Mind, Body and Sold (Nyxie, Ren / GM-Kuvarakh)

[Renate Winterflame]

Renate took the bottle quickly, but stood slowly. She looked at it for a moment, not quite seeing it for the weapon it was. Still she wrapped a fist around its neck and followed Nyxie toward the door, knowing that, when the time came, she would know what to do with it. Just before she stepped out of the tavern, however, she caught a glimpse of the man behind the bar. That man had spoken to their villain about poor Joren. He might have been some sort of accomplice! Kelwyn had had chosen her for her laughter in the face of danger, rewarded her rash spontaneity. But while Renate was as impulsive as the next Hapchancer, she was not exactly a lost cause. She was a gambler; she built herself up in the anticipation of breaking down. She made her own luck. "Wait, wait. You have to wait," she said suddenly, turning toward the bar. She could not let Nyxie out of her sight. "Just wait right here." Approaching the bar, the Vantha girl perched her unburdened elbow on the counter and shook her hair away from one shoulder. It was a poor attempt at seeming more feminine, but it would have to do in what little time she had. Producing a shiny coin from her bag, she chewed on its tarnished edge before her shifting eyes settled on the bartender. "I'm looking for this place." It was almost a joke, what with the way the city moved, but hopefully they could share an understanding laugh before she explained herself. Nodding toward the door and the ghost of the man who had last departed through it, she said, "My friend says your friend knows how to get in, and I'd like very much to talk to him." Then she put the coin between them and listened to whatever the bartender had to say. In no time, she was rushing out the door with Nyxie, chasing the heels of her (suddenly very exuberant) new friend. They rounded the corner of the alley just as the door opened before him. The space between them was too great to close with any haste, but still Ren tried, leaping forward without much thought for what she would do when she reached him. She was not prepared to wield the weapon in her hand, but she could hope that their prey would keep running so that they could keep chasing him. Surely Nyxie would take the lead in attacking him, if they had a chance. So she lagged behind a little, looking for alternate paths around them. The story had just begun; she would not let it end with a closed door or an empty alley.

[Nyxie Nadira Draer]

Taking the lead, Nyxie followed the petcher along an unfamiliar part of town, through what seemed like back streets. As they jogged together, Nyx stayed silent. She knew that Ren hadn’t gotten anything useful from the bartender. Slightly miffed at the vain attempt by her acquaintance, the Svefra chose to not acknowledge her until they reached wherever they were headed to.

Nyxie’s initial high was starting to wear off. Her eyebrows furrowed as she tried to remember what she intended to do when confronting this man. Did she care for justice? No. Not really. So why was she following him? With the way that these streets looked, Nyx began to feel wary about the potential dangers up ahead. But somehow, something inside her told her to keep going. She’d always wanted adventure, did she not? A smirk crossed Nyxie’s face. Yes, she was here for adventure. For pure, unadulterated fun.

The man turned a corner and passed out of sight. Nyxie hurried to catch up, then peeked into the narrow alleyway from behind the sidewall of stone. She watched the man take his time slipping the key into the lock. He stretched, at which point the sheen of a knife revealed at his belt. Turning to Ren, she gestured for her to come closer,

“Look, now’s our only chance,” she whispered. “He’s got a blade. Better to approach him without sounding intrusive or threatening. If he goes inside, we’ll lose him. Follow my lead.”

Nyx held the glass bottle casually in her right. She started to walk into the alley, faking a fit of coughs into her left hand. Regaining her composure and knowing that she’d gotten the man’s attention, she raised her hand up defensively,

“Whoa, hey there. Fine evening, isn’t it?” Nyxie smiled and walked towards him, then stood poised right in front of his face. With the bottle still in hand, she raised it to her lips and licked the last drop at the tip, almost suggestively. Deciding to put on an air of confidence, she spoke with exaggeration. In truth, Nyxie felt a tad sluggish for some reason, and wanted to preserve her energy in case things got aggressive.

“Listen, I’ll be honest. We heard about you from Joren; you know him? I’m sure you remember the man you stole from.” Nyxie chuckled. “Hey hey, we’re not here to cause any trouble. But mate, I gotta say, I admire what you did.” The Svefra gave the man a friendly shove with her elbow. It was true that Joren wasn’t smart to trust this Womiyu member, but she wasn’t exactly a huge fan of stealing from the innocent and poor. Nyx just figured that it’d be best to make friends with this man before trying to figure out his game. “That fool deserved it. How could anyone possibly desire to leave this city of splendor? Gosh, I’d give almost anything to live here; wouldn’t you agree, Ren?” Nyxie turned to the older lady and slyly gave her a quick wink. Hopefully, her ally would catch on.

She reached out for a handshake, “I’m Nyxie, by the way. And you are?”

[Kuvarakh]

Kirby heard the girls approach and made as if fumbling with his key to give them time to get near. He suppressed a grin of satisfaction as things were going exactly as planned. The Svefra girl started flirting with him almost immediately. He allowed himself the self-indulgence of believing it wasn't only the drug that was bringing this behavior out of her. He gave her the reaction he assumed she was looking for and smiled, not having to fake his interest as he blatantly eyed her up and down. The dark-haired one behind her seemed embarrassed, so he pretended to lose interest in her. He took a subtle side step away from the unlocked door, bringing himself a little closer to her, as he responded to Nyxie's advances. "A fine evening it is indeed, gorgeous, and only getting better by the look of..." his eyes stopped briefly, eyebrows raised, on the promises hidden beneath her bodice, "...things." He sometimes wondered if he shouldn't just keep one or two of the slaves he and Verek obtained for the Akalak. This pair...he chuckled inwardly at the play on words...were a real catch. He should demand half again his usual charge. Then again, with the need the Riverian race had for fertile women to propogate their race, it fell upon he and Verek to "test" them for fertility, which usually resulted in babies they could sell into slavery as well. 'Ahh, the things we must do in the name of honest trade.' he thought crookedly to himself. The Akalak wouldn't be around for their next "shipment" for a good season or more. And he'd be bringing with him the offspring of their last shipment's "tests". The cost of keeping these girls shackled until then was getting considerable. A bit of pleasure was only fair! He realized he was getting sidetracked. The girl had named herself "Nyxie". It was only reasonable he respond. He almost gave his real name in his eagerness. After all, these girls would never see the sun over Alvadas again. They'd spend the next season in wait in The underground, chained to a stone wall, until such times as additional "tests" became necessary. He grinned and started slowly forward, working his way between the women as he spoke. "Well, the name's Shenan, miss Nyxie, and I must say, you've got yourself some admirable nerve. I know many a man that would hesitate to approach a man they believed to be a criminal, and state their accusation of his guilt right to his face with no Womiyu to protect them. And all in this lonely dark alley to boot." By the time he got to that point, he had separated them, his back to Renate, and Nyxie's back toward the closed, but unlocked, door. This position made it very unlikely that he'd notice the yard-long length of discarded rope with the weighted, monkey fist knot at one end, lying near Renate's feet. If Renate chose to pick this impromptu Atani up from the alley floor, she would fail to see the doorway crack open, indicating the presence of someone behind the door. If she instead chose to warn Nyxie of possible danger, she would remain largely unarmed.

[Renate Winterflame]

A compulsory nod replied to Nyxie's whispers, fingers flaring on the bottle neck where Ren's palm had gone sticky with exertion and embarrassment. Together they walked into the alley, the Svefra drawing attention while the Vantha shadowed her watchfully. Quickly they approached their enemy and... made conversation? Green confusion filled her eyes like murky swamp water, but her questioning expression soon flattened into an honest attempt at a friendly smile. Ren had failed to convince the bartender of anything, but that did not mean that Nyxie was not a better seductress or that this Shenan was not a lesser man.

What little comfort she found in escaping his attention was soon lost when Nyxie gave him their true and actual names, only shortly after congratulating him for Joren's terrible fate. She was a little too convincing about it all; in the privacy of the space behind Shenan's periphery, Ren stepped hesitantly backward as she tried as discreetly as possible to identify possible means of escape.

Her heel landed on a thing she had not seen before--a length of rope with strange knotting on one end. She looked down for an instant, her foot retreating and stepping forward again, but her attention did not leave Nyxie for long. The inexplicable memory of Joren's itchy eye crossed Ren's awareness as she checked to make sure her companion was alright.

It was then that Ren noticed how thoroughly Shenan had blocked her from the sight of Nyxie; all she could see was the door.

"Nyxie, move--!" she cried, perhaps a little too loudly. In case her voice was not enough to distract them, she slammed her bottle against the alley's back wall and shattered it at the base, leaving the clatter of broken glass to echo between the high walls. The remaining half of her prop was left with a jagged edge. She would keep it carefully at her side, its sharp end pointed conspicuously at Shenan's leg as she attempted to circumvent him and bring herself nearer to her friend.

She would not say anything else, but it would be difficult to hide the growing anger that brewed in her reddening irises.

[Nyxie Nadira Draer]

Nyxie had always relished the male gaze; she loved exploiting the weak desires of men for her own twisted pleasure. It was a delicate game of power and control. A game that she was eager to play.

As the man moved towards her, Nyx didn’t hesitate to close the space between them. She looked up at him, staring into his eyes deeply, listening in amusement. He had a sort of lethal attractiveness that Nyxie was drawn to. She wondered whether Ren would mind if she abandoned the notion of trying to help Joren; the fool didn’t seem particularly worth her time. Shenan, on the other hand, was much more interesting.

Nyxie quickly glanced at Renate to check if the woman was doing okay. But it looked as if she was staring at the door behind her,

“Nyxie, move--!”

Impulse made Nyx look back. The door started to open. Glass shattered. Shards flew into the air. The cacophony of noises broke Nyxie’s trance, making her step away from Shenan and the door. Eyes scanned all around her, landing on a rope near Ren’s feet. She leaped over to Ren’s side and slipped a foot under the rope, kicking it up. She caught the knot with her left hand, the bottle still in her right. A chuckle escaped from her lips,

“Hun, if a woman is brazen enough to be out in a dark alley in front a dangerously handsome criminal, you can be sure that she knows how to take care of herself.” Nyxie winked with a smirk, as she held the weighted rope taut in her grips.

“Now tell me, Shenan,” she lilted. “What’s behind that door~?”

[Kuvarakh]

Right on the verge of making his move, seeing the door come ajar behind the Svefra, the other woman startled Kirby/Shenan with the shattering of glass and a shout of warning. Verek, on the other side of the door, closed it quickly in the face of a shower of glass shards. Kirby spun to grab the arm holding the broken bottle, only to realize he'd let the Svefra, "Nyxie" get around him. He kept his grip on the Vantha woman's one arm as he spun back to keep track of Nyxie, who quipped in admirable nonchalance, “Hun, if a woman is brazen enough to be out in a dark alley in front a dangerously handsome criminal, you can be sure that she knows how to take care of herself. Now tell me, Shenan, what’s behind that door?” "What indeed!" he sneered, "Get out here, Verek! We don't want either of our "guests" leaving dissatisfied." As the door opened fully, Renate and Nyxie might not have been all that surprised to see the man they'd heard named "Joren" emerge from the red tinted darkness beyond. Confident that Verek would keep Nyxie in control, Kirby turned his concentration on twisting Renate's arm to force her to drop the bottle. He backed her against the wall, trying to get a grip on her other arm. "Stop your struggling, girlie. I don't want to have to do anything to that pretty face. You won't bring as much if you've got a bunch of ugly scars." He got quickly sick of trying to get hold of it and decided on the more direct approach. He switched his hold on her right arm with his left, so he could slip his knife free with his own right. For that moment, his focus on her free arm waned as they came near to a heap of garbage within her grasp. At the same time, Verek hurried out to get between Nyxie and the open alley. He knew the two women would recognize him as "Joren". He had also heard Kirby call him by his real name in front of them. There was no smile on his face, malicious or otherwise, as he circled around the far side to try to keep the Svefra from getting a clear avenue of escape, though he didn't think she'd abandon her friend anyway. He knew she'd be feeling nearly invincible from the "Poke" Kirby had given her. And during that time she'd pretty much feel no pain, which would make her fairly formidable. He cursed Kirby's arrogance silently. The fool wasn't supposed to have offered a challenge with his attitude. He was supposed to have invited them below and led them in circles though the maze that was The Alvadas Underground until the "Poke" wore off. Then they'd have been easy pickin's. But he knew it would still be another twenty chimes before that happened. Well, what was done was done. His eyes narrowed as he looked at the rope in Nyxie's hands. He didn't choose to hold a weapon, he wanted both hands free to grab with. And the ugly callouses on his knuckles gave ample testimony to his willingness to use his fists. "What are you going to do with that, eh? Are you a tripper or a clobberer?" Now a cold smile soured his face as he added, "A spitter or a swallower?" He advanced on her with equal parts caution and confidence.

[Renate Winterflame]

Ren gasped, too confused by the turn of events to be surprised by anything but the pain in her arm, the gritty brick on her back. Shenan's smell was strangely, sickeningly sweet as he breathed hot words on her wincing face. Try as she might, she could not keep a few pathetic whimpers from escaping her throat as she pushed and pulled against his grip. In at a matter of seconds she was shaken still, unable to wrench at her own arm lest she risk it tearing from her shoulder. Behind budding tears, her eyes shone a brilliant and rare sort of green, which was flecked with terrified gold like gilding on jade.

It was not his hold on her that stirred a long buried fear in Renate, but rather his words—she knew too well the value of midsection bruises and inner body slices so that the pretty parts could be admired. The conspicuous brand on her neck, not her face, was testament to that. "Not again," she mourned under her breath, glancing frantically at Nyxie for some sort of way out.

She could not leave her, not yet and not ever; the fact, born of a hypnotist's seed, grew like a weed to the forefront of her desperate mind. Nyxie was strong and fierce and clever, Ren's only friend in this tiny world the slavers had made from of the corpses of foolish chivalries. She was the hero to Ren's damsel, the stubborn fist to her clammy, shaking hand. For a fraction of a section of a tick, their eyes met.

"Not again," she repeated, louder this time, as her knee lifted angrily between Kirby's legs. She hoped she might see his face as the realization of pain twisted onto it, but she would not wait long. The moment his grasp faltered she would pull herself from it, grabbing a soft piece of rotten wood from the pile beside her. She threw it at his head out of spite, forgetting how she might be able to use it later, and made for the the other side of the narrow alley.

She hesitated then, but just for a moment, a little moment in which she hoped strong, brave Nyxie might guide her. She was unarmed and she was afraid, but she was trapped behind three struggling bodies and could not make a safe run for the street. Would she though, if she could?

"Nyxie," she said urgently, keeping both men in her line of sight. There was no time to speculate.

[Nyxie Nadira Draer]

Nyxie stood stunned when Joren sauntered through the doorway; gears grinding in her mind when she realized that he was allied with Shenan. When the Womiyu called him ‘Verek’, Nyx began to feel enraged---

What the petch is going on here?

There was no need for her to ask. Soon enough, the answer became pretty clear. Her eyes locked with Renate’s as she struggled to break free from Shenan’s grasp.

’Again…?' OH. Oh god no. Not if I can help it.

Desperate to save her frightened friend, Nyxie resolved to stay and fight. The fear in her tearful eyes made her history evident; Nyx couldn’t bear to be the cause of her suffering. Well… Nyxie was certainly feeling sympathy for the woman---but if she was honest with herself, it just seemed like helping Ren was her best option at the moment. The Svefra hasn’t been presented with a better, more profitable opportunity. Being greedy and selfish at heart, Nyx would do whatever would bring her to riches. For now, they were in danger of being captured, so Nyx needed to focus her energy on an escape plan.

As Verek hurried out into the alley, Nyxie took a couple steps back, swinging the rope to loop around her right wrist. Inexperienced as she was, Nyx flailed the weighted end haphazardly in front of her. She wanted to try and faze him, and to look like she knew what she was doing. Like she was just another Svefra who could wield an Atani with tact and finesse. But she swung the stupid thing too hard and couldn’t stop the surprising amount of momentum she’d gained. The knot snapped back and hit her side, making her wince. Quickly adjusting her stance, Nyxie wielded the rope again. The impromptu Atani now whirled at her side.

Verek started towards her, spouting a gibe that was equal parts threatening and amusing---

"What are you going to do with that, eh? Are you a tripper or a clobberer? A spitter or a swallower?"

She returned his cold smile with that of her own. “Hm. Why don't you come at me, and find out for yourself?”, she taunted, with a quick wink, well aware of her subtle play on words. Nyx scrutinized the lying shyke with hardened eyes, daring him to make a move.

In her peripheral vision, she caught Ren escaping with apparent ease, but trapped and unable to run out of the alley. Nyxie realized that she’d need to take Verek down, in order to provide an opening for Ren’s getaway---

”Luv, I’ll take care of ‘em. You get outta here~”

[Kuvarakh]

Kirby's eyes couldn't seem to decide whether to grow wide from the surprise, or screw tightly shut from the pain running up his back, robbing his breath like a series of blows to his kidneys. He lost his hold on Renate's arm, but had the presence of mind to block the incoming chunk of wood. Renate's knee withdrew from his crotch and moved, along with the rest of her, to her right to escape the immediate trap. She was still blocked from the open alley. Kirby suppressed his pain long enough to make a clumsy lunge for her. He'd have reacquired his hold on her again if his reach had not unintentionally intercepted Nyxie's whirling Atani. The rope wrapped swiftly around his wrist and yanked his arm up, off track. Nyxie, instinctively trying to free her lone weapon from whatever it was caught on, collaborated with Kirby's effort to pull free, to send them both stumbling into Verek. And while this presented Renate with a chance to win free of the jumble, it did not go so well for Nyxie. Her legs caught up with Kirby's and her arm caught in the rope, she went down, her head hitting the paving stones. Dazed, she was pulled to her feet to feel Verek's fist drive her stomach into her spine. She could barely retain sufficient consciousness to gag and choke as the rope was now used to pull her arm behind her back, where it met the other arm and was twisted around both. She was yanked roughly toward the mysterious door. Kirby called threats back at Renate regarding what would happen to her if she didn't keep her mouth shut, while Verek hissed promises of disfiguring violence at Nyxie if she made any more trouble. The three passed through the door, slamming it behind them, the curses of the men covering the fact that the latch did not set. If they had stopped to look, they'd have seen that a shard of glass had caught in the jamb, preventing the bolt from sliding. They dragged Nyxie down the stairs to The Underground. Where one unfamiliar with the scenery might have expected a ceiling, there was what looked to be a dark starless sky, lit by a red crescent moon. The stone walls alongside the stairs continued on up to meld with the darkness with no apparent top. Kirby muttered as they went "Even down right...until you see the light...Odd down right...until you see the night." Nyxie would have long since lost track among the twisting streets. It seemed that turns contradicted the layout she tried to memorize and voices taunted from shadows that had no light to cast them. Kirby continued to mutter his odd mantra, until Verek snarled at him to shut up, growling that he knew the way. Thoughts came unbidden to her mind, no from her mind it seemed now. She started to lose hope. 'There was no way...Ren...could ever find h - me down here. If she went back to the bar to get help, the bartender would shut her up for good. She should be very thankful to anyone that got me out of this.' Weakness and confusion began to overtake her mind and body or she might have taken more note of the odd inconsistencies in how these thoughts took form, how the wording didn't always seem to be from the same person. Kirby spoke up, "What about the other one? We ought to get her too. She kicked me in the petchin' nuts! I want to slap that bitch around." "Don't worry about it. Her mind's already spiked." Verek crowed, "She's probably trying to find her way down right now. But we're not gonna lay a hand on her, don't you forget it. After we get this one chained up, you go up the ladder and work your way behind the tattoo parlor. You can climb down the alley from above if she's there. If not, we'll get Molly to track her down." They reached an iron-bound hardwood door. Verek muttered softly now, "Anyway, this one's wide awake now. We don't need to be giving her any hints. Help me get her chained up." Nyxie struggled, but the Bloodroot poison sapped much of her strength. Soon she was in manacles against a stone wall. There was enough slack to relax her arms, but there was nothing within reach. She heard Verek tell Kirby to 'go ahead and get the other girl, that...Ren.' There was something familiar about how he paused to remember Ren's name, but she couldn't put her finger on it.

[Renate Winterflame]

The seconds had passed like minutes within Renate's mind, which rolled and turned over her self-preservation instincts and her desire to help and keep Nyxie. This was all wrong. Ren wasn't the hero; she was the one who got captured and needed saving. She was the weak one, the little one, and somehow the lucky one. Always the lucky one, watching the people around her stumble on the wake of her miraculous good fortune. She shouldn't have hated that. She should have been grateful. But she did and she wasn't.

Eventually she found herself pushing carefully against the now open door, stepping silently into the dark alleys below. She had nothing but her instinct to guide her, and the strange sensation that there were eyes on her. At least there were enough shadows to hide in, or at least attempt to--her bright Alvad clothing did not lend itself to stealth, but she knew well enough how foolish it would be to walk out in the open. Her failure with the bartender left her feeling wholly alone, for despite her luck she could not trust even the few strangers she passed. Everyone kept to themselves here, in this strange red world beneath the streets.

She had no idea where to go. She could only follow her instinct, which only sometimes steered her wrong. The alleys were narrow and identical, every door more inconsequential than the last. By the time Ren's fingernails began to itch on the outline of her mark, the lanes opened into a broader space. She was thankful for the release before she realized what the place was: a graveyard, with thick gray fog and an emptiness that made her footsteps sound like whispers.

There were fewer shadows to hide in there, but at least its eerie presence was confirmation that this Underground was more than a hedge maze of repeating patterns. She stumbled optimistically between headstones and unmarked mounds, beneath overgrown trees and through spooky thin air. At least there was an opportunity for something new on the other side, or at least a chance to find a dead end and turn around. Her fingers bunched into preemptive fists, Ren swore to herself that she would not stop until she found her newfound friend.