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 Posted: Thu Jan 12, 2017 1:10 pm
As the sun began to set over the blue Matoran ocean, candles and lamps were lit across the city to stave off the growing darkness. It had been Leukos’ first day in Edrao, and while he had enjoyed exploring the city and sampling some local food, he felt like perhaps something was missing. Nothing particularly noteworthy had caught his attention, no spectacular performances by street performers, no drama playing out between locals on the streets. Maybe he had been away from the circus for too long. He was used to a certain level of spectacle in his life, and while vacations were fun, he was feeling a bit of nostalgia. Or maybe it was loneliness; he was here by himself after all. So with the daunting specter of boredom looming over his head, he wandered down the streets, passing taverns filled with the boisterous voices of friends enjoying one another’s company, feeling a little pang of jealousy as he saw all the smiling faces.
As he passed the door of another establishment, a tall Matori man came out and roughly bumped into him, stumbling back a bit. Leukos tried to sputter out an apology, but the man had already walked off, appearing to be in a bit of a hurry. With a frown Leukos brushed off his shoulder; he really hadn’t appeared to be the most cleanly of fellows. He started walking again, but the farther he went, the more something began to feel… off. But what was it? Something wasn’t right. Then it hit him like a slap to the face.
His coin purse was missing.
His hands scrambled to the place where it was usually tied to his hip, the weight of coin had not been bouncing against his thigh as it usually did. It must have been cut by that man who had ‘bumped’ into him! His shock was soon overcome by anger, bolting off in the direction the man had gone, hurling curses not fit for the ears of younglings at the ground as he ran. How stupid could I be?! Come on Leukos, you know better than to leave money hanging out in a city! And I must look like the perfect mark, some dumb oblivious tourist! Stupid stupid stupid! He looked down every alley he passed; the man couldn’t have gone that far, and Leukos was a pretty fast guy, he was sure to catch up with him soon! Then he spotted the long haired man going around the corner of a building, bumping into a small Matori girl who appeared to be… gold? That couldn’t be right. It must just be the poor lighting and all the adrenaline messing with his head. It didn’t matter, he had found him, and there was no way he was gonna let him get away with his money! He rounded the corner after him, whipping past the girl in hot pursuit.
At hearing the heavy footsteps behind him, the man glanced back, only to be met by the sight of a very angry Leukos barreling at him. And with that the man broke out into a sprint, dashing down an alley way. “Oh no you don't you sonavabitch!” he growled as he chased after him, weaving into another alley. Like hell he’s gonna get away with this![1/10]
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Posted: Tue Jan 17, 2017 2:23 pm
She had finally done it. Chrysanthe nearly screamed in delight as she jumped from the back of the caravan and onto the sandy path. So this was Matori? The hybrid’s gaze glistened in awe as she noticed the great waters stretching across the horizon. It was beautiful, “You may have been an a**, but your homelands are gorgeous.” She had whispered softly before shaking her head sadly. It was best to be here and to try and figure things out before one of her many brothers caught trail of her. The last thing the girl wanted was to be dragged home at such a crucial time!
So she traveled. At first, Chryssa wanted to just spend time enjoying the shoreline but as the first week progressed the girl realized she needed a real reason to be here. It was more than wanting to just find out what the ocean looked like – she was wanting to find that man who had helped to create her. Her fists clenched at the thought. She had a wonderful father figure back home in Sauti, but her Matori traits were obviously not his. Her mother’s obsession had truly cursed the lot of them. Chrys spit at the sands, “Maybe I just won’t come home. That’ll teach her a good lesson.” Her gaze did soften a bit, however. It wasn’t like she despised her mother – she honestly was just tired of the woman being so clingy. Chryssa was a free spirit and she wanted to breathe. Was that so bad?
Such thoughts haunted her even when she found herself arriving in one of the largest cities she had seen. So this was the city. Chryssa found herself in awe of everything. So many people wandered here and they were even of other races! It was almost as if she was back in the open market again. “Wow.” She swirled about in the street as if to catch everything in one big turn. It was amazing! Oh, but where would she even begin looking for that man? “Excuse me, sir – “ She reached out and her arm dropped as a man simply hurried past, “Miss?” Another attempt as a woman just walked away.
Ah, the life of a hybrid girl in a foreign city.
Sighing in frustration Chryssa turned as if to leave the area for the night. Yet, as she did a solid form bumped into her sending her backwards, “H-hey!” Hissing in surprise the girl scowled at whoever it was that had dashed through, “Rude.” Brushing the dirt from her skirts the girl’s hands finally paused. Why…why was that belt lighter? Her money bag! “Oh, no.” Chryssa’s hands turned into fist as she turned to look down the alley. That jerk had taken her money and ran! “After getting all the way here I am not about to lose my hard earned coin.” She gritted her teeth, no way! She had worked hard to save up enough so that she could sleep in taverns and not on the street somewhere! And how would she buy those delicious dumplings that she had noticed earlier? Her gaze burning with determination the golden hybrid grabbed the bow that she had been gifted and began running.
Oh she was going to catch him and then he would be in some serious trouble!
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Posted: Tue Jan 17, 2017 3:03 pm
The chase went on further, barreling past couples and hurtling over fences. But he’d picked the wrong pocket tonight; Leukos was a prideful guy, there’s no way he’d let this hang over his head for the rest of the trip. As the man ran into an alley and slipped on some refuse, Leukos finally got close enough to tackle him, both of them coming tumbling to the ground. The man tried to grab a knife at his belt, but without even thinking Leukos chomped down on his arm, causing him to yelp and let go of the blade. They scuffled on the ground, kicking the knife away and trying to land blows on each other. But eventually Leukos got on top and straddled him, pinning down his flailing arms with strong thighs. “You! Need! To! Give! Me! Back! My! Money!” He growled down at him angrily, accompanying every word with a punch to the face. With bloody knuckles Leukos slammed his fists onto both sides of his face, the solid hit to the temples making the Matoran black out for a moment.
Leukos sat atop him and attempted to regain his breath, sweaty and bruised from the intense fight, pushing back his disheveled hair out of his face. With shaky hands he searched his pockets, taking the money inside and the pouches tied to his belt. He stood up and held the bags, spitting blood down at the man. “Piece of gutter trash. And taking money from a young girl, have you no shame? Wonder if I can find her again..?” Leukos gave his side a swift kick, just for good measure. [2/10]
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Posted: Tue Jan 17, 2017 5:39 pm
Chryssa was burning with anger. How could she lose her coin that easily? Better yet how dare that man take advantage of such a cute girl!? Chryssa blew at a stray bang in frustration, "Once I find you buddy you'll be lucky to walk straight after." What had the jerk even looked like? He was Matori that much was obvious, but what else? Long hair and a slender build? It was too damned dark to truly see well in these alleys and that only served to frustrated Chryssa more.
Still! She wasn't the type to ever give up, "Alright, left or right?" She had followed him up to this point, but the sudden option of two alleys threw her. Logically someone may have looked for signs or simply given up on the goose chase, but instead Chryssa found herself closing her eyes. Concentrate... The left! It had to be! Not that she had much reasoning for it, but she was fortunate in that there was activity up ahead.
Though by the time the girl had arrived all she spotted was the silhouette of another Matori male who unfortunately matched what she believed was the thief, "You!" The girl took several steps forward and if not for the shadows one could see that her cheeks were rather flushed in anger, "Give me back my belongings." She raised her crossbow threateningly, "I found you and I want back what is mine."
Meanwhile, what the girl didn't happen to see was the form of the true thief slipping around the corner and out of sight where he could get far away from the two of them.
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Posted: Tue Jan 17, 2017 8:31 pm
As if she had been summoned by his musing, the girl was suddenly there at the mouth of the alley.
With a crossbow.
And a very sharp looking bolt loaded into it.
Leukos blinked in confusion a few times, the coin purses still in his hand. Awfully rude, to be speaking like that to someone who had gotten it back for her. And threatening him? That was just uncalled for.
He put his hand on his hip and frowned at her, holding out her change purse. “Looks like you found me, makes my job easier. But threats really aren’t necessary; I was going to try to give it back to you. But he was a slippery little devil, looks like I did the work for you. You're welcome. So….. this is the part where you thank me for the daring heroics. And get that thing out of my face.” He was being unusually snarky right now, but he just didn’t have the energy for all his usual flattery. And besides, he did not appreciate having a weapon pointed at him for no reason.
[3/10]
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Posted: Mon Jan 23, 2017 8:09 pm
Chryssa's cheeks darkened in color, "What?" She had made his job easier? Was this a trap of some sort? What sort of thief wanted to be chased down into an alley like this? Already her mind was spinning stories while he continued speaking."What did you just say? Heroic?" She quipped while her heart jumped in her chest.The thought made her glance about the shadows while her grip tightened on her crossbow. Was this one of those situations where she could be stolen away by being a young, pretty girl out by herself? Or was her hybrid traits going to make her a valuable prize on the black markets? Or even could it be that they be wanting to just dispose of her for being an anomaly?
"I don't see your thief and for all I know you are still the thief since you fit the bill - how can I know this isn't some sort of trick?" She held onto her crossbow, "You could just be waiting for me to lower my guard...though I'm telling you I have nothing more than what you have in your hands."
Of course sudden movement caught her attention and the girl found herself turning and accidentally firing the bolt through the alley. The resounding noises of startled squeaks confirmed it had probably just been a stray creature, maybe even a stray perzi, which scattered even further down the path and out of sight. Still, it did nothing to calm her racing heart. What if that had been someone behind her that was his partner to jump her from the shadows?!
Coughing, she tried to cover up her awkward display of fear by raising the crossbow once more -without a bolt in it due to her startled state. "Either way just toss me back my coin and we'll call it even. I'm not foolish enough to take another step towards someone who conveniently claims to not be the thief. You even recognized that I owned that bag! How can I know you aren't lying?" She replied quickly with a frown before taking a step back as the realization hit. If this truly was a trap could she run? Was her money worth waiting for? I don't want to live on the streets... There was no telling what would happen to a country hybrid without money to pay for a room or food after all.
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Posted: Thu Jan 26, 2017 1:58 am
Leukos frowned at her, losing his patience for this whole ordeal. Why doesn’t she just take her money and go? As she kept dithering on, he noticed her movements getting more skittish and twitchy. Oh Gods… that’s not good. Especially with such a large weapon.
He opened his arms in a nonthreatening pose, hoping it would help her calm down a bit. “Look, I have no idea what you’re talki- OH SWEET HATALD’S TITS!?!” He jumped back as the crossbow snapped loudly in the small space, startled and confused. Luckily it had been a shot in the opposite direction, but still! She was actually going to shoot him! He’d been irritated before, but now he was just furious.
He threw her bag down on the ground at his feet and stomped over, shoving his chest against the barrel of the crossbow to get right in her face. “Alright, look here you stupid, flighty little airhead! What in all the Gods’ names is wrong with you?! Why the hell would I try to give you back your bloody money if I was a thief, how does that make any sense?! And do you think I just punched myself in the face for giggles? NO! I’m jacked up now because I caught the bugger and got our money back! He’s right over there you dense girl!” Leukos turned and angrily gestured where he had been before, but his hand froze as he realized their culprit was gone.
“What the-? OH COME ON! Really?! He was just here, must have slipped away when you distracted me! There’s even blood where we fought!” He whirling around again and stepped back away from her, spreading his arms in fuming exasperation. “GREAT! What a fantastic turn of events this is! Of course you think it was me, but really? I don’t even look like that dirty gutter-fish! That’s just plain ignorant!” He continued walking backwards, gesturing dramatically at his chest. “But go ahead! Shoot me! Might be kinda hard though, considering you don’t even have that thing loaded anymore!!”
[4/10]
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Posted: Sun Jan 29, 2017 10:19 am
Chryssa's face was flushed from a mix of embarrassment and anger. Either she had made a mistake or this man was a rather good actor. Then again he was getting super heated - was it possible that he was angry that she wasn't accepting his lies? The young girl's head spun with countless stories. This was what her family always talked about when coming to the cities. A bunch of crooks and thieves!
And even if he was rather handsome...Chryssa closed her gaze against the thought as he barreled up towards her, "Flighty little airhead?!" She found herself gasping at his rampage, "What's wrong with me?!" She quipped back, "What's wrong with you?! There's no one else here and I'm alone in a dark alley with some strange man! Who conveniently has my money bag and is so willing to give it to me? Why shouldn't I be on edge?! I couldn't see the thief well but he matched your build and had long hair too! If the situation was reversed would you be so eager to jump into someone's arms for having your purse?! If so then you better consider yourself a little airheaded!" She jabbed the crossbow towards him accusingly as he walked away from her, "Ignorant?! I may be from another place, but I've heard plenty of stories about traps set for young women out here! Especially if they're unique. No matter what happened to slavery in the past it never stops the black market! So how could I not think this may have been a ploy, hmm?"
Her voice broke a little towards the end, "Maybe I'm just scared and alone so trusting someone is hard, okay?" Chryssa stared him down as he continued to walk backwards, "Maybe I should shoot you for being such a snarky jerk!" She added on in an attempt to cover up the obvious tears in her eyes, "It's not hard to reload at all - if I wanted to I truly could!" She added in defensively though her gaze was truly taking in the scene before her now. Maybe it was true that he had gotten into a fight with someone else here...he was pretty battered and the alley was full of signs of a scuffle. Not that she had noticed at first of course! How could she in the dark and when she had just arrived?
Stubbornly she kept her feet on the ground, "And that was a warning shot just so you know. I heard something over there so it's not like I randomly shot." The hybrid's cheeks were flushed more from embarrassment now and less from anger, "Anyway you've clarified your point and can just toss me my money now so I can be back on my way." After all even if he wasn't the thief there still wasn't any good reason to trust him - a stranger was a stranger after all.
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Posted: Sun Jan 29, 2017 7:32 pm
Leukos was still fuming, offended by her accusations as to his character, but the more upset she got, the more he started to see where she was coming from. It must be hard to be a girl traveling alone, and by the sound of it, this seemed like her first time in a big city. This was just a terrible evening for the both of them; both were victims, it made no sense to stay mad at her.
He ran a hand over his face, getting one more frustrated yell out of his system into the palm of his hand. “Uuugghh… Alright. Look. I’m sorry for yelling at you. It’s just frustrating to be accused of something I’d never do. And in my defense, you were actually going to shoot me if I had been the thief, weren’t you? I like to think I at least have an ounce of self-preservation left in me, so having a deadly weapon pointed in my face counts as a rather upsetting experience.”
He looked back at the bag of money he’d tossed so angrily at the ground, a bit embarrassed now that he’d cooled off a bit. “I’m going back to get your bag, so I’d appreciate if you’d at least refrain from shooting me until I get it back to you, alright? I’ll even toss it over, if that makes you feel any better.”
[5/10]
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Posted: Fri Feb 03, 2017 5:05 am
And now he was yelling into his hands? Maybe it was just best if she left now. Was her money truly worth it? Oh, but the thought of a bed and of those delicious smelling dumplings made her body pause. Surely she could linger around the insanity for just a moment longer. Let him get it out and then I'll take my money and get out. She thought with a firm nod to herself. This was fine, totally fine. So why did her fingers clench on her crossbow as if she needed its comfort?
"You..." She found herself blinking in surprise at the sudden apology. What was this? "I mean - it was dark and I honestly didn't see the other guy." She found herself admitting, "So I may have been a bit hasty. I guess next time I won't point my bolt towards you right away." It made her feel sheepish to say such a thing, but that was as close to an apology as she could give. "Well yeah, but - " Chryssa blinked at the accusation, "Actually I've never shot anyone before." She rubbed the back of her neck with a free hand, "I was just hoping to intimidate you in case you in case you were up to something else by luring me into an alley like this. I mean! That was when I thought you were the thief obviously." She glanced towards him with a raised brow, "Since 'heroes' wouldn't ever take advantage of a young girl in an alley right?" She shook her head, "Either way let's just get my bag back to me and leave before another thief shows up."
She held out her hand eagerly, "Toss or give it. My crossbow is down since I figured it's obvious that we don't want to fight each other." She glanced away with embarrassment before slowing peeking back towards him, "And since I was so hasty if you wanted I saw some dumplings back along the way. I had wanted to try them before I got robbed. You did help me out after all and so I guess I owe you something for that."
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Posted: Fri Feb 03, 2017 12:12 pm
Leukos had suspected as much from her skittish nature, that she may not be as comfortable using her weapon as she liked to think. It was reassuring to know she had been hesitant to shoot at him, at least. He closed the distance to her bag on the ground, squatting to pick it up with a wince. There were definitely going to be a few bruises on his ribs tomorrow. He slowly got back up, turning to spit a bit more blood out of his mouth before he came over to the girl, handing her bag off to her.
He was more than a bit surprised at the offer to join her for food, figuring she’d want nothing else to do with him. But that was probably a good sign, so he took it positively. “Really? If you’re sure… I think I’d like that. All this excitement has got me feeling a bit famished.” He held a hand out for her to take, if she wanted it. “And it’s late in coming, but my name is Leukos. Doesn’t feel right to leave it hanging any longer.”
[6/10]
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Posted: Sat Feb 11, 2017 7:52 am
How majestic. Sarcastically, Chryssa thought before she shook her head at the display. Though I should be used to that. Considering she had grown up with a slew of rough brothers and all. And she probably would have done the same. The guy was right in acting like she wasn't really a girl - he might as well spit, curse, and be rude towards me even more so. She thought with a slightly amused smile. Just because her mother had always dressed her in pretty silks and flowers it did not make Chryssa anymore of a girl. She was indeed a tomboy through and through.
"Yes, yes I'm sure." Chryssa tried to wave it off, "Even if I was a bit hasty at first it does not mean I don't know how to treat someone who helped me." Well, helped to a certain degree. She was certain that she could have caught that thief herself! Stubbornly the girl kept to that thought. She was a strong and capable person right? It was so silly to think of how scared she had been! Next time she would make certain to remember this and would laugh in the face of danger!
Her thoughts stilled as he offered a hand towards her. Ever so slowly the hybrid glanced at it then back to his face and then back to the hand, "I'm Chrys." She stated as she almost reached out to take the hand before turning on her heels instead, "The dumpling stand was back this way, Leukos. So let's go." Manners perhaps were not her strong suit - at all.
What was amusing was the sweet way that she would look at the dumpling vendor and act completely shy and innocent then, "Thank you!" She called out as she took two sticks of the fluffy food and held one out towards the man who had been behind her.
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Posted: Sat Feb 11, 2017 8:57 am
]
Leukos watched her in silence as she deliberated over the apparently very complex dilemma before her, pursing his lips a bit to keep his amused smile under control. Really, if he was going to grab this girl, he could have easily scooped up a small little thing like her and been gone before her crossbow even hit the ground. But whatever, if it made her feel more comfortable to be cautious, he wouldn’t hold it against her. He raised an eyebrow at her back as she started to walk off, following her out of the alleyway. Well apparently being paranoid and rude were two of her more refined skills.
After minutes of walking in a rather awkward silence, they came upon the aforementioned dumpling stand. He’d ran by it so quickly earlier it hadn’t even registered, but the steam wafting out of the containers definitely caught his attention now. And the attention of his stomach, which growled plaintively as the smells wafted over while they waited to be served. “Hush you…” he mumbled as he patted his stomach with a bit of a blush, glancing up at the girl to see if she had heard the outburst. But it seemed that all her now positively simpering attention was being directed toward the cart vendor. Apparently she possessed some manners, when it meant getting something from someone else. But Leukos couldn’t really go calling the kettle black; he was a known culprit of turning on the charm when he wanted favors from someone. So he took the stick offered to him with a smile and bowed his head slightly, “Thank you, it smells amazing.”
Where they went from here was totally up in the air. Was this the point where they went their separate ways, or did she want to continue? Eating alone now felt kind of silly. Better to ask than just stand around hemming and hawing about it. “So… it seems like this is your first time in the city? Did you… want me to show you some of the sights? I’ve been here for a few days now; it’s a pretty great place to explore. Not that it’s as big as the cities in Oba, but it has its charms.”
[7/10]
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Posted: Sat Feb 11, 2017 9:29 am
Chryssa let him take the stick, "No need to thank me." She shrugged as she walked a bit away from the vendor so that she could enjoy her own snack, "I bought food since you got my money back - it's only fair." The hybrid casually shrugged off the conversation before glancing at her food. It was pretty yummy, but she didn't really want to talk about how the dumplings melted in her mouth. That would be weak right? To melt over how delicious some food was? Chryssa had to close her eyes as she concentrated on trying to not moan happily at the taste of the food.
As the sudden questions came from Leukos Chryssa raised an eyebrow, "Hm?" She pursed her lips into a faint frown, "Shouldn't you be more worried about taking care of yourself first?" She glanced up and down over the man before taking another bite of food, "Anyways, how many sights does someone that's only been here barely longer than me know?" He was from Oba and not from this place? Chryssa peered at him from around her nearly empty dumpling stick. Not like she had much of a clue though so even his few days trumped her ability to navigate the huge city. After all the girl was used to fields and plains - not big bustling buildings surrounded by people.
"Though if you are so bored I guess I could try to see a sight or two. Mostly though I could use a bed at an inn so I don't want to be walking for too long." She finally commented as she finished her stick of food.
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Posted: Sat Feb 11, 2017 9:56 am
He had been waiting from a reply from her before he began eating, watching in mild amusement as the steaming dumpling rapidly disappeared. “I’ll be fine; I’ve had injuries worse than this. Letting a few bruises and cuts slow you down isn’t exactly an option in my line of work.” He endeavored to keep any sass out of his voice at her quippy comments, but it was difficult when he was unused to her prickly disposition. He’d offered tours around the circus to girls countless times that were met with much enthusiasm, not such flippancy as now. “Well, I’m sure I know more than you do. I’ve been very interested in learning the history of this place, so asking questions of the locals is not something I’m too proud to avoid. And I had to comb through a few inns to find one that was any good at a reasonable price, so at least I can offer that advice.”
He took a bite of his food, pursing his lips and humming at how delicious it was. He swept an arm out in front of her and tilted his head, swallowing with a sigh. “So why don’t we just get this under way before my food gets any colder, yes?”
[8/10]
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