Asha had been running for days, her heart pounding with the persistent rhythm of fear and desperation. The small, out-of-the-way village in the Free Marches was a haven she stumbled upon by sheer luck. Exhausted, alone, and without any resources, she slipped into the village, her eyes scanning the market stalls with a mixture of hope and anxiety.
The bustling market was a stark contrast to the eerie silence of her recent captivity. Villagers moved about, their chatter blending into a comforting hum that momentarily eased her frayed nerves. Asha kept her head down, her hood drawn low over her face to avoid drawing attention. She drifted from stall to stall, her nimble fingers slipping apples, bread, and dried meats into her pockets. In their place, she left small drawings and pebbles—the only things she had to offer as payment.
She hoped the merchants would appreciate the little tokens, but deep down, she knew it was a futile gesture. Her hands trembled as she slipped a particularly juicy apple into her pocket, replacing it with a smooth, round pebble. The merchant’s eyes narrowed, and Asha’s heart sank.
"Hey!" the merchant’s voice boomed, cutting through the market's din. "Pebbles aren’t proper payment for an apple!"
Asha froze, her pulse quickening. The villagers turned to look, their curious gazes burning into her. She took a step back, her mind racing for a way out, but the merchant advanced, his face twisted in anger.
I-I’m sorry, she stammered, her voice barely above a whisper. It’s all I have.
"Sorry doesn’t cut it," the merchant barked, grabbing her arm. "You think you can steal from me and get away with it?"
Tears welled in Asha’s eyes as she tried to pull free, the weight of her recent ordeal crashing down on her. She felt cornered, like a wild animal trapped with no escape. The crowd began to murmur, their whispers a mix of sympathy and suspicion.
In that moment, Asha wished for nothing more than to disappear, to melt into the shadows and escape the harsh reality that had become her life. She looked up at the merchant, her eyes pleading for understanding, hoping against hope that someone might step in to help her.
Haulean was out running errands when he spotted the not-so-sneaky person pinching groceries. If it weren't for the fact that the shopkeeps were all busy and distracted, the slight figure would've been in a whole heap of trouble... they needed to be more careful! He would've gone up and told them that, but he was sort of fascinated by the fact that they were apparently leaving behind little treasures and knick-knacks in place of money. So clearly... they wanted to at least give something. That poked at Haulean's heart quite a bit, and he decided to follow behind, replacing the pebbles and such with actual money.
It wasn't hard, being as light-fingered as he was trained to be. That, and by now most of the merchants knew him, because he was a chatty thing, and liked to strike up conversations while he bought things. Yes, bought, when he actually had the money. The last stall he'd placed money on was one such familiar merchant, and they had distracted him with a hearty hello and such as he'd turned to leave, which was why he wasn't quite fast enough to prevent the hubbub that he suddenly heard a couple stalls down. Uh-oh...
Hastily, but politely, Haulean excused himself and hustled his way down to where he saw one heck of a cranky shopkeep grabbing the cloaked figure -and a girl at that- by the arm and yelling at her. Quick as a whip, the very petite blonde stepped up behind the poor scared girl and slipped an arm about her shoulders, while playing up being out of breath. "There you are!" he exclaimed, taking a moment to pretend to catch his breath and then looking up at the grumpy gent and holding out some coin.
"M'sorry sir, my sister didn't mean no harm, she just... doesn't understand things like money. Was takin' her on a special outing 'n lost track of her. She'd been talkin' about wantin' an apple, and I told her this shop had the best, and we'd save comin' here for last, but... well. I guess she got tired of waitin' on me to run errands." He gave a sheepish smile, and patted the girl's arm. "But no harm, here's twice the money for the trouble. I'll see she keeps her hands to herself now." That sunny smile turned to the girl. "Tell the nice man 'thank you', Sissy." And as he looked to her, there was a silent plea to just play along.
07-02-2024, 07:05 PM
Asha'bellanar Mac Tir
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Asha blinked, momentarily stunned by the sudden rescue. She glanced at Haulean, gratitude and confusion warring in her eyes. Then glanced back at the shop keeper and back to Haulean. Thank you, she mumbled, her voice shaky but sincere, as she tried to compose herself. It wasn’t like she’d wanted to steal, but on the other hand, considering where she’d fled from, she was also a bit wary of trusting strangers, so her mind was starting to wander to what he might want in return, or worse, what if he was sent by The Eth.
Still, she didn’t have much choice but to go along with it for now. She gave a small nod to Haulean, silently deciding to stay close to him until she could figure out his true intentions, or at the very least keep an eye out for getting away from him, if his kindness turned out to be duplicitous.
As they walked away from the market, Asha couldn't help but glance over her shoulder, half-expecting the merchant to call after them again. Instead, the crowd slowly returned to their business, the incident already fading into the background. She looked up at Haulean, her mind filled with questions but her heart cautiously hopeful.
Who are you? she finally asked, her voice soft but filled with curiosity, but then quickly turning t fear and distrust. You weren’t sent for me were you? Because I’m not going back, you might as well kill me right now!
Haulean breathed a sigh of relief when the girl just played along with things, and he flashed an even sunnier smile. "See there, no harm. But don't eat it yet, we've still got to figure what we're buyin' for makin' supper."
He gave a nod and a wave to the shopkeep who now looked more sympathetic than angry. Whew! And thank goodness his hair was long enough to cover his ears, because... uh... well. He hadn't really thought about the fact that the girl seemed to be human. Woops! He was maybe an inch or two taller than her, which wasn't much at all.
In any case, Haulean gently steered the girl away from the market, nattering on about different things they could get for supper fixings until they were well out of eye and ear shot of the merchant.
The petite blonde would have begun to caution the girl about her attempts at being light-fingered, but then she started talking about... being sent for her? Killing her??? The shock was plain as day on the boy's freckled face, and he blinked. "Um.... Sorry, what?" More blinking followed, and then he just shook it off.
"I dunno anythin' about that, but my name's Haulean -lotta people call me Rabbit- and I think you need somethin' to eat. And if you don't have a place to sleep, I know lots of safe places. Might even could ask my uh...." He blushed then, and his expression turned a bit sheepish, but also affectionate. "I s'pose I should call her my stepmother? She's a healer, and the kindest person you ever did meet. She'd know- oh!"
Stopping, Haulean pulled an extra apple out of his shopping bag. "Since you like 'em. But don't eat too fast, and try not to fill up on 'em cos you'll spoil your appetite. C'mon, let's get goin'. I can give you my dagger, if it'd make you feel safer?" Out of seemingly nowhere, the boy produced a small, sheathed dagger and offered it to the girl hilt-first.
Asha's eyes widened at Haulean's offer of the dagger, a mix of surprise and relief washing over her. She hesitated for a moment, then accepted the weapon, tucking it into her belt with a grateful nod. The sincerity in Haulean's eyes and his unassuming demeanor began to chip away at her initial distrust.
Thank you, she said, her voice soft but steadier than before. I'm Asha. She glanced around, ensuring they were out of earshot of anyone who might be listening. I've been running from... from people who want to hurt me. I didn't mean to steal, I just... I was desperate.
As they walked through the quieter streets of the village, Asha couldn't help but feel a sense of cautious hope. She hadn't encountered many people willing to help without expecting something in return. Rabbit's genuine kindness was a welcome change from the constant fear and mistrust that had shadowed her journey.
Your stepmother, the healer... would she really be willing to help me? Asha asked, her voice tinged with both hope and doubt.
When the girl accepted the dagger, Haulean just smiled and nodded. "You're welcome! Can't be too careful 'round these parts, and besides, I've got others." He could spare one dagger to give someone else a bit of comfort and safety.
The boy gave another nod when the girl introduced herself, and listened patiently as she spoke of her situation. "Well I kinda figured, from the way you were talkin' earlier. But don't you worry, I know folks that look after one another against bad folk. And not like I haven't pinched stuff here and there. But you've gotta know how to do it right 'n keep yourself safe doin' it.
When asked is his stepmother would really help, he smiled a dopey smile that spoke of true affection, and nodded. "Yeah, she's the best. You'll see. Who knows, if you don't got folks of your own, maybe you'll be my new sister for real? Or at least a friend, cos everybody needs those.
Sister... Asha echoed softly, the word foreign on her tongue as though she’d forgotten what it meant. The concept was strange, almost dreamlike, something that belonged to another life, one that wasn't haunted by fear and loss. She glanced down at the dagger Haulean had given her, fingers curling protectively around its hilt. She wasn't sure she could ever feel safe again, even with a weapon.
I’ve never had a family like that before, she admitted, her voice barely a whisper, as if speaking the truth would somehow make it disappear. I’m not sure I remember what it feels like to have anyone look out for me.
The exhaustion was creeping back into her bones, the weight of the past days threatening to drag her down. But there was something about Rabbit’s kindness, about his stepmother’s supposed warmth, that made her feel as though maybe, just maybe, she could rest for a moment.
She hesitated, her mind flickering between doubt and trust. But if they find me... I don’t want to bring trouble to your family. Her voice trembled, carrying the heavy burden of her fear. I couldn’t bear it if they hurt you because of me.
Despite her reluctance, part of her longed to believe in what Haulean was offering. It was so rare, someone who seemed genuinely kind without any hidden agendas. But the shadows of her past still clung to her like an old cloak, and she wasn't sure she could ever truly shake them off.
Haulean couldn't hide the sadness that spread over his face when Asha said she'd never had a family or... people to look after her. That hurt his little heart something fierce. "Well... well you've got me now. I'll be your brother. And... and I know lots of people that would help look after you.
The mention of it being dangerous gave him pause, but not because he was afraid. More that he had to think a bit more carefully of where to take her. He idly fiddled with one of his earrings, a little sun charm his mother had given him.
"I don't see anybody following us at the moment. I'd know. But... to be safe, maybe taking you straight to Meg isn't the smartest. Instead, I can take you to one of my hidey spots, and bring her to you. But I really do want her to get a look at you 'n make sure you're okay. Plus, like I said, she'd prolly know a safe place for you that isn't swamped with ragtag menfolk. Sound good?"
Haulean had lots of little hidey holes and secret places. Some of them were for hiding things, some of them were for hiding himself. Either way, they were safe. He couldn't bring her straight to the Coterie. For one thing, he didn't think it fair to drag her into that kinda life without a choice. For another, one did not just waltz strangers into the Coterie.
"One place isn't too far. It's in Lowtown. It's clean an' quiet, and already has a place to sleep all set up. Even has a good view of Hightown! Whatcha think?
Asha blinked at Haulean’s invitation, caught off guard by his sincere kindness. She wasn’t used to such warmth without a price, and her hand tightened reflexively around the dagger. Yet there was a hint of something familiar in his words, a softness she recognized from somewhere distant, like a faded memory of safety.
That... sounds nice, she murmured, the faintest smile flickering across her face. I’d like to see this hideout. And the view of Hightown—maybe that’s where people like you come from? Kind people, I mean. She shrugged lightly, casting her gaze downward in embarrassment, the smallest flicker of hope warming her chest.
But doubt gnawed at her still. Are you really sure, though? I don't want to be a burden. I... I’m used to running alone. She glanced up at him, her eyes tinged with lingering mistrust, as if daring him to take back his offer, but also not wanting him to.
