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 Posted: Sun Jul 25, 2010 3:06 pm
Kaden sighed as he left one of the small vendors on Market Row, a little richer than he had been when he'd arrived. He'd been too late in the day to get a good price on the fish he'd caught and it had taken him some time to find a vendor who was willing to pay at least close to what the fish were worth. No doubt the man would turn around and sell the fish for twice what he'd paid. Well, there was always tomorrow.
The fisherman wandered slowly around Market Row, now just killing time. All he had to do at home was repairing nets and that was as boring as watching grass grow. But, the nets were an important part of his life, as was his boat. Without them, he wouldn't be able to even make what little money he was.
Though Kaden had little use for money most of the time. He was a simple man and his needs were basic. He had a home and his boat and clothes on his back. Fish were in the sea and there were fruit and vegetables for the picking if he wanted to visit one of the islands. Hmm, perhaps he should go there tomorrow. He could use some fresh fruit, though it would cost him a day of fishing. Perhaps he could even try his hand at killing something for a bit of red meat.
The man walked on, lost in his thoughts. The nearer islands would be no good. Too many visited them often. No, he'd have to go to one of the further islands. Such a trip would probably cost him two days of travel...
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Posted: Sun Jul 25, 2010 3:49 pm
"Don't you have any manners?"
Nikolai stopped at the voice, a little bewildered from where it came from. He trusted his instincts and from all senses, there was nobody around except for the boy beside him. It only took him a couple more minutes of tense silence before the mercenary realized the remark had indeed come from his usually quiet companion-- and for once, in the boy's natural voice. There was a certain melody that came with it, and the tune was a sort of feminine that fit the kid's appearance. In short, it was the sort of voice Nikolai hated, but at the very least it wasn't another mimicry.
"I don't want to hear that from you."
Rolling his eyes, the tall man popped the rest of the roasted fish in his mouth, devouring it bones and all. What the hraapea failed to see was the guardian turning his head and spitting out the bones. With great interest, the boy followed his lead only to choke rather hazardously on the pins. After a minute or two of hacking, the hraapea managed to spit it all out. To prove his ward wrong, Nikolai kicked some dirt over the disgusting pile and started to move on.
There was something to be said when a hraapea asked if you had manners, especially when one was like Nikolai. Born from a noble family and owner of a rather luxurious bar, the man was born and bred for elegance. However, when one traveled as often as he did and shedded the socially accepted job of a bartender, the redhead would adapt to the ways of a traveling assassin. It was impossible to ask for a fork and knife at every meal, especially in the middle of nowhere. Then there was the fact that his ward was a child--..... And at the very basic level, a bird. One rarely wanted to hear that they ate like a beast from a beast.
"You rarely want to hear anything from me. Where are we going?"
The last question was one that popped up often, but from Helias' knowledge, rarely answered. He figured he'd still try, since the hraapea was still too young and naive to submit to the same crushing cynicism his guardian exuded.
"To town."
"What town?"
Helias screwed up his delicate features, surveying the area around him. With one gold eye and one that shone like black onyx, his vision wasn't nearly as good as Nikolai's. From what little he could see, there weren't many people here. His guardian often hid him from view when it came to the busier stress of Aerr, so it was a nice change to be able to walk out in the open.
"Run to the bushes if you hear anyone approach. Follow, but don't let yourself be seen. You can do that much, right?"
The redhead frowned as they neared the town, shielding his eyes from the sun. It was still early in the day and people should be busy going about their business. They weren't close enough yet where they would meet too many people. Still, it was always good to be prepared. Lately, Nikolai found out that people were interested in exotic appearances and there were markets that were darker than the one he worked in.
At length, Nikolai took a glance over his companion. The boy was a full foot shorter than he was, only 5'6" even with his shoes on. The feathers that formed the boy's 'tail' had proven to be a hindrance on more than one occasion, even if his overall outfit made for easy movement. When they returned to Aerr, the redhead made a mental note to try and remove them. It would also make the boy less conspicuous.
"Why do I have t--"
"Go."
Giving his ward a half-kick, the mercenary narrowed his eyes when the boy merely stepped out of range. Too late to run, the man whipped off his coat and threw it around Helias, covering his small wings and pulling up the hood in a half attempt to cover everything else. It was going to look weird either way, what with the hraapea's half mask and all. Lowering his gaze and putting his hand around the kid's shoulder, Nikolai forced himself to relax and walked past the pair of women who looked at them in curiosity. Unfortunately, Nikolai was too practical to think they were whispering and pointing excitedly because of his handsome features.
Man, it was a drag traveling with freaks.
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Posted: Sun Jul 25, 2010 4:49 pm
Kaden was still lost in thought as his feet automatically took him towards home. His own little home, outside of town and on the shore. Luckily, only a few people were out and about and thus Kaden didn't have any problems with not paying much attention to where he was going.
A slight commotion from up ahead dragged the man out of his musing and caused him to look up. Two visitors, slightly odd looking ones at that, were making their way into town. Korr was small enough that Kaden at least knew the locals by their appearance, if not by name.
Nodding to the two men, he greeted them. "Good day and welcome." It never hurt to be polite.
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Posted: Sun Jul 25, 2010 5:07 pm
Nikolai had been about to ignore the greeting, reaching out to stop his ward. Unfortunately a split second too slow, the mercenary sucked in a sharp breath and bit back a long chain of unceremonious swearing.
Pushing the heavy, uncomfortable hood off his head to reveal the half mask and mismatched eyes, Helias stopped a few paces in front of Kaden, eyes wide as he studied the fisherman without the slightest hint of reserve. In the city of Aerr, most people were fair skinned like his guardian and it was very rare for the hraapea to find anyone with dark skin like his own. In his curiosity, the boy's shy nature took a back seat as Helias reached forward to rub Kaden's arm. To his great joy, the tan didn't rub off.
"He's re--"
"--Don't touch."
Grabbing Helias's wrist, the bartender flashed Kaden a distracted smile as he dragged the boy behind him. Even with his long feathers, Helias was quite easy to conceal.
"Good day. Sorry. Goodbye."
Walking past the other man, Nikolai paused long enough to give his companion another push before turning around to ask over his shoulder.
"Do you happen to know the nearest tavern?" If there was one.
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Posted: Sun Jul 25, 2010 5:21 pm
The poor fisherman was rather startled when the smaller of the two companions pushed back the hood to reveal rather startling features. Startled might be a bit too calm of a word for it. Kaden didn't know what to think. He'd heard rumors (often when the teller was rather drunk) that there were strange people walking around Levintol, but he hadn't believed it until right that instant.
Too surprised and startled to react, the fisherman just watched as this stranger reached out and rubbed his arm before the taller of the two jerked Helias back and behind him.
Kaden stood there, still dazed a bit, until the two continued on their way. Wait, the taller one had asked a question. "Tavern?" He asked, a bit stupidly. "Oh, uh, yes. There's one on this end of Market Row. Big sign... can't miss it."
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Posted: Sun Jul 25, 2010 5:56 pm
"Thanks. And if anyone asks, you didn't see anything."
Nikolai's voice was something like a rollercoaster. The start of his sentence had been lighthearted and rather grateful, but the end was left with a dark foreshadowing. Coupled with his height, well trained body and scarred face, the man certainly had a good appearance for issuing threats.
As he started to walk again, the mercenary stopped two paces down the road. Looking down, Nikolai casted a glance left and right before noticing his ward had disappeared. Left in his hand was his own coat, decidedly void of a small, boy shaped hraapea.
"What are you?" Walking alongside Kaden and about as stupid as Nikolai had come to find he could be, Helias took the fisher's hand and looked at it as though it might grow talons. "Your skin's normal like mine, but you smell like fish." Frowning, the boy arched his wings until they fanned out on either side of him, indicating with his free hand. "Do you have these to-- OW!"
Helias stumbled a few paces as the blow connected with the back of his head, his vision blurring momentarily when tears formed amongst the pain. Squatting down, he rubbed his head furiously until his ponytail came undone. Nikolai offered no comfort, rolling his sleeve back down and visibly restraining himself from braining the boy again.
"What did I say about talking to strangers?"
"But he's not scary like you." Helias mumbled, sitting down on the road altogether. He was seeing stars, not exactly accustomed to pain like his companion was. "Right, mister?"
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Posted: Sun Jul 25, 2010 6:13 pm
The threat was definitely effective against Kaden. For one, this man was quite a bit taller than him and, secondly, he looked like he knew how to hold his own in a fight. The toughest fight Kaden had ever been in had been with a rather large fish. "Uh, sure."
He was relieved when the mercenary started to walk off once more, only to turn and see the man's odd companion standing before him, now without the coat at all. The boy even took his hand and stared at it, as if he'd never seen a hand before.
The fisherman's eyes grew wider as the boy suddenly seemed to sprout wings. Kaden's attention until then had been on the boy's odd face. Now the child was even odder than Kaden had originally thought!
Helias' question was cut off when the taller (and much scarier) man appeared once more. Finally finding his voice, the fisherman stammered out a response. "R-right. Er, uh, on the not scary part. And, I'm a fisherman." He gave a bit of a shrug, remember the comment about smelling like fish. Well, it came with the territory.
Kaden eyed Nikolai, hoping that the man wouldn't decide to brain him as well. That man could pack quite a punch, from how the poor boy had reacted. "You okay?" He asked of Helias.
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Posted: Sun Jul 25, 2010 6:39 pm
"It hurts."
Helias sucked in a sharp breath, eventually recovering enough to get up. He was still seeing white spots, like fireworks that exploded in daylight and from the way he swayed from side to side, he probably hadn't regained his full sense of balance either.
"What's a... Fisherman? You don't have scales."
In an ill timed decision to pay back his guardian, Helias hovered a little distance away, now smart enough to keep one eye on the mercenary. He may have grown up by appearance, but Nikolai had never been a particularly good parent and the boy wasn't a very good self-learner. To say his mind was stunted was somewhat of a compliment.
"I don't have time for this." Nikolai muttered, rubbing his temple as he felt his migraine returning. He had two options at the moment: Let the hraapea keep pestering Kaden, or haul the kid into town and risk looking like a kidnapper. He didn't doubt that the boy could copy a mean damsel's distress cry, so the decision was already partly made for him. At length, he crossed his arms and bowed his head in resignation, even going as far as to mutter an apology to the stranger they were suddenly harassing. Nikolai was quickly running out of threats to make the boy behave and they both knew it.
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Posted: Sun Jul 25, 2010 6:54 pm
Kaden reached out a hand to help steady the odd looking boy, though it seemed the blow to the head hadn't affected the youngster's curiosity. He chuckled and shook his head. "No, I don't. Fishermen catch fish. We aren't part fish." What a crazy idea that would be! Part human, part animal.
The man spared a glance for Nikolai, who didn't exactly look thrilled to be stuck here listening to his companion talking. "Why don't we head towards the tavern?" He hoped it would be a good compromise, as the younger male seemed to be curious still but it would hopefully let the older one at least get drunk and cheer him up some. Unless he was an angry drunk... then perhaps going to the tavern wouldn't be such a good idea...
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Posted: Sun Jul 25, 2010 7:24 pm
Helias brightened up at the thought, stopping for a second to look around Kaden. He didn't find any wings or different animal parts, which put the fisherman in the same category of Nikolai. Why then, was he so much darker?
"I see...~ Do you have any fish? I'm hungry."
"You just ate--"
Ignoring Nikolai's half protest [And indeed, his existence altogether as Helias only seemed to pay attention to the stranger's words.], the hraapea stopped at the suggestion.
"I can... Rest there, right? Let's go then." Taking the other's hand to prevent him from ditching [Nikolai had left him a couple times in that manner.], the boy headed off in the first direction he saw.
Without giving much time for silence to set in, Helias shot out the next question he had been puzzling over.
"Why are you dark? Like me. But Nikolai's all white and stuff." To demonstrate the fact, he held up his hand next to Kaden's, turning around to point to the tall redhead a couple paces behind. He stopped pointing when the redhead threw his coat over his head, effectively blocking his view. After a moment of tugging, Nikolai managed to get the coat on right and hide the awkward wings and feathers just before passing the town gates.
"Please don't draw anymore attention to yourself or I'll sell you. And stop touching him, it's sexual harassment."
"What's that?"
"Punishable by death."
Quick as as flash, Helias dropped Kaden's hand.
"S-Sorry mister."
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Posted: Sun Jul 25, 2010 7:38 pm
"Growing boys are always hungry." He remember his mother complaining along those lines repeatedly during his childhood. "Sadly, no. I sold them all." At the boy's next question, he nodded and was promptly led along and bombarded with more questions.
"Well, I'm outside a lot. So the sun darkened my skin. It protects me from getting sunburned too." He glanced back at Nikolai in time to see him throw the coat over Helias' head.
He couldn't help but chuckle when the boy quickly dropped his hand. "No worries. Your friend there is messing with you." Kaden had a feeling Nikolai did that fairly often. The fisherman wondered why the two were even together. The taller man seemed very frustrated with his companion and impatient. As well as a bit abusive.
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Posted: Mon Jul 26, 2010 4:34 pm
Nikolai quirked a brow at the remark, although he said nothing in terms of denying the fact. His companion had grown at an alarming rate, but the mercenary had a feeling the boy still had a long way to go. Did the statement still apply if Helias was grown up physically?
"Huh... Really?" The hraapea rubbed his chin before returning both hands to his belt. Gripping onto the thick fabric, he ran a little to keep up. Even if the stranger seemed alright with it, Nikolai's influence was hard to ignore, especially since they had been traveling together for years now. Helias didn't want to question what Kaden meant by "messing with you".
"But Nikolai doesn't turn dark. He just gets all red and the skin peels off, it's gross." Not that Helias recalled his guardian being out in the sun for more than an hour at a time. He had always found it weird that the redhead stuck close to shade and bushes, even when traveling in broad daylight. But then again, Nikolai did a lot of shady things and didn't like people.
"There's always two sides to a story."
Nikolai chipped in quietly when he noticed Kaden's look. He seemed to be determined to distance himself from the boy's light talk, but quick to defend when the fisherman gave the slightest hint of misinterpreting his role.
Or maybe he just had a hard time understanding the hraapea's accent. After all, he hadn't heard the boy talk this much in his natural voice for a good four years.
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Posted: Mon Jul 26, 2010 5:14 pm
Kaden chuckled. "Well, some people do that too." Even he could get burnt if he stayed out too long in the direct sun, but there were some people that seemed to just walk outside and turn bright red instantly.
The fisherman had the grace to look abashed at Nikolai's comment. "Very true. I apologize if I've offended you..." It seemed he had done something to upset the taller man and upsetting someone larger than you usually wasn't a bright idea.
"Ah, there's the tavern!" He was a bit glad of the fact that they'd arrived. Kaden opened the door and gestured for the two companions to enter first. "Guests first."
The tavern was fairly quiet as it was still early on and the drunks hadn't had quite enough to get loud and rowdy yet. There was even a wonderful smell of some food simmering somewhere within. A bard was setting up, tuning his instrument before the crowd arrived.
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Posted: Tue Jul 27, 2010 3:58 am
Kaden's apology was neither accepted nor rejected as the man fell back into silence and let his companion take center stage again. It was puzzling why Helias was attracted to Kaden-- was it really simply because they had the same tanned skin? Briefly, the redhead wondered if he could dump his useless ward onto the fisherman and call it a day. It would definitely warm him up some to have the stranger suffer as much as he had.
Leaving the two as soon as they entered the bar, Nikolai disappeared to take a look around. His plans were being disrupted again and from the man's forceful movements, he was definitely not happy as the fact sunk in. The idea of ditching the hraapea was looking more and more tempting. It'd cut down on the cost of shelter and food, at any rate.
"Mister, you live here, right?" Helias started with another question, although before Kaden could respond, the hraapea cut in again. As he spoke, the boy led Kaden to a table at the back, far away from the windows and half hidden from the rest of the room. From there, they had a good view of everyone that entered and left, as well as every table on the bottom floor. It was this seat that his guardian always sat at, too paranoid to simply pick any old seat.
"Oh-- What's your name? Mine is Helias. Nikolai is Nikolai."
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Posted: Wed Jul 28, 2010 11:22 am
Kaden was a bit disappointed that the taller man had not replied in any way, but he shook it off. Some people were just odd. No sense in worrying about it too much. He followed the two into the tavern, noticing that the taller man was not too happy about something as he walked off.
"Hmm? Oh, yes. Well, just outside of town, anyways." He let himself be led to the table of Helias' choosing, taking a seat. The significance of the table's placement was lost on the simple fisherman. "I'm Kaden. It's a pleasure to meet you, Helias." If only the same could really be said about Nikolai...
"What brings you two to Korr?" The fishing town didn't get a whole lot of visitors, though enough did come during the summer months to enjoy the beaches. Somehow, Kaden didn't think that was what had brought these two here.
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