A cold wind cut through the town of Choca stirring up some of the fresh powder like snow that had fallen throughout the night. Much of the inhabitants were all but shut in avoiding the winter chill as much as possible yet there were still a few out and about doing what business they could. Another gust shot through the town and from the west side of town the whisp's of powered broke and spun around a deep blue cloaked figure walking slowly into town. The soft crunch beneath his footsteps were all but drowned out by the clang of the blacksmiths mending horse shoes or the creak of a door or window shutter closing. Very few eyes actually caught sight of the man but those that did met with his beautiful emerald eyes only briefly as he passed. Why was he traveling in this weather without a horse or by himself to a town like this? Who really cared about that right now the man looked like he had money to spend.
One of the towns more "Prosperous" of brothel had been getting off a LATE shift despite that it was reaching maybe close to noon. As she pulled her wool lined cloak tighter around her she saw the mans eyes briefly as he walked by. Quickly she started excessing the mans wardrobe manner he carried himself and the fact that what she did see was appeasing to the eye. "Follow him." It wasn't her voice but she listened to it anyways she could use an extra few silver maybe a gold if it all came out right. Quickly she moved through the snow covered ground careful enough of her steps as to not twist her ankle on the hard ground. The man had taken a corner and was now heading down the alley way nearing the tavern. Coming around the corner She stopped abruptly as the man stood there staring down at her small yet heavily bundled frame.
"Can I help you?" His voice was as crisp as the wind that cut through this town. The alley provided some shelter from the cold but not much and the man's emerald eyes had not moved off her since she came around the corner.
"It's what I can do for you handsome." As she spoke she parted open the top half of her cloak enough to show of an ample chest. Her lips pressed together full and lush as she leaned forward a little. Taking a few steps into the alley she wasn't meeting any resistance which was a good sign maybe she'd already hooked him. "How bought you take me the tavern for the night?" Her hand hand found his crotch under his cloak and she batted her amber eyes up at him as he took a step back.
Suddenly he moved pulling her in then pushing her back against the nearest wall his hand raised up and rested on the building next to her head keeping her from moving out of the alley the way she came in unless she ducked under it. She seemed a bit started but his next words seemed to get her smile to come back to fruition. "Why do we have to go to a room?" His hand parted the top half of her cloak open and slipped down lower until he freed her left breast to the open air. The nipple had reacted quickly to the cold and her mouth seemed to part in a gentle moan as his thumb ran over it.
"Lets talk money first." She had found the top of his trousers and was untieing them as his hand brushed up against her cheek. With a sudden movement his hand was on her throat and her hands shot up to his wrist as her eyes grew wide. His free hand moved town to tear open the lower part of her dress exposing her sweet flesh. Her feet left the ground as he began chocking for air arms flailing about hitting his arm trying to beat him away. It happened quickly as she was thrust into and pressed against the building wall another gust of wind stirring up the snow and drifting it into the alley way decorating her auburn hair with white flakes. Her breath was becoming shallow her struggling was dieing down with each thrust. Just before she would pass out he loosen his grip giving her the air she so wanted but before she could cry out for help the pressure was back after a few moments she gave up on trying to scream for help and just accepted what was happening to her.
After a while longer he lowered her to her feet her legs shaking under her own weight but he wouldn't let her fall. Their eyes met one more time as his lips curled back and the row of sharp teeth grinned back at her. "Was fun.""Sweetheart." The last part was the same voice that had told her to follow him she could recognize it now. With a twist of his wrist he felt the snap as her neck twisted and he let her slide to the ground in a heap. With a sharp thump on the wall a snow drift from the roof slid off and landed on the woman's exposed buddy covering her mostly as he tied of his trousers and walked away heading to the center of town where he tavern most likely was set up.
It had been a while since Drakon had been here. The last time, they ran into Luna, the biddy who abandoned their brothers. The time before that, his birthmate had ran into her brothers. He wondered if they were here now. They seemed to disappear, and Adara didn't want to try contacting them. Think we'll find them again?
Kadar gave a mental shrug. If she doesn't care, it doesn't really matter. I- It thoughts were interrupted by a scream. We should see what that is about.
Drakon frowned with a sigh, not particularly wanting to. Kadar would probably argue until he gave in though. Fine. He grabbed his sword and headed over towards the sound of the scream, taking his time. By the time he arrived, the attack was done with. Before turning the corner, he smelled blood. Then he saw the body. Oy. He felt his stomach tighten. Death and blood didn't bother him, but seeing such obvious signs of rape... He looked around, but her attacker was gone.
We can't help her now.
Drakon left the alley, deciding what to do now. He was headed towards the center of town, looking for guards. There was none, not in this town.
Their tavern would have a guard. Kadar thought.
Drakon gave a slight nod as he walked over. It was a short walk, but by the time he arrived, he wondered if he should say anything. He didn't really want to get involved.
Luna had stared falling in love with this city. Yeah that's how she usually got in trouble... falling in love. She had been angry, angry at Jelothino and Renth for loving them, angry at her self for falling in love after she swore to herself she wouldn't love anyone after her mother's death, she hated Am for disowning her, she hated her... no, she could never hate her children. She hated her pride most of all, for leaving, for not begging for them to take her back.
She dressed in a heavy fur parka, covering all of her as she walked through the town, she would never get use to the cold of the northern countries. She had a bag full of coins and gems with her. She had taken them from the street signs. She wasn't stealing from Jelothino but Lalan was littered with them! Why not share?
~~It still wasn't nice.~~ Jezebel said biting the rope of the pouch as Luna led her.
"The world isn't nice..." Luna said, why should she?
~~True enough.~~
"You've never complained about my swift fingers before."
~~It was never--~~
"We're here! I'll get you a nice warm stable now!" Luna knew that Jezebel was going to say "personal". Had it really been that personal? Maybe... but she had denied it even to herself. She went into the tavern and told them she would like to have Jezebel put in the stable. Being covered head to toe in the thick furs out side she may have been mistaken for a slightly shorter man but as soon as she got inside the warm pub she started unwrapping her layers.
She wore a long robe that opened up just below her bust line leaving it open and a pair of dark blue, pants that puffed out. Her long wavy hair now falling to her upper back instead of down to her ankles. She had sold it to a wig maker months ago.
She heard the guard shout and looked up to see bright red hair and looked away again. Did he need to be here now? She wondered sitting her stuff on a chair. Her daggers hanging low on her full hips.
"Make it Rare." This was the first thing that stood out in the low chatter inside the tavern. A man dressed in a deep blue cloak and shoulders adorned with black and gold needle point embroidery. His hood was down and thick raven locks framed his soft featured face. "And Honey Mead." A small clang of coin on coin hit the table as he dropped a pair of silver. dropped onto the counter in front of him. Altho his head didn't turn the emerald glint could be seen in the corner of his eye as he watched the new pardon strip off the layers. "And whatever the lady wants."
He obviously looked the part to be some nobleman yet no one sat around him to act as protection so either they blended in with the other folk or he was alone. His posture was good his looks fair and clean shaven and his ears seemed to point him out as elven or at least a half breed. Talios had taken up one of the silver coins he had set on the counter and was now using it to tap on the other one obviously impatience for his mead. He didn't seem to be paying much attention to the woman that had walked in other then telling the tender that he would pay for whatever she had currently he was satisfied but there was always room to lay seeds for the future as they would say.
Drakon's mind went back and forth before deciding to bring up the murdered woman. It wasn't so much for his sake as it was that he didn't want to get into trouble for it. Someone might have seen him leave the area. He went up to the bar and rested a hand on the counter.
"How can I help you?" asked one of the bartenders with a smile.
"I found a body in the alley."
"What?!" The woman was clearly startled.
The guard approached, giving a look to Drakon, figuring he was causing trouble. "Is there a problem?"
"With your city, yes." Drakon replied. "Don't you have guards? I heard a scream not long ago, and I was the only one who responded. Be lucky you aren't closer to Pyroose. The western clans would have a field day with you."
The guard sighed. "I'm hired to keep this tavern safe. Nothing else, but I know where to report a crime. Where is the victim?" He looked around the tavern. "Outside?" He thought maybe, whoever it was, didn't want to come in. "Who made the attacked?"
"Dead. She was raped, and now she's dead." He gave a brief description of where the body was before answering the next question. "Never saw her attacker. He was gone before I arrived."
"Jinx did you keep warm love?" Luna asked lifting up her hair so the monkey would come out to see the dim light that the tavern held. The most light came from the door and windows but it was dim without the Sun.
A bartender asked her what she wanted as soon as she sat down. She thought it was out of the the lack of other patrons in the small town tavern. There had been other taverns she had visited in her visits to this part of Lalan'ay. Her attention was drawn by the taping of coins not far away from her. He sounded like he had money and Luna wondered how long hers would last. She figured she wasn't going to be hurting for a while after what she did to the street signs in the capital city. A smile curled at her lips. She smile up at him flirtatiously, she didn't have to charge money for sex. She wasn't greedy.
Her smile held more behind it than she intended she was thinking about the gems that were in her pouch, if she didn't get rid of them soon it would be interesting to see the reactions of the appraisers when she tried to sell them back in the capital. She bit her lip holding back the smile, the trouble would be worth it. A thrill to get arrested she wondered what would happen if she had been brought before Jelothino. She just hoped that the children weren't there for Jelothino's sake. People couldn't know about their relationship. It was fun to think of taunting thoughts of him but she would never do anything to look bad in front of the people. That's why Luna Ivory Goldlight was dead now she was just Phoebe.
"SKY!" Luna swore when she heard what Drakon said. Her hand covered her mouth, just what she needed to become more visible to the red haired man. Why did this seem to happen when she came to a town? First that one princess when she had went back to Shayz'renth, to go back to Jelothino when she found out she was pregnant.
"Fuck I didn't expect for that to happen here..." she groaned already having blown her cover. She glared at a woman who looked at her in disgust with her language. So what if it wasn't ladylike?
Jahara carefully padded into a city she was familiar with. Her kind sometimes thought her unwise, to be out in her human form so frequently, but she had to admit, she had a taste for the culture and wanted to see it. Never, though, did she expose her child to the nature of the place. The city was far too violent, but Jahara loved to watch all the same. That, and, padding was too light a word. More like glided. If something lived where she stepped, she seemed to pass over it.
While she could smile and pretend it was nothing, a child, her child, would not. Elrin had an affinity for telling the truth, of overtelling. And, while Jaharin was not a fan of lying, she knew when to keep her mouth shut for her own safety. That much, she had learned from the humans, elves, vampires, and demons that so often came through the impoverished town.
She stumbled across the female's body that was now the talk of the tavern. Dropping to her knees beside the body, she desperately searched for a pulse as she swallowed the urge to vomit. Her stomach was turning somersaults that never seemed to leave her despite all the injuries and illnesses she dealt with. Finding no pulse, she sat back on her heels, staring. Standing up as she heard someone coming, she moved her cloak to cover her body-- which was now textured by the goose flesh cold tended to bring on.
The man approaching was the sole man in this place that tried to uphold any kind of law. There were private guards, yes, but he was the only public one. That spoke volumes of the poverty. Another man was behind him, one she recognized from the tavern. He was there nightly, paid enough by the keeper of the inn to warrant his position and keep him there. Jahara didn't much care for the way people intoxicated themselves, but it was fascinating to watch them all.
Escorting Jahara from the body, her hands over her mouth, more upset about the fact that she was too late to be any use, not that the woman had hope to begin with, the tavern guard set her down at the bar. Her neck had been snapped. The dying part had been relatively quick and painless. The torture her body had withstood beforehand, while quick by time standards, were probably the longest ten minutes of her life. Jahara couldn't help but shudder at the thought. The fact that it was not cold in the tavern bypassed her comprehension. She was still chilled to the bone. Violence did not bode well with her stomach. Absently, she looked around the bar, seeing how people were acting. Obviously, the latest death was news aflame here, and people weren't shy about chatting.
The bar tender set a small glass before her filled with a clear, horrid smelling liquid that made her gag. Almost instantly, it was replaced by an apologetic bar keep with a glass of water. It was what Jahara typically drank. The scent of alcohol had an ill effect on her, but she was able to keep her stomach stilled when curious. Right now, she was somewhat horrified and uncertain.
There was whispers of who saw what, and Drakon looked to Jahara. He felt a bit bad that anyone had seen the body. He was used to violence, used to seeing torture, but it had still bothered him.
Nothing to say to make it better, Kadar thought.
Drakon didn't know what these people were used to, but based on various reactions, it seemed that such a find was rare. This would be big news to the whole city in the morning.
"I don't fully understand those who live in the city," Drakon said as he looked in the Jahara. "Something so terrible done to their neighbor, but even now, they are more curious than they are horrified. If it was my clan, everyone who knew about it would be searching for the attacker."
Tipping her head, Jahara looked over to the man who was speaking to her. "Poverty," she said, "fills the mind with a dispassion for compassion. Mortality is something accepted here. It is inevitable, and they don't fight it. Not when it's a harlot or a beggar dying at any rate." She looked at him with sad eyes. In a few hours, she would bounce back, be happy and perky once more. It was her nature, her way of dealing with what she had seen as a healer.
"Call it morbid curiosity, but even if caught, it's unlikely that the attacker would be punished. Law hardly governs the poor-- both of spirit and of wealth. The man who killed would likely simply not be welcome back. And if he came back? He's violent. No one would say anything. It is an unfortunate truth, but this town is not bound by a clan's sense of family."
She looked at her glass of water and then looked at the gentleman. "Where is it you are from?" she asked figuring that he was from somewhere untamed, like her. He didn't smell of Kirin, though, so he was not her kind. He smelled of something different, but she couldn't put her finger on it. Human, yes, but not at the same time. Maybe, she thought, it was the untamed nature about him. He wasn't from a traditional city no matter how much time he spent in one. Much like her.
If it were her clan, though, she knew they would know the attacker as the non-Kirin. He would be run out, but they wouldn't harm him. Not that many people knew where her clan lay, and strangers didn't get invited to the clan very often, but the Kirin were also good judges of character. Jahara realized a good deal of the men here could attack a harlot.
They listened, thinking that she was probably right. Their minds went to two different things. Kadar's went to his second host...the only host to know poverty. However, the worst of it was before Kadar blended with the man. Kadar knew Jahara was right. He had lived in cities. Families looked after each other...if that. They didn't bother with neighbors unless they had something to gain from it. Drakon's mind went to his siblings...most peaceful. To him, peaceful meant weak, and he didn't understand why people would chose not to be able to defend themselves. He loved his siblings though, so he would defend them himself.
"Where is it you are from?"
Drakon briefly wondered if she'd be put off by his answer. "Pyroose. Fire Clan." He watched as a man moved farther way, and he wondered if it was a coincidence or not. "Feared and hated by most city folk for we make a living by attacking enemy clans. They can't keep their word, steal from their neighbors, rape their wives, and beat their children...but we're the barbarians." He smiled.
He wasn't going to deny Pyroose's violence. Overall, it had more than the other countries. However, in general, there was less within a clan than there was in a city. His own clan was largely feared in Pyroose, but within, crime rates were extremely low.
Not counting the treatment of prisoners, Kadar thought, referring to those from enemy clans.
_Koigokoro_
Jan 9, 2010 12:46pm
Jan 13, 2010 6:39pm
