The Things We Do

[Nyx]

Closed to Elijah, Sherin, Asuka, and me. XP

The man snatched the child and ran.

He dashed down the street, darting through the crowds of men and women, pushing past carts and sending wares tumbling. Shrieks of terror and shouts of anger, the street was in an uproar. He clenched at the child tighter. Rain pelted down and everything was wet. His horns glimmered, his gaundy clothes clunged to skin. The man sped up. The child screamed. There was hurt in the scream.

Nyx froze, hands grasping thin air, the warmth of a smaller hand gone. Sweet, innocent Caryn was gone. It was Caryn’s scream. There was hurt in the scream.

Hurt. Pain. Caryn. Something inside her snapped. “CARYN!”

Nyx moved.

She dropped into a dead run. The ground burnt. Water mixed with the dirt, and it was all mud. Mud was between her toes and in her sandals. Caryn, Caryn. Someone took sweet Caryn. Mud was on her legs, on her arms, caking her breeches. People were blocking her path. Caryn, she needed to get to Caryn. She pushed past the people. Fruits, sinking in the mud; she leapt past them. And then the horse – she cursed the horse. The crazed animal lunged past, and Nyx stumbled, falling to her knees. The mud spluttered onto her face. And then the horse was gone and she picked herself up and she looked –

And the man was gone.

Caryn was gone.


***

A week ago, Caryn and Nyx met for the first time. Nyx was lost, so lost in this ocean they called life, in this boat they called freedom. She had left this life at fourteen years of age, and now at forty she was thrust back alone. The twenty-six years of oppression was not so easily forgotten, no matter how much she wanted to forget. And so she wandered, and wondered, and desperately sought a direction.

And then she met Caryn.

They were outside The Temple. It was raining. Caryn liked the rain. It made everything so clean. Everyone avoided the dark elf with glowing eyes. They always did. But she didn't. The stout fourteen year old girl-elf with a brilliant smile came and smiled and said hello, and pulled the older woman into the Temple. And then the girl-elf prayed, while the woman-elf stood and watched. The girl kept faith. Nyx respected that, even when she had lost her own faith a long time ago. When Caryn was done, she left with Nyx trailing behind.

They talked many times after.

At first, Nyx wasn’t sure what to think of the girl who had thrust herself into the dark elf’s life. All Nyx could say was she didn’t dislike the girl. Because the girl was just so innocent and pure and sweet and intelligent and damned good, and something in the woman’s embittered heart melted. Nyx once knew another girl who was just as innocent and pure and sweet and intelligent and good; a girl whom the dark elf missed, a girl who was gone forever. So although she would never admit to liking the girl, Nyx couldn’t deny being fond of the girl either.

And Caryn had so many friends. Nyx was envious, just a little.

It had only been a week - seven days. Nyx felt like she had known Caryn forever.


***

I'm useless.

She was on her knees, the rain was pummeling her face and back and shoulders. She let it. Caryn was gone. She let him took Caryn away. They were going to The Temple, and now Caryn was gone.

Bitter laughter from a hoarse throat.

[AsukaStrikes]

Well, that's something you don't see everyday...

The light pitter patter of the rain mingled oddly in unision with unceremonious angry mutters, curses being thrown about like leaves in the Autumn wind. Irate merchants and flabbergasted street-goers stared in dismay at the scene, a few lucky souls making off with unwatched wares unnoticed amidst the entire confusion that followed. Others gossipped at the scene which took place, scuttling off to spread the news and start off a chain of rumors involving rituals, demons and a curse on some poor family at the edge of town.

"Curse you, mule-face!" Asuka growled as she launched herself up from the rock-solid streets, water and silt running down the side of her face and invading her rain-soaked clothes. Giving one angry glance in the direction the rabid horse disappeared off, the maiden dashed through the puddle-ridden streets of Scara Brae after the fleeing culprit. The Akashiman vaguely registered another person giving chase earlier, but the lass ignored her after seeing the dark-skin outlander had already given up.

Rain sprayed into her face as Asuka pounded through the streets, the tiny globules of fresh clean water threatening to blind her with each new wave meeting head-on. There was water everywhere, fazed streetgoers and onlookers included. They just stood there, humans and wood elves, staring in unison at a red-hair girl chasing after a horned kidnapper and a young elven girl. Yet no one decided to give chase along with her. Or even after her.

"Outa my way!"

Broccoli and lettuce flew into the alley as the Kidnapper rounded a corner, Asuka lunging over the fallen basket after him in one single bound and-

BAM!

Asuka tumbled head first into the muddy street almost as soon as she had cleared the mess of vegetables, slamming her shoulder against the rock-hard ground and losing her breath as she rammed into the far wall of the alley. Coughing for wind, the lass shot her emerald eyes at the obstruction with hatred ablaze. The stunned vendor, still in a slight daze after his unforseen collision with the redhead, looked around in silent confusion before scurrying off to tend to his wares.

Asuka just sat there nursing her head and shoulder as she watched the deserted alleyway disappear in the curtain of raindrops.

"Blast it. he got away..."

[sherin]

Sherin had just entered a town, and was hopeful about getting some nice warm food, he was starving, when he noticed some commotion coming from up ahead, but Sherin fluffed if off as some thugs beating each others heads in.

‘Sherin someone malicious is coming.’ Shensho warns Sherin.

“…Oh man this is going to be annoying…” Sherin groans as he draws his sword in anticipation of the coming fight. Knowing the man is coming he begins to swing.

‘WAIT! He’s carrying a child!’ Shensho yells in Sherin’s head.

“SHIT!!” Sherin yells in surprise as he forces his blade away as to not harm the kid, but in doing so makes him slip to the ground.

“SUNNOFA!” and stands up planning to go after him.

‘No there are people that could need our help…’ Shensho states.

Sherin grunts in affirmation, and heads down the road the man had come from. As he goes around a corner he sees a woman on the ground rubbing her head, so he rushes up to her.

“Are you ok?” Sherin asks.

[Nyx]

The spectacle was over now, and like complacent and docile sheep, the crowd went back to their gossiping and bantering midst narrow wedged shops and shaky wooden stalls. Oiled canvases of cloth shielded them from rain, but an occasional brat still ran out and splashes himself wet. Bellows of curses arose every now and then, but were hushed by worried mothers covering their children’s ears. Nobody seemed to remember the child who was just snatched from their midst, from Nyx’s side.

Why should they? It wasn’t their child.

But Nyx remembered. Caryn wasn’t her child, but Caryn…

Then the guards came. She heard, rather than saw them coming from behind; their feet plodding and armors clunking and scabbards beating against leather and steel, and rain beating on everything, all fused into discordant din. The people hushed. The guards’ gruff voices shouted, and threatened, and forced out details. Who was the man?—they asked. Distinguishing features? Who was the child?—they asked. What was her name? What happened exactly? Where did the man go? And when they were done questioning one person they move on to the next, sometimes skipping a few in between.

Nyx wiped muddy hands on olive breeches and tried to pick herself up. The guards were coming. They asked questions, and she had answers to give. Perhaps they would get Caryn—

A hand clasped her shoulders and shoved, and she crashed to the side and air was forced out of her throat and she was sprawled on all fours. Mud splashed upwards and hit her face and chest. The dark elf choked. She wiped her eyes and mouth with a corner of her tunic, and forced her face upwards to look.

And stared at a guard’s unforgiving back, whose hefty figure made the thin street looked thinner still. The man turned his head backwards and their gazes met. There were no apologies in his eyes. He turned back to his work. Half a dozen men followed, covering the rest of the street.

They bypassed her completely.

She wanted to laugh. Of course, of course. Who would listen to her, the dark elf with glowing eyes? The one who seemed to bath in silence, who exudes hostility, who wore difference like a velvet cloak? Who would talk to the creature who looked more like death than death itself, with her angular joints and paleness and skeletal built? Certainly not them.

But Caryn! Sweet, innocent Caryn, who did more than talk to the creature whom everyone avoided like a plague. The little girl-elf intruded and integrated and weaved a web of something between the two of them. And now Caryn was gone and they wouldn’t even listen to Nyx. Caryn was taken from right under her nose by a male, and who knew what a male would do, and they wouldn’t even listen.

Her fists clenched and unclenched and she pounded them into the ground, not caring now if she looked a pig in a sty. The people left her alone; pretended she was not there. She laughed, and then choked from laughter. What people? What guards? She didn’t need them. And then the choking stopped and she was silent once more. Her bones trembled. She tried to stand. She fell. She stayed down.

A shimmer. The tips of fingers, shimmering, offering. A voice, soft and sweet and encouraging. Caryn’s voice. “Come on, stand up”

Nyx reached for the fingers, out of instinct or impulse or whatever it was that the girl-elf had bred into her the past week. Sought to grasp the hands. It disappeared. She blinked, looked up. There was no one there. Nothing but air. That’s right. Caryn was gone. Gone.

No, no, not gone.

Not gone.

Nyx clambered up, onto her knee, and then onto her feet. She stumbled, fumbled to keep upright. And then she properly stood. No, not gone. She’d find Caryn. Not for the others, not for Caryn’s parents and four siblings and many, many friends. Them too, but mostly for herself. Nyx would find Caryn for Nyx… and for Caryn.

Not gone, she’d find her.

[AsukaStrikes]

Light drizzle pelted her head as she glanced up at the stranger, emerald eyes peering through curtains of copper plastered across her face. The man as an odd sight for her, even though the lass had been almost everywhere through Corone to Alerar. His silvery hair was reminiscing of those despicable Drows who nearly killed her, but his pale skin and less-than-pointy ears stated him to be just a strange-looking human. Or so she hoped.

"Sa... I'm alright..."

The maiden groggily hauled her rain-soaked form off the ground and leaned against the rough brick wall that just moments ago had abruptly stopped her awkward tumble. The tingling ache in her head began to subside, yet the growing lump sprouting from the back of her head told her that she would definitely feel it again in the morning to come.

"Say, you. Did you see where that creep... Kuzo... Never mind..."

There was no use asking him, the lass reasoned as she pushed off the wall and looked around the alley leading away from the marketplace. Rain water pooled in odd places around the alley, rippling to the lively beats of the falling droplets and in synch to the rhythm of the market's life. One less life which remained in this place, however.

Nursing her head, Asuka pushed passed the odd-looking swordsman back the way she came from. He was probably some random wandering do-gooder out looking for feats to feed his mouth, someone Asuka had no time for in a situation such as this. Still, the maiden remembered the dark-skinned elf who had started off chasing the horned kidnapper and heard a name amidst the din. Whoever the outlander was, she must have known the kid. At least enough to know her name.

Slosh slosh slosh...

Limping footfalls lead before Asuka as she made her way back to the Market where she was nearly run over by a rampaging horse, the fresh scent of wet earth evident in the breeze. She also noticed the guards had started doing what they were supposed to do - questioning bystanders and gathering information. A notice would be put up soon and possibly along with some form of bounty on the kidnapper's head.

Stupid Lawmen.

Asuka never quite liked them, especially the ones in Corone. It often took the Armed Forces and the Rangers too long for her liking when it came to dealing with slavers and lawbreakers. Systematic, their styles may be, and quite very effective, but too slow and predictable. Almost always too slow to nab the head of whatever outlaw groups was responsible.

Never expect these pigs to get things done in time. Still...

Asuka stood leaning wearily against a wall as she looked over what she thought was human, or what a human being may have looked like if it was to be left to die in a pit, struggling against an invisible ghost as she got on her feet. The pointed ears and sharp facial features were definite signs of her elven heritage, the dark hair contrasting her sickly pale skin speaking of her Drow blood. A race that the maiden despised quite a lot, no matter what people might say otherwise. Besides, the Drows had always been looked upon with suspicion for a long time by Coronians and Scara Brians alike for their ruthlessness. Suffice it to say, they were a race hated everywhere outside of their own homes.

Of all the things I had to go through...

"Oya. Drow-kid." Asuka spoke up after seeing the Drow girl finally steadied her legs and wits. "You use Tradespeak? I have questions for you."

The Akashiman's emerald eyes remained vigilant for any sudden movements as she stood there, leaning against the wall. Her arms crossed in front of her, Kazeryu just peaking out from inside of her jacket. She really didnot feel like getting into a fight with this skeletal being, but she chose to remain ready for anything and everything. There was not telling when trouble would begin.

[sherin]

Sherin had nothing better to do so he followed her around, he defenatly didn't like the comparison of him to a drow that she had made, but oh well, nothing he can do about that. He kind of liked the girl.

'Sherin get your head in here, you fucken idiot!' Shensho yells at Sherin.

"Yah yah yah shut up." Sherin replies Boredly.

Sherin may be bored but the drow intrested him. he had never met a drow but had herd alot about them from other travelers so he wanted to see if the rumors were true or not. so he kept close deciding he wated to help her and the red head in any way he can...

'you know i could just read their minds and tell you what you want to know...' Shensho reminds sherin.

"yah i know...but mabe i just want to hear it from them...did you ever think of that?" Sherin replies.

'Sherin...I'm in your mind, i know what you are thinking, and no, you are not going to help them.'

"why, whats the problem with helping them? They seem kind enough?"

'THATS NOT THE POINT!! Man you are an idiot!'

"well thats not nice, here im not calling you names now am I?"

Shensho just grunts a reply and so Sherin watches the two.

[Nyx]

“Do not call me kid.”

Her eyes were stormy oceans of crashing waves, and the words left her mouth before she had time to look at the speaker. Nyx was not a kid. She had lost that naivety and innocence that marked even the coldest of children. She had lived under the fists of the cruelest of men for half her life. Gods, name her a suffering she had not undergone!

There were none.

A child was innocent; kind and good and innocent, not cold and amoral and alone.

“Never. Call. Me. Kid.” Heavens itself seemed to be reinforcing her words with claps of thunder. I’m older than you anyways. You’re the kid, not me.

Her flashing eyes turned towards the speaker. Human woman, followed by a human male. Nyx lumped them together, like most of the others on this street were humans, like most of the guards were humans, like he of her past and he of her past were humans. They looked all the same to her now; masses of hairs and skin sans distinguishing marks. What was one man for another? There was nothing but some minor outward appearance.

And they wanted answers to their questions.

They always wanted something. They never talked to her otherwise. That was her, wasn’t it? She was an old sock, to be used and then ignored; not worthy of attention otherwise.

But Caryn came of her own accord and gave Nyx everything for nothing.

They wanted answers. There was only one type of answers they would want… and that was about Caryn. Her Caryn. Fingers flexed, and she touched the comforting weight of the scepter and pouch hung from her belt.

“Who are you.” she demanded, voice like coarse sands and broken glass shards rubbing against skin. “And the other one.” Her chin pointed toward the male. A pause, the familiar weight of one particular runestone found its way into her hands. Her fingers clasped around it. “Why should I answer?”

[AsukaStrikes]

"Because you cared, obviously."

Asuka could not help but sigh in disdain, wondering what on Althanas the Drow girl was thinking when the Akashiman approached her.

"And believe me, you're still a kid. But, that's not the point."

Seeing the subject going nowhere fast with the way things were headed, the maiden decided it would be better if they at least had somewhere warm and dry to rest in. For the time being.

"Call me Asuka if you'd like, but that's entirely up to you." The red-headed lass grunted, wringing out silt-laden water from her coppery locks. Rain continued its idle pitter patter, soaking into her leather shirt and boots and sending off some not so favorable smell. "And I'm only asking you questions because I thought you'd care enough about that little girl the idiot made off with."

That was the story she was sticking by, even if the "kid" could probe her mind in search for ulterior motives. True, it was none of Asuka's business to go after that horned devil. In fact, she was just around the area looking for taverns that still had some Lavinian Ale in stock. She could never get enough of those, no matter how unbearably bitter the drink was. Ever since Antioch decided to disappear off the map, she was having a harder time getting another mug of it with every passing day.

Oh, the things she would do to forget why she left Akashima in the first place.

Running a damp gloved hand through her disheveled bangs, Asuka groaned wearily and shook her head in defeat. If the Drow kid wasn't coming, there was not much she could do.

"Well, I guess I really can't make you do aythin' you don't wanna do. We'll just have to look for Caryn ourselves."

Snapping in the direction of the swordsman with his oversized sword, Asuka spared him no time before cutting in to his question.

"Yes, you, Mister Curvy Sword. Who else saw that kidnapper's face as clear as you?"

Oy. This is going to turn out really great...

"We'll be waiting inside that inn o'er there," Asuka nodded in the direction of the Lone Cedar, the only decent tavern with some rooms for rent and beer that did not taste like water. "If you feel like goin' after him alone, fine. I can't guarantee you'll catch that bastard, though, especially if those City Guards got involved."

That was all she needed to tell her. The rest would be up to the Drow to decide.

"Aren't you coming, old man?" She shot an annoyed look at the white-hair swordsman who had been taggin along, the lass still a bit confused as to why in the world he was still there.

[sherin]

Sherin glares at Asuka for calling him old.

"I am NOT old...Shensho do i look old?" Sherin mutters to himself.

'Sherin...your an idiot...' is all Shensho says in response.

"Hey, thats not nice."Sherin responds, as he follows her to the tavern.

"So we gonna help her even if she dosnt want us to?" Sherin asks Asuka.

"And by the way I am not 'old man' i am Sherin, and im 22, I'm not that old." Sherin grunts "how mean, calling me old, do i truly look that old to you!" Sherin says.

"By the way do you know how this taverns food is? I'm starving!...oh man i wish i could cook..." Sherin says as his stomach growls.

Sherin gives her a quick grin.

"Can you cook?..." Sherin asks, Her kindly.

[Taskmienster]

This thread has been sitting for a full year. Since no response has been made to create activity I am going to be moving this. If you would like it to be reopened please feel free to PM myself or another admin and they will be able to move it for you back to Scara Brae.