Closed [The Kabrin Road] Dead of Night (Kyra)

[Alexandre Askara]

513 AV, 6th Day of Fall

Carefully, Alexandre pushed the door of his suite open on its silent, well-oiled hinges. His boots rung quietly on the polished floor as he entered the hall. The house was hushed, from what he could tell. At least as hushed as the Askara household could get. He could hear boisterous laughter several doors down, and glasses chinking together. In a whisper of cloth, he strode the opposite way, toward the staircase. Just before his descent, a young, flushed slave nearly ran headlong into him. With expert reflexes the caramel-skinned boy pivoted and twirled around, narrowly avoiding a catastrophe with his tray of finger sandwiches. "A thousand apologies, please! I'm so sorry!" His young voice quavered, and he paled considerably as he got a good look up at the Askara.

This slave was new - at least he assumed. It's not like he knew much of Sharra's slaves nowadays. He heard things from Cross, but without seeing faces he would never remember anything. Alex looked down at him passively, seeing the fear in his bright green eyes. Fear of a beating, tongue lashing, or the fact that he was standing face to face with the family recluse - he wasn't sure which. Maybe all of the above. "I wouldn't keep them waiting," Alex said quietly, as if talking at a normal tone would rouse the entire plantation and bring them all down upon them. The boy gasped silently, eyes wide. "Yes... yes sir," he muttered, bowing skittishly before turning on his heel and dashing off the way Alexandre had come. Not to his surprise, the slave stopped at the doorway which the voices were coming and knocked. They let him inside - which was his cue.

Swiftly, he jogged down the beautifully intricate staircase. His hard heels echoed on the gleaming floors, and he winced inwardly. Steady now, he warned himself. Getting out of the house always seemed to clear his snarled thoughts and clouded mind. It was sometimes hard not to rush out the doors and make a break for the stables. But he forced himself to be careful. He didn't want to draw attention, or make any unnecessary noise. It had been several days again since Alexandre had left his suite. He needed to stretch his legs, and feel the muggy Kenash air on his pallid skin. A change on scenery. As his feet left the last step on the stairs, he froze. A muffled giggle sent him rigid. He heard bare feet approaching down a nearby hall. Quickly, he slipped around the banister and pressed against the wall in the inky shadows left in the wake of the stairs.

Alexandre held his breath, watching a pair of younger female cousins scamper across the impressive room and into an adjacent corridor. The audacity they had, running around in their chemises so late at night. He frowned at their retreating figures, and pushed away from the wall. One more slave crossed his path by the time he reached the large front doors, but he was a familiar face, and had been around for years. The slave - only slightly older than he was - kept his eyes down, and muttered a goodnight as they passed each other; heading in the opposite directions. Alexandre said nothing. Finally, he crossed the threshold and exited into the beautiful courtyard. The Askara breathed in the clear night air. He'd missed fall with as much intensity as he could muster. Already it felt as if a small portion of the substantial weight he carried daily on his shoulders had eased just a little. It was enough.

The air was cool from the rain they'd had that morning. He'd heard it on his windowpanes as he awoke. Sharra's perfectly tended lawn had the faintest traces of dew, and it made his already immaculate boots shine in the moonlight. Alexandra crossed the beautiful property purposefully, with a long and easy stride. He almost always went to the same place first. Sharra's stables. The familiar building always helped to ease his hectic mind. No matter how clean the slaves and grooms tried to keep the impressive structure, it always smelled of horse, earth, and leather. An odor he loved, nevertheless. A few horses nickered as he entered - they were all used to his nightly visits. Sometimes he brought a few of them treats, but not tonight. He stroked some of their noses in passing, as they stretched their beautiful heads into the aisle. "I'm sorry. I have nothing for you right now."

He was here for Bastian. Alexandre made his way down the long walkway, and stopped at the ever-familiar stall door. An equally familiar substantial black head stretched out to greet him. Bastian flared his nostrils and nickered quietly in greeting. Alex couldn't help but smile a genuine smile. He ran a gloved hand up the side of the stallion's cheek, toward his muscular neck. They matched exquisitely; black with black. "Time to stretch your legs." He retrieved his gear from the tack room - black as well, of course - and returned to his mount, who had been tied in the aisle and waited quietly. The Nightwalker watched him eagerly, and accepted the saddle and bridle without protest. He threw the reigns over the stallion's thick neck, fisted them and a handful of dark mane, slipped the toe of his boot into the left stirrup, and hoisted himself into the saddle.

His right leg swung over the pleasure saddle's cantle and he settled comfortably on his seat bones, balancing his weight as his right foot slipped in its adjacent stirrup. Alex adjusted the pressure on Bastian's reigns, giving him his head but keeping a good enough tension so he could stop him if needed. The stallion waited placidly as all of the meticulous fine tuning took place, and finally Alexandre tapped his black flanks with his heels. He steered the Nightwalker around and they exited through a side gate, out onto the dark grounds. Insects hummed loudly in the trees and nearby swamps, and the occasional nocturnal bird screeched or hooted in the night. Bastian's ears perked forward, listening intently to their familiar surroundings, while Alexandre coaxed him across the open grounds and onto a trail frequented by field workers.

They took this route often, and it was effortless for both of them to relax into the routine. Alex watched the trees disinterestedly, and heard a splash in some nearby water. Nothing exciting happened on the way to the main road. Nothing usually did. He spotted a fox run across the path ahead, and Bastian balked at the sudden sight of it. Alex reigned him in, spinning the stallion in a quick circle. "Easy there," he rumbled reassuringly, patting the horse's great black neck. Bastian snorted and tossed his head, sending his tack jingling loudly. Another tap to the flanks and he was off walking again, though he stared pointedly at the space in the trees where the fox had disappeared. Alexandre's lips twisted up in the ghost of a smile. A few chimes later, after branching off onto another trail, they exited off onto the Kabrin Road. It was well-kept as usual. It seemed someone had traveled by tonight. They passed fresh horse droppings littering the side of the road. Coming or going, he didn't know which.

They moved along once more in companionable silence. Not that they could carry a conversation with each other anyways. It would take a few hours to get to Kenash. He mostly wanted to check on the shop. Cross said earlier that day some suspicious men had been loitering around inside. He'd offered to stay the night, but Alex wanted to check in on it himself. His rapier hung at his side; gleaming and cold. He could deliver his own sweet bit of punishment if need be. He didn't need Zavic Paille's help. A little absently he wondered what would be in store for them all with this Magistrate. Sometimes changes were idiotic and drastic. Just thinking about it made him glower unhappily.

[Kyra]

Kyra walked along the Kabrin road heading in the opposite direction that she had taken to reach Kenash. By most people who traveled up and down this road, the kelvic wasn't the most familiar with it. Her paths had normally taken her through the forest and with another leading the way. It was different making the journey alone, but she was very used to different by this point and time. Kiara was still in the wind, and even though Kyra had followed her this far, she had lost the kelvic's tracks and her scent days ago. She had been so tired and needed to rest, and ended up doing something else entirely different for a few days.

Part of her wanted revenge, wanted to kill the kelvic for betraying her, but there was another part. A part that didn't seemed to care as much. She had learned a hard lesson about life, and about how friendship was another lie told by people who wanted to take advantage of others.The only absolute was coin, the world was run by it and those that had it lived much easier lives. Kyra wasn't hurting for coin as much as she had been in past seasons, but there was always more to have, and the more she found the better she hoped her life would be.

The kelvic was done with the days of roaming from city to city, from home to home, friend to supposed friend. She'd had enough of being tricked, of being kicked, and treated like a pet. Those were the days gone passed, and she refused to ever live them again. She had heard stories about kelvics finding happiness with people, finding mates within the blink of an eye. But those were day dreams.. Kyra understood now that the only family, the only love she would ever know was gone and buried with those that had truly loved her. For the future, she would make the best of things in this new city she had moved to, and for whether she would kill Kiara was uncertain.

Of course...she had to find her first.

Kyra found herself at a disadvantage because her counter was better at hunting and tracking than she was. There was also the problem of the couple of days that had passed since she last saw her. Kiara could be long gone if she kept running, but Kyra didn't think that she would. Both kelvics seemed to want some sort of finish to whatever this was, and that couldn't happen if she fled. Still these were just ideas and Kyra had no way of knowing. If she didn't find the woman near the road, then she would backtrack and look for her in the swamps next.

It was Fall now, and with the changing of the seasons brought a chill to the night's air. Kyra wore her cloak, the dark fabric swayed, conforming to her slender body and hiding much of the leather armor she wore beneath. The hood of the cloak covered her head and part of her face, with long blondish strains hanging down and flowing just out side of where the hood met the neck of the cloak. Her bow and quiver were strapped to her back, and she carried twin daggers in her belt, along with a third in the back of her right boot, and a last hidden just inside her sleeve. She would remain here all night if she needed to, only time would tell what she discovered.
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[Alexandre Askara]

His heels touched Bastian's shining black flanks, urging the stallion into a controlled trot. The horse had been trained by the best - Collin Askara - and had grown completely used to Alexandre's seat over the years. He sat the trot for now, not feeling any desire to post. It tired him quickly and was unnecessary. Like this, he was glued to the saddle. His hips rocked with Bastian's easy gait, and the distance started to eat away beneath his heavy, shod hooves. The sound of steel stamping the hard packed road echod in the trees, prominent and loud above the music of nocturnal swamp life. The reigns were drawn a little tighter to compensate for the stallion's change of carriage. His neck arched slightly, and he raised his head just a little higher. The definition of a pleasure horse. He could fool the best riders, though. If need be, Bastian could flatten out and gallop faster than the arrow flies, and strike out with his front hooves quicker than one could blink.

The Nightwalker had killed a few coyotes and feral dogs in his day. An owl screeched somewhere deep in the trees, as the wind started to pick up. Alex looked up at the dark sky. Clouds obscured the stars, and scudded across the moon. It looked like rain again. Smelled as such as well. He wasn't sure he would make it time to avoid the fall, but it wouldn't be the first time he'd been wet if so. They rode along at this steady pace for about a bell when Bastian's ears perked forward. His massive chest rumbled with an almost inaudible whinny that reverberated into Alexandre's thighs. "Ease up," he mumbled, applying some pressure to the bit in his stallion's mouth. Instantly, the horse slowed to a walk. His head was high as he examined something ahead. The Askara wasn't sure if he saw it too or not. A hint of movement in the shadows further down the road, perhaps?

His eyes narrowed uneasily. A hand came down to the hilt of his rapier, fingers flexing around the grip under its cagework of intricate steel. It was a beautiful weapon, but practical and deadly. He kept the Nightwalker on their forward course, both watching what Alexandre soon realized was someone walking in the opposite direction they were headed. The clouds parted momentarily to illuminate the road. Whoever it was, was less than half a mile away now. He thought he saw a hint of blonde - or maybe white - hair peeking out from under the drawn up hood obscuring their face. The moon shone against his pallid skin and sterile white mask, giving him a deathly, sick appearance. Just a few yards now. Fifty. Twenty. Alexandre's fingers tightened around the hilt of his blade. The fitted leather of his gloves protested audibly.

Now he was close enough to see that whoever it was, was female. Very small - almost childishly so. He towered over her atop his massive stallion. Feathered fletching peeked over one of her shoulders, accompanying a bow slung across her back. Her face was in shadow, where his was unnaturally pale in the moonlight. How fitting. Why, in fact, was such a small specimen of female roaming the roads alone at night, without even a horse to escape the possible dangers lurking in the trees? As a split-second decision, he released his blade. When the distance between them was officially closed, he stopped Bastian with an absent pull against the reigns. He released him and gave the stallion his head once they stood still. "Miss," Alexandre greeted quietly. A lifetime of manners drilled into him by a diligent mother and equally supportive slave of said mother's rules compelled him to stop.

Just about every screw may be loose in his head, but a Dynasty man such as himself couldn't fight polite instinct and raging curiosity for a strange little woman roaming the roads in the middle of the night. His tack jingled as Bastian shifted his weight, shaking his head to fight off some daring gnats. "It isn't every day I meet someone traveling the Kabrin so late. In the opposite direction of the... safety of Kenash no less." His deep voice was smooth but quiet. He spoke as if afraid to rouse something in the shadows, and his sarcastic emphasis of the word safety in reference to the swamp city would go unnoticed only to the lowest of idiots and ignorant louts.

[Kyra]

There were many creatures that roamed the lands at night. Nocturnal beings like herself, who could see almost just as well in the day as they could at night. Though creatures rarely came as far as the roads however, normally keeping to the forest and using the shadows to conceal themselves. Kyra looked around as she continued on, lifting her head every so often to sniff the air to see if she caught whiff of any new scents in the area. So far the night had gone easy and very boring. There were no snake-like, bugs floating about, or wolves, bandits, or baboons either.

And..there was no Kiara.

In fact, Kyra hadn't seen anything or anyone since she'd been out, and that was strange. The kelvic continued on down the road, making sure that she didn't lose track of which direction she had come from. She was moments away from deciding if she should turn back, and was only waiting for Leth's moon to shift towards the high trees where it normally disappeared. Stopping again, Kyra lifted her head and sniffed the air. There were new smells here, one animal and another possibly human. Just as she picked up the smell, her ears prickered at the sound of distant hooves.

Someone is coming..

She couldn't be certain, but from passed events she assumed it was a single horse and rider without a wagon. There was a time when she would have thought it odd that so many people roamed the lands alone. Her mother and their butler had told her many times of the dangers outside the walls of the city. Some of it had been told through bedtime stories and others just in passing. She learned with surprise a year so or later that wasn't truth. It seemed many people roamed the lands on their own, particularly Sylrian Squires.

Still, this would be the furthest she'd ever seen a squire, if that was who was out there. The clouds in the night's sky opened up, allowing Leth's glow to pour down from above and illuminate the forest. There she saw him, a man riding away from the fading shadows, his form and horse appearing then falling into shadows on and off as he passed the drifts between the tall trees and the areas lit by Leth's glow. She wasn't going to run, but she hoped that it wasn't a Knight or squire out to catch her. She was an innocent and if they would just leave her alone until she found Kiara she could prove it.

The figure drew closer and as her eyes fell upon his clothing and the snow white mask on his face, she was sure he wasn't of the order. The kelvic had no idea of who this man was, nor did she care. She figured he'd go about his way and she to hers. But then he slowed, a movement that caused her to stop in her tracks and move to the side of where his horse came. He called out to her, but she didn't respond, only stared at his mask closer. Some seasons ago she had met another man who wore a mask. He was an odd man, one who spent his time sitting in trees and singing as if he were a bird.

A closer look at this new mask, and Kyra could tell that this wasn't the same man. The mask were very different and the other seemed worn, while this one looked newer. She stared up at him, her bold eyes appearing almost completely black due to the lack of light in the fading moon. Kyra's gaze lowered for a moment as she looked upon his drawn weapon, then lifted her eyes to meet his again. "The direction opposite of the way is Syliras and lots of forest. Is there a reason that you stopped here?"
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[Alexandre Askara]

Why did I stop? He echoed her question to himself in the solitude of his broken, unorganized mind. His face was hard and blank as he examined the girl. Her eyes were distorted in the light of the moon, and her pale skin shone like porcelain. She barely looked old enough to be out without an escort. His eyelids lowered fractionally, almost in a glare. "There are many miles to Syliras, child," he murmured with a hint of hostility. "I only wanted to warn you; be careful of these roads. You may run into someone less than beneficial to your health." His teeth clicked on that last word. It was his own fault, bringing the attitude of a stranger upon himself. He'd stopped and spoken first - a rare occasion indeed these past five years. And the prying ignorant denizens of Kenash wondered why he preferred the solitude of his own company. His smokey eyes clouded with, now, an open challenge.

"It is late, and children should be tucked into their beds." His eyes raked her face, searching for a brand. There was nothing, though not surprising. If one wasn't visible at first glance, then there wouldn't be one. Such a mark stood out no matter what. Years ago he would have arrogantly asked this girl if she knew he was, but now, he was fairly positive she'd have no idea. For one, there was nothing marking her as a slave. He didn't want to lean around and look at her hands. Discretion was one of the many tendencies drilled into him by a strict mother. She was a visitor for all he knew. Visitors. His lip curled imperceptibly just thinking the word.

The stallion stomped a hoof and snorted, warm breath clouding the air. He turned the animal in a quick circle to calm it, but he tossed his head in protest. Alexandre frowned and stilled the beast with a tightening of the reins. Odd, that Bastian would fidget. Blacks flanks quivered uneasily at her scent filled his flared nostrils, and he rumbled low in his broad chest. A new, non-human smell that the Askara couldn't dream of picking up with his human nose. "Armed you may be, but the fact remains to be proven if you can defend yourself so alone at night." He waved leather clad fingers at the surrounding trees. "Beasts and Rujaro roam the swamps. Keep wandering if you must." Alexandre managed to smooth his features back into impassive indifference. "If I hear of your corpse found in the swamps half-eaten and bloating I will not be surprised."

He paused a moment, regarding her with a cool stare. "But I will escort you back to the safety of the city if you are convinced now to stay where it is less dangerous. I can assure you that the Sitai family will not be overjoyed if they find a stranger, armed the teeth, wandering the edges of the road on their land after dark. It is no matter that this is a public road. Strangers are strangers." He forked an eyebrow, waiting to see if she had no sense of self-preservation. Even he wouldn't wander these roads at night without a fast horse underneath him. He was crazy. Not stupid.

OOCI'm sorry this took so long. Real world dramas.

[Kyra]

"Someone like you, is that what you mean?" she asked, her gaze hardening as his did. For all she knew, he could be trouble, after all, she had met many, and they didn't all appear to be violent. She wasn't worried however, one thing that she had learned in her short life was that fear wasn't an option and neither was forgiveness. If this man intended to do her harm, he hadn't picked an easy target. For the kelvic, it wouldn't be the first time that someone had attempted to enslave her, the only difference was that she had grown a lot stronger since. "Then consider me warned and be on your way."

Kyra wasn't in the mood for idle chatter, somewhere out there in the vast forest Kiara was hiding, and she needed to find her before she could disappear again. This man, whoever he was, someone who clearly thought themselves above the average person, was only getting in her way. She watched him curiously, wondering why he continued to speak of children as if there were any around. She saw him, the horse and the forest around them, no children. "What does your children have to do with me? I gather that it is very late. But I am busy, and I am bothering no one." For someone who couldn't be bothered he was still there and still talking, but so far he hadn't said a word that she cared about.

The horse stumped and snorted, showing it's wariness for the kelvic just as she did for it's rider. Nothing good ever happened at night and strangers on the road weren't friendly either. "I can take care of myself just fine. I'm very good at it now. Are you sure it's not you who needs the help?" Kyra was used to people thinking little of her. No one ever suspected that she had any talents that didn't involve her wiggling around in front of them or laying on her back. This man would be no different, and why would he. Just another human...

But he did say something that caught her attention for a brief moment. "Rujaro? What is a Rujaro?" The kelvic hadn't been in the city long enough to hear of the renegade slaves, or to know that the man she was converting with was of noble blood. "I can not return to the city now. I am..searching for someone. And your family had better mind their own business, this does not concern them." Kyra had enough long ago of people bossing her around and telling her what she could and couldn't do. If this man really wanted to start trouble, then he a real fight on his hands now.
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[Alexandre Askara]

Alexandre barked a short, humorless laugh. It echoed off the damp trees, sounding hollow to his own ears. "You poor, petulent child. That mouth will get you into a lot of trouble in Kenash. You will make enemies if you do not learn to hold your tongue. Especially around those who think they deserve the respect of everyone around - and more importantly - below them. There are many of those in our lovely swamp." He smiled, but it was brittle. Then, his face hardened. "I have no children. I see the figure of speech was beyond you. As well I can assure you that when you wander the plantations, your business is said family's business." He ignored her question of the Rujaro entirely for the moment, as well as her insinuation that he might possibly need her help. Alexandre almost wanted to snort, but kept a tight rein on his considerably short temper.

"I highly suggest you learn your place in our society, if you plan on having an extended stay, before someone cuts your throat over petty matters and words. You wouldn't be the first, nor the last. I am not a Sitai, for one. I am an Askara, and not one to be trifled with." Especially by the likes of a child, he thought grumpily. A part of him wanted to take his rarely used crop to her pale hide, and give her a taste of what an attitude will bring her from the more unforgiving Dynasty members. Compared to what several were capable of, a horse crop was a blessed mercy and show of restraint. He shifted in his saddle, finding a more comfortable position. "The families here are very powerful, and run every aspect of all that you see. I don't care if you're a Freeborn or the like, with a respectable business. One false step that displeases a family, and your life as you know could be over faster than you can question their decision to either kick you out, enslave, or have you killed."

He looked at her now with something that could almost be considered pity. Almost. Alexandre had an idea of what it was like not having an affluent upbringing, thanks to long talks into the night with Cross. But that was as far as his empathy could reach, which wasn't far at all. Experience was the best teacher, and he had none when it came to living like the poorer folk did - especially the slaves. "Understand that I am trying to help you. If you had met anyone other than myself out here on the road, there is a chance they would have cut you down where you stand for uttering anything less than respects and compliments." She will learn. He had to admit some of the affluent Kenasherns were agreeable people - at least from what he could remember - but there were snakes hidden under every rock, and wolves lurking in the shadows.

He regarded her quietly for a long moment, searching her defiant face. There was fire there. Fire that could get her in a lot of trouble if she didn't learn how to cool it. Kenash was not a place to have a mouthy attitude, unless you were one of the ruling class. They were entitled to such behavior. It was just how things were done. "The Rujaro," he finally started again, "are slaves that have escaped and wish to seek revenge on all of us. Their numbers are unknown. They hide in the swamps and occasionally cause trouble. One of the many things in those trees that you do not want to cross paths with," he warned sternly. He was aware, thanks to Cross, that only three days prior it was believed that the Rujaro had set a three fires but caused little damage. The group had been a thorn in the sides of the Dynasties for a long time.

"Who is this person you are seeking so late at night?" Alexandre asked without thinking, and pursed his lips once the question was out. Likely he would get a harsh retort that would make him want to strike her across the face. Maybe he actually would this time. His stiff posture radiated warning. Watch it, girl.

[Kyra]

This man was another odd one, a fast talker and one who thought they knew everything. He continued to speak about the roads and land as if he and his friends owed everything. Kyra knew this wasn't true, as she had heard this road belonged to everyone, all the cities that traveled back and forth through there had the right to move freely and on their own. This man, like many others she had met was obviously trying to trick her. "I do not care..." she said sternly and her voice serious. "It matters not, who claims to own what part of the forest. It makes little difference. And you....You should be more worried about the other one. If she finds you, I doubt she will stand and listen to your boring speech as I have."

Not only did this man talk down to her, accuse her of things, he continued to threaten her as well. In the past Kyra might have had fun toying with the man for being far too serious and thinking far too highly of himself, but she was in no mood. Kiara had to be close, the kelvic's skin was still crawling and she wanted to find her before another day's cycle came and went. "I suppose that there was a point to be made in all that you have said. Are you done now? My legs are starting to sleep." While the comment may have sounded snarky, the kelvic was being honest. She had been walking and running for some time now, and standing in one place suddenly, caused her legs to stiffen.

Kyra wasn't surprised, nor worried at anything he said. In truth, he looked like the nobles in Syliras, or the odd people that her mother used to spend time with in Ravok. City people, people who had no idea what it felt like to be attacked by Zith, or a raging clan of men born from rock, that just popped out of the ground just to shed blood. If anything he was the child, and likely knew as much about the world as she did back when she still wore those big fluffy dresses. Then he said something curious that almost pulled a smile from her stone cold features. "You wish to help me? Allow me to help you first. You are wrong if you think that you are the worse this forest has to offer. I have seen far worse, far bigger...far more." The kelvic started to shuffle her legs about slowly, not in an intended sexual way, but because she felt a numbing growing in her thighs.

"You are far too loud Askara masked man, and traveling by yourself and being so loud will only draw predators to your location. No matter what horrors you think that you and yours can do to others, this forest can do far worse to you, and you would never see it coming until it was upon you." Stopping her leg movements, Kyra arched her back and lifted her arms above her head as she stretched in place. A soft yawn slipping from her lips as she rolled off her heels and planted her boot back on the ground. "So you are a slaver then? Yes..I do recall hearing of such from your city. You must not be very good at it if so many slaves have gotten away."

Stepping lightly off her boots, Kyra started to walk away, continuing her search for the villainous kelvic that had betrayed her. She paused with his question and stood silent for a moment. Although she wouldn't believe that he had any useful knowledge by the way he rambled on about nothing. But there was a chance that he had saw something. Finally she turned around, pulling back her hood so that he could get a good look at her face and hair. "I am looking for a woman, she looks a lot like me, only older and has a scar on the side of her face. By chance..have you seen her?"
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[Alexandre Askara]

He was positive he'd never met such an infuriating, insolent women his entire life. She got such a rise out of him that it was hard to bottle down the boiling temper threatening to bubble over completely. A heavy sigh escaped his pale, flared nostrils and he looked once down the road, toward Kenash. He should just leave her. Maybe she would get eaten by gators - then no one else would have to be bothered by her arrogant, indifferent attitude. She obviously had no idea what she was getting into. But maybe she was genuinely naive, and not merely cocky. Alexandre glared down at her from atop his Nightwalker once more, fighting the urge to slap her in the mouth his the back of his hand. His long fingers flexed on his reigns, and his leather gloves protested with a squeaky strain.

She believed he had no idea what he was talking about - but he bore the disfigurement of experience on his face and body. "I own a slave," he admitted to her easily. "But I'm no slaver. The capture and trade of flesh is not something I'm interested in. You will see that there are many slaves here, and if you aren't careful with that mouth of yours it is not illegal for someone to snatch you up themselves." His lip curled in disgust. "I prefer my servants to hold their tongues unless they know what they're spouting, though. I'm sure your insolent attitude would appeal to someone. There are many who enjoy breaking a person's spirit."

Did she really think that the people of Kenash were oblivious to the dangers of the swamp around them? He wanted to roll his eyes. What a childish assumption. He was a little relieved when she turned to leave, but at the same time a snarl twisted his face. She had a lot of gumption to turn her back on an armed stranger in the dead of night. The Askara could cut her down now and no one would be the wiser. But she stopped a few feet away, and slowly turned back to him. Her pale hair shone in the weak, clouded-over moonlight when she removed her hood. A droplet of rain landed on his cheek, making him glance up. Rain clouds sputtered overhead, promising another light shower. Looking back at Kyra in the muted light, he regarded her closely.

Alexandre noticed the strange, overlarge shape of her eyes set in a small, porcelain-skinned face. He frowned and quickly dismounted, swinging his right leg over Bastian's back and landing easily on the road beside the stallion. He moved closer to the girl, dwarfing her still with his height alone, and peered into her face for a closer examination. Vertically slit pupils in large yellowish irises stared back up at him defiantly, and for a moment he stilled. "You're not human," he stated matter-o-factly. After a pause, he remembered her question. Stepping back and away to give himself some space, he coolly admitted, "No, I have not seen her. But I know someone who very likely has. He doesn't miss much, and keeps me informed of many of the new developments inside Kenash. Not all, but many. He likes to know who the newcomers are, in case they become slaves or freeborn."

The Askara absently fondled the end of his rapier's pommel, watching her with the blank expression he so professionally wore nowadays. "But I would need to know more than the fact that she looks like an insolent brat with an indifferent attitude. It's a nice facade you have, but one that could get you killed here. I'd give it up." Alexandre shrugged. "What is her name?"

[Kyra]

Kyra felt bad for his slave, she was sure that having to listen to this man talk day in and out was the worst thing that could happen to a person. She had only been speaking with him for a half a bell and she was already wondering what the Syliran tank was like. Mid stretch, the kelvic tilted her head towards the man on horseback and parted her lips for a curious inquiry. "Is that what you want? To make me your slave. To..break my spirit?" She almost smiled at him, a fiery tinkle in her eyes, though he probably couldn't see it with her hood still drawn.

It seemed that she had over stayed her welcome in the strange man's presences, and that she had said too much. It was a fair assumption and she felt the same about him as well. She started to walk away but his questions continued and she paused. Kyra decided to take a change and show him her face in the hopes that he might recognize the resemblance if he saw Kiara. At first it seemed like a mistake as the man made the same observation as everyone who stood too close to her. The kelvic didn't bother to answer his question and instead loosened her wrist in case she needed to quickly grab a dagger.

"Have you seen her or not?" she finally asked as the man took a step back and she took two forward. If he was trying to intimidate her it wouldn't work. What the proud man didn't understand was that Kyra no longer cared what happened, her world had been destroyed three times over and all that was left was hate and anger. She realized that she might not live passed her next encounter with Kiara, but she had to see it through. What this man continued to go on about were people who still had something to lose, Kyra did not.

Sadly the man hadn't seen the kelvic, but he claimed to know someone who might. It was worth a look, she didn't have any other better ideas, and since the man had already forced himself into her business she would let him have it. He continued to call her names and also baiting her into a fight, but instead of snapping back she asked her own question. One that had been on her mind for a while now. "Why are you wearing a mask?" Kyra studied him and even took another step closer to look upon him. With the question asked, whether or not it was answered she went on to answer his. "Her name is Kiara. She is an evil woman who likes to ruins other people's lives."

Kyra paused in thought, there wasn't much else she could tell. Kiara was still a mystery and she had never learned anything of note about the woman other than she couldn't be trusted. "They call her the man eater, have you heard of her?"
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