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 Posted: Sun Jan 16, 2022 6:35 pm
The inn needed new bed clothes. If it wasn't one thing or another with that place. Elka felt like she spent half of her working time out in the streets with a shopping list in her hand, searching for the newest thing Entaria wanted her to get. Why couldn't she hire some errand boy to do this? They were a dime a dozen. Surely there were loads of kids down on their luck who would love to work.
Ignoring the fact this was also the case for her. A youngster down on her luck, with nowhere to go and no way to get back home. She was grateful to the older Shifter for taking her in. Truly she was. Even if she didn't show it as much as she should. Still. Why did she have to go on so many of these errands? The other serving girls didn't have to do this.
It was bullying, is what it was. Elka bet the other girls talked about her behind her back. In fact, she 100% knew that was what happened.
"Whatever," the young Ice said under her breath, rounding a corner. She stopped in her tracks at the sight before her. What could only be an Aishan had just turned and sprinted down the road, everyone else dodging quickly out of the way. Elka had never seen one before. For surely she would have remembered someone so tall and graceful. She stood watching in awe, ignoring all the chaos around her, as the tall woman sprinted towards a much smaller Shifter, who refused to move. Or maybe was frozen stiff. If something that powerful was aiming straight for her, Elka wouldn't know what to do, either.
The Aishan seemed to throw something into the Shifter's arms and the Shifter took off running, followed close hehind by the Aishan. On the ground where they had been was a bag. Elka quickly ran to it and picked it up, following behind where the two had gone. She noted a couple of men darting into an alley nearby and decided to keep her distance. Just enough to see what was going on. And she got to see plenty of what was going on.
1/10
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Posted: Mon Feb 14, 2022 7:06 pm
For a long time after the other woman had left, slinking out of the window with barely a sound, Maia had remained sitting on the floor, her knees drawn up to her chin. She had no hopes of getting out of this one. Couldn't find a possible ending to it that would benefit her. She couldn't reach the window and all the boxes she had tried to stand on had collapsed out from under her. She was too scared to try sneaking up the stairs, seeing if the door was locked. High chance it was. It had been so quiet up there the entire time she'd been awake, they must have left. Perhaps to get the authorities to deal with the two thieves. Maia really didn't want to think about what they might do to thieves. But unfortunately she couldn't stop her brain from worrying away at all the ways they would.
Shaking her head, the Shifter smacked her palms against the sides of her head in an attempt to rid herself of those thoughts. They persisted, swarming about her head and tapping on her like a fingernail against a window.
Wait. That was real sound she was hearing. Someone was tapping on the window to the basement. Maybe the Aishan had had a change of heart and came back for her? No one else knew she was here.
Maia jumped up, already concluding that was who was there. She couldn't reach the window, but it was still open. She waved her hand in front of it, the windowsill above the top of her head. "I'm still here!"
But the voice that answered her wasn't the one that had been talking to her from across the room not so long ago.
1/10
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Posted: Fri Feb 18, 2022 6:14 pm
Never once did Elka consider if this was a good idea or not. All she cared about was this was something exciting. This was something different than doing errands and buying supplies for the inn. This was an adventure that she felt invested in from the moment she saw the pale Aishan running down the street. She was far too curious to see how this played out. If she could just see that, she'd happily take her lecture when she returned to the inn much later than was expected to return. She didn't understand why that mattered in this case. The bedsheets wouldn't be needed until the next day. There was no hurry to get them.
Slinking along the wall, her youth making her feel invincible and excited, the Ice followed the men, managing to hide behind the many boxes and barrels in the alleyway until they all reached a house. Crouching down behind a large barrel, holding her skirt up out of the dirt, Elka waited. And waited. And waited. Eventually something finally happened. A very slim and tall body emerged from below the house and disappeared around a corner of another building as fast as it could do. The Aishan. Which meant the Shifter was the only one left.
Holding onto the bag, Elka approached the window and tapped on it. When a hand started waving just beyond the small rectangle and a voice called out, she got down as far as she dared to in the dirt.
"I should say. Where else would you go? This basement looks very deep."
2/10
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Posted: Fri Feb 18, 2022 6:21 pm
"Huh?"
Maia looked, puzzled, at the window, backing away from it as a face just as pale, but a different color, as the Aishan appeared in it. Piercing golden eyes stared at her, above a smiling mouth. This was someone she'd never seen before. But than, the city was large enough, even if she lived here, they may never have crossed paths.
Instantly, she went on guard, thinking this some trick of the men who caught her. It would be mighty convenient if someone had found her this quickly. A young girl, not much younger than herself, would be the perfect ploy to get her to lower her guard.
Well. Jokes were on her. She was already feeling more comfortable in this woman's presence.
"Who are you?" Maia asked, remaining where she was so she could see the other clearly.
2/10
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Posted: Fri Feb 18, 2022 6:35 pm
It was dark down in the basement, with Elka's body covering what little light there would have been able to shine through the small window. She couldn't see the look on the Shifter's face, but she assumed there was gratitude there at someone having noticed what was going on. After all, if she was the one in this situation and someone came out of nowhere to rescue her, she'd feel indebted to them. Fortunately, she wasn't the one in trouble and didn't owe anyone anything.
"Oh! Where are my manners!" Slapping her hands together in her forgetfulness, she attempted an awkward curtsey from where she was crouched down in the dirty side street. All this excitement must be getting to her head. She never was this polite with strangers. It was rather fun playing at the hero, though. Not feeling, for once, that she owed something to the people around her. No, this time it was her in the position of power.
"My name is Elka."
3/10
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Posted: Sat Feb 19, 2022 7:51 pm
Maia watched the spectacle outside the window with one of her eyebrows arched. It was like this was all a joke to her. Well, she felt anything but laughing at this. Was this Elka going to help her or just have a pleasant conversation with her until the men came back down to get her?
The Shifter took a deep breath, planting her hands casually on her hips. No. Yelling and getting mad wouldn't help the situation, as much as it might make her feel better in the moment. It wouldn't help her if she scared off the only other person who had seen what had happened. She was done getting mad and impatient at people who didn't co-operate with her. It was time to be more grown-up.
"I am Maia. Do you have some way of getting me out of here?"
3/10
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Posted: Sat Feb 19, 2022 9:17 pm
"Um....No." Elka admitted. She hadn't really thought this far. Of course she'd want the person who found her to get her out. And Elka certainly couldn't be a hero if she didn't do something about this. But what could she even do? She was just a worker in an inn. Previously a noble's daughter, pampered and spoiled. She'd never been in a situation like this before. Anything she'd want before, there was always someone around to do it. She never had to lift a finger or, Gods forbid, get dirty doing something herself.
Maia's head slumped down, her arms crossed under her chest. She didn't give Elka an answer to that. For the first time in a long time, the young Ice girl felt a bit guilty. She used to enjoy messing with the girls her own age back in Zena. It was all a big game to her, seeing how mad she could make them. Especially when she flirted with their boyfriends. Such insecure creatures. Why would you even want a guy like that who was so willing to pay attention to another girl like that?
But, anyway. That wasn't here or there. The inn left her no time to indulge in much fun. And here she thought she could finally have a bit of enjoyment, getting caught up in something. Instead, she was faced with the dilemma of crushing this Shifter's hopes.
Looking around for anything else to focus on, Elka held up the bag, shaking it a bit to get the older girl's attention. Things rattled about inside, perking up her curiosity even more. Any guilt she felt was quickly overshadowed by her own selfish thoughts.
"What's in the bag? It's pretty heavy."
4/10
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Posted: Sun Feb 20, 2022 12:21 pm
No. Of course not. Elka looked not all that much younger than Maia, why would she think this girl had the solution to her problem? Because she was desperate and afraid, that was why. Maybe these men were waiting for some higher authority to deal with her. Or maybe they were planning some way themselves to deal with her. Who really knew. Most people seemed to deal out their own justice when they had to. The only time they went elsewhere was to a professional. How many like that were in this city, she wondered. Probably a lot more than they thought there was.
Than the Ice girl asked about her bag, holding it up clearly so Maia could see it. Why....Why did it matter what was inside it, at a time like this?
"Ex....Excuse me?" was all she could stammer out, looking at her precious bag, full of all the artifacts she had found over the past month. So close, yet so far. She really didn't want to lose the contents, and so was hesitant to tell this girl what was inside.
4/10
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Posted: Sun Feb 20, 2022 12:29 pm
Elka let out a big sigh. Was she slow or something? This was her bag, Elka was sure of it. She'd seen the Shifter drop it in surprise when the Aishan came running full speed towards her. Why she had still been out in the middle of the street while everyone else had fled, the Ice girl had no idea. Had it been her on that side of the chaos, she would have fled long ago.
Perhaps this one really was a bit slow.
Groaning audibly in her throat, Elka shook the bag a bit more fiercely. "Here! What's in here?" She so hated to repeat herself. This whole thing was starting to feel like a waste of time. Nothing was going as she'd expected it to. She should leave, find some adult better capable to do this, and go get those bed sheets. The longer she remained here, the longer the lecture would be when she returned. Maybe she could use this as an excuse for why she was late. Say she had gotten caught up in something that had stalled her. Word must be passing through all of the commercial area by now, spreading like a spill on the floor.
Which reminded her she'd also knocked something over on her haste to leave earlier. She was definitely going to get a lecture on that one.
5/10
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Posted: Sun Feb 20, 2022 2:20 pm
The sound of all the things Maia had found rattled about as the Ice girl shook the bag even harder. That snapped her out of her confused state. She started waving her hands around in a light panic. "Stop doing that!" Some things were wrapped up in paper and cloth, just in case they ever banged against the other objects and broke. Fragile pieces of pottery. A figurine that felt like glass. That especially had been wrapped in a few layers of towels and stuck on the very bottom of the bag, hopefully protected by the other stuff above it. But if everything was shook around like this for too long.
The Ice girl stopped, putting the bag down. Maia strained to hear if anything clanked together in a notable sound of breaking or already broken. Nothing seemed to have been harmed. She lowered her hands back to her hips, giving Elka a glare in response.
"Those are precious artifacts I found out in the jungle! Please don't do that again, you might break them."
5/10
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Posted: Sun Feb 20, 2022 5:47 pm
"Oh, really?"
Elka picked up the bag once more and gave it a small shake, much to the obvious annoyance of Maia, who she could see shaking her hands at her once more from behind the bag. The Ice girl stopped and placed it back on the ground, giving a shrug of indifference. "Fine, fine. I won't do that, again." She gave Maia what she hoped was a convincing smile. All she got back was a short glare and than a sigh, as if the Shifter was exhausted from dealing with her. How many times had she seen that same expression on Entaria? Far too many to count. Or that she cared to count. Even in Zena, it wasn't an uncommon expression to find on someone exposed to her for a while.
Artifacts....Eh? Now that sounded interesting. Very interesting indeed.
Gripping the zipper, Elka pulled it across the bag, revealing the contents that sat at the top. She pushed them around slightly to look at what was underneath them. Most of them were things she didn't recognize. Some were obvious. Like the hand mirror missing a mirror that was tucked along the side. Or what looked like a spearhead sitting up against it. It all looked like junk to her. But she knew that sometimes places paid a lot for things like this, for any kind of relic of the past. Far too sentimental for her liking.
It did give her an idea, though.
"I think I know a way to get you out."
And before Maia could even answer her, Elka stood up with the bag in one hand and walked away.
6/10
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Posted: Sun Feb 20, 2022 6:44 pm
Why was this girl tormenting her so?! Was it not bad enough that she was stuck in this kind of awful situation, without also having to deal with someone else making fun of her? The bag and its contents didn't matter! And she was shaking it, again! After Maia had asked her to kindly stop doing that, she'd break something! What was wrong with her? Gods, why were some people so stubborn and selfish?
She was about to say something to her, to tell her off for not following a simple request, when she suddenly disappeared. Just stood up, with her bag, and left. This was all very confusing and upsetting. What had been the point of all this?
Maia groaned loudly and sank back down to the ground, her face staring up at the ceiling in despair. She wasn't in that position long when a sound came from upstairs. A door shut. And people were talking. Than the door to the basement opened and someone came downstairs. The Shifter blinked but otherwise didn't move. What was the point? She was exhausted from dealing first with the rude Aishan and than with the selfish Ice girl. She barely registered that the man who had come downstairs was talking to her until he prodded her in the thigh with his boot.
"Get up. You're free."
"What?"
"I said, you're free. Get out. Now, before I change my mind."
When she still didn't move, she was roughly grabbed under the arms. One second Maia was down on her knees in the basement, the next she was being shoved outside, the door slamming in her face. What had happened now?
6/10
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Posted: Sun Feb 20, 2022 7:50 pm
Outside in the alley, Elka was waiting for Maia to leave the building, bouncing on the heels of her feet in excitement. She had turned it all around. She had done something good. She had been heroic and now she was about to be thanked and praised, not yelled at like she would have been back at the inn!
So when the Shifter finally left, Elka stopped moving and waited expectedly with her hands clasped behind her back for what she thought would be a show of gratitude. What she got was stone silence as Maia ignored her to look around them with a confused expression on her face.
Why did Elka have to do everything?
"Aren't you thankful for no longer being in that stuffy basement anymore?"
7/10
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Posted: Mon Feb 21, 2022 11:47 am
Thankful? Maia admitted, she did feel a little thankful to be out of that dark, stuffy basement. She wasn't sure how long she'd been down there. Maybe only a few hours. Likely only a few hours, since no one had come to collect her or dish out punishment the entire time she had been there. They had seemed very adamant about doing something to the thieves, she didn't think they've had left her there for long. Had they even noticed the other one was long gone? The man hadn't looked around the basement when he'd gone down to retrieve her. They must not have noticed. And when they did notice....
Glancing at the Ice girl, Maia spotted her back in her hands. Snatching it, she muttered a small "Thank you" and started walking down the alleyway. Quickly. She wanted to be as far away from here as she could by the time they noticed their other captive was gone.
She'd gone a few steps when she stopped, turning around and holding the bag up to Elka in an accusing way. It felt...Lighter. A lot lighter.
"What did you do?!" she demanded, raising her voice.
7/10
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Posted: Mon Feb 21, 2022 3:56 pm
Oh, this was not going as Elka had expected it to. She expected praise and at least one thank you. Possibly more. More would be good. What she got was something she could have gotten back at the inn, by returning late with the sheets. How ungrateful this girl was.
"Excuse me!" the young Ice said, planting her fists on her hips, determined not to take any more stupid lectures from more people in her lifetime. "I just got you out of jail. Possibly even saved your life. And this is how you thank me?!"
Elka crossed her arms under her chest and raised her nose to the air with a big humph. See if she helped anyone ever again!
"How do you think I got you out?"
8/10
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