Devices & Desires

This was aggrivating, even for Kaura, a girl who was more patient than most of his kind. Her lips pressed together when he refused to allow her input, and her soft grey eyes flashed with anger when he spoke with contempt of her people yet again.

She stepped forward, her hands on her hips, and glared up at the taller man. "I don't know what my people have done to offend you so." She growled, her light grey eyes flashing in anger, "But I am not them, and I will not be treated with contempt for crimes I have not committed. When -rather if- I wrong you then you may look upon me, and only me, with hatred and malice... Until that time leave your prejustice to yourself."

She spun around, glancing once over her shoulder to send him another dark look. "I have to change if we are to begin, and I will not undress before you, so if you would be so kind I need privacy."

It was an entirely un-elven display of anger, bold and open in a way her people usually were not... But that suited the personality of the young Fae. Without the source she aged quicker than most of her kind, and lacked much of the same self-control that the elders of her village were so notorious for.

There had once been a time when the Marquis would have held such an egalitarian perspective, it had long since faded. Now, after so many slanders against him the man was willing to hold an entire species accountable, despite the fact that he had killed those that had originally offended him.

Though that was probably related to the truth that the warrant of death issued by the Fae had never been officially retracted. It aggravated him and made him more then a little bit paranoid about any dealings with Fae, it didn't help that he was in the employ of the Unseelie Court Queen.

So the Hunter let her rant of equality and persecution just slide off him with no response; but something tugged at him as he realised in some small portion of his mind that this Fae was more human then other worldly. This Kaura may just prove interesting enough to keep alive in the end; if only to see how un-Fae like she truly was.

The Hunter smiled.

"It is the middle of the night, sleep. We shall begin in the morning."

With that he turned and left. He went to his room to rest and replenish his strength, the encounter had taken more out of him then he would ever let on. Such was the price of his world weariness. There were so few things left for him to do in this life, then he could just fade away.

As an insurance policy though he cast a spell upon her door that would attach itself to her personage and allow him to track her.

Kaura bristled when Quin dismissed her speech, and she crossed her arms with a huff. She almost wanted to snap back that she was sleeping until him and his guards burst into the room, but held her tongue.

She waited for him to shut the door to let out an aggravated sigh, tugging her weapons out of the folds of her nightgown to lay on the table again. She collapsed on her bed, rolling onto her back with her fingers laced behind her head as her eyes closed.

Oh there was so much the Hunter did not understand, or bother to find out about her before passing judgement. He didn't bother to ask her age, though she guessed he assumed it was high by the streak of white at the center of her forehead... He didn't ask why the elves would send one lone girl out to find the source in such a dangerous place. But he assumed that she was.

The truth was, Kaura was an outcast from her people. Her theory of the sources location gained her recognition, but her impatience on reaching it was named childish, at best. The actual expedition for the source was being organized, but hundreds of years could pass before anyone actually left, and by then Kaura would have passed away. It was her fault she was banished.

The Marquis had not thought so far as to why such an individual as Kaura would be the one to search out the source, rumours had simply come to him and he knew enough of Fae lore to know a thing or two about truth. So he followed it up and would see with his own eyes what there was to be seen.

It was also a bit of a vacation for him as he didn't need to worry so much about assassination attempts on his life, he enjoyed his life far too much to constantly put it in danger by being at Court.

So with dreams of making the Unseelie Queen bend her knee to him he slept, and slept deeply and long. The sun would rise and it would be nigh upon noon by the time he awoke.

After a bath, which the man was loathed to ever go without, and a light meal he was dressed and walking outside in the most casual of clothing. Nothing fit for the rigours of hard travel; but the look on his face was pleasing as he smiled with a content air. He light a pipe and inhaled deeply on the aroma of tobacco.

"A good morning Fae."

He hadn't yet gotten to the point of addressing her by name.

Kaura woke early the next morning, luxuriate in a hot bath, and dressed again in her fine white gown. She spent a few minutes pulling her hair back into the intricate braid to hold it back from ther eyes, the rest falling in long waves down her back, and tucked away her weapons, attached the short sword to her hip, and slung her pack over her shoulder. Last of all she grabbed her trusted bow, and placed the hat on her head again to appear human to the untrained eye.

She ate a small breakfast in the inn, and set herself to waiting for Quin to awake. She sat outside for that, closing her eyes with a sigh as sunlight bathed over her. It, to her, was far more important than sleep or even food, sustaining her magic, and in turn her life. A few days without it and she would turn ill, a week and it might be fatal, whereas she could go up to two or three without nourishment.

One hour passed and she smiled to herself, feeling refreshed for the journey as she waited for Quin to rise. By the end of the second hour she was agitated, and tapped on her leg in frustration, and on the third she nearly stormed to the hunter's room to wake him. She rose, and turned back to the inn in frustration, to see Marquis stepping out, smiling slightly as he smoked his pipe. Her lips pressed together into a thin line when he called her Fae once more, and she drew herself up completely, keeping her face smooth of emotion. "It will take us months to reach Abysses in Terra if you sleep until almost noon each day, human.' She told him, moving forward to look him straight in the eye. "I cannot travel at night, and we cannot afford to waste the sunlight sleeping."

The Marquis remained passive, it wasn't his fault that she had forced him into a late night. If Fae were more well known for not being such arrogant pricks; then he might have just asked her instead of the elaborate means by which he went about his task. Taking a seat he crossed his legs and his neutral outlook turned into a devious little grin.

"I don't know about that. You were rather energetic last night."

Maybe he was getting comfortable around her, or perhaps he just enjoyed making light of the Fae.

Regardless of his personal outlook he leaned back and stared up into the sky. The length of his pipe jutting from his lips as he slowly puffed out clouds of smoke. Kaura may think him lazy, she may think a lot of things of him; but it was all to his design and purpose.

Too many Fae had attempted to ruin his life for him to give them much faith, so better to play the fool.

"What direction do we head off in?"

Kaura did her best to keep her expression neutral as the hunter took a seat, puffing out foul smelling clouds of smoke from his pipe. All the same she moved to sit across from him, and pulled a map from her pouch.

"You forced me to be over extend myself last night." She told him, resisting the urge to stretch again. She had received more than enough sunlight to manage for the day after all, continuing to luxuriate now was just greedy.

She unfolded the map, and gestured to an area she circled in red. "Abysses in Terra." She said again, knowing the man would have heard of the cursed woods. "To the north east, a weeks trip if we travel all day."

He listened, though it seemed he didn't, and turned over the concept in his head. There were many ways by which he could get to the edge of the woods quicker then a jaunt.

That was how he had been able to intercept Kaura so easily, he had travelled the angles of space and time. With her though it was no longer an option as the Hounds of Tindalos bayed and he heard their echoing cries, they hunted him for his hubris and the Fae would just slow him down and be an easy victim.

Then there were other mystical ways in which someone could travel faster, such as a flying carpet; but he lacked one. Even such mundane means as a horse was currently out of reach as he had neglected to bring one with him.

With a sigh he contented himself to the idea that he'd be walking.

Rising to his feet he spoke a series of Enochian words and his clothing changed from the leisure wear to something more fitting for travel. Looking at her he smiled as his hand toyed with the hilt of a sword, his cane now a staff to lean upon in the travels ahead.

"Come Kaura, show me the way to your fabled Source."

Kaura rose when he did, watching with a raised brow as his clothes changed by magic. Her own clothes stayed the same, a slightly worn silk dress, one a bright white that had grown slightly grey from use, though she kept it as clean as traveling would allow.

She glanced at his staff, and a concerned look passed over her face before she sighed, tucking the map away. "When I said a week that was at my speed." She told him softly, a frown pulling at her lips. She pulled a small pouch from her pocket, counting the copper peices within.

"Come." She said as she turned away. "A human travels far slower than one of my kind." She said softly, thinking it would be rude to point out his limp. "If we wish to arrive before winter falls, then we should buy a horse."

"I have coin for such an expense."

The Marquis had money for such an investment, though he did not expect any horse purchased to make it through the journey. Even if a horse was an expensive cost it was ultimately in the end a disposable one. Looking about the Inn he wondered if the owner, or if any of the patrons were willing to sell.

"Do you know where we can attain such transportation?"

It would not have been rude to mention the limp, the man never let it hold it up. And he took great pride in his ability to succeed in spite of his disability, though others were far worse off then him.

If Kaura was willing to wait a few days it would be possible for the Hunter to construct and cast a spell that would allow them to reach the forest far quicker then any horse; but the Hunter was keeping such knowledge to himself. This trip was also a vacation for him, no need to rush back to a potential death.

"That is fortunate then." Kaura commented, tucking her money away. If she had to she would have purchased the horse, but would not waste her money needlessly.

"If you wish to purchase a horse, we should visit the stables." Kaura told him. "They are behind the inn, the stableboy will be able to service us, and find a sturdy creature for our trip."

She paused though in her walking, and looked over her shoulder, with a raised brow. "Once we reach the Abyss, the horse will have no place with us." She told him quietly. "It would be slaughtered in minutes."