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A Common Mistake (Starlit~ and mrow)

M

mrow

Star
Joined
Jan 9, 2009
Pali had been taught better to aim for more than he was given at birth. His parents had always instilled that extra kick to get him to aim higher, to be stronger, the smartest, the best. Pali unfortunately was none of those things. However, he was something close to smart. He was clever. The boy always had a strong sense of his surroundings. He knew how to deal with people. How to lie. How to make them believe him. How to make them feel. That was what he had been blessed with. Now, while his own people were being persecuted, he was manipulating people of this lighter race to like him. To trust him and care for him.

While he was only here for a short while, the extension of the week, he would take clear advantage of that. His people, the Roma, were not extensively invited into this city. They were allowed in for this big holiday, a week long celebration in which their various talents and magicks would be taken advantage of. That's really what it was. So these rich people could oggle at this magic and skill that was supposedly extinct. It was also banished from their land in most forms. Magic was exclusive to those high in class, and only for specific reasons. The Roma people used it passionately and in an out of control manner. That was why they were not welcome in this large city during the remainder of the year, except for this exclusive week.

Pali was merely 17, but he had experienced his fair share of the Louisthetical law. He'd been in and out of their jailing system several times whenever his people were invited into the city, but he always had a way of talking himself out of it. It was his gift. He called it 'Empathy' but really it was his own special way of 'charming' people. Literally. The boy had a charming smile. Clearly he was coming of age, and his outfit showed it. He wore tight pants that cut off at his knee and a vest that was always unbuttoned and fell just below his nipples. The Roma did not like to wear many clothes, most specifically because wherever they traveled it was mostly cold.

He pulled on these exact clothes at that very moment, moving out into the street. Along with his Empathy, he also was quite good with gymnastics. Flips, acrobatics, mostly all of those things that took a definite balance and skill. Ironically though, Pali always seemed to find some way to be clumsy. He sprinkled a bit of calvery flower oil on his wrists, his mother's. It was one of the most delicious smelling flowers they picked on their journeys. She'd be upset if she knew he had used some. It was hard to come by. But today was special. It was the first day of the celebration.

He had olive colored skin and dark hair that held a tint of red to it. His eyes however contrasted greatly with both of these features, being a bright green. His hair was cut short but still long enough to look quite messy. He held some muscle, but still looked more lean that strong.

-----xxx-----

When he headed out that day though, he had no idea that he would get himself into as much trouble as he had. Somehow, he'd gotten hungry along the way and snatched an entire chicken(in his left hand), as well as a large turkey leg(between his teeth), and a long string of sausages (in his right hand). He had come bustling around a corner, finally escaping from the shop owner when he seemed to run into a man. A rather large authoritative looking man.

He took a few steps back and looked straight to the man's eyes. This face was familiar...

"Captain?"

The words slipped out without his will. His eyes quickly widened and he dropped his hands to his sides, but held onto the meat in them still. This man surely recognized Pali. The boy had been arrested many times, but never by him. In fact, he'd never even spoken to this man. He was a rather wanted person, simply because he caused so much trouble. But maybe he'd be lucky.

Maybe he had been forgotten...
 
Rey had always had a certain distain for those who had less then him. In other words, Rey had a certain distain for nearly everyone. In the trying times that had recently come, almost all citizens that didn't work directly under the king were either starving or close to it. Even he, the captain of the guard was hardly held in high enough esteem to really be considered 'upper-class.' He simply had the money to live a comfortable, rather simple lifestyle. Still, even if he didn't have what he had always hoped for; riches and luxury, he pitied those who had less (perhaps even to a disrespectful level). Unfortunately, people almost felt the same way towards him... except worse. They disliked him to a point of hatred.

Not that he was any different from the hundreds of other guardsmen and officers that littered the streets; generally authority was looked down upon in the city. However, he was the Captain. And so Rey had a special way of making people angry,just by looking at them. The only one who people hated more then him was the king himself. Let's just say 'long live the king' wasn't a phrase he heard used very often. Of course, Rey wasn't a man who deserved love either. He had been trained to look down on those who were less then him, and he did. he just shaped this disdain into pity and regret that these peasants had allowed themselves to become so poor. He had no semblance of understanding when it came to what they went through everyday.

He also had a habit of upholding the law in a way that made him a tyrant. Any show of delinquency or sign of magic would be swiftly punished, often by death if in the latter form of law breaking. He didn't understand this rule at all; as he has been told to look for magick in the most abstract of forms; occasionally even forms that could be considered mere talents. However, this was his job, and he had always taken it far too seriously.

That was what had gotten him so far in his career. At the age of 26, he was the second most important man he'd ever met. He was strong, fast, well-off, and rather clever if he did say so himself. As a teenager, he'd been arrested; plucked from his home, taken from his family. And all because he seemed to be special. They'd been wrong. There had been no signs that he was using magick after people really looked. However, he'd never seen his family again. And to make this up to him, he was trained under the guard. And he'd been good at it.

Now, with the Roma in town, Rey was almost always watching for signs of delinquency. These... bizarre people, were thieves and liars and gypsies. he was sure that at least some of them were magick users. And he wasn't going to stand for it. Not at all. He hated these people more then they hated him, and he showed it. His appearance had taken on a stern, dangerous, army-like state within a few days since they arrived.

His blonde hair was cut close to his head, his outfit heavy and bearing the insignia of the guard. He wasn't too heavily muscled, but the plain garment under the very light armor was tight and form fitting. His pants were tucked into the bulky, hideous boots that he had been issued. It wasn't a glamorous outfit, but he was not one to care for that sort of thing.

-----xxx-----

That day... he wasn't in the mood for what he faced. He was sick of the Roma at that point. No matter how many of them he arrested, there were always more. He swore that they multiplied like rabbits. Or that they were so crafty that they simply escaped. But that wasn't possible. He would never allow that type of thing to happen under his nose.

Rounding a corner, Rey recoiled at the young man who had seemed to appear out of nowhere. In his hands was far too much food, obviously stolen (though to be honest, Pali could have been carying a single loaf of bread and the Captain would have made assumptions of theivery.)

And the boy knew who he was. That should have angered him more then it did.

Instead he grabbed the boy and jerked him to the side. "Where did you get that from?" he asked, sounding more annoyed then angry. His cloudy blue eyes held a sort of boredom. This had gotten beyond old.
 
Pali had spent plenty of time running from the law when he was in the city. He had seen men come and go, and he'd seen this man lead them. At least the guardsmen. Rey was in charge of them. While Pali was probably recognized by many of the other men in the guard, this man would not recognize him. They'd never interacted directly. Pali had always charmed their men into letting him out, or convincing them that he had done absolutely nothing wrong.

It had become a fairly easy game, one with a predictable outcome. But this... This was not predictable. The appearance of the Captain had surprised him. He had heard of the man before, quick to display punishment on people of Pali's kind as well as people of his own kind. Which surprised the boy quite a bit. It seemed Rey's business was in justice, no matter who was receiving it. Though he might have dealt it out a little harsher to the Roma.

"Oh."

Pali did not sound afraid though. At least not in the way that Rey probably expected him to be. "Well Captain, obviously I purchased it from one of your fine venders." He replied with a bigger grin, if that was at all possible. It was obvious now that he was quite handsome, though his face still held that child-like roundness to it.

"You seem a bit bored Captain." Within a second he had disappeared, then standing behind the man. That had to have something to do with magic. He had moved too quickly to be normal. "You probably haven't seen a good fight in a while, with all these predictable peasant bores, right?" A little smirk curled up on his lips. "I can help you with that."
 
The older guardsman had seen a fair amount of magic in his time. He'd been doing this for six years, magic was almost commonplace among Pali's type. However, it still always surprised him. He still always started at displays of these sort of acts and he was always struck dumb by them. If he hadn't been the head of the guardsmen, he would have even admitted to himself that he found magic fascinating... and maybe just a little bit exciting.

This time however, it was different. Pali wasn't a questionable circus act or a stunning show. He was a law-breaker. And no matter what charm this Roma held, Rey was a man of law. He would not be swept away by it.

One thing was for sure though. He wasn't bored anymore. The dullness in his eyes was gone. They had been transformed them in a way that was almost magical in itself. The clouds had cleared, leaving almost pretty sky-blue eyes in their wake. He looked down at his now empty hands and looked to Pali quickly.

He reached for the young man again. "I don't play games," he said sternly, finding the cloth of his vest instead. "You will either return that to whoever you stole it from, or I'll be forced to arrest you." Of course, he would arrest him anyway. But these were trying times, and though Rey didn't really give a damn, it was the thing that most other guards would do; make this thief return the possessions he'd stolen.
 
It was amusing every time for Pali too. To see that look of pure fascination at any sign of magic. No one was immune to it. Sometimes even his own people were surprised by the magic that could be done by others. "Ah, that's better~" He chimed. The boy had a nice voice a 'charming' voice even. Which had really helped him in the past.

"I wasn't expecting you to play games, Captain Rey." He answered, raising an eyebrow in a mock serious manner as the man grabbed his vest. "I expected you to give me an honest fight. I told you that I purchased this food, and you disagree and won't believe me. The only way to settle it is with a duel, I think. That would be the fair and just way, correct?" He shifted and in a second he was out of the man's hand again, but it seemed his very movements were rhythmic and smooth. Pali was in a category all his own. "Surely justice would allow the most righteous person to be the winner."

"You're quite familiar with Justice, are you not?" He asked, looking to the ground as he stepped from stone to stone. "I assume you are. I'm sure you've had quite~ a lengthy affair with Lady Justice." Now he was just poking and prodding where he didn't belong.
 
To be perfectly honest, 'Captain Rey' was not immune to magic in the least. He'd claimed to be in the past; boasted time and time again that the 'gypsies' couldn't do anything to him if he didn't want them to. Actually, Rey was a very arrogant bastard about it according to those who worked for him. Not that they would ever say so to him.

He was drawn closer by the young man's voice. He found the frown on his face disappearing, and found himself wanting to hear Pali talk more. Then the boy just had to ruin it for himself. Something about the others comment struck a chord with Rey. He straitened and forced himself not to hit the kid in front of him.

"I don't duel with children." He spat the last word, as if being a child was the lowest thing a person could accomplish. "I'm above that." He smirked, stepping forward. His voice became patronizing, as if he were talking to someone very, very young. "Do you know what we do with children who steal in this city? We chop off their hands. And do you know what we do to magic users? We chop off their heads. And if you run, I'll find the gypsy woman who looks the most like you." He spoke the word gypsy as if it were a worse insult then child. "And I'll tell my men that she is your mother, and that I witnessed her preforming magic. And I believe you've learned what we do with those who've practiced magic."
 
Pali should have just quit while he was ahead. At least then he could have talked Rey out of this, and he could have gotten away clean. Really, the boy still could get away fairly easily. But it would take a little more effort on his part. It really actually made him a little upset when he saw that face turn again, from the frown to the interested look, then to the smirk. Couldn't it stay at the interest? He paused as he was stepping on the stones, frowning a little as he looked up at the man.

Now this was just getting a little malicious. And he didn't want that. But the Captain was good with his words, Pali had to give it to him. This man was by far the most formed and most recognizable out of the other officers he'd met. He had a personality. A strange, off-kilter personality, but a personality all the less.

He shrugged and let out a lengthy sigh, as if he'd finally given up. "You know Captain, I was wrong about you..." He looked to the ground in a sense of mock despair. "Lady Justice would not have you one night in her bed." But before the Captain could react in an angry manner, the boy was close to him, much closer than before.

The scent of the flowers was clear as he pulled himself close. It was likely obvious then, for the Captain, that the boy was well groomed. A surprise for someone from his background. Not quite as dirty as the other's he'd dealt with. And that smell. "I am not a child." It was that angry, though holding just a bit of charm. "Neither Lady Justice, nor anyone for that matter..." He ran his finger over the man's chin, the charm was heavy now. It was strong and hard, the face of a working man. "I'm sure no one has seen your bed for a time, with that attitude." A little laugh left his lips and he pulled away, looking upwards.
 
Rey should have stopped at the threats against the boy himself. That was what any good, professional man would have done. The King would be quite a bit peeved if he had discovered that the Captain of the Guard was making threats against innocent women. Or would he have? Rey would always elude himself into thinking so. Any good king would be upset at the prospect. However, King Louis wasn't a good king. In reality, he may have even been proud of the Captain's actions.

The older man took a breath to calm himself. This boy was trying to goad him into doing something he would regret. And he refused to be played with in that manner. Admittedly, Pali was excellent at this. Any other boy would have submitted instantly to the threat of death. Either this Roma was an idiot, or he was very, very clever.

At Pali's touch, Rey recoiled as if he'd been bitten. The insult was just that, insulting. But it was nothing compared to being touched in such a way by a gypsy. To him, that was just as insulting as being labeled as on the same level as this boy. And he was so much higher up then Pali could ever even hope to be. "How..." He was going to say something else, but was distracted by... something. He wasn't quite sure what. Suddenly, he wasn't angry. Somewhere in the back of his mind, his rage and disgust were there, he just was distracted by the boy in front of him. The smell of that perfume, those beautiful eyes....

As Pali moved away though, it came back; the anger and revulsion. "How dare you." He said, stepping back. "You-" He stepped back. "You can expect to be reported after this."
 
Pali was not afraid of death. Death was nothing like he had endured. The torture, the pain and heartache. Nor was he afraid of the threat that Rey made. Sure, somewhere in the back of his mind he knew that he should feel bad for a woman, if this fate did befall her. His mother was still around, yes. But he looked nothing like her. That, and each gypsy really did live for their own. It would not be surprising if he screwed over a member of his family at the end of the day, or vice versa.

That moment then, when there were so close was all Pali needed. He just had to plant a seed. An idea, and it would grow. Well, he hoped it would. He'd give Rey that initial positive interest in him, and try to push out the anger and revulsion that he felt just enough to get away with what he wanted to get away with. The food that he'd discarded on the ground. He'd done it before a thousand times. That first initial charm, but this time he'd done something different. And not quite on purpose. Nor did he realize that he had.

Normally that feeling would fade. It would grow just enough to have the person side with him for a moment, then when he was out of their vision they would forget about him. But what he'd done to Rey... It might have been a little more permanent. And it might not have been so clearly positive. Pali had helped begin the fostering of something. If grown fully, it could be considered obsession.

"Just a report, Captain?" He gave the man a genuine smirk, quickly picking up the food he'd dropped earlier in the conversation. "Change your mind about chopping off my head?"

[[SOO, I put that 'obsession' stuff in there just kinda freely. xD So Rey can develop that or not, however you seem fit. Or he can harbor those growing feelings but still have the hateful ones and be disgusted with himself too.

And then I was thinking later on~. Maybe Rey figures out that Pali bewitched him and gets angry, and wonders if he even liked him all along~? Dramaaaa. But your decision!]]
 
He wasn't about to tell anyone. He wasn't even going to admit it to himself. But Rey was fucking terrified. This was why he hated magic users. They could do things that he couldn't understand. He was the Captain of the Guard; responsible for protecting the city, the citizens, and The King himself if needed. He needed to know what was going on at all times, no matter what that something was. He knew everything, or at least could tell himself that. But when it came to magic, he had no idea what to expect.

Plus there was the fact that he'd been raised by people who killed magic users. They would talk about it in their spare time. They would make jokes about the user's reactions to the ax. Sometimes... that would discuss the women. Those talks made Rey sick. Something about the aspect of magic had made his stomach turn even back then. However, talking about hurting users made Rey feel equally as sick. He felt a sort of connection with them. And seeing a magic user die... it was so much worse then the execution of an everyday civilian.

"This is a warning," Rey snapped, unable to stomach the thought of Pali being beheaded. It was bizarre. Only a few minutes ago, he'd almost wanted to do the beheading himself. "If I ever come across you again, I won't be so nice."

(Obsession is a bit much for me. My skills arent that great! But I can build up to something that justifies the swift buildup of romance/sex. A close cousin to obsession xD

Also, sorry for the crappy end of that post. I was reading fanfiction and that always screws with my writing skills :p)
 
[[That's really basically exactly what I meant. Hahaha. No worries.]]

Pali could tell that the Captain had changed his mind. He had planned on it of course, but something inside him felt a little sad about this fact. There would be no fight. There would be no continued banter? That was a little disappointing. The boy yawned and stretched his hands above his head, that vest letting his nipples peek out just a little. "Mn. Well it would be a lie if I said that I hope I don't see you again." He don't know why that slipped out, but it did.

This man brought something out in him, making him feel like real competition. It was not dull. He was sure that he had brought out the same thing in Rey as well. "It's very unfortunate that you say we will be on bad terms next time. You seem like a very interesting person, Captain." He readjusted the vest and looked towards the direction that he had come. For some reason he was quite hesitant to leave.
 
Rey looked at Pali with quite some interest returning to his eyes. Goodness, something abnormal was happening here, and he certainly wasn't about to call it magical. "It;ll be my pleasure to see your pretty little head again," he said with a grin. "Well, if your body isn't included in the package." And at that, rather morbid note, Rey turned around and headed for he-didn't-know-where. Anywhere but around Pali was fine with him.

What disturbed him the most was how the ever so slight sight of the other male's chest had excited him more then the practically naked prostitutes on the street. It wasn't that they were both male, as same sex relations weren’t all that taboo (as long as they were strictly casual and not seen). It must have simply been the charm of the boy, and the fact he'd actually touched Rey. After all, Pali had been right about more then a few things. It had been years since the Captain had had anyone in his bed. He'd devoted his life to his career and sexual relations didn't tend to be part of that. There had been the occasional whore here and there. All members of the guard had used the services of the local brothel at least once. There was always something missing though. And Rey was beginning to fear that he'd just discovered what that was.
 
"Aw, you think I'm pretty~?" Pali let out a little laugh, brushing some dark hair out of his eyes to look at the man. It was cute, this battle that Rey was having with himself. Pali could see it. It was an inner battle that had been caused by his charming, no doubt. He disregarded the second half of the statement, expecting it really.

Pali watched the man walk away, fading into the distance as he stretched his arms above his head again. That was one thing that he was constantly doing, stretching helped him stay quick and fit. The boy let out a little sigh and collected the food, rubbing it a bit on his pants before he walked off in the opposite direction.

-----xxx-----

They would meet again a few days later, but the odds would not be so similar. It started out with Pali running down the street. He was trying to make his way away from a rather large man, one who had bruised his cheek, arm, and bloodied his nose. Currently he had that red liquid spilling down his lips and chin, without any real regard. He was panting and genuinely scared. This man had caught him eying, simply EYING something and he'd decided to take matters into his own hands.

Pali had obviously lost the man, while the boy was smaller and definitely faster. But that man had done his damage. The boy was running hurriedly, panting and frightened as he flung himself around a corner. Ironically right into the chest of the man that he'd seen only a few days before. He pulled back quickly and looked up at Rey in a different way from the one he had seen before. "I-" He stumbled backwards, not even quite sure why he was afraid anymore. The boy raised the back of his hand to run over the blood on his lips and try to wipe it away, only making matters worse.
 
If anyone could angst over bruised pride and sexual confusion, it was Rey. Over the next few days, the poor man was a mess. He'd not only let this kid get the best of him, but he'd let himself be taken in by what must have been a petty magic trick. The days before plueged his mind to a point that he dreampt of flowers and boys with beautiful green eyes and woke up in a rather rotten mood. If anything good could come out of this, it was that the guard had arrested more people in the past few days then in the past month. No one wanted to let a criminal go and suffer the wrath of a sour Captain of the Guard. He could have them whipped for even talk of disobeying him.

A few days after Pali and Rey's first encounter... well, that day was like every other. Frankly, his schedule had gotten to a point where practically everyday was the same years ago. Life for the guard had certainly become more rushed, but it was painfully predictable. Rey had actually just finished purchasing supplies from the blacksmith when a young man barreled into him. Without armor, the Captain looked much younger. It was now obvious that he wore his armor too much, as his skin was far too pale to belong to any average peasant. His physique was more noticeable, without the chain-mail covering his chest, and he looked less put together; more like an everyday northerner then someone who was supposed to be in charge.

The metals in his satchel dropped to the ground at the contact, making a noise far louder then Rey would have expected. He looked closer at the gypsy who'd just crashed into him,and without much of an attempt, realized who it was.

"Didn't I warn y-" He threatening demeanor nearly disappeared when he saw the blood on the boy's face. "Look at the mess you've caused." He said disapprovingly, "And it appears that you've gotten into some trouble too." His tone was slightly angry, however, he looked around as he said so, eying everyone in the gathering crowd. Undoubtedly they were waiting for him to snap at the Roma boy. Despite the others frighted appearance, Rey had to uphold an image. "Pick it up," he ordered loudly, hardly noticing the large, angry man approaching them.
 
Pali had some nagging voice in the back of his head after he left that day. And he could not even explain it. Was it possible that he had charmed himself? Had something gone wrong? The boy really wasn't under the best understanding of the situation. Because he thought about the Captain. In the same frustrating way in which his counterpart was probably feeling.

So when he saw the man at first he was angry. Then that initial feeling went away, and he felt what was akin to desperation. How much he didn't want to back up from the Captain. Maybe this man could save him. But it was obvious now that the man was not as big nor as intimidating as he had seen before. He paused to keep his eyes focused on Rey's for a moment. That look almost held some understanding. For a second. Then it was gone, and replaced with anger again.

"Y-Yes Sir..." He quickly leaned to the ground and hauled up the metal, holding it heavily in his arms. It was clear that he had some trouble supporting himself with it, mostly because of his fatigue. The boy didn't even notice that he'd gotten any blood on the armor, worried more about pleasing Rey. He hadn't even bothered to break eye contact with the man, afraid if he did look away that he would be smacked, or worse.

"I'm very sorry Sir, I just..." But before he could finish his sentence he was hauled back by the large man. Pale and light haired, the large man let out a growl. "Fuckin' filt'y R'ma." He growled loudly, definitely enough so the surrounding people could hear. Before he could deal another blow to the boy though, he looked up. "Cap'n." He straightened up, letting the boy fall forward onto the ground, spilling the metal again at Rey's feet.
 
"So now we're resorting to using 'sir'?" Rey asked with a smirk, to quietly for the crowd to hear. "I'll take Captain over 'sir' if it's all the same to you." Something about showing compassion in front of a crowd was a real ego booster. They stopped thinking of you as a villain and started thinking about you as misunderstood, which was at least a bit better. However, the Captain was speaking too quietly for any one else to hear. To them, he was still being a cruel bastard who'd just ordered an injured kid to lift metal that was obviously too heavy for him. "Calm down," he muttered, rolling his eyes, "The king would never condone me beheading you over fallen armor."

It took a few moments for Rey to realize that maybe Pali wasn't terrified of him. And it took him a few more moments to realize that the large man wasn't just another gawker. Well... he wasn't nearly as sharp as he would have liked to believe, and so didn't really realize what was happening until the large, pale man pulled the gypsy boy away from him.

To be honest, if the baker (which he was assumed to be by his attire, and the fact that Rey had seen him at the bakery) had hit Pali again, he could have expected a swift, yet painful punishment. The Captain would have snapped, for reasons that he didn't even understand. However, when the baker straightened and greeted him, he forced himself to remain respectful, even if it was complete bullshit.

"Excuse me, sir, I'm going to have to ask you to step away from the boy." He abandoned all forms of casualty at that point. "As you may be aware, violence against minors is strictly against Louisthetical law. You may also be aware that by pulling this boy away from his duties, you've wasted my time. And I don't appreciate foul language in front of women." He gestured towards the crowd.
 
Pali had been so caught up in that moment, he just knew Rey was authority. He didn't think about what position he was in, nor that he was the Captain. He simply worried about the fact that he'd ran into this man in front of all these people, and that his punishment might not be so kind. The boy was spooked beyond belief, but maybe it was not just what the baker had done to him. Perhaps it was something deeper. Something far more frightening that he'd seen or experienced.

And this was just bringing it out in him.

"I'm very sorry Cap'n. It won't happ'n ag'n." The baker reacted quickly, nodding his head respectfully as he trudged away, seeing that the man was more concerned with the boy and the crowd. But he was quickly forgotten as Pali stood up, the crowd's eyes now focused on the boy who was struggling to pick up the rest of the armor. He was exhausted, and each time he moved out to grab one piece he dropped it only to get another. He really was making quite the fool of himself. Though not on purpose this time.
 
Leaning down to help Pali, Rey opened his bag for the other to put the armor in. What had he done? He was seriously hoping that the crowd would simply loose interest in two people picking up metal. He really was interested, in reasons beyond being a member of the guard of why the baker hated Pali so much. He'd seen a lot of prejudice against certain groups while working, but never against the people who most simply thought of as entertainers. When really considering it, he was the only really biased person he'd ever met. Not that he would ever consider it.

Once the crowd dissipated, and the two where finished cleaning the mess, Rey crossed his arms. "What did you steal?" He asked, holding out his hand for the item that he had no idea wasn't there. "And why don't you go home and get some fucking sleep instead? I don't need to deal with this too." He pinched the bridge of his nose and looked down, taking a deep breath.
 
Pali shakily put the armor back into the man's bag. He stood there silently when he was finally done moving the armor to a bag, his green eyes not bothering to meet Rey's. Pali couldn't deal with this right now. He couldn't just stand here and be questioned. The boy wiped away the dwindling blood on his upper lip, looking to the side. He waited a few seconds before speaking, his green eyes traveling over to Rey.

The boy put out his arms in front of himself, still clearly shaken from the events. "I didn't steal anything." He answered and swallowed, looking around to see (gladly) that the crowd was gone. A few days ago he would have loved to see the look on their faces with his first encounter with the Captain. It was clear he didn't have anything on him, and if he did he was hiding it VERY well. "I didn't even do anything to that man, I just walked by and..." Pali really needed sleep. It was clear from the bags under his young eyes that he'd been awake for the past few days.
 
Rey didn't want to believe the boy. However, it seemed that he had no choice. He didn't like Pali. If it weren’t for the fact that the baker had been about to beat him senseless, he would have treated the other with more contempt. In his eyes, thieves and gypsies were almost as bad as men like the one that had just left. Then again, in his eyes, the word gypsy did mean thief. Let's just say his vision was a bit cloudy.

He nodded, looking Pali over. If it hadn't been for the circumstance, he would have left. This man wasn't him. Compassion, admiration, fear; he didn't feel those. He'd been trained never to feel those. Perhaps the boy's charm wasn't to make him more vulnerable around him, but to make him more vulnerable after the fact too. When their eyes met, the Captain's eyebrows drew together in concern (again. another feeling that couldn’t have possibly been his). Why didn't this one just go home and stay there? However, he passed the lack of sleep off as something that stupid people that age did. What harm would it do anyway? When Pali was tired enough, Rey assumed that he would just sleep. “Well,” he said, all concern leaving his expression. “If you're innocent, then I'll be leaving.”
 
The boy was almost displeased with the answer he got. Rey was just going to leave? Like that? But it made Pali think. Why did he care about if this man left or stayed? Certainly he wouldn't want to be caught dead with a gypsy boy. Especially one as rambunctious and trouble-making as Pali. Surely Rey knew of his reputation by now, there were some records on him back at the prison no doubt.

He slowly stretched his arms above his head, slower and more thoughtfully this time. It was clear that he was not himself. He moved slower, like something was bothering him. Maybe something painful. The boy shifted where he stood and tore his eyes away from Rey, looking to the ground. Why did he feel so heavy with those words? Why did he seem to...-

But his train of thought was cut off as he dropped to his knees, then to his side. It was obvious that he had collapsed, most believably from exhaustion. But Rey's words had played some into that as well. Which was something he wouldn't like the man to know.
 
As the boy fell to his side, Rey couldn't help but turn around. He could have kept moving; ignored that he'd seen anything at all. He could have gone so far as to try and convince himself that he hadn't heard the dull thud and the breath that escaped Pali as he fell. He could have probably even succeeded. However, Rey was an honorable man, and these streets were not safe enough to leave an unconscious boy laying here. Rey wouldn't have been able to hold his head high if he'd decided to do such a deplorable thing.

There was also the fact that, though he would not admit it, he was concerned for Pali. Fainting wasn't a sighn of 'simple boyhood stupidity.' A flash of disdain for whoever this boy's mother was hit Rey swiftly. Any good parent would prevent this from happening. He walked over to the boy, careful to avoid seeming overly concerned. “Are you... ey...” Well. He wasn't going to lie. This was both awkward and a cause for concern. And Rey wasn't very good with emotions, concern being one of them.

He leaned over the boy and picked him up, sweeping the young boy up into his arms. Heavens... he was light, as it seemed that all boys his age probably were, but it still concerned Rey, as he wasn't very used to dealing with boys his age. “Are you okay?” he asked, “I can bring you to wherever you're staying if you'd care to answer me.”
 
Pali's eyes had drifted halfway shut. He couldn't move. He lay on the ground with no real concern for Rey or anyone else around. The boy had used up most of his energy running from that man, and the last meal he'd had was a bit of that food that he'd stolen the other day. Even that had been split up between his huge family. And water. Water was very hard to come by in the part of the city where his family was staying for the festival. His people dare not drink the hellish water that the townsfolk drank. They knew it was dirty.

So he was a little dehydrated. And probably a little underweight too. But that was no reason for him to fall. Well, it contributed to it. But Rey's words had their effect too. This charm had gone both ways, and it seemed Pali had been hit by the harshness of it. Not that he consciously cared about this man. Instead it was some subconscious semi-physical reaction that he couldn't explain.

But when he was pulled up into Rey's arms, he felt much better. Well enough to talk anyway. "Don't take me back." He seemed a little panicked, his green eyes widening a bit. "At least not now..." It was clear that he did not want to go home.
 
At his words, Rey couldn't help but feel a rush of concern. He didn't want to feel this way, but something about not wanting to go home struck a chord in the older man... a chord that obviously had to do with empathy. As a child, The Captain had been a lot like Pali; a wanderer. Well, until the guard had taken him. His parents had been the equivalent of gypsies in their time. They had constantly moved him from place to place in a small red wagon full of their possessions. It had been fun up until his tenth birthday, when he'd been cold and hungry on the streets while his parents swindled money that they wouldn't use on him anyway.

A few years later, they'd found a more permanent home, but he still had never been happy. And now he wondered if the Roma in his arms was happy at all. Or did they have more in common then a mutual dislike for one another and an attitude? He really hoped not. Rey wouldn't have wished that kind of unhappiness on his worst enemies.

“Well...” He hesitated. What the hell was he supposed to do about this? “Can you walk now?”
 
Pali had no idea that this man had a story very similar to his own. He jusassumed that Rey had lived a fairly normal life. While it was true that not all people who lived in the city were wealthy, even the poorest were usually a little above the Roma. But several Roma lived like that by choice. They decided that they wanted to live a wandering life.

Pali had made no such decision. Honestly, the boy wasn't quite sure what he wanted out of live, love, or happiness. The boy swallowed and pulled away from the other's neck to look back into his eyes. "I don't know if I can..." He answered softly, closing his eyes as if he were ashamed to admit it. The boy definitely didn't want this man carrying him everywhere either.
 
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