A Mysterious Exchange [Cantillion]

by **Athaera** on October 1st, 2014, 1:34 pm

Athera took a deep breath, glas]d he was talking, if just for a moment. She was never one to talk so much, and the strain it put on her vocal chords was surprising. "Well, we went towards where it seemed to be generally coming from, to find that one of the other groups, because we'd split off, had already gotten rid of them. I think it was caused by Ionu... the god, but like I said, I'm not positive about the details." Athaera paused. "But why do you need this information, exactly?"

by **Cantillion** on October 1st, 2014, 3:43 pm

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"Why?" he repeated, caught off guard. For a moment, Cantillion contemplated telling her everything that had happened to him, leading up to his present situation. But it was only a moment, and he knew he needed to keep his origins to himself. He didn't know who he could trust in Syliras. "Because, I am...I think I'm being hunted," he answered sadly. "By hunters. Skilled hunters. And I was hoping another hunter could help me get away from them." He had refrained from adding "or stop them" to the end of his sentence. It wasn't that he doubted this girl's skills as a hunter; it was the fact that she appeared so young. Cantillion couldn't, in good conscience, pit her against a Zith like Mistress.

"Any other hunting tales?" he changed the subject quickly. "Any hunts where the prey slipped away, somehow?"

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by **Athaera** on October 3rd, 2014, 1:11 am

His reply intrigued Athaera. "Assassins?" It was a wild guess, but could be possible. And by how cautious he was, it seemed logical.
His next question could be expected. "No, I don't think so," she replied, "Like I said, I hunt deer. And rabbits." Couldn't he get it into his head? A hunter didn't usually hunt people... That was an assassin.

by **Cantillion** on October 3rd, 2014, 2:05 pm

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"I see," he sighed. "Still, your story of the phantom wolves has given me something to think about. Thank you for telling it to me." Cantillion had hoped for more than he got, but expected less. He reached under his pillow for something he had placed their earlier -- five gold mizas -- and stood up, placing them on the table in front of his guest.

"It's not much, but..." he trailed off, realizing he was about to apologize for paying someone. He swallowed his sentence and cleared his throat. "But it should be enough."

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by **Athaera** on October 5th, 2014, 1:45 am

Athaera smiled, but it was evidently fake, as her eyes were a dull grey. "No problem. But I honestly want to know who's hunting you." Curiosity made her want to ask more, but she didn't want to pry. Besides, she'd done enough talking for one day.

"Do you need anything else?" Athaera wasn't sure, but it seemed like he was ending the conversation. She began to stand up, taking the money off the table. "The money's enough. It is money, after all." She smiled, the slightest hint of green appearing in her eyes.

by **Cantillion** on October 5th, 2014, 3:21 am

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Cantillion nodded at her approval, stepping to the side of his door and turning to face her. He reached out to open the door towards him, keeping himself hidden from the outside. The longbow that was leaning there bumped against the back of his legs, and before his guest could leave, he closed the door again.

"I'm being hunted by Zith," he blurted out in a half-whisper, eyes flashing a brilliant green. "Probably more than one." He wasn't going to tell her that, and he didn't know why he changed his mind. Maybe it was the earnest curiosity in her voice, or maybe it was just that looking at her shifting eyes reminded him of himself.

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by **Athaera** on October 5th, 2014, 4:54 pm

Athaera was about to leave, but his next comment shocked her, making her stand still for a moment. "Zith?" she exclaimed, surprised. "Those are the winged things, right?" This... this explained all the caution, the way he was suspicious of nearly everything. He was practically dead already, and fear set in, making Athaera's stomach sink. Were they going after her, too? Was she practically dead already? He eyes glowed yellow in terror, widening.

by **Cantillion** on October 6th, 2014, 5:04 pm

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Cantillion knew that look. He had worn it for most of his life. "They're hunting me for something I did," he explained quickly. "I don't think they know where I am, yet, so you're safe from them." Probably, he thought. He figured they couldn't do much in Syliras, but the truth was he didn't know how far they would go to make him pay.

He opened the door again, just slightly. "You should go," he whispered. "I'm sorry, for upsetting you."

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by **Athaera** on October 7th, 2014, 1:13 pm

Athaera nodded. "Syliras is relatively crime-free, and people don't really like Zith," she said, probably comforting herself more than him. As long as he stayed within the boundaries of the city, he'd be fine.
She endured a moment of silence, before he opened the door for her and awkwardly mumbled something. "It's fine. Thanks for the um... the money." It was a sorry excuse for a goodbye, and she tried to smile to cheer him up a bit, but that probably wasn't very effective.

by **Cantillion** on October 7th, 2014, 5:02 pm

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That's...good to hear, he thought to himself. As she passed, Cantillion matched her smile as best he could. Once she was out, he closed the door quietly and stepped back over to his bed, laid down, and closed his eyes. He felt foolish for thinking there was some trick to evading a Zith hunter. Even in this wonderful fortress of a city, the mere mention of their kind struck fear into the eyes of a real hunter. "What am I supposed to do about it?" he asked himself, knowing there was no one around to answer.

OOCI'll let you have the last post, Athaera, and then we'll put it in for grading. It's been fun threading with you!

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