Author: Illusory Angel, Posted: Tue May 9, 2017 11:12 AM, Post Subject: Ensnared [P]

The next day, Synthesis woke at 9 and had a lazy breakfast in the Inn with her remaining money. At 10 she couldn't see the man where he had said to be so she sat on the roadside and decided to wait. Eventually, she saw him stolling over half an hour overdue. She was about to protest indignantly when he smiled. She fell silent at the sight of it. He looked totally like he was cabable of murder without a qualm. There was something just to remorseless about him.

"Good morning!" he said far too happily, "Today we're going to get a new customer, though she doesn't know it yet. I need you to put this…" he handed her a tiny vial  "…into her morning tea. She drinks one every morning outside as she hangs up her washing. You should just find it on the side." Again Synthesis would have protested but again his eyes flashed evilly. (Had he been this evil looking last night?) "Now, don't you worry," he continued, " It's just some medicine she's going to be buying this from us and this is a free sample for her. She won't mind if she see you. Now, this is where you go…"

The man then gave a complicated series of directions to the druid three times before she thought it was too risky to ask for him to explain again lest he lose patience and do something terrible. What he could do in a busy street in broad daylight, however, would remain a mystery.

Synthesis make her way quickly and with only the thought of glinting silver in her mind. She didn't want to consider the ethical implications of following these instructions when they came from such a repulsive indevidual. She decided that it must be seeing him in full daylight that allowed her to view him with so much more disfavour than the eveming before.

At the house that had been described to her, Synthesis found her way round the back to see the washing was in fact half way through being put up and a steaming tea was inteed on the window sill. However, there was no woman in sight. Keen to get this all over with, she tipped the vile into the tea and make haste back for her reward.
The man gave her around the same as before. She pocketed it eagerly and looked to see if he had anything he wanted her to do. She could be rich in a day if all the jobs were like this.

"You'll need to meet the brain soon. He can decide whether you can come on the perminant payrole."

The brain?! Was this guy mad too? Disappointed, Synthesis nodded. She wanted to make the money now in one go. Then she wouldn't have to stay around for so long. "Sure."

"For now," he leered horribly and lowered his voice to a whisper, "I suppose I can tell you a little secret. As long as you do the work and don't ask questions, the money will keep flowing. But if you disobay me, if won't be money flowing any more. It will be blood, terror and tears. I have enough information to ruin you, little girl, just like you ruined that woman for us just now."

As far as Synthesis was concerned, terror was already flowing. She was paralysed with fear. She knew this had been a stupid idea! Why had she done it anyway! And she had ruined a woman?! She shook her head in denial. He'd said the woman would be there and wouldn't mind! She hadn't done anything wrong! She'd only put… some… unknown liquid… in someone's drink… without their knowledge… Maybe she had done something very wong…

Author: Kiyoshi, Posted: Thu May 4, 2017 4:03 PM, Post Subject: Ensnared [P]

Somewhere unimportant, perhaps athwart a ghostly tavern riddled with rodent feces, or in a crooked alleyway tossed out with the bathwater, there was a commotion. The jaded voices of shaggy men shredded the cinder block walls with decaying teeth, thick breath seeping from between the holes and cracks like murky wasteland sludge. There were two of them, both six feet tall, husky, and bristling with an indignation that befitted only the dumbest of mugs. They appeared to have something cornered, towards which all of their seething manly stench was directed.

"Pay for it." One of the brutes barked, sweat-caked face crunching into something akin to a beast's gnarl. "Pay or I'll break your face."

At this time, another voice made itself known. It was a stark contrast to the entire environment, a voice laced with regal diction and tame imagery that seemed out of place in such an impoverished corner. The owner was a young man, dressed in foreign wears that spoke of thrilling adventure and compelling experience. His face was Asiatic, cinereal eyes shaded by long lashes that presented a soft expression absent of calamity. Perhaps his most striking feature was his hair, whose alabaster hue shimmered gracefully at a length just beyond his hips. Everything about this man was resplendent to a dangerously magnetic magnitude; so what was he doing here?

The man drew back his foot, which had been grinding away at some shattered glass whose contents, whatever the variety, were now in a medley of heavily-trodden dirt.

"You should know that greed is a sin." His words were cold, like those of a blindingly loyal officer of the law. "I am doing you a favor, but you needn't thank me." The man began his pursuit of an exit, which presented itself in the form of a convenient gap between the ruffians. "Now if you will excuse me, I am needed elsewhere."

"You're not going anywhere!" One of the hoodlums spat with gruff outrage as they swung their fist in the direction of the foreigner's face. Eyes widening with more disappointment than surprise, the foreigner ducked, neatly groomed hair flashing with almost comical elegance. Taking advantage of his current station, he proceeded to kick the towering thug in the back of the knee, initiating a mixed cry of pain and surprise, followed by a thud as they fell onto the ground; something or another had been dislocated, rendering them a pitiful puddle of untrained muscle. 

The second pea of the pod now wore a face of ignited fury, the kind sported by arena-risen gladiators before making their first strike. They swung in a similar fashion to their first mate, and was unfortunately met with a similar fate; a dislocated shoulder. Both of these men, despite their barbarian-esque physiques, were simply drug-hyped addicts triggered by the destruction of their lifeline product. The foreigner, having experienced a significantly different upbringing and existence, was too used to such tedious brawls.

"Wrath is also a sin." He commented plainly, placid facade so evidently natural that it would seem it was his dominant  visage. "I will be taking my leave now. I wish you both good health and prosperity." With that the man went on his way, unscathed in both appearance and mentality. The brutes watched with building indignation as he walked on, eyes blistering with foreshadow of revenge.

   

Author: Illusory Angel, Posted: Thu May 4, 2017 10:24 AM, Post Subject: Ensnared [P]

Never in her life had Synthesis fared so poorly at begging as she did in Yovaesh Port. A whole day of performing pitiful card tricks for change and she'd hardly earned enough to buy a loaf of bread. It was disappointing, though not disastrous. She could always forage for food and grow whatever she found with magic like she did on  the road. The issue was that bought food was always so much more tasty and satisfying. She wanted to blame the affluent street-sellers for her plight. It was their fault for having such brightly decorated stalls and quality craftsmanship. No one wanted to give charity to a vagrant like herself when they could purchase their very own intricately hand-painted china set instead.

Now, it was getting late. All the market was packed away and everyone was either sleeping in an Inn or drinking in a Tavern. Synthesis had already resigned herself to another night under the stars when the man approached her. He was shifty looking at best, and never looked at her straight. Instead, his eyes flicked around constantly as he spoke.

"Deliver this package to room 4 in there," he produced a small wrapped parcel from within his shabby jacket and gestured to the cosy looking establishment that Synthesis had wanted a bed in, "If you do well, I might have some silver for you. If your seen, the deal's off."

Her first instinct was to decline and make a hasty getaway. There was something about this man that made Synthesis fear for her safety, especially seeing as it was semi-dark with only a few people around. She was horribly conscious that he could easily overpower her if he wanted and there would be nobody to miss her if she mysteriously disappeared. But then, from another pocket, he produced a handful of silver, which shone enticingly in the fading light. She paused and thought. Surely one delivery wouldn't hurt? She could pay for several nights in the Inn with this and buy any sort of food she wanted. She wouldn't have to beg for days and days. It was only a small delivery after all.

"O - okay." She mumbled and reached to take the package. "Room 4."

The man smiled dubiously. "Good. Meet me just here when you're done."
Synthesis did as instructed. She snuck quietly into the hostelry and tiptoed up the narrow staircase, without anyone paying her any attention. Upstairs, she swiftly found a door with the number 4 carved into the wood. She knocked as loudly as she dared and almost immediately a man threw open the door. He was dressed very finely and seemed respectable enough, except for the absent look in his eyes and the slight sway in his stance. He didn't look directly at her face either, eyes flicking around. She offered the package up and he snatched it gleefully.

"Thanks lass." he grinned madly, retrieving a coin from somewhere on his person and tossing it at her, "I was beginning to worry it wouldn't get here on time." Then he slammed the door.

Synthesis made it out without anyone seeing her and met her temporary employer at the agreed spot. She nervously held out her hand and the man deposited half a dozen coins in her palm. Not as much as she had hoped, but enough to eat and sleep comfortably that night with a coin or two to spare if she were careful.

"Good job." he praised, "There is opportunity for you to make a lot more, too. I've spoken to a contact of mine. We'll always have more use for a small, innocent looking thing such as yourself," his voice suddenly cloying and soft. "We don't pay badly either so if you're interested, I can arrange for you to work for us more permanently."

Despite all her better judgement, greed blinded the young druid just long enough for her to nod. All that silver… just for delivering things. She knew it wasn't a good idea and she hadn't even planned to stay in Yovaesh Port for more than a couple days. What was she thinking!?

"Excellent." he rubbed his hands together, "I'll have another job for you in the morning. Meet me here again tomorrow at 10AM."

That night, in her room, Synthesis found herself torn between anxiety and avarice. Everything about her new job seemed wrong and yet she couldn't identify any sort of evidence that wasn't subjective speculation on her part. Also, the reason Synthesis travelled was to expirience as much as she could. Wasn't this the ideal opportunity to try out a steady paying job? If today's pay was only a starting wage for one errand, what could she get if she worked full time? It was almost too good to be true.