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Post by Jaiden on Dec 31, 2006 22:12:49 GMT -5
Well, that certainly got his attention, but he couldn't help but feel his own mood damper as the boy perked up. Maybe he was just being negative, but he would've claimed "realistic" if someone asked. "I can't blame you for getting excited, kid, but do you see a sword on me? Big muscles? Magic staff thing and pointy hat?" He held his hands up in a gesture of hopelessness before he moved to sit down next to Aubrey, sprawling backwards on the bed. Wasn't very comfortable, but he doubt management cared all that much. Once the inevitable imagining of what horrors had taken place on this bed began, he had to sit up again.
"I could go on about how there's no windows in here, how the owner of this place probably has a dozen thugs on call, how we don't even have a way to make it out of the country before they catch us... but you probably know all about it, huh?" Jaiden groaned and palmed his delicate features, staring at the floor.
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Aubrey
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Post by Aubrey on Dec 31, 2006 22:33:58 GMT -5
Aubrey frowned, coming back down from his excitement, yet not so low as depression again. No, now he was thinking, and he could not think and be depressed at the same time. So, logically, given that a chance to escape this hell had presented itself, he could stop being depressed long enough to get out, and then finish his depression later. Survival was what mattered now, and he was too hopeful to let himself be brought back down just yet.
"All we'd have to do is get out of the building.." he thought aloud. "If we could get out of Yareth, I can get us to Ardenbau.. Or at least in the right direction.." He had tried to remember which way it was based on the suns when he had travelled into Iodar with his father. If they could get out, he could try his best to get them to safety..
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Post by Jaiden on Dec 31, 2006 22:45:02 GMT -5
Leave it to Jaiden to concoct an elaborate disguise just to lose faith at the moment of truth. Hell, the kid was being more upbeat than he was, and that was just sad. "That's easier said than done, but I guess it's possible. Sorry... I don't mean to be such a downer. Just not looking forward to a future in this place, is all." It came down to how willing the owner was to track them down... if he had such bad intentions for Aubrey as it sounded, then maybe this was possible. Still, Jaiden was sure the boy was worth a lot more than the 200 Ka he'd given.
"All I've got is my travel bag, some stuff that I used to change the color of my eyes, and not nearly enough Ka to buy you for keeps. Even if I did, something tells me that they'd take my money and chain us both up. The Nymandine gives me that feeling." He turned his head to the kid, trying to smile. If he could show even a sliver of confidence, Jaiden had no excuse. "With that in mind, you have any ideas?"
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Aubrey
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Post by Aubrey on Dec 31, 2006 22:59:47 GMT -5
Aubrey's cheeks flushed as he came up with one very risky idea. It was likely to never work, but that didn't mean he couldn't say it and maybe inspire Jaiden..? "Ah.. uhm.. w-well.." he stuttered, trying to bring himself to say it. There wasn't enough time for him to be hesitant, and he knew it, which made him spit the idea out after a deep breath.
"It'll probably never work, but you could always tell Eligor that you would like to.. uhm.. do.. uh.. that under the moons, or something, and we could make a mad dash for it..?" he said. By that, of course, he was referring to what Jaiden had supposedly purchased Aubrey for.
A thought came to the boy, and he seemed to deflate a bit more. "Either way, because you're a paying customer, and he didn't do anything to you downstairs, you can probably still make it out of here alive," he said softly, realizing this and also that the only thing that slowed him down was trying to get Aubrey out as well. Tears came to his eyes, and he wiped them away as he drew his knees to his chest sadly.
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Post by Jaiden on Dec 31, 2006 23:12:32 GMT -5
It wasn't a terrible idea. Not all that good, but considering their limited options, they might not have much of a choice. He'd never met a Vampyre, but that sounded like something they would do, being creatures of the night and all. He seemed content to contemplate for a moment, at least before the kid got all sulky. Jaiden was selfish and it wouldn't be the first time he'd left someone to suffer so that he could get what he wanted, but this was a little different... a lot different, actually.
"Look, kid..." After seeing him get so jazzed up at just the mention of getting away, he couldn't stand to see his eyes wet and knees drawn up to his scrawny chest. "I'm not going to leave you. I'm an all or nothing sort of person." He smirked and got off the bed, opening the top flap of his bag and retrieving a small vial of iridescent liquid and a dropper to go with it. "Tell you what. We'll put some of this in your eyes, and maybe the owner will buy some nonsense about you being hypnotized or something. He didn't look all that sharp. If he believes that I've got control over you, maybe he'll believe that I'll send you back when I'm done with you. I can give him some more Ka if it'll help, but this is all we have until we get to Ardenbau."
He looked the boy over again and muttered something under his breath, kneeling down to pick up his wrappings. "I hope you've got some acting ability, though. Ever pretend to be a statue before?"
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Aubrey
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Post by Aubrey on Dec 31, 2006 23:27:48 GMT -5
Aubrey wiped away the rest of his tears as he watched Jaiden retrieve something from his bag. His words comforted Aubrey, and the more in depth the plan of escape became, the more Aubrey liked it. He seemed to perk up some more and nodded, biting his lip as he bit back a smile.
"I can do that," he said. If it meant getting him the hell out of here, then Aubrey was more than willing to try just about anything. If getting out of here involved acting like a statue, then Aubrey would sure as hell act like a statue.
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Post by Jaiden on Dec 31, 2006 23:34:59 GMT -5
Jaiden wasn't entirely happy with it, but it was better than nothing. It was better than sitting around and moping until Eligor showed up, seeking either pay for the next hour or an explanation. "Put a few drops in each eye. It takes a little while to work, but it'll make your eyes darker. Hopefully enough to make the Nymandine think that you're under some sort of spell." He sighed and pulled the wraps around his mouth again, unable to think of much else other than how lucky they'd need to be to pull this off. "Don't go overboard on it, either. That stuff was expensive, and we might need it again."
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Aubrey
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Post by Aubrey on Dec 31, 2006 23:45:13 GMT -5
In all fairness, it would likely take less than a few drops, being as his eyes were so light in color anyways. Aubrey nodded and did as he was told, carefully putting a few drops in each eye, blinking like mad as the stuff surprised him despite his being the one administering it, and returned the vial to Jaiden.
It was sort of cute, how he was blinking to get used to it, before he looked up at the other and bit his lip softly. "Uhm.. C-can I ask you something?" he asked, not as confident as before. "Y-you never told me your name.."
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Post by Jaiden on Dec 31, 2006 23:51:22 GMT -5
Jaiden was too busy making sure that his outfit was perfect to respond, smoothing over his robes and double-checking the fit. He had to admit, though... the kid was sort of cute. He could only imagine how terrible life had to be for someone as attractive as him in this place. Once he seemed ready to leave, he walked over to the bed and collected the vial, packing it away with the rest of his things.
"If we make it out of here, I'll tell you. Give that a little longer to set in, and then we should get going... maybe we'll get lucky and he won't see us leave." He laughed shortly after that, mostly, it seemed, at himself. "Yeah, right..."
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Aubrey
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Post by Aubrey on Jan 1, 2007 0:01:27 GMT -5
Aubrey nodded, biting his lip again as he waited. He was nervous, and with every right to be. If this worked, they would be free, both of them able to live as they wished. Yet, if they failed.. He didn't want to think about that. He couldn't think about that. Unless..
No, he very well could. If he thought of every horrendous thing that would happen to them, he could be a depressed, emotionless statue. He would not be nervous or happy, but depressed as Eligor had last seen him, this time as a statue. Heh.. He might not be the smartest human he'd ever met, but he wasn't entirely stupid.
"Assuming we make it out of here, we'll have to go around the path my father and I took through Northeastern Iodar- there're Nymandine bandits who sell other races as slaves there, and I doubt they're based far away from it." He could be helpful, too, right?
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Post by Jaiden on Jan 1, 2007 0:14:07 GMT -5
"I guess we'll take this one step at a time. Let's work on getting away from the slaver downstairs first... then we can worry about the rest." While that would've normally killed his optimism, Jaiden was more confident about their ability to get away when there's actually a place to hide. Here, stuck in this room, they were at the mercy of the owner... but once they were out in the wilderness, they stood at least a small chance to go undetected.
He took a deep breath and released, focusing on the door. "Alright. I'm not going to hold your hand, but I need you to walk behind me as closely as you can. When I stop, stop. Just... act like my shadow, or something. Only breath. Try not to blink." Jaiden turned and approached the boy, carefully pushing some of those golden strands back and resting his hand against the side of Aubrey's head. He knew the kid was scared, and he hoped he could comfort him at least a little. "Sure that you're up for this? From the sound of it, management might decide you're more trouble than you're worth if they catch us trying to escape. They might kill you."
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Aubrey
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Post by Aubrey on Jan 1, 2007 0:25:47 GMT -5
Aubrey bit his lip again, forcing himself to calm down even though the touch made his heart race faster, for all the wrong reasons. He was scared, and being touched did not help, but he trusted easily, and this strange man could get him out of here as long as he did what he was told to do and helped when it was necessary.
"I know.." he said, voice barely above a whisper. "Either way, I wont be stuck in this hellhole anymore." He'd heard such language from some of his mother's consorts, men whom Aubrey detested as much as the woman herself. But either way, he spoke the truth. If he died or was given freedom, he wouldn't have to stay here consciously anymore.
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Post by Jaiden on Jan 1, 2007 5:20:20 GMT -5
Well, that was one way to look at things. He didn't notice that his touch made Aubrey uncomfortable; even if he had, this was no time to be questioning him. There were more important things at hand. While he'd conned quite a few people to make a living on his own, the stakes were never this high - both he and the kid had their lives on the line. Actually knowing how to read the future would probably be pretty useful right now.
"Alright. We're going, then. On your feet." He swallowed softly and unlocked the door, unaware of much else than the sound of his racing heart and the consequences that await them if they screwed this up. He made a good Vampyre, damn it... they would get out of this.
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Aubrey
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Post by Aubrey on Jan 1, 2007 12:55:20 GMT -5
Aubrey nodded, took a deep breath, and stood, moving to do as the would-be Vampyre had said. He stood extremely close, yet behind, thinking of the things that had happened, and how good freedom would taste.
After a moment, he had perfected a blank stare, looking every bit as hypnotized as he had been told, if not even a bit moreso. He was no actor, but too much relied on this, and so he concentrated with all his might on looking blank, emotionless, perfectly still save for his feet, which would be moving to follow this strange man.
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Post by Jaiden on Jan 1, 2007 15:51:47 GMT -5
He spared a quick glimpse over his shoulder - good, the kid seemed to have things in order. He just hoped that he would be able to improvise should it come to that... the man downstairs might want more of a demonstration. Jaiden took another deep breath, nodded at Aubrey, and headed out into the crash of sound from the common room below. He was frightened, as he took the steps down to look for the owner, but he would never know how many frightened steps were taken up to those dreadful rooms.
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