It's All In The Wrists - Tock (FlashBack)

[Kyra]

Kya leaned back against the wall, her head tilted upward as she stared off into the sky. She stretched her legs out in front of her, and raised her arms above her head. It was an interesting coincident, that Tock was heading to Zeltiva, when Kyra had just traveled from there with Marcelo days ago. The stay hadn't been long due to the locals not being the least bit amused by Marcelo's tricks. Although there was something off about him then, and he didn't act as he usually did when performing. It was more like he was mocking them rather than his usual style. "I was just there..but we didn't stay long." She paused and lowered her arm, and bringing a finger to her lips. "Something about...a charlatan." Kyra was surprised, even excitedly so when Tock spoke of learning magic. She was very fascinated by magic, and soaked up any and all information that Marcelo taught her. She was also interested in the idea of school, although she had no idea of what went on there or how long she would have to stay. But if it was a school of magic she would differently try it, if she were allowed. The next part of what the fiery redhead said when completely over her head, and she could only smile and wiggle about on the crate. It sounded exciting enough and Tock's words echoed her emotion's towards the subject. "Jester?" She asked as she leaned closer staring directly into Tocks eyes. Marcelo had never referred to her as a jester, only as his magic assistant, or his right hand. She quietly pondered the word for a tick, remembering that she had heard it before, but didn't know what it meant then either. "We travel a lot and these cities are so huge. I want to visit them all again...maybe longer this time." Leaning back against the wall again, she looked to the sky silently before speaking again. "There's..also a man that I must find." For the young kelvic, it seemed almost a lifetime ago, but it wasn't long ago that her family had been killed and she was sold into slavery. Though she never forgot that night, and the face of the man who took everything from her.

[Minerva Agatha Zipporah]

Tock snorted at the 'charlatan' comment. Maybe these Zeltivans weren't so bad then... she hadn't been impressed by the magician's 'magic show' either. It was only when he started humiliating the poor fool that Tock had been entertained. "I's traveled ta a lot o' cities, too," Tock said. "Mura, Novallas, Syliras, 'ere... An' I's done gonna seen Nyka soon. 'En Zeltiva. 'En after 'at? Who knows...?" She hadn't thought any further ahead than that. Tock wasn't often one to think ahead. She had her dreams of the future, her hopes and goals. But no plans, really. She didn't think she needed a plan. Just drive, determination, and talent. That would carry her wherever she needed to go, and at the end, that would be to her magic city. Then she looked into the girl's eyes, knowing immediately what she meant about 'a man she had to find.' Tock knew what it was like to be hurt by someone. She knew what it was like to want revenge. So she gave the girl a reassuring nod, taking another long swig of the brandy. "Ya know 'ow fer ta fight, Sook?" she asked her. "Needs me ta teach ya? I's been in a few fights in my day," she raised her broken arm for a moment, indicating how it had happened. If the young girl needed to take a man down, Tock would be more than happy to teach her a thing or two about fighting. Lesson one would be how to kick a man in the family jewels.

[Kyra]

Kyra nodded as she mentally checked off the places she had been that Tock has also visited. A few came to mind, but others she couldn't recall. Unless she had been there and just didn't remember the name of the place. Her memory of the places that she visited with Marcelo were pretty clear. However before that, when she was locked in Levuk's cage, she didn't know where she was or how long she'd been there. "You sure have a lot planned, yea?" She didn't mind traveling, although she didn't enjoy being bored for lengths of time. That was usually when she found some sort of trouble to get into. Still, she would have to make due if she wanted to visit these places that were so far away. Kyra hopped down from the crates and walked a few paces before turning around and walking back to where she first stood. She had been taught a few things about fighting, but she'd rather not talk about the man who taught her. The young kelvic did learn a few things from him, but mostly of how to use a bow, as far as fighting was concerned. "Show me..Sook." Kyra looked around for something she could pound on or someone. Looking in the directon behind her, she noticed a tall man walk by. He wasn't dressed as nicely as the people in the bar,in fact he looked a bit haggered in appearance. Kyra looked him over and watched as he disappeared onto the next street. "He looks fun aye?"

[Minerva Agatha Zipporah]

Well into the bottle now, and feeling a nice buzz in her head, Tock watched the girl pacing back and forth. She grinned when Kyra asked her to show her, snorting out a laugh. "Ha! Awright, Sook," she said, taking another long drink. Having some booze in her definitely put her in the mood for a fight, though she still had a broken arm to worry about. After two weeks, her arm was no longer in excruciating pain, but it still ached quite a bit, and she couldn't risk aggravating it. She looked at the bottle in her hand, then decided to chug the rest. She let out a contented, "Ahh," and then belched. She held onto the bottle for now, though. She stood up, walking over to Kyra, and nudged the girl with her elbow. "Gotta make sure fer 'e deserves it, aye?" she said. "Ain't done nobody no good fer ta beat up on someone wait ain't got 'er comin'..." She followed the man, nodding for Kyra to come along. Her steps were a bit haphazard from the drink, but she didn't care. They followed the man for a short bit, and Tock noticed they seemed to be in one of the... rougher neighborhoods of the city. She still wasn't quite familiar with everything here, but she knew the signs of a bad neighborhood, no matter what city she was in. The man headed into what looked like a private residence, and Tock shook her head. "Feh," she grumbled, turning and looking around. "Ain't proper like ta jump a bloke in 'is own 'ome, aye? 'Member 'at, Sook. Gots ta been proper like..." She looked for someplace better to pick a fight. She could use a good fight. Not a beating by some Crazy Midget Bitch with a big slashy-stick. But a nice, unfair, outnumbering the bloke two to one beat down, on some oaf who deserved it. They wandered a bit longer, searching the neighborhood. Tock knew there had to be someone around here that deserved a good beating. Finally, after a bit of searching, she spotted something... a woman with the mark of a slave, and the more noticeable mark of a black eye. That immediately pissed Tock off. She nodded to the woman, and whispered to Kyra, "See 'at? Whoever what done 'at, 'e deserves a nice beatin'..." She stalked up to the woman and asked her, "Who did 'at ta ya?" She gestured to the black eye with the brandy bottle. The slave cringed back, lowering her eyes. "N-no one," she said timidly. "I hurt myself, due to my clumsiness..." The mantra of the abused. Tock snorted, leaned in close to the woman, and caught her eyes. "Who?" she growled. Being drunk made her far more aggressive than normal. The slave cowered a bit, then her eyes moved to the side. Tock followed the woman's gaze to a rough looking man not far off, arguing with someone at a merchant's stall. Apparently, in their wandering around the city, they had wound up at the tail end of the market. Tock nodded. Even without the slave saying anything, the look was enough. Tock pulled Kyra back, nodding towards the man. She whispered in the girl's ear, "'At bloke likes fer ta beat on lil girls? So let's what beat 'im down some, aye? First thing ya does, is knee 'im 'tween 'is legs, aye?" She slowly shoved her knee forward, towards Kyra's crotch, mimicking the motion to be used. "Blokes go down easy what when ya 'it 'em 'ere. 'En, ya always beats 'em while 'ey's down!" She locked eyes on the girl to show how serious she was. "What fer ''onorable' type folks done tries ta let a bloke git back up. Ain't no sense in 'at. I done seen 'onorable folks done been shanked fer cause 'ey let a bloke stand back up. Once 'es down, ya keeps 'im down..." She glanced around the market and said, "An' wait til 'e ain't gots nobody watchin', aye? Dun wanna drag nobody else in..." In Sunberth, that wouldn't be an issue. You could just beat a man down in the streets, and unless people thought you were assaulting an innocent without cause. Here, though, there was too much risk of the Ebonstryfe or someone getting on their cases for it. "We's follow 'im, 'en teach 'im a nice lesson..."

[Kyra]

Kyra stared at Tock and only blinked twice as she tried to explain to the young kelvic, that they should be sure that the man deserved to be punished. It was a curious thing to say, and she didn't understand exactly what the woman wanted to do. She hadn't met many good people, and knew of even less that were trustworthy. It was the way of the land, as it had been explained to her. Humans were violent, even more so than other species, and were always trying to kill each other. Those beliefs had been driven into her mind, and while she didn't completely believe them, she didn't dismiss the ideas entirely. "Make sure fer 'e deserves it? Awright, Sook." She smiled big, showing off her fangs and the rest of her teeth. She followed along as they stalked the man and where ever he was heading. Kyra looked around a bit more, she was sure that she'd never been to this part of the city. It looked nothing like the part of town that she remembered. Once the man entered the home, Kyra stepped forward and was about to attempt to work the lock, before Tock stopped her. She had broken into houses before with Marcelo, and even though he did all of the lock work, she wouldn't mind giving it a try herself. She turned back to face the woman, as she spoke to her. "Proper like, yea?" Kyra had heard that saying many times growing up. Her mother had always taught her to be proper, whether it was her manner of speech, sitting at the dinner table, or even how she dressed. However, she had no idea how any of that would help them in trapping a man who deserved it, but she continued on. As they continued their search, Kyra looked around them more taking in the sights. She didn't see anyone that she remembered, but they were still a tad odd to look at. She stopped as Tock did and followed her eyes to the woman with the bruised face. Kyra looked closer at the woman, and noticed the mark on her. "So we find the bloke, and pound him good, yea?" Kyra smiled, feeling a bit more excited now that they had a target. She walked up to the woman just as Tock did, and stood only inches away from her, as she looked her over. Stringy dark hair, discolored skin, and rags for clothing. The woman reminded Kyra of herself, back when Levuk kept her in rags, the few times he allowed her to change into human form. She listened closely as Tock asked the woman who had harmed her, and the woman claimed to had done it herself. Kyra could smell the fear on her, she noticed the look in her eyes, and how she couldn't look into Tocks face. The woman was obviously lying, but without a second thought Tock moved closer and got the truth from her. Kyra stood by, her arms folded as she watched them. Once Tock stepped back, she leaned in and listened to her plan. The kelvic was even more excited now. Every cell in her body was alive and awake, a new burst of energy arose in her, and she was ready to act. She stared at the woman, watching her hand and leg movements so that she could understand her style of fighting. "So then we wait...?" Kyra didn't like that idea, as she wanted to take him at that very moment. She knew of waiting, the lengthy time, and bells of a day that it could take. However if the woman was sure that was how she wanted to handle it, she would follow. She waited a bit longer, but she started to feel bored and had an idea of her own. Kyra moved lightly as she slowly crept closer to the man. If it wasn't for the argument, he might have heard her, but since his mind was else where, she was able to sneak up behind him and snatch his coin pouch. The man immediately turned around, anger in his eyes as he yelled at her. "What do you think you're doing!" Kyra smiled, holding up her hand and letting the pouch sway back and forth in front of him. "This is yours, yea?" She smiled mischievously as she started to walk backwards. "You don't need those stuffy Ebonstryfe for a little thing like me do ya?" She giggled a bit, her hips swaying in a seductive attempt as she moved toward the closest alley. "You like to hit on girls, yea? Come on good sir,..I'm right here." The man chuckled aloud as he moved towards her, his fist clinched tightly, as he moved his other hand over it. "Ha, I don't need anyone to help me put a bitch in her place." He started to rub at his chin, a wicked smile growing across his lips. "But you're going to wish that the stryfe had come, at least then you'd have a chance to survive."

[Minerva Agatha Zipporah]

Tock was leaning against a wall, trying to coax a few more drops out of the brandy bottle, when Kyra slipped off. She was drunk, unfocused, and not really paying attention. When she realized what was happening, she looked up and said, "Oy, whazzshe doin'?" She pushed herself off the wall, plodding across the walkways towards the girl. When she saw Kyra reaching for the man's purse, she snorted and muttered to herself, "Oy, eager lil biter, ain't she?" As Kyra lured the man into the alley, Tock followed, booted feet tromping heavily on the ground with her inebriated gait. Her fingers gripped the brandy bottle more tightly. Unlike the younger girl, Tock wasn't feeling playful. This wasn't a game to her. She was drunk, she was irritable, and after losing the fight against Crazy Midget Bitch a couple weeks ago, she was eager to beat down on someone who couldn't fight back. She had a ball of rage in her gut she'd been holding onto for awhile, and this poor fool, who beat on his slave, was just the unlucky random target she was going to unleash it on. She stepped around bits of trash in the alley, her shoulder brushing the brick wall as she swayed a bit, keeping her furious eyes locked on the back of the man's head. He didn't look like much; average build, average clothes, dark hair. Nothing to make him stand out in the crowd. Nothing to mark him as her victim. When they were deep enough that the building blocked the noon sun, and the alley was cast in long shadows, Tock raised the bottle over her head without warning, and swung. She shattered it over the back of the man's head, fragments of glass flying everywhere. He cried out in pain, stumbling forward, and Tock tightened her grip on the remaining piece of the bottle, not much more then the neck and some blades of glass. Maybe she'd shank him with it, just for fun. "Do it, Sook!" she called out to Kyra. "'Fore 'e knows what 'it 'im!" There was only a brief moment before the man would recover enough to think beyond the pain, and realize the danger he was in. No time to delay, no time to hesitate or have second thoughts. Tock heard the not so distant sounds of the marketplace behind her, and knew they also couldn't linger. For now the distant sounds were haggling, conversation, and laughter. But it could quickly turn to calls for help if the man managed to shout, or someone spotted them in the alley. Best to do it quick, and get out of here.

[Kyra]

Kyra continued to guide the man into the alley, she took careful steps, placing one foot behind the other, and hoping that she didn't tumble over her own feet. If she had fallen, she would have quickly found herself in the grip of the man stalking her. His eyes were beady, but she could clearly see the rage within them. He was the type of man who derived some sort of sadistic pleasure from hurting women, and by the way his hungry eyes moved over her tiny body, he possibly had other thoughts as well. She baited him still, holding the pouch in front of her only to quickly pull it back once he tried to reach for it. "You really want this? You want me aye?..Come on." Kyra licked at her feline teeth as she moved the pouch behind her body, her hips twisted almost in a rhythm as she sauntered back into the shadows in the alley. The man moved closer, unaware that Tock was even behind him. His eyes were focused on Kyra. His smirk widen as they moved closer to darker area. "You're enjoying yourself, aren't you little minx? We'll see how much you enjoy it once I get my hands on you." Kyra only smiled at his comment, knowing that Tock was behind him, however she wasn't sure what she had planned until she heard the bottle shatter across the man's head. A soft giggle slipped from her lips as the man cried out and stumbled forward. With the cue from Tock, she raced toward him, reaching for his shoulders as she brought her knee up and rammed it into his crotch. The man cried out yet again, although his voice was a bit higher. His eyes began to water and his lower lip quivered as he dropped to his knees, holding himself. Kyra stepped back a few paces and dashed forward bringing her knee hard under his chin. A strange sound echoed through the alley as he tumbled back onto the ground. Kyra leaned over him, lifting her arm and dangling the pouch in front of him. "You don't mind if we keep this, yea?"

[Minerva Agatha Zipporah]

"'Ere we go, Sook!" Tock called out with a cackle, stepping up behind the man to kick him while he was down. She leaned over him and said tauntingly, "Better think 'bout 'is what 'fore ya go 'ittin' wee girls 'gain, aye? Some girls 'it back!" She kicked him in the ribs a few more times, cackling, then grabbed Kyra and started pulling her towards the far end of the alley. "Les'go, Sook!" she said. "Ain't wanna 'ang 'round an' git caught!" She started to run, but the injured man wasn't down for the count yet, and he grabbed Tock by her ankle before she could escape. "Leggo!" she shouted, turning back around and shanking the man with the broken bottle, the glass stabbing into his arm. Blood flowed, and he lost his grip on her, and Tock continued running before anything else could happen. The last thing she.needed was to still be on the scene when someone showed up to investigate the man's screams. And so for the second time today she found herself running through Ravok's streets after committing a crime. She really needed to get the hell out if this city.

[Kyra]

Kyra smiled as she stood up and flipped her hair back over her shoulders. The young kelvic watched with much amusement as Tock began to taunt and kick the man, who could only cough and groan in return. Kyra beamed brightly and stepped in kicking him a few times as well, before Tock grabbed her and pulled her away. She pouted and tried to kick him a last time before she was too far for her limbs to reach him. She started to run when Tock suddenly stopped and looked back to see that the man had grabbed her leg. Kyra started to move in, but Tock had been faster as she stabbed him with what was left of the bottle. The scent of his fresh blood drifted into her nose, making her all the more excited as she dashed forward and raked the heel of her boot across his face. Kyra looked down at him, her lips parted, teeth clinched as she waved her finger at him. "Tsk, tsk, tks." She smiled sweetly as she whipped her hair around, and raced to catch up to her friend. For the second time that day, she found herself running along side the redhead as they attempted yet another escape. For Kyra the day couldn't have been more exciting, and she still had plenty of energy to spare. "Where to sook?" They continued to run, getting as far away from the alley as they could before anyone spotted them. Moments later as the raced on, they turned a corner where an out of place, brightly decorated displayed covered the entrance of a shop. There were strange, yet familiar mask, and musical instruments displayed at the front. Kyra paused as she stared at the shop, there was something about it that seemed to call to her. Whether it was because she was suddenly reminded of Marcelo, or if it was the fact that the little shop stood out from all the rest, she wasn't sure. "Aye look!" She said grabbing Tock's hand and pulling her inside.

[Minerva Agatha Zipporah]

Tock stumbled quite a bit as she ran, too drunk to keep her footing. She had to cling to Kyra's shoulder to keep from winding up flat on her face on the ground. She didn't have a clue where she wanted to go, other than 'away from the scene of the crime.' So she just went wherever her legs took her; it wasn't like she knew how to get around the city anyway, so she couldn't get any more lost than she already was. When they stopped, she leaned against the wall to catch her breath. She said to Kyra, "'At's what ya does fer ta any bloke what treats ya bad, aye? Dun never take no shyke from nobody." She felt a bit of responsibility to teach the girl a thing or two about surviving in the streets. She had the feeling, from the way the young girl spoke of traveling with the magician, that Kyra didn't have anyone else. Anyone to teach her the things a girl needed to know to survive. Tock had had to learn those things the hard way, getting her lessons from the words of whores and from witnessing the things men did to a girl who couldn't defend herself. She hadn't had a mother or any other female influence in her life. She briefly wondered whether Kyra knew just what sort if things a man would try to take from a girl. Maybe she should try to explain... Before she got the chance to try and figure out how to broach the subject, the girl got excited about something and pulled Tock inside. "Aye, wotcher, Sook?" she asked, stumbling as she was pulled inside. She looked around the strange little shop, not at all sure what the big deal could be that got the girl so excited...