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[Alea Davenport]

66th Spring, 515

Today was the day. She had been planning this for almost a season. It seemed auspicious that she should begin her escape from Ravok on the day she turned nineteen. (Not that any of her so-called "masters" bothered to ask her about her birthday.) She'd had the luck to once again be sent to the trading post, only a few days prior. A caravan had arrived and the NHC wanted her to pick up some goods. Of course, due to the lag between ferries, she had some spare time down there, and she spent it in the Beer Hut, chatting up the caravan leader.

"Where are you headed," she'd asked, after parting with a single precious miza to keep him drinking for the next few bells. She knew that drinks from bars loosened lips, but she had precious little coin to spare, so she could only hope this was a good use for it.

The caravan leader took an appreciative swig of the ale and said in a hearty voice, "We'll rest up and resupply for a few days, and then it's on to Nyka. There's good trade in Nyka, what with it being a port city and all. Wouldn't want to live there though. It's got some straaaange customs."

"Nyka?" she'd asked with curiosity. "Where's that?"

"Oh, about forty days south of here, on the coast."

After she'd learned all she could from talking, Alea wandered around outside. All of the caravan's horses were stabled of course, but a cluster of wagons was camped on the outskirts just behind the Beer Hut.

So she knew which direction the caravan was going, and how to tell if they'd left. Those wagons would leave tracks to follow if they left before she was ready, as long as she wasn't too far behind them. And a few people on foot should be able to catch them before too long...she hoped.

She spent the next few days finding the few friends she'd made in the city, and giving them the same message: "I'm having a birthday party in the woods south of the Southern Trading Post. Meet me there by midday on the 66th. Bring everything you don't want to lose."

Then, today, she'd woken up, knowing she was 19 and it was time. She didn't have many possessions of her own to collect, but she had a small sum of money. After a brief debate over the risks of getting caught, she tiptoed into the next room, went to where she knew the Nitrozian kept his cash, and pulled out a modest-sized coin bag. She did not have time to count it, she just chose the one on top, thinking it wasn't too much heavier than the money bags she'd been sent to the Trading Post with before.

She didn't want to be caught carrying money until she was outside though, and would have the excuse of an errand to be holding it. She knew the routes through the house that the slaves usually took this time of day, she she had a choice of trying to time her escape around them, or going through the main family halls and risk running into an actual Nitrozian, whose schedules were less predictable. This dilemma puzzled here for a chime, before she hit upon a brilliant idea. She pulled the sheets off of the bed, bundling them up and hiding the coin purses--her own, and the stolen one--beneath it. Then, she took the whole package toward the washing room. Once there, she made sure no one was around, dropped the linens on the floor, and slipped into the washing hole, which led right to the lake.

The coins weighed her down, but not much. She took a deep breath, dove under, and kicked her legs hard, swimming under the foundation of the Estate and into the adjacent canal. it was hard, since her arms were too busy carrying money to help swim, and she had to keep from sinking too far as well as propel herself forward. Luckily, it wasn't too far of a distance, and just as she wasn't sure she'd make it, her head broke the surface.

She swam across the canal, and then along it until she could find a place to get back up into the city. She was soaked, but hoped she would dry off before she reached the docks. She wrung out her hair and dress, then set off toward the ferry at a brisk and purposeful walk.

She arrived with a prepared excuse about getting some last-chance supplies for the NHC before the caravan departed, but her paranoia was unnecessary. It was still too early for anyone to suspect anything wrong.

She spent the four-bell ride trying not to act too suspicious or nervous. She kept looking out at the surrounding lake, especially behind, envisioning an Ebonstryfe ship hot on her tail. But there was nothing but a few fishing boats in the distance. Half the city was still asleep. The non-slave half, that is.

When the ferry landed, it was almost two bells before midday. She walked around trying to look busy. The caravan was still here, but in a flurry of activity. Wagons were being packed, horses hitched up, and people running around everywhere. They would almost certainly leave within the bell.

When she had killed about half a bell, she walked casually south, directly away from the lake, and at an angle from the direction the caravan would be taking. She walked until she could barely see the buildings through the line of trees. Then she hid behind one and sat down, resting and keeping herself as invisible as possible. Then she listened for the sounds of her friends arriving. Or her enemies...

[Faolan Lundgren]

Faolan Lundgren Faolan had been surprised when Alea had approached him and told him that she was having a birthday party in the woods. He had treated himself to a similar day out in the woods on his own birthday that had occurred earlier in the season. He hadn't told anyone about it though so he had spent it alone. In fact he had purposefully not told anyone because he spent it on a hunting trip, that day he had decided that anything he caught was his; that's how he ended up eating most of a deer all by himself and been so lethargic afterwards that he regretted it. He had been even more surprised when she said that he needed to take anything he didn't want to lose with him. A sneaking suspicion that they were going to be out there for a long time and that they might be doing something dangerous had started nagging at him after that. In preparation for her birthday party he began to accumulate supplies of foods that wouldn't go bad for a while. Dried things that he would only eat if he absolutely had to, but that she might appreciate. He gathered enough for a week for the both of them and tucked the food into his saddlebags and hid them in his room. He would let the landlord know that he might not be back and to lend the room to someone else who would need it before he left. On the 66th he made his way down to the ferry and to the shore. The entire time he was wondering what was going to happen today. His curiosity was gnawing at his insides as he impatiently waited to be dropped at the shore. Once he arrived he went to the stable and retrieved Drifter, his beloved horse. Getting the saddlebags arranged on the saddle he pulled himself up into the saddle and directed them towards the woods south of the trade post. He tapped his fingers on the saddle as he entered the woods and then made his way further south from there. He kept an eye and ear out for Alea as he and the horse wove their way through the trees, just the sound of Drifter's steady pace in the still air. They actually passed by Alea before it registered to him that she was there. Turning the horse around he lifted a hand in greeting to her. "Hello Alea. Happy birthday." he said with a smile.

[Yoona]

OOCThis took forever and it shouldn't have. e__e

A birthday party. In the woods, of all places. It hadn't made a lick of sense to Yoona when she'd heard it, but she had managed to keep herself from asking any questions, at the time, though her head had felt as though it could have burst from all of the confusion.

She and Alea hadn't known each other for very long. Save for that odd day when they'd met—having tasked themselves with dragging an unconscious wretch to the Healing Hand after a nearly funny incident—they didn't talk to one another, much, nor did they make much of an effort to seek the other out. And it made sense, what with Alea having her daily duties to the NHC and all, along with Yoona's attempts at not making a habit of leaving Vera alone.

Yet the two had been able to form some semblance of a bond. The Chaktawe woman was hesitant to call it a "friendship," but no other words seemed to fit. And perhaps it stemmed from the fact that they were both slaves, forced to deal with the shyke that the world had thrust them into. Whatever the reason, Alea obviously trusted her enough to pass along some sort of cryptic message. Birthday parties in and of themselves weren't strange, and with how warped the minds of the Ravokians were, it was likely that a handful of them enjoyed celebrating in the woods...but why in the hell would she need to "bring everything" that she didn't want to "lose"?

The whole thing didn't sit right with Yoona. Not knowing what to think, she shared her suspicions with Ruki, and the two talked a great deal over the next few days. In the end, the hyena convinced her to accept the "invitation," if only so she could find out what was really going on. Whether or not it turned out to be something good was up to Alea.

When the day had finally come, Yoona gathered up her meager belongings and set out for the Southern Trading Post. Ruki chose to tag along by her side.

"You're sure you've got everything?" the hyena asked as they walked along the docks, his head raised to look up at the Chaktawe woman.

She gave the worn satchel that was slung over her shoulder a tug. 'I don't own that much to begin with. So yes, I'm sure.'

"And what about Vera...?"

'What about her?'

"Well, you...you're not going to say goodbye or anything?"

Yoona frowned at the words. The guardian had been convinced that this was the last both of them would see of Ravok, otherwise known as The Lake of Hai, and she couldn't do much else but agree with him. It would indeed mean that she wouldn't be seeing Vera, again. Or Marcus, or Inoadar—who'd more or less vanished off of the face of the earth, anyway—or that revolting pig, Luc. They would all be left behind; remnants of a life that she now, perhaps, had a real chance to get away from. And it was a bit of a shame, considering how kind her mistress had been to her...but, well, what needed to be done would be done.

'No point in that. If I told her that I was leaving, she would try and stop me. Or send some people after me. It'll probably take her a while to realize that I'm gone,' Yoona said after a moment's hesitation, though her tone suggested that she was leaving some things unsaid.

They didn't speak anymore, after that. Some time later, Yoona boarded the ferry and made her way over to the shore, then continued along the rest of the way on foot, the pale sands and scraggly patches of grass eventually giving way to dense woodlands. She kept going until a pair of familiar figures came into view, causing her to raise her eyebrows.

Wasn't that the boy from the temple, that time...? The one whom she'd gone to for help with finding Vera?

The Chaktawe narrowed her pupil-less eyes as she approached them, letting the satchel drop to the ground so that she could cross her arms. "I'm guessing you here for the same thing, then. And I still don't get what all...this even is. So explain."

The last portion was more of a demand than anything, and Yoona's eyes darted over to Alea.

"Listen to me" - 'I'm thinking'

[Alea Davenport]

At the sound of approaching hooves, Alea almost panicked, thinking that it must be a 'Stryfer or someone equally important and able to get her into trouble. She kept still and tense, hoping they would pass her by, but getting ready to make a run for it if necessary. But the sound of the friendly and familiar voice let her relax. It was Faolan, her friend, who she'd invited here. She flashed him a quick but nervous smile. She could still be caught, and while at the moment she might still be able to play it off as just shirking her duties, every passing moment made it more likely that people would know she was trying to escape.

When the second person she was expecting showed up, Alea got to her feet as well. Naturally, the tall woman was suspicious and full of questions. In a low, tense voice, she explained, "In case it's not obvious, I'm getting out of here. I thought the two of you might like to come along. If I am mistaken, you're welcome to go back, but I'm leaving now."

With than little speech, Alea checked her direction against the barely visible buildings, and began walking away from them in a south-ish direction. She was slow at first; she had no shoes, and running around the smooth cobbles and lake-washed boards of Ravok had not exactly built up callouses. And, for the moment, stealth was more important than speed. After about half a chime, she said to anyone who was still there, "I won't go into details here, not when we're still close enough that someone might hear. Let's just say I hope you like camping."

She could hear the caravan starting to move out in the distance. As long as she kept track of that sound, her plan had a good chance of working. She just hoped her travelling companions were better prepared than she was...

OOC Notes :

So I had an idea for some guidelines to keep the thread moving. Basically, post in whichever order you want, and if someone takes too long to reply, I'll go ahead and move the thread forward with the assumption that their characters are following behind silently. I'll give you guys about a week to respond, and after that I'll reply whenever I get around to it (Which could easily take much longer ). Naturally, if you both reply sooner, I'll consider it my turn anyway

Let me know if you guys hate this plan, otherwise I'm gonna try to stick with it!

[Faolan Lundgren]

Faolan Lundgren Faolan slid out of the saddle and stood there holding Drifter's reins in his hand loosely. He stood next to the horse quietly wondering if they were waiting for someone else. He soon found that that's exactly what they were doing. He was surprised to find the woman he had helped in the temple approaching them. He didn't think he would ever see her again and yet here she was, standing in front of them in what appeared to him to be a bad mood. "I am." he said quietly in response to what she said. Her name escaped him at the moment, after all their introduction had been done very briefly. A lot of time had passed since then as well. The young Kelvic listened to what Alea had to say and found his suspicions confirmed. He hadn't known that the other woman would show up so he didn't have the supplies that he would need to feed all three of them. His mind was fixated on that when Alea started walking away. He blinked a few times before hurrying after her with Drifter in tow. The horse was happy enough to trail along behind him as he followed after his friend. When she mentioned camping he chuckled a little bit under his breath. Camping was nothing new to him. The mention of camping directed his mind right back to the food situation. Hunting would probably supplement their food supplies well enough, but undertaking a trip like this without proper food supplies still worried him. He heard the sound of what could only be a caravan and eyed Alea carefully for a moment. He wondered if her sudden need to leave was tied to this caravan. It was entirely possible. If he had known about the caravan he probably would have taken advantage of it too. He wondered where exactly they were headed but didn't want to ask, it didn't really matter all that much anyway. He was happy enough to be headed out of Ravok finally.

[Alea Davenport]

Alea walked without saying much. It was easy to be distracted; it took most of her concentration to find the softest possible path through the underbrush. Even so, it was impossible not to step on twigs, and soon her soles were tingling with the thousand minute pricks of sticks and rocks. It was slow going at first, but she gritted her teeth and became used to the pain. She did not have time to mince about on soft feet; she would just have to cope. She glanced more than once at the horse Faolan was clearly not using, but she refused to ask to borrow it. It was a long ordeal ahead of them, and if she showed weakness now, she would be defeated before she even began.

Within chimes her normally pale feet were covered in a layer of dirt. She even occasionally stepped in mud deliberately, because it gave her feet an extra cushion against the ground and all its irregularities. She would build up callouses eventually, but for now she would have to take what comfort she could get. Following the sounds of the caravan was easy enough... almost too easy, as she discovered a bell later when she started to see horses and wagons through the trees. Startled by her carelessness, she froze for a moment, before veering slightly away from the caravan. She wanted to keep track of them, but she wasn't ready to be spotted, not yet.

She motioned to others to follow her, and when the horses were once again out of sight, she decided it was time to tell them the whole plan. She called for a rest and water break, and sat down on a fallen log. "My plan is to follow that caravan for a few days, then meet up with them once we're well away from Ravok. We can't survive on our own for long out here--or at least I can't--but I want to give any potential pursuit time to catch up to the caravan and find out we didn't leave with them, before we get into a position where we'd have to hide. Besides, maybe this way we can pretend we ran into them by chance, and they won't try to take advantage of escaping slaves."

She thought it had a chance of working. She'd considered all the ways it could go wrong, and this was the best she could come up with. She didn't have much in the way of resources herself, which was a problem, but she did have a little money, which, much as she was hesitant to part with it, might be enough to get them to...wherever they were trying to go. She planned to go as long as she could stand it, then throw herself on the mercy of the caravan and hope they didn't sell her straight back into slavery. Of course, she realized, she wasn't on her own. Her companions might have opinions and ideas of their own.

[Faolan Lundgren]

Faolan Lundgren Faolan didn't notice Alea's discomfort at all or he would have offered her the use of Drifter. After all at this pace if he was to ride the horse he would leave the women behind; which was why he didn't mount the horse. Lost in his own thoughts he stared at the forest floor as they walked along. He kept Alea's feet within sight and followed her as he muddled through his own worries about taking on such a journey only partially prepared. When they got closer to the caravan he almost plowed right in to the girl's back when she froze on the spot before moving on. Blinking a few times to get himself out of his own head he looked at the caravan and hoped that the horses wouldn't give them away. It wasn't unheard of for horses to know that another of their kind was nearby and to give off a sound of greeting. Luckily Drifter didn't seem interested in them at all and they were downwind so the other horses didn't seem to notice them as they moved back in to the safer cover of trees. When Alea asked that they stop he sat down on the ground next to his horse and pulled a water skin from his bag, taking a drink of the cool water that was concealed within before offering it to his traveling companions. It struck him then that he hadn't thought to buy more water skins and he internally berated himself for that. Generally he and Drifter always found water right away when they went to make a stop so it wasn't a worry, but in this case it could become a very big issue very quickly that the little group only had one water skin for such a trip. When Alea explained her plan he listened carefully and nodded a little bit. He knew that if they were caught the results would be disastorous for all of them. Shoving the thoughts of what would happen to him he kept his mind on the trip and how nice it would be to just be on the road again.

[Yoona]

Yoona raised her eyebrows at the girl when she answered, surprised and, at the same time, not. So her suspicions about this little "party" had been true, after all; Alea was planning on fleeing the lake-bound city, and had extended an invitation for herself and the boy from the temple to go with her.

The girl then turned away from them and started to walk, looking quite confident in the direction that she had chosen to head in, and for a moment the Chaktawe woman could do nothing but stare at her as she went, a thoughtful look upon her otherwise blank face. For some reason, she wasn't sure how to feel about all of this. How she was supposed to feel. On one hand, it made sense for her to be happy—filled with relief and borderline excitement, even. Wasn't it what she had always wanted? Ever since she had been forced onto Ravok's wretched docks, bound from wrists to feet in chains, hadn't she longed for a way to escape? To abandon the horrid fate that she'd been given? To be free?

Yes...for the longest time, the possibility of leaving, of returning home, had been what had kept her going. Yoona was no fool—she'd realized how slim her chances were—but the hope in her heart had stayed strong, and she'd endured throughout the seasons, certain that her resilience would pay off. When, exactly? She didn't know; preferably before the Stryfe was forced to take her away for doing something reckless.

And here it was. A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, considering the fact that their lives would be at stake. Well...were at stake; planning an escape was the same as carrying one out, was it not?

Rousing herself out of her thoughts, Yoona trailed after Alea and the boy, Faolan, her sack of meager belongings held at her side. There wasn't really any time for her to dissect her feelings on the situation; all that mattered was that they were leaving. And the Chaktawe woman would be damned if she was going to miss her chance to be rid of this dreadful place.

They walked in silence, save for the occasional handful of words on Alea's part, and Yoona stayed on guard, her void-like eyes continually scanning the trees for signs of life. She had no reason to believe that they weren't being followed, so it made sense to be careful.

The group had been trailing the caravan for some time when they decided to rest. The Chaktawe woman didn't feel as though she needed it, sure that she could have walked for another half-bell, at the least, but said nothing as she sat down and listened to Alea explain the so-called "plan". 'So she has thought things out. Huh...there's hope for us, yet.'

It seemed simple enough. The caravan was to be their main means of leaving, and they would do good to get themselves as far away from the city as possible. Still...

"You know where this caravan is going?" Yoona asked, looking at her. "Where it will end up last, at least? That important. Hunters probably won't come looking for us in other cities, anyway. And caravan-people can be forced to help."

"Listen to me" - 'I'm thinking'