Obscurity Steals The Spotlight [Aero & Liza]

"On the off chance that I fail, will you ever come back?" When he moved away, she followed in a near mirror image and put her left hand on his shoulder while seemingly keeping her right at her side. "That aside," she paused to hold up a dagger. "thank you for holding onto the will for me. I still think you're very sweet when you wish to be, but I'll keep that little secret." She held the dagger out hilt first and gestured toward the tents. "I'm gonna go get some beef ready to roast, we both need food and fast." With that she gave his cheek a soft pat and took off as fast as her could before she collapsed again. During her time spent cooking she studied the will and picked out the name of the person she needed to find. Zold Grimhart. "Looks like it's back to the road in the near future. The joy and the rapture." she muttered as she set the letters aside and looked over the contents of the will.

Of course there were the small things like the chest, which contained practically 'all' of her small valuables, as well as a wedding gown that looked like it had never been worn. There was a small trust fund to be accessed only after she'd reached the age of twenty-one, or when she found this 'Zold' whichever came first. She'd be able to help Russell a bit more with this new source of income, but she'd need to be very discreet with it especially knowing where she'd have to go in the near future. The smell of the roast was more than enough to set her drooling, so she took it off the spit and looked outside for Russell. "It's ready to eat, and I have a mark." Strange thing to say to someone, but from their earlier discussion it was completely average.

[OOC: City she'll need to go back to will come later, makes it more interesting. Obviously it's Kaionar but still. ^^]

He considered her question for a moment. "To the Circus? Maybe." It was, after all, the only job he could think of where room and board were free, even if the living conditions weren't exactly stable. But it was also something steady, and he wasn't sure if he could be content with doing the same thing over and over again. After living the majority of his life on the edge of society, the tame life of the Circus was almost grating in comparison. When they parted with the promise of food, Russell went back to collect his things, packing up everything that he owned (which was very precious little) and made sure it was all secure. He could have left right then, but there was food promised, so eventually he found his way to where Silence was cooking.

If there was one thing that he was definitely going to miss about the Circus, it was going to be their food supply. Gods, but he was going to miss meat. Russell raised his eyebrow at her declaration, seating himself and picked at the food, seeming to take a long time to get himself a helping before speaking again. "Well, that is true lass. You do have a mark. Me. But, on the off chance that someone around here hired you out to kill somebody, who's the target?" He leaned back and waited for her answer expectantly, taking a bite of the food that he'd gotten.

"Mother mentioned a man in my will, claims he might be my father. I intend to search every rock and toadstool on this island for him." His edgy mood pulled her face into a frown. "If I've done something to offend you then tell me, don't leave me sitting here guessing. You've also gone back to calling me 'lass', Silence isn't my real first name you know, so it's safe to use it." She watched her friend carefully, trying to analyze his body language since he was out of sorts. "What else are you keeping from me? I didn't expect you to tell me everything about yourself, but I thought I knew at least a 'little' bit about you after a few months of practically living with you." Her voice sounded flat and monotone, like she'd been sitting through the worst parental lecture of her life. Moments passed and she gave up watching him in favor of getting some food and drink in her system before she collapsed again.

She refused to look at him for a short while longer and relaxed her shoulders. Russell 'was' playing with a set of loaded dice, but better not to say anything about it. Whatever 'love' was, it sure had a funny way of messing with her head. "Guess I shouldn't have been so honest with you when we met, should I?"

He waited silently, abandoning his food temporarily to settled his chin on his hands, his fingers laced together to form a bridge and his elbows propped up on the table to consider Silence. "No, you shouldn't have been honest with me if your aim at the very start was to be an assassin." He replied honestly, keeping his gaze on Silence then lifted his shoulders in a shrug and casually gestured with his hand. "But you weren't back then. You're an honest person, which is commendable. In any other occupation." Which was really the heart of the matter. He didn't know how she was going to adjust to what he would require of her. "But what's done is done. I know what I know, and it's too late to take that back, so you'll just have to learn to make due. Consider that your third lesson: dealing with an adversary who already knows you. It will be important in the future. I'm not going to be the only one who might be able to figure you out. Realizing that someone has you pegged and reacting to that realization can be just as important as making sure no one ever finds out what you're really like."

Russell took a quick bite of his food and gestured with the empty fork at her. "Which is why I'm not going to reveal anything about myself to you intentionally." His trademark mischievous grin returned. "You're going to have to learn to read people. Which will be hard if it's someone like me that intentionally tries to misdirect you. It's easier with people who aren't trained like I am. But everyone has their tells, even me. But as for the "lass" thing…" Here he paused, taking another bite of food and considered what to say next. "You're my apprentice now." He said simply, thinking that was the best way to explain the situation. "I've never had one of those before, and my relationship with my former master was not precisely the smoothest sailing, if you know what I mean. I'll figure out what to do with you eventually, Silence. Until then, you might have to just deal with my slipping back to calling you lass."

"There's that smirk again. Something tells me you are up to no good, that look is what got us down to the beach in the first place. It also got you flailing about like a scared fish out of a glass bowl. I'll try to make this apprenticeship smooth as silk, but you may have to settle for burlap in the event I don't take up to this as quickly as you'd like me to." She very much hoped that Russell would never let it come down to her fighting him, or he'd have her dead before she could blink. "You know you calling me 'lass' reminds me of when you wouldn't stop making passes at me in that old weasel's shop. Even after you found out my common name you kept to lass. I suppose that was because I threatened castration a handful of times?"

Remembering his first few weeks with them was enough to get her laughing, genuinely laughing. "I don't think I can stop being honest, but if it came down to life or death I suppose I'm capable of anything. I'm thankful that you worked your way into our group on your own, I don't think I could've managed to make it work. I know I shouldn't trust you with anything, but I 'do' trust you otherwise I'd have never let you bunk with me. Provided I'm never your mark, intentionally, I suppose I'll let that stand."

He only smiled at her deliberate prodding, eating a few more bites of his food while she talked. "A grin is a great tool for disarming grumpy people. You should try it sometime." Of course he'd told her to smile every once and again too, but whether she would take that advice or not was yet to be seen. "I could make passes again at you if you'd like, lass." He stressed the word deliberately with a little bit of his grin returning to replace the serene look he had been giving her earlier as he at his food. Gods, he was going to miss meat. "And it was more because I didn't know you well enough to call you much of anything else, and didn't intend to get to know you better. I've been threatened with worse than castration. You will be too if you're good enough." He waggled his fork at her again, finished with his food and set the utensil down.

"Well, hopefully if all goes well, I'll forge you into a flirtatious lying rapscallion, just such as myself." Russell folded his hands and settled them in his lap. "For what it's worth, the Circus has been fun. I'm glad a got a taste of something semi-normal before plunging back into this whole murder business." Lazily he waved his hand in the air, as if to indicate his profession was of little consequence, despite it being a rather big deal outside of Kaionar. "And for what ever it might be worth to you, your faith in me his heartwarming." This time his smile was gentler, more of a quiet turn up at the corner of his lips than the exuberant smirks he was more prone to. "We'll probably have to sleep in the same quarters out of necessity when we're on the road, so it's good that you won't be trying to hide from me all night, at least."

"Provided you keep those devilish roaming hand to yourself when you can manage it, I think I'll survive you. I rather like your company when you aren't trying to charm me into sleeping with you." She couldn't keep a straight look any longer at his words and an amused expression spread across her face. "Flirtatious I can see, a lying rapscallion I'm not so sure." She'd become accustomed to flirting when it suited her purposes, especially when renewing agreements. Staying seated across from him was not suiting her very well, so she got up and stretched her legs. "You can make passes at me all you wish, Rusty, but I cannot promise they will get you anywhere." With a feather-light touch, she trailed her index finger up the back of his ear and grinned amusingly. "Perhaps I am not entirely what you perceive me to be. Could it be possible that you've been letting your talents go unused for too long...?" Clearly this was a joke, only meant to make him do something besides study her reactions to the things he said. "I wonder, will you ever figure me out?" 'Come on, react! At least make it worth me getting and wasting my breath on talking.' she thought as she stayed standing behind him. In a lower, slightly more serious tone she added, "Or do you fear what you will find?"

He laughed out loud, having himself a brief chuckle. If she thought he'd simply stop trying to sleep with her because she'd caught on, then Silence had another thing coming. Russell watched her, following her with his eyes as she moved around the table and inclined his head to keep her in his peripheral view when she stood behind him. The tiniest hint of his smirk reappeared when she touched his ear, though it was gone as fast as it came and he turned slightly so that he was was half sitting toward her and took Silence's hand in his own. "See now Silence, this is a dangerous game you play." His voice was low, a just hinting at a purr and looked up at her before drawing her hand forward and brushed a light kiss across her knuckles. "Telling a man not to touch you after doing something like that. Well…" He stood with smooth fluid grace, now only a few inches separating them with her hand being held gently in that narrow space that was all the protection she would get from Russell. "…he might get the wrong idea." Lowering his head slightly, Russell paused just before initiating a second kiss, his eyes alight with the grin that was not on his lips. "I'm not afraid of knowledge. Are you?"

Well happy day, she knew how to get him to react! "I fear nothing, but I'm not fond of the idea that you'll think less of me if I should decide to yield." She stood perfectly still, not wanting her nervousness to get the better of her as she looked up at him. "You only have part of the puzzle, you cannot make any assumptions." She only ever intended to torture 'him' with little things like that, he was amusing when he had no idea if she was going to play nice or kick sand in his face. "I'm not unhappy with the affection you show me, but I am not about to let someone walk into my life and break my heart. I..." 'I don't want to think we're something serious, then find out you don't care about me.' "I won't hurt myself by letting someone have my heart as easily as saying hello."

It was all so very confusing. "What is it you want from me...? Can you at least tell me that, please? Just a few minutes ago you just about threatened to kill me, now suddenly you want something entirely different." She made no move to retract her hand, nor look away from him, but she did tilt her head forward to rest it against his chest. "You're a confounding man, Russ. I can't tell which way is up or down or left or right."

"What do I want from you?" He asked, raising his free hand and curled a lock of Silence's hair around his finger. "I want whatever you're willing to give me." Russell whispered against the shell of her ear, then pulled back and put his hands on her shoulders. "Which, right now, is nothing." His smile was positively radiant, tone cheerful as he gave her a quick shoulder squeeze. "So I want nothing from you, except some hard work and a vigilant eye, eh? And try not to take the death threats too seriously. Or, well, do, but don't let them worry you much. As long as nobody tries to stab me in the back, I have no reason to try and kill them. Unless it's a hit, but I seriously doubt that anyone is going to try and murder you, so I think we're safe from the dying-on-each-other's-daggers fate." Russell let his hands slip from her shoulders and put them on his hips instead. "Guarding your heart is probably the best advice you can give yourself. Follow it as often as possible."

"Vigilance and hard work I can do, no backstabbing just rear-kicking." The last part was said with a wink, the mood needed a lot of lightening. "Thank you, for at least somewhat respecting my personal space. Even though my limit of personal space regarding you is a one foot radius apparently, since keeping you out of arms reach is never an option." She knew a few of his quirks, and knew he had training in being unseen, so really with all that he might be easier to keep track of. "You don't snore, do you? I'm usually down for the count before you so I wouldn't know." Sleeping near him would be Hades if he did. "Don't suppose you've ever steered away from that advice you just gave me. No matter, you've got women falling all over themselves for you wherever you go so keeping yourself from getting attached must be easy."

Having people you cared about in that trade was risky business, unless the people you cared about were in that same profession. "What do you do when someone steals your heart...? Do you just ignore everything and pretend that nothing's changed?"

"Snore? No. I'd wake myself up if I did." Russell replied light-heartedly, though it was true. He was a notoriously light sleeper and the littlest of things could wake him from what seemed like a dead sleep. Just another hard-earned trick of the trade. "I follow my own advice all the time." He said in the same cheery tone. "I've been what I am for a long time, lass. You grow up fast in Kaionar, or not at all. You don't have to give your heart to someone to be with them. The two events can be mutually exclusive. Although if someone does steal your affection, then the answer is simple." His smile faded, though the look in his eyes was just as devious as ever. "You steal it back. Ignoring your problems doesn't get them fixed. You have to be proactive about it. If someone takes something that belongs to you, make sure they don't get away with it. If you can steal something of theirs along the way, well…" He lifted his shoulders in a small shrug. "All the better."

"Don't know how I'd go about stealing back my heart if it ever got stolen. Therefore I'll just lock it away and never let anyone that close, not worth the pain." Not to say she wouldn't have her little flings now and then, but a serious relationship where commitment was involved was out of the question especially at her age. She had plenty of time to settle down, at least in her own mind, and she wasn't likely to have children. "If there's anything else you'd like to tell me or teach me, I'll be happy to learn." She went back for a second helping, well actually a third but she wasn't going to keep count, thinking that she'd need to stock up on protein if she was going to be anything close to a good student. "I don't exactly have many skills that are useful in your profession, but I've got a good track record for learning new things so hopefully this will go smoothly. On the subject of snoring, I don't either apparently or you'd have given me hell for it long before now." A stroke of good luck that her cat was busy pestering a few young women for some attention, or the mood would've gone straight back to awkward. Time to also figure out what to pack...

He mused on her words for a moment, taking his now empty bowl in hand and waited patiently to serve himself another helping. "You'd be surprised how well some flexibility and fast reflexes translate from circus performer to assassin. I was certainly surprised." Putting his spoon in his mouth, he dished himself more stew and leaned against the table instead of sitting again. "Just remember; if I leave and you can't find me, that's the end of your training." Though he kept his tone pleasant, there was a serious warning in there too. "The first test won't be the hardest, but it will be one of the most critical. I think you can handle it though." Russell winked and proceeded to shovel the soup in his mouth, enjoying what could have been one of the last meals he ate that were not only hot but free.

That night he packed what scant belongings he had and kept them handy. He would give no easy indication as to when he was leaving like whether or not his bag was packed. For the first few days, he interacted quite normally with the rest of the Circus, laughing and joking and being companionable as always. On the third day of the training however, he stayed up all night doing patrols around their wagons and tents with his bag of belongings, as if to take off for any moment. The only reason he didn't was because he knew that Silence hadn't given up the vigil so easily as that, but he was not done testing the limits of her endurance just yet.

The next few days he only snatched hourly naps during the day and slept irregularly at night. If he wasn't sleeping, then he was wandering between carriages and people, chatting and being personable as always. By the time that they had arrived in Yarrowtiz, he'd cut down on sleeping until it was only three or four broken hours a day. After the first performance for the people of Yarrowtiz, Russell changed out of his costume, cleaned his face, and simply walked out with the crowds leaving the big tent without a second glance back and with a disguise on his face. Cloaked in blonde hair, hazel eyes and pale-skinned, he looked a far-cry from his normal mask-less self and blended seamlessly with the artistic people of Yarrowitz. It was time to see if his apprentice could handle the strain.

When she didn't see Russell in any of his usual places, she ruled out looking anywhere obscure around the wagons and tents and turned her gaze to the city. "If any gods exist, help me." she muttered. It was time to pull strings and call in favors. . .perhaps do some deal-making while she was there. She put on her most flamboyant clothes and decided against a scarf since she wasn't about to risk it getting lost. There came a point where no matter what city she was in, practically speaking, she kept a pen and and parchment with her when she left the grounds. He'd said something about her tracking skills. . .guess she couldn't totally rely on her persuasive nature for this task, but it would really come in handy. She asked around, about 20 different people, and managed to get a small hint that pointed her in the right direction, but by no means did she find Russell on day one.

It was dangerously close to the deadline and for the love of all things decent she had NO idea where he was. As luck would have it she got one last idea and took off for the top glassblower's shop in the city. 'Thank whatever gods exist, the shop's open!' She took notice of a man about Russell's height and took a shot in the dark. "I suppose in a roundabout way I fulfilled my promise, I said I'd take you to see the best glassblower in the city and here we are."
'Let's just hope I'm right or I've just embarrassed myself entirely.' She couldn't resist smiling either way, even if she was embarrassed, it was supposed to help according to her mentor. "Unless I've mistaken you for someone else, in which case I apologize."

Blonde haired and hazel-eyed with smudges of ash on his hands and face, the glass-blower looked up from his task of melting some glass and grinned at the girl who entered the shop. "Well! Look who it is!" He said enthusiastically, standing with a flourish and lifted his arms slightly to show Silence his new outfit. He looked perfectly like a Yarrowitzian local, flamboyant colors and all. "I like this city. It's very lively. Full of the most interesting people. I was about to leave tomorrow, you know. The glass maker here, Edin-" he gestured over his shoulder at a space of wall with a door in it "-said that he'd only let me spend a couple days trying my hand at this. Nice fellow, if you get over his rough personality. But good job Silence! You've passed phase one."

"Now you see why we like it here so much, the people are far more accepting here of us "outcasts" than in other areas of the island. You seem to have made yourself at home in here." Silence commented still giddy that she'd managed to find Rusty in time to pass. "I can only shudder what phases two and onward will be like, but I doubt that'll be anything like the nervousness of these few days." Given the provocation, even the most mild-mannered of people could kill someone. Baldasarre had mentioned something about it what seemed like years ago when she first hurt her shoulder. "The colors suit you Rusty! You need to add more things like this to your wardrobe." Her overwhelming happiness was nearly enough to make her hug him, but he was standing next to hot glass, he was covered in ash, and the last time she hugged him things got. . .well. . .awkward. "Guess if we're heading out tomorrow I'll have to write two notes for leave of absence, but that's easy to fix. Besides there's this legal matter to be sorted and training to be done and oh hell's bells no sense blabbering over it any more." Somehow the time of day eluded her notice until that moment and she looked out the window. "Care to go for drinks once you finish your last shift here? I'll meet you down at Tinker's in an hour or two, deal? See you then!" She went off to get her brightest clothes on and sat at the bar in the aforementioned establishment to wait for her "mentor", i.e. the most amazingly troublesome man in the world: Russell.

Russell casually folded his arms over his chest, scratching the tip of his nose and only succeeded in getting himself dirtier. He grinned, clearly amused by Silence's exuberance. "Well, I wouldn't count on that if I were you." He muttered under his breath, but Silence didn't seem to hear him, instead continuing on to promise a bar date at a local tavern that he'd passed on a number of occasions. Chuckling to himself in the now empty glass blower's shop, Russell shook his head and sat back down to his task. At least Silence was sticking true to her character despite the near miss.

It wasn't more than an hour between when Silence left him and he appeared in Tinker's. He kept his disguise firmly in place, though was now cleaned of the ash and wearing a different shirt that was also more clean. He looked around the bar for a familiar face and lifted his hand in greeting when he saw Silence. He sauntered over to her place at the bar and threw his arm around her shoulders, planting a firm kiss on her cheek. "Long time no see."

"You just saw me an hour ago! I wouldn't say that's a long time by any stretch." His antics didn't phase her in the slightest by now, she'd seen about every side of him there was to see, from the ugly to the. . .ahem. . .heart-melting. Several days prior he'd just about threatened to kill her, now he was hugging her and kissing her cheek like nothing was wrong. "You must've missed my company something fierce to be this outwardly affectionate. Or did your mouth write a check you knew you couldn't cash?" It would be so like Russell to up and tell someone he was with a girl and then have to tell said girl they were a couple. Ah well, she'd missed the hugs and kisses, even if she didn't miss the flustered feelings she got when he got all cuddly when they were out and about. "Suppose my personal space all but doesn't exist to you now, does it? Used to be about two feet was the radius then it was a foot now apparently it's non-existent. Oh joy." Truthfully she was happy he was hugging her, but she tried to guard herself nonetheless. "Been breaking hearts the last few days, hm?"

"You should know better than to keep your personal space to yourself." Russell replied with a cheeky grin, giving her shoulder a small squeeze before planting himself in the chair next to her with a flourished flop. He was well into his persona as a Yarrowitizan native, obviously enjoying the game of blending into the society here. Holding up one finger, his face slipped into the guise of a man about to make a point. "And I never make promises that I can't keep. Thank you very much. Bad for business, that. You wound me, suggesting that I would spout lies to the lovely ladies of Yarrowitz purely for my own benefit." They, obviously, also got some benefit out of his flagrant wooing, though usually between the sheets and not necessarily in a practical way. His grin returned at that, quickly ordering a dark beer from the barrister before continuing on. "I imagine you must be a little tired after your trial. How're you holding up?"

"You're the only one who ever chooses to invade that personal space so intimately. Therefore why should I bother reacting when you start getting all cuddly with me?" She playfully fidgeted with her drink, a mix of mead and fresh fruit juice, and looked over at him. "I guess I'm alright, I was pretty scared that I wasn't going to find you within the time limit. No sense fussing over it though, I found you after all and that's all that matters." She took a generous sip of mead and relaxed. "No need to get in a huff, I was only teasing. It's something I've come to expect from you. Are you not a 'flirtatious lying rapscallion'?" Things like this didn't tend to get the better of Silence if nothing bad came of them, especially if she had liquor in front of her. "Ah well even if you aren't, it's good to know you won't be leaving without me." By the time she finished her drink she was sitting sideways facing him, and there was a wide smile set on her face. "There anything I need to do before we go off adventuring in the morning?"

"I live for the dare." Russell replied with an amused chuckle, taking a sip of his draft when it got to him, sliding some coins on the bar table to the tender. "The flirtatious lying rapscallion bit is only part of the enjoyment. You should try it sometime." He tipped his mug toward her slightly with a wicked little grin, half challenging her to take up that dare even though he knew very well that her code of morals wouldn't allow for such a thing. He let his thoughts wander a bit, absently drinking his beer and considered her question. "No, get some rest. I have to get to Didienne, which means that we'll be going through Kaionar again. Unfortunately, we aren't with the circus anymore, which means a lot of walking." He couldn't help his own grimace at that, knowing all to well the truth of his own words. By the Forty, the hated walking. Unless… "Well, that is, unless you're up for a little mischief tomorrow before sunrise."

"I see what you mean." Maybe she could get away with. . .nah borrowing one from the circus wouldn't work too well. "Guess we're stowing away and walking most of our way there." It felt rather disconcerting knowing it would take absolute ages to get to where they were going, but it was an exciting prospect: finding the rest of her family and getting her past in order. That and learning how to be an assassin, but her family most assuredly took precedence in terms of anticipation. "Retire early and don't get a hangover, or retire later and risk the world's worst migraine tomorrow morning. . .? I'm in favor of risking the migraine but that's just me." Once the girl got her mitts on good alcohol it was a little tough to stop after just one or two drinks. The usual outcome was her passing out and regretting going out the next day. Sunlight hurt, hearing the leaves rustle hurt, not to mention all the kids running around and being loud as possible. This case she was taking an extensive leave of absence and it didn't matter if she was hungover when she left, so long as she left on time. "What do you think Rusty?"

Russell had long ago given up being curious about his nickname "Rusty". He had simply accepted it as one of the nuances of Silence's character and determined that rolling with the punches was the fastest way to take the power out of them. His empty mug had no sooner hit the bar than a second slid into his hand, and he raised his eyebrows at Silence's question. "Well, that depends on how well you can mount a horse, I suppose." He replied, having to check himself from being overly suggestive with what could easily be turned into a quick dirty innuendo. Judging by the lack of swaying, Silence wasn't quite drunk enough for that kind of humor just yet. "Here's a half challenge for you then." Russell said in a low voice, his expression turned mischievous. "See how long you can match me. Keep in mind, we wake early, snatch some horses from the stables, and are on the road to Didienne." He always loved a challenge, especially when it involved drinking. And women. In fact, any combination of women and drink usually ended up turning out pretty well for him.

At the challenge, she lightly hit her fist on the bar and waved the barkeep over. "Your strongest shots if you please; keep ‘em coming till one of us passes out, loser pays the tab. Layman’s terms I fully expect Rusty here to be a gentleman and foot the bill for this wager of his.” She had just enough liquor in her system to brazenly agree to such a disastrous challenge; this coupled with her audacity to raise the stakes was sure to be a recipe for disaster. Of course the one flaw in her logic was that she wasn’t accustomed to hard liquor. Russell was apparently as used to the stuff as he was to invading her personal space, which was sadly far too close and too often for her to do anything about. After the first shot she realized just what sort of trouble she was in for: the shot was liquid fire all the way down, and more than enough to numb her mouth when all was said and done. She took quite a bit of time to stop coughing, but eventually she went for a second shot. “Guess it isn’t too bad, despite the fact it’s fire in a glass.” Two went down a little easier, and three went faster than two. Of course by three she was past tipsy and full-on drunk. “Also, I’m quite good with horses I’ve been riding them for years!” Oh yes, she was drunk, and by that point she didn’t really care.

» Family Reunion (Liza, Jula and Aero)
» Lovely Butterfly Wings [Kat x Liza]
» A Game of Cat and Mouse ((Echo/Aero))
» Disappear! (One on one, Aero Gorath and faeriethief)
» Fun and Games~Aero and Tegan