Closed The fool (Nephti)

[Arisia]

58th of Winter 516

The day had started of calmly, she had picked up her cards and made her way out into Alvadas, heading wherever the city would take her that day.

She had ended up in the miniature Syrilas, which she was glad about, as it made her feel at home, and she had put up shop in the streets, calling out to people to come have their futures seen.

As usual, some scoffed in disbelief, some embraced having their fortunes told, loving every minute of it. While others saw it as another of the cities many illusions.

She truly believed she was an idiot at times like these. She hadn't planned to be threatened anytime soon. She hadn't planned to not get payed either. Things happened, she supposed.

Work had been normal for that day, she had done a few readings, chatted with customers. The usual. One of her particularly conversational customers had asked about where she was from, so she had talked about Syrilas. Her mother and teacher. She had managed to forgot one crucial detail, the fact that there was a current hatred and slaughter of Vantha.

So the second she had mentioned the fact her mother was a vantha, she was instantly threatened and yelled at. The woman sputtered and yelled slander about the Vantha.

The woman knew she wasn't a Vantha, this was one of her regulars, she knew that Arisia was a Kelvic. Yet, this didn't matter to them. The second the word Vantha was used, it was as if her true race didn't matter.

Fists flew at her, and she quickly blocked them, the woman didn't know how to properly fight, luckily Arisia did, so blocked her attacks, and stepped backwards away from her.

She hoped the woman didn't have a weapon, it didn't appear she did. However if she did that wouldn't be great for anyone.

[Nephti]

Nephti sat in her room, in a staring competition with the reflection in the mirror. She wanted to do something today, to speak, to help people see where the light actually was. She brushed the kohl over her eyes, before pausing, watching it smudge at the tip. Why she had decided to spend so long her makeup, she wasn't sure, except that it gave her confidence and made her look beautiful.

Washing it off again, she tried again, pulling it neatly above her eyelid. As she reached the end, she jumped, scratching a line that rose up to where her hair met her face. She had felt something, deeper than her own feelings. Arisia. Without a second thought, she dropped the stick of kohl, wiping at her eye for the black line to fade. Arisia was in trouble. Makeup could wait.

She turned, pulling her cloak on and using it to hide the weapon she picked up with her lower arms, tucking it discreetly in case it came to that. She couldn't tell how, all she could feel was that her bondmate needed her. She hoped it wouldn't be necessary, however.

Bursting through the door, she tucked the key in one of her pockets, letting it slam behind her. Somehow, she knew where to go, even in Alvadas, feeling the tug of the Kelvic and letting it drag her, unable to keep up with her thundering feet and faster heart.

The shouting was the first sign of trouble. It wasn't clear, and Nephti with her broken common struggled to make sense of the burst of words, but it wasn't friendly. As she hurtled round the corner, she spotted Arisia, blocking punches from another woman. "Leave her alone!" she yelled in Arumenic, not knowing how to express herself in Common, and moved forward, still keeping her weapon hidden. Maybe they wouldn't have to fight. Surely this could be explained? After all, Arisia couldn't have done anything wrong.

"..Vantha!" another voice called out, and the girl struggled to understand the situation. Who was Vantha? She wasn't, definitely, and Arisia was Kelvic? Unless she had mentioned that her mother had been...

The voice who had called out the name of the race moved forward, pulling a knife out. Nephti realised his attentions, and dived forward into his path, pulling her scimitar out swiftly and catching the knife before he managed to strike Arisia. "She is not Vantha!" she called out, trying to explain. Neither the man with the knife or the woman with the flying lists seemed to hear her, and the girl tried again, not sure whether she had spoken in Common or not. "Not Vantha, she is Kelvic! There is no point!" she tried again, shifting closer to her bondmate. These people were crazy. Hurting Arisia would not do anything, even if there was a point to hurting Vantha. Morwen wouldn't care, not compared to the genocide of her people.

She hadn't planned on fighting. But now she was more than involved. Not that she would give up that position and let Arisia be alone. They were bonded, so the Eypharian would always fight for her.

[Arisia]

She felt Nephti's sudden rush of emotions, realising she had felt her panic. Relief flooded through her, but also guilt. She hadn't wanted to get Nephti involved in this, and she didn't want to endanger her, yet she was glad that she would have help soon.

The woman swung at her again, and she stepped back, almost stumbling over. Arisia stood up straight, her tone calm, trying to make her see reason, and the few others who were watching. "I'm not a vantha, I have no vantha blood and no relation to Morwen. There is not reason to fight."

Her voice was shaken, and she stumbled over her words as she tried to explained, nervous at the amount of people who were coming near to her.

It was at that point Nephti ran in, as she heard an unknown tongue amongst the yells and she looked over. Feeling Nephti's confusion, she tried to reason with the people again, her words came out in a desperate yell. Almost like a cry for help.

"I am Kelvic, not Vantha! This is a misunderstanding!"

She had been terrified something like this might happen eventually, and now it had. The second she had heard about the Vantha being attacked her first instinct was to protect herself, as she understood if people realised what her mother was, she would be a target. The world was not a nice place, and it was only recently she truly learnt that. This just solidified it in her mind.

The woman continued to scream at her, speech slurred with rage. How the Vantha were awful and deserved to die, this didn't bother her that much. She had heard it many times in this past season by now.

She saw Nephti holding back a man with a knife, one who heard the woman and clearly had intentions to harm Arisia, thinking she was a vantha.

"We need to get out of here!" Arisia yelled over the crowd to Nephti, holding back the woman still, careful to balance her weight so the woman couldn't knock her down.

[Nephti]

She felt sudden guilt - Arisia's guilt. Relief too, but guilt for getting the girl mixed up to. She didn't have to. Nephti was ready to fight and give her life for her bondmate, no matter how short the period they had known each other was. They had bonded for a reason, and one of those reasons was to protect each other.

There was more shouting, from Arisia and from the woman and suddenly Nephti wished she could cast silence over the street. All this noise could only bring more attention, and that was exactly what they didn't need. Even if the onlookers didn't add to the fight, they would recognise them as Vantha, Vantha supporters, or something like that. She didn't want to be actively hunted as much as any other, and especially not before she had actually done something to help them.

"Can you see a way out?" Nephti hissed back, stumbling backwards as the man made to stab her. His face was full of such greed that he didn't care that he was stabbing at a girl. He just stabbed anyway. The first move missed her, but she was slowly moving back into the houses behind them, and knew it wouldn't be long until she had nowhere to go when she was dodging. Or she wouldn't dodge in time.

Not wanting to use her weapon to hurt the man, she tried to hold it defensively in from of her, trying to remember the lessons she had once had in using it. Keep a firm stance. Use it as an extension of her arm. Watch the opponent to try predict their movements. Was any of that helpful? She turned back to focusing on the man, watching him take a step forward. In response, she dodged back out of another lunge.

But that was luck and doubted that she could keep like that for long.

Layering djed onto her tongue, she tried to focus on the glinting of Syna against her scimitar, using it to bring her thoughts together. She pulled feelings of truth and assurance onto it, concentrating on the gold of the light. It took a lot to bring it all together while trying to stay safe, but once she thought enough had built up, she spat it out all at once, at the same time as he swiped again.

"She is Kelvic, not Vantha, Morwen will not care!" she yelled, voice as heavy as she could make it with the magic she hoped would make him realise that there was no point, that she was telling the truth. That this was wasted time, almost. As she called, he caught her lower arm, slashing a deep cut from elbow to wrist. Her eyes flew open and transferred more emotion than any hypnotism could: the sheer pain, the betrayal, the horror at being attacked for doing nothing wrong. Her armed hand lashed out, slashing at him and although it missed, he stepped back with the attack. Another reached for Arisia, wanting to take her hand and run.

"Arisia, help," she pleaded, hating this, "When you say run, I will run!"

[Arisia]

She looked through the crowd quickly, only allowing a second to pass before she turned back to the current assault. The woman threw another fist at her, her face now crimson with rage.

Arisia stumbled backwards slightly, as the punch landed on her shoulder before she could block it, and she raised her arms to block anymore that could be coming.

Looking over at Nephti, she noticed the man who she was fighting against was backing her nearer to the houses behind. Nephti herself was still desperately trying to convince them that she was not a Vantha, trying to talk an ounce of sense into the armed man.

It was clear that this crowd didn't see them as people worth listening to anymore. They saw them as Vantha or vantha supporters, and all they saw was the money that their bounty would give them. Despite them being mistaken, as they wouldn't get any bounty from their deaths, none of her words would convince them.

Feeling betrayal and horror, not her emotions, her bondmates. She turned to the Eypharian, intense panic and worry surging through her. She saw the man slash Nephti, and Arisia filled with rage. She wouldn't let her bondmate get hurt because of her, this was all her fault.

I need to get us out.

The thought resounded through her mind as Nephti reached for her, and she grabbed hold of her hand, holding onto it so tight it would likely almost be painful.

She looked through the crowd, spotting a way out, though it would be risky, there was a chance they could make it through.

"Nephti, run!" Arisia yelled to the girl, her tone panicked and frightened.

Running as fast as she could, Arisia pushed through the people, holding one arm over her face to protect herself, and the other dragging Nephti behind her.

Some people moved, not wanting to be ran down, and not wanting to kill them. Some moved towards them, trying to attack, but she kept going, shoving them out of the way roughly.

[Nephti]

Her mind struggled to cope under the influx of emotions. Half were hers, but the other half, the ones that belonged to Arisia, overwhelmed her, the girl trying her best to block everything out. She didn't need to feel the rage, the panic, the worry. She was feeling enough of that on her own that she could just know that the Kelvic would be too.

The grip she returned was so tight that the girl's hand was almost crushed, but with the pain searing through her other arm, she didn't and couldn't notice it. It was like a flame was racing through her skin, the raw and red feeling so painful. The worst thing was that she still had to fight to defend herself, wincing at every time she swiped out to attack the man and get him to step away.

All of a sudden, she was running, feet hammering down the street as she did. Copying Arisia, one hand moved up to protect her, then another, while the lower arms gripped each other, trying to stop the blood. Her last free hand still clutched her scimitar, but she pulled it in, not wanting to catch anyone with the sharp blade.

The pair brushed past all manners of people, Nephti looking at them all in a rough apology before she was pulled onwards, and hurried forward. A lot were just onlookers, but others moved to attack. The girl refused to fight anymore, and dedicated herself to the running. Sandals slipped around her feet and the dress tangled in her legs, but she couldn't let it stop her, because Arisia was running, because she was running. The two couldn't abandon each other - all they needed to do was escape for a short while, to let the city calm.

Realising she knew somewhere to hide that would get most off their backs for long enough, she seized control, guiding Arisia towards the side and setting her sights on the section that was Alvadas' Ravok. Water began to slosh over her feet but she continued, aware of the small yet still threatening group on their tail. "Stairs," she murmured to Arisia, "We need to find stairs, to go down." From what she could tell and from the rumours, Ravok was the only place to reach the Underground, and from the way it spilled out on top, she didn't doubt it. It was the perfect place to stay - half of Alvadas had no clue how to reach it. Hopefully, they could put up with the other half.

[Arisia]

The bondmates ran into Alvadas-Ravok, steered by Nephti. Arisia knew of Ravok, she didn't know much other than the warnings from her old teacher to never go there. She knew it was a bad place for a Kelvic to be.

Her mother had given her a warning too, when she was very young. She had only been alive for a season, and it was something she seemed extremely insistent about.

Never go to Ravok, Arisia. You won't survive there, do you understand?

It had been a similar warning to what her teacher had given to her, though it was an odd warning without explantion. Her mother had seemed to feel terror at even the thought of talking about it anymore, so Arisia didn't ask for anything other than what she had been told. She wished she knew why it was so bad there though.

The ground was wet, some kind of liquid on the ground all around the area. Just being in the area made her feel strange, nervous even. Looking carefully, the buildings were on boats, floating.

The crowd still followed them, even as they had passed into another area. Arisia was terrified now, she had never known this much violence was in the world, and it showed her just how greedy people could be. It would have happened eventually even without all this, she would have found out what the world was truly like. Rather than the optimistic view she had possessed before.

Nephti murmured to her about stairs, and Arisia almost thought she misheard, but she didn't have time to ask why they needed stairs, or whether that was what she had actually said. Nephti clarified that they needed to go down, and Arisia was confused still, she had never seen any stairs in Alvadas.

So she searched for them as she ran, dashing round corners and trying to evade the group behind her. Her hair was tangled flying behind her, and her skirt wrapped around her legs, almost causing her to stumble multiple times.

Arisia didn't dare look behind her, though she could hear the crowds yells at them. Her legs ached, and her arm had grown tired from being held up before her, but she didn't dare stop, not while they were still behind her.

Her breath had grown ragged, and she looked desperately, but she couldn't see the stairs. "Do you see any?" She asked her bondmate, her voice tired and out if breath.

[Nephti]

Arisia felt nervous. She wasn't certain why, all she knew that it was Ravok that made her feel this way. It was no longer the nervousness that came from being attacked, from being called Vantha, but a different feeling, a strange one. "Trust me," she tried to reassure her in the run, voice panting and faint, "We can hide."

Where was everyone else when she needed them? Claudia, Rosca, even Alex. They needed people to fight for them too, in case the city decided to not help. Whether it would or not, she couldn't tell. Ionu was unpredictable. Perhaps it would be in his interest of a fun game to let them live. Perhaps - and she really hoped it wasn't right - he was enjoying the hunt and only make things worse for them.

They spun and stumbled through the streets, searching for stairs. Nephti looked everywhere, eyes flying to the sky to the floor in case she spotted anything in this strange city. Nothing - only boats and houses flew past them, the only possible stairs the ones that might be found inside the houses. The girl didn't want to risk it, knowing breaking into a random house could only bring more problems.

Keeping a firm grip on Arisia, her legs tired and her lungs felt like they were on fire, a tight stitch forming at her side. People were behind them - she could hear their footsteps thundering everywhere, echoing at the strangest angles and coming at her from all sides.

Arisia couldn't see anything. Nephti wasn't having much luck either, still searching everywhere as she panted. Knowing she had nothing else to do, she called out in her mind, speaking flowing Arumenic silently. "Ionu, please, we are innocent. Let us leave these crowds behind, have I not done enough to help your people, to give them hope? I will not stop, unless you force me to by letting them find us. Ionu, please, please save us. I will forever be grateful."

And, as if on cue, the pair turned a corner and Nephti almost fell into the open cellar doors. Whether it was a gift from Ionu, or just coincidence that they had stumbled across stairs, she muttered a quick thanks to the god before hurrying down, hoping Arisia would just follow, stopping only to close the cellar doors. The girl tripped down the sharp steep staircase, not noticing the transition from a ceiling to the endless blackness. "Arisia, hurry!" she called, hoping the Kelvic was quick enough, "Come into the Underground, we will be safe here. More safe, at least. I hope." She swallowed tightly, waiting in the darkness. How many would follow? How many were lingering down here already?

Only time could tell. "Where now?"

[Arisia]

She continued to look as she stumbled around the streets, the water splashing against her as she ran. Her breaths quick and shallow, and her legs were aching more than they ever had. Arisia knew she couldn't stop though, stopping would mean their deaths, and that couldn't happen.

She was slightly reassured by the girls words, and it seemed that Nephti knew where they could hide.

They turned a corner, and looking down, stairs had appeared. She didn't know how they had, perhaps another illusion. She didn't have time to doubt whether they were real though.

Nephti called out to her and she ran down into the dark, following her bondmate who was assuring her that they would be safe. Though she could feel the Eypharian worrying as well, but that was understandable.

As they ran down the stairway, she noticed there was no ceiling, only darkness, and it almost looked like a night sky, however it lacked stars. A crimson moon floated in the fake sky, the underground filled with illusions just like above. It was unnatural, and she longed to return to the surface almost immediately after she entered.

It was terrifying, dark and miserable. Arisia looked around, relieved to be away from the crowds above them. Though she had no idea whether they would be able to follow them.

What would they do if they found them? She found herself wondering this as she looked around the streets below. She didn't think it would be nice, if they did find them. It seemed that they would have to stay down here while the crowd dispersed and forgot about them. They could be in here for days, weeks, or only hours. Only time would tell.

Nephti speaking pulled her from her thoughts, bringing her attention back to the girl. She worried as she saw her injury, replying to the girl with a nervous tone. Her voice slightly tired.

"I do not know where now, but you are hurt. Do you know how we can fix it? I don't know anything about healing, but it looks painful."

She paused before checking herself for injuries, only finding mainly bruises and scratches from where she had been fighting off people. None as serious as her bondmate's injury.

[Nephti]

The girl had forgotten the cut that had roared with pain only chimes before, mind having shifted to more urgent things. Now, in the relative silence and emptiness, with the reminder from Arisia, it all came back and she gritted her teeth, trying to ignore it. The more she tried, the more it hurt, and the sight of blood made her faint.

It was as if she wore a sleeve of red, with the blood stained down her arm. It was still bleeding, and she couldn't tell what it was that made her feel light headed - just the sight of blood or the amount she had lost. It didn't need seeing to, and pretty soon, before she did lose too much blood or got in infected. And it did hurt, no matter how much she tried to ignore it.

"Bandages," she said quickly, thinking out loud. They would need something to bind it to stop it bleeding some more. Thinking back to when she treated Sayana's cuts, she remembered the herbs they had used to clean them. Vyfox for cleaning, to avoid them getting too dirty and infected. And there was something else - Krolar paste, to speed up the healing.

Both were useful, but also not something they would be carrying around with them. Not something she carried around, and Arisia claimed she knew nothing about healing. That didn't make her the highest contender on the list either. Still, she decided to tell her anyway, "I know Vyfox water and Krolar for healing. For cuts, I think. They can help, I think." She didn't know what it would result in, but it was worth a try.

Stumbling back a little, she realised her need for bandages, and gripping the wound tight, trying to stop the blood with her multitude of hands. Her head started to spin, and she moved down to rest on the ground, pressing her head against the broken ruins beside her. "Some water, too, would be nice," she mumbled, trying to bring herself back with some blinking. Hopefully they would have enough time before someone found them, because she wasn't strong enough to fight or to run.