[Flashback] Fancy Meeting You Here! [Dayn]

[Isette]

35th Fall 510 A.V.

Once again, she’d gotten caught stealing. Isette had a long way to go before she could consider herself to be a master thief. It wasn’t so bad, though. Unlike her first time stealing, the man hadn’t considered cutting her hand off. He just chased her away. There was no fight, nothing too terrible. And she still had the scrumptious bit of meat pastry. Isette gleefully chomped it down, reveling in the salty flavor of shredded chicken. It was hot and good. A perfect prize for her birthday dinner. She was two now. Two years old! That meant it had been exactly one year since she’d left home. It was weird to think about. How had she gone from sleeping in a lavish bed to curled up in the empty space between a building and a stone wall? She didn’t feel sad or particularly nostalgic. More than anything she felt numb and maybe a little bemused. A year had gone by so quickly. She almost never thought about her family or her old home anymore. Living on her own was not the easiest thing in the world, but it felt natural. It was easier than facing high society with her inability to learn maths and languages. The money thing was a bit of an issue, though. Isette wasn’t very good at stealing. Sometimes she could sell herself. That brought in a decent amount of money. But it wasn’t a job she looked for, only an opportunity that showed up every once in a while. Sometimes the men hurt her and that part wasn’t very fun. At least it helped to improve her living conditions, though! Isette had purchased a few major things. She had a small place with a little bed, new shoes since she’d lost her other ones after shifting in the peaks. Yes. Life was greatly improving for the Kelvic. As far as birthdays went, this one was far less glamorous than her first one and far more lonely. It was also less awkward. She didn’t have people making her feel like less of a person. She had a warm meal and an eternity of freedom. She wanted to look towards the sunrise. Living on her own no longer seemed to be an impossible feat. The feline had come so far in the last year. She could catch her own food, wasn’t daunted by cold weather, and was more or less used to being by herself.

[Dayn]

Nothing good ever came of trysts with married women, especially you were caught in flagrante delicto. Petching families, Dayn scowled as he strode down the crowded street, half-laced tunic flapping open to display the livid scratches on his chest. He’d known that Reiko Twilight was a lady with fierce, almost voracious appetites, but he hadn’t known that she had so many brothers. They were pursuing him now, their faces swarthy with rage, moving swiftly as possible without breaking into a run. This was a matter of honor, which meant they had to be careful of alerting the Shinya. Got to lose them. Got to lose them, Dayn kept repeating in his head. He sidled past a fruit stand, gracing the vendor with a wan, harried smile. His pursuers couldn’t attack him as long as he stayed with the crowds, but at the same time he couldn’t get away. It was a ludicrous façade, this chase. If not for the probability of his face getting crushed to a jelly, he would have found these circumstances amusing. What did I hear the other day? He wracked his brain, trying to recall the musician’s broad, kindly face. Steer clear of the Twilights?

Snaking his way through a throng of people, Dayn turned down a tapering side street and began to run, leaping over a few baskets of yatanis that sat neglected with an arched doorway. He had a head start, but he knew wouldn’t last for long. He was a stranger to this city. The tiered streets seemed the same to him, and he didn’t know the best places to run or hide. I can’t believe I forgot my petching dagger, he thought as he ducked into an alley, and then tried to double back to the street. He met only with a wall of smooth crystal, hearing the slap of sandaled feet. Ah, petch. Heart racing, he cast a quick glance behind him before he darted into an adjoining alley. The thick-browed brother was rapidly closing the distance between them, but so far the others were out of sight. Is it just me, or are his legs unusually long? Dayn darted into an adjoining alley, then paused a moment, tugging a damp blanket from a line of washing. Wait for it… wait for it… now! He kicked the man heavily in the crotch as he turned the corner, then wrapped the blanket around his head and shoved him down a flight of stairs.

“Um, sorry,” Dayn snatched another blanket from the line and hurled himself down the alley, draping the cloth around him as a crude disguise. He ascended a crooked set of stairs, panting heavily, and then raced down another deserted street. Shyke, now I’m a cuckold and and a blanket thief, he frowned as he searched for a place to hide. [i]Forgive me, Tyveth.[/b] Dayn threw himself into a shadowy crevice, his heart pounding fit to burst, and sucked in a deep breath. Then he realized that he wasn’t alone.

[Isette]

All too soon her delicious meat pastry was gone, utterly devoured. Isette licked her fingers clean, eager to get every last bit of flavor so that she could savor it for as long as possible. It was a well deserved reward. To think she had lived for a whole year all by herself! That was something to be proud of, though she suspected it was usual for a kelvic to have the ability to survive. Other cats managed to survive just fine and they didn’t have the advantage of human form and human speech. Learn to utilize both of her forms to the best of her ability had been interesting. Meal finished, she supposed it was about time for a nap. Because what could be better than a warm meal followed by a nice, long, interrupted sleep? Sun bathing, perhaps, but it was still dark so that would have to wait until later. For now, the weather was nice and she was content to lie where she was. No need to make the long trek back home. Isette had her warm, blue cloak. That was all she needed. The feline yawned and stretched, then curled up in the snuggly folds of her— Huh? A sudden noise made her instantly alert. The feline shot up, positioning her body into an instinctively defensive crouch while she surveyed her surroundings and took stock of the intruder. A man. She raised an eyebrow. He seemed to be out of breath. Was someone chasing him? Isette wasn’t sure how she felt about that. A mixture of sympathy and suspicion swirled around her heart. For the moment, she decided to keep her distance. Desperate men could be dangerous. So could the person (or people) chasing them. What if he was running from the Shinya? Isette wanted no part of that. “May I help you, Sir?” Her voice was not unkind, but it was guarded. She had the perfect accent of a local Lhavitian, but her language skills were oddly choppy. Well, she was only two. Isette had yet to perfect any human language. Her eyes were sharp, quick to assess danger. How much of a lead did he have, if any? Maybe he had lost them all together. Maybe he wasn’t being chased. Isette liked to prepare for worst case scenarios. Besides, this could be an opportunity. Isette knew these streets like the back of her hand, maybe she could help him if the incentive was there.

[Dayn]

Dayn peered through the shadows, not certain whether this woman was friend or foe. Well, she certainly wasn’t a friend. He didn’t have any friends in Lhavit. However, if he played his cards right she could be his best friend in this entire city, helping him elude his pursuers and the menace of castration before an almost certain death. The thought brought a grimace to his lips. And that’s why you shouldn’t be a cuckold, he reflected grimly. His wind was returning, and now he looked closer at the woman, deducing from her posture that she was a bit frightened of him. Hmm, and another thing. What’s she doing in an alley?

But the time for niggling questions was over. Dayn knew he needed to act swift and decisively if he wanted to keep his precious fruits, and poking around in this woman’s business wasn’t going to further his cause. “Um, greetings milady,” he spoke with a ponderous half-bow, retaining some of the decorum he’d learned as an angsty squire. “I find myself in a bind. I seem to have dipped my wick in sacred tallow, and now some disreputable fellows are clamoring for my head. I’d be eternally grateful if – oh, petch it!” Reaching for the purse at his belt, he flung it at her feet. It struck the ground with a jingle, a few kina bursting forth. He carried most of his funds in the leather bag of gems around his neck, but at that moment, he would have paid just about any price to save his cuckolding hide. “Please, bring me to somewhere I can hide,” he whispered desperately. His pale bored into hers, imploring her to help, before he peered around the corner again.

Dayn couldn’t see any of his pursuers, but he could hear their angry cries. If the rumors – the ones he should have heeded in the first place – were true, these men wouldn’t stop searching for him until they were stumbling from exhaustion. He needed somewhere to hide and wait for this entire mess to blow over. Somewhere that wasn’t remotely close to the scene of the crime. Somewhere with booze. No, definitely not that, he scowled. I’m in enough trouble already.

“So, what’s it going to be?” he asked, muscles tensing as he prepared to continue his flight.

[Isette]

Oh, well he seemed polite for someone who was running from something. Maybe she had gotten it wrong after—Oh dear. Isette almost laughed out loud. As it was, she could not prevent the amusement from reaching her eyes and she was forced to bite down on her lower lip to prevent herself from laughing. The corners of her mouth tilted up into a smile, but for the moment her laughter was controlled. For how long she wasn’t sure. Luckily, she was saved from finding out. The desire to laugh left her the moment she heard a thunk and a jingle of coins land near her feet. Right then. Swiftly, she knelt to pick them up. Isette would count out her share later, after this was all over. The better she helped the more she could take, so there was no point in wasting time. She paused for a moment, listening to the sounds of people drawing closer, gauging their number, distance, and speed as best she could. Maybe a handful? With probably a thirty second to two minute lead? It was just a guess, but hopefully a correct one. Hopefully they didn’t have dogs. That could complicate matters a bit. “Come!” she hissed. The feline gestured for him to follow her into the shadows. It occurred to her that his eyesight might prevent him from following her well, so she held her hand out to him as an afterthought. Human eyes were pretty weak. Her own were large and round, designed to take in the most light possible to give her vision that was good enough to hunt with whilst in near pitch darkness. Humans, on the other hand, had clumsy vision. She had no idea how much light they needed in order to see well, so she figured she’d not take chances. “What family did you anger?” she murmured casually. The name probably wouldn’t mean much to her. Isette knew a handful of prominent family names, but there were quite a lot of families in Lhavit. The chances of him angering one she knew was slim. Even so, the feline was curious. And she wanted to talk about something so long as their pursuers weren’t within hearing range. Isette was helping a complete stranger. She might as well get to know him in the process. Maybe his story would amuse her. Isette likes talking to new people. And it was nice to have someone to share her birthday with.

[Dayn]

Dayn felt a surge of relief when the woman snatched up the purse. He didn’t have any choice but to trust her, but even so, he felt himself infused with hope. He was going to keep his precious fruits. Quickly, he risked another glance around the corner. There was nobody there, but he knew this wasn’t close to over. Not by a long shot.

Returning his gaze, he saw her gesture for him to follow, extending a small, pale hand. He took it, allowing her to lead him through the writhing shadows. His initial panic was gone now, leaving him more excited by his present dangers than scared of them. This was what he lived for. His heart pounded more swiftly, intoxicating him with a flood of adrenaline and infusing his thoughts with a greater clarity – even if he couldn’t see worth shyke. It was almost as if the world was slowing down around him. His lips curled into a smile.

This was fun.

“Twilight,” he replied, hanging on to the warm hand. He hadn’t even gotten a decent glimpse of the woman, but her deft movements were consoling. She seemed to know where she was going. In any event, it was better than running around like a headless chicken. “Wasn’t my fault, though – she made the first move, and I never decline a proposition from the slightly attractive. I mean, how was I supposed to know there would be consequences? Before I know what’s going on, she sneaks me into some monstrosity of a tower and pounces on me with the ferocity a banshee. It was disturbing. If I’d known that she was going to claw me to pieces, I wouldn’t have gone near the place.” He winced, thinking of the scratch marks on his back. “And to make matters worse, when the brothers got wind of some stranger porking their sister, and they get it in their minds to suspend me from the tower by my plums. If you haven’t already guessed, I’m very attached to my fruits.” There was more to the story, but the last thing Dayn wanted to think about right now was the sight of all those transforming limbs.

“Who are you?” Now, he was more intrigued by this woman, who’d gone from alley lurker to his savior in the blink of an eye. He chuckled. “Didn’t your parents teach you not to go places with strange men?”

[Isette]

Twilight. Isette froze. She turned towards him, aghast, but said nothing. Really? Twilight? Stupid man! She scowled and reconsidered, but the purse weighed heavily in her hand so she continued on. Helping him escape the Twilight house. At least his story was somewhat amusing. She could help him, sure. It would be great fun. But if they were caught, he would be on his own entirely. Isette would shift and flee without a moment’s notice. Hopefully with his purse if she could get away with it. And why not? He’d given it to her. It was hers as far as she was concerned. “I am Isette,” she told him when he asked. Then she gave him a strange look. “My parents taught me many things. Unfortunately, I am not a good learner.” It was a half joke. He could take it as a full and complete joke, but her words were more true than she let on. Her parents were scholars and she was an animal. They really did try and teach her things, but she had proved to be a very poor student. Languages, numbers, it was all so confusing to her. Geography she understood, history she grasped. But philosophy? Science? It had been too much. “One lesson did stick. Do not mess with the Twilight Family.” Isette gave him a meaningful look. On the other hand, she sort of felt bad for him. If what he said was true, he really didn’t have much of a choice. If he’d refused the woman than he risked insulting her, which was probably just as bad. “You have bad luck. You and your…fruits.” It had taken her a while to fully grasp the metaphor, but she got it. Isette shuddered to think what would happen to him (and his plums) if he were caught. They couldn’t stay in that part of town. It was too dangerous. But he couldn’t really go back to where he came from, could they? He would surely be found. Nor could he pay to stay somewhere since she had his money. Isette was keeping that. So there. “I will take you to my place. You can sleep and then you must find a new place.” The hard part would be getting to her place without being seen. Isette paused in her movements and flattened herself to the wall, peering around the corner to see if the coast was clear.

[Dayn]

One moment his savior was confident, the next she came to an abrupt, seemingly uncertain halt before continuing. Dayn suddenly had a bad taste in his mouth. Perhaps telling her was a bad idea, he frowned. He seldom had the patience for guile, but this was probably one of the times he should have gone against his instincts. After all, his life was in the balance. As he stared at the shadowy figure before him, he felt suspicion creep into his thoughts. However, she sounded more scared than anything. He didn’t blame her.

“Isette.” Dayn rolled the name around on this tongue. It had a certain ring to it. “That’s a pretty name, for a-” He’d been about to say pretty, but he didn’t know how she looked and his sisters had made quite clear to him that uninformed flattery was one of the worst things a man could do. “Well, I’m pleased to make your acquaintance. My name is Dayn.” He gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. “If we encounter any serious trouble, don’t feel bad about making good your escape. I might even be able to hold my own.”

Dayn listened intently as Isette spoke, the woman clearly disapproving of some of the decisions he’d made. Not that he’d had much of a choice, though. Or had he? “On the contrary, my fruits and I seem to be very lucky,” he said with grin, trying to find humor in the predicament. “I got to taste a forbidden – ah – delicacy, and despite hurt feelings and a few scratches, I managed to stumble upon you. I’d say that this has been a fairly satisfying day.” Dayn couldn’t help feeling that his troubles were slipping away. Every chime that passed without being chased was a boost to his confidence, every jape a mockery of the desperation he’d felt in the streets. He nodded when Isette spoke of hiding, wondering what sort of place she kept. She did skulk in alleys. That was never a promising sign. Perhaps I should ask what she does for a living, he thought, but he didn’t want to risk it now. Having rubbed shoulders with some of the least savory characters of Sunberth, he knew that question could be dangerous.

“What if-” he began to speak, but Isette seemed to stiffen, peering around a corner. In the scant light, Dayn could see that she was rather striking. But the time for compliments had passed. “Do you see anything?”

[Isette]

For a what? The Kelvic fixed him with a curious look. Pretty name for a what? A Kelvic? A Shimobe? She frowned, wondering what was so offensive that he couldn’t finish his sentence. It intrigued her. And annoyed her. And distracted her. She blinked. This was not the time to ask questions, but she really wanted to know. Later. She would ask him later if time allowed. At the moment, they were being hunted by a very powerful family and Isette needed to pay attention to where they were going. She was getting paid to do a good job. It was a matter of pride. She was glad that he gave her the go ahead to run away if things turned bad. It made her smile. Sure, she would have abandoned him to his face anyway. But it was nice knowing she had permission. “I will not feel bad,” the feline murmured softly, still smiling. Then she added something more friendly, to soften the blow of her willingness to leave him. “It is good to make your acquaintance. I hope I do not fail you.” She was sincere in that. Isette was an honest creature with an odd streak of compassion. She had to admit, his optimism was charming. If she wasn’t so busy trying to listen for potential threats, she might have laughed out loud at his blasé attitude. “You are strange, but that is not bad.” Her voice was a whisper. She could hear approaching footsteps and did not want to draw attention. Her nose wasn’t helping much. Whoever was approaching was downwind. Even if she had been able to catch their scent, she wasn’t sure what sort of scent she was supposed to be wary of. The thought crossed her to smell Dayne, but he would likely just smell of the female and any residual scent would be too faint for her to analyze. Suddenly, she pushed him back into the shadows and pinned him to the wall. She waited with her breath held as two members of the Twilight family walked by. They were chatting amiably, but their walk was purposed. As they passed by, both of them men stared into the dark, searching and listening. Nothing seemed to catch their attention, however, since they abruptly moved on. Isette frowned. Perhaps they should double back for a little bit before trying to cross the busy road.

[Dayn]

Ah, this one was cold and ruthless. At least just a bit. Not feeling bad about squashed fruits and craniums kind of took the shine off the pleased to meet you, but Dayn just shrugged. He wasn’t being betrayed or anything. Now that was the only thing that would have annoyed him, apart from teases, and he’d gotten used to both over the course of his long, meandering journey. “I hope you don’t fail me, either,” he replied, “Although if you do, try to do it gently. I can be very sensitive.” He spoke with his usual deadpan, not caring how she interpreted the remark. He certainly didn’t look very sensitive, what with his imposing size and the mass of tattoos that peeked through the flap of his unlaced tunic.

Also, he was apparently strange. Strange? He frowned slightly. His entire life was given over to manly pursuits, so the remark bothered him more than, say, the face she didn’t care whether he lived or died. Strange? At least I don’t hang out in alleys, he thought, starting to wonder if this woman was a floozy. But that inquiry would have been impolite.

Strange?

Dayn wasn’t concentrating on being silent any more, nor was he placing such an exalted value on his fruits. He was losing what remained of his adrenaline rush, and once that began to happen, he bored quickly. So it came as a bit of a surprise when, as they neared the yawning mouth of a street, Isette swiftly thrust him against a wall. “What the-” he began to say, but swiftly shut his mouth when he, too, began to perceive the cadence of footsteps. A pair of men passed by, and then the coast was clear.

It was risky, though.

“Perhaps we could hide in plain sight,” he murmured. “They don’t know you’re with me… and I have this blanket. For all they know, I’m just some lucky bastard who just got laid.” He raised an eyebrow, staring appraisingly at Isette. “If we go out there, you’re going to have to do a lot of giggling.”