Rescuing the Young(Katherun&Halie)

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Griffin snorted. "You're a brat X. But you dont mean to be. Atleast I dont think you mean to be. I have met people worse then you. I dont know what your past was like but I know what is in mine. I try to treat people the way they treat me. You're a unique case since I never know what you will do next. If I treated you the way I usually treat people that irate me you probably wouldnt have lasted the first day. But you reminded me of Sam so I was more patient than usual."
 
X listened intently, though the more Griffin talked, the less he wanted to hear. It was hard, hearing that he probably wouldn't have lasted with Griffin if the man hadn't changed his own attitude. It was hard, hearing that he pissed him off so badly, without even trying to. And it was hard being compared to Sam, who was so young and helpless. X didn't want to hear any of it. "Am I anything to you?" He'd done gone and curled in on himself, his back turned to Griffin, chin tucked into his knees. "Do you even like me?" He paused. "Outside of the fact I remind you of Sam?"
 
"I didn't like you at first X. At first I only kept you because you reminded me of Sam." Griffin told him honestly. He wouldn't lie to the demon. "But the more I got to know you the more I liked you as an individual. It took me some time to get to know and like you X. But now I like you for who you are." He moved closer to the younger man. "Now I considered you a friend. That is the reason I want to travel with us. I care about what happens to you."

Sam moved over to X. He placed his little hand on X's shoulders. "I want to be your friend." He didn't always understand the demon. But if his father liked him there had to be a reason. His father didn't like many people.
 
X glared at him, hearing that he wasn't liked at first. None of this was very reassuring to hear, not even the bit about having grown to like him as a person. It was shallow. A cheap cop out. "Which one?" He asked. "There's more than one of me." He was bitter, upset about it. Griffin could've been referring to the other one; the part of him that reminded him of Sam. That very well could've been the only reason he cared about him, and kept him along. The demon had also considered the possibility of Griffin lying about it altogether- a cheap means of getting him to shut up before he managed to frighten Sam. "Do you like me right now? Or do you only care about the other one? Would you have gotten rid of me if I didn't remind you of him?" He turned and pointed to Sam. "You would've sent me back, wouldn't you?" X was worrying himself over nothing now, but he couldn't stop. There was always something to worry about, and when there wasn't, his mind made it so. His lower lip quivered, and he bit it to hide the telltale sign of crying.

X stiffened up at Sam's little hand on his shoulder. His eyes went wide, and he turned around again to face the boy. He was desperate for reassurance that he wasn't hated, but all the same, he didn't know what to make of the child's offer that he would be his friend. X didn't even know what it was to be a friend. He'd never had one, but now he had two apparently, and he still didn't know if one even liked him or not. "Are friends supposed to be this confusing?"
 
Griffin shook his head. "X it doesn't work like that. Both parts are you. The younger part allowed me to be patient enough to get to know the older part. I cant take one without the other. That's your biggest problem X. You keep thinking as the parts as separate when they aren't. You cant have one without the other. One part parts and guides the other. You wouldn't be you without both parts. I don't like your younger self more then your older. I like both parts the same. They are very different but they are still you."

"I don't know." Sam said softly. "I've never had a friend before." The little boy frowned. He knew little about demons and wanted to learn. He thought if he learned more about X the easier it would be to get along with him. "I don't mind you being confusing."
 
X didn't know how to make Griffin understand that his mindvery much was split into separate people. "No!" He protested angrily, "The other one isn't me!" How could it be? When he couldn't even remember anything the other part of him did. He had no control over himself, no memory of anything. That other part of him was its own separate entity, for all x knew and cared. It simply shared a body with him. "If I can't have one without the other, why can everyone else? Nobody else has more than one person in their head! It's not fair." He pouted. He was still in his mood when Sam offered to be his friend. X brushed him away. "I don't want to be friends if all I end up being is confused and angry." He quieted down hearing hooves beating against the ground in the distance, and he took up a submissive, scared posture.

He'd not yet familiarized himself with the sound of Ophelia coming towards them. Not long after the demon curled up in a ball, hands over his head to protect himself, rhe centuar returned. She had a sour look on her face; her travels did not bare good fortune upon the road ahead. "Nothing." She huffed. "There's a village not far from here but it's most definitely not what you're looking for. There's a slave caravan in town. Set up shop right in the middle of the road. It's a riverside town- big trading village. There'll be plenty of supplies, cheap. But..." She glanced down at X and Sam, then changed the subject. "If we keep heading that way, the town's the only thing out there. We can go through it and travel by boat across the river, but I don't know where that will lead. It's your call."
 
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Griffin nodded. He had expected as much. There was no way they were going to reach the free kingdom quickly. He was prepared for that. Or so he thought. Now he wasnt so sure. He cared for X but the demon was frustrating as hell. Everytime he got even slightly upset little one came out. He wouldnt hurt a child no matter how mad he was. "Let's head to the river then." He picked up his bag and headed out of the cave.

Sam was glad to be getting out of the cave. It wasnt as scary during the day. But he still didnt like it. He hurried out of the cave ready to walk for awhile. He hoped X wouldnt fight anyone for awhile.
 
X had unfurled himself from the ball when he realized it was only Ophelia. His cheeks became flushed bright red in embarrassment and shame, unwittingly showing her such a part of himself. Not that she noticed. When he heard the words slave caravan, his blood went cold. It wasn't until after Griffin had packed up and was ready to go b did he speak out. "We're not going to that town are we?" Ophelia made it sound like that town was the only way to get to the river.

The centuar confirmed his fear. "You'll live. It's a little town. Just have to walk through it for a little bit and find a boat that'll take us. Caravan isn't interested in picking up new wares at the moment." Beyond that, the demon was so mangled she wasn't sure anyone would even bother trying to sell him at this point. "Come on. We're moving now." To Griffin, she turned and said, "I was thinking about this on my way back here... you may want to disguise him. He won't pass for a free man, and with the caravan in town... they might think he might've escaped."
 
Griffin shook his head. "No Ophelia. There is no way to disguise X. Even if there was I wouldn't do that to him. He isn't something to be hidden. We have other options. One of us can carry him. Or I can put a collar on him. No one is going to think he is a runaway." He wasn't going to hid X. That would mean that he was ashamed of the demon. And while he found the younger man frustrating, he wasn't ashamed of him. He wouldn't treat X as if he was.

Sam frowned. "How would we disguise him?" He asked curiously. He tried to imagine the demon wearing clothing. The images made him giggle. He liked some of the clothes on the demon but most of them just made X look silly.
 
Hearing that he wasn't something to be hidden filled the demon with pride. Ophelia's suggestion, while true as it was, hurt him a bit. He knew he was a mess. He knew he'd never blend in like the rest of them. He couldn't hide his scars, the way she or Griffin could. So when the man said that he wasn't ashamed of him, and that he wouldn't hide him, X felt prideful. The options he listed off though, made him shrink back. "I'm right here! Do you have to talk about me that way? I don't want carried and I don't want anything around my neck!" The thought of wearing a collar after so long made him cringe. "I'm not a baby and I'm not an animal."

Ophelia's brow furrowed in frustration. "Nobody is saying you are," She told him. "But you can't pass as a free man. Someone sees you walking through that town without someone with you,and you'll get snatched up in a heartbeat." She didn't understand how deathly scared X was of big crowds. Walking off by himself was the last thing he'd ever do. To Griffin, she said, "The collar idea is more of what I had in mind. If it makes him feel any better, I can put that harness on again so he's not the only one wearing something uncomfortable." She could tell just by looking at him that the thought had him green around the gills. He was already pale, but now he just looked sickly.

And finally she attempted to answer Sam's question. "We just have to pretend X is a slave. So nobody thinks he ran away from the caravan in town. And once we're out of the town, everything's back to normal."
 
"I know your right here X. I didn't meant to talk as if you weren't. As much as I hate to admit it Ophelia is right. If someone were to see you alone they would snatch you. However I don't want anyone going off alone. We need to stay together. No matter how angry, hurt, or scared you are X. Sam that goes for you too." Griffin told them. "If you can't promise that I will have to put a collar on you for your safety."

"I promise I wont leave your side daddy. I'll help X remember." Sam volunteered. "Is that ok X. Then you wouldn't have to wear the collar."
 
X crossed his arms in a show of indignation. "When have I ever run off like that?" He asked, truly unable to remember a time where he'd run from Griffin. He'd jerked away from him plenty of times, but never full out darted, as far as he could remeber. "Why do you even still have that collar? Get rid of it!" He turned to Sam ans said, "I don't need any help remembering, I'll be fine. Let's just go already."

Ophelia led the way; she knew the way to the town, and was more than eager to get moving again. She had to find her herd, her family. "Sam, buddy, if you get tired you can ride on my back, okay?" She didn't normally offer rides, but Sam was tiny and wouldn't bother her much. Though she had no saddle to held him stay on, she had no problem with holding his legs to help keep him balanced. He'd get the hang of it eventually, anyhow.
 
"Just because you don't remember it X doesn't mean it hasn't happened." Griffin pointed out with a growl. "While you are not a child or an animal the fact remains that if for any reason you are seen off on your own you will be taken by the caravan. We don't need anymore trouble. You need to apologize to Sam. NOW. He was trying to help keep you from having to be carried or collared. The least you can do is thank him for it. You know as well as I do that you might need help remember your promise."
 
((Life's been hectic, and my roleplays have suffered because of it. I'm still here though- thanks for sticking with me.))

X stared at him in confusion. He'd not refuted the possibility that it had happened; he understood well that it probably did. But it certainly didn't help prove the fact to him when Griffin snapped at him without offering a clear explanation. "I don't know that! I don't! I-I know you think I'm being difficult, but I don't know! Why won't I remember my promise? Why do you think I'm going to run away?" The fact remained that Griffin likely knew him better than he knew himself. X wasn't trying to be difficult with him; he really wanted to know and understand why it was the man thought about him the way he did. "Why do you yell at me when all I want is to remember what happened? Why are you always so mad at me!? What did I do!" He felt sick to his stomach, yelling at the man. It felt wrong- it made him uncomfortable, and more than that, it scared him. But he was tired of always feeling like he'd done something wrong in Griffin's eyes.

Ophelia listened to the exchange in awkward silence, scared to speak up and get involved in a matter which she held no knowledge. She couldn't speak for Griffin in offering explanation for the demon, as much as she wanted to to just calm him down. Instead, she tried to get Sam's attention, in hopes she could distract herself, and the boy, from whatever scene was bound to ensue X's outburst.
 
"I know you're not being difficult on purpose X. I know that there is a chance that you wont remember you promise that is one of the reason I want you to hand my or Ophelia's hand. I don't think you would run off on purpose but if you were scared you might run without thinking. I don't want to at that chance. Holding our hands is less humiliating then the collar but it is your choice X." Griffin explained. "I yell at you because that seems to be the only time you listen to me. If that is what it takes to get through to you then that's what I will do. I am only mad because you refuse to listen to me."
 
X listened to what Griffin had to say, but none of it helped him calm down. The man didn't answer his question fully; all he wanted to know was another time that he'd ran off without thinking. Sure, he likely wouldn't remember it, but at the very least, it gave Griffin some credibility to his assumptions. "I do listen to you! But you get mad at me for everything I do! I could ask a question wrong and you'll start yelling at me! It's not fair! You're not like this to Sam! So why me?" X didn't expect an answer after that. Instead he held his head down low and kept walking forward, until Griffin was behind him and he was just a step away from Ophelia. "I don't want either of your hands." He huffed. "Just slap the stupid collar around my neck when we get there." And that was that. There wasn't a word out of him the rest of the way there.

When they arrived at the river town, it was as Ophelia described it. The village itself was just a shoddy little place. A few houses sporadically spread out here and there. At the edge of the town was a set of docks. There were mostly small fishing boats there, but a few were passenger carriers. Just like the centaur had said, there was a slave caravan in the area. The caravan set up shop in the middle of the road, blocking the way to the docks. There was no getting around it, unless they trespassed through people's yards or gardens.

X was shaking by that time. Ophelia tried to reassure him that he'd be alright, but he snapped at her the minute she touched his shoulder. She'd moved away from him by that point and came to stand beside Griffin so she could whisper to him, "Do you think he'll be alright?"

"I can hear you!" He spit. "Just give me the stupid collar already." X held his hand out expectantly, waiting impatiently for Griffin to hand it over so he could put it on himself. It was less humiliating that way.
 
"Here." griffin hated giving X the collar back. He should have thrown it away when he had thought about it. He hated the idea of the demon wearing it but it had been X's choice. He picked Sam up. He knew the boy would get tired of being carried but he wasn't taking chances, he wanted them all to make it through town without too many problems.
 
X took the collar with a huff and a scowl on his face, yanking it from Griffin's clawed hands. He stared at the worn leather strap in his hands for a long time before doing anything with it. It'd been so long since he wore it, the very idea of putting it on again scared him. He worried he'd lose his freedom that he'd gained with Griffin. But before he could say or do something stupid, the demon snapped it around his neck and took his place behind Griffin. Even with the knowledge that nobody would bat an eye at him like this, X was still an anxious mess; it took all his self control not to break down the minute someone so much as looked his way. He'd forgone his shame and held onto Griffin's hand for support halfway through the village when they came across the market, and he clung to him worse than Sam. Halfway through, a man in charge of the slave caravan caught a glimpse at X, and he called out to Griffin, presuming the man to be the demon's master. "Hey! Hey you! With the demon, and the boy!" X buried his face in Griffin's shirt, as if to hide himself. The slaver took notice. "I think your demon's about worn out. Look over here, we got a big selection this week-- good stock, fair price; we'll take that one off your hands, get you set up with something better."
 
Griffin walked through town as fast as he could. X's shorter legs were the only thing that slowed him down. He didn't want to be here. He watched the demon although X didn't show any signs of taking off. He shook slightly as they neared the caravan. He didn't look at it Ashe carried Sam past it. He held his son close afraid that he would be taken from him. He bared his teeth the man that called out to him. It wasn't the smartest move but he couldn't help it. "I am very happy with these two slaves I have thank you." He hated saying the word but he had no choice. He had to say it to show the man that he was in charge.
 
When they stopped, X bit back. A sob and buried his face in Griffin's shirt. "Don't take me back," he pleaded in a desparate whimper, hardly loud enough to fall on his own ears.
Ophelia's reaction was one of knowing disdain. She knew none of whag Griffin said was true, though not that it made the pill any easier to swallow. Her tail swished in an annoyed display. She didn't hear the demon's plea.
The slave master up front held his hand over his belly and laughed. His laughter frightened some if the caged slaves behind him. "Happy? I see a walking scar, and an attitude problem. Dont you want something that can stand on it's own feet? A centar that knows its place? We've got modest prices and good wares-- come inside give 'em a look."
 
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