with bald men and women who shared the same marks on their faces. So far none of them seemed dangerous though some shot Nina dark looks.

One particular fellow had been lingering above them on a half-ruined patio. Upon seeing them he hefted a worn bucket containing foul bodily fluids and tried to dump it in the streets; perhaps trying to get some on them. It wouldn't be outrageously unlikely, he seemed sullen as a toad. Tye was quick to get out of the way.


Corona Starfire

"Yes, sir!" With that, she gave a goofy salute - despite the fact that she had just acted as if she was his boss a moment ago - and leisurely followed him out of the alley. As tense and alert as he was, Nina was the exact opposite. She had not a care in the world as she strutted behind him in the streets. Despite the weird looks she received from people, she appeared to either not notice or even glance back at them and wave with a smile. Colt, still on her head, struggled more than once to stay on as the girl moved her head back and forth in admiration of the buildings and people. Despite the port town being nothing particularly amazing, Nina found it just as interesting regardless.

---

On the rooftops above, two figures crept silently.

"That's definitely her. No doubt." The main with the pointed ears said. His companion, obviously a standard human, fidgeted next to his partner in complaint.

"What? No way! That can't be her! Just look at her.. she's so cute. You're telling me such a sweet and innocent little girl is a threat to the Master!? No way!"

"Pipe down. Someone will hear you, idiot." The Elf said as he prepared his crossbow.

"Wait, you aren't going to use that much poison on her, are you!? She'll die!" The human of the duo reached out to pull away the crossbow from his Elf partner, but failed to do so.

"That's the point, idiot. The Master said it won't work without this much. I brought along this vial just for her." The Elf sighed. "Don't tell me you've fallen for her?" He asked after the look his human partner showed upon his face. "She's probably a succubus or something. Look, she even has that kid with her. Probably seduced him, poor boy."

"I'd gladly trade spots with him right now..."

"Just shut up and prepare your magic so we can get out of here quickly. The guards are on high alert still, I don't want another scene."

"Okay.." The human replied in a gloomy voice.

The Elf watched carefully as the young girl and boy made their way through the street. At one point, just before they would have walked from his line of sight, they encountered a man on a patio throwing a bucket of who-knows-what down at their direction. The boy got out of the way easily, as if he was used to it. The girl, however, froze at the sight of it and just barely managed to get out of the way. In this short moment, she paused to look up in astonishment and horror at the man who had thrown what was apparently fecal matter at them. The cat that was, for whatever reason, upon her head scrambled to stay on top, but managed to do so well enough.

At that moment, the Elf took his shot, aiming right for her neck.

He then watched in astonishment as his poisoned crossbow bolt, which would have had a clean, direct hit at the girl's exposed neck, graze barely past her skin and collide with the ground on the other side of her silently. The reason? The cat on top of the girl's head apparently lost its footing again in that exact moment and scratched helplessly at the girl's head trying not to fall. This caused the young girl to cry out in pain and lean over as she grabbed at the cat in at attempt to help his situation and prevent further scratches. It was a rather hilarious sight to behold, in all honesty, but what was not so amusing was that it caused the Elf's bolt - which surely would have hit - to just barely miss. The crossbow bolt likely would have gone unnoticed by anyone of relevance, unless they had rather keen senses.

"Woah! You actually missed! Hah! I've never seen you miss before!" The human laughed, apparently relieved that the beautiful girl was still alive.

"Dammit!" The Elf swore loudly. "Do you have any idea how expensive that poison is!?"

After he yelled, a guard noticed their presence and called up at them. The two partners suddenly looked at each other in aggravation before leaping off the roof in the opposite direction of the guard and running off. This, needless to say, resulted in yet another hectic scene of guards chasing the suspicious duo.

--

Nina positioned Colt so that he was in her arms again instead of on her head. "I think I've had enough scratches on my head today, okay Colt?" She smiled at him while speaking in a playful tone. The cat simply meowed, completely oblivious to the fate it just saved its new-found owner from. Nina noticed a ruckus on the other side of the street, watching in confusion as some sort of chase scene occurred. But, those involved moved down the opposite direction of the street they were on, so the commotion soon faded.

After this incident she suddenly remembered Tye and, not wanting to hold him up any further, would speed up to catch with him if he had been continuing on without her.

Listenbeastie

The sullen man on the patio grimaced, showing how little teeth he had left. He drew the empty bucket away from the edge, glaring down at the two of them without a word. By that time the street rat was fixing him more than one insulting gesture; biting his thumb while showing off his middle finger at their more apparent assailant. However his eyes were not on whom he was insulting, rather looking down at the ground, inspecting it despite the undesirable filth that accumulated there.

There had been a click right after most of the waste had been dumped. It was as though something had fallen just recently, whether out of the bucket or not. There was potential for it to have been something of use to him and Runty was the last person to pass up an opportunity like that. Due to that possibility the commotion nearby was of no consequence to him. This resulted in searching near the patio; where he was clearly unwanted.

Then the boy noticed a glint in the rough and boldly reached to take it despite the stink or the likelihood of his clothing being soiled (they already were pretty filthy in some places.) "Oi..." Careful to avoid the tip the lad picked the item of interest up, inspecting it with childish curiosity. In an unexpected twist he turned to Nina and held it up with the enthusiasm of a child at show and tell.

"Would you look at this...! What'd you think its for? Looks like some sort of arrow to me. Or maybe... maybe one of those things for those crossbow thingies! Wouldn't know, haven't seen many around here..."

Corona Starfire

Nina watched with her own curiosity as Tye retrieved some sort of small pointed object from the ground. Despite how filthy the ground beneath them had become, she didn't seem too disgusted like most people probably would have. She was, however, most confused as to what it was he possibly could have found so interesting.

She looked at the item he held up and made a confused face. "Yeah.. that's a crossbow bolt! But what was it doing in that man's stool?" She looked down at the ground where the man had recently dumped his bucket, then looked back up at the patio in an attempt to get the man's attention. "Hey! Mister! You might want to see a doctor! You're excreting pointed objects! It's bad for your health! .... I think." With the last two words she looked at Tye and shrugged.

"What do you plan to do with it, Mister T? I suppose you could reuse it.." She crossed her arms in thought. "It seems to be in decent condition, despite where you found it." The girl nodded. "Such a waste of craftsmanship otherwise!" Yes, what a waste to throw away a crossbow bolt covered in feces!

Listenbeastie

"Uhm... Could sell it. You know, after cleaning it off. Its dripping." The lad commented casually before recalling what he was doing beforehand. Tye continued walking along, cautious enough to avoid the filth that he evaded before (although in the streets like this such a thing could be considered futile) and shooting sullen man a final rude gesture as they made their way off. The bald man rubbed his chin and disregarded what Nina was saying. I guess it isn't healthy, no... He reflected.

The street soon after split off into multiple narrow passages. It might have been confusing figuring out which way was right if 'T' wasn't there. He chose one and strode briskly, not wanting to waste any time. "We're getting there..."

Corona Starfire

"What an exhilarating settlement! We've already experienced so much!" She laughed as she walked along side him. "I can't wait for us to get to our destination, Mister T! It's like an adventure waiting to happen!" The young girl twirled around like some sort of ballerina as she spoke, while the cat that she still held in her arms gave a drawn out mrooooooow sound in disapproval.

--

The two men relaxed against the side of a tree just outside the town. They had managed to escape the guards, but they weren't exactly thrilled with the idea of going back to the Master empty handed.

"That damn cat.." The Elf slammed his fist against the tree. "I can't believe I wasted my strongest dose of poison like that. If only the cat could have been hit, at least.." He scowled. Meanwhile, his human friend shied away slightly, somewhat bothered by his Elf partner's attitude.

"And here I thought elves were nature lovers.." He muttered under his breath, but the elf apparently heard him, given the glare.

The elf pondered for a moment, before reaching for a small pouch kept on his belt and examining its contents. "Gallas." He called his partner's name, looking to him. The human, apparently named Gallas, looked up and shrugged.

"Yeah? Got a plan?"

"It's not exactly what I'd prefer, but it'll do..." The elf grinned in a sinister manner.

"...I think I'm going to request a change of partners when we get back. No offense, Soladan."

--

"So Mister T." Nina pondered. "What's the name of the place you're bringing me? Anywhere special?" She asked, placing herself in front of him and facing him so that she was walking backwards. She folded her arms behind her back and smiled as the disease-ridden cat rode atop her head once more. At one point she would nearly trip on a stone laying in the road but managed to find her balance easily enough, though she would wince at the pain as Colt dug his claws into her head to stay on top.