Quest Tick Tock, Tick Tock (Matthew)

[Mirage]

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At the word 'dying' the boy's face visibly paled. Worry marked his brow as he bit his lip, grabbing his sister's hand and gently rubbing his thumb over her knuckles. He took a few ticks to process all of the questions, his brows knitting as he struggled to remember, "Th-they... they cut her with something, a dagger I think before we got away."

Struggling to remain calm the boy swallowed a couple times, looking back and forth between Matthew and the girl, "We... M-my sister and I, we escaped from an island not far from here. We were taken from our parents a long time ago, a-and when we got the chance we ran and hid on a ship leaving the Harbor." He shook his head, "I don't know m-magic. Sis doesn't either. We were just slaves. They played with us, tortured us on the island until we escaped."

Once more the boy shook his head, scooting closer to the girl and looking at Matthew, "I-I don't have anything. Some dirty cloth, a knife and some fruit and bread we stole. Nothing else. Can you do anything for her? Anything at all? Just tell me and I will run and get you whatever you need." He looked determined, yet so very young. Pausing a moment, and almost in retrospect the boy asked Matthew while looking back at the girl, "What happened to your sister?"
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[Matthew]

Matthew hissed, his blue eyes suddenly flashing. Children were the one thing left in the world that could invoke emotion in him that was strong enough to be clearly felt. It happened every time he interacted with the things. "Stop acting like a chi-" He paused, mouth freezing in mid-sentence. That wasn't at all helpful. He took a breath and calmed the sudden irritation that had flooded up through him, forcing himself to remember that not all children were what he had been at a young age. "...Sahova, I assume. How did they play with you? You are leaving something out. Something important. They wouldn't go to all this trouble to get a couple of slaves. Slaves can be easily replaced. There is something more. Back in the alleyway, you threw us all back. How did that happen?" He took a gamble then, letting the knife slip from where it was hidden to clatter onto the wooden planks they stood upon. He kept aware of it, but didn't make any movement to grab it. He just let the child process it, watching for reactions of any sort. "They gave me this knife. Does this look at all like the dagger that she might have gotten cut with?" He stared at it and then back to the wounded girl, the gears turning quickly in his head. He almost immediately began to examine her more closely, looking all over her form for any kind of cut. "Where was she cut, boy?" The harlot was pounding the child with question after question, though each one was spoken softly and plainly. He tugged at the strands of djed that still sizzled in his stomach, touching out very gently with one to add yet another small and subtle suggestion. Calm. Sis needs me. "What were your plans once you had escaped? Did you have any? Or did you just plan on running forever?" He finished his examination of her body quickly and effectively. If the girl didn't have a cut, that would be an issue. If she did have a cut that was just hidden somewhere, that might perhaps provide some sort of clue to what was happening here. He wondered if this sense of duty to a sick person had been passed down to him by his mother. It was an odd feeling to have. He once again used the small piece of cloth to open her mouth, making sure that her airway wasn't at all obstructed. If there wasn't a cut, he would pause to wait for answers. If there was a cut, he would proceed along quite quickly. "I need water. Lukewarm water. If you can get either a thin blanket or another pair of clothes for her, that would be good. She will need to have these clothes removed." He paused a moment as he watched the young girl, then turned to blink at the little boy. "She died when I was young. She fell from a very high place." He paused, then spoke carefully and slowly. "Tell me, are you smart? Speak honestly. How do you feel you compare to the people who tortured you back on the island? Do you understand all the things I am asking, or do I need to slow down?"

[Mirage]

The boy nearly jumped at the sudden tone Matthew used, his eyes wide as she shook his head, "W-what, I..." He swallowed, his mind confused with worry, anger, dread and other such emotions as she struggled to piece together Matthew's words. This was a dire situation, and he was only a kid after all. A young one at that, yonger even than the girl, "We just ran. We d-didn't think about it, or plan. We didn't have a chance to we just... we just ran."

He looked down at the knife as Matthew began to examine his sister once more, leaning forward to examine it closer. Matthew would find not find any obvious wounds, however when he examined her side he would find a part of her shirt that had a hole underneath one armpit. This might not have been anything to take note of, given the condition of the girl's clothing, but the cut was too clean, like it was done with something razor sharp leaving no jagged edges. There, beneath the shirt, Matthew would find a slim cut, shallow, but it continued to bleed despite its size. The blood was not clotting.

Thats the knife." the boy said, looking up at Matthew, "Thats what they used on her. The cut her under her left arm somewhere." His voice was a bit steadier, his mind a little less jumbled as he started to calm down. He looked down at his sister, one hand gently touching her forehead, "They, the people on the island, they did bad things to us... They would cut us over and over, make us drink weird potions that burned in our stomachs for days. They tried to cut off my hands once, but Sis stopped them. They took her toes for that..." He said, glancing at the girl's left foot which was wrapped in bandages and a very old looking shoe fitted over it.

Gently patting the girl's hand the boy stood, walking out to get the things requested but looked back as he was asked a question. He just shrugged and said, "You talk in a language I understand, and you talk a lot slower and simpler than the Island people... I don't know if I am smart, but I understand what was done to us and what I want to do." Anger and hated flickered across his face before he left the tent.

The boy had forgotten a question. Perhaps it was lost in the conversation, or he was purposely ignoring it. In any case when he returned he made not move to answer, setting down a small bucket (too nice to have been his) filled with water that was warm to the touch and a clean blanket. He knealed down next to the girl once more, looking at Matthew, "Is there anything else I can do to help?"

The girl's condition was getting worse. She was tossing in her sleep, her fever still rising, and the small cut was starting to bleed more profusely. The darkness was spreading through her body now, stemming from the cut itself, twining around her djed and wherever it touched it became darker, sickly looking.

There was a whisper in the wind, and a prickling sensation on the backs of both boy's necks causing the kid to look up and around sudden, his eyes wide and scared, "You weren't followed were you?"

[Matthew]

Had they perhaps been experimenting on the children? The Silence didn't exactly seem like people who would torment slaves for their personal amusement or pleasure. No, there was something more. He merely nodded in response to the child's answers, then went back to focusing on the girl until her brother eventually returned. He uttered a soft word of thanks before taking the blanket and reaching for the nearby knife. He took the sharp weapon and used it to slowly and precisely cut a rectangle of cloth from the blanket. It was a small one that he formed into a thicker square by folding it in half. Finding the cut once more, he took just a bit of the water and splashed it over the wound. If any dirt was spotted, that would be cleaned away before the small patch of cloth was then applied. On a random hunch, he also summoned his magic for just a moment to see if the aura from the knife had transferred to the blanket. If it had, the blanket would be discarded. If not, he would carry on. "Hold this in place, apply gentle pressure. If blood soaks through, then continue to hold it and request another from me." His voice was soft and polite, holding none of the irritation of before. Focusing a bit, he once again swirled the Djed inside of him and burned just a trickle of it to get a brief glance at the condition of her aura. He was almost positive that his basic first aid would do almost nothing to help the child. It appeared to be magical in some way, perhaps divine. He had no formal training in such things. He closed his eyes, whisking himself away to a quieter place. He wasn't at all good at meditating yet, but it was still something he tried to practice when he could. He needed to clear his thoughts, be a good leader. "We have two options." His eyes flickered open, fixing upon the boy. "I was told by the Silence that if I cut with this dagger, they would come. I know you are running from them, but at the same time, they might very well help your sister. The other option is to take her to a woman I know, a business-owner by the name of Ruby. Her business has a healer with divine powers, which might be able to cure your sister of whatever it is that ails her. At the same time, this would require us leaving your hide-out. Which would you rather do?" He tilted his head, watching the boy carefully, curious to his opinion and the logic he would use to reach it. The sensation of needles pricking at the back of his neck snapped him out of his focus though, his blue stare flickering around curiously. There was a slow shrug of his shoulders as he studied the surroundings, reaching for the bucket of water. "I have no idea. I assume they would have searched on their own, not placed their bets on me. Perhaps it is best that we attempt to take her to the healer. Do you have any objections, and would you care to explain how you threw me through the air without touching me? Also, did you spend the mizas that you stole from me?" He hadn't forgotten and certainly hadn't missed the fact that the first question had been ignored. If the boy agreed to take the girl to the healer, the harlot would soon gather her in the blanket, pausing to take the knife and hide it away once more. If there were no interruptions, he would then be on his way to the Scarlet Sanctum.

[Mirage]

The blood continued to flow, soaking into the blanket at a slow but steady pace. The aura did not seem to transfer to the blanket, however, whenever the blood was stemmed even a little the rate at which the blackness spread slowed as well. The boy pressed the cloth tighter against the girl's side, his lower lip trembling slightly as he looked up at Matthew, "Don't call them! They will kill her and me." His eyes once more showed suspicion as he pressed the cloth firmer in place.

He took a couple of chimes to answer, but when he did he didn't look up at Matthew, "Fine... We can go to the healer. If it will help my sis--" He stopped mid sentence, growing completely still as he looked over his shoulder. Slowly standing the boy sniffed the air, his eyes growing wider as he glared at Matthew, "I knew it, you lead them to us!" He growled under his breath, scratching his head with both hands as he paced back and forth, biting his lip until blood started to pour forth.

"They will find her unless I..." He stopped and looked at Matthew, "Fine, you want your money back so much? I'll give it to you, but you gotta do something for me." He kicked the knife toward the Harlot, going to the flap of the tent, "I'm going to run and draw their attention and try to get them to follow me. You gotta keep them AWAY from my sister. You got that? If she dies you wont get your money back, ever."

With that the boy ducked out of the tent, already on the run as he leaped off the roof and disappeared down an alleyway. It all happened so quick, from the moment the boy first found the scent not even 30 ticks had past. Matthew was then left with a dilemma. The sick girl lay before him, her breathing growing more shallow, and outside the sense of another presence grew stronger.

"The Silence comes..."

Outside of the tent the tall skeletal man dressed in black stood, his mask pulled down to reveal his fleshless lower jaw. His arms were crossed,the perpetual skeletal grin on his face, and his voice as low and soft as ever, "Have you found the children...?" His partner was no where to be seen.

OOCI am going to try to keep posting to this regularly every day/every other day, but if I ever go more than 3 days without posting please feel free to PM me

[Matthew]

The Harlot studied the flow of blood, brow furrowing as he noticed the difference in the aura. Perhaps the black tint was a sign of how close the girl was to death. A few more gears turned in his skull and he tilted his head to the side, reaching out to grab dagger where it had fallen. He was just about to inspect it when he paused, noticing movement from the male child. Seeing the boy sniff, Matthew sniffed as well, trying to somehow mimic the child and sense his surroundings just as the boy was apparently doing. His mind clicked and turned a few more times, only furthering his thoughts, drowning out the irritated growls of the boy. It was only when the boy suddenly started to barter with him did Matthew finally tear his eyes away from the dagger to stare at him with an arched eyebrow. The boy was buying Matthew with Matthew's own money? Was that stupid or smart? He caught the dagger as it was kicked towards him, carefully watching and listening. He didn't respond, instead weighing things back and forth in his mind. He had gotten stuck in something that he no longer wanted to be in. There was no profit in it. Yes, he would lose the money, but the money was starting to be more trouble than it was currently worth. Why not just cut a finger and let it end? There was the problem, though. He had noticed something during this whole ordeal and funny enough, he felt very distantly angry about it. The boy took off running and then the Silence was upon him. He stood, dagger hanging loosely from his fingers, blue eyes shimmering as he turned. Was the Silence not aware that one of the children was hidden right underneath his nose in the tent? Matthew breathed, keeping a very small but steady flow of djed burning like a candle. He had ample time to examine the aura of the Silence, mostly watching out for any sudden surges in energy. He spoke, voice mild and soft. Even if he could feel Anger swimming towards the shore of his inner island, he still didn't have to show it. "Yes. Did you not see the boy? They were staying in this tent, but he somehow sensed you. He ran, down an alleyway. He was fast. Very fast. And he knew you were coming. How does a child know all these things?" He continued to stare, watching closely, his true question about to be voiced. "I saw that she had been wounded. From the dagger, it seemed. She was dying. If I would have cut my finger to summon you, would I have soon died as well?" He could sense the girl getting worse but it didn't matter right now. This was a defining moment that could very well determine what happened next.

[Mirage]

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The creature coughed, a hacking chuckle that was what passed as a laugh for him. As he did a bit of drool flecked over his jaw, a mixture of mucus and coagulated blood that stuck to the exposed bone. Wiping his bony chin the creature shook his head, chuckling still, "Your not so stupid as I thought. We could not have someone know we were here, or that the children existed."

He looked past Matthew at the tent, but his eyes once more came back to the Harlot, "The boy and the girl are both escaped lab rats from Sahova... They did not agree with their treatment, and tried to flee here and hide. The Silence could never allow that. Their only purpose in life is to be subjects of the Islands research, and if they fail at that then they are better off dead."

A scream came from the tent, the scream of a young girl which was just as quickly silenced. If at all possible the creature's smile widened as his partner emerged from the tent, dragging a limp and lifeless body behind him, "This is the way of things." the other monster tossed something at Matthew's feet, and as it rolled the Harlot would see it was the girl's severed head, her eyes blank and lifeless staring up at him. With an absentminded shrug the partner tossed the rest of the body aside, walking around Matthew with it's eyes fixed on him with deadly purpose.

"You are not worth more to us alive than dead... but that is a very precarious position. I offer you this deal," He laughed again, once more having to wipe the drool from his chin as he looked at his partner and back at Matthew, "Take that dagger in your hand, and find the boy. He will trust you now, and when he lets you get close plunge it straight into his heart and end his life. Do so and we will return the Miza's he took, and double it. You will even walk away from this with your life. A good arrangement is it not?" He laughed, his partner joining him, but his laugh was more of a gurgling wheeze than anything else.

Matthew was faced now with a decision. The girl was dead, and now he was offered a reward that would double his Miza's AND ensure his survival from this encounter with the Silence. In exchange he had to kill the boy himself. He could try to run, but the Silence would find him. He could try to fight, but there was no guarantee he would win. He could try to let the boy escape, but then he would all but forfeit his life. What would Matthew do? Was his life worth more to him than the life of an innocent victim? Would he accept the Miza's by staining his own hands with blood in intentional murder? That was still to be seen.

OOCGo ahead and follow through with whatever decision you choose. You can have Mathew simply go after the boy and I can take over there, or you can choose to run, or attack, or whatever and I will take over after the initial post
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[Matthew]

Ah, it was a ploy to keep him silent, then? Why would he care if the children or the Silence were here? Of course they had no way to know this, so perhaps their method was the most logical. That didn't change the fact that they had tried to kill him. He felt another burst of anger and took a moment to center himself, to focus and push away the onslaught of emotion. All it took was two of three deep breaths and he was back to his normal self, blue eyes watching and analyzing every little detail that they could. Lab rats? Human experiments. He was familiar with the idea. He had volunteered for the Doctor in Sunberth after all. His attention was dragged away as a scream echoed out, causing him to jolt slightly. The second one appeared, having somehow gotten into the tent without Matthew noticing. The head of the girl was suddenly tossed in front of the Harlot, something roaring up within his stomach very briefly before it was instantly stamped out. He stared into the lifeless eyes of the head, slowly crouching himself to watch it. He stared into the lifeless eyes, wondering for a moment if those were what his own eyes looked like to someone else. He doubted it. He was not a dead husk of a body, though some often chose to believe otherwise. He eventually tore his eyes away from the head, unsure what to make of it. Should he be horrified? Should he be angry? Should he be disgusted? He was tempted to release the hold on his inner self, to loosen his vice grip and let some of the emotion seep between his fingers. What sort of man was he when he was presented with this sort of situation? But no. What he was now would remain, and it would remain untouched by everything that tried to make him feel. "Alright." He glanced up finally, hand tightening on the hilt of the blade. He stepped closer to one of them, very slow in his movements so they didn't take it as a threat. He took a very deep sniff, still trying to figure out how the boy had noticed them coming. The boy was not normal, he was completely convinced of that now. He studied the Silence for a few moments longer, glancing over each of them in turn. They were so very rotten. If they were Nuit, did they not have to change bodies? Or had it just been quite awhile since they had changed bodies? Or perhaps... a few other ideas flitted across the surface of his mind, each of them considered and then tucked away for later processing. "I will kill the boy. Though if you wanted him to trust me, perhaps you should have thought to leave his sister alive until you had the boy as well. Who knows how it will go now. Grief and rage is a fickle thing that makes people do extremely unpredictable things. I'll try, though. The boy has some kind of power, though. If I am only able to cut him, will that allow you to come and aid me? Can I cut someone else if I can't get close enough to cut him?" He made sure to cover all the possibilities. The boy was possibly quite strong, but he could also be quite weak. It was still unpredictable. When his questions (if his questions) were answered, he would crouch to his knees and quickly slice a chunk of the hair from the girl. Placing it in his pocket, he then turned and took off after the boy. He wasn't near as graceful as the child, but he was still able to get where he needed to go. He ran in the direction the child had went, hiding the dagger in his sleeve once more to avoid drawing any attention. First he needed to find the boy. Then the next step of his plan.

[Mirage]

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"She was too dangerous to be left alive." The nuit chuckled, walking around Matthew and the lifeless head to stand beside his partner, "We did you a kindness by killing her. She would not have hesitated to do so to you. It was she after all that caused such destruction in the alleyway." Folding his hands in front of his waste he shrugged and laughed, "The blade does not summon us. That would be ridiculous. We simply followed you to where the children were hiding, and told you that little story to have you end your own life so we didn't have to. You seem like a smart man. Surely you can get close enough to the boy to end this without our aid? Lie to him if you have to. No matter WHAT the boy is, it wont matter with a dagger in his gut." They both started to laugh, continuing on until Matthew was gone and out of sight.

*****

The boy was no where in sight, and so once more it seemed time for a bit of hide and seek. Matthew would wander around aimlessly for some time, but eventually his steps would bring him toward the Docks of Syliras and the lapping waves. The day was clear, the air fresh and filled with the salt of the sea. Sailors were hard at work at their tasks, moving cargo on and off of their respective ships. Matthew would feel a prickle at the back of his neck, like he was being watched, but then a shout would come from his right. A sailor was waving his hands at his crew mates who stood on the docks, rope in their hand as they pulled a large crate up into the air. The wind caught it and swung it suddenly, causing it to crash into the side of the ship and fall to the water's below.

More cursing followed, the man on deck pointing and shouting at the ones on the dock, but farther down Matthew would notice the shape of a small child running around the next corner.

Once Matthew rounded that corner he would find the boy standing at the end of a long pier, staring out into the waters beyond. As Matthew approached, if he approached, the boy would look back and give a small smile, "I think I lost them. Is my sister safe?"
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[Matthew]

Of course he could get close enough to the boy. He had no doubt about that. The fact that the dagger wouldn't summon the creatures though, that proved to be more of an annoyance. He wasn't so sure if he could handle all of this alone. However, since they were following him... he now had no doubt that they would follow him to the boy as well. And then it wouldn't matter. ***** The sight of the docks was like an old memory he had forgotten. He ignored the thought as it crossed his mind, not having time to ponder it over. Instead he just kept on moving, kept on walking, letting thoughts and ideas run through his head. Assuming they were following him still, he had no time to do anything but what he had said he would do. He would just have to hope that it would all be enough. He glanced around a few times, blue eyes soaking in the scenery. There was the crashing box, water, docks. Then there was the boy, vanishing around a corner. He jogged forward and after the boy, twitching a bit as the sensation hit the back of his neck. He wasn't sure if it was the Silence or someone else. He was going to assume it was the Silence. He turned the corner and there was the child. He approached him quietly, watching him carefully. At the question, he tilted his head and thought a brief moment. He could soften the blow, but there was no point. "No. She is not. They did not follow you. They killed your sister." He didn't give the boy much time to let this sink in. Instead he grabbed ahold of his Djed, having paused to grab a small snack while wandering around in search of the boy, restoring some of what he had lost. Burning some of the magic as it surged through his veins, he made eye contact and spoke firmly, though with a soft voice just in case he could somehow stop the Silence from hearing. "They sent me to kill you. They likely followed me. You need to make a choice. Are you going to weep and keep running, or do you want to fight back?" He lashed out with a surge of emotion, blessing the boy with the one thing that he hoped the child could put to good use. Anger. This could very well be a suicide mission, but if it was to be that then he would make sure he tried the best that he could. He still had a plan. He would never be without a plan. Stupid, was he? Yes, perhaps he was. The next part required a part of him that he hadn't touched in a very long time. He forced himself not to indulge in it, kept it far far away and strangled it to death if it ever came close. But to fully send the emotion at the boy, he had to indulge in it himself. The Harlot took a small breath and then let it slowly start to flood through him. Anger. It was such a hot sensation. "I'm going to fight back, boy. You can fight with me or you can keep running. It is your choice. I would appreciate it if you would go ahead and give me 15 gold mizas, if you do plan to fight." Matthew gave the boy a humorless smile, a painfully unfamiliar feeling of lips stretching over teeth. Why did he get stuck in these sorts of situations? "I have standards to uphold." No room for misery and mourning, not yet. He hoped the child would take the anger that he had been given and use it to block out everything else. Perhaps he would direct the anger at Matthew. Perhaps he would direct the anger where it belonged.