Another? (Cass)

by **Darian** on June 16th, 2011, 3:03 am

Smiling at her and returning her kiss, he kissed her check lightly before spinning on his heel, he grabbed up his pack, shouldering it, and strapped on his sword belt, replacing his dagger in its hidden spot before grabbing Cass's hand and heading out of the door. They might have their cloths now but the bulk of their work was still left before them since he wasn't entirely sure of where they might be able to find a healer. Suppose the establishment might be a good place to start he thought as he continued his walking out of the inn, and then down the street heading in the direction of the building where he figured their best chance for help would be.

The streets seemed to be bustling with life, men, women, and children all pushing and shoving past each other to get to wherever they wanted to be, and Darian led him and Cass through the portion of the crowd that seemed to be thinnest, carving a way between the bustling people until finally he was on the place of choices doorstep. Looking up at the rather large, imposing structure he led the way inside, hesitant about what they might find there, but hoping beyond all doubt that they would find what they sought.

* * * * *

It was several bells later now, and while things at the place hadn't gone quite as well there they had obtained information on where a healer could be found. That of course set them on a backtracking trail onwards to the Sunset Quarters where a healer of minor skill was supposed to be staying where they then by acquired, for a price that could be argued as a form of theft, the healing they desperately required and were then back on their way down the street this time on no specific purpose other than soaking in the sights of the city, and enjoying each other’s company.

The streets where beginning to become darker now, but since they didn't have such a notable air to them anymore he felt more than a little bit safer in the city than he did the previous night. Holding Cass's hand and keeping his eyes on the alleyways that flanked them as well as any that might be outside at this hour, he then looked at his newly bandaged arm that was already on the mend. Looking over at Cass with a big smile, and a slight squeeze of her hand he broke the silence with soft words. " So what do you think of the city? "

by **Cass** on June 16th, 2011, 4:07 am

Putting her own cloak on and grabbing her pack as well followed Darian out the door, pulling her cloak's hood up. The morning light blinded Cass for a second and she grabbed onto Darian's arm to lead her until her eyes adjusted to the light. When her eyes adjusted enough Cass began to eagerly look around at everything going on. Humans were everywhere! In front of her, behind her, some even walking next to her before moving on. Different sounds of humans calling out to others filled her ears while odors -some good and some not- brushed across her nose. Cass kept close to Darian. She didn't want to get lost in such a city. As they walked Cass spotted a few threatening glares but not as many as the night before.

Cass followed Darian as they went from one place to the next. Everything looked so much different than what she had expected and been told by her older brothers. While the city wasn't all that clean it was still bursting with life at a rate Cass had never seen before. It was awhile until Darian finally led Cass to a healer he found. Thankfully the healer didn't seem to notice anything odd about her, or he simply didn't speak up. But before long they were leaving the healer, their injuries properly looked at and rebandaged by a professional. Well, someone who had more knowledge about healing than they did.

As the sun started to sink Cass felt better and more eager to do even more exploring. Feeling Darian squeeze her hand a little Cass looked over and smiled at him. "I think it's great. The smell can be...odd at times. But I've never seen so many free humans all living in one city before! It's nothing like I expected it would be." He lightly squeezed his hand in return and kept glancing around, drawn in to everything due to her curiosity.

As they walked Cass noticed two humans up ahead. Both were giving her very dark and threatening looks. Cass stepped closer to Darian. "Those guys up ahead don't look very friendly. Do you know them?"

by **Darian** on June 16th, 2011, 5:56 am

Darian smiled as he looked all around them, exploring the street that he knew so well from his childhood, and always admired how different the buildings looked from when he was a boy, to the man he was now, the shabbiness of some places never truly occurring to him until now. Still the old, crumbling look of the buildings somewhat comforted him, this place was his home after all, and he had treaded these streets many a time. They kept you alert, and also rewarded those that kept wary and took advantage of certain situations put before them, as if the gods blessed those with enough wit to get out of trouble here on the streets of Sunberth. " I'm glad you enjoy the city, it’s got a distinct flavor to it don't you think? " he asked in a joking manner and a warm smile while they continued to walk down the cobblestone street making their way among the stalls.

As they walked he noticed the two men too, and running his tongue over his dry cracked lips, his mind raced on should they do. They take their chances and could stand their ground and fight the two men, or go into one of the many alleyways nearby which would surely lead to the same conclusion, but weakened as they where that wasn't necessarily a definite chance they would win that fight, and the two men before them might be stronger than they appear. On the other hand, they could take the safer route and go into a reasonably populated men, and hope that the crowd within would divert any unwanted blades in their backs. Of course there was the third option in which he would take on the two men himself, and tell Cass to run far away to safety, but he didn't see her as agreeing with that so his mind settled on the only two options at hand. Leaning in close to Cass, he lowered his voice to a whisper, " Do you want to fight these punks, or should we opt for more safer ways of settling this problem " he asked trying to limit the amount his lips moved just in case the thugs could read lips as well.

by **Cass** on June 16th, 2011, 6:13 am

As Cass walked she slid a bit closer to Darian. Tugging her cloak to fall completely around her body she quietly began removing one of her black silk gloves. Flexing her clawed fingers she did her best not to stare at the two humans up ahead. Their stares told her that they were looking for something and that something wasn't very nice. But she couldn't tell if they were seeking murder or theft. Either way, if the thugs attacked she wasn't going to simply let them do whatever they pleased. Making sure that her cloak was covering up her entire body and exposed hand Cass leaned over to talk quietly into Darian's ear. "With our injuries we're at a disadvantage." Her mind began to reel back to the days with her brothers when they were teaching her how to fight and hunt. "The humans could win."

Memories flashed before her mind's eye of the countless hunts Cass had been on with her brothers. Back before the humans had captured her interest. Back when being a beast came as easy as breathing. "But they're also at a disadvantage. They don't know what I am or anything about you. So while we are injured, they lack important knowledge. Almost an even playing field." Glancing back to watch the thugs up ahead her mind raced to come up with an answer. Should they engage in a fight? Or should they keep on going? Another quick look around their surroundings and Cass's mind was made up. "But we also don't know if they have other allies hidden away. With our injuries and uncertainity...no."

As they walked the two threatening looking thugs drew closer and closer. "But if they attack us..." her naked clawed hand flexed, "...we strike back."

by **Darian** on June 16th, 2011, 7:42 am

He nodded his agreement with Cass's answer and putting his arm around her, walked slowly towards the left side of the street, continually going forwards heading towards somewhere, anywhere actually that might keep them safer than they were over here. There were simply too many variables out her in the streets, to many darker than dark alleyways and ominous overhangs where any number of the fellow’s friends could be hiding. Any fight out here could quickly turn in their disfavor, and they could just wind up another pair of bodies consumed by the harshness of life in Sunberth and that was something he intended to avoid. Taking measures to make himself look as uninteresting as possible, he pulled his cotton cloak tighter around himself, and kept himself bound tight within the cloth to just look more like the average drifter that frequented the area than anyone of note, or carrying too much coin. Even his hand against Cass's lower back was made to look like he was simply nudging her along, without any real care to her well being, lest the men realize he cared for her and use her as leverage.

A wave of tension swept through him as they passed the threatening looking men, but as they passed the men didn't immediately rush them and instead settled for turning to follow them with their eyes. They felt like they were digging into his back, and he knew at once that the men where following them, albeit at a distance, and Darian picked up the pace, his eyes frantically searching for somewhere more public. His eyes settled on a painted sign portraying a bloody pig’s foot, and he remembered that it was the pig's foot tavern, and quickly he hustled himself and Cass inside but when he looked back, the men had stopped following them, and instead chose to turn around and follow some other poor man that looked like easier prey. Shrugging, Darian turned back into the tavern, and holding Cass more tenderly led her back to the more out of the way tables in the end of the tavern, and then after pulling out a seat for Cass he took one for himself. Breathing a deep sigh and ordering two waters for him and Cass, he looked at her and smiled. " Looks like we escaped that bit of trouble for now " he said with a relieved look on his face, and he placed his hand over hers.

by **Cass** on June 17th, 2011, 3:19 am

Seeing Darian's nod Cass's attention switched back over to focus on the two human thugs up ahead. No, they would not engage in a fight. It was far too risky at the moment. But Cass didn't slip her glove back onto her hand yet. She's wait until they were safely in the clear. She had no intention to start a fight but she had no idea what the thugs' intentions were. If the thugs attacked Cass prefered to be prepared rather than caught offguard like the wolves had caught her and Darian two days ago. Sticking close to Darian and following where he was going she tried her best to keep her gaze off the threatening thugs, but it was hard not to occasionally glance back at the thugs.

Feeling Darian's hand on her lower back Cass silently walked quickly with him. They quickly were getting closer to where the thugs were standing. Fighting to keep herself calm and in control she directed her eyes to the ground. She mentally counted her footsteps until they finally passed the two thugs. Thankfully neither thug had rushed at them. Instead a quick glance over her shoulder told her that the thugs were still watching them and slowly beginning a pursuit. Quickly looking forward Cass kept her mouth shut as Darian led her further down the street. It was clear by the look on his face that he knew the thugs were following. Suddenly Darian completely changed directions and led Cass into an unknown building filled with humans flowing in and out of the entrance.

Blinking at the sight of the busy tavern Cass smiled a little bit as she watched humans parade about the room. Loud noises of laughter and shouting reached her ears. Foul odors coming from a certain table made Cass's nose scrunch up in disgust. Apparently her brothers had been correct about some humans. Darian's touch on her back became more gentle as he led her towards the back of the tavern. Sitting down at the offered chair Darian had pulled out for her Cass let out a happy sigh of relief. They had successfully avoided an attack. She watched Darian order them some water and sat back in her seat some more. "Indeed we did. They didn't follow us in." Allowing her eyes to roam across the tavern Cass studied the patrons. "What is this place? A gathering hall?"

by **Darian** on June 17th, 2011, 4:12 am

He looked around noticing the odd assortment of patrons around this night, most including a motley crew of the towns inhabitants, but also more than a few that he recognized as the sell sword types controlling a number of tables. Must have a job nearby or within the city he mused, and he slimly felt a little bit safer. Sell swords where notorious drunkards, and if they're business was bad at the moment, which was doubtful unless they were not competent at their job, then they could be angry drunks as well and open up a brawl. However for now they seemed happy enough and Darian took that as a good sign that they were safe for the moment. Besides the obvious he could view from their seat in the back of the tavern, the smells told a lot as well from the smell of fresh sawdust, to the overpowering odor of the sweating masses inside, it blended in to make quite the typical smell in one of this places, and the smell of open ale mixed ripe with the two. To one so unused of being in such a place he imagined it might be quite oppressive to someone like Cass, and the thought prompted him to look over to the woman he had grown so close to.

" This is a tavern, a place where most find it fit to drink out their sorrows and otherwise waste their lives, but I find it to be a valuable source of information from time to time " he said with a slight smile, and he was glad that the raucous noise in the tavern otherwise hindered his voice from being overheard by the many patrons at nearby tables. They, in their drunken state, might take his words to be fighting ones, and cause a bout that would likely get them all thrown out and more than a few things broken in the tavern, and that was coin Darian did not wish to waste. He had better things to do than pay for a couple of broken tables and a window. The whole setting though did tend to stir up his blood though, and he suddenly felt like he wished to be back in the room, alone with Cass as his only company, but for now he would wait on that because it would be better to give things outside time to settle down before they found themselves another room, preferably in the Sunset Quarters, as he didn't like staying in one place for too much time, and plus the rooms where nicer there in his opinion and in a much safer neighborhood.

The waitress came by with two clay cups in hand filled to the brim with water, hopefully cold, and set them carelessly down on the table without response before rushing over to tend to her more attentive customers. The water sloshed over the edges of the cup and ran across the table top in rivulets but not enough to reach either of them, and Darian reached across to wrap his fingers around the cup closest to him and brought it too his lips, taking a big gulp before setting it back down. " What do you think of your first experience in a tavern? "

by **Cass** on June 17th, 2011, 4:33 am

As Darian explained to Cass about where they were, Cass began looking around the tavern again. So it was a drinking gathering hall of sorts. A place to drink and gather information. Such places were not popular in the tunnels back home. There were no taverns for Ziths to come and drink their sorrows away. But this change was interesting. It was just another thing she hadn't known about humans. They had different kids of gathering places, each for a different purpose. Her gaze drifted over to the table where the foul odor was coming from. Cass assumed these were the people who wasted their lives here. "Maybe they should put in places to clean for the ones who spend their lives here."

The waitress suddenly returned and placed two clay cups on the table. Cass watched, fascinated, as the woman filled both of their cups with water. She didn't do so very carefully since some of the water sploshed out of the cups. When the waitress left Cass grabbed her cup, quickly pulling her other glove back onto her hand so nobody could see the sharp claws. Taking a sip of the water, Cass looked over at Darian. "It's interesting. There are no taverns in the tunnels. No drinks being served by other humans...unless one owns many slaves." She stopped, not liking the road of memories she was treading on. She took a large gulp of water. "Besides the odor of the non-bathed humans, I like it."

Finished with her cup of water Cass gently set the cup down. "Thank you again for buying me new clothes. They really help." Besides the two thugs her disguise seemed to ne working better than before. "So what do you do here? Do you own a shop in this city or are you a hunter?" She was suddenly curious about how Darian was connected to Sunberth. She knew he loved and enjoyed the city but that was about it.

by **Darian** on June 17th, 2011, 6:36 am

Her suggestion of placing a place for the dirty men of the place to clean and he mused that even if they did have such a place the men who frequented here likely wouldn't bother using it. He considered them far to uncivilized to know even what to do with such a station, likely viewing the place like it was alien and wanting it immediately removed from the establishment. " A fine idea for somewhere to clean might lessen the stink of the place " he said with a slight chuckle at the thought. Surely the place could need an improvement on the smell and along with that kick a few of the louder members of the crowd out to lower the noise just below deafening. Then perhaps this place would be a bit more hospitable to his tastes but then wouldn't suit as well of a place for hushed conversations, and eavesdropping which usually was his primarily reason for being in such a place despite present circumstances.

The wooden floor of the tavern creaked ominously as a group of deeply inebriated revealers began to do a hearty jig in the corner of the tavern, but sadly the floor did not give way, and merely tempted him with the prospect of punishing the simpletons. Taking another two gulps of his cup before entirely draining it, he set the cup gently down on the table, and extended his hand towards Cass and held it open for her to hold. " No taverns in the tunnels, however do you survive? he said in a light hearted tone easing the overall feel of the night and letting the last of the tension brought on by the thugs ease from his muscles, and stretched out to thoroughly enjoy the night. After all, what much did they have to worry about now that their wounds where on the mend, besides the regular old stuff that came as a second nature to him to avoid. Yes, things would run smoothly for the rest of the night he sensed and perhaps if Cass was feeling similarly inclined they could retire early into the night, and spend the following morning in each other’s company until things got dark once more. Yes, things seemed to be going all too well. " I'm glad you like the place " he added with a smile.

Her question ended his warm, sensual expectations for the night as he puzzled over whether to tell her the truth or not, and the implications of if he did. Would she hate him forever, and run away never to be seen again? Would she try and kill him right then or there because of his chosen profession? Would she never trust to be alone with him again for fear that he might kill her? These where all questions that zoomed through his mind, and all in one justifiable fears for he who practiced once of the worlds darker professions and he knew that many looked down on the dirty work he chose to do. In the end he decided to tell her the truth, and let the cards fall where they may, for such a relationship with the woman would be pointless if founded on lies. Taking a rather pronounced gulp, he coughed softly to clear any obstruction before looking towards her and speaking. " Well you see I'm a hunter of sorts, and usually I am hired to hunt down men for any reason really, and kill them " he said rather calmly, his face unflinching as he said the words, for he had a thing that if he couldn't be proud of his profession and enjoy it then why do it at all. Drumming his fingers against the oaken wood, he awaited for her response more nervously than he let on.

by **Cass** on June 17th, 2011, 7:02 am

Cass stared at Darian for a long moment as she slowly pieced his answer together in her head. He was...a hunter. Well, she could connect to that. She had been brought up to hunt by her brothers. But he wasn't a hunter of animals but of men. A hired man hunter. So if just the right amount of coin fell into his lap he would go off and kill to keep the coin. Cass took a moment to picture Darian as a man hunter, killing dozens of men to earn coin or food or whatever the reward for the kill was. She swallowed a lump in her throat. "So you're a man killer."

Memories of her brothers telling stories of untrustworthy humans filled her mind. Darian was a hired man killer. He killed for coin. And Cass was certain she could easily make enemies with deep purses just by her true appearence alone. But the real question was: would Darian take the coin and follow through? No. No, that was silly. Darian was not that kind of human. H-He couldn't be. He couldn't be the human her brothers raged on and on about. He couldn't be the kind of human that made them so dangerous that they either needed to be killed or enslaved. No! None of that could be true. I-It just didn't make any sense!

Looking away to digest all this information Cass spotted her imaginary friend sitting next to her at the table. Cass simply stared at her "friend" wondering for a fleeting moment if everything she had annoying ranted on about was indeed the truth.

"He knows what you are and you know what he is," her imaginary friend shrugged. "Now what? You won't listen to me so I can't help you."

Cass blinked. What her "friend" said actually made sense! Darian knew she was a Zith. And he didn't run or try to kill her for any reward. And he could easily done so and made a profit. But he didn't. So why would waste away all his chances to kill her? Looking back over at Darian she noticed that his fingers were drumming against the table. He seemed nervous and waiting for an answer. Raising her gloved hand she gently set it down upon his hand, quieting his drumming fingers.

"You know what I am and I was taught to be the beast you humans clearly fear," Cass began quietly. "I don't see you as a threat. You proved your loyalty to me back in the wilderness. You proved a lot to me already. If killing men is what you enjoy...then I am hardly the one to object."