Behind the Mask FoxWriter/HellRazor

[FoxWriter]

It had all happened in an instant, the smaller sized personal Airship had been gliding through the air without so much as a tremor to it's name. It's smaller size did not mean smaller on the wallet after all. The Airship was one of the most secure, and expensive on the market. There was only one family that could afford it, at the moment and that was the Sanguinem Family. They owned all transportation, if you wanted to buy an airship you had to go through them. if you wanted to ship a ton of vegetables oversees, you had to go though them. Trains, motorized Carriages, Boats, planes, Airships and other long distance transportation was all owned by the Sanguinem Family. They held an impenetrable Monopoly on nearly the entire country and even the other Merchant Families had to deal with them to get their goods moving and their businesses flourishing. The Head of the Family was Orion Sanguinem, who had announced two weeks prior that he was announcing his Heir for the first time to polite society. Young Nova had been kept hidden for all of her life. Sheltered from the mayhem of 'polite society' which was a battleground of politics and backdoor deals and betrayal. That was what people assumed at any rate, that she had been sheltered because she was frail or innocent or too sweet and wasn't ready for such things. They couldn't have been further from the truth as young Nova had been trained at her fathers knee. No, her secret was something much more... unique. No one could resist the temptation of the Heir and the Head together in the same ship like sitting ducks.

All that remained of the airship now was twisted metal and burning chunks of wood that had shattered on impact. The Ship had been gunned down without warning. Those that hadn't died in the fire that had spread across the airship before it went down died during the crash. Those that didn't crash during the previous two events where shot dead by the crew of people who spread across the remains and the dead bodies, stripping them of anything of value. Necklaces or clothes that had been mostly undamaged, the survivors had all been stripped of anything of value. The chances of anyone being alive in the mess of the Fire drenched, blood soaked wrecked was so slim as to be laughable. Yet, there was one who had managed to remain alive, if you could call it alive. It was a young girl, the entire left side of her face was smeared with blood and the right side caked with soot and mud. Her black dress was torn and ruined, caught on the debris she was currently crawling through, her Corset was laced up the front and several of the strings had been snapped, leaving her dangerously close to loosing it. It was the height of current fashion, a sleeveless Corset laced with colored ribbons or string with a huge billowing dress attached to the underneath. A dress big and puffy enough that it caught on everything, ribbons and bows laced around the billows. The entire thing was made of silk and worked leather. Both where expensive and tended to be owned only by the Merchant Families. The lower classes tended to wear cotton, fleece and animal skins unless they managed to 'find' something better. It wasn't just the clothes that screamed 'Merchant', it was also the Silver mask that fit over her face, made of such a thin material that it fit to her face like a comfortable glove.

The mask was dented and twisted, and it was likely the only reason she was still alive. Barely. She had a large gash in her forehead that she had wrapped part of her dress around to stop the bleeding. Her hair was a mess, caked with mud tangled. It was hard to tell, but her hair was a soft white color, like starlight, or snow. The white was impossible to see, and what little could be seen had been soaked with blood and stained pink. Her skin was just as smooth and pale, most Merchants where soft skinned and pale from spending most of their lives inside in safety. This young woman was softer than most, and was very fair in face as well as in body. Her face, caked as it was and bruised as she was, was very pretty with soft lips and wide eyes, wide hips and a narrow waist but not as... well, fat, as many Merchants tended to be. It was her eyes that where special though, her eyes that glittered like jewels. The left eye was a bright sapphire that glittered and The right eye was a gleaming emerald that sparkled just as brightly as the left though both where glazed over from pain and shock. Her hands where covered in burns and her arms where covered in scratches and cuts. Her nails where once perfectly manicured where now cracked and chipped, the black nail polish peeled off in places. She looked as if she had dug herself out of something buried. Probably explained why she had survived where no one else had. She crawled over a propeller, one foot missing a laced boot that got caught on the propeller blade. She was so deep in pain and shock that she never realized she had cut herself again. She was a miserable sight, but as the only survivor that was to be expected.

 

[HellRazor]

The hilly farmland was surprisingly quiet despite the heap of metal and wood falling from the sky only recently. Small streams of smoke billowed up here and there from the wreckage strewn around the field. Dark clad figured moved through the wreckage picking at the piles, occasionally pulling a body, or a few pieces, from the scrap. The crew was spread out in their search so it had made it easier picking off the outliers, leaving only four searching the largest pile. Two had taken a break and were pulling out cigars as Kalibar approached them, nodding at them politely when they looked his way.

He wore a simple brown bowler hat that matched the brown vest and slacks that clung to his lithe muscularity. A simple, long sleeve black shirt was underneath, the cut generous to allow for better movement. It wasn’t his normal look but the leather forearm guards were that kept the sleeves in check so they didn’t interfere with his draw. A brown leather holster hung at a slant on his hips with a black powder revolver firmly tucked into for an easy right hand grab. A saber bounced against his right hip that was held in a matching scarab and belt that slanted across his other hip. He wore a simple strip of cloth over his mouth like the other thugs while tight leather gloves concealed his hands.

“Mind if I have one,” he asked the two as they pulled their masks down.

“Go get your bloody own,” the one with the squirrely face and ugly green, tattered jacket. “Had to scrounge these of some rich bugger and try to not get blood all over them.”

He nodded as he took stock of the other two out of the corner of his eyes. Just then, metal scrapped in the pile as something shifted drawing everyone’s attention. In that spilt second, he moved with lightning speed, drawing the saber first. It slashed across the two men’s throats cleanly it took them a moment to realize they were dying, gasping for air. The sword fell to the ground with a thud as he reached down and cleanly rocked the revolver out of the holder. Smoke billowed from his hip as he shot the other two dead as they moved to react to his attack, their bodies draping across the jagged debris.

Crouching down, he holstered the gun and plucked up the sword to sheath it before grabbing the cigars the dead men had spilled, stuffing them in the small bag he wore across his body. Careful of the wreckage, he slowly moved towards the disturbance that had drawn everyone attention, his eyes roving over everything. He’d assumed he was on a fool’s errand when he’d been given this request, and looking at the mess around him, he was assured it was but he’d agreed to try.

Suddenly, he caught movement out of the corner of his eye and he stared in shock at the tattered, bloody figure moving among the wreckage. For a moment he could have thought it was a wraith but she made strangled noise and it broke him from his stupor. He treaded through the wreckage with as much care as he could until he made it to the young woman, reaching a careful hand out to touch her shoulder. “Easy, dear,” he said quietly. “You are alright but you look hurt. I’m going to help you.”

Glancing around and then behind him, he knew he had to get her to a better place to work so he slipped an arm around her back and one behind the back of her legs. With a quick, steady movement, he scooped her up in to his arms and held her gently against his chest knowing it would probably hurt but hoping the necessity of moving her didn’t make things worse. He was careful to move beyond the bodies of the hunters and towards a lone flat back, horse drawn cart, setting her down on the open back.

“My name is Kalibar,” he said, working too quickly to bother thinking of an alias. “How do you feel? Is there anywhere you can’t move or causes a great deal of pain? I want you to take deep breaths and focus on me.” His voice was soft and smooth like well-worn leather. “Do you remember what happened?”

 

[FoxWriter]

The girl recoiled away from him, frightened. one man had already attacked her, she had stabbed him with a piece of shrapnel and he had fallen, dead into the hole she'd had to dig herself out of. he had tried to tear her dress right off of her and even in her stunned and hurt state she knew what he wanted from her. she calmed when he spoke, recognizing that he wasn't going to try and tear apart her tattered clothes. He said he would help her, and she had seen him shoot the two bad men who had been pawing at the bodies of the dead. that was a bad thing to do, steal from the dead. their spirits would come back from the depths and haunt you if you stole from them. no, not a good thing to do at all. many of the Merchants where surprisingly superstitious about such things, though she didn't exactly remember much about that either. She watched the man, studying him, wondering.

when he picked her up, all the pain seamed to rush into her all at once and she cried out in agony, the corset pressing against the cuts, bruises and burns. his arms, gentle as they where, jarring her already sore and battered body, the broken bones felt as if they where splintering inside of her, spearing her with their jagged edges, they weren't really but that's the way it felt. she bit out a sob and then fell silent, trembling wildly in his arms but she didn't cry out again. tears where gathering in her eyes but they didn't fall. for a merchant, she was a tough little thing. "It hurts." she whispered. "worse than the time i fell out the fourth story window. my hands. i can't move my fingers." she mumbled. it was no surprise. they where torn to shreds and where swollen. she appeared to have actually dug her way free and her fingers where bleeding and scraped and cut badly enough that several of the lacerations, gotten when she crawled through the Debris, would need stitches. they would have to be soaked first though because the dirt was ground into her skin so deeply it would likely have to be dug out of her. especially as the merchants where greedy pigs and hoarded all of the good medicine for themselves. wounds like hers, in the care of the Merchants, would take days, a week tops to heal. with the medicine that Kalibar could get her to now she could take up to a month to get well enough to move on her own efficiently. her left leg and right arm appeared to be broken, and she would be damn lucky if her neck or back wasn't broken, cracked or otherwise damaged as well. still, she was able to sit up on her own when he set her down, so that was something at least.

"Remember? there was fire." she whispered. "so much fire everywhere. i had to dig, the glass was over me but there wasn't any air so i had to dig." she whispered, trying so hard to keep her focus on him. "there was a man. he grabbed me by the hair and shook me hard, and said if i screamed he'd have to share. i didn't understand, he started tearing at my dress..." she looked at Kalibar, those gorgeous eyes vacant, so vacant. "i stabbed him." she admitted. "a lot. he bled so much but i was scared and he was going to... my leg hurt too much, so i crawled. looking for something... i don't know what. i can't remember... looking for something..." she mumbled, tilting dangerously forward. slumping as her entire body went lax and limp. she'd passed out, the pin and fright too much to handle now that she was moderately safe. really he was lucky she had managed to crawl away from her would be rapist at all, let lone give him some semblance of a conversation, no matter how disjointed it was. truly they where lucky her mind hadn't shattered, lucky she was alive at all. that, in the end was what it all boiled down to. luck.

 

[HellRazor]

As the girl talked, Kalibar rummaged with his freehand in the bag at his side, fingers dexterously seeking what he needed. His eyes narrowed at the mention of someone assaulting the young woman, feeling a hint of bile rise in the back of his throat. Yes, she was a Merchant and had been given everything she wished since her birth, and if talk was to be believed she was as spoiled as they came. To people like her, himself and those he knew were nothing but bugs to be played with or squashed, often times both. But there was a line one did not cross to a helpless creature seemingly near death. It was not so much sympathy for her as it was revulsion for a man without principles.

“I’m sorry,” he murmured softly, not sure why. His mind was simply on the task of keeping her calm considering she looked on the ragged edge of death. Fingers latched on to the wooden box he was seeking just as he felt the woman fall limp, moving so she simply draped over his shoulder. With as much care as he could one handed, he laid her down in the cart among the bobbles the men he’d killed Once she was settled, he pulled out the hinged rectangular box and popped it open to reveal a large, glass needle full with a yellowish liquid. Ripping a larger whole in her sleeve, he pushed the thick needle into her arm and pushed down the plunger, a high squelch coming from the glass as it unloaded the contents into her veins.

Placing the needle back in the box, he tossed it into his back and pulled out what looked like a small blunderbuss, pointing it into the air. Pulling the trigger, it let out a sharp crack and a ball of light burst up into the air, busting into 8 smaller ones that shot out in a wide arc. Pulling himself up into the cart, Kalibar drew a knife from the back of his belt to draw it along the dress of the woman lying before him. It made short work of the material and he then moved onto the corset, the ties giving him a little more trouble but he finally sliced her out. She was left in her ample undergarments just as a black cart raced through the field from the main road.

Three bodies poured out of the confines of the darkened interior clad in respectable clothes, each covered with an apron. They moved to him and practically pushed him out of the way as they took over care. House Merklynn may have had the market on doctors, hospitals and alchemist, they were a fickle lot and a few always got exiled from the house every year. They were quickly snapped up by every black market and underground gild that could bring them into the fold. He’d made sure the people he was working for secured a good team he’d known and could trust would be quiet.

“Mr. Braxe,” the one doctor said, looking up at him. “We’ve set her hands in poultice cast to clean the wounds and help the heeling but some of this work we can’t do here. Did you give her the injection?”

“Yes,” he said, his voice cold and quiet.

“Then I think we need to get her to the backup location immediately.” The urgency in his voice didn’t change Kalibar’s calm exterior one bit. With a simple nod, they moved as quickly as they could to get her into the coach without exacerbating her injuries. The ride was unnecessary long as they had to put as much distance as they could from the crash without leaving a track that could be followed. The hired gun sat near the woman’s head to keep an eye on her in case she woke up, not wanting her to go crazy with fear.

The sun had moved a considerable amount by the time they arrived at the small farm settled way back in a strip of forest. The doctor’s and nurse took the woman inside while Kalibar spoke with the driver, finally sending him off with a mission to bring stuff back. They had the young woman laid out on the bed, bandaged all over, the dank stink of medical poultices and tinctures filled the room. More medicine was injected and the nurse tried to coax water down the unconscious girl’s throat.

“I think she was very luck,” the one doctor said, approaching him. “Lots of lacerations, torn muscles and ligaments. The back is even worrisome, I had a brace put on just in case, but I think she should recover.” He shrugged without looking at the man. “I mean, she’ll have scars but that will probably be the least of her concerns.” The implication of what the man had in store for the merchant girl hung heavy between them but he had no clue the true nature of what he was doing. Soon, he was left alone as the driver took the doctors away and leaving him with a few days’ worth of supplies.

 

[FoxWriter]

She looked confused when he apologized and she shook her head. "there's no reason for you to be sorry. you didn't do it." she promised, patting his knee and then wincing when she realized that hurt. soon she wasn't thinking anything at all but about how pleasant her eyelids looked from behind. too tired even to dream. she had no knowledge of the work they'd put into her and no idea of what laid in wait. she didn't know that the doctors scoffed and huffed over her very expensive leather underthings, the breast cups and underwear made so that her tender areas would be protected as well as concealed and supported. as well as hiding other things. she had no idea how close to death she had come, her heart nearly stuttering to a stop from the bloodloss. the doctors managed to keep it going, and was now beating strong. all she knew was that once she woke up, she felt a lot better, her beautiful eyes blinking ope slowly. she had been washed, as much as possible and shone in the dimness of the room like a soft moon. her skin with a healthy gleam to it despite the injuries. she sniffed at the air and wondered why her brain instantly supplied the place. 'Hospital'. she'd had to go there before, after one of her nces had 'accidentally' left the window of his office open while he was working. the fall nearly killed her, she'd broken her back in several places, as well as her ribs. her pelvis had been broken too, and so had both her legs. this had felt a lot like that, only sharper and not as all over.

she carefully experimented with her range of mobility. she could wiggle her toes, good, she hadn't broken her back too badly. she could wiggle her knees. she couldn't twitch her hips because she was attached to a back brace, but they obeyed her will anyway. she could wiggle her fingers, barely. th cast kept them still and contained but she could move them. arms, shoulders, head...ouch. okay, the head hurt, bad headache. wow, look at all the sparkling lights. okay, wouldn't be doing that one again. still, she wasn't paralyzed from the accident, that was all that mattered to her for now. with her body checked over her eyes scanned over her form. oh dear. naked, or nearly so. she wasn't sure why, but she was sure that she was supposed to keep, uh, that, a secrete. at least, she thought so. maybe not? why was it a secrete? she couldn't remember, but it was, so for now. it was a secrete until sh learned evidence otherwise. speaking of which, where was she? this was not the gleaming white walls of a hospital, so where they treating her from home? where was home? she wasn't sure about that either actually. okay. well, home was where her family was right? so. who was her family.... oh dear. okay, who was she? ... "Oh dear...." she muttered aloud this time, staring at the ceiling. that wasn't good. who was she? she was... well lets start with what she knew.

She was hurt. ouch. her head seamed to be the most inured, concussion? maybe her brain had been hurt in the accident. okay, so she couldn't remember because her brain was hurt, that could heal and then her memories would come back. what else? she was a 'girl' but wasn't really and it was a secrete. that didn't tell her much aside from that, maybe, she was a freak. yes, that sounded familiar, but Freak wasn't a name so that probobly wasn't who she was. what she was maybe, yeah that sounded a bit more accurate. what else did she know? not much. she blinked when her stomach growled and frowned a little bit, annoyed by the interruption. she didn't have time to be hungry, she had to figure things out. wherever she was, she seamed to be safe enough, if she was going to be killed they wouldn't have healed her. if she was going to be raped she would have been already. she wasn't any good for torture because she didn't have any information, that she knew of. so, what then, did they want? did they want anything? yes, she knew that much, no one did anything out of the kindness of their hearts. she knew that without a doubt. she'd had to struggle all her life for everything. had to fight tooth and nail against... who? to get whatever she wanted and sometimes even what she needed. so, she knew they wanted something from her, why else spend such time and money fixing her up? she would just have to wait and see, the answers would come, no doubt, she just needed to be patient and keep her wits about her. she wasn't stupid, she could, hopefully, keep herself from something she couldn't handle. hopefully. in the meantime, she wondered if she was alone.

"Hello? is someone there?" she'd have craned her head to look but she'd more than learned her lesson the first time.

 

[HellRazor]

Finding a quiet corner of the house, Kalibar considered what his employers expected from this Merchant who fell from the sky. It was surprising the coddled woman would even have the fortitude to not only survive the crash but an attacker as well. The crash would bring a lot of people to the area eventually but they had put a good distance between it and them but it would only buy them a few day from any motivated party. And from what his employers had told him, how reliable they could be was open for debate, he could expect some very interested groups looking for his guest.

As he considered things, he pulled out a strip of leather to lay on the table before him before drawing out his black power revolver. Carefully, he looked over the weapon as he first wiped it down with some cloth before dismantling it into pieces to clean the little nooks. As he did, woman in a drab dress and apron moved through the room like a ghost, barely noticeable. Her brown hair was tied back into a tight bun and her face wore the lines of a hard life. The woman gently set a clay cup of wine next to him, barely pausing in her step before moving back out of the room. He had to marvel at how well trained House servants were, anticipating all needs and staying unnoticed; they were even found or made mute to ensure they never discussed House business with others.

He sat taking care of his stuff and sipping from the container of wine until he felt a tap on his shoulder, even his sharp senses, though deluded by a little alcohol, didn’t detected the mute servant. The woman clearly wanted him to follow so he quickly slipped from his chair, replacing all of his stuff as he walked behind her through the hallway towards the back bedroom. They had made up a room for their guest upstairs but when they brought her back injured it was better to not deal with stairs.

The door creaked open as he heard a voice from inside, the heels of his boots tapping sharply on the wooden floor no matter how careful he was. The servant slipped inside the room behind him and waited patient by the door, an utter statue in the dim room. Moving carefully to a shelf, Kalibar turned the knob on the oil lamp so it burst into greater life, filling the empty room except for some shadowy corners. He inclined his head to the young woman as he slowly approached the bed, not getting too close.

“So you are awake,” he said, his voice warm and quiet. Still, he couldn’t fully hide the lack of empathy from his eyes remembering all that her kind had taken away from him in his life. Still, he had a job to do. “Be careful, you suffered some bad injuries that are still healing, you don’t want to ruin all the hard work.” As he spoke, the servant moved to a bedside table and poured water from a picture into a clay cup, holding it out to her. “You should drink something or at least let her wet your lips.”

Hovering near the bed, he waited a moment for the young woman to get herself situated. “Do you remember me? You are at a friend of mine’s house, it was the closest place to bring you.”

 

[FoxWriter]

Nova relaxed when she heard the sharp tap, tap, tapping of the boots and winced at the sudden light. that was not helping the headache at all. she wished she was bold enough to ask him to turn it down, or off but she didn't want to be rude or seam ungrateful and so said nothing. she would ask him to turn it out before she went back to sleep. already she could feel it trying to drag her back down. "yes. i've broken bones." she agreed at his mention of injuries. "but i haven't pierced a lung, which is good, and i haven't become paralyzed, which is better. the rest will heal." she admitted, offering him a grateful smile before taking the cup, mostly ignoring the casts around her hands. she could still, mostly, hold the cup still as she took tiny, careful sips. she didn't want to waste any of it. clean water was precious, even for the Merchants.

"Yes, i remember, i... i'm terriblysorry but i can't recall what you said your name was... my head was so fuzzy and i was so frightened. it was so very kind of you to rescue me like that." she admitted, watching him. "the way you shot those men, i fear they might have attacked me as well. i saw them, shooting the other survivors. i tried so hrd to be quiet." she admitted. "i thought they'd moved on when i started crawling. my leg was... is broke, so i couldn't stand up. i imagine that's the only reason why i'm still alive." she admitted. "well. you know. managing to survive the crash at all was a miracle i suppose. i can't thank you enough for helping me like this." she admitted, offering him her sweetest smile. "you really are a darling." she admitted. "helping a stranger like me... you are a stranger right? i can't seam to recall..." she admitted with a sigh. "the head... my head i mean, i'm hurt." she admitted. "i can't recall anything at all save for a few spars bits and pieces... i don't suppose you known my name?" she wondered. "i can't remember it you see... and i feel as if it's important somehow. then again, it is my name, i suppose that would be fairly important wouldn't it?"

 

[HellRazor]

A surprising look passed over Kalibar’s features as the young girl self-assessed herself rather nicely, he knew some people that couldn’t be half that aware. Of course, Merchants were afforded a good education and schooling so it probably was just basic knowledge. “All wounds heal,” he said, a little too bitter then he’d meant to be. “And yes, the doctors that looked you over said you have excellent chance of recovery. There may be some scarring but bones and body will set fine.” He smiled politely as he reached down and slowly turned down the wick a little, the shadows growing deeper as the flame reflected in his eyes. He’d seen the squint in her eye and realized it was probably hurting her, though he left it go a little longer then he needed too.

The servant was careful to stay unobtrusive but ready to take the cup as she talked, Kalibar quietly listening to the words fall from her lips. A curious mask covered his face as she spoke further and he realized what she was saying. One could say a lot of things about him, good and bad, but he was very quick about things. He quickly digested everything she said and by the time she’d finished, he wore a mixture of shock and worry on his face. “Oh my,” he said, grabbing a chair and drawing it closer to the bed.

Turning the light down even more, he set the lamp on the bed side table on his side of the room as he settled on the simple wooden chair. “Most people call me Braxe,” he said, still looking worried. “You use to call me that.” He let it hang in the air and sink into her scrambled brain for a moment. Leaning towards the bed, he placed a hand on the sheet covering her just near her side, not touching her but trying to appear concerned. “You really don’t remember… it’s probably just temporary. I’ll have the doctor come back and check you out tomorrow.”

Patting the bed, he tried to look as if he was attempting to smile for reassurance, through the worry he wore as a mask. But, really, inside he was dancing for joy at the opportunity this offered in making his job much simpler. “Your name is Nova,” he said. Being an experienced liar, he knew it was important to anchor a lie with a truth so he gave her her real name should she start to remember. “I was there for you. You probably don’t remember writing me that you were in some trouble because of your employers. I was a friend of your parents, the gods grand them peace.” The corners of his lips fought hard not to curl up in pleasure. “This is all something we can discuss later. You should rest.”

 

[FoxWriter]

She offered him an almost cynical smile. "not all wounds heal. they can close over, but some never really go away." she admitted softly. "scars can cover the gaping holes, but they're still there, an ever constant reminder of everything that..." here she paused,almost seaming startled at herself. "never mind, i'm not sure where that came from..." she admitted before smiling. "i don't mind scars. they're justproof that i survived. as long as the bones heal as straight as they can, i'll be happy." she admitted. "being a cripple wouldn't be much fun, but i think i could make it work." she admitted before watching him as he sat down next to her, offering him a small smile, glad he was closer. she felt better with him near. "thank you for turning down the light. i think i've a concussion. the light seams to go straight through my eyes to stab my brain." she admitted with a sigh. "i hope that goes away, i'm not fond of the dark." she admitted.

"Braxe." she repeated, as if tasting it on her tongue before blinking, startled at him before her face crumpled into misery. "so i do know you. i'm so deeply sorry." she whispered, tears gathering in her eyes because se felt terrible for forgetting someone who seamed as if he must have been very important to her. did he know the secret? she wasn't sure. she would have to wait. find out what he knew and then decide of he was truly safe or not. maybe they weren't friends at all? maybe they ust worked together. she didn't know couldn't know...still, she felt as if there was something deeper between them. it was the way he looked at her. she couldn't identify the emotion but it was intense, whatever it was. he either loved her very deeply, romantically or of the family nature, or he hated her very passionately. she would have to find that out as well.

"There's no reason to spend money on a doctor..." she said, scowling a little. "we'll wait and if i'm all healed and none of my memories have returned, hen we'll see if we can afford to have someone look in my brain?" she offered. she didn't know much but she knew doctors where expensive and she knew... someone, she couldn't remember who, complained bitterly about the cost every time she had to see one. a waste of good money. "Nova?" she asked, blinking a little before saying it again and then wrinkled her nose. "well that's a bit of a stupid name isn't it?" she asked, huffing a little before blinking a little, wide eyed. "i...i was in trouble?" she asked, looking worried now. "i'm not going to cause problems for you, am i Braxe?" she asked, terribly worried about inconveniencing him. to be sure, she wasn't like any Merchant they had ever met before. "My parents? yes. i remember. Mother died when i was a baby..." she mumbled softly. "and Father... i.. i can't remember." she admitted very disappointed. how could she forget her father? "okay Braxe... would you... if it's no trouble...would you turn out the light? i don't care for the dark but it seams such a waste to leave the light on when i'm going to be sleeping anyway." she admitted. "there's no point in lighting a room i won't be looking at right?" she wondered before offering him a smile. "thank you for coming for me... i'll find a way to make up for all the trouble i've caused you. i promise."

 

[HellRazor]

Kalibar’s lips quirked to the side as he looked at the young lady on the bed, not sure if she’d believed him. It didn’t seem possible that she was pulling one over on him and faking this memory loss; he was fairly sure he’d not lost control of his own faculty to be fooled by a girl. The loss seemed a good stroke of luck for him but he wasn’t sure if a whole Merchant was required by his employers, it could be a wrench in their plans. The circles he moved in the paranoia kept everyone dealing out as little information as possible and keeping their own cards close to themselves.

The soft words that had fallen on his ears and only half taken in still struck him as rather understanding for one of her kind. Perhaps scrambling the brain was good for those in the Merchant Houses. “It would be miraculous if you didn’t have a concussion,” he agreed, nodding his head. “It usually passes in a day or two. But the dark isn’t anything to worry about.” The light has far worse crawling around in it, he thought quietly.

A twinge of guilt shot through him but it didn’t affect the elation he felt that she’d seemingly accepted his lie about their relationship. He knew it couldn’t last for long, especially if her memory came back, but he only needed a few weeks from what’ he’d been told. Still, the look she’d given him had almost hit something inside of him when he remembered who Nova was. The strange look in her eyes though gave him pause, as if she were trying to figure out some great mystery, making him wonder if he’d been successful. “Well, Kalibar doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue so Braxe is easier for other people to remember.”

If there was a logical person there with him, they would have slapped him upside the head for just giving the woman he was kidnapping, even if he did save her life, his real full name. Bright, real bright. Kicking himself, he reached over to the lamp and slowly turned the knob until the flame extinguished casting the room in pitch black except for the open door. With a wave, the servant quickly walked out and shut the door behind, sealing the darkness. “It’s not such a stupid name,” he said quietly. “Nova is also a name from myth. Some woman that so charmed the gods with her beauty they put her up in the heavens forever. If I remember my tales correctly.”

His breathing was soft and steady in the darkness of the room, not making any move to leave the dark room. “Don’t worry about anything right now,” he said, cool eyes almost crystalline in the black. “You are no trouble and what kind of man would I be if I walked away from someone in need. You let me worry about trouble and doctors and all that. I’m going to take care of you, Nova. So, just rest and get better.”

 

[FoxWriter]

"there are things in the dark." she admitted, watching him. "there are people in the dark." well that made a bit more sense didn't it? she wasn't afraid of the monsters under the bed, she was afraid of the assassins hiding in the closet. she didn't seam to really understand the fear, so probobly didn't remember what she needed to watch out for in the dark. "Oh, yes. that sounds familiar." she agreed. "Kalibar... i'll call you Braxe. you said i used to call you that." she admitted, smiling at him. "maybe if i keep to normal activities, i'll start to remember. it's very odd, not remembering anything." she admitted before smiling, half drowsing already as the light was turned off. tht was very nice. "that's a nice story." she murmured. "goodnight Braxe... you look terrible by the way. you should get some sleep too." she admitted before yawning a little. "will you stay? until i'm asleep?" she asked hopefully. "and leave the door open?" she asked hopefully. "i know i'm being terribly childish. i just..." she sighed a little and with that she was asleep, too exhausted to stay awake any longer.

when she woke next, she was running a heavy fever and was delusional. she mumbled about things that didn't make sense, and begged him, as the only person she could remember, to stop 'the bad men in her room'. she woke, more than once, screaming and trying to defend herself from 'the men in her room' which seamed to be a reoccurring nightmare/memory. from her fever induced babbling, men had snuck into her room when she was a child and had tried to kill her in the night. it was no wonder she was terrified of the dark. something like that stuck with you. worse, it wasn't the only thing that had happened in the darkness. not the only time someone had tried to kill her in the dark. this wasn't the first time she'd been kidnapped. in her mind, fever induced and amnesiac as she was all the things of the dark had swum into one. he was smart enough to pick apart the nightmares from the memories though. smart enough to understand that her life had been anything but sunshine and daisies. her own family kidnapped her, tried to kill her and in many cases, got away with it because there was no 'evidence'. just her word against theirs and she was a 'freak' and so no one cares about her word at all. almost made a person feel sorry for her. almost. she was still a Merchant after all. she had never gone hungry, never gone thirsty, never gone without shelter or warmth. sh had never hd to suffer months of illness before dying, or years of crippling pain because she couldn't afford medicine or a doctor. she had suffered, but she had not suffered as much as those who where beneath the Merchants had.

The fever was from the pain and the concussion, the shock and likely from minor infections that she'd never had to fight off before. by the fourth day though, most of her serious wounds where healed enough that she could make herself useful. she couldn't do anything too strenuous but she could at least help keep the place clean and cook food. when she woke, clear headed and feeling so very much better she carefully slid out of bed and carefully got dressed. feeling tired, but needing to move. she at least had her underwear and there was a mans shirt and pants laying over a chair she assumed was intended for her. she didn't mind wearing men's clothes really, but she did wish there was a dress. maybe she could make one later, she was good at that, making clothes. she'd made that pretty black dress with the ribbon corset after all. though she couldn't remember why she'd needed it. seamed like a waste of money and effort. unless it was for the employer that Braxe had mentioned she was working for? she shook her head and got dressed in the shirt and pants that where too big for her, she didn't mind though. at least it was something. she just rolled the sleeves up and pulled the pants legs up and called it good. that done she sighed at the mess in the room and carefully, mindful of her injuries, and started cleaning up. somehow, she felt like this was a common thing. she was used to picking up after someone who couldn't really care for himself. Braxe maybe? probobly.

 

[HellRazor]

The mention of people in the dark piqued Kalibar’s interest but he didn’t push as it would have been untowardly. Sitting in the dark felt nice after the excitement on previous days. “Goodnight Nova,” he said, not sure if it sounded as warm as it should. He wasn’t exactly use to tucking people in and seeing them off to sound sleep. “I’m not going anywhere,” he said. Sitting in the darkness. He tapped his foot to signal the servant and the door opened to allow a bit of light to spill in from the gas lamps that lined the hallway. “Just rest.”

The next few days were trying for Kailbar and his problem solving abilities. The young lady had developed a fever and was burning up to the touch, forcing him to go to his contact to get the doctors out again. It was a fairly simple thing, other than the worry for the project, fevers could be bad, but the doctors reassured her it was common in recover and that they’d made the appropriate additions to her medicines to account for it. It was about two days following that bode an ill wind for the operation when two men in long coats came trotting up the pathway from the main road.

It was almost laughable but the two tried to be subtle as they talked to him to pull out information while looking around the place. He knew right away what they were and who they were looking for without much effort needed to figure it out. Sadly for them, and lucky for him, they were not very self-aware and took things for granted.

The first man didn’t even see his death coming when he slipped the blade from the sheath up his sleeve, slicing open his through quick and cleanly. Blood poured down his neck and chest as he collapsed to the ground. Kalibar was already in motion as the body fell, a flick of his arm and wrist sending the blade through the air where it connected with the other man’s face, not sticking in but hitting him hard enough to daze him. It was enough to cross the distance and pull the knife from his waist, disarming the man and throwing him to the ground. He interrogated the man only to find out that they had focused on the area because of the mention of seeing a strange coach in the area of their expanding search grid.

He buried the bodies in the forest out back but he knew it wouldn’t be long before others heard something to draw their suspicion to this place. Despite his warnings, his employers hadn’t taken precaution to secure another site they could use if this one was compromised but he wasn’t too worried. He’d secured a long list of places and people over the year’s he’d been doing what he did so he could swing something and charge his employers for it later. Of course that would have to wait for when the girl was on the mend and ready to travel, which who knew when that would be considering everything.

So, he was a little surprised when the soon after the incident, he walked into Nova’s room to find a strange figure in her room and her not in bed. It took a moment to realize the figure was the young girl in the first place, smiling as he looked at her. “What exactly are you doing,” he asked, raising an eyebrow at her picking things up. “At least the clothes work. Sorry about the clothes but it’s all we have. And I guess it’s good that you look less like a girl if we have to travel. Not that anyone could mistake you for a boy with those soft features.” Soft like most Merchants.

 

[FoxWriter]

Nova squeaked when he spoke and she dropped the things she'd picked p, pressing her hands to her lips. "You scared me near to death!" she accused him. "you should make noise when you walk! you'll scare a girl into a heart attack." she complained, shaking her head. "I'm picking up. this place is a mess." she huffed. "i'm fairly certain your incapable of taking care of yourself, so i'll just have to step up and do the job for you." she said with a sniff, bending over and picking up the things she'd dropped. "I'll make something to eat later too." she promised. "i know how to cook, i kind of remember having to fend for myself." she admitted. "i learned how to cook and clean for myself at any rate so that's good. i'd hate to be a burden." she admitted. "i'll do what i can to help out, until i know... you know? i don't... i just." she sighed and stared at her hands. "i can't remember anything, so i can't remember if i have somewhere to go, or... or if i had a life i need to get back to... i don't think so. i can remember being very lonely..." she admitted. "it's strange. i can remember a lot of things, emotions mostly, but none of t is... important, or anything worth remembering. like, i remember being allergic to a fruit, but i can't remember the name of it. i remember being scared of the dark, but i can't remember why. it's... frustrating." she admitted before flushing brightly at him. he wasn't in on the secret then. that was okay.

"The clothes are fine. get me a needle and some thread and i can fix them up fine." she admitted with a grin. "if not, well they'll work just fine. they cover me up so i won't get cold and that's good enough for me." she admitted before shrugging. "yes well... sometimes these 'fine features' can be a bit of a bad thing." she admitted before frowning a little. "are we on the run?" she wondered, setting a hand to her hair, playing with the length. if she was in serious trouble... cropping it short would easily help her hide, but her eyes.... there was no way to hide those. sure they could get colored contacts but... those where hideously expensive and she knew there was no way they could afford that. cutting her hair though,it had taken her years, years to talking people into letting her grow it out...was it worth her life?she had a feeling she was in serious, serious trouble though, the way Braxe talked.the hints he had given. chopping off her hair, dressing like a boy, it might be enough to hide her... "Braxe? how serious is this? is it... is it bad? are... are they tring to kill me? it's just.. the way you've been acting, i... i feel as if my life is in danger..."