paixaorpg | Wandering the streets [Completed]

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Wandering the streets [Completed]

Character(s): Kadaj and Ashe
Content: People meeting for the first time... yay?
Setting: In the vague area around Ecos na Catedral
Time: Say day 2, Sunday? Afternoon-ish? Something like that.
Warnings: Nothing yet~

As far any real progress was concerned? None had been made. At all. Kadaj was geting more and more frustrated by the minute. For someone as driven as him to achieve his goals, for the means to do so to be so brutally torn away just when he needed them most... well, it was upsetting. He stalked the streets of Paixao in a decidedly foul mood, even as he did his best to contain his anger. It wouldn't help anyway, would it? Besides which, this place unsettled him... there was just something about the inhabitants that set him on edge. Not normal, were they? They couldn't be... could they? Not when there was such little variation in their appearance and personalities...

But he was probably being paranoid. Right. Nothing to worry about; he just had to get a hold of his family and then he'd be on his way, hopefully somewhere far away from this place. He hadn't seen a single person yet that he recognized... but then, maybe he just wasn't looking hard enough. It was nicer to think that it was someone else's shortcomings that were the cause of this, though, so he quite happily shifted the blame to anyone and everyone that he knew (except Mother; he could never blame her) and continued on his way through the streets.

Maybe there was still a chance he'd find someone.

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In the distance, Ashe can make out the slight figure of someone walking aimlessly down the road. Desperation chokes her and she runs as fast as she can toward the silver-haired man. The hell with dignity, I'm going crazy without anyone to talk to.

Behind the man, she sees the elaborate building with Ecos na Catedral written on it. It is the brothel she was trying to avoid, and it seems so ironic that she is running toward this man in order to avoid the place but she is getting closer to it anyway.

Her feet gave way beneath her and she falls into a graceless heap before the pale man. "Help me..."

Kadaj just sort of stared at the strange girl in front of him for a moment, completely bewildered but hiding it as best as he could. Help? From him? ... That was kind of sad, really. Too bad he didn't really care. Still... maybe she had seen one of his siblings and could help him find them. Unlikely, but the possibility remained.

He a gave a mental grimace at what he was about to do and leaned slightly over her, his expression carefully schooled into one of slight concern. "Are you all right? Help you with what?" he asked, sounding at least somewhat sincere. It wouldn't fool her if she was really perceptive, but in her current distraught state... well, who could say?

The sound of a human voice, a concerned one too, sends a warm surge throughout her body. This man does not look like a piece of home at all, considering his pale coloring; no one from Dalmasca could look so pale. But a person is a person, and someone actually replied to what she says. What more can she ask for?

As if on cue, her stomach grumbled, giving her soiled cheeks a slight tinge of pink. "Uhm... sorry, I am rather hungry." She brushes dirt off herself with as much as grace as she can muster. She cannot afford to embarass herself further in front of this strange man. "I am fine, thank you for the concern. Do you suppose you would have any suggestion as to where I can go to find work? If needed, I would even be glad to work for you."

Resisting the urge to laugh at her, Kadaj tilted his head slightly and examined her a little closer. She obviously wasn't someone from his world, whoever she was, but that would probably work more in his favor than against. Otherwise, she didn't really interest him that much, but her offer... that was something else entirely.

"Work for me? Intriguing. And what exactly do you propose doing for me?" He didn't actually have any money to pay her with, but she didn't need to know that. He could probably steal some later anyway.

[ooc: *hack* *cough* (http://community.livejournal.com/paixaoooc/12534.html) Also, sorry for disappearing yesterday. My internet got shut off and yeah.]

It is rather hard to contain her excitement at his interest, but she manages to do so by giving him a slight smile. "I am willing to do almost anything. I can handle my sword and shield quite well, I have been trained by the best sword instructor in my country. I can also cook for you. I will do anything as long as it will not cost me my dignity."

Replaying what she has just said to him, she realizes how desperate she sounds and how embarassing it is to act so in front of a total stranger. But then again, she cannot get more embarassing than falling sprawled on the very first impression, so she finds she does not really care.

Kadaj considered her words for a moment. He had no need for a cook, really, or a swordswoman at all. Even with his recent defeat still fresh in his mind, he was still confident enough in his own abilities that he didn't feel the need to hire her for something as simple as that. Still...

"What I really need at the moment," he said slowly, seeming to talk to himself more than her, "is another pair of eyes. I was seperated from my two brothers, you see, and it's... difficult, to make due without them." That was an understatement, but it was bad enough that he was admitting this in the first place. Looking away slightly, he continued softly, almost inaudibly, as if he hoped she wouldn't catch this part, "If you could help me find them... I would be very grateful."

"I will be most delighted to help you!" she feels the urge to jump up and down like a little girl. Somehow she notices that the man does not really have any need of her, so perhaps he is just being nice. She must make sure she helps him to the best of her abilities.

"So then, tell me what your brothers look like then, err..." she realizes that she does not know his name. "Do you think it would be nice if we introduce ourselves first? I am Ashe," she extends her hand in greeting.

He stared at the hand for a moment as if not entirely sure what to do with it. Well, he did, but... he just wasn't the sort of person that shook hands with people, really. A vague sort of confused smile graced his features as he reached out to take the hand, and he glanced up at Ashe again, feeling a little bit more sure of himself. "My name is Kadaj. It's nice to meet you, Ashe.

"Now, he said brusquely, dropping the hand before the other even knew it and starting to pace slightly in front of her. "My brothers look a lot like me, in their own way, which is obvious since we're related and all... heh. There's Loz, his hair is shorter than me and he has sideburns, and Yazoo, his hair is longer. Both of them wear all black, again like me, and they have rather unique silver weapons... well, you'll probably know what I mean when you see them. It's really very simple."

He looked over at her again, as though checking to see if she was following this all. He was finding it a little hard to stay as composed as he usually did now that the prospect of finding his brothers had finally appeared, and he was almost childlike in his enthusiasm to communicate everything. Hopefully she wouldn't remark on it, but oh well.

She was contemplating about whether she should drop the hand or not when he finally took it, introducing himself as Kadaj. She was just going to comment on how nice a name it is, like she properly should, when he went into a full explanation about how his brothers look like. Well, she did ask him and she does expect an answer but there is usually a courtesy period where you actually get to know each other before getting into a business.

But a company is a company, and this man has been reasonably nice to her so she will do what she can to help him. At first, his snake-like eyes intimidated her but noticing that she is taller than him, he is really just a child. Unable to fight the urge, she asks, "How old are you?"

That gave him pause. Amazing how such a simple sounding question could throw him off, wasn't it? Kadaj laughed softly, trying to dismiss the matter entirely. "That is an interesting story. A very interesting one, but, unfortunately, not one we have time for right now. Ask me again later and I just might tell you, though."

He smirked at her slightly, unable to resist teasing her just a bit. He had managed to restrain himself for this long, and frankly it was a miracle that he had. He really didn't care about all of this frivolous small talk at the moment, though, not when he felt his... well, his reunion with his brothers was so near.

"Any other questions?" he asked, making an effort to sound a little bit more amiable. It was hard, damn it. Yazoo and Loz had better appreciate what he was doing to find them, he though to himself irritably.

She does not like the idea of some commoner turning her wishes down no matter how insignificant it is. However, he did turn her down rather courteously, and not to mention the fact that he is a companion, despite all. She pushes aside her pride for the sake of a friend.

Noticing that Kadaj is getting rather impatient to get to business, she replies to his question, "No, not really. Just tell me how we start this search. Do we split or stay together?"

Oh how she wish that he would want them to stay together.

Kadaj shrugged slightly. "I imagine we'd cover more ground seperately. We can communicate using the journals, arrange meetings to discuss progress... and payment." He gave her another small smirk, seeming to sense her desire for them to stick together... or maybe he was just being difficult again, it was hard to say.

"I'm afraid I can't really offer money at the moment, although I anticipate I'll be getting a hold of some soon enough. If you want, we could remain more or less together until then... check this area out thoroughly before going our seperate ways. What do you say to that?" That should cover everything, really; he'd be able to get a chance to "gather" some money to pay her while simultaneously reassuring her that they were "companions" when he didn't consider her anything of the sort. Perfect.

A small lump formed in her throat as he told her that they can cover more ground separately. Heck, who cares about covering grounds? All she wants is for someone to talk to because the stupid journal just won't talk back to her.

The lupm dissolves a bit as he suggests that they stay together until he can find money to pay her. Well, it's better than nothing, she supposes. "Sure. That sounds wonderful," she flashes a thoroughly fake smile to him. "Should we start looking now?"

She has her ways to make sure he does not get hold of any money until she finds another companion to stick to. And when he finally finds the money to pay her she can hire a bodyguard to be her companion. "My Ashe, you are such a genius," she whispers to herself, still maintaining a perfect fake smile to her 'companion'.

She really was amusing. This might not be as burdensome as he originally thought. He gave her an equally fake smile in return, this one distinctly mocking. That just kind of slipped, really; he wasn't particularly good at hiding his emotions at times, unfortunately. "Now would be convenient, yes. Shall we then?"

Even if this little arrangement didn't quite work out, there would be no real loss on his part. A little time would be used up, sure, but who kneew? Maybe they'd actually get something accomplished. He doubted it, though, but at least it would make the wait for his brothers at least a little more tolerable... somewhat. At least his concern over them was genuine.

If the man thought he can fool her with that fake smile of his, he must be very retarded. She thinks that it is rather amusing to be scheming around her one and only companion, but she really can't help it. Perhaps she was just born to be a politician; always scheming and never telling the truth.

"Now indeed then. Shall we start by checking that building there?" She points toward Ecos na Catedral. Going in there with a man despite his stature will definitely be safer than going in alone. "Considering the destruction hear the area, your brothers might be in there for safety. Not to worry, I'll protect you until your brothers are found."

Protecting a small boy like him shouldn't be hard. She is not exactly talented in the field of babysitting, but she doubts that he is the type to cry for a bottle of milk so it should be just fine. "Do you need me to hold your hand or something?"

Kadaj gave her a sharp look, temper flaring. "I don't think so. And I don't think they'd be idiotic enough to be caught dead in that place, not once they knew what it was... I'd kill them if they even considered it." His eyes narrowed at her slightly, examining her once more. "You know, I never really asked you how old you were.... As far as I'm concerned a mere number is hardly an accurate measure of one's range of abilities and knowledge. I have seen far more than you could possibly have imagined in your lifespan, younger than you though I may be. Does that mean I need someone to hold my hand just to go into a brothel? There are far worse things in this world than can be seen in a place like that, you know.

"What exactly do you hope to accomplish by speaking to me in such a derogatory fashion anyway? You asked for work and I've supplied it. If anything I should be the one treating you as less than what you are, and beleive me, that's already not much to go on anyway. You humans, you're all the same. You treat things with such disrespect when you could never, ever understand the true complexity of the situation... thinking something so trivial as money will save you when the time for your destruction is coming, whether you choose to see that or not."

He sighed softly, the relatively simple action accenting his already lengthy speech. "I don't know why I bother sometimes. You're all going to die anyway, you know. Every last one of you. Yet you still struggle, cling to life with such tenacity... I suppose that much of you is admirable at least, but that's hardly important now, is it? No, we don't need to go to the Cathedral. I don't need to be protected, especially not... there.

"Now, unless you have any other brilliant suggestions, I think we might as well just split up now to prevent anymore unpleasantness. I don't want to talk to you anymore, really, but, since I already agreed to this, it's a little late to back out now, so I suppose I'll end up seeing you later whether I want to or not. It's tragic, I'm sure, but it's something I'll be able to cope with. Can you?"

A phrase echoes in her head throughout his speech, howdarehehowdarehehowdarehe. Does he not know who he is speaking to? Well fine, he does not, but can he not be a little more polite? She was just trying to do her job right. This kid 'employed' her to find his brothers because he is lost, and now he is giving her a full-blown speech as if he is her father? How dare he!

Stupid kid, planning world destruction as if he won't be called in for dinner before he could even kill one puny ant soul, she thinks, if only I don't feel so lonely, I would just slap him and go. But she does feel lonely. And with as much patience as she can muster, "I do not want to split up before you give me money."

She takes another breath with much effort before continuing, "We will stay together until you find money to pay me, and then we'll split. Or even better, we don't split at all and you give me no money. Which one would you prefer?"

Kadaj stopped and stared at her. She just didn't get it, did she? He was so tempted to show off just a little bit, give her a taste of his power and show her just what she was dealing with, but he managed to resist, forcing himself to relax slightly and smile at her. She would meet her end just like the others after all, no need to be angry now.

"So eager to stick around? How touching. Very well, you can stay with me until I pay you to leave. Already so attached to me and we haven't even known each other a day. Maybe you should be working at that Cathedral over there-- I'm sure you'd be popular in no time. But, if you're so determined to stay by my side, I guess I can't stop you... short of killing you, of course."

He might not be angry, but there weren't any rules against trying to piss her off, were there?

She was never taught to actually curse, but she has overheard several profanities from the palace guards, and it is taking a lot of willpower to stop her mouth from overflowing with flithy words. She thought that only brothers can get you so mad, it turns out that she was wrong. Crazy impolite squirt, she utters a polite curse in her mind.

"I am not eager to stick around you and I will not work in that filthy Catedral," she fumes. "Let's just get going now, shall we? And no more talking, just walk with me."

Kadaj laughed at her-- outright laughed. Her anger was so funny, really. So much fun to watch her fume in impotent rage. He wondered just how long it would take before she would explode.

"Whatever you say, Ashe~ since we're on a first-name basis and all. You're so confusing, really. First you want to talk, then you want me to shut up, you want to stick together and now you want to wander off... well, at least I'll be kept on my toes." He rarely got an opportunity to do this, really. He had missed it.

He nodded at her other words, saying "Yes, let's get going and I'll say not one more word from here on out." That was such a lie, but oh well. The important thing was that he was going to find his brothers again, wasn't it. He smiled genuinely at that thought, the expression seeming quite out of place with his earlier teasing. He would find them, and then he would have a family again.

"You know, you look like a pretty nice boy when you're not sneering, I like it when you laugh," her female instincts warmed at his laughter.

"But that does not mean I like you any better," she grins victoriously. "You still have to pay me to leave and we are on first-name basis just because I do not want to give you my last name." She walks further down the path with a little skip in her steps. "Let's go, you want to find your brothers as quick as possible, right?" She gives him a genuine smile. It's gonna be the start of the weirdest kind of 'companionship' ever.

Irritated again, Kadaj swept past her with a superior look, clearly intending to take the lead. Sure the compliment hadn't fallen on deaf ears, but still...

"Of course I want to find them. I wouldn't tolerate your company otherwise. You know, you'll be lucky if I even pay you at this rate and don't just kill you to get you to leave me alone. But, I suppose, we'll just have to see how valuable an asset you prove to be..."

He gave her another infuriating little smirk and continued walking, away from the Catedral. He didn't want to linger there any longer, and without so much as a backwards glance to see if she was following, he went on his way, keeping an eye out for his brothers.

"You'll be surprised at how valuable I am," she shouts at his back. If she takes his words humorously, perhaps she can bear to walk around with him for the time that she does not have any companion. Looking at how his silver hair glisten under the sun, she is reminded of her deceased husband. Memories come rushing to choke her in tears but she takes a deep breath, smiles, and runs to catch up with her one and only companion.

She wonders where she should go once Kadaj finds his brothers, but she should worry about that later. For the meantime, she will enjoy the company she now has, no matter how irritating he might be. It feels much safer than travelling alone anyway.

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Wandering the streets [Completed]

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