Arocraes wiped his brow, transferring the sweat to his hand. The shine from the sun on this particularly hot day caused the sweat to glisten, accentuating his tattoos. Arocraes sighed, "I should really start wearing white" he said to himself as he walked through the market area of the town, searching for food to bring along with him back to the inn.
It was very crowded--or at least it seemed that way to Arocraes. He always hated them and tried to avoid them all together, and he would get easily nervous when within one. His eyes frantically searched for any fruits that looked appealing as his hands shook and sweating intensified in conjunction with the sun's heat radiating from above. He was rather uncomfortable, but he would only remain in town for one more day before setting off for Thanatos.
His father had sent him to Adela in search of a material called "black iron" that his family specialized in crafting. Arocraes was dedicated to his craft, and gathered an impressive amount that he stored away in the inn he was staying at. He was not sure if he wanted to return home just yet and continue his usual mundane daily routine, however. But I sure as hell don't want to be here right now he thought to himself, referring to the marketplace as he quickly purchased a couple of oranges and began swiftly moving towards the inn with his head done and his paces heavy.
"Take to waves now and know that you're free. Turn your back on the land, face the sea..."
It seemed an appropriate song for a port town. Tara picked notes out lightly on her lyre, perched on an empty barrel that smelled like it had very recently held fish. Her pack was at her side, a small tin cup placed on the ground in front of her with a few coppers glinting in the bottom. She almost had enough to rent a room at the inn she'd parked herself nearby at this point.
Tossing her hair- strewn with silver and green ribbons today- over one shoulder and closed her eyes, allowing just a hint of magic to slip into her voice. It wasn't enough to really be with anyone, but it helped her song carry, weaving its way through the noisy crowds to draw listeners closer.
As Arocraes marched on ahead, his steps began to drag forward slower and slower as the notes from a nearby song entered through his ears. He stopped momentarily, listening to the intonation and cadence of the voice, as it reminded of him of his mother, a talented musician. He continue walking forward in the direction of the source of the song, his thoughts now remembering times he spent practicing and learning how to play music with his mother. He became a capable singer, but not nearly as talented as the owner of voice that was currently singing.
When he arrived at the source, he stood beside two men as they admired and gawked over a bard sitting on top of a barrel. Arocraes closed his eyes and crossed his arms, following the lyrics and harmonizing with the woman in his head. As the minutes went by, other people would draw near and watch for a short time before leaving. Arocraes, however, was enchanted and relaxed. I should probably start heading back Arocraes thought after a while, I need to get ready. He was leaving for Thanatos the day after next, and needed to find a suitable way to carry all the black iron he gathered on board the ship.
Arocraes pulled out loose change from his pocket and headed for the tin can the bard set in front of her. He looked at her face before crouching down and placing the coins in the can. "You're quite talented" he said as he stood up again. As he turned around to walk back to the inn, the heel of his foot knocked over the tin can, spilling all of the money the bard had possessed in it. Arocraes turned around swiftly to apologize and pick up what he had spilled, however the metal armor cover his left arm was on a trajectory to hit the lyre the bard was playing.
Tara was absorbed in her music, but she had been wandering on her own enough to keep an eye on the crowd even as she played and sang. Most of the listeners just drifted by, but one- a young man- lingered.
She smiled at him when he dropped a few coins in her little cup, nodding appreciatively while she picked a few chords out on her lyre, repeating them a few times so she could murmur, "Thank you."
Then things seemed to spiral, the stranger's foot knocking over her cup creating a sort of domino effect. She yelped and jumped off the barrel, whirling out of the way and curving protectively around her lyre when he whipped around.
"Oh!" She lost her footing and stumbled, throwing a hand out to catch herself and landing heavily on her knees. "Damnit," she hissed, wincing.
"I'm so sorry!" Arocraes shouted nervously. "Here let me help you" he said as he kneeled down to gather the coins that fell out of the tin can and return them to its owner. Arocraes held the tin can in his hand as he brought it forward in front of the woman. "Here" he said with a half smile, feeling guilty about what transpired. "Please don't kill me" he joked, trying to make light of the situation.
"Fine, it's fine," Tara muttered, trying to wave his apology off. She counted the coins in the tin cup he handed back to her quickly, instinctively wary.
She snorted softly, straightening up and tucking the tin away in her back, swinging her lyre over her shoulder. "I'm not gonna kill you, boy," she said, rolling her eyes and holding her hand out to help him up.
Arocraes nervously giggled as he took her hand and used her as a support. "I guess I'm lucky then" he continued even though his joke didn't go over well. He opened his mouth to continue talking, wanting to ask where she learned how to play and sing, but was afraid she would grow to be even more annoyed.
Arocraes scratched his head as he looked at the ground, beginning to sweat even more now. He wiped his brow, covering his tattoos with his sweat again. "Well have a good day miss" he said as he turned around and clutched the grip of his katana, heading towards the inn filled with embarrassment.
"Yeah. Um...good day," Tara murmured, watching him walk away. She finished gathering up her things and tipped the coins she'd earned since noon onto her palm, counting quickly. Should be enough for a night or two at a relatively cheap inn.
The nearest one happened to be the inn that unfortunately clumsy young man had headed off toward. She shrugged mentally and slipped inside. Oh well, what were the chances of running into him again, really?
Arocraes entered the inn, pulling out an orange he purchased earlier and lightly waving at the innkeeper. He headed straight for his room, taking off his armor piece and placing his sheathed katana across his bed. He sat down and reflected on the day, trying to avoid thinking about the incident with the bard woman with unsuccessful results, cringing just at the thought of it.
Arocraes headed downstairs to the bar, where he sat on a stool and ordered cheap ale. Arocraes took a sip of the drink. By Inima this is disgusting he thought to himself as he took another sip and rested his head on the table before him. He began to hum one of the songs sung by the bard from earlier. It was a song about the sea that Arocraes had recognized, but could not remember all the lyrics. He began to sing softly, adding his own twist to the song, adding ragas and high notes. The song helped relax him, as he grew more anxious waiting to go home.
Nursing a drink at the bar, Tara suddenly paused. Her ears almost literally perked up and she glanced around.
Oh you have got to be kidding me. An incredulous sort of smile twitched at her lips. The kid had a good voice. "Hey." She flagged the bartender down and nodded at the young man resting his head on the bar. "Give him a mug of ale- real ale, not this cheap stuff- on me."
The man scowled a bit but nodded as he poured a new mug and slid it in front of the stranger. "From her," he said gruffly, jerking his head toward Tara.
Arocraes rose up and grabbed the drink. He looked at the woman as he took a sip. He was slightly buzzed already, but he could recognize the woman was the bard from earlier. He sighed as he continued to drink, noticing that the drink she bought him tasted much better than the one he purchased.
With heavy eyes Arocraes ran his hand through his hair, shifting his attention towards the woman. "Why did you do that?" he questioned her, referring to the drink she bought him.
She gave him a crooked smile and shifted a seat closer. "Heard you," she said simply with a shrug. "You're not half bad, kid. You had training?"
Of course she was curious, but she normally wouldn't have bothered interacting with a stranger so boldly. If she was being honest, Tara knew it was because she'd had a rather long week and she was looking to unwind. Plus the boy was cute, she had to admit.
Arocraes slightly blushed. He couldn't tell if it was the alcohol or the woman causing him to feel embarrassed. Perhaps both.
"My mother" he said to her. "She was a Maoin, so she taught me a lot about art in general." He now shifted his whole body towards her, giving her full attention. "What about you, where did you learn?" he asked as he rested his arm on the table and leaned on it, looking directly at her face with a straight face.
Tara shrugged, eyes glinting a bit. "A few people. Gypsies, mostly." She took a sip of her drink, quiet for a moment, then mused allowed, "Maoin...you're Thanati then?"
He certainly looked it, but she hadn't wanted to assume.
Arocraes backed away from the mug and straightened his back. "Aye, I am" he responded and his thoughts returned to his upcoming voyage. Though his journey to Serendipity and Adela turned out to be quite the excitement for Arocraes, he was tired and hoped for a normal trip where he could just rest.
"I grew up in Suna, my father and I are blacksmiths" he said as he opened up more to the woman. "Are you from around here?" Arocraes analyzed the woman. He thought she was pretty from the moment he heard her sing, before even actually seeing her. His attraction for her only grew when he did manage to see her face. He blushed a little, before forcing himself to start thinking about something else. I'll never even see her again after this he thought assuredly.
"Not really." Tara smiled, purposefully mysterious. "I'm Serenian, but I'm from all over, really. Don't stay in one place to long."
She leaned her elbow on the bar, propping her chin in her hand as she looked at him. "Never been to Thanatos though. You like your home?"
"It can be vibrant and lovely but also dull and boring" Arocraes tried to explain. "I think you would like it there though" he said with a smile, "I don't think I got your name." Arocraes motioned the bartender to get him another drink. As he signaled him, Arocraes noticed two tall and strong men entering the inn, heading straight upstairs. He paid no more attention to them, as he thought they were simply just more patrons.
Her smile grew a little more playful. "Well now, why would I tell you that?" she asked with an arched eyebrow. "Doesn't do to just go handing out your name to strangers, love. You should know better." she tsked at him, shaking her head and mock frowning.
Her eyes flicked to the newcomers and she tensed a bit, then relaxed when they didn't seem inclined to linger in the taproom. Maybe she'd pick a different inn to stay at after all...
Shaking her head, she smirked at the boy and leaned back in her seat a bit. "You seem pretty harmless though. Name's Tara. You?"
"How do you know I'm harmless?" Arocraes teased. "I'm Arocraes, nice to meet you." He stuck his hand out to shake her's. Tara he thought I can't tell if she's telling the truth or not. Though Arocraes was naive by nature, he was a little bit wary of the woman.
Arocraes grew tired, but was still very much curious about the woman. "So what are your plans now?"
She chuckeld softly at that, giving him a quick look up and down. "Isn't that cute," she murmured at his little bravado, almost to herself. She took his hand and shook once.
"Why do you want to know?" Tara shot back in answer to his question, giving him an arch look.
Arocraes chucked softly. "No reason I suppose" he said as he got up. "Well it was nice meeting you Tara--oh and sorry about earlier" he said as he began walking back to his room.
Upon arriving at the entrance of his room he noticed that the door was creaked open slightly, although he had shut it fully before he left. Arocraes opened the door and found that all his important belongings--his katana, armor piece, and black iron--were not there anymore. Someone even stole one of his oranges. He was shocked and upset. He was leaving in a couple of days and all his things were gone. "Who would do such a thing" he murmured to himself.
Arocraes recounted the events of the day, trying to figure out who could be a possible suspect. However, the only person he had contact with during the day was Tara. Is it revenge from earlier he questioned internally. She was with him during the time he was away from his gear, however, so he assumed the only way she'd be involved is if she had friends who worked for her.
Arocraes ran downstairs to find Tara.
She smiled, a little reluctant to see him go but not willing to try to convince him to stay just to see if she could get a little fun out of it.
Finishing and paying for her drink, Tara realized she didn't have quite enough coin to pay for a room. Sighing, she ran a hand through her hair and moved to sit by the large hearth in the center of the back wall. Instead of her lyre, she pulled out a delicately carved flute and trilled a few scales to warm up.
That got some people's attention. She played a few more notes, then smiled, satisfied, and started to trill a simple little ditty, subtly setting her tin cup out again.
He saw Tara playing her flute, again with the tin can out. He walked to her, but flanking her from her side so she wouldn't immediately notice him. He picked up a chair and set it near her, sitting down beside her.
"I see singing's not your only talent" Arocraes said to her as he gently smiled. He didn't want to force her to give him the location of his belongings--seeing as he had no weapon. "But if you could tell me where it is, that'd be great" he continued, fully believing she set him up and distracted him while someone stole his things.
Tara blinked in surprise as the young man took a seat beside her, giving him a small nod of acknowledgement but continuing to play, figuring he'd get bored and leave eventually. Or maybe throw a few more coins in.
Then she frowned and lowered her flute, tilting her head at him in confusion. "Excuse me? What are you talking about?"
"Wow a true virtuoso in the art of lying" Arocraes said sarcastically. "I admire your deceit; distracting me so your friends can steal my things, but I'd really like to have it back." Arocraes sighed and rolled his eyes "it's always the pretty ones that rob you clean."
He then stood up from his chair and looked at the other patrons in the bar. Some were staring in confusion and curiosity while others continued about their business without a care. He looked back at the woman expecting her to lead him to where his belongings were.
Okay, now he was starting to piss her off. Glaring, Tara got to her feet and slid her flute back into her pack, gathering up the few coins she'd managed to earn.
"I really don't know what you're talking about," she snapped at him, folding her arms. "And I'm not sure I appreciate the insinuation."
Sure, it wouldn't have been the first time she'd pulled such a trick... But he didn't know that! And this time she was actually innocent.
Arocraes pinched the bridge of his nose and shut his eyes in frustration. "Look, I'm no fool" he unconvincingly replied, "I'm leaving this town in two days. Just bring me to my things and we can call things even."
"You may not appreciate the insinuation but I don't appreciate having my things stolen" he said, beginning to raise his voice. He instinctively reached for the handle of his katana, but was further disappointed when he remembered it was stolen.
Tara glowered at him. "I didn't steal any of your damn things!" she hissed, one hand going to the knife sheathed at the small of her back.
She seemed genuinely upset at the accusations. My things are likely far away from here by now, there would be no use in hiding it if she did steal everything. "Hey easy there, you're just the only person I've talked to today so it's a bit suspicious" Arocraes said, realizing how pathetic it was. "Do you think you could lend me a hand then?"
She tossed her hair, still glaring at him. "Now, why would I do that?" Tara snipped. "You just called me a theif, and now you want my help?" She scoffed, arching an eyebrow at him.
Arocraes sighed. "I'm sorry that I accused you, it was an honest mistake" he said. "I can't really do much without my gear" he explained. He wasn't at all proficient in hand to hand combat, but could dodge and maneuver himself with ease. His wind spells also only worked through his katana.
"It's very important that I get my things back, my family's business depends on it." He began to pout and give her puppy dog eyes to ease the tension.
Tara gave him a calculating look, sweeping her eyes over him without trying to hide the once over. "What's in it for me?" she asked after a moment, cocking her hip and planting her fist on it.
"The gratitude of a charming, handsome, and funny young fellow?" Arocraes teased. He relaxed himself a little and began scratching his head thinking of a way to repay her. "I went to Adela to gather a kind of material my family specializes in using" he began to explain, "it's pretty rare, I can give you a portion of what I collected and you could make some good coin off of it."
He didn't want to let go of any amount of black iron, but it was better than going home with none at all. He looked at the woman, not sure if he could actually trust her but perhaps she could be persuaded by a bit of coin.
"Hm." Tara tilted her head, letting her gaze up and down him again. "What did you say your family did?"
"Blacksmithing" he replied, "we're pretty good at it if I may say so myself." Arocraes thought it would be best to start searching for close as to the whereabouts of his belongings. "Anyway if you decide to help, I'll be around" he said as he waved and began walking away.
Arocraes returned to his room, searching for any indication of how to track the thieves down.
"Hey, wait a second." Tara followed after him, shouldering her pack and biting at her lip as she thought.
She leaned against the door frame, watching him the way a cat would watch a mouse. "Alright, here's the deal," she said abruptly. "If you're so good at your trade- well, I could use some knew blades." She knew better than most that a well made blade was worth twice its weight in gold.
"What exactly was stolen?" she asked, tilting her head.
Arocraes smirked as he rummaged through his room. "My blade, armor, a small sack I kept money and other things in, and my black iron" he said pausing momentarily after saying black iron. "Black iron's the material I gathered in Adela to bring back" he further explained. They also took my fucking orange he thought, for some reason being angered the most by this.
As Arocraes continued searching through the room, he came across a loose piece of clothing seemingly torn off and droplets of blood around it. "Look" he said to Tara pointing at the cloth "the idiots must've cut themselves while handling my katana. I wonder if the innkeeper or bartender would remember anyone having worn similar clothes with a small cut somewhere."
She shrugged, taking the cloth. "Worth asking. Come on." She jerked her head to indicate that he should followed and made for the stairs, pocketing the scrap of fabric.
Arocraes followed close by, watching the woman's hair. "By the way..." Arocraes said as he coughed. "Thank you for doing this, you didn't have to." He paced up faster so that he would be walking adjacent to her. "You're a lot kinder than you look" he remarked.
Tara scoffed at that. "Hey, I'm in this for the free knives." She tossed an arch look over her shoulder at him. "Which I will be holding you to, by the way."
Lips quirking up on one side, she added with a hint of teasing, "And what the hell is that supposed to mean? I don't look kind? I'm a damned saint." She tossed her hair dramatically.
"How lucky I am to have met such a generous and benevolent person" Arocraes joked in response, "You are the true face of kindness." Arocraes scratched his chin, running his hand through his scruff that was getting more unkempt.
"You'll get your knives, just don't stab me after I'm done making them" he added in jest. They approached the bartender and Arocraes motioned Tara to show him the piece of cloth.
She snorted softly at that- kid seemed to have a decent sense of humor, despite getting just about everything he owned stolen- and fished the cloth out of her pocket.
"Excuse me, sir." She leaned overt the bar and gave the bartender a charming smile, batting her lashes. "Don't suppose you recognize the fabric? Maybe could tell me if you saw a customer wearing something like it?"
Arocraes watched the woman and did not intervene in questioning the bartender.
Before the bartender could answer, a woman with jet black hair and doll bangs approached Arocraes and Tara. "I've seen someone wearing that" she said, with her hazel eyes staring directly into Arocraes'. "Want me to take you to him?" She smiled as she looked up and down at Tara and Arocraes. Probably a trap, but could get us closer to the theif Arocraes thought.
Easily switching her attention to the woman, Tara let her head tilt to one side and batted her eyes ditzily. "Oh, could you? That would be a big help, thanks!"
Her hand slid to the small of her back, assuring herself that her dagger was in easy reach.
"No problem" the woman exclaimed as she smiled and winked at Tara. She reached for Arocraes' hand without warning and began leading them. Arocraes looked behind him, nodding at Tara to make sure she was ready should anything happen.
"Say, where is this place?" Arocraes said, not knowing what to call the woman. "You'll see" she replied with a chuckle.
Following along with a wide smile, Tara let her eyes sweep warily over their surroundings, waiting for things to go south.
The woman led the two to a normal looking house that overlooked the pier. She led them up a small flight of stairs to the front door. She then knocked three times rhythmically in a 3/4 beat, where a man covered in black all over except the eyes opened the door. Arocraes began to reach for his katana's handle instinctively again, only to remember it was stolen.
"This way" she said as she walked down a flight of stairs into the basement of the house. Surrounding the room where dozens of men donning the same clothing as the man who opened the door. Two men armed with cutlasses walked towards Arocraes and Tara, signaling the two to put their hands in the air. The woman walked into a separate room in the basement and came out with Arocraes' katana. "Now, tell me about this" she said to him, "What are these markings?"
"Wind spells" he replied, "But they were created so only I could use them." Arocraes dropped his hands ignoring the armed men before him, rolling up one of his sleeves revealing a tattooed arm with markings that were the same as were on the katana. "I can show you how it works if you hand the katana back to me" he cheekily added.
Ooooh, she definitely didn't like this. Damn kid better be as good at smithing as he claimed. Tara kept her mouth shut and just watched the exchange with her hands raised peaceably.
She did give a low whistle though, calling a very faint breeze to swirl around her feet, hopefully one that no one else would notice.
The woman scrunched up her brow before relexing her face into a rough chuckle. "So you're saying all I need is your arm?" Her face lit up. "Very well."
She signaled one of the men in front of Arocraes, nodding her head to tell him to start slice his arm off. He raised his cutlass with two hands on the grip above his head, releasing it from its peak with full momentum heading for Arocraes' shoulder. Arocraes could dodge his attack, but other men were beginning to draw closer and without a weapon Arocraes' defenses would be futile.
Of course. Of fucking course.
Tara threw a hand out and whistled two sharp notes. A gust of wind knocked the attacking man back against the wall, hopefully hard enough to knock him out.
Before anyone else could move, Tara snapped to Arocraes, "Cover your ears," and started to sing. She tugged on her magic, much more than a thread this time, and fed it into her voice, lulling her listeners into a stupor.
Arocraes' listened obediently, shoving his hands into his ears and watched the scene unfold. Everyone seemed to be disoriented and unable to stop the two from escaping. "Musician by day and weird crime fighting magic user by night huh" Arocraes teased as he dropped his hands from his ears. He casually walked to the room that held his possessions after grabbing his katana from the fallen woman.
The back room contained belongings of many other victims. Arocraes giggled in amusement, rummaging to find his things. "Oh these poor bastards" he said to himself as he slid his armor piece back into his arm. I should probably tell the authorities about this place he thought to himself. As he turned to walk out and thank Tara, he heard footsteps from several men up above.
She smirked a bit and shook her head at him, keeping up a soft, continuous hum to make sure the spell stayed in place long enough for them to get out of here.
At the sound of footsteps, Tara frowned and jerked her head at Arocreas. "C'mon, let's move," she murmured, then quickly picked her humming up again, taking a few steps back.
Arocraes nodded and followed her, walking towards the stairs. Just then, several town guards came running down in front of the two. "Stop you violated the law!" shouted the one in charge. Arocraes held his hands in the air, hoping they would not attack. The captain of the guard sent two of his men searching the room, where the unconscious bodies certainly did not seem to look too well for Arocraes and Tara.
The men ran into the backroom. "It's all in here! It must be!" shouted one of the guards. The captain scrunched his face in anger. "You two are coming with me."
"On what grounds?" Tara gasped, making her eyes go wide and her voice a little breathy. She grabbed for Arocreas's arm and tucked herself against his side, trying to look small and vulnerable. "We haven't done anything unlawful, sir," she murmured, playing up her gypsy accent a bit.
Arocraes' cheeks flushed in embarrassment as he had no idea what was going on. "We're not who you think we are" he boldly claimed. Before he could continue to explain further, another guard punched Arocraes in the mouth.
"Shut up." the captain said with a stern and angry face. "We've heard it all before so just shut up." Arocraes found it very peculiar that the guards did not care for the group of people--the actual thieves--that were still in the room. Perhaps they're in liege with one another Arocraes thought bribery for protection. It didn't seem too far fetched of an idea, but regardless Arocraes and Tara were going to jail.
"Lock them in the cell" the captain said as several began to take Arocraes by the arm and guide him to the prison, take his belongings with them.
Tara dropped the act and hissed, catlike, when the man struck her companion. "Oi, you have no right!" she snapped, starting to struggle as one of the guards pinned her arms behind her back. "We haven't done anything wrong! Where's your proof, huh?"
"Calm down" Arocraes said calmly to her. "We'll get out of this I promise." He smiled to her, as he truly believed they could turn the situation in their favor if they played along.
"We surrender" he said to one of the guards, who in response spat in Arocraes' face. "Alright then" he said as he wiped his face with his sleeve.
Sighing and rolling her eyes, Tara went still. "Fine. Take us away. But there's no need to be so uncouth about it." She sniffed and tossed her hair primly.
The same guard that spit on Arocraes snarled at her comment. He turned around to face her, charging his hand to strike her. Just when he was about to hit her, Arocraes grabbed the man's hand and smiled. "We're ready" he said as he released the man's hand, who spat at Arocraes' feet instead and began to carry the pair roughly.
She arched an eyebrow, surprised that he'd defended her. "Quite the gentleman, aren't you?" she murmured under her breath as they were hustled along.
Arocraes smirked and whispered, "Now how would that look on me if I didn't help such a defenseless person?" teasing her and trying to ease the tension. Arocraes tried to ease the tension as they walked through the town, where citizens stared at the pair.
They arrived at a fort overlooking the sea, where a couple more guards escorted Arocraes and Tara into a dungeon cellar. The cellar was small and damp. The air was thin and filled with putrid smells of several other poor prisoners. Some seemed to have been there for a long time, with their skins beginning to sag off from weight loss, probably due to poor nutrition. A guard threw the two into a cell situated at the back corner of the hall, across from a man who seemed several breaths away from death.
"The captain will see you in the morning. It's a pity you won't rot away until then" the guard said as he walked away back to the surface. "Well that was rude" Arocraes joked, turning to Tara.
"Hmph." She was fumbling with her skirt, hiking it up over her left hip so she could get at the lock picking set strapped to her thigh. "We're getting out of here. Unless you have any objections?" She glanced up at him and waved a pick back and forth with a smirk.
Arocraes did not give an immediate reply. Instead, he looked around him at all the prisoners who were in grotesque states. "Let's go" he said to her as he got up, looking at the prisoner across from their cell.
Tara knelt in front of the door and fumbled a bit with the lock. It had been a long time since she'd had to use this particular skill. Eventually though, she managed to get it open and swung the door to their cell carefully open, trying to be as silent as possible.
"I need to get my katana" Arocraes whispered, seeing as the guards took his belongings. His eyes were still fixated on the other prisoners, but he did not know what to say or do. He was helpless at his current state, and even if he had all his gear it would be very unwise to do anything that would make him a wanted criminal in town--even though he was already believed to be one.
"Where do you think they put it?" he asked Tara, a little bit louder than his initial whisper.
She clapped her hand over his mouth, giving him an icy look and holding a finger to her lips. "There's always a storage room in places like this," she murmured, picking her way between the rows of cells. "Your belongings are probably there."
"Lead on" he whispered, his thoughts racing elsewhere as his eyes continually shifted around his surroundings. "You seem a little too familiar with this kind of situation" he continued, following her closely trying to mask his footsteps.
Tara couldn't help smirking at that. "I'm not sure I like what you're implying," she whispered, throwing him a wink.
Darting around a corner, she suddenly paused, then turned and pushed him up against a tiny alcove in the wall. "Don't make a sound. Don't even breathe," she hissed, clapping her hand over his mouth and pressing them a little further in the shadows as the footsteps of a guard moved past.
Arocraes looked downwards at the girl's hand. It felt a little rugged, but also soothing in a way. His eyes traced the curvature of her knuckles that were almost barely visible in the dark. He was concentrated in following her directions to not even breathe, but began to feel nervous under the pressure. Oh no he thought.
Ah-choo. Arocraes was more worried about the state of the poor girl's hand rather than the guard that almost assuredly have heard them. "I'm so sorry" he whispered, refusing to make eye contact with her out of embarrassment.
She jerked back reflexively, then flinched. "Oh, shit."
The guard swung around the corner. "Who's there?"
Tara didn't have time to warn Arocraes to cover his ears before she started to sing, throwing a ridiculous amount of magic into the sound. The guard dropped like a stone.
Arocraes fell to his knees, bringing his hands to his ears to mitigate the effect. However, he involuntarily began gagging, feeling the acid from his stomach creeping up before forcing it back down.
"What was that?" he asked her, seeing as he didn't have a chance to when he last witnessed her power. He helped himself stand and turned towards her.
"Magic," Tara said shortly as she extended a hand to help him up. "I probably used a bit too much, sorry. Panicked a little."
She turned to peer around the corner. The coast seemed clear. "Alright. C'mon, let's get our stuff and get out of here."
Arocraes didn't pry anymore. Sure he was surprised initially, but he has encountered much stranger incidents of magic.
He followed her as they drew near a secluded room with a door cracked slightly open. "That's probably where they have our stuff" Arocraes whispered excitedly, "or it could be a room full of more guards. And maybe some dragons. Or dragons dressed up as guards." He threw his back against the wall, making sure he was out of sight should some pop their head out of the door.
She gave him a brief, incredulous look before shaking her head at him. "Gods, you act like it's your first time busting out of a jail."
With a quick whistle that seemed to float into the room more than rebound off the walls, she confirmed that it was empty and slipped inside, gesturing for him to follow.
A smile spread across Tara's face and she made a beeline for her pack, bow, and lyre, which had been tossed in a corner of the room. "Ah, there you are!"
"You say that like it's a bad thing" he remarked, following her into the room. He grabbed his katana and armor piece, equipping both. He looked over to the bag of black iron, pausing and thinking for a minute. "Thank you for helping" he suddenly said as the gratitude glowed in his voice. "I know I owe you a few knives, and you'll get them, but I need one last favor."
He pointed to the bag of black iron, "Can you take that with you and head for the inn. I'll try and meet you there, but if I'm not back within 24 hours there's a ship leaving for Thanatos. Get on it and once you're in Suna ask around about the Vanelors. Then I can repay my debt."
Arocraes slashed the ground producing a layer of wind underneath his feet, and he jogged quietly out of the room without waiting for a reply. He headed straight for the cells Tara freed them from.
"Hey, wait a- Hey!"
Tara scowled, scooping up the bag he'd indicated- grunting in surprise at the weight- and shaking her head. Fine. Fine, if he wanted to go and get himself arrested again, that was his business. But if he thought she wouldn't be leaving on that ship without him, he was dead wrong.
Grumbling quietly to herself, she managed to sneak out through one of the side doors of the jailhouse and nonchalantly picked her way back through the streets to the inn.
Arocraes picked up his pace and weaved in and out through the multiple corridors, heading straight for the cells with the goal to set the prisoners free. Although the sight of them living in their current conditions did disturb, that was not necessarily the reason why Arocraes decided to free them. Perhaps it was for revenge against the guards, or pity and resentment for them living a life of confinement. Or it maybe it was just because he thought it would be fun. Regardless of the true answer, Arocraes was not sure why himself.
"Halt!" a guard suddenly shouted to Arocraes, seeing the boy run towards him with full force. Without thinking, or caring, Arocraes drew his katana, sliced open the guard's vulnerable neck, and sheathed his blade in one movement without stopping or slowing down. I wonder what she'd think if she saw me like this he thought.
Upon reaching the group of cells, Arocraes freed each prisoner one by one by breaking the gates down with his wind magic. He did not interact with any of them, instead he headed straight to surface to confront the men who had taken him and Tara prisoner. For some reason, he did not care at how he himself was treated, but was rather enraged and agitated at how they handled Tara, who was only there to help him. As he reached the surface, multiple men surrounded him, as the captain of the guard walked towards Arocraes. He brought his hand to the handle of his katana. I wonder what she'd think if she saw me like this he thought once more.
Tara was waiting.
She didn't like waiting.
Tapping her foot, she pursed her lips and glanced at the door of the in again- what must have been the ninth time in the past few minutes.
Where the hell was he?
The captain was surprisingly calm considering the boy before him just freed all his prisoners and killed some of his men. They stared each other down, when suddenly the captain launched forward. Arocraes blocked the captain's attack with his left arm, but noticed none of the other guards joined in. They watched the duel with amusement, as if this were a regular occurrence.
The captain was strong. Arocraes could feel his weight and strength force him downwards. However, he had the speed advantage. In one swift move, Arocraes ducked and swept his leg underneath the captain's, forcing him to fall down. He then kicked the handle of the man's sword to knock it out of his hands as he fell.
Arocraes hoisted his blade up to the captain's neck, as the surrounding guards cleared a path to allow him to exist. In the conclusion of a most surreal event, where no words were spoken other than the cheers and jeers from the surrounding guards, Arocraes stepped out of the guard tower and headed for the inn he told Tara to wait at. Covered in tattered clothes and several bruises and cuts, Arocraes rubbed his arms that were starting to feel sore.
Finally, Tara heard the door open again and looked up. Here eyes widened.
"What the hell happened to you?" she demanded, sliding off her stool and moving toward Arocraes.
"Oh I just fell" he joked as he slouched over to a nearby chair, plopping down with fatigue. "Why, were you worried?" he teased.
"Mildly concerned," Tara corrected. "And what did you fall on, half the city guard?" She arched an eyebrow.
Arocraes began rubbing his left shoulder. He must have moved awkwardly when the captain struck him, he usually never got this sore.
"Mhm" he replied with a cheeky grin.
"Mhm?" Tara repeated. She shook her head. "Well, whatever you did, as long as we're not jumped by guards again I don't care. We should be out of the city by sundown, right?"
"Key word is should" he replied. It's unlikely that the guards would simply keel over after what transpired. They'll be back, he was sure of it.
"Do you have my bag with you?" he asked referring to the black iron.
She nodded, gesturing for him to follow and making her way back to the table she'd been sitting at. "Here." She nudged the bag she'd stashed under the table with her foot.
Arocraes hoisted the bag over his shoulder, wincing in pain.
"We should head for the harbor. It would be strange if the ship has not been docked yet." he said decisively.
"Yeah, we should." She nodded, watching him carefully. "You should let me take a look at you when we have a minute," Tara murmured as she started toward the door. She was by no means a great healer, but she knew the basics.
"You don't need to be so formal when checking me out" he joked with a light smile, hoping she would think he's in fine condition.
Arocraes walked with her to the harbor. There were suspicious glances every now and then as he carried the heavy bag, but to the townfolk it wasn't something completely out of the ordinary. The guards, however, they were his main concern.
Upon reaching the harbor, he eyed the ever scruffy and rugged Captain Duval, the corrupted captain who's ship he was on that headed for Cerenis. He propped himself up with a cane, and didn't appear to notice Arocraes. Best not complicate things Arocraes thought as he tried to stay out of the captain's line of sight. He'd deal with him at a later time, right now he and Tara needed to get away from Cerenis.
Arocraes stepped in line, waiting to talk to a crewman of the ship headed for Thanatos.
Tara rolled her eyes and scoffed, letting him know she was thoroughly unimpressed. She was smiling a bit though, albeit wary as they made their way to the docks.
She eyed the captain with no small amount of distrust. "You sure this is safe?"
"Nope" he said, not trying to sugarcoat words or to reassure her. He continued looking forward, waiting for the line to shorten. Once they were finally facing the crewman, the sailor introduced himself.
"Aye there, name's Jordi" he said with a charming, sweet tinge in his voice. "First mate of the Corpus. What can I do you for?"
This was the vessel Arocraes had been waiting to board for a few days, and he was glad that it appeared safe and welcome. "We're trying to get to Thanatos" he said as he pulled out a pouch with just the right amount of coins for the both of them to board.
Jordi took the money and nodded at a fellow sailor, who brought another along with him to grab Arocraes' bag and store it on the ship. "We'll be leaving tomorrow morning. You two lovebirds can board, my mate will show you to your room."
"We're not--" Arocraes tried to explain before he was jostled out of the line and found himself walking with a sailor to their room. He sighed. So far so smooth I guess he thought as he looked at Tara, and then to Captain Duval in the distance who still had not noticed Arocraes' presence.
When Arocraes started to protest that they weren't a couple, Tara elbowed him gently. "Less suspicious for a man and a woman to be traveling together if they're involved," she said quietly as they boarded the ship. "Just go with it for now, alright?"
"Alright, but don't pretend like you're not all giddy inside" he retorted as they followed the sailor into a tiny room with one bed, a desk, chair, and a dresser. The decorations were limited, as there was a single green rug in the middle of the room and two paintings with chipped frames hanging on adjacent sides of the far wall.
"Make yourself at home" the gentle sailor said with a smile as he walked out.
Tara nodded and smiled, waving to the sailor. When he was gone, she elbowed her companion again, a little harder this time.
"I'm warning you now- you try to pull something, and I will cut off a vital part of your anatomy in your sleep, m'kay?" she said brightly, batting her eyes at him before she crossed to drop her pack onto the bed.
"Don't flatter yourself" he said as he rolled his eyes and rubbed where she elbowed him. "I'm going to head up top and have a look at the ship for a bit." He walked out of the room and towards the deck of the ship.
"Keep an eye out," Tara called after him. "I don't like this." She'd never liked feelin trapped, and if something went south on this ship they really had very few escape options.
"Mhm" he replied coldly. On the deck of the ship were multiple sailors getting ready to set sail. The captain, presumably, was barking orders as his men diligently obeyed.
"Long time no see, boy" a heavy voice suddenly, softly said to Arocraes. He quickly turned around to find none other than Captain Duval. Arocraes clutched the grip of his katana, ready to slice the captain open should he try something. "Relax" he continued, "I can deal with you later. The guard captain however, he seems pretty mad about ya." Of course they would be friends Arocraes thought.
Though she by no means trusted their surroundings, Tara was perfectly willing to get some rest when she could. She flopped onto the bed with a sharp exhale, staring blankly at the ceiling.
"So what are you going to do, tell him I'm here?" Arocraes questioned angrily.
"Relax, boy" Captain Duval replied as he pulled out a cigar. "I could if I wanted to. But I don't want to. At the moment at least." He lit up the cigar, took a puff and blew it into Arocraes' face. "I'm more interested in that girl you brought here. Take me to her."
Arocraes was ready to gut the man like a fish. However, the captain had the upper hand in this situation. "Very well." Arocraes headed for the room that Tara was in, while Captain Duval softly chuckled in a smug manner that infuriated Arocraes.
Arocraes had a very distinct tread, and Tara recognized it as he approached. He had someone with him.
On alert but wanting to play it off, she just cracked an eye open and twisted on the bed as they came in. "Problem, lads?"
"Yeah this creep wanted to meet you" Arocraes said, where Duval replied by shoving Arocraes against the wall. "I've had enough of your mouth, boy. After all that you did to me I should just have the guard captain come here and rip your filthy little tongue out." Duval spit on Arocraes' face before kneeing him in the groin.
He turned his attention to Tara, where he rubbed his hand through his hair and and looked downwards. "Sorry you had to see that, sweetie. The punk had it coming."
Tara sat up quickly, a scowl flying across her face at the abuse. She smoothed her expression out and looked the captain up and down calculatingly.
"I suppose I'll take your word for it," she said blandly, then added, "Name's Tara, by the way. CAll me sweetie again and I'm not responsible for your injuries."
Duval grinned as he inched closer. "This whore has got quite the mouth" Duval began to run his hand through his pockets as he drew closer to the bed.
Arocraes slowly unsheathed his blade so that the handle was facing up. In a quick motion, he struck the temple of Duval, causing his to get knocked out. "How good are you with ropes?" he asked Tara.
"You sit down," Tara told him by way of answer. "That idiot did a number on you." She pulled a length of rope from her pack and bound the captain's wrists and ankles with perhaps worrisome ease.
Arocraes arched one of his eyebrows. "Didn't think you were into that sort of thing." He looked at the unconscious captain's body. They had best hide the body until they were safe and sound in Thanatos. Should any catch sight of them with Duval they would surely be arrested, and better yet if the guard captain caught them they could find themselves engaged in a bloodbath.
"He'll awaken at some point, till then we need to find somewhere isolated to store him."
She shrugged and put her back to the unconscious man. "Tip him over the side, I don't care," she muttered callously, shrugging.
That didn't work the first time Arocraes thought as he remembered the debacle involving The Daughters and the twin orbs.
"Listen, we're already considered wanted criminals. Well, at least I am" he shifted his eyes towards the captain's body. "Let's try not to make any trouble for ourselves." Arocraes went to shut the door, where only minutes later three knocks sounded against it.
"Dear gods." Tara scowled at the door. "What could possibly have gone wrong now?"
Arocraes quickly shuffled Captain Duval's body behind the bed, and leaped on top of the bed grabbing Tara with him.
"Just play along" he whispered to her as he began to place his lips on hers.
"Sorry to barge in--" the person behind the knocks, a crew member, began as he opened the door. He blushed upon witnessing Arocraes lock lips with Tara, and gently walked out while closing the door.
Tara instinctively started to jerk away, surprised. Then she caught on to what he was doing and kissed him back, trying to really sell it.
Also- hey, the kid was pretty cute. And not a half bad kisser. She twined her arms around his neck and leaned into him to deepen the contact.
The muscles around Arocraes' mouth contorted into a smile as his his nose ring touched the face of the girl. When the sailor left the room, Arocraes rolled over onto his back after letting his lips linger a little bit longer.
"Hey you're not too bad at that" he softly chuckled as he turned his head to face Tara.
"Hmph." She tossed her hair and sat up a bit, but she was smiling just a little. "Not so bad yourself, kid." Tara threw him a wink as she twisted to perch on the edge of the bed.
Arocraes smiled as he looked towards the bonded captain. "Urgh..." he said as he began to wake up, which resulted in Arocraes swinging over the bed and stomping his heel into the captain's temple. "Sorry, didn't see you there" he said as the captain lost consciousness once again.
"What do we do now?" he asked the girl, unsure of how to deal with the man.
She arched an eyebrow. "You pretty much vetoed my toss him over the side idea. Your turn to come up with something."
Arocraes sighed. "Once the ship begins to leave I'll just kill him" he said coldly, still staring at the captain's body. "Then I'll toss him aside." No one will miss him he angrily thought, perhaps even correctly.
"Fair enough." Tara shrugged, then wrinkled her nose. "Just don't let him stink up this cabin too long. And do try not to make a mess of things, won't you?"
Arocraes nodded as he moved the sheets of the bed and began to lay inside. "The ship is supposed to leave at first light. If the captain moves just knock him out again." He shut his eyes as he began to try to fall asleep.
"Oi." Tara tugged at the covers with a scowl. "What makes you think I'm takin first watch? I'm tired, you babysit."
She crawled into the other side of the bed and turned onto her side with a huff.
Arocraes inched closer to her, dropping his arm over her side and putting his face next to her ear. "Are you sure you trust me enough to let yourself sleep so vulnerably in front of me?" His intent was obvious, tease her into agreeing to let him sleep first.
Well then. The kid was certainly bolder than she'd thought.
Tara smirked. "Oh, sweetheart." She twisted to look at him, arching an eyebrow. "You really don't wanna play this game with me."
In one easy motion, she flipped them over so she was perched on top of hip, knees to either side of his hips while she pinned his wrists above his head.
"Because I always win." She grinned at him and tossed her hair.
Arocraes' eyes widened. "You know what on second thought I think I'll take first watch" he said as he blushed profusely. He was constantly surprised by how powerful, and dangerous, she could be. Best not make her my enemy.
Yeah, that's what I thought.
Tara gave him her most charming smile and dipped to kiss his cheek. "Good boy," she chirped, rolling off him to curl onto her side again.
Arocraes sighed has he pulled the sheet off of him and lifted himself up. He brought his hands to his face as he yawned and stretched his skin. It was going to be a boring night for sure, having to babysit the unconscious captain before getting rid of him in the morning. It was already dark outside, Arocraes presumed, but he was not sure how many hour into the night they were, and how long until the ship will leave.
"Where were you born?" he suddenly asked Tara, hoping to ease his boredom.
Tara turned over to face him and just stared for a moment. There were a couple answers she could give to that- but for some reason she decided to go with honesty.
"I don't know," she said bluntly. "But I grew up in Serendipity."
"Why don't you know" he said with his palms against the bed and his head facing the ceiling. He figured since they had already been through so much in such a short period of time they could get to know each other.
She just looked at him for a few moments longer.
"I was...found, as a baby," she said after a while. "Group of gypsies found a baby abandoned in the woods and took me in. So I'm not sure where I'm from, before that."
"Do you want to know though?" he continued to pry. "About your true origins and real family?"
"No," she lied, turning onto her back. "It doesn't really matter, does it? Whoever left me there obviously didn't want me, but my family did. Who cares how I got there?"
"How do you know they didn't want you?" It seemed like there was an obvious answer to his question, but Arocraes wondered if perhaps other circumstance let to her abandonment. He paused for a moment before he began to hum the song he heard when they first met.
"I just don't, alright?" Tara scowled at the ceiling. "Drop it, lad."
When he started humming, she went rather quiet, just listening for a few moments. "You know that song then," she noted softly after a while. "The one I was playing."
"I've heard better renditions," he teased, "but yes." He turned his face towards her and smiled. "It's a lovely tune."
"Hmph." She crinkled her nose at him and turned onto her side to give him her back. "Well, it brings coin in at any rate," she muttered carelessly.
He chuckled softly as he reclined backwards so his back touched the bed. "I'm kidding" he said in a soft tone. "Your singing reminds me of my mother's actually."
Tara snorted. "Considering you just kissed me, I'll try not to be weirded out by that," she snipped, because honestly she couldn't seem to help herself.
"Oh don't flatter yourself" he replied in a jocular manner. "I didn't want anyone walking in, that's all that was."
"Uh-huh." Smirking, Tara scooted toward the edge of the bed and leaned down to drift her hand over his shoulder lightly, teasingly.
"And what if I said I wanted you in this bed with me?" she murmured, hiding the laughter in her voice with a little huskiness. "Are you telling me you wouldn't jump at the chance?"
Arocraes raised his eyebrows as he felt a shiver go down his spine. He didn't reply to that, nor did he know how to. Instead, he stood up and sighed, not making eye contact with the girl. "I'll scout the rest of the ship and find out when we're leaving" he said as he motioned towards the door.
Tara chuckled and withdrew her hand, flopping back onto the bed. "That's not an answer, lad," she called after him smugly as she turned onto her side and curled up.
He continued staying silent as he opened the door. As Arocraes peeked his head out, he heard a familiar voice followed by the clanging of metal armor walking down the hall. It was the guard captain.
Arocraes quickly withdrew inside as he brought a nearby chair against the door to lock it in place. "He's here" he said to the girl
"Oh fabulous." Tara groaned and rolled out of the bed.
"Well, what do you suggest we do?" she asked in a harsh whisper, folding her arms across her chest.
Arocraes thought for a second. He didn't want to engage in a fight, as he was sure he'd win but not sure if he'd be allowed to remain on the ship. The best thing to do would be to hide.
Arocraes rolled the captain's still unconscious body underneath the bed and moved to remove the chair blocking the door. "Hide" he told Tara in a soft whisper as he rolled underneath the bed, grabbing onto Tara's hand.
"You've got to be fucking kidding me," Tara hissed. "This is your idea?"
But she didn't actually have anything better, so she slid under the bed with a wrinkled nose and a few muttered curses.
Arocraes grunted. "Where else would we go" he said in an aggressive whisper, as the voices from outside grew louder and they party drew near.
"Check this room" a distant voice ordered, when suddenly the heavy door swung open in full force, revealing the guard captain and a couple of his men. They paced around, moving objects surely searching for the whereabouts of Arocraes. Arocraes, however, clutched his katana while the bag of black iron was stowed away in the cargo area, likely in the middle of many other passengers' possessions.
"Like I said before, sir, a boy with tattoos and a katana did not board the ship" a familiar voice, that of one of the sailors, said to the captain. The guard captain grunted as his men left the room, shutting the door firmly behind them.
Tara pressed closer against him instinctively as they waited for the guards to leave.
"Why the hell are they after you in the first place?" she muttered when they'd left.
"I guess they're attracted to me. I don't blame them, I am quite pretty" he joked without giving her a straight answer. "Wouldn't you agree?"
She rolled her eyes and crawled out from under the bed. "Someone's awfully sure of himself."
Arocraes rolled out of the bed immediately after, leaving the captain's body underneath the bed. "It's okay we're all friends here, you can admit it" he replied as he gripped his katana and moved the chair to block the door once again.
Tara eyed him for a moment, a smirk twitching at her lips. "Alright, fine. You've got me," she purred, stepping up behind him.
Gripping his shoulder, she turned him around and leaned up to press against him, letting her lashes flutter and her eyes go soft. "You are kinda cute, I guess," she murmured, leaning in dangerously close.
Arocraes' cheeks flushed with warmth and his heart began to beat fast and he began to blush. However, he did not resist nor did he move his head back. Instead he leaned in forward, tilting his head slightly and closing his eyes.
"Ha!" Tara skipped away, giggling. "Oh gods, lad, that was too easy," she chuckled, tilting her head at him with a smug little smile.
Arocraes clenched his katana as he looked downward, ashamed to look up. He laughed in amusement, "Okay I'll admit that you got me." He walked towards the bed to sit. "You're quite cruel you know that?" he said with a smile.
"Aw, did I hurt your feelings?" Tara quipped, perching on the bed next to him with a crooked smile.
Her eyes flicked over him and she realized she actually did feel a little guilty for teasing him. She pursed her lips and glanced away with a frown, not particularly enjoying that feeling.
"I'm just joking. Like I said, don't flatter yourself" he lied to her. He pressed his palms against the bed and looked at the ceiling again as he feigned a smile. He began to feel the ground shake, as the ship began to move. He sighed in relief. "Finally" he said to the girl.
"Hm." Tara gave him a calculating sort of look but decided to let the subject drop.
As the ship started to move, she let out a sharp breath and stood. "I need to walk around. If I don't get my sealegs quick, I won't get them at all."
"Alright, I'm going to get rid of the captain then." He dragged the body from underneath the bed. "We can meet again once the ship lands at Thanatos." He waited for her to leave the room before continuing.
"Sir, yes, sir." She gave him a little mock salute before she left the cabin and made her way up onto the deck.
A sigh of relief left her at the first breath of fresh air and she made a beeline for the rail, leaning out over the sea as far as she could.