Vengeance Without Desire(MeganFieldsman& Miu)

[Miu Furinji]

Saori pulled her brown cloak to hide her face as best she could when she walked into the pub late at night.It was here she wanted to spend the night though when she walked in and took a seat, she had realized she was the only female in the grubby place save for the tavern women bustling around and serving drinks when yelled at for more. She took a seat furthest in the back to get a clean view of her surroundings, no one really noticed her and she was thankful for that.Maybe it wouldn't be so bad if she lifted the cloak...not to mention she wanted to relax and eat something before she paid for a room. "What can I get ye" The woman asked in a accent that was quite different but interesting at the same time "Water and some meat and garlic potatoes if you have some please" Saori said as she pulled out her purse of money and gave the woman 3 coins. Finally she decided to calm down a little and pull her head free from the confinements of the hood and let her hair flow free.It felt good to think she would have a hot meal tonight and a warm bed with covers as well, soon she would be in the small city and she can retrieve provisions there. The hot food came after a while and she dug in.The past few weeks had not been easy....sleeping under trees, hiding from random bandits, eating nuts and berries and walking day and night. She was no hunter so she couldn't catch meat to even cook for herself, she would need someone who was an expert at that....she heaved a sigh, she had no friends though and the village she lived in was all to happy to send her packing and on her way.

Almost a week into her journey she almost wanted to turn back to them....but she knew she would be made fun of some more and this time even worse as she explained she was determined to leave and find her Identity,it would be most unpleasing to come back not a full month later with nothing to show for it. Saori lost her parents when she was too small to remember and growing up all she knew were the village and its people.They had always been so mean to her, always ignoring her or going out of their way to throw something at her and laugh....she never knew why though...she did remember and old lady who had been kind enough and said it was because of her parentage...the only clue she had was the necklace that had been with her since her birth which she kept with her at all times around her neck.

The Meat and Potatoes were finished now and Saori was getting a bit sleepy when she heard a group of men talking in the corner whispering about something. "Yea that thief....they took him into the small city prison......" Said an big burly hairy man. "Aint nothin but a criminal...a killer...it serves him right" another said. "But I heard he is very strong...I wonder how he even got captured...serves him right"

"I wonder who they speak of?" she thought to herself curiously. The Tavern girl came over "you be want'in a room?" she asked. "Yes please" Saori said as she scrambled her self to get up and follow the lady up the stairs and away from the drinking and loud talking.Up they went the wooden steps and down a long hallway and finally to a cozy looking room "One gold piece for a night" The lady said sounding bored. "Yes..here" she pressed the gold into the lady's hand "I have a question...where would I go in the small city to find a sort of sell sword...body guard if you will?" she asked sweetly. The tavern lady looked down at her " They are all over the damn place...you need but look to a blacksmith and he will recommend someone for you...." she told her turning to leave. "Wait! what about that strong thief they were talking about....? who is that?" Saori's curiosity got the better of her and now she wanted to know.
"You best stay clear of him girl...Orcs and Elves and others alike were after him...now he is caught and will probably be taken away from the small city to another so he can be properly monitored." With that the Tavern lady turned and walked away leaving Saori to herself.The room was cool but she stripped down to her underclothing and took the time to braid her sliver hair into one and slipped into bed.The sheets were crisp and comfortable and soon she drifted asleep and her dreams took her away.

The next morning was hard to wake up, she was more then comfy but every Tavern unless you paid for more then one night would boot you out by breakfast. So she slowly woke up and stretched then dawned her normal clothes and cloak once again and headed out the door and down the hallway, to the steps and back to where the noise of the drinking was last night.Here she paid for breakfast of fresh baked bread, cheeses,fruits and Nuts before she left and headed towards the small city. It took her a few hours walking before she made it and when she did she forgot about how tired she was. The so called small city was big to her! there were so many people and a lot of homes and markets and music and children of different races. She walked around taking the time to look at jewelry and clothing until she remembered she didn't have unlimited gold with her.She frowned and went to look about the black smiths in the area who might be helpful in buying a cheap sell sword for her. "MAKE WAY MAKE WAY DAMMIT" yelled a man clad in armor from head to toe who was walking in front of a carriage being pulled by horses.There were Guards all around it which could only mean prisoners. Saori peered into the cage to see if she might glimpse anyone but she was knocked out of the way and on they went. Once again her curiosity ignited so she followed them slowly all the way to a great stone prison wall. "Little lady..." Called a guard who approached her suddenly "You shouldn't be here...these walls are full of criminals and..." But Saori cut him off "I am here on business my good sir" she lied "I am here to find a body Guard....a sell sword might I have a look around?" she said in her most business like tone of voice she could muster. The guard looked at her curiously though "I am quite sure you wouldn't want anyone in here Ma'm" he told her doubtfully. "Saori smiled sweetly "If I have the coin for it could I buy one of your prisoners and keep them out of trouble?" she asked. The Guard sighed "Well yah....though most sane people don't."

Saori frowned at that...so was she insane? perhaps she was but she liked to think not everyone was all that bad. The guard escorted her to the inside of the prison, she could hear loud screams and cursing and the air felt damp and cold and mucky with the scent of men. She wasn't sure what she was looking for or going to find exactly but something kept telling her to keep going and so she did. A few prisoners tried to lash out at her as she passed....some hadn't seen a woman in years, here and there a dirty word would come at her but it was nothing since it was like being back at the village. Deeper and deeper they went and no one was half as interesting as she thought and when the Guard had enough he turned her around when they almost reached the end of the grungy place. "What is down there?" she asked when he tried to turn her around. "The last cell....I think he is a special prisoner...no one should go there" he told her simply.But Saori's heart began to pound....."I wanna see" she said and slipped from his fingers and walked quickly to take a peek. The Guard frantically caught up to her but it was too late she was standing face to face....(bars in between them) with an Elf, who looked different from any other Elf she had ever seen.She pulled down her hood revealing her face and when she saw him she knew it was he that the men were talking about last night. "How much" She asked the Guard.

 

[MeganFieldsman]

The walls were cold and the floors were damp. Yar had not seen light in... he looked at the wall and saw his marks. There were growing in number quickly, but making them kept him sane. Well, that is what he told himself. What was sane in a dark room with bars between you and any face you ever saw? Yar sighed and scratched yet another mark on the wall. He sat on the floor and stared at his wall. His thoughts wondered to his free days. He pondered if he could have done anything different. The more he thought he knew if he had he would only be dead instead of in a cell. He was not sure anymore which one was worse.

The walls were definitely a prison holding plenty of criminals who deserved to rot away. Yar still felt he did not belong. He wanted nothing more than to prove it to the world. His chances were gone and had never existed. He felt that he had been wronged by the world. He had no hope as slop of food was plopped on the floor through the bars in front of him. He hated it. They fed him just enough to survive. He ate the food only because he knew he had to. It was not the quality of the food he hated. He had eaten worse to survive before. It was the type. It dulled his magic and made it impossible for him to escape. Then again he knew that escaping would do nothing but make him dead instead of imprisoned. There were plenty that wanted his head. Yar finished his food and turned with nothing else to do. It took him a while to fall asleep with all the yelling and cursing at never ceased.

His wake up was the small bit of light that came with the changing of guards on duty. Yar go up and started his pointless days all over again. It was just after the breakfast slop on his floor that something changed. Light came pouring in more than guards ever allowed. He caught sight of a womanly shape in the door. A sighed escaped his lips. He wondered what a woman could possible be getting herself into. All he could hear was the chants, calls, and yells at her. It disgusted him. He might no know how to treat a woman but he knew that was wrong. He sat against his back wall and stared out at her as she walked down looking at his inmates. He had no hope of her evem making it back to his cell. They had placed him in the back on purpose.

Then after a good few minutes she ran over to his cell. His eyes widened as he looked into hers. "Hello?" he asked awkwardly. Hr did not know what else to say. Something about her gaze gave him a little hope though. He glanced at his marks then back to her. He waited for her next words. Something told him they were important. Then his doubt filled him again. She was yet another being. She looked that of an elf also. Her purpose could not be good when it came to him.

 

[Miu Furinji]

The Guard sighed and pulled out some parchment and flipped though the paper until he reached a page with the drawing of the Elf in front of them. "He is not listed here for money....but if you want him that badly..." he said sounding tired already.
Saori grinned like a fool and turned to the prisoner "Hi! I am Saori if I bought you would you contract yourself to me? be my body guard?" she asked hopefully. Judging by the rest of his cell mates he might be a ruffian just like them and perhaps kill her as soon as he was free but if she agreed to pay him gold he might just be ok with her.All male's love gold....she thought looking through the bars at him. "May I interest you in a task? a job if you will that I would definitely need your help with sir?" she finished.

The Guard rolled his parchments and stuck it under his chain mail before interrupting her "This Elf is as despicable as they come...he is a criminal and is being hunted by things you don't even want to know about....and this is ok with you miss? he asked with confusion in his eyes. Her eyes gleamed excitedly "If it ok with him then yes...it is ok with me as long as he follows the contract." She hoped at least. They both waited for the Elf's reply.

 

[MeganFieldsman]

The female elf made him jump lightly with her surprisingly happy tone. An elf speaking kindly to him and asking of his help? Also, it seemed she was purchasing him out of imprisonment. He thought he must be dreaming. The idea made him smile softly though. This was his chance to help someone. She needed his help as protection and for that she would pay him. It sounded perfect to him. As he the guard spoke of how was he being hunted he thought she would lose interest. His smile left. He did not expect to get out so easy. That was the way the world worked. Her response was still bright though. He stood up and watched over to the bars. He stuck his hand out. "I will protect you," he simply said and tried to give a smile. It came off as a awkward thing. He looked away wondering if this was a trap for the elves to kill him. Death was better than the call he was in to him. He would just have to see where it took him. He was not trusting her but himself.

 

[Miu Furinji]

Saori smiled at him and took his hand to shake it up and down gleefully "Leave it to me I will get you from here" she told him confidently. She turned her gaze to the Guard "I can take him off your hands... just name your price I want no one else" she told him before he could suggest someone else. He already thought she was crazy even coming to the prison for a body guard but of all people she wanted one of the worst they could offer. "100Gs" he sad warily. Saori frowned. That was practically all she had to offer, if she gave him all her gold she would have none for food and a place to sleep but something was telling her she needed to do it, she couldn't put her finger on it. "80 gold" she said stubbornly
"No 100" snapped the Guard
"He isn't worth 100" she said crossing her arms "I know many Elves, dwarfs, Giants and men who are worth more than him and it will be but a breeze to catch them for you if I had him" she pointed once more at the elf in the cell.
The Guard pondered for a moment thinking on what she said. "Alright how much do you want to give me...?"
Saori gave him a fist full on Gold,80 pieces she placed in a smaller purse and handed it to the Guard and he went so far as to bite the coin to make sure it was real before slipping it back into his chain mail. "Fine you want him....you got him but don't come screaming to me if he guts you in half."

The Guard produced a black key and stuck it in the door and turned until it clicked loudly against the cobble stone walls. "You are free to go vermin" the Guard said looking him up and down in his horrible clothing. Saori stood in front of him trying to act as if she wasn't scared to death of him but she was. He glowed an odd color...he looked pretty odd to but in a handsome kind of way."Once again I am Saori" she said dipping into a small bow "I haven't the pleasure to know your name?" she asked slowly "Please forgive me but I would rather I tell you my requirements and what I will have you help me with...that will take place outside" she told him.She never thought about how long he had been in prison, she never thought about how long he might have been in prison and when last he felt the sun on his skin. It almost made her feel sad but she shook her head instead and walked with her head held high. He towered over her as he slowly came out the cell, she halfway expected him to lash out at her but he didn't.

 

[MeganFieldsman]

Her hand fit his in an odd way. It was just nice to his to feel a touch. Her smile made him uncomfortable. It made him want to trust her, but he was no fool. He stepped back and listened as they argued over prices. It was surreal. He was leaving the hell hole. Maybe he was going straight towards the Elf nation to be put to death. Anything was better than sitting around barely remembering the outside. In his head as they argued, he went over rules and such of the outside world. Never trust anyone, Only take what you need, Help anything you can. Keep your mouth shut, Tell no one where you are from. No one is who they say they are. He had his very own set of rules for the outside world. The basics were all in his mind. The rest he had forgotten in his long weeks in darkness.

The key clicked bringing him back to reality. He realized he had missed the price his soul was sold for. It probably was very little anyways. He looked at the key and laughed softly. He found it amusing and fitting that it was black. The guards words bounced off of him. He knew that he was just another filthy being in the world who had been raised to be nothing more. The elf's eyes almost tickled him as they scanned over him. The way she looked at him was different than anyone else ever had. It made him yet again uncomfortable. Her being made him want to trust her. Then her words came and he clung on to every single one storing her name away forever. He had always been good with names. He followed her out and spoke, "Yar. My name's Yar... M'lady" His words were awkward as he was. His name was obviously of orcish decent. He only hoped if she did not know his past already that his name would not give it away.

 

[Miu Furinji]

"Yar" she repeated amused.She had never herd the likes of that name before or where it originated from, there was only so far her education in the village went...after a certain age they began to cast her out saying she didn't really need to know anything because she would never leave the village anyways.She wished she learned more though.The tall Elf didn't seem all that comfortable with her when she spoke which made her think that maybe he was disgusted by her...he did say he was going to protect her though....he couldn't be as bad as people say he was could he? some criminals were only criminals because they only knew that way of life and never had an opportunity for anything better...at least that what she hoped was the case with Yar.The Guard led them both outside and quickly shut the large doors behind them before shooing them away from the Prison. They were alone now in the small city...the streets bustling with people in the afternoon sun. "So Yar...." She tried to sound as polite as she could "How long have you been in there? what did they put you in there for? she asked. Maybe it wasn't the right time to ask him and maybe he wanted to keep it for himself but she was way too curious to leave it alone.

She waited before speaking very low so that only he would be able to hear her. She stepped closer to him and realized he had a handsome face....a muscular build to him and the glow which was odd was still very nice too even in the sunlight. "Now don't you laugh at me..." she said to him warningly wagging a finger "I want to know...if you have ever seen or heard sightings of a Dragon before?" she asked hopefully.Yes she was a long shot from anyone seeing one....anyone she did ask called her a nutcase but it was the only clue she had. It had made no sense but ever since the old lady back home had mentioned her parentage she was curious about where she came from.She wasn't going to reveal that information though...he was to protect her and help her search for a dragon like the one on her necklace and perhaps she could get some answers. She pulled the necklace off her neck and showed him the pendant. "I want to find this....can you help me?"

 

[MeganFieldsman]

The way she said his name sounded like the way it had supposed been said for all those years. It also told she had no idea what the name secretly meant. Everything about her made him a little off guard. He wondered if she had not yet been exposed to the cruelties of the world. Maybe she was of Elvish royal decent. He followed her out. With the large doors shut behind him, he almost felt panicked at first looking at all the people around and the sun in his face. He remembered he had always been able to be in control of his own situation though. Many people were around and a good many looked at him and whispered. They walked a little further away. He also remember no matter where he went he was as good as the waste at laid in the ditches. Then he voice rang out above the noise again. His eyes turned down to her as she spoke. His head shook lightly. "A few years. They argue my fate still," he sighed, "I had to do what I did to survive." He did not answer her question but he did in his own way. He was not ready to ruin her view of the world though.

Her questions of dragons were strange, but not too far fetched for him. He did find her a little crazy. Looking at the pendant he wonder what wild goose chase they were about to embark on and why he was so excited on the inside. "Never before. I will help," he said and looked around. He wanted to know why they were looking for dragons but dared not to question. Plenty of jobs had fallen into his lap where he could not question. His mind started to think about why to look first. He knew very little about such creatures that many had written off as myths. Then it came to him that he was connected to plenty of imformation brokers that may know something ad would be.. glad to see him. "I know where to start," he said and took her hand quickly turning down an ally way. It had been many years and he only hoped their hide outs had not changed.

Quickly, they found themselves in front of a back ally way door where he tapped a pattern on it a few times. A large man peeked out from behind the door and his eyes then widened. He turned around and yelled to people inside. "Boss, yoll neva guess whosa here to see ya!" he said almost excited. He turned back to Yar and the girl. "I guess ya finall broke outta there," he said with a smirk openning the door for the two revealing a room set up like a bar with a few card tables and many hard looking men sitting around playing and drinking. A man sat at the bar with some nice furs and a lovely lady beside him. He was obviously the stereotypical boss. Beside him was the boss though, a man in a little less than nice furs tossing around a few tokens. Yar walked up to him and took a seat. "Hello, Ole Silent, what brings you here? Who has a worthy value on their head for you to be sent after? Who are you working for know? Information for information?" the man asked as his eyes seemed to go jittery between the two.