Completed Just gotta get out of here

[Aurora Hook]

22nd of Spring.

Red, matted hair bobbed in the crowded docks before they were hidden by a dark cloak’s hood. Her left hand was clasped over her right, hiding the half-sun that would give her away if she wasn’t careful. She would need gloves. Her yellow eyes roamed around the merchants and stores around her. Would they know whose money she was using? With her masters dead, how long would it take them to find her? A slave killing her masters was often unheard of, but she couldn’t help it. They had kept her locked up. All any of them had ever done was lock her up. She needed to leave this miserable place, and she knew just the place.
Syliras was the perfect city for her. The knights would keep her safe and maybe then she could figure out what, or who, she was looking for. Maybe she could become a knight herself. The thought brought the tiniest upward curl to her lip, revealing, for just a moment, an overly long incisor. How was she going to get there? The slave had never realized the immensity of the water that surrounded her birthplace. She had only seen the canals a few times, and that was through a couple of windows. She wasn’t even sure whether she could see land on the other side or just more water.
She wanted to growl in frustration. Her plan once she had realized they were dead was to get together supplies and swim, but the water was still chilly in mid spring and she had never really swum before. It was ridiculously unfair. They had all done it on purpose, just to make it harder for her, but she wasn’t so easily deterred. She would find a way.
She heard introductions and greetings as she grew closer to the docks. They all had names. Solid, sure names that didn’t change. That was how things normally worked, wasn’t it? She looked around the waters for ideas. There was a boat with lights that shimmered on the water, distorted and wavy. She let it remind her of the first thing that came to mind; Auroras. One of her tutors had talked about auroras for a moment, and she had not been listening, more interested in the pretty picture. Yes, Aurora would do. Another ship, this one a fishing ship, passed by. Thinking for a moment, the slave girl narrowed her eyes to figure it out. Aurora Net? No. Aurora Salmon? She liked Salmon… but she didn’t want to be named what she ate. Aurora Hook? Yeah, that worked. She was a hunter, so that made sense. It did to her, anyway.
And so, Aurora Hook strode into the highly populated area. She kept her eyes off the guards as she looked for someone who might own a ship. She wondered how much it would cost to travel. What would happen if they saw the mark on her hand? Spotting the slavers and their newest merchandise, she pulled her cloak tight to totally hide her hands. It was chilly enough to pull off, she thought. She couldn’t help wondering if she looked too suspicious. Perhaps the guards already knew. She just wanted to be off this forsaken island, and as soon as possible.

[Daegron]

Another day of study. This time he meant to gather information. His body needed a rest from the constant strain that his latest project caused. He needed to see people's faces; characteristics, expressions, attitude and how all these affected their appearance. Seeing a multitude of faces, would help him define the origin of their shape. Then, by noticing the differences from the more subtle to the most radical, he would be able to create a mechanism; a routine that would enable shifting from one form to another, from his own face to any other. And what better better source of information than the ever moving sea of crowd. A faceless man adrift in an endless stream of faces...

There was a certain exotic quality about her. Something primal in her characteristics that made the observant eye to pick her out. She would't normally stand out in that busy crowd, despite the vibrant hair colour, but Daegron's current focus and need for detail made it possible. Or perhaps it was pure luck. Nevertheless, his curiosity was picked by the way she moved and acted. She moved around seeking something but trying to avoid eye contact. Impatience and suspence. It was a whim of the moment that beckoned him to follow and find out more. And following whims in whatever trouble they led was something he was unable to resist. As the people walking around and their faces seemed to be all the less important to him they seemed to loose their colour compared to hers. He wondered if she'd spot him tailing her and approaching. Soon he'd find out..

_

[Aurora Hook]

The guards seemed to be paying her no mind, but Aurora still felt that spine tingling sense of being watched. She had never really needed to remember faces as none of her tutors ever came back, so it was hard to pick out any one person. Sure, she could tell the difference between a blonde and a brunette, but that was, more or less, the most she could do. All these faces swam in and out of her memory. Perhaps they were all watching her. Every now and then she thought she spotted someone watching her, but then they were gone in the crowd.
Was he getting closer? Dark hair, green eyes, wrapped in a grey coat. Aurora quickly turned away in a badly hidden attempt to seem unaware of him. There was a merchant selling garments of clothing. Accessories, really, but a white pair of gloves caught her eye. She would need them, and perhaps appearing as a normal shopper would throw the man off her scent. Slaves wouldn't by things for themselves.
“How much for these gloves?” Aurora asked the vendor, whose dark eyes snapped to her the moment she spoke. He reminded her, vaguely, of a hungry animal, thin, but with jowls like a bulldog and eyes locked on her like an eagle upon a mouse.
“Five Silver Mizas, my dear.” His voice was like that of a hissing snake, with a sly smile revealing yellow teeth. “And how wonderfully they can go with this here hat, only-” But Aurora was uninterested in the hat, white and lovely as it was. She really didn't honestly know how much money was in the three coin purses she had taken from around her masters' house.
Clumsily with her left hand, she retrieved a gold miza. Here was the confusing part; What was the difference between these 'Silver' mizas and the gold? Gold was better than silver, wasn't it? “Just the gloves.” She said, almost harshly, offering the miza. The merchant gave it a sly look and took it, handing her the gloves. Satisfied that whatever she had done had worked, Aurora smiled and walked away.
It was only a moment that the half-sun was revealed on the back of her hand before she slipped the lovely gloves on, but it was a moment that left her glancing around as though expecting everyone to be staring at her. When she saw that they, thankfully, weren't, she took a seat on a pier, legs dangling over the water. Now that she didn't have to worry so much about everyone seeing that mark, she could better figure out how to go about things. Finally, her eyes roamed for the one who had seemed to be following her, this time showing some more interest in meeting this stranger up close. After all, she had been locked up in a house with very limited social interaction, maybe he would be something new.

[Daegron]

Was he noticed ? Subtlety never was his concern, nor his way of doing things. In fact, he did not really want to stay undetected; having her know she's followed and inspiring a bit more anxiety would be more interesting. He briefly wondered on this strange new quirk he seemed to have developed. Meeting and getting to know others was not something he was usually interested in. After all he never got along well with others. But a small new part of himself, whose existence he ignored, craved to watch others, to learn about others, to absorb and mimic their personalities. Little did he know that having many faces would bear him many selves...

She'd stopped to buy clothing? It was obvious to him that she wasn't just a casual shopper. She looked exactly like he did a few days ago, confused and angry. Or perhaps thats what he thought. When she sat on the pier and eyed him, there was nothing else to do. He might as well approach. And that he did.

"Tis not a place to wander around confused" he just said and sat close to her. His voice was raspy and redused to an ominous whisper as he went on. "You get easily spotted in this unfriendliest of places, and promptly marked as an outsider." He smiled weakly, not out of sympathy. The slight irony was obvious. "The crowds don't really care about you and that's the best attitude you'll get from them. With them you are safe. Try to avoid empty alleys and quiet places". He wasn't sure if she actually cared about what he just said. But in case she wondered , he had to elaborate.
"Simple advice from someone who was lucky enough to not get knifed in some dark alleyway and spend the next few bells floating lifeless on the lake...".

It wasn't the friendliest of the brightest introduction, but he didn't care at all. The small waves that spread outwards from her feet touching the cool water's surface seemed to stir some distant memory. One that was suppressed as he stared straight into her eyes...
_

[Aurora Hook]

When he approached, Aurora felt the need to stand up. He appeared to be quite serious, but that was all she could really get out of his face. She wasn't good at reading emotions. The girl fought the urge to rise and actually relaxed a fraction when he sat down. She knew that sitting down was a hard position to do much in, but why would she worry? He didn't look like a guard, nor did she quite understand how dangerous someone who had followed her could be. She had never been followed before or warned about it, why would she?
Aurora listened to what he had to say. His raspy tone was different than what she was accustomed to, quiet and perhaps hard to hear from anywhere further than where she sat. She had heard the same type of tone used when her masters had been talking to her tutors, but she had never quite caught the conversations. His words had an ominous touch to them, making her feel as though she needed to hang onto everything.
'Marked', he had said. She almost felt amused. She rested her left hand atop her right as though expecting him to see through the gloves. There was a smile for a moment, but what did it mean? She listened further to his advice, almost rapt by what he was saying. Knifed? Knives were for cutting food, did people use them like swords as well? She shivered a bit at his last note. She didn't like the sound of any of it, and it wasn't even the reason she had wanted to leave in the first place. If crime was really as rampant as he made it sound, then killing her masters was no reason at all. It made her sick... and a bit afraid.
Aurora had been so distracted in his talking and her own thoughts that she didn't realize she was looking him dead in the eye. She quickly looked to the water to avoid his gaze. She had never been allowed to look others in the eye, but it wasn't like he had gotten angry or anything when she did. The rippling water distracted her a moment before she spoke. “I'm not actually an outsider.” She told him. He was being helpful, so why not? “I might as well be, though.” She glanced around a moment before matching his whisper. “I was never ever allowed out. My masters were afraid that I'd 'bond' to someone else. I don't even understand what they meant.” She gave him a questioning look, as he seemed like he had all the answers.

[Daegron]

It was a wealth of information that she had just shared, in a few simple whispered words. He remained silent for a few moments to make sense of what he's learned. She was never allowed out ? That would definitely explain the way she moved around, wandering sort of aimlessly. Then the thing about her masters seemed to him like quite the revelation. An imprisoned slave ? As far as he knew, slaves were treated better than outsiders and they all had designated duties. It would be a waste of resources to hold a slave imprisoned. They existed to serve and to be used as merchantise. Unless of course they were bred for a special purpose, or were dangerous ? She didn't look dangerous to him, in fact there was an aura of innocence about her. Still, the primal element he'd noticed from afar was now apparent and his curiosity was picked. The bonding part escaped his attention, as he was more focused into trying to figure her out using his senses and his logic.

"A poor, clueless and naive slave girl, all alone in such a place ?" he thought to himself and all of a sudden an idea was born and given shape, spawned from the darkest corners of his mind. He had to learn more details, and she seemed to just blurt out everything about herself. How could she trust a man like himself ? "Your foolishness will be your undoing, young one" he thought and his stern face changed and softened. He wasn't good at pretending but he tried his best to change his expression to one of compassion and friendliness. He even smiled, hoping that it looked genuine instead of the cruel mockery that flourished inside him. His voice was still a whisper and he looked from side to side as he spoke, trying to signify to her that she might be in danger. Gaining her trust was important.

"Never allowed out dear one ? What do you mean ? They tried to keep the world hidden from you young one, and why ? What happened ? Who were the masters you speak of ? What did they want from you ?"

He believed that pressing on with as many questions as possible would make it more difficult for her to keep all that information to herself..

_

[Aurora Hook]

When she looked up at him again, his expression changed to a softer, friendlier look, but his eyes shifted around. It appeared to be a protective act, to Aurora, as though he was making sure that no one harmful would hear their words. She couldn't resist the urge to glance around as he did, feeling as though they were in quite a dangerous position, indeed. The girl didn't have a chance at understanding any kind of deception, especially not from someone who seemed so friendly. It even seemed like he could be someone safe to be around.
His questions were quickly spoken, the whisper urgent in her ears. She felt her heart beat quicken as she tried to decipher and answer them, but each one had another one spoken just as quickly, confusing her a bit and making her forget to keep things secret. Perhaps, if she told him the story, he'd be the hero that got her out of here! It would make perfect sense, of course. The hero always arrived when most necessary. With that in mind, she tried to come up with her answers.
“They were 'Master' and 'Mistress'.” She spoke her first answer in a very matter-of-fact tone, as though it had been quite a silly thing to ask in the first place. Really, why would he need to ask? “They wanted me to be a guard. That's what they always said, but they didn't want me to get close to anyone, so they kept me in that house and always changed my tutors.” Aurora quietly explained. “It drove me mad! I wanted to chase the birds and swim in the water, but they wouldn't let me out at all. When they were upset with me, they would beat me, but... but when it happened...” She looked down. “I didn't mean to.” She insisted, eyes slightly wide as she glanced back up at him. Still an urgent whisper, she continued explaining just a bit more. “I thought they were stronger.”
She really did just expect him to understand exactly what she meant. She had killed them, she didn't need to explain, and her body language did appear quite guilty. No, not remorseful, but more that of a sweet child who had just taken a cookie when they knew they weren't allowed to. She really didn't understand just how wrong her actions had been, because, in her mind, why did it matter if these mean people weren't around to hurt her? Sure, she wasn't supposed to do it, but she did, and there was no getting that cookie back.

[Daegron]

She had his undivided attention and didn't need to fake his interest to what she said. He nodded sympathetically and followed her every word. He needed as much information as possible in order to make the best of the situation.
"Ah, a Kelvic is what we have here!" he thought and his eyes opened wide with this swift realization. It all now made sense. The bestial characteristics he could not quite place, the innocence and naivety. The way the world and people seemed strange to her. The bonding. She must be very young and if she was specifically bred to be a guard, she probably had an animal form that was strong and dangerous. She was denied her natural habitat and the experience of freedom, wherever they locked her up. That would drive her mad and vicious. He needed to be very careful, or else he might end up like her masters. A mangled heap of meat on its way to the stomach of a caged beast finally breaking free.

He'd never met one before. He'd heard quite a few things about them; they were animals, not to be mistaken by their human form. They lacked the twisted cruelty that people like himself or her masters had. Focused on their search for a bond, they failed to see how easily they can be used or abused. Truly inferior minds, he believed. And their forms were limited; they were stuck with the disadvantages of the two shapes. They could not improve, nor adapt nor improvise. They could never achieve the perfect shape of flesh and bone. That same one that was still well beyond his grasp, but also the one he was determined to find. But what Kelvics lacked in manipulation of others or shape they more than made up for with their instincts. They were remarkable creatures, useful beyond measure.

She referred to them in the past tense. She thought they were stronger ? Did she really kill them ?
"An innocent butchery..." The phrase just popped into his mind and he smiled when she finished her story. It was savage murder, yet she seemed unable to realize the gravity of her actions. It was the routine of a vicious predator combined with the playful anger of a little child whose toy was just taken. It was frightening how she felt about taking a life. A small part inside him though found it ravishing.

He finally spoke, direct and sincere.
"You can't take your actions back now, it is too late. They should never have treated you in such a way. They were cruel and now you are free. What happened is passed, and you need to move on...
What are you planning to do now ? Is there any way I can help you ?"

He really meant that he wanted to help her. But not out of sympathy or care; He had his own twisted purposes..


_

[Aurora Hook]

It felt great to have someone’s undivided attention and interest. The man was sympathetic and calm as he listened to her, and at one point his eyes even widened, as though disbelieving of how she had been treated. It was amazing to feel so much freedom to speak. She had never had anyone that actually listened to her complaints and thoughts, it surprised her how lightening it was. She almost wanted to purr, though this form would not permit it. She was so glad that she had stopped and let him approach.
His smile was warm when she finished. His first sentence, stating that she couldn’t take her actions back, caused a twinge of innocent guilt, the same as if he had scolded her for taking a cookie, but it was immediately remedied as he agreed with her opinion on them. A smile touched her lips, now sure that it had been right to tell him. She felt almost proud of herself for knowing the right person to find. Of course she agreed that it was time to move on. She was already working on it. Not that she hadn’t already, in an emotional sense.
He offered to help her! Aurora’s face lightened up and she smiled at him, lengthened incisor’s revealed to the open air. “Someday soon, I want to go to Syliras. I want to meet the knights there and maybe become one.” The girl told him excitedly. “But I don’t know how to get there.” She shook her head in confusion. The young girl looked to him as though he was the wisest person she had ever met. He seemed all-knowing, to her.
The clever man had her undivided attention. He would know exactly what to do, she was sure of it! He already understood everything else, it would be no problem to him. She had this silly idea that he was good. A hero, even. She awaited his next words as though they meant life or death, which, in her mind, was absolutely possible.

[Daegron]

By some strange twist of fate or an endless stream of luck, she seemed to be listening to him. She might even go as far as to trust him. Her bright smile was a tell-tale sign of her innocence. An innocence that he could barely remember; one that was taken violently from him when he was just a boy. The ironic chuckle that escaped him was impossible to contain. Those stuck up, smug Syliran bastards were great for fairy tales and stories. She was bred to be a killer and that excellent quality of hers would go unnoticed in their harsh judgement. She had the right to a dream though and the right to a hope. He could nurture that hope for now, he could play along and think about the possibilities later on.

"It's a long way down there, and the road is filled with dangers." His eyes shifted and he lowered his voice again leaning even closer. "Be wary though and do not openly talk about them or that place around here. Anyone might mistake you for an enemy. You will soon find out how easily people rush to judgement."

The last part was true. She was sure to get them both in trouble with that talk about Syliras and it's knights. The best reaction would be scorn and ridicule. He didn't dare to think about the worst. He conveniently ommited something else that people are prone to do at the first sign of innocence. He needed more of her trust before warning her about the way some might try to exploit her. Perhaps the whole idea of manipulation escaped her.

He casually looked over his shoulder. Those two dark-clad men were noticed before; he wouldn't forget their ugly faces. As soon as his gaze rested on them they seemed to randomly look away. He wasn't sure if it was his usual paranoia or if indeed they were tailing them, but he certainly wasn't eager to find out. There was no reason to tarry here longer. He swiftly got up and looking down upon her sweet face he answered her puzzled gaze.

"We may be followed. Let's not find out the hard way..." his tone was one of emergency, yet he remained eerily calm. "Come with me and stay calm. Act as natural..... as human as possible... no need to alert them.." He offered his hand to help her stand up. There was a smile drawn on his thin lips. This one was sincere, no malicious intent was hidden behind it. He had to keep his new-found prize safe. Caressing the hilt of his scimitar with his fingertips he resisted the urge to look at those men again. As soon as she was up with him they'd just use the crowd as cover. That was if she trusted him enough.

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