Closed Dancing in the Spring

[Matthew]

Matthew quietly studied his opponent as the man advanced. The Harlot had struck out with something of a surprise attack just to see how well the man would deal with it, and the man had ended up dealing with it quite well. He had seemingly been caught off guard but had used natural reflexes to avoid the oncoming blow. So apparently he was talented. The way he held the dagger, the way he advanced... it all spoke of arrogance, but Matthew was not fooled. This was arrogance born of skill. This sort of arrogance was better classified as confidence. Matthew shifted his dagger from hand to hand, the black blade glittering as sunbeams caught its sharp edge. This was going to be troublesome.

His very own thoughts distracted him and he felt one of his feet slip just a bit, causing his arms to windmill and his hips to rapidly sway back and forth. He was left off-balance, but his opponent did not take advantage of the situation. The man did laugh at him, but then glanced down to study the beams that Matthew was using to avoid him. It was easy to see that some were rotting. Was it worth it to go chasing after the Harlot and risk falling?

After all, he did have someone else he could use to preoccupy his time. His smile widened and his head slowly turned, fixing dark eyes on the rebellious Caela. No, she was heading out on the beams as well. He tilted his head and pondered the situation, almost at exactly the same time that Matthew started to ponder it as well.

If the man simply decided to wait, they would have to come down eventually. To get themselves out of this particular problem, they would either have to injure the man so badly that he could not pursue them, or somehow outrun him. Matthew wasn't intimately familiar with the surrounding terrain so he felt that the second option was not the best. He pulled his thoughtful gaze to Caela, studying her. She had been in this town much longer than he had, from what he had gathered. Perhaps she would know better than him? Then again, not many people wandered out into the wilderness on their own. Perhaps making a run for it wouldn't be the best option. But neither was fighting. He had a very good feeling that neither one of them could handle the man on their own. Caela didn't seem interested in teamwork either. So what did that leave them with?

"I don't think prostitute is an accurate term." The man blinked at the sound of Matthew's soft voice, drawing his stare from where it had been studying the wooden boards. He set a foot out on one, gingerly testing it, slowly moving onto it as it creaked under his weight. "I do sell sexual services for money. But that isn't all. I sell company to lonely widows. I sell love letters to heart-broken young girls. I sell whatever my clients may need in order to be pleased, no matter what form that pleasure takes. I am an entertainer, perhaps? A Harlot, some would say." The man raised an eyebrow as he inched out onto the beams, glancing back and forth from Caela to Matthew as he considered which one to attack. Matthew inched a bit backwards and then glanced over at Caela. "Regardless of what your opinion of a prostitute might be-" He had linked the puzzle pieces, it seemed. "Would you be willing to purchase a man who would help you kill an enemy? I accept both knowledge and coin, and since you have already given me knowledge..."

Matthew shrugged his broad shoulders, blue eyes shimmering for a brief moment. "...I'd say that you have a free request."

[Caela Dorin]

The dancer had been forced to retreat to the beams but luckily for her it seemed like it was enough a deterrent for the man. At least for now. He was really after Matthew and seeing as the pair were equally difficult to get to he might go for the harlot but there was no guarantee. Her defiance might have made want to prove a point. If that was the case then he would try to get at her. Regardless of who he attacked and when made little difference. Getting away from him still wasn't a particularly viable option. If he went for her then there was no way she was getting away and if he went for her companion there was no guarantee that she could slip past him unmolested. That did leave her with one other option. She glanced at Matthew. She wasn't going to consider that option though, not unless she was truly desperate. For now she'd just have to think of something else.

The sound of his voice startled her. There had been nothing but quiet tension in the room for the past few chimes and she couldn't even remember when the prostitute had last spoken. The blonde refused to look in his direction, not willing to acknowledge the fact that she was listening. The young woman didn't want to listen to what he had to say however as soon as he completed the first sentence, not that that stopped her from listening all the same. When he described his job like that it sounded almost... reasonable. That was the last way that she wanted to regard it. An entertainer though? Really? How could he say that with a straight face in all seriousness considering what he was? The thug had a skeptical expression and Caela could only imagine how her own face must look.

A brief glance in his direction showed that he was looking at her, addressing her. Her gaze held his despite her misgivings, his blue eyes almost hypnotic as she found herself unable to look away. She wanted to explain that she had no problem with prostitutes in general, just male ones but she couldn't form the words. What she had said earlier in the heat of the moment sounded horrible, petty when she considered that he would still help her despite the fact that she hadn't been willing to help him.

The young woman was stunned at his suggestion even more so. Was he really suggesting killing this thug? Caela hadn't killed anyone before but she'd always liked to think that she could if the need arose. There was a need now. If they didn't at least incapacitate this man then they wouldn't get away and even if they did he would catch them. He could still find them later, come looking for blood instead of coin to erase the wound to his pride and masculinity. She doubted that this man would take it well if he was beaten up by a woman and a pretty boy. So he had to die so that they could be safe not just for now but for the future as well.

The young woman nodded her head, agreeing to his proposal although they had no idea how it could work. They'd have to work together, coordinate themselves to harm the man but somehow do it without giving him warning. How was that even possible?

You'd better have a good plan in mind, harlot.

x

[Matthew]

There were moments when the brute cast a teasing eye toward Caela, as if taunting her with the idea that he might be considering coming in her direction next. Often that teasing glance was also accompanied by a slow and rather perverted sort of stare that stroked from her legs to the tip of her head, delightedly following each and every curve on the way up. He was practically cliche in how he packaged violence and pervertedness into a single musclebound package. Each time though, his eyes would pull away from her and refocus themselves upon the admittedly alluring Matthew. The thug was also cliche in how he immediately dismissed the idea that Caela had anything dangerous besides her sharp tongue, all because she was merely a woman in his eyes. If he recalled, she was actually just a dancer. Even better.

Matthew was flat-out ignoring the man. His intense blue eyes were still staring at Caela, awaiting her response. Everything hinged on what she said, all because of an odd personal quirk on Matthew's part. If she did not purchase him, he would hold back. If he was not purchased, he would act in a logical way, hiding the full extent of his abilities due to an overly-cautious mindset. Could one really be overly cautious when it came to magic, though? Matthew was the sort to keep it tucked away until the very last second, until it might very well be much too late.

But if Caela purchased him, that would be different. Then she would be his client. Then he would do everything he could to please her. And if it was her utmost desire to see this brigand dead? He would fulfill that desire, just like he fulfilled every other his clients brought to him. When she finally nodded that quick silent little nod, he returned a quick motion of the same kind.

Trust in your Harlot.

Magic swirled within his belly, Matthew's eyes glinting for the briefest of moments. He pulled upon strands of the djed, dipping his fingers into the sticky pool of blue and dragging it up through the canals of his slim body. He drunk it in, breathed it deep, coated his innards with it and slowly began to put it to use. First was the basic aura of the man, flickering dimly into view, the simple process of viewing one aura almost like second nature to the Harlot. He could taste the emotions of the man on his tongue, a metallic and meaty mixture of sadism, reckless confidence and arousal. He let those emotions swirl though the cavern of his mind, hearing the songs that the sensations were singing. Though the Harlot did not move, in his mind he lifted his hands, a maestro ready to gracefully play his art. He swung his hands to and fro, the music of his own magic ringing through his ears, bright red strands of djed reaching out to drape over the brute.

This art was different. This art was Hypnotism, with bright red Suggestions painted across the main, enforcing an already prominent thought within his mind. Easy prey. Matthew enforced the idea that he was the prime target, that he was the easiest target. He gently continued to layer subtle suggestion after subtle suggestion, until Caela would perhaps notice that the thug was now intensely focused on Matthew, almost a daze on his intensely focused and grinning face. He moved quickly across the wooden beams, gaining ground on Matthew, lunging out with a few sharp blows that left the Harlot reeling. He didn't force himself to use his djed when he couldn't focus, merely kept a hold of it.

The man wasn't trying to fillet him quite yet, he was toying with Matthew where Caela could plainly see, trying to instill terror into the beautiful dancer. First, he would break the body of the pretty boy. That would make him easy to slice up after he was done indulging himself with Caela.