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 Posted: Thu Mar 09, 2023 11:00 am
The first thing that Eliazer did when their ship made landfall was to purchase two illusion stones; one for himself and one for Honi. It was expensive purchase made through illegal means, but he would gladly sleep in the streets a hundred nights if it meant they wouldn’t be hunted down over his looks. He’d explained to her that first day that the stone could be fashioned into a piece of jewelry should she want, but it should always be kept on her, otherwise it wouldn’t work. It would project whatever visage she wanted, though in front of those who could see through illusion magic it wouldn’t mean much. They still needed to be careful, but this would at least keep him from having to wear a scarf all day in the warming weather.
A part of him warmed when he landed on Belrean soil. He wanted to savor the hustle of bodies moving through the streets, the tall spirals of buildings reaching toward the sky and the ships that drifted into clouds. Criminal that he was, however, Eliazer didn’t have the luxury and so he led the way toward his most trusted contact; his mentor.
Even though it was Eliazer that motioned for Honi to follow him, it was a taller Lightning man that led the way. His ‘hair’ was much longer that Eliazers, pulled into a ponytail at the nape of his neck, and his eyes were a darker violet. His clothing was much lighter than the Geian’s as well, though underneath the illusion was Eliazer’s same well-worn garb. The only thing he couldn’t ‘fix’ was his lack of a voice, but with any luck no one would speak with them.
Before he made it too close to his mentor’s old haunts, he paused to turn toward Honi.
“Are you okay? Ready for this?”
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Posted: Thu Mar 09, 2023 8:10 pm
Belrea looked amazing and so different from Matori. As fascinating as it was though.. there was no time for sightseeing.
Honi fidgeted with the stone now hanging from her necklace. While she wasn't concerned about anyone recognizing her, she was using the stone to give herself pale orange hair and a beige dress in case anyone asked later. She was too nervous about messing up the illusion that she was afraid to change much more anyway. She would catch glimpses of herself in windows and get startled by the hair. So weird.
She perked up when Eli paused and let out a slow breath. This was a whole new world to her; and just like there was no time for sightseeing, there was also no time for being overwhelmed. She released her nervous hold of the stone and nodded. "I am." Sort of.
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Posted: Sun Mar 12, 2023 3:17 pm
Eliazer's face softened and he reached out to put a hand on her shoulder. When he was sure she was looking at him he raised his other hand and went through the motions of a deep breath, then an exhale. Whether the action was meant to calm her or him it was hard to tell, but it did bring a brief smile to his face. As odd as that must have been on a Lightning visage, that is.
When he dropped his hold Eli was back to his professional demeanor. He turned down the alleyway and the further they got into the city the narrower the spaces became. Buildings nearly blocked the sun in some parts, while others were low enough illuminate the space in a warm day's light. When he finally came to a stop it was behind an older apothecary. He'd become aware a street over that they were being tailed, but this is what he wanted.
They finally had their contact.
"Illusions, Aberswith?" The deep, gravelly tone didn't match it's owner. When a Lightning woman dropped into the alleyway she was every bit a beauty with the voice of an old, grizzled veteran. To this day Eliazer couldn't help the way his blood ran cold in her presence, and now he didn't bother stopping himself from getting a little closer to Honi.
She stalked closer to them with all the confidence of a predator. A knockout beauty with cobalt eyes almost as deadly as the pistol on her hip. That gaze didn't stay with Eli, though; it was reserved solely for Honi. "Got a name, girl? I'll trade yours for mine; It's Adhira." She took her time taking in the hybrid infront of her; from her feet to her eyes and the magic that veiled her. "You shouldn't have come here, Eliazer; I could think of a number of things your bounty would pay."
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Posted: Mon Mar 13, 2023 8:52 am
Honi did as she was directed to and took another long, deep breath. It wasn't much, but it was enough for her be able to give Eli a small smile in return. Right. She had to stay calm for both their sakes. Eli had enough on his mind without her adding even more to the burden than she already had.
The rough voice sent a chill down her spine, and she couldn't help gawking at the mismatched body that dropped to meet them. The woman was lovely to look at, but there was a deeply unsettling chill that radiated from that picturesque face. It took her a moment to find her voice again. "Adhira. I'm Honi." She winced at the mention of the bounty and shook her head before she realized it. "But that's why we're here. The bounty isn't actually for Eli. Can't you help straighten this out?"
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Posted: Thu Mar 16, 2023 5:27 am
"It may not be for him, but they've pinned it on Eliazer. Right down to the marks on his neck." She trailed a finger up her throat and mimicked the way his marking fanned out. When she looked at Eli he couldn't help grimacing. "I can help, but I need to be sure it wasn't you; or your partner." As helpful as she was being in the moment Eliazer never missed the way one hand remained close to her pistol. In a moment's notice there could be a fight in this alleyway, and at close range Adhira might have had the advantage.
Before Honi came along, that is.
"The ledger says the murderer was in Belrea first, then Matori but I was still in Belrea when the first Matorian attack happened."
"You were," Adhira admitted, then turned her head to Honi, "But you weren't."
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Posted: Thu Mar 16, 2023 3:42 pm
Honi's brow knit sharply. Part of her had hoped that the bounty would still be more focused on the intended fiend, but word always managed to travel faster than people did. Of course, it moved even faster when it was false statements.
From her angle at Eli's side, it was difficult to read what he was saying. Heck, sometimes even being in direct sight was not enough! Still, she was able to immediately understand the implication when the attention was put back on herself. "M-Me?" she squeaked out as she instinctively took a half step back. The memory of that first encounter back in Matori was as clear as day for her. The hunters wouldn't question if she was suddenly added to the bounty as more than an accomplice, and she didn't the same would be true of the hunters residing here in Belrea either.
The urge to flail around denials swelled in her belly. Somehow, she managed to suppress the urge enough to just shake her head stiffly. Her gaze flicked over to Eli and then back to Adhira, her voice anxiously tight and quiet.. "How do I prove to you I didn't do it?"
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Posted: Wed Mar 22, 2023 10:31 am
"You." Adhira smirked, despite the near growling tone of her voice. "I don't know a thing about you, but you show up in Belrea with a wanted man. What am I supposed to think? You're either very gullible, complicit or you're stupid."
Eliazer bristled. It was one thing when Adhira turned her tactics on him, but he didn't like the way she spoke to Honi. When he met her gaze with a hardened stare of his own Adhira just laughed. "You knew who I was before you came, Aberswith; don't act as if I should be nicer." When she reached out to put a hand on his shoulder a tense energy passed between the two, but Eliazer begrudgingly stepped to the side so that Adhira could properly face Honi.
At the same time it gave him enough of a visual to see the hybrid's face and to keep her in his sights.
"My opinion? Find out how the murders happened and find a detail that couldn't possibly be traced to you. It might be a common weapon, a certain spell, a tell tale scent left behind; anything that can clear your name." After pausing, Adhira added, "As for right now? As far as I'm concerned you're guilty; I don't get paid to ask questions. Just for heads."
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Posted: Thu Mar 23, 2023 9:15 am
Honi's cheeks flushed hot while her eyes slid off to one side. Adhira wasn't entirely wrong, but surely she wasn't entirely right, either! It was all scary enough without her position being scrutinized so aggressively. This wasn't entirely about her though... She looked up as Eli stepped aside and she took of the full focus on the intimidating woman before her.
Her nails dug into her sweating palms as she fought to stay in place. Everything told her to run.. but this was about more than just herself. If she could survive that encounter in Matori with those head hunters, then surely she could face this for at least a little longer! Besides.. Adhira wasn't trying to kill them yet. "I'm not stupid for coming. I need to clear my name and save my friend, and this is where it all started."
Guilty. The person Eli had sought out for help assumed they were guilty? How was she supposed to find evidence that she wasn't there? It sounded like the proverbial search for a needle in a haystack! She couldn't stop herself from looking to Eli now, desperate for anything except that cold stare of Adhira's.
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Posted: Thu Mar 23, 2023 11:06 am
"The information I was given before going to Matori said it was a man named Ambrose Kettel. Six dead at the time, homes raided, but that was months ago and the only people who would have details of the crime scenes would be those in the security sector."
"Well, then that's where I would start." Adhira crossed her arms under her bust and gave her protégé a good, long stare. "They would have records of the attacks; locations, witnesses and the like. Getting in won't be easy, but if you can do it then you'll have your start."
Breaking into a Security Sector precinct would be challenging. The illusions wouldn't work there and they would be surrounded by the very people they were trying to hide from. When he looked to Honi to get her opinion of it he caught her expression and a part of his own softened. "How do you feel about breaking in and getting some intel?"
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Posted: Thu Mar 23, 2023 1:08 pm
Now that the focus was off of her, Honi took a few deep breaths. Of course, seeing the reminder of the killings didn't help. They were really going up against someone who had taken at least six lives in Belrea alone... These were the kinds of people Eli dealt with? The shadows of the alley seemed to deepen, threatening to creep over and suck them all into the abyss as the cold settled once more in her belly.
She cringed and shook her head. "I don't like it... but I'll do it if it'll help." She raised her arms to hug firmly around herself while one hand clutched the stone over her chest. "Um.. so is this security sector like the guards in Matori?"
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Posted: Sun Mar 26, 2023 2:09 pm
Eliazer nodded his head then seemed to pause before shifting into a slow shake. "Sort of? There are more of them in the city because it's larger." In his opinion they were also tougher than the guards he'd seen in Matori, but that could have been personal bias. Even if he tried to separate himself from the very city that wanted him behind bars Eliazer still held a preference for his home territory.
"We'll wait a few days and get settled before trying anything. Get supplies, find a place to stay, let it settle." And more importantly, let them settle. Honi's overall demeanor made him want to be softer around her, to reach out and touch her arm, but not with Adhira around.
"You don't have a safe house yet? That's rule one, Aberswith; establish home base."
"We've been a little busy." The droll look upon his face as he signed was as close to grouching as Eli could muster.
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Posted: Mon Mar 27, 2023 12:40 pm
Her lips pressed slightly and her gaze went back toward the street they had come from. More guards... Honi had a enough of an understanding of the guards in Matori to have respect for them, but surely guards in such a large and complex city would operate on a different level. "Okay, well.. larger means more places to hide out, right?" In this situation, she would take any silver lining that she could grasp.
She looked back at Adhira though, and her stomach sank again. She couldn't say it out loud.. but they would have to find a place that this intense woman wouldn't think to look either. Could Eli possibly know of a place like that? If Adhira suddenly decided that the bounty was more valuable than history, their plans surely would come to a quick end.
Her hand worried over the stone anxiously, now glad that she had altered her own looks at least a little. It would be best to keep her focus on Eli, probably. "I don't know how much it'll get, but I still have a few coins left from the trip here. You can use it for whatever you need." It felt like the only way she could help at the moment.
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Posted: Fri Mar 31, 2023 12:58 pm
Eliazer nodded. "We won't have any trouble finding a place." It was a lie, of course, but one that presented confidence he hoped Honi bought. Finding a spot that wasn't on the radar from the underground would be hard, though it wasn't impossible. They just needed to be very, very cautious about it.
"I have some money stashed back with my mother. If we can make it quick we could see her and pick it up." After all, it wasn't as if Eliazer ever really had a reason to move out considering he was on the road all of the time. His mother kept track of his valuables though -
Turning to Adhira, worry plain on his face, he signed, "Have they gone to her?"
"Of course they did. She was the first place anyone stopped, but your mother wasn't there. Didn't look like anyone had been in a while."
While it should have been his top priority after getting off the ship Eliazer hadn't really thought about the implications of all of this on his mother. The poor woman had enough on her plate as it was and now this...Why wouldn't she be home? She never traveled.
To Honi he signed, "That's not right. That's not like her."
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Posted: Fri Mar 31, 2023 9:43 pm
Eli would know better than she would about their chances, but the assurance gave Honi only a mild relief from her concerns. She probably wouldn't feel better until they actually had a place secured. Frankly, better wouldn't be until she was safely back with her family.
Speaking of family though.. Honi's brow knit at the mention of Eli's mother. "Won't that put her at risk?" She looked over as Adhira spoke up, and the clench in her chest only got worse. "Eli.." What could she say? Going to the house was clearly a bad idea, but she couldn't meet his eyes and tell him to not go look for his own mother! "Maybe.. maybe someone tipped her off that they're looking for you and she's hiding out?"
She pressed her lips and turned to Adhira. "And you know nothing of where she might be? Any word that someone has her as a lure for Eli?"
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Posted: Mon Apr 03, 2023 2:02 pm
He was torn. Honi was right, visiting her would put his mother at risk and yet...The bounty hunter sighed and ran a hand through his hair, the illusionary orange locks falling at odd angles on his head. What if they'd gotten to her? What if his father was looking for some quick cash again, had ransacked the place and -?
Adhira shook her head. "Didn't peg her for the sneaky type, but either she knows more than she lets on or she's with someone." And whether that was a good or bad thing no one knew. Or at the very least Adhira wasn't going to say. "You might be able to talk to her employers, get answers that way, but honestly...do you think you have that kind of time to waste? For all you know she's safe and you're gettin' closer by the second to being caught."
"...She's right." Eli signed. HIs hand movements were slower, as if it pained him to think about it. "Maybe...when it's calmer...we can reach out but right now it's too risky." What else was he supposed to do? If he went to hurt then it might bring trouble to his mother and also to Honi? There weren't any good options. "Sorry I should have known it was a bad idea."
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