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31st Spring 507AV
Caela had been doing something unusual. Rather than going about her usual business, she'd taken to skulking in the shadows around the Scarlet Sanctum. There was no fear about being seen this time, in fact she was hoping to be visible -at least to the right person. She hadn't been sure if Mal was aware that she was staying in the same place that she'd been in the year before, or if he did, if it was wise for him to be seen there. Perhaps such an obvious connection between them wasn't to his advantage but she hadn't been sure. So she'd gone to the place where he had first approached her about this thing he was planning, whatever that was. Every day since she had waited around outside her mother's workplace a few chimes either side of the time they had met before. Her way of thinking had paid off the previous day as a note had reached her via a prostitute that the pair were to meet today at the eleventh bell. It was approaching that chime by chime now and all she could do was wait for the time to approach.
She had come to early she knew, misjudging the time it would take to reach her destination out of nervousness. So instead she had to wait it out, resisting the urge to glance up and down the street every chime. Caela didn't want to appear to obvious after all. She'd had to work on keeping her looks casual as possible so as not to attract attention but it was difficult not to be searching for him constantly. The eleventh bell seemed to take an age to arrive under those conditions. She was so busy not looking that when Mal appeared he was able to sneak up on her.
"Boo!" he murmured against her ear as his hands landed on her shoulders. She let out a shriek, covering her mouth when she realised what she'd done. The teen glared at him and hit him in the arm. "Don't you dare ever do that again, ya hear? Don't be an ass," she complained, hitting him again. The fact that he was being used as a punching bag didn't faze him at all, he just went right on grinning. He grabbed her elbow and steered her in the direction of a small alley. The teen didn't want to be led, especially as she couldn't glare venomously at him but she allowed it all the same. They were here for business after all and he probably didn't want to discuss things around their meeting place. They'd move first and then talk.
Leading her down more alleys and side streets, her nose wrinkled as she caught hold of a pervasive stale odour. Whatever it was, it was following them and she didn't think that it was coincidence. She bent her head closer to Mal's body and sniffed, recoiling when she discovered that the smell was stronger the closer that she got to him. "What is that?" she asked, leaning away from him as far as his hold would allow. "It smells like some sort of smoke, or tobacco or something. You reek of it. You smell vile." He snorted softly at her blunt remarks. She was just telling the truth. "Thanks so much, Caela. You have a way of making a man feel good about himself," he replied drily, shooting a glance sideways at her. She hadn't offended too much, he was smirking anyway. "I do smoke you know."
"No, I didn't know. Since when have you smoked?" the girl asked, horror and amazement warring in her voice.
"Since I started smoking of course."
"Oh ha ha. You're so funny."
"You left yourself open for that one."
Caela rolled her eyes. Even today, which seemed to be very serious, he had to make jokes. There was no way she was getting a straight answer out of him about that one. He couldn't have been doing it that long or else she would have known before and would have told him to stop. He really did smell horrible but her word wouldn't hold much sway with him anymore and he was probably already hooked on whatever it was that he was smoking. Instead, she decided to probe him for information about what was going to happen.
"So I take it this is happening today? Some warning of it is but I wouldn't expect anything less of you. You were always good at doing things at the last minute." The girl looked at him expectantly. They'd already settled into an old familiarity she knew, even though it wasn't what she wanted. The fact that he was still allowed to hold her elbow and lead her along like a slave to market spoke volumes. It was just something small in her mind although with anyone else it wouldn't have been. She was far more focused on what was coming and so such a small thing was trivial because she trusted him to be able to move her to wherever was necessary in his mind.
"I'm bringing you to where you'll provide your distraction although the distracting won't happen for a couple of bells." The answer was short and to the point. There was also a note of finality attached to it that suspended any further questions.
Word Count892 words
Caela had been doing something unusual. Rather than going about her usual business, she'd taken to skulking in the shadows around the Scarlet Sanctum. There was no fear about being seen this time, in fact she was hoping to be visible -at least to the right person. She hadn't been sure if Mal was aware that she was staying in the same place that she'd been in the year before, or if he did, if it was wise for him to be seen there. Perhaps such an obvious connection between them wasn't to his advantage but she hadn't been sure. So she'd gone to the place where he had first approached her about this thing he was planning, whatever that was. Every day since she had waited around outside her mother's workplace a few chimes either side of the time they had met before. Her way of thinking had paid off the previous day as a note had reached her via a prostitute that the pair were to meet today at the eleventh bell. It was approaching that chime by chime now and all she could do was wait for the time to approach.
She had come to early she knew, misjudging the time it would take to reach her destination out of nervousness. So instead she had to wait it out, resisting the urge to glance up and down the street every chime. Caela didn't want to appear to obvious after all. She'd had to work on keeping her looks casual as possible so as not to attract attention but it was difficult not to be searching for him constantly. The eleventh bell seemed to take an age to arrive under those conditions. She was so busy not looking that when Mal appeared he was able to sneak up on her.
"Boo!" he murmured against her ear as his hands landed on her shoulders. She let out a shriek, covering her mouth when she realised what she'd done. The teen glared at him and hit him in the arm. "Don't you dare ever do that again, ya hear? Don't be an ass," she complained, hitting him again. The fact that he was being used as a punching bag didn't faze him at all, he just went right on grinning. He grabbed her elbow and steered her in the direction of a small alley. The teen didn't want to be led, especially as she couldn't glare venomously at him but she allowed it all the same. They were here for business after all and he probably didn't want to discuss things around their meeting place. They'd move first and then talk.
Leading her down more alleys and side streets, her nose wrinkled as she caught hold of a pervasive stale odour. Whatever it was, it was following them and she didn't think that it was coincidence. She bent her head closer to Mal's body and sniffed, recoiling when she discovered that the smell was stronger the closer that she got to him. "What is that?" she asked, leaning away from him as far as his hold would allow. "It smells like some sort of smoke, or tobacco or something. You reek of it. You smell vile." He snorted softly at her blunt remarks. She was just telling the truth. "Thanks so much, Caela. You have a way of making a man feel good about himself," he replied drily, shooting a glance sideways at her. She hadn't offended too much, he was smirking anyway. "I do smoke you know."
"No, I didn't know. Since when have you smoked?" the girl asked, horror and amazement warring in her voice.
"Since I started smoking of course."
"Oh ha ha. You're so funny."
"You left yourself open for that one."
Caela rolled her eyes. Even today, which seemed to be very serious, he had to make jokes. There was no way she was getting a straight answer out of him about that one. He couldn't have been doing it that long or else she would have known before and would have told him to stop. He really did smell horrible but her word wouldn't hold much sway with him anymore and he was probably already hooked on whatever it was that he was smoking. Instead, she decided to probe him for information about what was going to happen.
"So I take it this is happening today? Some warning of it is but I wouldn't expect anything less of you. You were always good at doing things at the last minute." The girl looked at him expectantly. They'd already settled into an old familiarity she knew, even though it wasn't what she wanted. The fact that he was still allowed to hold her elbow and lead her along like a slave to market spoke volumes. It was just something small in her mind although with anyone else it wouldn't have been. She was far more focused on what was coming and so such a small thing was trivial because she trusted him to be able to move her to wherever was necessary in his mind.
"I'm bringing you to where you'll provide your distraction although the distracting won't happen for a couple of bells." The answer was short and to the point. There was also a note of finality attached to it that suspended any further questions.
Word Count892 words
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