Fate - First Reply Just One More Drink

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Arisa Lovelace

Arisa Lovelace

Thief
Member
Messages
72
Character Biography
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Arisa sat at the bar, downing a glass of whiskey and mourning the loss of her husband. Or his disappearance, really. He wasn't coming back this time, and she knew it. Deep in her soul, she knew her love was gone, and she hated the feeling, hated being abandoned yet again. She turned to liquor to numb the pain of her fate. Was she a widow and not even old enough for that, really? The thoughts pestered her as she swirled the amber liquid in her glass.

"You guys got anything good to eat?" she asked, hoping that maybe they had something like a steak. She could certainly go for one right now. Not that she really needed it. The bartender shook his head.

"The restaurant is upstairs. You'd have to order there," he answered. Then he gestured toward her slowly draining glass, which was less than half full. "More?"

"Sure," she replied, then she griped: "What kind of place puts the restaurant above the bar?" It was said more quietly though, under her breath so that he couldn't hear it. "Can I get it to go?"

"You got a flask?" he asked, arching a brow slightly. "I can fill it for you, and you can pay for it still.

"That works," Arisa said.

As he did that, she drained the glass she was already drinking and then reached for the flask after it was filled. She then dropped several coins onto the counter as she rose from her seat. Wobbling, she dipped her head in farewell to the barkeep and stumbled her way out to the road. It was dark, and gods she hated darkness. A long sigh left her lips and she bit the inside of her cheek. She chewed it, a habit her husband used to figure out if she was lying or not. It was a nervous tick, she thought.

With a shrug of her shoulders, she began to walk down the road, looking for a good alley. Of course, no matter how much she hated night, it was always the best time for her profession. It was easier to slip by unseen in the dark.
 
The man that Arisa would see sprinting from the alley she searched so vigorously for would be bloodied. He'd look afraid and distraught, trying to find any sort of reprieve from whatever was behind him in the shadows of said alleyway. His eyes would be wild and marked with terror of death, as if the darkness itself was threatening the man's life.

The man would then grab Arisa by her shoulders. He looked in her eyes. His breath was frantic and hot against her in that close proximity. He would speak.

"Gods please! Help me! Do not let him take me!"

He would shake Arisa. Begging her with words and actions to free him from his fate.

And suneater would only grow more irritated with his mark. This elusive man proven to be tied into human trafficking. An opportunist who had taken advantage of the weak when Alliria fell from the attack. It was always strange what drove people to evil. Yet, the killer did not feel for men like this.

Often, he mourned the deaths of those he killed. There were just some things far to revolting to forgive.

So, he didn't. Instead, his whip made of nails and razors and thorns would shoot out from the blackness facing Arisa and wrap around the man's neck. There'd be a brief moment where Arisa could see tears enter the man's eyes before he was ripped into the darkness like it was a suffocating black wall.

Blood would splatter to the ground at Arisa's feet, and in seconds, the man's screaming would cease.
 
As Arisa stumbled around, clearly drunk, she saw someone ahead. Unsure whether he was actually there or a hallucination, she frowned. He called for help. Help she was sure she could do. The man appeared strange to her, and deciding that it didn't matter if she was intoxicated, she drew near. Just in time for the chain to wrap around the man's throat and tug him into what would have been a fine alley for her.

His blood sprayed her, painting her leather and face with crimson droplets. Bending down, she withdrew a knife from her boot and grasped it tightly in her hand. It wouldn't do much to protect her, but it was something. Without a second though, and no hesitation, she ran into the darkness in search of the injured man. The alley was darker than she expected, but she carried no form of light on her person.

"H-Hello?" she called, her voice wavering as she stuttered. "Mister? Miss?" Arisa wasn't sure of suneater's gender, but his voice sounded too deep to be a woman. The silence that followed his scream unnerved her almost as much as the darkness she now stood in. She reached forward with a hand, sticking to the left wall as she inched closer, trying to find something to keep her wobbly balance from knocking her over.

"Sir?" The tremble that took over her body as a cold chill ran through her was fierce, and she shook for a long moment before calling out again, repeating herself. She could smell his blood, and it sickened her. Djon the Vampire had ruined her tolerance for blood.

suneater
 
A slither of metal clanked together as the Flagellant's Muse was brought back around suneater's waist from the man's neck. The woman's voice that had broken through the wall of blackness they stood inside was unexpected. He'd thought she'd have run when he'd killed the man. Seems she was either very brave or very foolish. They were not dissimilar.

A soft, almost inaudible sigh left his lips. He wasn't in the business of slaughtering witnesses, but it was a stone fact that her finding him in this situation was a problem. Alliria didn't love it when people took to street justice, especially when they were trying to rebuild their kingdom from literal ashes.

This was going to be complicated.

"i did not mean to scare you if i did. i apologize for the egregious violence you just witnessed."
 
Arisa lifted her hand to wipe the blood from her face, trying not to look at it. She had a flashback to another instance in which she'd been covered in blood. Shaking her head, the inebriated woman frowned. Was she hallucinating? She looked down, where a few droplets of blood coated her fingers.

"It's okay..." she said after a moment. Her gaze swept into the alley then back to suneater. She didn't know what to think, and her fight or flight response didn't seem to work properly. Her brow furrowed as she frowned. "Wait, no it's not okay. Why did you kill him? Killing is..." she trailed off. Bad? Was that what she was about to say? It sounded so juvenile.

The woman shifted her weight from her right foot to her left, crossing her arms with the dagger still in her hand. Something told her that she'd need a better weapon if she was about to fight, which meant she should be taking flight. And yet, she was not.

suneater
 
No, it wasn't okay, was it? What he did wasn't acceptable. That was something he'd always known. He thought it foolish to become a part of a world such as this and not understand it. Even still, some people called him hero. People knew his name and reveled in his presence.

Arethil could hide it all it liked, but it loved its murderers.

suneater turned to face the woman. His entire being shook and rattled as he did so; the trinkets on his person jingling and clanging in a cacophony of horrid bell sounds.

"evil?" He finished for her. "some men do far more evil than cut throats, miss. he happened to be one of them. i do not kill without payment, either. my employer happens to agree with me."
 
That Arisa could understand. She loosened her grip on her daggers, but did not yet put them away. After all, she had her own employers, many of which were sketchy. They hired her to steal valuables, to kidnap children, and sometimes something worse than that; though, she was fortunate to not have to murder someone yet. She wasn't an assassin--she was a thief. And murdering had little to do with stealing. Or at least, her jobs didn't include that yet. She didn't want to be a mercenary either. Or a hunter. Just a thief, nothing more.

Dropping her daggers, she held both hands up at him, unsure of suneater's next move would be. Was he the sort that also dealt with witnesses of his action? Was evil even the right word? Considering Arisa had not shied away from trafficking humans if it meant coin in her pocket. After all, stealing people was still stealing, wasn't it?

"Well, then. I won't impede you on your duties," she said, her gaze narrowing slightly. Part of the woman was terrified, and perhaps he could smell it in the sweat that glistened her skin. She took a small step back, as if to ensure she wasn't a threat. All she could think of was the manner in which he'd just killed that man. "But tell me... what made him so bad?"

suneater
 
The terrible man of iron and memories could indeed smell the terror that she wore on her skin. His featureless mask peered at her deeply when she asked the question. People had varying definitions of vile and cruel. His definition was that of suffering, torture, prolonged imprisonment. Death was a mercy. A freedom.

He turned towards her slightly, his entire body rattling from the impossible number of trinkets and weapons he bore.

“peddling people. trafficking, if you will. for slavery is what i’ve been told. i mourn most that i kill. offer them some dignity in death. men like this? never. those who enrich themselves on the suffering of others deserve no grave. just a cold spot in the trash.”

When he said this, he began to kneel down and lift the still bleeding man from the ground. He threw up first over his shoulder, and then behind him into a cart of discarded and molding food. All to amplify his statement.

His strength would be apparent then. The horror of how easily he could toss a grown man even if he was exsanguinated.

“wouldn’t you agree?”

Arisa Lovelace
 
Arisa took a step back when he turned toward her, listening to the song of his apparel as he moved. What all was he wearing? And would it be easy to snatch some of it? She ultimately decided no, just as he threw the dying man on the cart. He did it with so much ease that she both envied him, and felt more scared of him. If he wanted to, he could easily toss her aside... or attack her. She had an odd, untrustworthy sense of safety, which left her nerves rattled.

"Yes, I agree," she answered, then she frowned. "You still haven't told me what he did, and I asked several times. Are you avoiding the question?"

Her words wavered, another sign of her fear. Another small step back followed her speech and she curled her arms around her torso, brown eyes falling to her abandoned daggers that were now out of reach. She ought to pick them up, but she was wary of getting too close to suneater.

suneater
 
He stopped in his tracks a moment. He hadn’t really expected to be confronted the way she was. He really hoped she wasn’t planning on seeking justice against him for his actions. She didn’t seem the type but others had considered themselves worthy of his arrest and it did not end well for anyone.

He turned around once more. His presence diminished slightly and the man’s aura dampened. suneater was actively trying to not only seem harmless, but truly let her know she wasn’t in any danger. He did not have any desire to conflict with her.

The killer looked in her eyes for something. Anything that betrayed her stance. She was afraid, yes, but fear made to kneel only cultivated strength. He took a couple steps forward and cocked his head.

“miss, do you drink?”

He was definitely dodging her question. For now. He would tell her in due time.

Arisa Lovelace
 
As he stepped forward, Arisa inched backwards. Her gaze diverted from him to the pair of daggers that were now at his feet. The corner of her mouth turned downward as she realized this. A moment later, her gaze rose to meet his again. She didn't see any malintent in his stare, which gave her some comfort, even if she didn't necessarily feel safe around him.

She didn't expect his question. What was next? Would he offer her a drink? And if he did, would it be just a drink? What if he drugged that drink and she was stupid enough to drink it? The truth was, she wanted a drink. She'd started to lean on alcohol again like it was a crutch in the wake of her husband's disappearance--not that it helped her feel any better.

There was also the fact that she'd just walked out of a tavern, and the faint smell of alcohol already tainted her breath. She ran her tongue against the back of her teeth as she considered his query. Finally, she answers with a jutting of her thumb to the building she'd left, which was still in sight fortunately.

"Nah, I go to taverns for water," she replied, her voice slightly soured. Yes, Arisa. Use that attitude. You just watched him kill someone--and he won't even tell you why. Do you want to be next? she thought. Arisa sighed audibly and sucked in a breath of air. "Yes, I drink."

suneater
 
suneater wanted to laugh. He thought it would be an inappropriate response to the situation they both found themselves in, but her statement had been rather humorous. Mostly because he was the kind of person who would order water at a tavern.

He pointed a finger outward and behind her. The direction of the tavern she'd likely just come from.

"i'd rather not share the tale here. and if i had to hazard a guess, it would be more comfortable a conversation if there were more than just i around."

Most of those who saw him more as a killer than a folk hero had conjured the idea that he was a cruel man. It was disheartening for him to hear that rumor grow into the thing it was now. He supposed he couldn't blame most people for seeing that in him, considering his methods. It was just never the intention. Death was one thing, torture another.

"this of course, is just an offer. i would not blame you for not accepting. but, i'd be willing to cover your expenses."

 
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