..E m p i r e * o f * O s a n e n.. [O/A]{Ignore Page Count}

[.:Xhang Sen:.]

ɨf you play with fire...

λou're liable to get burned...

•·.·´¯`·.·•✿•·.·´¯`·.·•

Ember had forced herself to stare at nothing but the stupid food that continued to taunt her. She said her thanks, she didn’t owe him anything else… so why was she feeling something tugging at her. She would’ve eaten more, if only her stomach would cooperate for once in her life. Yeah, sure he was being more hospitable than she was… probably wasn’t a good thing considering she was supposed to be the ‘host’, but how could she trust him? There were lots of thieves around these days… How was she supposed to know?

It was good that he was leaving.

Right?

"Well, thank your for your hospitality, spitfire,"

"Hopefully, our paths will cross again sometime."

She winced. Guilt was now consuming her as she let her head land on the table with a loud bang. Why was she always like this? But, what could she do now? Go after him? But wouldn't that make it seem like she was sorry… wait, she was sorry. But it was too late… he probably thought she to be a spiteful b***h by now. Well, she was, there was no denying that. Whether she meant to be or not, she has always been like. It was the only way she knew how to be though… All her parents ever did was teacher her how to be even more spiteful. There was no point going after him. He would probably be better off never seeing her again.

And now she was alone. Left to be miserable in this sad, sad excuse for a home…

Pissed off more at herself than anything else, she pushed herself away from the table and stood up letting her blanket fall off onto the chair. The house was surprisingly warm. She peered into the sitting room. It must've been the fire he started. She bit her lip being reminded of how polite he'd been. She tried to push it out of her mind... there was no use dwelling on 'coulda, woulda, shoulda'. She made her way to the cabinets and rummaged through them till she found what she was looking for. The medicine box. She really needed to thank her sister when she sees her, again… if she sees her, again…

“Damnit!”

She slammed the cabinet door and opened the box, fixing up what she needed. When she was done she put everything away and returned to her room with her blanket. She lay back down on the bed and curled up hoping to get at least few hours of sleep.

[Dragon_Lord_Akuma]

-=══════════════════════════════ Șpy══=-

Keiji lowered his head slightly, and couldn't help but let out a barely audible laugh. Did that man seriously think that after everything Keiji had been through, he’d give it all up to be a stable boy? Granted, the dirty young man understood that the general really didn’t know anything, so he forgave him for that, but the idea that he needed the general’s sympathy was more than annoying. Just because he looked grungy and scrawny didn't mean that he needed help from someone like him.

Not after he got this far all by himself.

His hand unnoticeably slipped under his shirt to feel the cool touch of something between his chest and the thin fabric as Keiji took a breath before straightening up and turning his icy blue gaze to the tall man. Addressing him silently, his face was expressionless, almost cold and lifeless looking from under the hood. No words came out from Keiji’s mouth at that moment towards the general or anyone else that spoke to him, but inside his head, it was a different story. So many options as to what he could do or not do... it was then that he noticed how much of a crowd he attracted - and he hadn't even done the deed yet!

Man, he really sucked at this whole stealing business.

Damn, so much for getting away unnoticed... how does everyone else seem to do it?

The only thing that really cut at his conscience was the owner of the horse. It would be an innocent young girl to possess this beautiful creature. He hoped it would be some pompous, rich man who’d deserve to have his horse taken from him, but even with this new discovery he couldn’t turn back now. He tightened his hold on the now untied reigns as he forcibly blocked out the voices of the merchant and the young lady. They were not the biggest threat to him at that very moment.

The light drizzle began to thicken into a downpour of rain, forcing Keiji to take off his face wrap in order to make himself better heard as he raised his voice to the other man. “Save your pity, Dog. If you think I’m so easy to conquer, then prove it!” At that he swiftly mounted the horse and pulled on the reigns. “Catch me if you can, ‘sir’!” Once the words left his lips, he kicked the horse’s sides and, although it hesitated for a split second, it neighed loudly and sped off, the heavy rainfall making them disappear almost instantly.

[~::*Shinji*::~]

ℛ α c q υ є ℓ....❅.... 𝕮 α и δ є ℓ α я ι α

Underneath my lucid skin
The cold is lost, forgotten

"Artemis, NO!"

Her heart skipped a beat as her golden eyes widened at the sight. Even as the rain picked up into a torrential downpour, she for the first couple of seconds out of pure shock didn't do anything but just stare at the last spot that she saw her horse and the stranger. It only took a mere couple of seconds for her hair and body to become completely drenched and matted against her frail body, but that was irrelevant at the moment to Racquel. Snapping out of her initial reaction to what had just unfolded before her, she spun around to meet her friend's gaze, her yellow irises glowing with determination in the dimness of the gray that surrounded them.

Panicked, she latched her hand onto her Shaena's arm. "I have to get her back," she spoke somewhat louder than usual so she was heard over the rain. Not wasting any time, Racquel then made a bee-line directly for the only other form of transportation around that would allow her to catch up to them - the General's horse. She knew it was wrong, but she wasn't technically stealing it... as long as she returned the animal after she got hers back, it would be then classified as her borrowing it.

Racquel was able to swiftly find the reigns, as well as hoist herself up onto the horse as though it were second nature to her. The large animal seemed confused initially, but was quick to respond to her silent commands as she had it walk up to where the man stood, her facial expression having contorted into a form of sadness, but also anger that was not directed at him. The white haired girl could only hope that a man of the Emperor would understand, having seen the situation at hand, as to why she doing this.

"I am sorry for doing this, sir, but I must go. I promise to return it once I am done." Before she started off, however, the soaked girl put two fingers into her mouth as she let air escape from her, creating a high pitched sound with a frequency that most humans detested hearing. Racquel knew that if Artemis was close enough, she would react to it somehow, hoping that whatever her horse does will give her a chance to make up for lost time and allow her to fill in the gap between them. Any advantage that she could get she was going to use.

She wasn't going to lose her horse to some stranger.

My mouth is so frozen I can't even speak
You're making it hard for me
All I can do is freeze

[Isnook2]

Andrei Rofocale Sergov
xxxxxxxxI want your obedience.
xxxxxxxxxxxI want your absolute loyalty.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxI want your soul. Relinquish control to me.

Give yourself unto your God. Sacrifice yourself again.
Burn your thoughts, erase your will, To Gods of suffering and tears.

Attempting to bribe a horse thief? The general shot the lady a warning glare, though it seemed to do little to discourage her from making such an absurd offer. Still, he knew that this was not just a horse thief. If he had to, he was quite willing to draw his sword and slice through the horse's leg to prevent it from going anywhere. The military could easily repay her another horse of equal quality, and the spy's capture was for the benefit of the empire. Unfortunately he did not have the time to exact such a move, his feet slipping on the mud as the mounted figure took off into the blur of grey, heavy rain.

He turned to call his horse, only to find that the thick-headed wrench had swung herself up onto the saddle and now held the reigns which he had tucked beneath the leather. Irritation and anger flooded his mind, tempting him to draw his sword on the insolent civilian. Her wealthy-looking clothes saved her. Had she been any other commoner he would not have hesitated to strike her with the flat of his blade. Fingers tightened on the grip of his sword, eyes narrowed as she sped off after the criminal. If she thought that there was no harm in kidnapping a general's horse, than she was no wiser than the pampered daughters of nobility. He cursed her in his native tongue. May her offspring rot in hell, or inherit some brains from their father. Did she honestly think that someone of his standing would really bother with a common thief and come out into the rain without a coat on? He had only been trying to lure the brat away to a less populated corner.

He turned to Shaena, narrowing his eyes and then stepping toward the store to get out of the rain. It had soaked through his uniform and was still dribbling from the peak of his cap. He judged that they were friends, since she had bothered to talk to the storekeeper before bolting off on his horse. A customer with hardly any social attachment would not have bothered otherwise, for an emergency like this did not merit wasting time.

"That friend of yours... tell me her full name and address." He commanded, taking carer not to venture too far into the shop so that he would not drip water all over the floor. Venomous contempt dripped from his words, warning of severe consequences if she attempted to deceive him.







Tie hallowed bonds around your hands. xxx
Kneel before this seat of shame,xxx
To Gods as lost,xxx
Gods as blind,xxx
Gods of suffering and pain.xxx

[Brethil24]

Ah, and the people just keep coming and coming…She’d hoped that Racquel would have stayed inside and let her handle it, but then again, Racquel wasn’t exactly a dainty little princess that need to be taken care of. General Andrei’s appearance at least made a little sense, since he did say he would be returning. This third person though…a simple bystander who wanted to see what would happen next? Or maybe someone with her own agenda to fill? And that thief…Shaena eyes narrowed as she got a better look at the man. Great, there go the odds of him coming along peacefully. With so many people to account for, things were going to get messy fast.

Almost as if on cue, the thief hopped on to Artemis, essentially thumbed his nose at all of them and then galloped off down the streets. The gentle drizzle had increased to a downpour by now, and before she could react, Racquel had grabbed her arm with a surprisingly firm grip. “I have to get her back.” And before Shaena could calm her down and persuade the girl to let her handle this, Racquel was already on the general’s horse and speeding away. It took everything Shaena had to hold back a string of colorful curses, and she instead settled with swiveling suddenly to address a very grumpy man.

“Come now, do we really want to tangle with the nobility now? I understand you hold a lot of clout yourself, but my friend isn’t exactly a little beggar that you can do whatever you want with.” Shaena moved quickly, passing the general and heading around to the back of her store, her stream of words not even stopping for a moment. “Not that I’m refusing to cooperate, my highly ranked friend, but don’t you think we can work out a deal? You need to catch the little ferret, and I need to retrieve my companion in one piece, and we both need a mount to accomplish this.” Not that she thought Racquel couldn't handle herself, but the younger girl wasn't exactly amazing at combat, and if her parents got wind of this little incident, Racquel probably wouldn't get to go outdoors until her wedding day.

A small yet well-built stable stood behind the store, and Shaena rushed inside to greet the sole occupant. Not enough time to properly saddle up; a simple blanket and vocal commands would have to do for now. Within seconds, Shaena was back in front of the store, astride what could only be described as a very ugly something. “Now I do believe Shelly here is willing to carry two today. So what do you say? You might even learn a thing or two about our fair city.” Shaena’s smile, despite having not shrunk at all, now seemed rather smug, as if she were more than willing to ride off without him, should he refuse.

[Isnook2]

Andrei Rofocale Sergov
xxxxxxxxI want your obedience.
xxxxxxxxxxxI want your absolute loyalty.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxI want your soul. Relinquish control to me.

Give yourself unto your God. Sacrifice yourself again.
Burn your thoughts, erase your will, To Gods of suffering and tears.

When the damned girl not only refused to tell him her friend's family name, but went as far as to try and bargain with him, the general finally lost his patience. He saw no reigns, and no way to guide the horse properly, let alone use a sword effectively if the only way he could mount up was behind the pet trader. Rage flooded his mind, but he willed himself to walk up to the cross-breed, noting that it seemed a mixture mule of some sort. A gloved hand reached out, fingers curling into the thick rough fabric.

"Listen up Shaena. When your friend 'burrowed' my horse, she has impeded me. A general's work, or your friend's little romp in town, which do you think is of more importance, even to the nobility? That child has gone after a spy whose existence threatens this whole town and its people. You will go after her, convince her to no longer chase the criminal or I will ensure that disgrace falls upon her family. Of course, you are to bring my horse back. My presence may endanger both you and her, I will wait here for your return." The man's tone was stern, if not contemptous. He released the blanket once he made his orders very clear, a quick slap on the creature's rump urging it to start a hasty gait. A part of his mind screamed at him for passing up this opportunity, another part knew it was the only logical choice. Chase the nobility's and the military's top horses on that mudblood carrying the weight of two people? He wouldn't even be able to wield a blade. If he went, it might convince the accursed wretch that the military was on to him and he might take one of them hostage...

You idiot. And if he takes the both of them hostage?!

Then I will have clearance to move my troops out immediately.

Narrowing his eyes against the rain, the general grumbled as he stalked across the road back to the smith's shop. He was soaking wet by the time he got there, an apology mumbled half-heartedly as he stepped in and noticed himself still dripping rainwater over the floor. While he made sure not to go too near the weapons, it was difficult to manuvere with other customers in the shop. A frosty, agitated aura clung to him as he shed took off his cap and tilted it, then his gloves with some difficulty and stuffed them in the pocket of his coat. Dreadful, dreadful day. The current events already guranteed that he would spend the rest of it writing a long report, not only having to cite the circumstances but his reasons behind his every move. Especially as to why I couldn't go after the b*****d...




Tie hallowed bonds around your hands. xxx
Kneel before this seat of shame,xxx
To Gods as lost,xxx
Gods as blind,xxx
Gods of suffering and pain.xxx

[Dragon_Lord_Akuma]

-=══════════════════════════════ Șpy══=-

The speckled horse raced over the muddied streets as the raindrops hit like pebbles against the thief’s face and arms, but he had to keep going. He didn’t care who chased him, or whose horse he stole, or who he hurt… He had a determination that could not be matched. Everything was riding on him to get through. If he failed then-

The horse neighed loudly and hesitated, kicking his front hooves into the air. Keiji frantically pulled at the reigns trying to calm the creature down, while fighting to stay seated at the same time. It trotted around a bit, as if trying to go back the way they came, until finally it settled down as Keiji cooed it gently patting its neck. He took this second to figure out where he was going. There were very few people out, if any, due to the heavy rain. He wasn’t familiar with this part of the city… The only reason he came here was for his Halberd. He hoped it would be safe with the undersized, brawny smith.

Suddenly, the young thief realized he and the horse were just standing in the middle of the street during a horrible storm and a get away chase. What the hell was he doing? Although it didn’t seem like anyone was following him, which was strange, he couldn’t be sure. Were they really giving up that easily?

He shook his head briefly, and decided that it would be better to continue.

He was having trouble seeing through the torrential downpour and the rain hitting the ground muffled his hearing, so he couldn’t trust that they weren’t following him. Keiji pulled on the reigns and redirected the horse towards, what he was hoping, a good places to the lose the general and hide.

That’s when he heard the sound of a second gallop coming up behind him through the rain. He glanced back briefly and saw just what he’d expected. The general’s horse was just behind him. Although the thief struggled to keep his grip on the moist reigns he let go with one hand and rested his palm on a wrapped handle that was hanging on his back. Exhausting his horse now would be pointless. If he could hinder the general then he certainly wouldn’t have to…

[Brethil24]

Well someone was certainly a little grumpy today. Shaena nodded almost docilely as the general launched into a scathing tirade that would have cowed most others. Still, not a complete loss. At least the general had given up on getting Racquel’s information for now, and his words only confirmed the merchant’s earlier suspicions. The spy, eh… She’d expected the boy to be a little better at avoiding detection than this, seeing how he’d caused so much trouble.

Shelly happily ignored the scathing remarks flying above her head, only bothering to look up when the man slapped her rump. Even then she only huffed in an annoyed manner, as if asking if that was really necessary. Shaena patted the creature’s head in an apologetic way before addressing the general. “Of course, I’m sorry for the trouble. I only thought you’d want to come along to save a little time. I’ll bring your horse back as soon as possible.” Giving her steed another encouraging scratch behind the ears, the pet merchant leaned forward and whispered something indecipherable. Shelly suddenly perked up, an alert look in her eyes, and took off at a quick trot in the same direction that Racquel had taken.

Shaena waited until they’d gone round a corner before whispering her next set of instructions. Wouldn’t do to show off any more escape routes than was necessary after all. At her next set of murmured instructions, Shelly abruptly burst into a surprisingly fast gallop and the two pounded down the abandoned streets. The rainstorm had pretty much washed away the scent for the two of them, but every now and then a faint whiff would drift pass, and Shaena’s eyes misted over slightly as she focused on the trail, her constant instructions keeping them more or less on track. If the spy kept heading in this general direction, then… Another muttered phrase and the two of them were suddenly heading down a small, dank side alley, too small for most animals, but just big enough for Shelly and her rider to squeak through. Ever so slowly a feral grin spread across the young woman’s face, and the two raced through the storm.

[.:Xhang Sen:.]

ɨf you play with fire...

λou're liable to get burned...

•·.·´¯`·.·•✿•·.·´¯`·.·•

Ember rolled over after about an hour or so of actual sleep. She grudgingly lifted her eyelids figuring that she wasn’t going to get much sleep than that for now. Lifting herself up the younger girl took in a deep breath through her nose… She did feel a great deal better, even if it was still a bit cold in the cabin. The pitter-patter of the rain grew heavier and more numerous against her faltering roof. It was getting worse out… She stood and strolled leisurely toward the window, slightly applying pressure to the wooden shutter that was preventing the rain from entering. It creaked open, defiantly as she peered outside. It really was raining hard… And here she sent that man out into this… her lips pressed together as she tried not to think about it too much. What was done was done. No use crying over spilt milk.

She closed the shutter and made her way to the ‘sitting room’ where the fire had been made. It had been reduced to a flickering flame, desperately trying to stay alive under the water that was now gently trickling in from above. Ember bent over and poked at it with a skewer, attempting to help it live, but it eventually died out. Seeing that the ash and wood was now too wet to try and light again, she simply fetched a deep pot and placed it in the fireplace in order to catch any more water that may leek in.

After that, she scavenged around her kitchen and found a bag of miscellaneous whatnot. She still needed to go to town and see if she could sell some of this stuff she’d been ‘finding’ in a few ruins that on the outskirts the empire. She snatched a cloak from one of the chairs and the bag on the floor while also clipped her chakrums to her belt, just in case.

The girl pulled the hood over her head and she exited the cabin, locking the door behind her (as if it really matters). And she started on her way to town.

((It's not much and it doesn't help anyone else post... but it's something >.< please don't die D; ))

[~::*Shinji*::~]

ℛ α c q υ є ℓ....❅.... 𝕮 α и δ є ℓ α я ι α

Underneath my lucid skin
The cold is lost, forgotten

The sound of the pelting rain and the horse's hooves pounding against the paved streets was all that reached her ears as she headed blindly towards the only other distinguishing noise that she picked up for only a brief moment - her horse neighing, struggling to obey her call. Her level of visibility was practically zero, but she could hear another set of clicks against stone growing louder as she neared a shadowed form. The closer she got, the more determined Racquel was that she had finally caught up with her target... which then forced her to think of the next step in her plan.

At first, the idea of yelling out to her steed came up as logical, but if the rain was as loud as she perceived it to be, then her voice would be merely drowned out and unheard, her efforts becoming void. Past that, the soaked girl had no idea what to do. She was not one to do something so brave, so unladylike like this, and because of that, conceiving any thoughts or ideas as to how to get her horse past following him was practically impossible. If this were a more civilized situation, she would demand her horse back like she did earlier, however, she had a feeling that such a thing would not work. What made her worried was the fact that she was unarmed, and most likely, the stranger was not, and combat was not her thing...

Ember, what would you do...?!

Nervously, she patted the horse's saddle that she sat upon, hoping to find something, anything that she could use to her advantage. With a couple of pats, she quickly found a small holster with a knife resting inside of it. It was nothing in comparison to a sword, and it would be impossible to use in such a situation, especially on horseback.

Unless...

Gritting her teeth, she whipped the reigns and squeezed her feet into the animal's sides, encouraging it to pick up its pace and get even closer to her horse and the cloaked man. Just as they were parallel to each other, Racquel began to balance herself in such a way, practically kneeling on the horse's back. The frightened girl could not believe that she was even doing this... she had only done this with her sister as a way of amusement, but now it was a matter of life or death, and with a male stranger, nonetheless. Momentarily clutching her chest with the hand that bared the weapon and squeezing her eyes shut, she popped them back open just as she was they reached the right spot, using her legs to catapult herself as she flew across and landed on Artemis, right behind the thief in a sitting position, as though they were riding together. Then, not knowing what else to do, she wrapped her arms around him, the knife now resting on his neck and the other arm being used as a restraint for his arms as it rested across his chest and just below his shoulders, in case he were to do anything.

"Please give me my horse back! I don't want to hurt you!" she spoke up over the sounds that seemed to wash away other usual noises of the outside world. In her mind, she was scared out of her mind, hoping he would just relent... the shaking of her body could be passed off as chills from the rain, as that fact did play a part, but that was not the only factor at the moment...

My mouth is so frozen I can't even speak
You're making it hard for me
All I can do is freeze

[Dragon_Lord_Akuma]

-=══════════════════════════════ Șpy══=-

The sound of hooves echoed though the heavy rain, barely audible but still there. As the thief went about his way, not stopping, not resting, he noticed something unusual. The sound of hooves seemed louder or… more numerous than before. He tensed realizing that the General must’ve caught up with him. He turned his head briefly, in an attempt to see what side he was coming up on. Sure enough, the big ebony horse was close behind him. He tried to urge the horse he was on to go faster, but he knew from the start that he wouldn’t be able to out run a military steed.

As the black stallion pulled up beside him, Keiji readied himself for a fight, clutching the reigns in his left hand and touching the handle of a short sword at his lower back. Although, he couldn’t make out the figure on the horse next to him, he watched and waited for his opponent to attack first.

He watched in bewilderment as the figure began some kind of acrobatic move on the horse's back. Being caught off guard he wasn’t able to react when the figure jumped off their horse and onto his. They pulled on him, causing him to lose his balance momentarily. This caused the horse to steer off a bit and slow in pace. He felt the person’s arm attempt to wrap around him, and then cold metal pressing against his bare neck.

Keiji was, again, confused by his opponent. They were very… weak.

"Please give me my horse back! I don't want to hurt you!"

Suddenly, everything became painfully clear. It was that girl... The owner of the horse he took. That explained so much… He was expecting to fight a skilled and experienced veteran, but instead this little weakling comes up from behind. The horse slowed to a subtle pace. Her arm around his wasn’t even completely holding him in.

The thief sighed and reached his hand up grabbing her wrist and pulling it away from his neck. He used his other hand, with the reigns in it, to grab her other wrist. He pulled them both out in front of him forcing the color-absent headed girl closer to him. “Look…” He said gently, but loud enough so he may be heard over the rain. “I don’t want to hurt you, either. But I can’t give it back.” Keiji nodded to the other horse, which was wandering about now, “I can’t take that one, because it’s a military horse and it would betray me too easily. I can’t go on without a horse, because I need it for what I’m doing…” He turned his head to the side in an attempt to face her, “I would pay for it, but I don’t have the money.”

Another sigh escaped the raven haired man’s lips as he realized she wasn’t going to give up, but he really didn’t want to ‘take her hostage’ because she would just end up getting in the way.

[Brethil24]

The alley, small and dark as it was, did a good job of blocking most of the rain now pouring from the sky. Upon emerging from narrow space, Shaena was greeted by what literally felt like bucket of water thrown right in her face, and for a moment, she could only sputter, shaking her head to try and clear out her eyes. Shelly slowed to a stop, probably uncertain from the lack of instruction, and nosed around her feet, hoping that a spot of grass might be hiding down there. Glancing up to get her bearings, Shaena blinked twice to make sure that yes, that was Artemis galloping towards them right now, and yes, it was the spy and not Racquel perched on her back. Good. The two of them had apparently been separated sometime earlier, which would make stopping the man all the easier. Yet Shaena realized she’d spoken too soon; the sound of an extra set of hoof beats reached her ears, and Racquel soon rounded the corner, quickly gaining on the spy. If she acted quickly, perhaps she could…but Racquel was already pulling up next to Artemis, and in an act that Shaena felt strangely proud of, she hopped off of the general’s horse onto Artemis’s back and pressed a knife to the spy’s throat. Shaena sighed interally. Undoubtedly the boy would have realized that it was only a young girl, not a fearsome general chasing him, and any action she took now would only spook him and cause him to do something desperate. Urging Shelly to back into the alley a bit, Shaena peered out at the two to see exactly what would happen.

The exchange, if a bit silly, was very enlightening. While efficient, the boy was almost gentle as he restrained Racquel, calmly explaining himself to her, as if that would help! To be fair, of course, he didn’t know how much Racquel loved Artemis. Or how stubborn she could be. Still, this was a good sign. It suggested that the boy could be reasoned with, and that if she were to emerge, he wouldn’t automatically slit Racquel’s throat. Leaning forward to whisper a set of gentle instructions to Shelly, the two of them emerged from their hiding place and slowly moved closer to Racquel and the spy. “Well then, I see you’ve come to a bit of an agreement. You won’t be hurting her, she won’t be hurting you, and if it weren’t for the fact that you’re trying to run off with her horse, I believe the two of you could even be friends.” Smiling politely, Shaena held up both hands to show that she was unarmed, or as close to unarmed as she ever came. When you fight with whatever’s handy, it’s a bit hard to be completely helpless. “Now why don’t we have a little chat. You seem like the honorable sort, or at least as honorable as horse thieves come. What would you say to a little trade? I loan you Shelly, who is much faster than Artemis over there anyways, and I tell you how to get to where you need to go without getting caught. I do know my way around this place, and we caught up to you easily enough, didn’t we? In return, you let the girl and her horse run off on their merry way. Simple enough, yes?” Her smiling widening, Shaena leaned forward with her eyes intently trained on the two of them as Shelly came to a stop just a few feet away. “I’d think quickly if I were you. I’m actually quite surprised the good general hasn’t flooded the streets with pawns yet.”

[Dragon_Lord_Akuma]

-=══════════════════════════════ Șpy══=-

The rain began to lighten as another figure from the shadows addressed him. He tensed, holding the girl behind him closer as to prevent any attempts of escape. Someone else had caught up to him.

The general?

No, but instead, it was the store owner from the shop across from the blacksmith. The slender, light blue haired figure was riding an unfamiliar beast as she approached him confidently. The fact that she caught up to them came to him as of no surprise, but it was more of an inconvenience if anything. It's one thing to have to deal with the girl he was holding, but now he was outnumbered once again. He tugged on the reigns of the speckled horse in order to hold himself in a more defensive position.

Keiji eyed her warily as she rambled on about her proposition. She was right… He needed to move quickly if he were to survive this annoying encounter. They had spent enough time as it was before she even arrived, and now standing around in the rain in the midst of a horse chase, having this conversation... He was losing precious time.

Time to escape.

Thoughts began to flood his head, however, as he sat there and contemplated on what to do next. Was it really all that simple as she made it seem? Didn't he just steal her friend's horse after all... so why the sudden trust? Such belief in a stranger was nearly impossible... how could he believe a girl he didn't know anything about just like that? Did she really think that all was well because of her idea of a "trade"?

“I have only a few questions…" he started, cocking an eyebrow at her "Why should I trust you? You probably have that…” he looked down at what Shaena sat upon briefly, “Animal trained so as soon as I sit on it, it’ll throw me off. Then, you’ll have won all around. And, although it looks like a strong, fast beast, I’m not looking for that. What I am looking for is the height of its jump.” He paused, eyeing her again, “Aside from all that, why are you willing to help me instead of fight me?”

He did find the whole predicament strange, but that was a huge part of why he didn’t trust her. He had a hostage, so that could be the only reason she was playing nice. He couldn’t very well give up the only ‘protection’ he had, just yet. It was almost foolish of her to assume that he would just freely give up his position - he already had what he came for, and he had the advantage as the situation currently was. Keiji wasn't going to cave in that easily without some answers.

[Brethil24]

Shaena canted her head slightly to the left as the thief listed off his questions, her eyes never leaving him and Racquel for a second. Of course she didn’t expect the boy to just automatically accept her terms; the one to propose a deal simply had to expect a little bartering, and she’d have been a little disappointed if he grabbed at her offer too quickly. After all, there was something so… exciting about the forging of a deal between two people, the arguing over petty details, the relatively equal amounts of give and take, that brief moment when an understanding was finally reached. Still, it wouldn't do for someone to come along and interrupt them. She'd have to savor the beauty of driving a deal at some other time.

“As insulting as I find your accusation, you have a point. I could very easily betray you, if it weren't for one, simple thing. I won’t.” Shaena leaned forward and lightly scratched behind Shelly’s ears, her eyes sliding downwards as if there was something fascinating perched on her mount’s head. “Not that you’d understand, but if I ran around turning in everyone who’s broken a law or three, I wouldn’t have any customers left. There’s not much business for a merchant that goes back on her word, and rumors travel pretty quickly in this city.” Not to mention she’d stretched quite a few rules herself on a regular basis. Not that he needed to know that, of course. “And while it’s true you tried to steal my friend’s horse, you also didn’t automatically slit her throat, which in itself is a bonus, and you tried to reason with her when it would have been a lot faster to have just kicked her off that horse of hers. Though it’s probably a good thing you didn’t because then I would have kicked you upside the head.”

A quick wink here. Nothing wrong with sticking a bit of a joke in every now and again. “And as for why I’m willing to help you, it’s because I’m under no obligation to stop you. Fighting you could get rather messy, and I’m really just here to ‘convince her’ that means you, Racquel,” Shaena nodded slightly to Racquel, flashing an apologetic grin, “’to no longer chase the criminal’ yada yada yada, insert threats here, I am then to ‘bring my,’ that would be the general’s, ‘horse back’. As you can see, nothing about aiding in the capture of a horse thief. I really can’t do any of this unless I get Artemis back, and I personally don’t really give a damn about where you’re going as long as no animals or friends are hurt in the process.” And she meant it too. Even if the boy in front of her was a spy out to cause the downfall of their good emperor, she felt no real loyalty to the man on the throne. He was doing his best, of course, but he certainly wasn’t like the old emperor. Now there was a man deserving of respect. Anyways, she hadn’t seen anything as of late showing that a switch in leaders would do anything to negatively affect her or her business or her friends, so what did it matter in letting this grimy little spy head on his merry way? She was only helping him squirrel his way out of one sticky situation, and unless he came back with something very interesting for her, she wouldn’t be repeating the favor. Though she’d let him figure that out later.

“So in the end, I guess it just comes down to how untrustworthy I look, and how much of a hurry you’re in to get to where you need to go. Because, just to let you know, if we aren’t going to be talking, we’ll be fighting. And I’m not exactly a damsel in distress. Oh, and up, Shelly.” Nimbly, in an almost doe-like manner, Shelly hopped a clean five feet into the air with Shaena perched on her back, smiling an incredibly smug smile. The creature then landed daintily on her hooves and gave a slight huff, as if going see? I'm more than a pretty face. Ah, Shelly. Just like her mother in some respects, though she certainly had her father's temperament. She’d have to give the girl a good rubdown when she got home.

[Dragon_Lord_Akuma]

-=══════════════════════════════ Șpy══=-

The thief was completely taken aback, and was unable to hold back a burst of quiet laughter at the merchant’s reasoning and sarcasm. He hadn’t even realized that he’d let go of the girl behind him in order to hide his face out of sheer amusement. It was refreshing. Refreshing to see something might actually work out in his favor. He’d been fighting for so long that he never thought he’d meet someone so willing to show him kindness. He realized that she was simply ‘doing her job’ to get the horses back and save her friend without having to draw swords, but it was the closest thing to true benevolence that he’d been shown since he returned…

If had been any other situation with a completely different person, then he would continue to question her, but this woman’s sincerity was unmistakable. This was an interesting individual who knew what she wanted, and had the compelling attitude to get it. Keiji found her mental strength admirable and almost invigorating. It was almost as though this brief encounter, and the borrowing of her mule like creature will give him a more confidence to fulfill his task.

Keiji collected himself on the speckled horse of which he was seated and faced his ‘opponent’ with a satisfying grin, “You make a sufficient argument…” He pushed his hands on the back of Artemis’ neck and launched his leg over the calm beast, taking care not to hit the girl that had been silently sitting behind him for the entirety of the negotiation. In all honesty he’d almost forgotten her existence since his focus was so heavily concentrated on Shaena.

He quickly walked over to the wandering black horse, of which belonged to the general, and stroked it soothingly on the neck. It was soaked, but so was everything else at the moment. It was truly a magnificent beast… They both were… Such creatures were fitted for the rich and wealthy in a country such as this. Thoughts of the poor and hungry, like himself, began flooding his mind as he escorted the general’s horse towards the speckled one. Keiji took hold of the reigns on Racquel’s horse directing them closer to Shelly, so the merchant and thief wouldn’t have to raise their voices over the now quieting rainfall.

His piercing blue eyes glanced up at the merchant, “Since we have similar goals, that being we don’t want to fight, I’ll quietly accept your offer.” He paused momentarily, “However, I am going to be require its assistance for about a week or so, will you be ok with that?”