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[Marcus Drago]

Summer 20th, 514 AV

“I have twelve THOUSAND gold Miza for the gentlemen in the back.” It was broad day time, twelve bells passed and people were just thinking of where they would go for lunch. “What about twelve-fifty. Do I hear a twelve-fifty somewhere? Twelve-fifty, twelve-fifty!” Families crowded around diners having their laughs and enjoying their outing. “TWELVE-FIFTY FROM THE MAN IN THE FRONT!” The rich stroll pass everyone, with a nose pointed at the sky, to sip their cup of tea and eat their bread in style at the Cafe Fleurs. “Do we have a thirteen thousand from the audience? Can I get a thirteen thousand!” The drunk wobble and crash their way into civilians, some picking fights, just so they could spend the rest of their days drinking more and more liquor. Some people were shopping, walking into stores with a full list of what to get for the meal they planned on cooking.

Then, there were these people. “Sold for twelve-fifty!” These people who crowded around each other, waving their hands in the air with large brimming smiles. These people who marveled at specimens chained and forced into humiliation.

These people made Marcus sick, this city was making Marcus sick. He stood towards the far back of the slave market. Passed the electrified audience and the sidewalk connected to the streets of Ravok. He was leaning on a railing, the only thing stopping him from splashing into the dangerous lake, and watching with a gray look as a blue, very muscular, Akalak stood in front of a crowd of people. The man yelling out miza amount was the dealer. He dressed in a fancy red suit and wore a stylish gold robe around his waist. The man looked as though he was ready to go to the fanciest party man ever created. His speech brought irritation to Marcus ears. The man sounded like he didn’t know the word period. He would just talk and talk and talk, and not stop until someone raised their hand.

Marcus wished that he could just storm to the stage, cut the man’s throat and shut him up. His exterior was calming. His face told he had no interest in what was going on, just watching. Although something soon caught his attention, as the Akalak was moved off the stage and a woman was pushed on.

Marcus eyelids spread far apart. He rose slowly from the rail and walked to the crowd in a almost un-dead state. He couldn't believe his eyes. Brown hair that flowed down to her hips, blue eyes that matched that of the sky, and an undying beauty. A woman stood on that stage, and Marcus couldn't believe who it was….. It looked as though it was his mother…..

Marcus hands pulled out his dagger and held it with a compressed grip. He wasn't sure if it was her, but he wanted to storm up there and kill every single motherfucker that touched her. He wanted to cut all their throats and take her far away from Ravok.

She was entirely skinny, her hair covered most of her face but those eyes showed to him. She had dirt covered all over her body and brown rags for clothes.. “This beauty is one of the best HUMANS you could ever have as a servant. She cooks for you, she cleans for you, and she also performs any sexual deed you want her too.” The dealer winked at the crowd and they all laughed. That only caused Marcus to grip the dagger tighter and shake in the process. “Now where shall we start?” The man said smashing his gavel.

Marcus looked around the area searching desperately for the person, any person whose hand was up. No one even moved an inch. Did they not want her? Maybe this was Marcus chance to buy her. But he only had sixty gold miza on him. That wasn't enough to buy her or any human slave.

He waited again to see if anyone would purchase her, but the only thing he saw was a silenced room. He decided to go for it after all and raised his hand that didn’t have the dagger in it high in the air.”Sixt-.””-Three hundred gold miza!” A large man with a long beard and a bald head in the front row interjected. “Sold to the gentlemen in the front!” Marcus was now silently cursing the man in his head. He was so close to retrieving his mother, the one family member he had left, the one woman who cared for him with the warmest of all hearts. He thought he lost her forever but now she is right here in front of him. He couldn't let this fat man take her from him.

The large and very bald man took the new slave, and quite hurriedly moved across the streets, almost shoving people over to get through. He followed behind his mother, staying far back but made sure that she did not leave his sight. The strategy was to follow the large man and kill him when the chance presents itself. It was a crazy plan that might place him on the most wanted list, but it was also worth it.

[Yoona]

A pale blue, devoid of clouds. It was Ravok's signature sky, and one that Yoona had become used to over the last few days. On those none-too-rare occasions where she'd be glancing out of a window and thinking about the familiar sand dunes and scorching desert seats of her homeland, the endless expanse of sky made her feel less...alone.

...A little less, at least.

Today's aimless wanderings had brought her to the Docks, yet again; by now, Yoona was convinced that she was finding every excuse imaginable to be able to distance herself from the irritable, insufferable Stryfe solider who'd claimed ownership over her some time ago. She was also convinced that he was going easy on her by letting her wander so frequently, and found herself wondering just how it was that the man could keep his anger in check during such days. Sometimes she almost wanted him to yell at her, just to see if fury was an emotion that still held its own center of control within his body. Other times, she dreaded having to be face-to-face with him after a day's unannounced excursion.

Yoona looked down at herself, frowning a little at her wrap. The cloth was wound around her hips and stretched down beyond her knees, and despite its comfort, the Chaktawe woman couldn't help but wish she had something else to wear. The same went for her bodice. It was an issue that could be taken care of if she had control over her own money, but since she didn't...well, no new, comfy clothes. Asking Isaac permission was out of the question, as it was more than likely that the man would say no, and stealing money from him was a fleeting idea. Yoona had enough sense not to put herself into unnecessary trouble.

"Twelve-fifty from the man in the front!"

The somewhat-shrill yell caught Yoona's attention and brought her head around. Void-like eyes scanning heads amidst the sizable crowd, her gaze eventually fell upon the voice's source; a gaudy man in gaudy clothing, auctioning off some slave. Right...she had neared the Slave Market, hadn't she? The hub for bipedal servants of all kinds. How revolting.

After some time, the blue-skinned warrior-like man was sold and ushered off of stage. In his place came a surprisingly-beautiful woman, despite her dirtied clothes and flesh and the malnourished look her posture held. Staring at the woman, Yoona tilted her head. She'd been through hardships, that was for sure. The Chaktawe woman felt a pang of sympathy erupt in her heart for her.

As the bets for the woman were made, Yoona stood by, watching with slight, yet bored curiosity. It was a sad sight, yet one that she found she couldn't tear her eyes away from. Perhaps the morbid fascination stemmed from the knowledge that she'd been spared such an inhumane, humiliating fate? Or perhaps it was more like seeing someone terribly injured; gruesome, but you couldn't look away.

Before she'd fully noticed, Ruki came into being beside her, his head raised and his eyes following her own as his celestial blue fur became visible. "Sad, isn't it? People selling other people as property."

'Too sorrowful for words,' Yoona murmured in response, the thought itself fringed with silence.

Then Ruki seemed to catch something else, his large ears perking up as he turned his head a few degrees to the left. "...Hey. Do you see what I'm seeing, over there?"

'What...?'

"Right there." Ruki replied, motioning with his head towards a certain section of the crowd that had gathered. Yoona followed his gaze, sifting through each and every head until she found a man that seemed to be moving. Not just moving...unless her eyes were lying to her, he was starting to follow the man who'd bought the beautiful woman onstage. ...Interesting. Alarming, yes, but interesting...

Yoona frowned, and within a few ticks found herself starting to walk towards where she'd last seen the man. Ruki glanced at her in surprise but fell into step beside her, trotting with his head held down a bit. The Chaktawe woman kept her distance, her curiosity urging her to keep him in her sights. Once they'd gotten into less crowded space, where mere bystanders were strolling the sidewalks and shops flanked the streets, she allowed herself to get closer. Soon she was directly behind him.

"What are we doing, exactly...?"

'I have a feeling that he's about to do something incredibly stupid.'

"And...? That's not really any of our business."

Yoona didn't respond.

"Tawna" | "Common" | 'Thoughts' | Ruki

[Marcus Drago]

Summer 20th, 514 AV

Marcus moved ever so slowly behind the man he was following, noticing every little detail about him. All Marcus could conclude was the man had an insatiable hunger, given by the large belly he wears, he had an injury to his right leg, seen by Marcus eyes when ever the man would gently walk on his right foot, and he had an obsession with children, also seen when the man would stop to speak with the young ones that passed by.

He seemed like a nice man, but his treatment of slaves were as heinous as his looks. Whenever the woman would fall behind, probably due to dehydration or starvation, he would tug on her arm which made her fall to the ground. The man irritation grew with each tumble she took and he began kicking her to get back up. Marcus frowned to every action he took, only imagining a knife being shoved deep into the man’s throat.

He stayed far behind, hiding in an alleyway whenever the opportunity presented itself. The streets were beginning to crowd with people, some giving him quite a stare. Apparently he had his dagger out and was drawing some attention. To look less suspicious he stopped for a bit to place his dagger inside his white coat. Marcus hood was down, showing his golden hair and blue eyes. He turned around only a little, to make sure that his dagger was securely hidden, and took note to all the people behind him.

He was looking for guards but instead found a rather gorgeous looking female. Her skin was slightly red and her eyelids were very long. She had a gorgeous figure as well, but that was all that Marcus noticed before continuing to follow his target. The woman’s body indeed left an impression on him, but his main goal was on the move and he didn’t have time to worry about the her at the moment.

The man stopped and took in a great whiff of the building next to him. As quickly as he halted, he moved inside the building with a hop at his step. Marcus followed after a while of waiting behind a flower cart that carried many wonderful scents and alluring bouquet. He moved to see what building this was. None could imagine the sense of amusement Marcus gained from the sight of the withering paint and rusting metal. He knew this building too well. The House of Immortal Pleasure.

This was Marcus perfect opportunity to kill the man. Sneak in and stab the him when he was alone, hopefully he would be alone. Marcus raised his hood over his cranium and took another glance around, looking to see if he was clear to enter without anyone following him.

If he did not spot the woman, then he would just stroll inside the building and take a seat at the nearest bar. He would grin at the wonderful aroma and sound that bounced through the walls of the building. Marcus came to this place only once, and that was because of a mission he had to partake in not to long ago. But he always wanted to step foot in this lovely place once again. Upon sitting at the bar Marcus would catch the sight of two men sitting and speaking as women began servicing them.

If he did see the reddish woman again he would give her a smile, a wink, then beckon her over to him as he moved into yet another alleyway. There he would wait for her to follow him. He didn’t like it when people stalked him, especially when he was stalking someone else, but he did not want blood on any part of the concrete floor, so he took the nice approach. If the girl did follow him, his body would push her against the wall and his hands would plant the dagger near her throat. “Name and reason for following,” would be his only words to the girl and he would fall silent. If she cooperated and gave Marcus a good enough reason, he would let her go. It is not like he could do anything anyway. One little hint of illegal activity would send the blade of a stryfer to his neck within a chime.

If the female did not follow then he would wait a little while before walking inside the brothel.

[Yoona]

Yoona could be quite stealthy when she wanted to be. Now, however, wasn't one of those times, and honestly the Chaktawe woman wasn't sure whether sneaking about would make her look more or less suspicious than she already did. She was keeping her distance as she walked, letting the dagger-wielding man stay well within her line of sight yet, at the same time, staying far enough away from him that it didn't look like anything. Or so she thought. After a while, a few ticks after he'd sheathed his weapon as curious onlookers gave him a few looks, he turned his hooded head and spotted her. Ruki seemed to tense a little at this, but Yoona merely continued on, a faint smirk playing upon her lips.

'You do remember that no one else can see you, don't you?'

"I shouldn't be getting worked up over this, you know," The hyena retorted, easing back into his casual stroll beside her. "That's your job. He's seen you, and it looks like he knows something's up...you could be in trouble."

'I'm thinking he'll be the one in the most trouble within the next bell.'

"Are you going to explain, or am I going to have to keep guessing about these verbal puzzles you're throwing at me?"

'Didn't you see the way he acted when that woman was brought up on the stage? He drew his weapon. Then that man bid on her, and he followed him as soon as they were clear of the crowd. I'm thinking he knows the woman, and seeks to help her. ...Or maybe he doesn't and simply feels like aiding a slave. Either way, that fat man's lifeblood is on the line.'

"You're going to help the slaver...?"

Yoona turned her head to glare at Ruki. It was a look that was enough to tell him that he was wrong, and quite foolish for saying such a thing. Then she shifted her attention away from him and back to the vengeful hooded man, who was just nearing a withered building that seemed to be bustling with activity. Scanning it up and down, the Chaktawe woman felt as though she'd heard about this place, before, or seen it at least once during her wanderings. "The House of Immortal Pleasures"...a whorehouse, if she was remembering correctly. In went the fat slaver and his pretty prize, and the hooded man dove behind a cart of flowers.

Their eyes seemed to meet, again, and Yoona could swear that the man was smiling at her. Smiling, of all things. Frowning, and ignoring Ruki's sudden, concerned whines, the Chaktawe woman made her way over to him.

There'd be no confrontation. Not a large, showy, attention-attracting one, anyway. All she wanted to do was confirm her suspicions. And maybe nag him a little for getting such a stupid idea.

She felt that she could come up with a much better one.

"Tawna" | "Common" | 'Thoughts' | Ruki

[Marcus Drago]

Summer 20th, 514 AV

He moved swiftly and stayed in the shadows. His thoughts raced about how he was going to take this woman down. She moved into the alleyway as well and Marcus was ready to jump, but stopped and rethought his plan when a stryfer walked past her back. This woman could cause trouble for him if he wasn't careful. Ebonstryfe roamed the city and many could hear a woman’s cry for help and race to save her, especially if the stryfer was a male. The last thing he needed was attention from the guards of Ravok.

He stayed far away from her and against a wall. He bent one knee and placed it firmly on the wall he was leaning on, below his butt. He move one arm to his armpit and dove the other into the pit that wasn't currently vacant(he folded his arms). His eyes moved to her body staring at every single spot on her. He wasn't being a pervert, though she may have felt he was, he was just checking for weapons. “Who are you and why are you following me?” Marcus didn't meet her eyes but payed attention to every motion she made.

[Yoona]

"Who are you and why are you following me?"

Ah, so she'd been noticed. It wasn't a surprise, really; Yoona had assumed that the hooded man had already noticed her by now. He might have been in the process of taking a huge risk, but that didn't mean that he wasn't cautious and alert of his surroundings. The Chaktawe woman slowed to a stop a few feet away from him, raising her chin a little and observing the features of his face. He wasn't meeting her gaze, which she found odd. Had he noticed her eyes? Perhaps they were bothering him or something. Either way, it was clear that the man was deliberately avoiding her look, choosing instead to scan every section of her body. Yoona bristled a bit at this but said nothing, alert and ready to defend herself if he suddenly came at her.

"No weapons," She said after a moment, staring at him. "Not on me. You can check, but I think that bad idea. Very, very bad."

Staying rooted in her spot, Yoona observed as much as she could about him. He seemed to be a well-conditioned man, with a sparsely-stubbled chin and hair the color of straw that peeked out a bit from his milky-white hood. Nice-looking, admittedly. The Chaktawe woman found that she liked the soft shade of blue that his pupils held, though they were darkened from the shadow that the hood cast over his face.

"I saw you, back there. Where the slaves were sold. That pretty woman who went to that fat pig...you know her, yes?" Yoona continued, an eyebrow raising. Then her tone softened a little, an interesting change from the careful, hard voice that she constantly used. "And now you plan to do a stupid thing."

"Tawna" | "Common" | 'Thoughts' | Ruki

[Marcus Drago]

Summer 20th, 514 AV

“No weapons on me,” where her words. But the human found himself doubting it. This world was made up of liars, killers, thieves, sex maniacs. It lived in every breathing and thinking being. For all he know this woman could be an assassin looking for a nice kill. He got a nice look at her. From her magnificent curves to her muscles. She was a well built woman. An amazon of beauty and what looked like muscles. Marcus wondered if he actually made a good choice not taking her to the wall. She could either have killed him, or surrendered to his actions. From the looks of her arms and legs he figured he would have had a hell of a hard time trying to subdue her.

He shook his head and cleared his thoughts of the woman body. He was forgetting the important mission at hand that this woman was blocking him from. If she wasn’t trying to kill him then what was she here for? “Not on me. You can check but I think that bad idea.” An understatement as large as her muscles.

“I saw you back there, where the slave was sold. That pretty woman who went to that fat pig...You know her yes?” His eyes widened and his mouth almost fell opened. He began questioning if he was that obvious. He stalked many people before, and most did not spot him or read him this well. His eyes moved up to finally meet her dark pupils. He began to long for this womans identification, but he remained silent. Though now it seemed that his eyes and face could not leave hers. “And now you plan to do a stupid thing.”

Marcus took in a deep breath and turned his face to the wall standing tall in front of him. He remembered everything he did till this point and silently cursed himself and his carelessness. He allowed his emotions of finally meeting his mother’s gaze to cloud his judgement, and now he had a female calling him what he felt at the moment. He pushed himself up to a proper stance and looked to the woman. “Who are you?”

What ever name she gave him, if she gave him a name, he would remember it. “Thank you for waking me up. I realize I was being careless, but what part of what I am doing is actually stupid?” He folded his arms again.

“I kill a man and I rescue a slave. Nothing stupid about it. Of course it would be a stupid idea if I was talking to a Ravokian.” He raised his eyes back to hers to get a good view at the reaction of her face. Her name and if she was a citizen to this city was all that he needed to know for now.

[Yoona]

Shock seemed to settle over the man's face, just then, his features morphing from extreme caution and suspicion to incredulity within ticks. She'd hit the metaphorical nail on the metaphorical head; an accomplishment that merited a smirk, if such an expression wouldn't come off as something devious to him. The Chaktawe woman didn't want the man to be uneasy, but she didn't want him dropping his guard, either. So she let herself revel in his surprise for a moment before reminding herself why she'd followed him all this way to begin with.

The man moved. Yoona stood her ground and watched, still observing. Then he asked who she was, and she figured that there'd be no harm in introducing herself. "Yoona," she replied after a moment's hesitation, slowly blinking at him. Then he continued to speak, and the Chaktawe woman couldn't help but tilt her head a little at him, the feathers that hung around her neck rustling lightly.

The "Ravokian" comment made her raise her eyebrows at him; did he think that she was a citizen? Yoona supposed that there was no real difference between the citizens and the others, though the slaves seemed to be more distinguishable by their battered appearances and chains. In that moment, she felt the briefest surge of thankfulness come over her. It wasn't aimed at any one person, nor could she contribute the feeling to her own conscious decisions, but often times Yoona saw herself as being one of the more "lucky" members of the enslaved. She wasn't beaten everyday, for starters, nor was her "master" a heartless beast who viewed her as being lower than the dirt he walked on. ...Well, it was possible that he did, but Yoona could never tell what went on in the cold mind of the Stryfe soldier.

"I don't belong to this place," Yoona commented, narrowing her eyes a bit. "A 'slave', as you and others of this city say. And I don't say the idea is stupid. I feel for her, the woman. I do. But I think you take a risk...I think there is another way, maybe, one smarter, not as dangerous."

When she spoke next, her tone had taken on a new feeling. Determination. It was faint, but it was there.

"He is a waste, yes. But killing is too much trouble, unless you can be sneaky...really sneaky...you need new plan. ...I can help."

"Tawna" | "Common" | 'Thoughts' | Ruki

[Marcus Drago]

Summer 20th, 514 AV

‘Yoona.’ Her name played over and over in his head like a record. ‘Yoona huh.’ It was a nice strategy of his to remember people who really affected him. ‘Yoona. A rare name.’

She spoke to him after listening to his remarks. He wasn’t surprised to hear she was not a citizen. Many people would not even dare to have the name Ravokian associated with them. Her bronze skin told him she came from a place with far greater sunlight. Suvan Seas maybe? No her skin was darker than Marcus own, and he spent his entire childhood in the seas. Maybe there was a part of this world filled with more amount of sun rays.

He was a little surprise when she told him she was a slave. Her body spoke nothing of slavery. No bruises or chains. No master either. To him she looked a free woman. Possibly a poor woman by the fact that her feet were bare, but a free one.

Questions piled up as she continued speaking. She mentioned the large man, how troublesome killing was, and offered her assistance. Marcus moved back and took in everything that was happening. He had a slave woman willingly offering to help him rescue his mother after he tried killing the man who owned the mother he was trying to rescue. He would need a little more time for this to settle into his brain. This was all becoming a little too much. All he wanted was his mother back, he didn't care how he got her or what was to happen to him. He just needed her.

“Yoona you said your name was.” Marcus voice was low and contained sounds of sadness. He avoided her eyes once again and stared only at her feet. To anyone else he would seem depressed, but it was more than just that. The sight of his mother left him weak mentally and he needed a soul to bring him great comfort. He didn’t want to rely in this woman but his emotional limit was being reached. Inside he was screaming to pull himself together. ‘Don’t show your fear, don’t show your sadness!’ was all he said to himself.’Not now, not in front of her! she could be the enemy!’ He took in a deep breath and slowly returned to the hardcore emotionless man that he showed to every stranger he met.

“Why… Why do want to help me? And further more... What can you do? Help me kill the man the sneaky sneaky way or help me negotiate with him. Sorry to say, but if your going with negotiations then you are alone on that one. Talking things out isn't really one of my strengths.”

[Yoona]

Blinking at the hooded man, a slight wave of discomfort washing over her as his eyes fell to her feet, Yoona wondered if she'd said something wrong. The Chaktawe woman was far from being bothered by her toes; the webbed digits were merely a trait of her race, and one that had its uses for trekking through the desert sands. She didn't, however, like the change that seemed to be coming over the man. He looked sad, all of a sudden, seeming to wilt like a plant underneath a scorching sun. 'I hope he doesn't start crying,' came the immediate thought. 'If he does, what the hell am I supposed to do...?'

"You could give him a big, fluffy hug," Ruki snickered from somewhere, his voice clear in her mind.

'Either give me some advice or keep quiet, fur-face.'

"Hey, you got yourself into this mess, didn't you? You'll get yourself out. And if/when shyke hits the fan, don't count on me to come in and help."

'I won't,' Yoona replied, somewhat defiant. Then their mental exchange came to an end, and she re-focused her attention on the ailing man in front of her. Just why was this slave-woman so important to him...? It was obvious that he knew her, unless he was just a rebellious do-good-er who saw the need to help slaves.

In the midst of her wandering thoughts, the Chaktawe woman heard the man ask her why she wanted to help him, and what she wanted to do. She stared at him for a few ticks, her expression one of curiosity. Why did she want to help him? What had convinced her to follow this stranger to an alleyway, just to offer to help him save a slave she'd never met?

To be honest, she wasn't sure. But she figured that she had a reason, deep down in her core, so she thought hard and tried to find it.

"...I've been slave for a while," she began after a while, her tone oddly casual. "Many seasons. And entire time, I deal with a big fat man, just like that woman. We hate each other all the time, and I hate having to go to places with him. Annoying, cruel pig he was. To see that woman with that pig...it makes me feel bad. It's...unfair."

Yes, this sounded right. Yoona wasn't really thinking about the words as they left her mouth, but she felt as though they were the truth, coming from a genuine place.

"You want to help her. I had that feeling many times during traveling. I couldn't, so now I help you and do what I never did. And you don't need to kill the man. You can just...take the woman. Sneak her out of building, and make sure that no one sees...maybe fat man can be distracted. No killing. You understand?"

"Tawna" | "Common" | 'Thoughts' | Ruki