Another One (Aello)

[Crismento Miren]

17th of Summer, 511 AV Crismento never panicked if he got lost in a city. Usually he didn’t have a clear destination for his wandering, so becoming disorientated was often inevitable. However, what kept him calm in such situation was a strong conviction that he would find a route back or a place that he recognized eventually. The path he was going wasn’t as important as the people he could see and meet if he wanted to on his way. Unfortunately that day he managed to find himself at a place in Ravok where not many citizens or visitors of the town would come to. During the couple of bells of him moseying around, Cris only saw a pair of thugs that surprised him by not causing the con man any troubles, one or two women that had been treated harshly by their lives, a drunkard, who decided that ground was good enough to sleep on and dropped before Crismento’s feet, and several slaves hurrying to carry out whatever tasks they had. It appeared that there was nothing worth of the swindler’s attention in there. When Cris realised that he didn’t know the way back, forward, or any direction for that matter, he decided to croon a little song to help with the mood and make the process of finding one’s way almost an unconscious one rather than paying too much attention to it and becoming annoyed by failures. The song was something he had learned from his brothers back in Sunberth when he was a kid. At first he didn’t really understand what the lyrics meant and as he grew older he just didn’t pay attention in trying to figure it out. His voice was soft and silent and it would have taken a good ear of a potential listener to discern the actual melody. ”I take my rest when lights take hide, Though dogs may yap behind my door. I’ll grab a knife and walk outside, The crazy dog will bark no more. Oh, roads of Sunberth, take me home, Where lonely girls all roam alone. She’s screaming “No!”, I’m crying “Yes!”, Strength in her arms stays less and less. Oh, soil of Sunberth, ease my pain, Secure my love, leave her unfound. I’ll go unearth my heart again, While this finds home beneath your mound. My soul may burn, eyes may turn red, Dark thoughts will soon invade my head. But drops of spirits will help the ache, So, barmaid, please pour for my sake. I take my rest when lights take hide, A silent night to calm my mind. An unstained dress lies by my side, A ghost of girl I hope is kind.” Crismento strolled down the alleyway until after a turn to the right he found himself at a dead end. He just shrugged and, without even a slightest pause in his song, turned around to walk back. Cris noticed a pale, browned haired girl and felt that he should approach her. Maybe it was something about her looks, or maybe it was just that she was the first person that day that appeared to be worth talking to. Whatever the case, it was as good of a reason as any. Crismento couldn’t remember if he had passed the girl on his way towards the end of the alley. If he had and she noticed him, then she would probably know that he was lost. And he wasn’t about to hide it. In fact, it seemed like a great conversation starter. The song ended just as Cris neared the girl. If she looked up at him, she would be met with a small, warm smile and a soothing gaze of his blue eyes. This generic nice guy look has become his default persona and even the con man himself couldn’t always tell where the mask ended and the true Crismento Miren began. It’s been a while since he had last met him. ”Excuse me, miss?” he spoke in the same soft voice that he had just been crooning in. The words came out clearly enunciated with seemingly little to no effort. ”Would you terribly mind to be a beautiful sign of a change in my luck and happen to know the way around this town that appears like a maze to me?”

OOCI wonder if I could get a job as lullaby author

[Aello]

Just a little farther, Aello told herself as her cloak whipped wildly behind her, in the wind that she had created. It curled around the edges, seemingly wishing to fade into the rooftops, much as her face had become hidden in the shadow of her hood. Her long white dress fluttered alongside it, while Yune flew only a few inches to her right, never ahead, for fear that she may accidently lead her mistress off a roof, and to her untimely end. Aello's arms had been bent at the elbow, and were held close to her sides. In the left she held her father's old bow, and as she stepped forward with the right foot, her left arm would shoot forward, bringing the bow whooshing through the air, slicing it as madly as the girl who ran from nothing. The girl who ran simply for the sake of running; her bag and her quiver bouncing angrily against her back with every step. The chill of her buried blade sinking into her skin. "Where should we go Yune?" Aello asked as her heart beat against her tiny rib cage, banging fast and furiously, like a base drum. Several beads of sweat had appeared on her brow, and were beginning to trickle down her cheeks. Should the light of the sun been capable of touching it, her pale flesh would appear as though it were glimmering. Her breath was catching in her throat, something that felt like an uneven, unkempt bird's nest that her sparrow may construct for comfort. Oh how it tickled the insides of the young spiritist's neck as her bird chirped merrily as she flapped her wings, darting after her mistress. Aello's eyes shimmered playfully as she reached the end of the roof and leapt to the one directly in front of her. It was an easy jump, since the building was no more than two feet away, and similar in height to the building she was already on. If not the same size, than only a few inches shorter. As her feet left the ground, the girl flailed her arms and kicked her legs wildly, as though she were running on a current of ethereal air. She made sure to keep her mouth shut as she did so, as much as she wanted to shout out in pure ecstasy. Is this what it felt like to fly? she wondered, as her feet thudded onto the next roof top a few seconds later, causing the soles of her feet to ache, as a sharp, tingling sensation shot up her leg, and the girl continued to dart forward. Unable to skip a beat. Aello was simply enjoying this too much, the subtle aches and pains in her legs as she forced her muscles into action. The thudding of her feet on the rooftops, how she kicked up tiny bits of dirt that no one bothered to wipe away. How breathless it made her; how very free she felt as she ran and ran, as though if she went far enough, she could escape the insanity of the city. The darkness that lurked in every corner, despite the sun that shone down brightly upon it. It felt like she had hardly had the chance to enjoy her run, for before she knew it, Yune was chirping madly, and Aello had come to the end of the rooftop, and there was not another one for several feet. "Whoa," she muttered as she turned her feet to the side, and skidded to a halt, just as the first of her toes edged of the end. "That was close," Aello muttered, as she took a moment to catch her breath, several particles of dust still swirling around her feet, before choosing to settle back down. Chirp! Chirp! "That was amazing Yune, wasn't it?" she asked, only to receive no reply other than the subtle fall of the bird onto her right shoulder. Her tiny talons curling into her shoulder. That was far too close, Aello told herself as she glanced down at the ground. It would have been such a nasty fall. What Aello noticed was that her building was on one side of a narrow alleyway, where several wooden crates had been lined up against the wall. Maybe we can use those to get down, she thought, as she pulled her hood off the top of her head with her free hand, so that she may see a little better. "Brace yourself Yune," she whispered, as she walked over to the area with the crate closest to her. "Here we go," she whispered, as she leapt onto the first crate, which was only two feet below the top of the roof, and then one stacked next to it, another few feet down. And then a last one, to the left of the second crate. It was then that she noticed him, staring at the dead end. As silently as she could, Aello jumped off the last crate, and settled into the center of the street. Her face, which had been red with exertion only moments before, seemed to be glimmering now, the sunlight shining off the few beads of sweat that remained. Even before he turned to face her, before he said anything to her, her mind whispered, he is singing, with one of the worst voices known to man... simply wandering, lost in the darkness of this city. The girl only gave a slight nod to acknowledge the voices within her head, what the magic told her of his sparkling silver aura, a strange mist to see surrounding someone of this city. But then again, if he didn't know his way around, was he truly of this city? It took Aello only a few seconds to process Crismento's words, but it took her some time to reply. The way she was forced to look up at him, into those deep blue eyes, so much like the hypnotist's she had once fought... it was simply unnerving. It kept her heart from slowing down, from relaxing. Finally, after what felt like an eternity to her, Aello spoke, with the slightest of smiles upon her pale pink lips. "The city streets are not all that complicated," she explained, her voice still sounding somewhat breathless from her run, "once you've been here long enough to get the hang of them. It's these bloody dead-ends and the canals you have to watch out for... they seem to lead one off their path... anyway, where are you headed? Perhaps Yune and I could show you the way." OOCPerhaps...

[Crismento Miren]

The girl took her time to respond and Cris thought that he had confused her with his needlessly complicated question. It was hard for him to determine whether she was willing to speak to him as well, but the barely noticeable smile provided some slight reassurance. The man noted how winded her voice seemed, as if she had just been running for a while. Perhaps she had been. The girl didn’t appear to be chased after by somebody or at least worried about that, so Crismento figured that he shouldn’t be too bothered about it. He just nodded with a smile to her words and turned his eyes to the small bird on her shoulder that he assumed to be the one referred to as Yune. What was it: a bullfinch, a hawfinch, maybe a sparrow? Birds weren’t his strong suit. Whatever it was, the little feathered creature appeared like a strange and cute accessory to be carried around, with an emphasis on strange given that they were in Ravok, and at the same time in made the girl appear to be somewhat vulnerable, though he couldn’t really determine why. He shifted his blue gaze back to her eyes. Cris liked making eye contact with people, because it helped to see how strong they were more clearly and sometimes understand their emotions better. How people looked back at him could tell about them more than words, even though the con artist often struggled to understand what exactly he saw in their eyes. And sometimes he felt it was better to look somewhere else when he spoke, be it to make a nervous prey feel more comfortable, or to prevent his own intentions being read by a more observant person. It seemed that it was those who avoided making eye contact were the ones always managed to make the best deals for some reason. Sneaky bastards... But this time the girl’s eyes were subjected to his scrutiny while Cris tried to determine what kind of person was in front of him. ”Please don’t misunderstand me, but it seems to be that you are rather tired. I would feel absolutely horrible for imposing myself on you and your company,” he gave a slight nod to Yune. Cris paused for a while, counting breaths in his mind and searching the girl's face for reaction, while trying to ascertain the proper amount he had to wait before moving towards accepting the offer. It mustn’t have been too long; otherwise the girl might think that he genuinely refused her help, particularly risky if she suggested it just to be polite. ”But on the other hand I am too lost and desperate to turn down the aid. Perhaps, if you wouldn’t mind I could simply accompany you on your walk until I come across places that I recognize? Granted the Nitrozian Plaza is probably the only location that I am deeply familiar with, but there is a couple of other objects too that I know the way from. In this manner I would not have you leave your route, should you be willing to do me this kindness.”

OOCFunny how I ask for more activity and then get busy and slow…

[Aello]

Aello stared into Crismento's eyes, not bothering to look away even though his gaze didn't seem to stray, and most would have found that rather intimidating, if not more than a little creepy. This one is trying to size you up; determine who and what you are just by looking into your eyes. As though they truly are the gateway to the soul, Aello's mind whispered, as her lips curled into an even wider grin. He seems to think that the longer he looks into them, the more he will grasp, or be able to determine. There was a slight pause, fool, if he truly wished to learn something, he would have picked up a magic useful for such things. Something along the lines of what you possess. Something which you know how to read... "Tired?" Aello inquired, as she raised her right brow into an arch, that matched the shape of her father's old bow. "Now what would make you think that?" she asked, her tone betraying a slight sense of her amusement, her eyes sparkling as she spoke. She was beginning to toy with him, just like she toyed with everyone else within the city, it seemed. "Breathless maybe from a strenuous run, but certainly not tired of all things," there was a slight pause as Aello's pupils dilated, making it harder for her eyes to focus on the hypnotist's form, but easier for her to focus on his aura. "And as for imposing, it's not as though you invited yourself into our home, or invited yourself to our food, or chose to take our belongings. You simply asked for a simple set of directions, an escort if you will. There is nothing wrong with that... although, you may want to figure this place out. It is unlikely that the next time you are lost, you will find someone who won't lead you into a dark alley, slit your throat, and take everything of worth off your person before tossing you into the lake with the others." There was a slight pause as Aello's eyes flashed somewhat menacingly, "remember where you are, and the sorts of people you are surrounded with. Most of us aren't so friendly, or to be trusted," Aello warned, her smile transforming into something slightly more sinister as she turned abruptly on her heels and beckoned to Cris with the gentle motion of her right hand. Chirp! Chirp! "Come along stranger," Aello called over her shoulder, "if you'd like to find the way out before night falls and the street rats peek out their pesky little heads... and do what they will with you." Aello fell silent after that for a long time, as she walked to the end of the street, and then turned right, down another narrower alley. Her heart was beginning to slow down now that she was not exerting herself so much, but a thin sheen of sweat had appeared on her brow, and her eyes refused to go back to their normal state. "The Plaza is on the other side of town. It would take us awhile to get there, but it may be done before the sun sets, if that is what you truly want."

[Crismento Miren]

Cris saw strength and confidence in the girl. The fact that she withstood the eye contact told him that she wasn’t one of the shy and fragile little ladies that would blush and look away after a couple of nice words said to her. This one just grinned back at him as if she was also reading him. Was she? Was she successful at that? Her words just confirmed the image of her that Crismento was building in his head. She did seem to get a bit defensive about his innocent comment, though that might have been provoked by his possibly poor choice of words. In a city like Ravok one could never be sure that the person met is not some thug about to attack you and loud observations like that seen as a pitiful attempt to gain information on a possible victim. Or perhaps the girl just didn’t want to be seen as weak… After all, it didn’t seem that she was, as her look, tone and attitude were painting a picture of a strong young woman. Even if that was a bluff, the con man would have been a fool not to be cautious. A brief smile that appeared on Crismento lips to accompany his words matched the amused tone of the girl. ”In that case, I am terribly sorry for needlessly and unjustifiably underestimating you by making such a rude and poorly thought out statement. I truly didn’t mean to be so insolent and insult you, so please forgive me for that, Miss.” The directness of her following words surprised Cris, but he tried not to give it away. ”That certainly would be most uncomfortable,” he said in a quieter voice with an agreeing nod sounding as if he was really worried about a possibility of such situation. Crismento had to admit though that it was indeed the case and getting mugged and killed would prove to be very inconvenient. ”It seems Lhex is gracious to me today and I am really lucky to be found by someone as highly kind as yourself.” Crismento decided that it was not worth trying to become a stronger character, especially when the girl was more than happy to hop into the dominant role and see him as some child – a confused tourist maybe would be a more exact description – that could be easily intimidated. Even if she still regarded him as a threat, this way that feeling would soon fade away, and then the girl should believe that there are fewer risks involved in trusting him. At least that was a quick rough judgement made by Cris, though he knew that the view was very simplistic at that stage and he needed to know more in order to make the right choices. He followed her hand gesture as a command and with a couple of strides caught up with the girl to walk side by side. She didn’t seem to be willing to be the one starting the conversation on their trip; a simple observation made obvious by the silence. Cris notice their path get tighter and for a moment considered whether the warning from earlier had something more do it. Such end would be something to make him smile after death… But the thoughts were soon chased away when the girl spoke and made Crismento admit that he was wrong to think that he would have to be the one to say something. ”It’s amazing how far I managed to wander… Truly you are my saviour!” The con artist tried to channel surprise and admiration in his voice in an attempt to make the girl feel stronger about the roles he had sketched out in his mind. ”My dear, you have convinced me of how dangerous it might become once the sun abandons the skies for the night, so if it was possible to reach the destination before that time, it would make me most happy and relieved.” He paused and glanced at the girl walking beside him. ”Is this the place that you call your home town, by any chance?” Before she could answer Crismento threw back his head let out a regretful sigh. ”Oh, but I am being intolerably rude to someone that is so nice and helpful to me! Let me try to remedy this mistake. I am called Nicholas Raes by people who know my name.” The man then turned his eyes to the bird on the girl’s shoulder. ”Do you think your friend would be willing to share her name with me, Yune?”

[Aello]

"Kind?" Aello asked, as she raised her right brow into the shape of a bow. "Now whoever said I was kind?" she asked, as her eyes sparkled mischievously. "For all you know, you could very well be following someone into an even deeper and darker portion of Ravok, where it is unlikely anyone will find us. Where it is unlikely anyone will hear you scream should you find the need to cry out in pain, after the tip of a sharpened blade has been pressed too deeply into your flesh. Over and over again. Shedding warm, crimson red blood; your life force. And once more than enough has fallen onto the floor; and you are surrounded by a pool of deep red; more still trickling from your ashen flesh and into it, you shall be left to your ragged and forced breaths. You shall be left with chilled skin, and nothing more than the sight of the one who murdered you; a terrible memory. A nightmare perhaps," Aello went on, her voice icy, yet playful. "And surely, no one will come to save you. No one will so much as find your body until it has begun to disintegrate. Until your very meat is dripping off your bones, being pecked away by some mangy rat, or scavenger bird. Creature of the sky..." Aello let her voice trail off, although she did not remain silent for long. "Why are you so quick to place your trust in others?" she asked, as she turned to face her companion. "You have only just met the one that leads you. You know nothing other than what she looks like, and the things she wields... you know naught of this city, of this place, of her, and yet, she knows more than enough about you." Aello had stopped short, and was staring intently at Cris, her eyes boring into his flesh. She wanted to dig tiny holes into it; create imperfections where she could find none. "It's funny you know, how one so prone to dishonesty is so willing to trust," she continued, noticing the dark pink spirals that had wound their way into Crismento's aura. "For isn't honesty something that leads one to trust another?" she asked, as she tilted her head slightly to the side, awaiting an answer from him. When she felt she had waited long enough she finished with, "you need to quit lying, if you expect to get anywhere with us," her voice ice cold. Yune chirped ominously in the girl's ear as they waited. Aello's grip tightening on her bow, more than ready to load it up and shoot Cris should he choose to keep lying to her; should he choose to keep pushing her bottons. After she had waited several moments, she turned abruptly on her heels and kept walking towards the plaza. "Now, you may want to quit thanking us for one... until this trip is long over, if you wish to keep your tongue," Aello growled, only half-kidding. She hated cutting out tongues, always made such a mess. "And this is a long way from home; a place in which names mean nothing." OOCHer magic has not told her that you are a hypnotist... just in case you're wondering if she figured that out.

[Crismento Miren]

Cris felt that he might have underestimated the girl when she spoke and the images created by her words sent chills down his spine. And even though he could sense a not as cold undertone in her voice, Crismento couldn’t be sure if it wasn’t because the girl was insane. He had met lunatics in his life – he was mentored by one. Cris knew that they were deadly, unpredictable and beyond being reliably controlled, so he hoped that his companion wasn’t one. Otherwise the possibility of everything that she had said coming true was very real. Cold sweat began tickling his back at the thought. Perhaps he was to bold to act like this in Ravok. Perhaps the safety of Zeltiva made him forget the lessons he had learned in Sunberth. The con artist raised his eyebrows in slight surprise when the girl turned to him and the scaring became an interrogation. He was about to answer her first question, tell a tale of what makes mister Raes such a trusting person, but when she accused him of being dishonest, he froze, trying his best to hide the anxiety in his face. Did he screw up? Did he slip up somewhere? Was the girl just really good at reading people or was there something more to it? Deciding that this approach had been ruined and beyond trying to be saved, Crismento jumped on to another line of thoughts like an acrobat during his performance. A smile disguised his true feelings from her eyes, unsuspecting of her more profound vision. ”And I find it amusing of how I am found guilty of being too careful and too careless, all at the same time,” his voice did its best not to tremble and instead emit confidence, albeit a weak one. ”I only trust you not to murder me and save the rest of trust for a better time, hiding it behind words that may sometimes be on a slightly different path than truth. It is a gamble, I admit, but so are many things in life during these uncertain times.” Cris noticed how the girl held her bow and briefly wondered if it wasn’t too big of a gamble this time. He didn’t want it to be his last night alive, so the con artist decided that he had to be very careful not to give the girl, who even might have been deranged, a reason to end his life. Crismento already tried to establish that he wasn’t a threat to her, but it would have certainly been better if his companion had no desire to hurt him at all. ”I will cease being grateful for now, if you so insist, but refraining from dishonesty is tremendously hard when you choose to hide even your name, Cruel One. I’m not that trusting. I would however greatly appreciate if no body parts of mine were detached from my person during our trip. Or after it, for that matter,” his lips formed an uncertain smile, though unless the girl turned around, she wouldn’t see it as Cris walked slightly behind her. ”Neither me nor my tongue mean any harm to you, so please excuse my irritating and rude behavior that is making you upset. It is completely on the contrary of my intent and I’m afraid I am just a foolish man, whose ignorance leads to unnecessary trouble.” His words were now tainted with hypnotic djed to send weak and hidden signals to the depths of the girl’s mind, asking her to come at ease and lose the tension. Cris wasn’t so much concern about a longer term plan or further manipulation at the moment, but more about disarming her aggression before it was beyond his abilities to do so.

OOCSorry for an overly long delay

[Aello]

Aello laughed, her eyes squeezing shut temporarily as the sinister sound left her lips; although, there was a hint of good-natured playfulness to it as well. "A gamble indeed. Something best avoided when you make it into these parts of the world, don't you think?" she asked, as tiny trickles of light pink pigmentation continued to make their way into the center of her cheeks. "And as for a name; well, perhaps one can be provided for you if you earn it," Aello went on. "When you have proved you are not one of them; that you are truly as clueless and out of place here as you seem." There was a slight pause, "and try not to worry so much about your limbs; you shall keep them for the time being. Unless of course, you try something stupid... say ridding a few from me or my bird. And even if they were cut away from your flesh, there are ways to replace them, you know," Aello finished just as she took another sharp right turn, which led them into a narrow alleyway. Aello walked in silence until the end of the street, at which point, she stepped onto a lightly curved wooden bridge. The bridge was crafted of the darkest woods, and was lined with several holes. Dark black powder seemed to surround each of the holes, as though the bridge had been burned away. There was no railing or any sort of protective barrier on any side of the bridge, so if one stepped a little too far in any which direction, they would find themselves headed into the deep, dark, murky depths of the lake. As soon as Aello's boot touched the first wooden board on her side of the lake; the bridge creaked. "You may want to watch your step here, this bridge isn't exactly the sturdiest in the lot," Aello explained, as she hopped up a little, and brought her other foot onto the bridge. She tapped it lightly with her first foot, testing its sturdiness. When it creaked a few more times, she merely shrugged. "But it should keep until we're over," she added, before making her way across; to the other side of town. "Feel free to take your time if you're afraid," Aello called once she had neared the end. "Although, I should tell you, if a thing such as this frightens you, you may not want to delve any deeper into the city. Heck, if what was said before frightens you, then you should definitely turn around and head back to wherever it is that you came from." Her tone was oddly neutral, frightening even her. Why was she being overcome by the notion that she should calm down? Why was she losing her aggressive edge, that which kept her safe? Why was she being... almost, nice? As Aello stepped down and onto the opposite bank, she shuddered, shaking out her coiled muscles; the tension she held so close to her heart. Don't lose your edge; not in a place so dark... her mind whispered as she continued down the street; desperately trying to forget about what had just happened, her growing sense of unease. The notion that something was not quite right here... well, even more so than usual. That there was something wrong with her; something wrong with him. OOCOh gosh, this is blah. Sorry.

[Crismento Miren]

Cris met her question with a small, uncertain smile. What she said was true and he couldn’t see himself as a gambler and it’s only his profession that so often put him in such position. ”You can only avoid so much before you reach a cross road that demands a choice from you. Being a simple and careful man that I am, I always try to pick the road that promises me safety, and it is the irony of life when that path asks for a gamble. And it’s probably Lhex’s twisted sense of humour that made my safe and careful decisions lead me to Ravok.” When the girl chose not to give her name for him, at least yet, Crismento just shrugged and nodded slightly at the same time. She wasn’t one of those who could have been pushed. At least not like that and not now. Forcing people to trust was very risky, but earning their trust was difficult, time and energy consuming effort. And yet the swindler decided to go with the latter option, thinking that it held a much better chance of not getting him killed. The fact that Cris had a bit of time before they reached their destination and that it was still unclear whether the girl was worth taking even greater risks than he was already having helped the benefits of the slower method outweigh the other one. ”I will not intrude into your trust then, but wait to be invited there. I won’t even ask who “they” are and let you decide for yourself if I belong to that group which you seem to despise. However I must say, people tend to like me,” he smiled a bit wider at his last comment finding the subtext of it amusing. His own private joke. The con artist didn’t like the bridge that his guide chose. It not only looked rickety and unstable, clearly damaged, but also lacked any sort of aid in forms of handles and barriers that Cris deemed necessary even if the bridge was in a pristine state. He wasn’t afraid to cross over it - Sunberth saw him climb and crawl through places that he wished he could forget - but still felt somewhat uncomfortable about it. The fact that the girl didn’t seem to be bothered by it at all and was getting across without any problems didn’t make him feel any better. Crismento never claimed to be a tough guy and this one looked like she could handle a lot of obstacles that he would regard as serious problems, but still even as a soft and harmless man that Nicholas Raes was supposed to be, he couldn’t bring himself to amuse her with his complete weakness. The con man hoped that he could truthfully say there was no such complete weakness in him at all. With that conclusion he stepped onto the bridge to follow the girl, employing a somewhat calm expression to mask the uneasy feeling he had floating around. Crismento very much enjoyed that the girl’s tone lost the initial aggression. It meant his art was performing in a way that was in his favour. He would have to work on that to try and keep her in that state, but also do his best not to resort to this drug that was always so accessible, so pleasing. Beginning to be used… Begging to bend people’s will… Cris couldn’t say “no” forever, and he didn't always wanted to, but he would try and resist it tonight. That was a promise he was making to himself. ’I can still control it…’ The bridge was creaking: complaining and threatening the con artist after every step he took. At one point he placed his foot too close to the edge and for a brief moment thought that he might fall down, but even before his face changed Cris knew he was still safe. He then considered the possibility of tripping over and hanging by the edge of the bridge calling the girl for help in hopes of getting through to her, but he didn’t trust his strength, agility and reflexes for such stunt. Before discarding the idea Crismento had to admit that he didn’t entirely trust the girl to save him either. He asked a lot from himself to cross the bridge without unnecessary stopping, but he finally managed to do that. Feeling much safer on the ground the swindler caught up with the girl again. ”Many things frighten me, but perhaps it is just fate that my path leads ahead through what is fearsome and not back. And even though I have witnessed many intimidating matters and affairs, I am not getting used to it, but rather simply don’t flee when faced by new ones.” Cris scratched the back of his head as if feeling a bit shy and uncomfortable. ”I find it impossible to imagine, but does anything frighten you? From what little experience I have had in Ravok, not many aside from Black Sun and thugs roam around in the town with such confidence surrounding them, and I wouldn’t dare to place you among either of those gangs.” It was another gamble that Cris decided to take, but the way she had mentioned “them” suggested him that she might not belong to a strong faction if any at all. A lone wanderer; a lone, mad wanderer, perhaps? With luck, one of the mentioned two might actually be covered by the ambiguous "them", and he chose his wording carefully so as to sympathize with her views in such case.

[Aello]

"Lhex? Who is Lhex?" the young spiritist inquired as her grip tightened around her father's old bow, causing the color in her knuckles to flee, and be replaced by the color of his realm; the white of the moon. "And why would you bring him up here of all places?" she whispered, "when you know naught where His men lie? Listening with open ears to ever word that drips past your tongue, waiting to strike if you say anything against his unholy and overly dark nature?" There was a slight pause, "waiting to throw you in a jail cell, where you can rot alone in the dark; until you spill all of your secrets. Tell them exactly what they want to know when they beat your body and worse." The girl shuddered as she kept on walking, trying to move past the feeling that her stomach was being clawed from the inside out, that her face felt deathly cold. That it held the color of the ones she so often served; the essence of those no longer living, ghosts. "It is best not to force anyone within this city to trust you. Or to offer them your own," Aello continued, her voice soft, sounding choked. "People will find who they can trust after an extended period time- when another has acted in their favor several times over and proven where there loyalty lies." The girl fell silent after that, simply weaving her way in and out of city streets, and hoping that the man still followed. Sometimes, she grew tired of walking alone, or only in the company of animals. Although the Kelvics were kind, and their bond had grown, she sometimes longed for the company of someone slightly more... human. After what felt like an eternity to her, Aello spoke again, her voice only a bit louder than before. "As they should, there is much to fear in this world." There was a slight pause as she swallowed the clump of saliva that had gathered in her throat. "There are things that scare me too. Displeasing the goddess of death is one. Having His eye upon me, his mark upon my flesh is another," she explained, proving incapable of speaking his name. "And you are right to assume that I am not one of them, the 'stryfe," Aello spat. "It seems unlikely that they would ever want one who would think to kill one of them, or the city guards. Even if it was to defend a friend; an error for they did not show their mark. What they were..." Aello's voice trailed off for a moment as her mind wandered to that frightful night in the bar when she was forced to kill a man who had lain his finger on Alenias. She shuddered. She didn't think of it often, nor did she speak of it, even with her bondmate. She hated thinking of it; the night she was thrown in jail. But even had she known beforehand what would happen, she would do it over and over again, just so that she may have the satisfaction of thrusting her bloody blade into a guard's back, the satisfaction of escaping the stryfe's pitiful prison. "No one walks in this city with confidence, unless they are a fool," Aello went on. "For even his men seem to fear what happens if he is displeased... what happens if his eye settles on them for a little too long." There was a slight pause, "he rules through fear; nothing more. It seems even those who serve him faithfully do so only because they are afraid for their lives, the lives of their families; not because they love him. Don't you think?" she asked, as she reached for his arm with her free hand, so that she may drag him down a narrow alleyway. If he followed her, she would cover her lips with a single, raised finger and glance wildly about the street as several shadows crossed the far side of the alley, its entrance. Hopefully, he would get the idea- he was supposed to shut up until they passed; for one never truly knew who they could trust. OOCAello's paranoia strikes again.