Private Tales Trusting Thieves

[Silver Romani]

"Don't fuck it up."

Eric was the strong, silent type. Never speaking unless he was uttering some brutish warning or slimy remark, and Silver's patience was wearing thin of this self proclaimed ring leader. He had grabbed hold of her chin and she was glaring at him defiantly. "Have I fucked up yet?" she growled at him and yanked her chin from his grip.

Eric, Marcus and Willem worked on the streets of Alliria, making their living by relieving the city folk of their valuables, and Silver had wandered onto their turf two days ago. Eric had been the one to catch her, he had an eye for such things, and he'd been rough with her about it. But he saw talent and opportunity and so had devised a way in which the three could use. Three days, it had been all she'd promised to Alliria, she'd been passing through to acquire new clothes and weapons, and perhaps enjoy a feather bed for a night or two. Now, she had one last job with this lot and she'd be on her way.

"Fuck sake Eric she's been true to her word so far." Marcus rolled his eyes and slapped Eric on the back. He grunted. "Made you more coin in two days than you made last month, give the lass a break."

Silver was in a dress that didn't suit her tastes at all, it was the sort of dress that might be classed as scandalously bold in the presence of nobility, but Eric had thought it entirely necessary in order for her to catch the wandering eyes of the good Allirian Merchants. Apparently the men's clothes she'd been wearing when she arrived were a turn off. Willem secured the gold locket that he'd acquired during yesterday's job around her neck, and she smiled at him. He was young and had kind eyes, and she could tell he just done as he was told. "You look real pretty miss Silver."

"Well thank you Willem." she smirked. Silver had to laugh at being called 'miss', but she stood and stared back at her image in the mirror, her hands smoothing down the black silken garment and pulling her thick red hair around her shoulders, making sure to keep her scars covered. Eric handed her a white fox fur, and she wrapped it around her shoulders with a short huff at him. She'd never been dressed in something so fine in her life and she didn't feel like herself at all, but she wasn't supposed to.

Silver was to attend an evening tea amongst some of the richest citizens in the city. It meant wearing shoes and she squirmed uncomfortably in them as she made her way up the steps and into the lobby of a grand ballroom, taking the doorman's hand as he offered it to her with a polite 'mistress'.. She had to bite the inside of her lip at the amusement of it all. Once inside she dipped her chin and curtsied as she'd practised, though she was admittedly a little clumsy in the shoes. The women looked her up and down with looks of horror and she looked down at her cleavage before offering them sneering smiles in return. The men however, had no such looks upon their faces. Shock, yes, but not horror. Looks that made her skin crawl.

She'd caught the eye of the Mario Forelle whom the boys had told her to look out for. He was a merchant of fine jewellery and silks and had a ridiculously expensive stone in his possession, and it was her job to get him on his own for long enough for them to acquire it. They hadn't trusted her to get it for herself, and they were right not to. They'd made the mistake of telling her how much it was worth, and Silver had not intended on sharing.. She approached the man as Mistress Leona Damir, curtsying shyly and paying him compliment in response to those he paid her. She laughed softly at his quips and met his gaze with feigned deep intrigue, and she agreed to allow him to accompany her on a walk through the gardens, hooking her arm around the crook of his elbow.

She couldn't help but roll her eyes as he lead her to a secluded area, a romantically floral gazebo made for lovers to dance and kiss and share their hearts deepest desires. What fucking nonsense. Still she obliged as he requested her permission to kiss her, but he got handsy real fast and she pushed him back a step. "I really should be going.. Thank you for a wonderful evening." she'd told him and made to leave, however there was a grip at her arm and as he swung her back into his grip he found her knee in his crotch and he buckled.

She rushed back through the ballroom, careful not to look too flustered, smile, smile, dip the chin , 'good evening', smile.. She curtsied to the doorman who allowed her to exit through the side entrance, knowing the men would be waiting out front, and she'd stationed her mare in the alleyway this morning. She could hear the raving about some 'fiery haired witch' as she took hold of Raksha's reins, but she wasn't as alone in the alley as she'd have liked to have been. They'd known, or at least Eric had, and her pulse quickened as he stood, knife in hand and pointed at her.

"Hand it over, and I'll kill you quickly." he demanded. His rage held all the power of a wildfire, she could practically see the flames roaring in his eyes, ready to ignite anything that she came in contact with.

"I didn't get it." she told him "He didn't have it." she lied again, quickly tearing a split in her dress to give her legs more freedom before pulling herself up into Raksha's saddle.

"Lying bitch!" he approached with purpose, and she kicked at Raksha's sides and took her out onto the Main Street in retreat. The street was blocked at either side. Willem looked the most hurt by her betrayal, but he solemnly drew his blade as she looked at him, and she pulled at Raksha's reins to turn her to face Marcus' loaded crossbow. Raksha's hooves beat at the ground as she turned without a way out, and she could guards in the alleyway.

"Hand it over, or we hand you over." Eric changed his offer, but the first offer was a better one, she wasn't going to prison.

"Fuck." she sighed, and plunged her hand into her cleavage to pull out her newly acquired sapphire.

 

[Acteon Cass]

Another ball set up in a foreign style to impress the nobles and prominent families from the Reach. This one seemed to be Anirian but it also could have been mixed up with who knew what other ones. The merchants of Alliria were more concerned with the ability to mingle rather than the accuracy of decoration and theme when it came to their "local" lords and ladies.

How Hector Cass had managed to snatch up an invite to the ball was a mystery to Acteon. His father might have had everything their family owned stripped from them while his son was off making his personal fortune but the old man still had connections. Things were not so bad off for them now though. Some lucrative jobs and events had led to Acteon acquiring enough coin to fit in with this crowd once again. They might still lack their company but their ancient family name and his coffers were still enough to impress currently. Soon he would have that missing piece once again....

Just mingling with some of the merchants, Acteon stood back and kept up a mask of the obedient son while his father did most of the talking. It was the older of the Cass who's face and name was known after all. Better to let his old man get the set up for when they came back onto the merchant scene to be as good as it possibly could be. The whole thing was exhausting but he had put up with worse crowds than these people pretending they were more important to the grand scheme of world politics than they truly were.

But the boredom went away immediately when the Allirian caught an all too familiar scent. His eyes immediately moved to where it originated from. A pretty young woman with red hair and in a black dress with a white fox around her shoulders was being undressed by every married man around. Even Mario Forelle, the man she ended up walking away with, was married. His wife was sadly sick at home from a rough pregnancy it seemed, or so the gossip went. Then the woman came back without him in a hurry. Panic was about her even if she kept up a mostly calm face.

Acteon smiled to himself. Something interesting was going on and he needed to keep tabs on this woman. She could be a threat if she truly was what he suspected her of being. A quick excuse and then the man slipped away. He followed her to the side entrance and easily pushed past the doorman. From the crowded room he could hear the poor married man screaming about the red haired thieving whore. He could believe all of those words expect the last. Either the man was the fastest lover in existence, his poor poor wife, or she declined his advances to find out.

In the alleyway the man just hung back and watched the scene play out. Seemed she was a thief after all and was attempting to take off without them. They had caught wind of her plan and so now look where she was. How unfortunate for her yet so fortunate for him.

With the thieves focused on the woman, Acteon quietly sneaked up on the one with the crossbow. The man's wrist was broken with inhuman strength, although not overly so, to force him to drop the crossbow. A hand was placed over his mouth to prevent yelling and Acteon positioned the man's body between him and the other two thieves.

A friendly smile on his face Acteon said in a cheerful tone, "Sorry to interrupt, but I would like to speak with the attractive woman for a bit. Guards are coming so you might want to let me soon or I will turn your friend here over to them. Take your trinket if you wish, but you will not hold onto it for long if you hesitate."

Silver Romani

 

[Silver Romani]

"Attractive woman?! She's a treacherous little whore, lad, don't get yourself involved." Eric grunted at the man, his blade now pointed at him in warning. "You let him go now." he demanded without a word of compromise. "And we'll be taking her and the trinket, and you'll be fucking off." he added, jerking his chin impatiently.

Silver's brow was knit with confusion as she looked down at the stranger, her attention divided between them and the fast approaching guards. She didn't know anyone in Alliria, nor did she recognise him or have any idea what he might need to speak with her about, she could only assume she'd stolen something from him and he'd been chasing her down too. She tucked the blue stone back into her cleavage with a small grin at Eric, oh they could have the trinket could they? Raksha was backing up, and Silver took off the fox fur and threw it onto the ground, letting the horse trample it as she turned her reins. She didn't have time to wait around, she could hear the sounds of chaos rumble from the courts and spill out into the street. She had to go.

She clicked at the horse and urged her forward, glancing back to the man now holding off her assailants and calling back to him with a "Thank you!" as she turned off of the Main Street toward the city walls. Silver pulled back on Raksha's reins and slowed her to a stop at the archway, and she patted the huffing mare's neck gratefully for once again rushing her away from trouble. She was making a habit of it. Sure she hadn't been followed she turned through the arch and led the horse down the countless steps toward the beach and into the sea caves where she'd spent her first night in Alliria. It was tucked away enough that it was out of sight in the darkness, and she'd been safe enough here already.

She slid down from the mare's back and kissed her muzzle, the horse rumbled back at her and she threw herself down in the sand next to the ashen fire pit to study her new jewel with a smug sense of pride.. Raksha was looking at her and she shrugged "Good thieves don't trust good thieves." she grinned.

 

[Acteon Cass]

Too bad for these thieves the woman had decided to take off. What was it with over confident men and calling women who got the best of them whores? Acteon never understood that. It was best to save such insults for women who were whores and those of higher positions that needed to be taken down a peg with a slight or two. Letting that thought slip away, he focused on the situation at hand.

The woman ran off, which was not an issue. Acteon had her scent and could easily track her down. For now he needed to focus on these petty thugs. The one he was holding was struggling and in pain. The mouthy one was pointing his blade at Acteon and not understanding numbers did not always give you the advantage. Then there was the big one who seemed like they wished none of this was taking place.

With that friendly smile still on his face, Acteon just directed his words at the mouthy one, "Seems you lost her and your trinket. I suggest you put your toy away and leave while you can. I would rather not kill anyone tonight. The blood would ruin my clothes."

Silver Romani

 

[Silver Romani]

Eric was ablaze as he watched Silver ride off and his dark eyes settled on the man to blame. “Oh we’ll find her lad. You can be sure of that. And when we do..” he cut off. His face said enough.

“Let’s go Eric...” Willem prompted nervously, moving back from the man. “He ent worth goin teh the clink fir. Miss Silver will be long gone. It ent worth it.” He repeated, and turned to run off before any more trouble ensued.

Marcus continued to struggle against the man’s grip, his broken wrist aflame with throbbing agony, “Let me be an’ we won’t cause you no trouble.” his voice shuddered, he didn’t like the prospect of jail very much either, and he wouldn’t be much use in a fight if it came to it.

Eric however, was ready for a fight, he was fast on his feet, a man of strength but he had next to no control over that temper of his. He’d left a shiny bruise on Silver’s cheek of evidence of just that. He drew a second, smaller blade and moved forward on the man, causing Marcus’ eyes to widen. He’d aim first to slam the handle of his short sword into Acteon’s temple and second to slam his knife into his ribs, avoiding the barrier that was Marcus..

~~~​

Silver changed back into the ‘turn off’ that was a man’s white shirt at least three times too big for her, and a pair of fitted leggings. She still hadn’t been afforded the opportunity to purchase herself new clothes and had to make do with what she’d stolen from the hanging lines between the alleyways of the last town she’d passed through. Still, they were much more comfortable than the silk dress, and she tossed the shoes onto the fire she’d got going.

She had packed her horse ready for travel, of course she hadn’t planned on spending another night in Alliria. She unsaddled Raksha and took some wrapped bread, cheese and a sack of wine from her travel bag. “Well. We won’t be allowed back into Alliria for quite some time. But I’d call it a success, what d’you think?” she asked the mare, who’d sprawled herself out in the sand and was staring hard at Silver’s bread. She rolled her eyes and ripped off a piece to share with her, settling back comfortably against the horse’s side to drink her wine, sparing a thought for the trouble she’d caused, and the man who’d decided to take said trouble into his own hands.

 

[Acteon Cass]

The bigger man was the smart one it seemed. He took off as Acteon had suggested and left the impression he did not want any further dealings. Excellent. Even the one who he had a grip on was backing down and willing to let this all go peacefully. Excellent once more. But then the hot head had to make it only two out of the three that saw what was best for them. Like the fool he was the man charged him and even drew a second weapon as if it would make him stronger or more lethal.

With a sigh Acteon flung the injured man out of his way then stepped forward with inhuman speed. He caught the man's shortsword wrist with one hand while he used the other to push the man's dagger right back into his own chest. A cry of pain followed, but Acteon was not done. The man was a threat now and would continue to be if he lived. So Acteon was not going to let him live.

The Allirian pulled the dagger out of him as he tried to escape his grip on his other arm. A bit of blood was flung out by the action then he shoved the man's own dagger straight into his eye socket clean through into his brain. With this the man's grip on his sword was lost and it clattered to the pavement. Acteon stepped back while letting go of him and the man did much the same.

While the man twitched the last few moments of his life away, Acteon smiled the one he had injured earlier. "I let you live so now we have a deal. Not a word of any of this to anyone and do not come looking for revenge on me and it will be as if none of this ever happened. Understood? Good. Now let your other friend know this applies to him as well. Either one of you comes for me and I will see you both die a much slower and more painful death than your hotheaded fool of a friend over there."

The man just bolted. No words of confirmation just gone. That worked for Acteon. A man fearing death was more likely to take the best option for their survival. In this case it meant keeping to their deal. The guards had yet to arrive, sloppy slouches, so he wandered over and picked up the crossbow from the ground. It still was loaded. He then got the shortsword and slide it into his belt. It was only after this that the merchant's guards arrived.

"Clean up that trash will you. Man tried to mug and murder me." Acteon told them as they were shocked by the scene. He just walked by them while they were still confused. Getting to his own horse, he immediately got onto the girl's trail.

=======

It took Acteon a bit to weave through the crowded streets of Alliria but soon enough he found himself at a cave near the coast. His steed was a war horse so it was easy to get them moving into it while he got his crossbow aimed.

A fire gave away the girl's position right away and it was clear she was getting ready to move on. Acteon called out in a friendly yet firm tone, "So it is time for that talk Mistress. Please do stay for it. I would rather not kill you or your horse like I had to kill the mouthy one earlier. I much prefer words to violence after all."

Silver Romani

 

[Silver Romani]

Silver had quickly drained almost the entire skin of wine and her mind had unwound as she let the sounds of the softly tumbling waves and crackling fire fill her ears and drew in deep breaths of sea salt and smoke. She reclined against Raksha as the mare settled down to sleep, and Silver's own eyes had become heavier too. The voice however woke them both, and Silver's hand quickly shot out to ease the mare and hush her nickering.

His words had her mind racing once more, and her brow rose as he claimed to have put Eric to death. Not that she had a care for the man, he was abhorrent, but he wasn't feared amongst his little circle for no reason. Since he hadn't mentioned the other two, Silver could assume they were safe. They'd been nice enough, for thieves.

She leaned to slide a hunting knife out of her saddle bag and got to her feet. There were two ways out of the cave, but Raksha couldn't fit through the second escape and Silver wasn't leaving without her. So the man wanted to talk , not that she believed him, he was clearly capable of violence and the only reason she could assume he'd taken interest was because she'd wronged him or he was some do-gooder. Then again, his handling of the three men was cause for curiosity. The last and more concerning possibility was that he was one of the hunters who'd tracking her.

She stood as he came to view at the mouth of the cave, certainly not as elegant in appearance as she had been during their last encounter. She held her blade in her hand, though it hung more casually by her side, it wasn't much use against a mounted crossbow, but she didn't want to let go of it just yet. "My horse is guilty of nothing but loyalty, you can keep your threats for me." she frowned gently, that point obviously being the one that had most offended her.

"What is it that you want?" she asked firmly, and her amber eyes studied him cautiously. She was sure she hadn't met the man before, but there was a familiarity that gnawed at the very pit of her stomach. How had he found her? There was no doubt he'd tracked her here, she had been certain that nobody had followed behind her. The cave was a mingle of scents already, Eric's blood included, but his, something about his scent caused the muscles on her back to tense and shudder and her pulse to quicken a beat or two.

 

[Acteon Cass]

The woman might have changed her clothing but it only made her scent stronger. Before the fancy dress had some kind of perfume mixed into it to help entice the nobles and wealthy merchants at the party. Now she was wearing some kind of oversized shirt and leggings that had completely taken on her smell. It gave him a far better idea of who she was than he had before.

Acteon also noticed the amber color of her eyes, which he himself shared. It combined with her scent told him the answer to the question he had been asking himself since he first caught wind of her scent. This young woman was a werewolf. He was not sure if he should end her life now or give her a chance. It came down to her strain of the curse. If she was like him and had control over her wolf side she needed to die. The pack that came for him and his patrol that fateful night was mixed. The one who turned him, their leader, was in control. It knew what it was doing and could plan on a level that the more lust driven beasts could not. It used that to direct the others who lacked the rare control. He did not want to see the same kind of pack form again. No other tactical beast should ever be allowed to roam free again....

But if this young woman was unfortunate enough to be on the more common strain that lacked control she had his pity. Acteon could not fully relate to how their transformation went for them but the thought of everything going dark disturbed him. It would be even more so if she was aware but could do nothing to stop the wolf and was forced to just watch what it did with her twisted body.

Keeping the crossbow aimed at her Acteon knew he needed to sort this out.

"What do I want? Well I want many things. I want what is mine. My land. My property. My home. I want to bring about some change to Alliria and the Reach for the better so that coins can flow even more freely. I want a proper brandy rather than this cheap stuff that is closer to vinegar people keep importing from the Cortosi Coast lately." Acteon responded to her in a casual tone of voice.

"But that is not what I want from you Mistress. No what I want from you is to know what a werewolf was doing in such a nice dress just to rob a fool of a man." Acteon said this part with a firm seriousness his voice had lacked before. His eyes grew predatory and it was clear no little movement she made was going to go unnoticed. "If I like your answer then we can, well, you will find out."

Silver Romani

 

[Silver Romani]

Silver's brow furrowed defiantly as she stared at the crossbow still aimed at her, her jaw clenching with obvious irritability and she dropped her weapon to the sand - if he wanted to talk, she would talk, but she didn't appreciate the threat. Her lips pressed into a thin line as he rambled about things he wanted and her eyes rolled at his sarcasm. She'd been about to retort some witty remark when his words froze them in her throat..

He knew... She stared at him, tension growing in her face and limbs as she fought off the primal urge to flee. If he was a hunter, he'd kill her anyway. There weren't many who wouldn't put down a werewolf upon that realisation.. Those eyes.. She was in a mental free-fall, considering what possible ways she could get herself out of this situation. She needed him to put the weapon down if she were to have any chance of that..and even then.

Raksha was on her feet now, nudging at Silver's arm with a rumble and she lifted a hand to the mare's face. "I'm human.. And what business is it of yours? You prefer words to violence and yet the threat of a bolt remains should I happen to answer you wrongly?" she frowned at him, fingers pressing against her clammy palms. "It doesn't make for very calm conversation. So if you're going to shoot then shoot, if not then get down and lower the weapon." she folded her arms, anxiously shifting her weight slowly from one foot to the other. Of course the prospect of being shot was quite real, and her heart pounded in her chest, pumping fear through her veins.

She realised that she knew too. She had never met another but somehow something in her knew what he was, the scent seemed to cause some deeply buried instinct to rear it's head and her jaw ached as it did before a hunt and her pupils dilated. Her muscles seemed to ripple painfully under her skin and she gasped and turned away from him. It was still five nights until the next moon, something wasn't right.

The wolf knew too.

 

[Acteon Cass]

"Speaking with a werewolf never makes a conversation calm. The crossbow is here as a precaution and will stay. You want me on the ground and to lower my weapon so you can get a chance to run away. I am not foolish you know. Part of my current profession is to track people down and either kill them or bring them in alive you know. I have been in this situation before. Just not with a werewolf." Acteon responded in a casual and relaxed way. He grinned as he added, "And before your mind wanders to it, no I am not after you for a bounty or anyone else. I am purely here for my own personal reasons."

Acteon began to study the woman over. It was clear her body was reacting right now. Was it to him or just the threat he could pose? Hard to say. The girl was scared though and seemed like the type who would rather run and hide rather than try to fight and kill. If she was like him and in control of her wolf form he doubted she would be staying away from others like this. That meant she was likely the more common type of werewolf heard about in myth. Her curse forced her to do things outside of her control.

The Allirian made up his mind on what to do with the young woman with this knowledge in mind. He said as he dismounted his horse, "I have made up my mind. No weapons and no running. We talk. Keep to this and you have nothing to fear from me. Try to escape or attack me and I will hunt you down no matter where you run off to. Deal?"

Acteon already had gotten his crossbow and sword placed on his horse's saddle. The warhorse just stood there wanting to go sleep but was fulfilling his duty. Acteon stepped forward with his hand in front of him for a handshake. His amber eyes and sharp teeth as he smiled were visible in the light of her fire. His scent was also closer to her by this point and so stronger than before.

Silver Romani

 

[Silver Romani]

Silver had been posed with many threats in her life, even over the past few months since she’d been mauled, but she’d never reacted like this. It was as though whatever lay dormant under her skin had sensed another of its kind in its presence and was trying to free itself. It stirred and she had to take a few painful breaths to ease it.

She listened to him speak without really taking in In what he was saying, her ears rung and his voice was no more than a muffle for a long moment and she squeezed her eyes tightly closed and took in a few painful breaths before turning to him again, attempting to mask her troubles with a look of irritation.

Silver stepped back as he dismounted, staring down at his hand as he offered a friendlier greeting, but she didn’t trust it, and the scent of wolf was overpowering. Her gaze met with his for a long moment and instilled another wave of panic. She ignored the hand and took herself to the other side of the small fire to pick up what was left of her wine and she drank until it was empty and tossed the skin aside, wiping at her lips with the back of her wrist as she turned to look back at him. She nodded in agreement of his deal and rolled her muscles in her neck to try and rid her of the tension.

"It wasn't my plan, it was theirs.. His." she answered his earlier question, assuming this was the personal business that he had been talking about. The bruise on her cheek was faint now, as were those under her clothing, but there was little question of who had been in charge of that particular situation. "So if it's not for bounty what is it that you want.... from me." she added firmly, having no desire to hear more of his life ambitions. "I'm passing through, I plan to leave at first light." she told him, in case she'd wandered onto his territory the way she'd wandered onto the territory of the thieves two days past.

 

[Acteon Cass]

This woman was having a very rough time of life it seemed. Acteon had been there himself before and seen it often enough as a guard. She was a drifter and a werewolf. It might sound like a good combination but it was not. It gave her no time to process things or find a sense of control. She needed to find a spot and hunker down there for a time until she got a grip on her own new state of being. From what he could tell she had not.

Acteon sat across from her and studied her over. The view of her he had gotten back at the party and in the alleyway was not the most detailed. Too many other things were getting in the way those time to make a proper note of the little details that made up this woman. Fiery red hair, olive skin, and it seemed some scars. She also did not seem as if she was from around here. Interesting. He just smiled as he more or less blatantly took her in.

"I do not care about that business at the party. A fool loses a trinket. Not a big deal. He can afford it and should learn not to so blatantly cheat on his wife. Clearly he did not think any of it through and just focused on your feminine charms." Acteon said in a friendly, casual tone. "What I want is to know how long you have been a werewolf for. The way you are behaving I imagine it can not have been for long. You seem to lack control and acceptance of just how things are for you now. I mean you have yet to even notice the obvious. Perhaps if you stopped struggling with yourself and listened you might learn something interesting."

The Allirian just sat there and waited. This woman was unlikely to do what he said. She was very defensive and in a panic. Not that he did not understand just it meant she was going to have some difficulties getting to a place were they could actually talk. Until she realized what he was she would not know what it was he wanted nor why he was so keen on keeping a bolt aimed at her before.

Silver Romani

 

[Silver Romani]

Silver's cheeks reddened a little as he spoke of Mario Forelle and she cut in "I didn't.. I'm not a whore." she frowned, being a woman it was a common insult but one she wanted cleared up. Fear shackled her at his question and she sat down in the sand and looked down into her hands, wordless for a long moment.

"You are one of them aren't you?" she asked with dread in her tone. Her family had feared them, amongst other monsters. She herself had been mauled and left to die after watching her friend's throat torn from his body. She knew what she was, but her fear of the creatures was still very real, now perhaps more so.

She locked her teeth together and lifted her amber gaze to study him now. He wasn't at all what she'd expect, but then she'd only ever seen wolves in their more monstrous forms and it was easier to be afraid of them when they were trying to kill you. This one was.. handsome, he had a charm about him that Silver thought made him far more dangerous in this form. Still he seemed well spoken, educated and wealthy, and she supposed werewolves didn't discriminate when they attacked and he'd been as unlucky as she had been and in the wrong place at the wrong time.

She rubbed at her face and growled before looking back at him.. "Five moons." she answered "Of course I lack control, how would you expect me to control it?" she snapped angrily. "I'm still unsure why you thought it was your right to chase me down here and interrogate me. I've been of no trouble to you."

 

[Acteon Cass]

A chuckle escaped Acteon when the woman's face reddened. Seems she mistook what he said for calling her a whore. Best he clear that up. Which is what he did. "I know you are not. Forelle is the whore. Man should learn to think with his head rather than his manhood. He might get to keep it that way when his wife hears of what he tried to do at the party and what it cost him. His dignity and his trinket."

Next Silver asked the question Acteon was waiting for her to ask. The man nodded to her to say yes and let her go on. The woman needed a bit of time to think. A lot had happened and she had much to fear, especially in an unfamiliar city where she had robbed a wealthy individual with connections. But he could handle clearing that mess up for her later. It would help them both out and give him some leverage for later. On which one was yet to be clear.

"Only five moons? Not that long. The lack of control makes sense, although you are not helping yourself in this matter either." Acteon said in a casual tone of voice. It was more like he was having some small talk with a new associate over a campfire than this serious discussion in a hidden cave that it was. "As for my right to chase you down, this is my home and I would rather you not accidentally stir up fear of werewolves in the city. It would make things difficult for me and might get me caught as well. You seem like someone I can work with however so instead of removing the threat to my life and livelihood I am here speaking with you and perhaps can offer some help in dealing with this curse."

Silver Romani

 

[Silver Romani]

Silver lifted her eyes to him as he spoke of Forelle and laughed quietly under her breath, slipping the sapphire from under her shirt and lifting it to study it closely.. "They'd been trying to get it for ages, he was paranoid about having it stolen and even slept with the thing under his pillow. They needed me to get him alone, which he rarely was." she shrugged. "Eric would have killed me rather than give me my cut, had it in his head I owed him something." .. She was speaking quietly, trying to stay her mind from the much more prominent issue she currently faced, anything other than talk about what she was.

Her jaw clenched at his words and her attention returned to him "I am no danger to Alliria. There are still days until the moon." she cut off and ran her fingers into her hair irritably. "Don't you think I've tried to control this? What makes you think you can help me. Why do you want to? And how do I know it wasn't you that mauled me and left me like this in the first place?" she stood and pointed to the mouth of the cave, clearly flustered. She didn't talk about these things, she didn't want to, and she couldn't look at him without fear churning in her gut.

 

[Acteon Cass]

The Allirian just shook his head when he heard her speak of the one who he had killed. The man was clearly not from Alliria or the Reach. They might be criminals, merchants, and crafters here but they believed in upholding deals. If they did not then everything would crumble. Best this Eric was dead and his two companions had a chance of actually surviving for awhile.

The topic of werewolves, turning, and finding a sense of control had gotten to her. She became upset and even pointed to the mouth of the cave. Acteon just sat there quietly letting her rant as he smiled on relaxed as could be. Internally he was getting annoyed with her behavior. It was foolish to pretend like she had any kind of footing here. Of the two he was the most experienced. She was a criminal and he could easily take her in. They were also in a cave on Allirian soil which meant as a citizen of the city this belonged to him not her. But all those things did not matter. As petty and frustrating as they might be, he needed to be focused on the task at hand.

"I do not let people live when I am a wolf. Also as a wolf do you behave in a way that is more or less in line with how you do as a human just less controlled?" Acteon asked her as he kept his eyes locked onto her own. "Before you answer that question let me answer your questions. No, I do not think you have tried to control it as you clearly have not accepted what you are now. There is no control without acceptance with this kind of thing. I can help you because I have been what I am for years without discovery. I want to help you because I will not have uncontrolled werewolves running around my city and the lands that support her. It will impact me directly and indirectly if that happens. I will not claim to be some kind hearted soul in my desire to help you, but that does not mean I will not do my upmost to help you."

Acteon shifted his weight a bit in the sand as he paused. This woman was going to be difficult and a pain to work with if she kept on acting like this was not her problem or fault. Certainly it was not her fault as what sane person would allow themselves to be attacked by a werewolf? But if she did not come to some kind of acceptance then there would be no helping her here.

"Now do you really think I am the one who turned you? Are you ready to be helped?"

Silver Romani

 

[Silver Romani]

Silver didn't quite understand what was happening to her. A torrent of her own fear mingled with the wolf's rage made her emotions extremely difficult to control and it was exhausting. She pulled in a breath and closed her eyes, trying to self regulate as he spoke. There was something about his scent that seemed to be ripping her from logic and sanity and she fought to control it.

Her brow furrowed as he spoke of not letting people live, and the memory of her last full moon gripped at her throat and caused a pain that she had to swallow before she could speak again. She couldn't disagree with him about her lack of acceptance, and though her lips remained tight shut rather than argue and embroil the situation with more misplaced anger. "There is not a single part of it's actions that are human. It's mindless." she scowled and sat back down. Clearly he wasn't going to leave so easily, and she wasn't about to take her chances with trying to make him.

Was she ready to be helped?.. It was a loaded question. She wanted to be rid of the affliction entirely but there had no so far seemed to be a way of doing this. She wanted to be as far away from anyone as she possibly could. But she also couldn't bear another night like last full moon, and she had options to weigh up.. "How could you help me?.." she asked, her amber gaze now glassy with tears that she refused to let fall. "Can you control it?"

 

[Acteon Cass]

The woman before Acteon was struggling with herself. Emotions and instinct most likely. It was the parts that always seemed to be the most heightened for him when the wolf was trying to get out. But as she had said the moon was still a few days away. Was she already beginning to feel the effect of the moon's approach or was the difference in their strains showing? He could not say. This was his first time to meet another of his kind as well after all.

With a smile though Acteon gave the woman the answer she wanted. "Yes I can control it, always have. Not all werewolves are the same it seems. The one who bite me was different than the one who bite you. Granted I killed the one who turned me, but that is not important. For me the wolf is not a separate being. It is just a new form that shares my goals, my ideals, my desires. We are nearly one, although as far as I am aware I am dreaming. It is more as if I am in a drunken state. My inhibitions are gone and I do not control my desires. While as a human I might desire to kill someone but stop because of the law or I need something out of them the wolf me would just kill them. If I do not wish someone dead I am as much a threat to them as a wolf as I am as a human. The things I had to learn to control was myself and the conditions around me when the full moon was arriving."

It was odd to be explaining all of this to someone else. This was the kind of thing that Acteon normally kept to himself and only thought about when he was alone. But things were different here. She also was a werewolf and hearing this could help her in her own problem.

Breaking his pause Acteon went on. "Now your strain is different. You lose control. The wolf and yourself are not the same beings. Or at least not so obviously the same. That is a topic for another time. You need to still keep control of yourself and your circumstances however. I can help you with those aspects. As far as dealing with your actions as a wolf, you just need to make sure where you turn is isolated and limits the likelihood of running into others. Not too difficult to do, although this drifting you are doing now is not going to help with that. If you do not know the area and so have familiarity with who traffics it and how often you can not minimize casualties. You might accidentally turn someone else as well. I refuse to turn another and so when I attack I kill."

"Is this making sense so far? You appear to be struggling on your end. Emotions and instinct getting to you?" Acteon asked as he continued to watch her carefully.

Silver Romani

 

[Silver Romani]

She stared at him for a moment as he spoke of his control over the beast, she didn't believe it to have been possible but, there he was. Perhaps he could help her, or at least he'd be strong enough to restrain her and stop her from hurting anyone. She knelt forward and edged a little closer to him.. "I.. I remain fully aware. I can see, and feel everything. I just can't make it stop." she frowned, listening to him. "I managed to isolate myself enough for four moons but, the last didn't go so well." her gaze fell again as guilt had clearly cut her deeply, pestering and eating away at her, and the remorse hit her with the weight of an anvil. She found it difficult enough to live with herself as it was, but another incident like that simply wasn't an option.

Her brows furrowed as he spoke of her drifting and her head tilted "I'm a gypsy.. I've never stayed in the same place for longer than a fortnight my entire life..." that and her criminal activity usually called for her to move on, as it had when she and her family visited towns and cities on their travels. It was how Silver continued to make her living, and settling down somewhere didn't suit that profession well.

"It makes some sense...It seems everything is getting to me." she rubbed at her face. Her muscles were aching and although she had grown used to running such a high temperature over the past few months, her blood had grown even hotter than usual, just as it did before a shift. She didn't understand why, but perhaps 'instinct' had something to do with it.. "My scent... that was how you knew?" she asked, it was a bit of an odd question and one she'd never thought she'd be having, but she'd never been so close to another wolf before and he smelled...good. It had every nerve in her skin tingling and her mind stirred.

 

[Acteon Cass]

Listening to her story, Acteon got the feeling he was dealing with a person who lived the stories. It was different than his own experiences yet also similar. He saw imagines and memories of when he was a wolf. They all found their way back to him eventually, but it was always in disjointed pieces and usually required some kind of trigger to show up quickly. For her it was a living hell of seeing but being unable to stop what was going on. She pushed the blame onto herself and it showed how much that got to her.

Acteon stood up and moved over to be sitting next to her, if a foot or two away. He looked at her and said, "Yes I tracked you and knew you by your scent. I have come to rely on my heightened senses while a human. Makes things easier for me when dealing with others."

A hand was placed on her shoulder gently. Hopefully the contact would calm her down a bit and make him feel like less of a threat to her. Acteon smiled and went on, "You do not have to settle completely down, just get to know about what is around you. Easiest way to do that is to start off small and expand your range as you become more and more familiar. You also need to stop blaming yourself for what the wolf does. If you do everything you can do then you have done enough. You can not control everything so control what you can. For me it is the wolf as well as myself but for you it is just yourself. So only blame yourself for what you do wrong and not what this other being controlling and twisting your body does."

Silver Romani

 

[Silver Romani]

She too had the benefit of heightened senses, then again it could be a curse at times too, she had sadly come to realise how bad people could smell. She visibly tensed as his hand touched her shoulder and she glanced down at it, hearing the blood pulsing in his veins with his wrist so close to her ear. She took in another breath, but regretted pulling so hard as the smell gripped her senses and her muscles seized painfully as though they might burst from her skin at any moment. She closed her eyes for a short moment and tried to settle her turmoiled mind.

You're safe, she told herself, calm down'..

"Can you stay with me.. when I shift? Keep me in one place?" she asked. Blame wasn't something she'd easily be able to let go of, but those were her issues to deal with and her burden to bear. She had never been a murderer, not until recently, but one of the ten people she'd killed had been when she'd had complete control, and she couldn't take it back or divert the blame onto someone else.

 

[Acteon Cass]

The woman was distracted. Acteon could tell that much but not exactly why. Her reaction to him was certainly not the one he was having with her. For him she was just another being. Certainly her scent got his attention faster than others, but it just told him she was like him. His emotions were not heightened and his body physically reacting to it all. He was mostly as relaxed as the act he was giving her suggested.

Then came her question. It was something Acteon already had planned to do. He was not exactly the kind of person who had to keep his eyes and hands on everything he was involved with but this was a matter that did. So he gave her a smile and a gentle squeeze of her shoulder, "Of course. I can not say exactly what my wolf side will do but it will keep your wolf under control. We may fight. We may hunt together. We may do other things. The details are unknown but you will not be alone or allowed to kill if it might lead to regret."

The Allirian just kept up the smile and general feeling of calm and friendliness. He was already thinking through good locations for the upcoming moon. They would need more of a forest than the grassy meadows that was most of the Reach. Perhaps moving towards Falwood in the west? There was plenty of forests and woods there to take advantage of. Yes heading west the next few days would be for the best. It would give them time to travel and speak before they transformed together.

Silver Romani

 

[Silver Romani]

Silver seemed to visibly ease at his assurances and she looked at him with a seriousness in her eyes “I don’t care what happens, I can deal with it. Just don’t let me near anyone..”.. If he had to kill her she'd rather that, but she doubted he'd need to be told that, he knew better than anyone what he'd be dealing with if she turned on him. She held Forelle's sapphire out to him and gestured for him to take it. She was a gypsy, and knew nothing came without a price, yes she was a thief but there was always risk involved, and he was taking a risk for her, she couldn't see it go unpaid.

She was calming, slowly, but it was a start. She was rarely calm these days, and she had not predicted that her next meeting with a werewolf would be as such, but he seemed friendly enough despite her initial reaction..then again, he had been aiming a crossbow at her. Now her mind was running a little clearer, and she realised she'd been a little tense.

"My name is Silver... And, yes, I realise how ridiculous that name is now but I've had it much longer than I've been..." she cleared her throat and sighed, a small smirk on her lips. "Thank you.. for earlier too." she dropped her gaze sheepishly, realising the mess she'd been in and how very differently things might have gone if he hadn't shown up. She leaned over to lift her last skin of wine and offered it to him in truce.

"I'll stop shouting at you now.".. she added quietly.

 

[Acteon Cass]

The Allirian squeezed the woman's shoulder softly when she mentioned not letting her near anyone. He said with a smile, "Do not worry. You have my promise it will be just the two of us as wolves alone in nature."

Acteon had figured out roughly a good place they could go to when the woman began to relax and finally started to open up a bit. Her name was given and she even thanked him for the matter involving those other thieves. Then she said she would stop shouting. Finally they were beginning to get somewhere. She was finally working with him.

The man smiled and said in a cheerful tone, "I guess this means I can touch silver again now does it not?" It was a very corny line that a common street performer might use but it fit the mood well enough. Hopefully how terrible it was would help her relax and let her guard down a bit more.

"I am Acteon Cass Mistress Silver. A pleasure." Acteon offered her his other hand once more. "You may keep the jewel. You certainly earned it having to let that slimy fool touch you with lustful intent. We might even be able to get some coins out of him for it in an honest fashion. Better than hoping a fence will get you an appropriate amount. Knowing the kind of fellow Forelle is he will likely put up a discrete bounty. I can turn it in while you stay safe and we can split the profit fairly. Not half and half but perhaps a more seventy-thirty split with you getting the larger portion? What I want from Forelle after all is not coin but something much more valuable and costly to him."

Silver Romani

 

[Silver Romani]

The thought of being anything but alone on the night of a full moon terrified her enough, being with another wolf terrified her more, but killing people terrified her most. She'd thought of trying to find a place to lock herself away, but she feared she'd never be let out again. It made it a little difficult to reach out for help when the vast majority of the world would see it as a necessity and a kindness to put a bolt in her head. She'd been so afraid of wolves that she hadn't considered that they'd be the only creatures who could possibly understand, and so she'd accept his help and trust in his words.

Silver stared at him with a wry smirk at his humour and she laughed under her breath. "I suppose it does." she looked down at his hand on her shoulder and fixed the collar of her shirt to hide the silvery scars that had peeked out from underneath the fabric.

She took his hand this time and shook it, curious as to whether his skin burned as hot as hers did. She quirked a brow as he told her to keep the jewel, intent on protesting but she settled and smiled as he spoke of splitting the profits. "Fifty-Fifty. You wouldn't have it if it weren't for me and I wouldn't have it if it weren't for you." she reasoned, and lifted the sack of wine to drink from it before offering it back to him to seal the deal. "I can handle slimy fools..And bounties on my head." she shrugged a shoulder, and tilted her head at him.. "What is more valuable to Forelle if not his coin? He certainly flaunts it enough, and has little regard for his wife it seems."