Just gotta get out of here

by **Aurora Hook** on April 7th, 2014, 10:06 pm

Aurora wasn’t sure what it meant when he chuckled, so she figured it was some thought of his, perhaps even a memory. Maybe he was once a knight! Wouldn’t that be exciting? It was just like the fairy tales, but his warnings were slightly bleak. It encouraged her idea that this place was a city of evil, which was not wrong. It was hard to wrap her mind around the word ‘judgment’, at least in the way that he meant it. How could people that only existed as long as they were in contact with her judge anything? The only reasonable answer would be that they would just judge her, somehow.
Aurora nodded in understanding. They would go after her, that she could understand. She already knew that. She was positive that he would help her out, now. Despite any danger. She wondered, though. What kind of dangers were between Ravok and Syliras? Was it really that dangerous? It had to be if he was warning her as he was. Were there monsters out there? Dragons and Dire creatures… She felt the urge to get a sword. She knew how to use it… well, she knew how to hold and swing one, anyway. That was all she needed. Perhaps it was that thought that allowed her to notice his sword, but the observation only made him more interesting, and added to her knight theory.
Then his eyes shifted to over his shoulder, making her glance as well. Not that she could recognize faces very well, it was probably only luck that allowed her to notice him in the first place. His statement made her tense. Did he see someone that she didn’t? He rose swiftly, a motion that seemed to spook her a moment. He was more agile than she had thought, but perhaps it was just because she had not been around anyone besides her masters and tutors. “The… hard way?” She asked timidly, her voice still quiet.
His instructions would be easy enough to follow. Aurora took his hand and he helped stand her up. She could have done it herself, but his friendly face made her feel like she didn’t even need to. He was so kind to her, it was new. She liked it. It made her comfortable. She didn’t need him telling her to stay calm, because he was doing well with just causing her to be so. She did not hesitate to follow him into the crowd, a vast sea of faces and bodies, but the girl kept close to him. It was but a chime before she wondered aloud; “Where are we going?”

by **Daegron** on April 9th, 2014, 9:00 pm

She was eager to follow him and he was grateful that his quirks hadn't caused this new relationship to fail just yet. He didn't want to elaborate on what he meant by "the hard way". She surely had seen enough abuse to recognize it and perhaps it was better if he spared her from such bleak thoughts. He was certain that those two men were on their trail, but holding her hand firmly he led her casually through the slowly moving sea of faces. They were one with the crowd and they'd soon be free. He looked at her face and answered:
"We need to take you to a safe place, can't have you wandering around while in danger." His rugged face seemed to sweeten for a while and he smiled. Instilling her a notion of safety while she stayed by his side would be certainly rewarding.

They followed the crowded road as it narrowed with merchants' stalls scattered on either side or randomly sprouting in the midst. He could barely spot a narrow alleyway branching to their right a few yards along the way, so he pushed random passer-bys as gently as possible without making too much of a fuss, clenching her hand as tightly as he could. A few moments later he abruptly stopped and glared at her before wrapping his arm around her and pulling her close. With a few quick steps they spun around and sharply turned into the alley, backs to the rickety wooden wall.

"So, what do you call yourself ?" he just said and tried to carefully look back at those men following them. The question was carefully phrased; making sure she understood what her newly acquired freedom is all about was an important step in enslaving her...
_

by **Aurora Hook** on April 9th, 2014, 10:05 pm

It was true enough that she could recognize the danger behind his words. ‘The hard way’ was not at all something she couldn’t imagine, and imagine she did. However, he did well in distracting her from these thoughts. A safe place, he said. She wondered where this safe place was, but, glancing around, she got the feeling that there was a reason he wasn’t telling her yet. His firm grip on her hand allowed her eyes to wander just a bit without worry of losing him, though she couldn’t help the childish feeling that, should he let go for even a moment, she would never find him again.
Aurora smiled back at him as his face sweetened. His presence grew to be quite comforting, and it seemed like the only one in the crowd. Sure, they all existed for a moment, but his face was the one she could remember as he looked away, making him immediately more important than the rest of them, especially as the crowd grew denser in the narrower street. They all just became too close to her.
His hand grasped hers with more power, to which she replied to by tensing her hand and equaling the power. They moved at an angle, cutting through the current as it flowed around them, most of them ignorant to their passing.
Aurora didn’t really know what it meant when he stopped and glared at her, then threw an arm around her. Pulling her close, she didn’t really know what to do but let him pull her into the alley. Backs against the wall, she looked around curiously. There wasn’t much to see. It was dirty and empty all but for a bird perched on the top of a roof above them.
It took the girl a moment to remember the name she had given herself. “Aurora Hook.” She told him. Yes, she did call herself that. It was all hers, no one else had given it to her. The name she chose. She smiled with a certain pride, making it obvious that she had, indeed, given herself that name. Then a curiosity touched her. “What about you?” She asked him with all the interest in the world.

by **Daegron** on April 11th, 2014, 4:07 am

It was a lucky break. The two men kept on looking down the crowded road, following some random people they thought were their target. His was a cruel hateful stare; theirs was one of confusion. The taller one was thin and a meticulously kept goatee adorned his skinny face. The other one was stout and stocky, his bald head seemed like a bloated cork on an old bottle.From the way they moved and looked at each other Daegron was grateful to be so paranoid. They were indeed following him or her, their intention clearly vile, but he couldn't be sure which one they were after.

Her question was promptly answered by a cackle that echoed in his brain."You may call me Master" it seemed to say with a crooked voice of it's own. But the words never reached Daegron's lips, thankfully. His voice was flat and colorless as he spoke:

"I'm Daegron... and since you showed me trust, I'm going to let you into a little secret... don't be afraid and be patient.." and with that he pulled his hood over his head and moved his face close to hers so that all he could see was her; and noone else but her could see the imminent transformation. He stood silent and focused on his breathing staring deep into her eyes until he could feel and acknowledge every inch of his face.

First it started as a hissing breath and got louder and deeper, evolving into what sounded like a mantra, an unnatural chant without words but only guttural throaty or hissing consonants and deep long vowels. He reached inwards to the source of his djed, a pool of essence so vibrant and fluid. And that essence was carried through blood vessels and nerves up his spine all the way to his face; a mask that now shifted into what felt like a surface vibrating, it's rubbery texture turning into viscous liquid. And the chant grew louder as he made the change. His nose pulled back and got thinner, his wide jaw smaller and his visage started turning into a male version of Aurora; taking the most prominent characteristics and mixing them with his own in order to resemble someone like a close relative. And when it was done, his skin went dry and a multitude of small scars appeared which turned into wrinkles of ripe age or wisdom while his hair turned from black to ashen grey with random white streaks. His hairline receded exposing dry flaking skin. The chant faded into a whisper and finally stopped.

The result wasn't very successful and he felt his new mask a little odd but the resemblance was apparent to say the least. He didn't need an exact copy anyway; with the right choice of words and moves or manners he could pass as her father to one who didn't know.

Finally he seemed to snap out and looked at her puzzled face smiling. Trying to change his voice into a more raucous version of his own with a higher pitch he finally spoke:

"Now we're going to use a lie... We'll pretend I am your father and find you a safe place to stay until we decide what to do..."

The voice came out funny at first but then got better. He wasn't a good actor but hell, he had a chance to practice right now.
_

by **Aurora Hook** on April 11th, 2014, 2:05 pm

Looking around, Aurora certainly saw the men, but their faces didn’t stick and she wasn’t quite sure they were the ones following them, anyway. Her eyes passed over them as easily as anyone else’s, but it had seemed that they were the ones that the man besides her was looking at. Them, or about a whole crowd of other people. It didn’t matter to her that much, anyway. It seemed like they had lost the goons. Besides, the one beside her was speaking, and that was far more interesting than looking hopelessly into a crowd for people who had already passed.
Daegron was his name. It sounded pretty good to Aurora, certainly not one she had heard before. Then again, she never went out, but it didn’t occur to her that names could be shared between two different people. The commonness or rarity of the name had no meaning to her, really. Her interest kicked up a notch when he said that he would share a secret with her. He was very close to her the next moment, and she was straining her ears as though to listen to him say something, but that wasn’t the kind of secret, it seemed. No, the secret was far more interesting than anything he could have spoken.
Aurora’s eyes widened in surprise as the skin on his face transformed. The groaned rhythm was strange to her, but she figured it had something to do with how his skin was changing. It was disgusting and interesting, and soon the skin rested again, taking on a totally different appearance. Having had very little experience with mirrors, she didn’t know that he had molded his look around her face, but that didn’t stop her from being impressed by his trick. “Wow!” The quiet exclamation revealed her interest. She could change into a tiger, but she had never been able to change either form’s appearance. She wanted to know how he did it, but he smiled and spoke before the question could be uttered.
A lie? If it got them to a safe place, then Aurora supposed that she could lie. The only problem was that she had never really lied before. She puzzled at his changing voice. Was that part of the transformation? Even she noticed the change as he worked on his speech. Perhaps it was just a slower part of the change. She couldn’t help it. As she nodded in understanding, she had to ask. “How did you do that?” She blurted, quite unable to hold in her curiosity.

by **Daegron** on April 14th, 2014, 10:25 am

"What Insolence !" was his first thought. "As if I's share my art with one such as you, inferior creature..". Yet such words would offer him no gain, so he struggled against his impulsive side and did not speak his mind. Instead he playfully winked and said:
"I'm sure you can do fancier tricks than mine.."
Trying his best to hide his true feelings while keeping his focus and transformation, he turned and beckoned her to walk with him. There was an air of overconfidence and superiority about him; a not so mild character trait that escorted his every form shift. His shifted face was itching and there was a more annoying than painful feeling that someone was repeatedly pinching his skin, especially where the deepest wrinkles were formed. He did not even turn to look at her again and simply walked back in the crowds, following the opposite direction than the one they took earlier. He started a few awkward steps that slowly evolved into a steady limp and at the same time he hunched his back slightly to simulate his "old man" appearance. He mumbled to himself, trying his new voice. By the time they reached their destination the whole act would be passable enough.

It was a few chimes later that they found themselves in front of Tarsin's Boarding House. Aurora was curiously still there by his side, and he couldn't help but wonder how the petch he had managed to captivate her attention and trust in such a way. He turned his stern gaze towards her and made a pretend fatherly smile to her, trying to inspire her with safety. He took a deep breath and convinced that his act was as good as it could get, he took her hand in his and walked inside. He could not waste a single moment. The itch had gotten almost unbearable when they finally reached the counter and he spoke with his funny voice

"Good day sir.. I'd like a room for my daughter who just came in town to visit..." He looked at her again trying to imitate a loving stare. He pulled seven gold mizas and winked at the man there. "For a tenday, until her housing and citizenship is arranged... I trust that she'll be taken good care of ?... no curious or annoying youngsters around my pretty flower ?" He pulled a couple more gold rimmed mizas just in case they were needed.

The money was taken greedily by the man; an approving nod , a grin and a single key were given in return.

As they climbed up the stairs to the room they'd just arranged, Daegron had nothing to say to her. He kept whispering his mantra, trying to keep his mask just a while longer. When they reached the room and after looking around to avoid any prying eyes, he finally let go, and his skin steadily snapped back to it's natural form. He was sweating profusely as he bid her farewell. He wasn't friendly anymore. There was no need. He knew that his trap had worked.

"This is where you can stay for a while. You are safe." It sounded as if he demanded her gratefulness, as if she was saved from something horrible.
" Get comfortable, keep a low profile and I will come find you soon" he coldly said and faked a smile. Nothing else to do there, he was ready to turn and leave...
_

by **Aurora Hook** on April 15th, 2014, 8:54 pm

Fancier tricks, huh? Aurora did suppose that turning into a tiger was indeed a cool trick of her own. It was different than him changing his human appearance, but, with a smile, she agreed that hers was better. Certainly, even if someone could change how they looked, they would have no chance against a tiger. It sated her curiosity enough, for now, though she planned to ask him more about it again, later. It sounded very interesting to learn more about him.
Without missing a beat, he didn’t glance at her as he passed and beckoned for her to follow him back into the crowd. Had he been so confident before? There was something about his stride that even she could see was new, besides his slow change into a limping, slightly hunched man. No one took notice of them at all, at least not that she could tell. Aurora kept close to him, in case the crowd tightened around them too much. She worried that she might lose him before he brought her to the safe place he had spoken of. Thinking about such a place excited her, too. Perhaps it was some kind of secret base? That would certainly be cool!
It was no more than a few chimes before he looked to her and smiled warmly once again, which she returned. She couldn’t read the sign very well, no surprise since she hardly knew the alphabet, but she had seen the word ‘house’ before, and she knew what it meant. They were inside before she could read the rest of it. Something with a ‘T’ at the beginning. She’d grow used to it before wandering out too far. The room inside had a few people, though none of them stuck, mostly leaving or entering. The only one that stayed put sat behind a counter and looked up as Daegron spoke.
Aurora thought she played her part well. All she had to do was smile at her ‘father’ when he looked over at her and allow Daegron to do all the talking. He obviously already knew what he was doing, so she would ask questions later. When he was finished, the man took the money with an approving not and a grin, handing her a key.
Daegron led the way up the stairs to the room, hissing that strange rhythm under his breath as they walked. It was only when they reached the room that his face turned back to normal, though he seemed rather sweaty. When he spoke again, he seemed far harsher than he had been; almost demanding, yet the words had no particular command, besides keep low. The smile was a bit colder, but it also seemed, to her, that it was just something to do with the magic he had used. She was interested in asking more questions, but more so in checking out the room. In fact, as it popped into her head, it very much engulfed her full interest.
“Okay, goodbye.” Spoken like a young child whose parents were leaving whilst she was distracted by a new toy, she smiled and opened the door into her new room. She was quite pleased with the arrangements, as it was certainly more than she’d ever had before, and the door shut behind her again as she assumed that Daegron left.

by **Catastrophe** on May 5th, 2014, 12:30 am

Aurora Hook :

Daegron :

Notes :

Completed Just gotta get out of here