(C1, Racksom) Surnames in Surahnia (19th Board)

Last edited by Rintho on Wed Sep 18, 2013 11:25 am; edited 3 times in total

Description: The city of Racksom has been completely subjugated by its Surahnian conquerors. Those who surrendered peacefully were allowed to continue living their lives, however, those who showed traces of resistance were sent to rebuild the walls and lowered to slave status within the city. Those who showed true rebellion found themselves at the mercy of an ever vigilant task force dedicated to "keeping the peace". Those who are taken for behavior corrections are often never seen again. While the important military leaders of the army are discussing their next move in the quest to bring the rest of the continent to heel, a group of captured prisoners makes their arrival at the gates to join the workforce and be integrated into the New Surahnian society.

Setting:
The time is approx 7:30 pm and it is softly raining outdoors, a rather grey day that one would rather be inside for.

Day: 5th July, 3709

There will be a posting order for this roleplay.

Joiners:
---Tegan (Akar, Vespira)
---Taj (Rasera, Jenri)
---Aero (Vann)

This is a private board so no new joiners are accepted without board participants permission.

Akar was exhausted by the time they reached the city. He blinked in the annoying rain and nearly stopped walking when he saw the city. He'd seen it when they'd retreated, but he'd almost forgotten how damaged the battle had left it. Taking a breath, he looked around, wondering slightly what exactly was going to be done with Rasera and himself. He could see some people slaving away at rebuilding certain parts of the city as they were paraded down the streets towards where ever it was they were supposed to be going. He figured that would end up being where they'd be put. Then again, he had information they wanted, or at least, they thought he did.

Akar looked over towards Rasera briefly. Now they were in trouble. In the middle of the enemy camp and a future with no positive outcome. Akar sighed and went back to watching the ground as they were tugged along. His body ached, especially where he'd been hit and kicked. He kept one eye closed at the moment, not really caring much to try to look through it when he knew it was swollen. He was tired, out of energy, feeling sick, and lately since they'd been in the rain, he was starting to get soaked. Why was it that the lightest of rains seemed to drench everything? He gave a brief glance up at Jenrei to see if they were going to be stopping anytime soon.

Vespira glanced around the streets being cautious of those that were around. She felt a bit safer with Vann nearby, and she turned to look back to him once more. "Thank you again," she said softly. "You really didn't have to escort me though. I mean, I know Andyr doesn't really like you to. Right?" She kept her head lowered and her voice lower out in public. Sure she felt comfortable in the stables around the two of them, but in public she shouldn't be speaking at all. Infact, she should be out at all. There weren't really any rules in place specifically for her, but she was expected to be in her room or the healing area. Of course, lately she spent about all of her time in the stables.

The reason for her walk at the moment was she wanted to head back to the healing area and make sure those idiots didn't kill someone with their weak magic. That, and she wanted to visit some of the slaves like she'd done in the past and give them a little hope. She hated so much about this place, but in the long run, they needed her here, even if they didn't know it. That, and King Zartear had rescued her, and she firmly believed she owed him her life now. She turned her attention back to the streets when the noise of horses caught her attention. She looked at them longingly, forgetting to keep her head down as a black one caught her attention. "You look like Sorrahkin," she said. Not realizing she actually spoke in a normal voice as her eyes trailed the black mare.

Rasera walked into the city with fear and curiosity filling her as she passed the wreckage. More than once her ropes were tugged on to talk faster and keep up with the horse in front of her. She looked to Akar more then once to judge his reaction, as he had been here before.

Jenri sighed contently went he got into Racksom, feeling like a cat bringing his master a mouse he knew he had done something good. Whether or not this man was a huge importance to the war efforts or not there was no doubt he had at least some information to be told. If not, then it was one less DDC soldier they had to deal with and another man to rebuild Racksom with. Jenri honestly didn't care what happened to Akar so long as his lord was pleased.

Once they were enough into the city and a small crowd seemed to form around them, Jenri halted his men and jumped from his horse. He mentioned for the nearest man to come forth. "Stay here. Watch them. I need to find out where the prisoners are being kept now and what Lord Zartear wants to do with that one." He nodded in Akar's direction. The man nodded and jumped from his horse, standing close to Akar and Rasera.

The weather was indeed miserable, which really was perfectly okay with Little Blonde. He liked the rain and the way that it had the ability to wash away everything and start the land over again on a fresh slate. In the city, however, the renewal could never be complete. Back in his abbey, the rains would have brought the smell of grass through the library windows. Here it just brought the smell of wet bodies that had been left to bake in the sun for too long. As the rain continued however, it even muted that scent well below the normal, and that's precisely why he didn't mind so much that it was a drizzly day.

Life spent as Andyr's apprentice hadn't exactly been easy, but then again, when had his life ever been? He adapted to the training easily, already used to living a life humbly and filled with practices at dawn that ended long after he was past the point of bruises and exhaustion. The kind of training that he did with Andyr only served to sharpen his skills that he'd learned from the monks during his childhood training and bring him back up to speed with his combat abilities. He'd put on some weight again and filled out which was a welcome change from the pathetic scrawny thing he'd been in the care of the Surahnian discipline force. Most importantly, he had learned how to be offensive instead of sticking to the strictly defensive style that he had originally been taught. Occasionally the sparring sessions would bring up memories of his past during that black stretch of forgotten years, but they were only unrecognizable flashes of faces and the sounds of screaming. Once a flashback had been so strong that he'd simply collapsed during training and had paid for the perceived lack of diligence immediately. Thankfully, violent reaction like that were very few and far between and he'd been lucky enough to escape a second one so far.

When Vesperia spoke he gave the shy girl a comforting smile, keeping pace quietly at her side. "It's fine. I'm happy to do it. The both of us could probably use a little time out of the barn anyway. Don't worry about Andyr. He didn't tell me that I had to stay, so I doubt he'll be mad at me just for taking you to the medical building." Andyr. As much as he thought that he would grow to hate the barbarian, he really hadn't. The man was rough around the edges, but he was a quick study and surprisingly intelligent and compassionate in his own way. He'd begun to watch the big man and understand him, so it was hard for Little Blonde to dismiss the big man out of hand just because he was different. Aside from improving his fighting skills, being the barbarian's understudy had brought other perks as well. Currently, Little Blonde was wearing a treated cowled cloak that kept the rain off of his clothes, which were army issued for Andyr's select little band of men that he was putting together as a fighting force. He was dressed like a real Surahnian, though he would never pass for one, not with his blue eyes and blonde hair.

Some noise on the main road caught his attention, and he looked up to see a band of soldiers leading a handful of scruffy looking refugees. More prisoners to be put to work at the wall, no doubt. Little Blonde wouldn't have paid them any more mind, but Vesperia spoke out loud and he couldn't help but to notice the longing stare she had as a fine black horse had been lead past. He'd long ago noticed the woman's attachment to horses, so said nothing when she couldn't draw her gaze away from the beast. Looking over the crowd of soldiers, he noticed something that caught his eye as well. Just the smallest flash of gold amongst the black-haired men, then he saw her.

It was enough to bring him to a full halt in the middle of the street, a look of horrified bewilderment on his face. "Mother?" No, it couldn't be. There was no way. His mother should have been in Yarrowitz, safe from all of this nonsense. But there she was, standing in the square chained up with the rest of the prisoners. No, not his mother. She was too young to possibly be a woman who had birthed eight children and had to be nearing sixty years of age by now. The girl couldn't have been much older than twenty, but she had the exact same face that he remembered form his childhood, her eyes the exact same color as that of his mother.

Akar was relieved when they could finally stop moving. He was half tempted to drop to the ground and sit there forever. Or at least till they were pulled to go somewhere else. He didn't like the idea of the way things were going. The more people that gathered around the more he was getting uneasy. When Jenri left to go find, probably Zartear, he moved closer to Rasera and stood rigid by her side, one arm would wrap protectively around her without even thinking about it. He looked down at her and smiled softly, though worry was etched in his eyes.

"Stay close to me?" he whispered softly so only she could hear him. His attention flickered to Sorrahkin as the mare turned her head to peer past the people around them and her ears perked up. The black horse's front hoof struck the ground in impatience, and she began to try and tug to get away from the rope holding her, and instead head towards whatever she was looking at. She bucked and jumped, reared and nickered. Her tail swished behind her like a whip as she tugged and pulled. "What is wrong with her?" Akar said softly, as he'd tightened his grip just slightly.

Vespira jumped when Vann spoke. She looked up at him, taking her eyes off the mare for a moment. "Would I get in trouble if we went over there?" she asked softly. She felt like a little kid to ask, but she did want to go pet the black horse. It was so familiar to her. Of course, she then heard one of the horses starting to act up, and he eyes darted back to the group stopped in the middle of the road. The crowd was just thin enough that she made out the perfect white star, if not a little worse for ware, on the horses forehead. Ves drew in a breath as she looked at the horse. "That isn't possible..."

Without hearing or waiting for an answer, Ves started moving towards the black horse. But then a small hope started to gnaw at the back of her mind. She paused for a few moments, her heart racing as she tried to make sense of the mass amounts of thoughts racing through her head. Her first action was to search the riders, the faces of the men who just came in. None of the soldiers were right. She kept looking, ducking in-between people who cried out at her lack of discipline. And then she stood next to the black mare, holding her hand out to horse's face. The mare was instantly calmed, and pressed it's face into her palm. She was vaguely aware of the sudden stillness of one of the prisoners.

"Of course." Rasera said, leaning into Akar's touch when her attention was turned to Sorrahkin and her sudden discomfort in the city. "I'm not sure...perhaps she doesn't like all the unfamiliar people?" She offered the suggestion knowing full well the horse was usually pretty relaxed. Not long after a strange woman had run up to the horse and it was calmed with little effort. Instantly she felt Akar's grip tighten on her waist and she looked up to him. "Akar, whats wrong?" She asked, looking from him to the woman. Her bright blue eyes looked back out on the crowd to see a blonde man who seemed familiar yet not to her. She did take notice however that he was giving her an odd look, like he had seen a ghost or something. She let her gaze linger on him for a moment before going back to Akar's stiff form.

Even if Vesperia hadn't went on ahead by herself to go greet the mare, Little Blonde wouldn't have been able to give a proper answer in time. The sight of the girl with his mother's face had knocked him back, her appearance so completely outside the realm of expectation that he didn't know what to think of it and simply stood stock still. It wasn't until Vesperia was half way between where he stood and the group of prisoners that he was snapped out of his stupor and took off running after her, stopping just behind the small mage woman and stood between her and the glare of one of the soldiers who had looked upon their disturbance with a snort and narrowed eyes. Feeling the suspicion that the two had instantly drawn by their sudden appearance, Little Blonde lifted his heavy water repellant cloak aside slightly, showing the charcoal black sash hanging over his arm with the white stripe down the center and at the fringes and a dark red X over it all. The Surahnians paid less attention then, recognizing the sash as a marker of a fellow soldier and left it up to him to control his unruly woman.

Though Vesperia might have been caught up in her horse whispering, Little Blonde was not so blind to the rather sudden attention that another man in the group of prisoners was paying to the small woman under his charge. The prisoner looked like he'd seen his share of traveling, mud flecked as he was, but the bewildered stare on the man's face made him think that perhaps he wasn't exactly a threat. Little Blonde couldn't help but to look back at the blonde woman whom the black-haired man was holding and hoped that these two were only headed for the labor yard and not the "corrections" prison. He had so many questions for her!

"Are these refugees?" He asked the nearest soldier, trying his best to sound almost bored, as if that was exactly what he expected these people to be. The soldiers outside of Racksom had been dragging in fresh slaves almost every day, after all.

Akar couldn't believe what he was seeing, and he half figured it had to be a trick. Some time of illusion he was seeing. There was no way... But, Sorrahkin didn't do that for anyone. Even he himself couldn't calm the mare down quite as easily, or effortlessly as.. Could he really be seeing this right? He wanted to open his mouth, to speak, but at the same time, he was too shocked to even begin to form words. His mouth was dry, and it wasn't until a blonde haired man came to stand beside the women who had Sorrahkin's attention that he blinked out of it. Even then though, what could he do.

"She doesn't even do that... for me," he whispered in response to Rasera. "There's only one person she'd act up for like that..." His eyes moved slowly between the women and her escort. He seeming to be another soldier of this bloody army. "Only one person who could calm her so effortlessly." His eyes looked up at the male's face for a moment, then the women's as she leaned forwards and kissed the mare's nose lightly. "But there's no way... that can't be..." Akar's eyes turned back to look down at Rasera for a moment. "That's my sister," he said, still looking shocked. "That's Vespira."

Vespira was busy having a reunion with the mare. She patted her neck and played with her forelock while the black mare looked at her happily, tail swishing behind her. Sorrahkin nuzzled the girl, and Ves leaned forwards to kiss her softly on the nose. She then turned her attention to Vann as he spoke about the prisoners. She honestly hadn't noticed them, too happy to see the little foal she'd raised all by herself when she was still so young. She looked up at him, going to ask a soft question about whether they could take Sorrahkin back to the stables with them when she realized she was being stared at.

Instantly unnerved, Ves shyly hid a little more behind Vann. She could hear the one talking, barely. And the voice seemed familiar. Like something of a dream. She peered out from Vann's side to look over to the male, her icy blue eyes curious as she hid behind one of the only three people she trusted here, and her hair, which was in her face once more. Sorrahkin was also looking back at the male. His voice was quiet though, and she couldn't really make out what he was saying, but he looked back up at her, and his one open eye met hers. "Vann," she whispered suddenly. "I know him." She looked up at Vann for a moment. "This is my horse. And that male seems really familiar. I think... I think it may be... my brother." Though she wanted to make sure Vann heard, she knew better than to speak out in public, so she made sure her voice stayed a whisper.

Faref, one of the guards that was standing near Vann and was addressed looked him over for a moment before deciding to answer. "No, prisoners. Well at least the male is, the female was with him with we caught them." He shrugged slightly, not really sure what the fate would be for either of the couple. Secretly he had been helping the couple here and there and if his father, Jenrei were to find out he would be slaughtered. Even if he was his own son.

"Your sister?" She asked, doing a double take on the woman and the noticing she was then hiding behind the blonde man that looked so oddly familiar to her. "Well talk to her! or at least smile..you look like you've seen a ghost." She said in a whispered hiss. "You've been looking for her right?" Rasera then smiled at the other couple for a moment. She wasn't sure if they were allowed to even talk to them though so she kept silent.

Little Blonde couldn’t know that Vesperia’s actions were odd for her behavior. The two of them lived in a stable, and she’d done a lot of talking to the horses that they bunked with during their time there. To him, seeing her with a horse was as natural as her healing abilities, as far as he was concerned. Though the intensity of their interaction was something new, and the longer that he watched them, the more he began to realize that this wasn’t just any old horse. While Vesperia might have been distracted, Vann was not and heard the tail end of the man’s interaction with the little woman with his mother’s face. He caught the tail end of the two’s whispered conversation, more than surprised to hear that the man knew Vesperia’s name. It wasn’t more than a second later that he felt the mage standing behind him and tilted his ear to listen to her soft voice. Her brother?

Oh.

That would make a lot of sense, wouldn’t it?

’Entangled mesh, the blood and the bone. To never embrace, like the lonely pinecone. Dangling so high from the fingers of its mother, will never it be able to touch another? Only upon failing to withstand the weight of the sky can the estranged ones consolidate. Upon the parting the seeds scatter, despite how earnestly the seeds desire to conjugate. Yet ‘lo in the heavens to behold, there is yet a similar story to unfold. The eye of the queen yet ever seeks the gaze of her love, never knowing that but once was he allowed above. A tale of sorrow and joy, truth and lies. A story that lives now, though in disguise. The single spec which was made for another be it father, brother, aunt or lover. Yet in this universe there is one unavoidable law: reuniting is a journey fraught with many a flaw. Perhaps the clam may have both sides of its shell, but what lies between them but fleshy materiel? Held not together on their own, but by the third who acts alone. ‘Tis never then a pas-de-deux, for the opinion of the audience does accrue. Weighted down by this mortal life, plagued and haunted by eternal strife, we all must come into our own. Just like the lonely pinecone.’

Unfortunately, the phrase “make like a pinecone and leaf” didn’t exactly make sense, because Little Blonde would have liked to leave right about then. With the soldiers staring at him waiting for them to leave, the man who was probably-but-not-quite-sure Vesperia’s brother, and the strange woman all now having fallen into an awkward moment of silence, it probably would have been better to drop the matter entirely and just go. Being Andyr’s apprentice lent him some credibility, but not enough to spring these two. And if the man really was Vesperia’s brother… well, he wouldn’t want him to end in prison, that was for sure. Perhaps he could do one thing, though.

“I could take the horse off your hands.” He finally spoke up, looking Faref directly in the eye after examining the horse briefly, as if he really knew anything about horses other than how to take care of them. “I can make sure that it gets back to the stables for you. I could probably take care of the woman, too. We were just heading to the healing complex. If she’s not a prisoner, then we might as well put her to work doing something useful.” Little Blonde did his best to sound like that’s prciesly where a woman should be: doing something useful quietly and out of the way, and could only hope that Vesperia didn’t believe that he was quite as much of a Surahnian as he was trying to make himself sound.

Akar swallowed hard and looked between Rasera and Vespira. It was a wonder he ever mixed those two up. They looked so similar, and yet, so far apart. He tried to decide what to say, but all he managed was a blank look and dry tongue. Finally he offered a soft smile to his sister, the best he could do. His mind racing through all the memories of when they were younger, playing in the field of flowers outside, the warm sun on their faces as they rolled around in the long grass. And mostly, that white ring of flowers Vespira had made him to wear. He couldn't believe he'd found her, and he almost thought this could be a dream. If not for the amount of pain he felt at the moment.

When the blonde haired man spoke, Akar's soft expression hardened. He growled at the thought of them taking Sorrahkin away, although... Sorrahkin was actually Vespira's horse. He could agree to give Sorrahkin back. She truly didn't belong to him anyways. Then Vann spoke about Rasera. "No," he snarled. He held on to her tighter, without hurting her. His other arm wrapping around her tightly as well. There was no way he was letting her out of his sight. Not here. He couldn't lose her. Never. He didn't have the energy to fight all that well, and he was way out of his league, but he would everything in his power to prevent Rasera from being taken away from him. He wouldn't let her go, he couldn't.

Vespira looked a little shocked when Akar actually smiled at her. She ducked back more behind Vann again, obviously showing her lack of trust in this man she thought maybe her brother. She wasn't sure though, but who else would be able to ride Sorrahkin. Though, if she remembered correctly, Akar wasn't the best at riding horses. Or anything at all. A fact that had always amused her when they were little, and annoyed him greatly. She peered back out at him again, looking him over. He'd changed so much, and she could tell he was hurting. He looked like the guards had put him through hell. Though she wasn't sure the whole story. She thought to herself for a moment.

As a healer she would be able to throw around some authority. At least, over those who were injured. All she needed was an excuse. However, she wasn't known for her skills. She bit her lip lightly as she tried to think of some way she could help these people. Her sibling or not. However, Akar didn't seem to want to be on these people's good side. Even as Vann had just tried to help a little. Granted, his manor was somewhat offensive, she couldn't blame him. It was how he 'should' be acting around these people here. And she knew it was solely to help. Akar seemed fully wanting to undermine any act of kindness offered. Ves looked up at Vann, unsure of what to do now. They needed help, but she needed close contact to even try healing. And she wasn't even sure if she was allowed to heal prisoners. She never did it out in the open.

Faref scratched his head as he thought for a moment on what Vann said and shrugged. Before he could say anything however, Akar denied Rasera being taken from his side. If he was going to be so adamant then Faref wasn't going to be able to do anything without causing a scene. "You may take the horse, it needs taming anyway. It won't listen to any of us so it wouldn't be much use once we set off again. The woman however..." He looked back to Rasera for a moment, Akar was holding onto her tightly. "If she wants to go to the prisoners cell with him so badly, who am I to stop them? Of course, Jeneri will have the last say once he gets instructions from Lord Zartear or at least the next higher up."

Rasera's heart beat hard against her chest as her head laid against Akar's own. There was such tension in his body and she couldn't blame him, she didn't want to be separated either. Though as soon as Rasera brought her hand up to touch Akar's arm and she touched bare skin she froze. Over bearing emotions hit her and she realized she was soul reading once again. Rasera could feel Akar's emotions, see what he was thinking and it was overwhelming for her to handle. She let out a small cry of distress before dropping her hands from his arm.

Some of the guards went in to see what the noise had been about but Faref's upheld hand stopped them. "Leave them be." He said in a commanding tone. As Faref was about to address Vann once more his father came into view with a sour look on his face.

"Listen up! The woman will be set to work and as for the little DDC rat we have here...we are to treat him like we did during our trip. Seems Lord Zartear is busy with something important and any further punishment towards him will be postponed. I was instructed to keep him alive." Jenrei almost seemed displeased by this but his attention was caught by Vann and the woman hiding behind him. "Who the hell are you, and why are you near my prisoners?" He growled, stomping up to them.

"Sir! He is a solider under the banner of our lord. He has requested to take the horse and woman off of our hands." Faref reported.

Jenrei looked his son over for a moment with suspicion but turned it back on Vann. "For what purpose do you offer such...kind...services?"

He had expected resistance, but not so adamantly and not from Vesperia's brother. He noted the man's desperate clinging to the smaller woman and couldn't help but the sympathize, realizing that this man probably just saw him as another Surahnian soldier, which in their case would mean nothing good. On the other hand, he had the urge to tell the idiot to quit being such a pinecone and just let him take the girl, or else she would end up in shackles at the end of a whip by morning, just like him. Faref wasn't exactly helping by not deciding that the woman's fate had no place being decided by herself and just arbitrarily throwing her to the theoretical wolves. Or dogs. Or lions. Whatever they had decided to call themselves today.

The situation quickly escalated completely out of his control when the commanding officer made an appearance, and it took all of his restraint to not sigh at the obvious distrust coming his way. He fit into the Shrahnian army about as well as a Lash dragon in a pack of Desert Chasers. Still, the sash over his shoulder did mean something to these people, so he mustered his courage and met Jenrei's gaze unflinchingly with a small salute. "Nothing kind about it, Sir." He replied with the sort of automatic tone that most soldiers adopted when addressing their superiors and made sure to shift his cloak slightly so that the banner over his chest was more easily visible, in case the man had any doubts about his 'loyalty'. "I'm simply doing my duty, Sir. I'm an officer under Andyr the Lion, and I was just heading to the medical tent, escorting a healer." He gestured vaguely to Vesperia behind him, careful not to sound like he knew her personally as more than a helping hand. "I can take charge of the woman and the horse, their destinations are on my route anyway. Besides, it sounds like you have more important things to do, Sir. It's a pain when prisoners get it in their head to run." Little Blonde grinned slightly, looking over Akar briefly while silently hoping that he wouldn't be stupid enough to fly the coop. He'd be caught in a matter of seconds and strung up by his thumbs for the trouble.

Akar quickly released Rasera when she left out an almost welp. He knew what it meant. He'd felt her hand on his skin, and he knew she'd had a taste of his emotions. With as messed up and crazy as his mind was right now, that wasn't a pretty mess for someone to be assaulted with. "Sorry," he whispered softly to her. He was more careful as he wrapped his arms around her again. He looked in Jenrei's direction for a moment when he appeared. At which point he started to pay attention to the conversation. Vespira had avoided his contact, but if she was here and ok, then maybe it would be better if Rasera was taken by the blonde haired man. Then he could figure out how to get them out again. He just needed his bow, which Sorrahkin had.

"Listen," he said softly, his voice dropped low enough for only Rasera to hear him. "You should go with them. See if you can talk to my sister. She might be able to help you get out. Go find the Defenders or head back to Canice. They can keep you safe. I can't tell for sure, but I think the blonde haired man is trying to help you." Akar wasn't sure why, but he had a feeling this was a good thing to do. He would go where ever Jenrei wanted him to, but he wanted Rasera to get to his sister. Maybe she could help get Rasera to safety. Perhaps... perhaps... Akar let his arms slip from around Rasera and he backed a step up. His eyes darted to Vann as if to say he didn't trust him, but if he was trying to help, he'd let him. He also did a quick glance to Vespira. If she trusted this blonde haired man, then maybe there was something to him.

Faref looked uncomfortable when his father made the scene and started questioning the new soldier. He gave an apologetic look of helplessness to Vann, what could he do? He was the son of a commanding officer so he was expected to act a certain way. He watched carefully when Akar seemed to fall into some sort of acceptance of separating from the girl and stepped away from her. Honestly, he never expected him to let her go after the time he had seen them together.

Jenrei seemed content enough with Vann's explanation and the symbol on his chest he made sure to show. "Fine, take her and ensure someone keeps an eye on her. We don't know if she was just with him or part of the Defenders." He scoffed slightly at the DDC name before turning to the pair. He found it odd that the man decided to make it easy on him and separate but it didn't matter. Jenrei grabbed Rasera's arm and yanked her over to him and then shoved her in front of Vann. He chuckled as she fell to her knees in front of Vann and was more than pleased when she kept her head down and eyes averted. "Take care of it."

Rasera's heart beat painfully in her chest, "It's fine." She whispered back as she watched the two men talk of her fate. Was there really nothing they could do for Akar? Things only seem to get worse when Akar tried to tell her that it would be best to go with them and stepped away from her. She gave one quick look to him before she was pulled towards Jenrei and thrown in front of Vann. She landed hard on her knees and stayed still trying not to make eye contact. There was a look of anger she knew she couldn't hide in her eyes if she looked at any of them.

Jeneri gave one last look to Vann before turning to his own men. "We'll make for the south side of the city and make camp there men. Put the rat back on the pole." He said before turning and leading his men away from Vann, the healer, and Rasera. Once out of the sight of Jenri's men, Rasera stood in front of Vann, ensuring to keep her eyes from his face. (She'd gotten herself smacked too many times in the past to repeat it)

He wasn't quite sure what the dark-haired man wanted out of him, but whatever had gone on in the man's head, it was the right thing to do given the situation. If he cared for the blonde girl at all, then giving her up easily was the smartest decision he could have made. Otherwise this Jenrei fellow might very well have cut them both bloody to prove a point. That didn't stop the man from shoving the girl on the cobblestones however, and it took all of Vann's self-restraint to continue keeping up a neutral expression.

"Yes sir." He replied simply, his jaw clenched tight against the impending frown and snapped a quick salute, making sure to look as professional as possible until the troop escorting Akar turned around the bend and was properly out of sight. Only then did he drop the act and turn a concerned look on the girl. "I'm sorry for their behavior. They honestly don't know any better." He said in a low reassuring voice, offering an apologetic smile. "We've got to keep moving, though. If I'm seen standing around with a couple of women not looking important, people will start to get suspicious." He looked around the alleys and streets to make sure that they were still more or less alone before looking the girl over briefly, trying to see if she appeared to have been beaten or otherwise injured beyond just getting shoved on the ground. "Are you injured or hurt? Vesperia really is a healer, so let her know. I'm taking the both of you to a more or less safe location, so you'll be able to rest and heal up there." He had so many more question that he wanted to ask. Where was she from? How did she get captured? Who was her family? What was her name? He flushed briefly as he realized that calling her "woman" probably wouldn't be a good way to start if he wanted to know more. "And what's your name, if I might know?" He could have kicked himself for acting like such a chickadee, chirping on and on without either of the girls getting a word in edgewise.

The minute that anyone laid hands on Rasera, Akar had to grit his teeth and clench his fists to keep from attack them. He knew that somehow this was the right thing to do, especially because he had no idea what exactly they were going to do to him now that he was here. Still, when Rasera shoved, and she hit the ground, Akar had to force himself to keep still. If he tried to help her, or got in the way, it was only going to cause so much worse things to happen. It wouldn't be helpful for either of them in the slightest. He watched as one of the men lead Sorrahkin away, who was aggriavated, and yet calm at the same time. The mare went willingly at least, so she knew better than to get herself killed as well. All the while, her ears were pinned back. Then the group kept moving, and as they rounded the bend, Akar's eyes never left Rasera until she was out of sight. Only then would he look onto whatever was to be ahead for him.

When they were out from under the glares of the group they'd run into, Vespira relaxed a bit. She was looking after her brother from behind her blonde hair, but he was soon out of sight and she crouched down next to the women who was on her knees in the street. As soon as Vann was done speaking, Ves held her hand out to the women softly. "I'm Vespira," she said softly to the woman. "And if you don't mind, I sense injuries by touch, so if it's ok..." she said in a shy small voice. She honestly was really looking for permission, because from the look of the woman in front of her, she was in need of at least a descent meal and some water. Still, Akar had looked the same way, and she sincerely hoped that her brother was strong enough for what was to come for him. She knew it wasn't going to be pretty.

Taking the girl's hands softly, Ves would cup them together and conjure some water in them for her to drink. At the same time, Ves would send a wave of her healing magic through the girl's body in a search of all her injuries. Once one would be located, she would heal it easily enough. The injuries didn't seem all that bad, but she had been right. She was in need of a good meal. She hoped that the little burst of healing magic would help regain her strength though. After all, it seemed like she had been through hell and a half to get here.

Jenrei led his band of men to the barracks down in the basement of some musty smelling building. The walls that might have once been white were gray from dirt, smoke, and general lack of upkeep. This was just one of the places where prisoners were taken in Racksom and this just happened to be the closest. The cells were in the basement away from any windows so you couldn't tell what time of day it was or how long it had been since you arrived. There were several rows of cells and the entire basement smelled of human waste, blood and sweat. When they reached the cell for Akar Jenrei pushed him inside and closed the cell door locking it. The ground was a cold cement with a damp feeling that probably never went away. There was a small piece of cloth that might have once passed for a blanket that was meant for sleeping on.

Jenrei hovered for a moment, excusing his men to whatever they wished to do before looking at Akar and getting a dark grin. "I hate the look in your eyes. I will be sure to break that here even if I have to use the girl. I bet her skin is so soft...like warm satin." He closed his eyes as if he was enjoying just thinking about it. Abuse to women workers from soldiers wasn't an uncommon thing and no one would think twice about it. Jenrei knew that Akar thought he had made the sacrifice that would save his precious lover but he wanted to break that hope. "She will never leave this place and will die. Slowly." He added before deciding it was enough for the day before returning to his men to relax for the evening.

~**~

Rasera was so shocked at the act of kindness that he even went as far as to apologize that she could only stand there and stare at the man now. That was when she got the chance to really look at him and something in her stuck as familiar but nothing seemed to ring in her memory. Next thing she knew, the other woman was saying something to her and took her hand before she could stop her. Feelings, sharp and clear came flooding into Rasera so fast she jerked her hand back like she was burned and moved several feet back. There was a wild fear in her eyes for a second before she could put herself back together. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry, I-...when I touch people's skin directly I can feel what they feel and sometimes its... uncomfortable. I'm alright, I promise just some bruises and cuts." She couldn't control it enough to look into people's past at will. She had to tap into a deep emotion that linked to a memory in order to 'see' it. (like when she got trapped in a memory before) It happened when it happened and Rasera had little control over it having no idea how to train the power.

Feeling like they probably thought she was some mental nut case, Rasera cleared her parched throat to speak once more and turn her attention to Vann. "My name is Rasera." She made sure this time to keep her hands tucked together and close to her chest.

He had been startled when the girl jerked her hands away. He knew that Vesperia was a soft-handed healer, so couldn't possibly have hurt the girl. Maybe she was frightened more by magic? The follow up explanation that she could read emotions through touch did nothing to reassure Vann, but he didn't consider her crazy. After all, he had a voice in his head that broke out into parable and rhyme at random with nonsensical meanings behind all of the vague metaphors. With that in his head, he had come to appreciate how very sane the rest of the world really was. "Rasera, I'm Vann." He replied in a gentle tone and extended his gloved hand for her to take. "And we really must get out of this street. The Surahnians don't tolerate lolly gagging, especially from women. If you want to see that man again," He gestured with his chin in the direction that Vesperia's brother had been taken, "then you're going to have to make it through this, alright? I'll make sure you get somewhere safe and something to eat. We can figure out what to do with you from there." With his hand still extended, he waited patiently for her to make a decision.

Akar followed the men along quietly. He didn’t put up a fight, and he didn’t try to escape. He kept his head down and although he made it seem like he was just looking at the floor to see where he was going, his eyes constantly darted around, keeping track of where he’d been and where he was going as they walked. He curled his lip up slightly at the scent of the prison hold they entered. Somehow, it just seemed out of place to him to find something like this underneath a place such as Racksom. There was nothing he could do about it though. When they reached the cell, Akar was pushed inside and he hit the ground. He honestly was too tired to really think, and was going only on sheer will power(which was also lacking in this case), as well as instinct. He was trapped.

From the ground, Akar pushed himself up onto his knees at least and glared at Jenrei who was hovering by the closed door. He made sure to put as much malice into his look as possible. All the hatred he could muster up. Even when Jenrei spoke, Akar forced himself to hold back, to not speak or give the man the satisfaction of a change in his expression. It wasn’t easy, but he managed it. The need to spit at Jenrei was also something not easily ignored. Akar bit back from even moving his eyes away from the man until he was out of sight, but once he was… Sighing to himself, Akar looked around. He rubbed his eyes and blinked in the dark around him. He wasn’t in the mood to sleep, but he had to come up with some way to get out of here, find Rasera, and leave. And his sister… she was working with the enemy… He wasn’t sure what to do about that either. He needed his bow and the black feathered arrow too. That was his one ticket to escape.

Vespira jumped as well, surprised by the women’s jerking away. Then again, she was as surprised earlier by how alike they looked. Instead, Ves bowed her head a little. “I’m sorry, I should have waited to see if it was ok,” she said softly. Then, she stood up and moved backed a couple steps to allow Vann and the woman, Rasera, to talk. She looked away in the direction that Akar has been taken, wondering what was being done with her brother. However, with only two people, now three, really knowing her magic, and the Surahnian’s lack of respect for woman, she had no pull to say anything in this case. Honestly, she was just happy to know her brother was alive.

Eventually, the timid girl allowed him to help her to her feet and Vann quickly made sure that no one had been standing about in the rain to see the exchange. Once she had herself together he nodded back toward the center of Racksom where everything Surahnian was kept. "Let's get you into something warm and get some food into you. You'll feel better." He knew that Vesperia would follow unquestioningly; she knew how to act around these Surahnians and remain unnoticed. He only hoped that the girl would pick up fast. This was no place to be toeing the line with indiscretion, though Rasera hardly seemed the type to go storming off in a fit of womanly rage. He certainly hoped she wouldn't. He had questions to ask, and it was hard to get answers out of a dead woman.

“Like I said earlier, Rasera,” He mumbled over his shoulder, careful not to look too familiar with the two females following along in his wake lest someone stop him for questioning. “If you want to see him again, just keep your head down. These men understand one thing: war. If you keep yourself behind their weapons and not in front of them, they’ll likely ignore you. If you want to stay alive, you’re better off being ignored. The Surahnians are not like we are. They don’t understand the concept of peace and tranquility. Never think that they are any different than they are. That’ll kill you surely as any blade, and of those they have plenty and are eager enough to put them to use on disobedient charges.” Especially the flat side, but that was a story for another time, and he seriously doubted that Andyr would strike a Woman as he did his ‘son’. “Welcome to New Surahnia.”

-((Tegan, Taj, unless you have more to say, I think this could be a good stopping point for Surnames. The board will be moved to the archives.))-