:~::Rogue & Apollo::~: The Thief, the Satyr, and the Necklace of Uber-Awesome Power

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Feel free to suggest other titles xD I also have an introduction in mind, but I don't have the time to type it up right now, so unless you want to start, it'd be cool if I could go first ^^ And as always, I'm open to ideas! This is a team effort :3 And I'm assuming they already know each other...?

Okay, plot:
In the town of (enter name here xD), a city on the edge of a vast desert, two friends find themselves in a bad situation. After stealing what seems like a simple trinket in the local market, they are thrown into the position of being the most wanted criminals in town, for reasons they don't even know. After trying to stay low and in the city, they realize that they can no longer stay, and have to flee the town with only their provisions, a donkey, and the simple necklace that has caused all the trouble.
Little do they know that the jewelry that is in possession of is one of the most powerful mystical objects in the region, with the capabilty of transporting the wearer up to a minute back in time, as well as holding healing powers, magic recognition, and other powers that can only be told in time. After discovering this, they will go on the adventure of a lifetime to search for the lost tomb that is home to the trinket, as told to them by an odd feathered dragon. They will face monsters, traps, bandits, danger - and possibly romance? - as they search for this tomb, all the while trying to run from the government and other powerful people who want the necklace for themselves. Will the young criminals survive, or will they perish in the heat of the desert?

There, short and sweet ^^ Add anything you want to~

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Heat, dryness, sand.... What a miserable place to live, out on the edge of a vast sea of sand. Kaionar was a rich, pretty enough city, filled with a wealth of statues, murals, and other works of art, but the climate was terrible. Ardere was incredibly hot and uncomfortable under her thick, hooded cloak, which currently covered her face so as to shade the top portion of her head. Only the tip of her nose and her crimson, sculpted mouth were visible in the shadow of the hood; her orange-toned eyes, bright auburn hair, and thick, ribbed horns were hidden completely under the fabric. The dark cloak draped over her thin shoulders lightly, then became more fitted around the satyr's chest and waist until it flowed to an end at her feet, covering the goat-like legs that she possessed. Fortunately, there were many other similarly dressed people in the odd city, so she didn't stand out too much, though she got a few odd glances every once in a while for the odd, almost crippled-looking way that she walked, as if her legs had been broken and had never healed properly. She was currently in the middle of a crowded marketplace, which was bustling with people of all shapes, sizes and colors. Some were obviously from a dark part of town, and snuck around like they were afraid of being caught, or were perhaps just trying to steal some goods. There were merchants as well, and normal-looking people, even some who appeared wealthy and sniffed disdainfully at anyone who got too near. They were all mingled together in one big, dusty square, filled with dozens of booths, carts, and stalls selling anything from food to clothing to weapons.

A droplet of sweat ran down Ardere's forehead, and she wiped it away angrily, fuming at the fact that she had to spend such a hot, dreadful day searching for supplies. She would have rather stayed in her cool, shaded nook that she had on the outskirts of town, a little shack that was no more than a one-room hut with a few windows. It cost hardly anything to stay there, and it was perfect for a single, independent woman like her. However, though she wanted nothing more then to spend the day practicing her pyrokinetic prowess in her home, she was in desperate need of food, and the only option was to go to the market.

She searched around the food booths for a while, buying a few things here and there that caught her interest. Eventually she got enough to last her for a few days, and she was about to head back to her home when a stall selling trinkets caught her eye. It was brightly colored, but not in a cheap, cheesy way; the colors were sharp and clean, and the man selling the goods had the appearance of one who knew the difference between a valuable object and a cheap one. Ardere hardly ever spent money on jewelry and accessories, but for some odd reason the booth just seemed to be calling to her. She walked up just as another customer left looking immensely pleased with a gaudy bracelet that she had just bought, and looked over the man's wares in interest. Every one of the objects seemed to have some sort of magical aura, but none really caught her interest; she assumed they would be too expensive anyway. She was going to turn away and leave the booth when the man took an intake of breath and stared meaningfully at her. "Nothing ye see of any interest to ye, lass?" he asked, motioning to the trinkets.

She blinked at him from under the hood. "No sir, I'm afraid that I don't see anything that would be worth my time to buy."

"Ah, yer a tough one." He grinned, then glanced around warily, as if afraid someone might overhear their conversation. "I have one thing here, I don't show to just anyone. You have the look of a real powerful woman, am I right?"

"Well," Ardere began to deny the statement, but was cut off.

"'Course ye are, I'm never wrong about these sort o' things. Well, I have somethin' here that'll be sure to impress ye." He searched around in a pack set underneath his chair until he produced an object wrapped in cloth. "This here is the most powerful object in my possession. I'm still not entirely sure what it does, but it has a feeling of immense power." As he spoke, he unwrapped the cloth to reveal a simple-looking necklace. It had a strap made of cloth, and it was only decorated with a couple feathers, a few beads, and a large, multi-colored stone that was decorated with a design in the shape of a curled dragon. It stuck out of the rock like a button. It didn't feel or look that impressive to Ardere, and she raised her eyebrow at the man. "How much is it?" she asked, thinking it must be a joke.

"12,000 gold," he said, almost smugly. When Ardere stared at him, he shrugged and put the necklace away. "It's me best offer, take it or leave it."

"I'll leave it, thank you," she replied grumpily, and turned away. She walked until she was at the fountain in the center of the market, and sat on the edge, eating an apple and attempting to cool off. No matter how hard to tried not to, her mind kept drifting back to the mysterious necklace. The man obviously knew his wares. Why would he sell such a small, simple trinket at such a ridiculous price? She comtemplated it as she watched people go by. Perhaps, if she was lucky, Lutis would be in the area today...

((Forgive spelling and grammar mistakes, please ^^; -too tired and lazy to go edit-))

Kaionar was a city known not only for its finery, its close proximity to the desert and its hot climate, but also its notorious underground networks. Of course, most of these weren’t underground, but the theory still stood… One of the largest networks was the thieves’ guild, which dealt best in the city. This was a fact that, in the right circles, was widely known, and highly held. This fact also attracted many from outside the city, and persuaded those inside the city to stay, namely Lutis.

The thief in question was wandering through the busy city streets, the familiar twists and turns faintly pleasing. After a while exploring the other cities around with his friend Hone (who he had left outside the city to go and do whatever she was going to do, probably find her other lash dragon friends who liked to roam the desert) he had returned to his home patch, which hadn’t changed much under the ever moving crowds- Still the same old buildings, similar stalls in the markets that dotted the streets and wider squares.

Lutis turned down a smaller side street, leaving the dense crowds of the main streets behind. Here it was much quieter, the alleyway having a less safe feel to it than the wider streets- Although in actuality, they were probably about the same. A few barrels were lined against a wall- The general stuff that you found down an alleyway, nothing to be taken much notice of, even the grimy door set into one wall that Lutis headed for. There was no handle, just a lock. Looking around for a moment, he reached into one of his inside pockets and withdrew a long lockpick, a circular ball on the end- Not the sort of lockpick that you would normally use. He put it into the lock of the door carefully, then pushed the end firmly down. The door clicked open, and the thief put the lock back into his pocket. Easy.

Behind the door, contrary to what one might expect behind the door, there was a long, darkly lit corridor leading away into the building. A torch flickered in the breeze that came through the doorway, colouring the walls a damp brown. Lutis pulled the door shut behind him- the lock clicked shut again- took a candle from his pocket and lit it, then set off down the corridor.

The corridor twisted back on itself to lead down to the sewers- they smelt bad, but made great passageways. Lutis passed a couple of other walkers before he reached his target- a paper list tacked to a wall. He held the candle up close to the paper, reading the list of names that were scrawled in a line. Lutis’ name was not there.
“Heh, there ah’m.” A voice behind him sounded, and a grubby finger pointed to a name on the list. It showed all the thieves who had had the top steals that month- A petty pastime, but one that was competitive enough. Shows for leaving Kaionar for a while…

Lutis made his way back out of the sewer tunnels, popping out of a building close to the main market. The sun was bright in comparison to the darkness of the tunnels, and its heat stifling. Lutis decided to head for the fountain, where the cool of the water tended to cool the air around it too. Sweet smells mixed with spicy and tempting smells from the many food carts in the square, (which wasn’t really that square with its stalls spilling into the streets around) tempting to the taste buds. The thief meandered around a few stalls, then swiped a tangy lemon pastry from an unsuspecting stallholder. He tucked into the treat as he headed for the fountain, smiling a little to himself. It was so easy to get things in Kaionar when you wanted them- One of its many attractions when you were out of pocket.

As Lutis neared the fountain, his smile widened onto his lips. Well, if it wasn’t Ardere, hiding her pretty features under a wide cloak. She was easily recognised when you knew her, perched strangely on the edge of the fountain. He skirted round to the side, leaping with agility onto the flat slabs circling the water and padding up to her quietly- Her hood was too wide for her to easily see him behind the pool’s curve.

He crouched down to head height- She had probably seen him, but what matter?- and gave a big grin, pulling back the side of the satyr’s hood. She wouldn’t like it!
“Hello beautiful.” Said Lutis, peering around the hood into the beautiful face of Ardere, her horns hidden underneath the dark fabric. He hadn’t seen the fiery satyr for some time- He had been out of the city, and she wasn’t around much anyway.

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Ardere was too distracted by the thought of the necklace, and consumed in eating the apple, to notice the silent theif's arrival behind her. The hood really did block a good part of her periphial vision, but it had to be done; to go about the city sporting large horns and bright crimson hair was sure to get a person in loads of trouble. Therefore, it came as a great surprise when Lutis snuck up behind her and tugged on her hood, causing it to slip back a little and reveal a glimpse of her brilliant hair. Gasping, she reached up and pulled it back in place before anyone could notice, whirling around to see who had dared do such a thing, her fingertips crackling with fiery power. When she saw who it was, though, she breathed a sigh of relief. Only the handsome daredevil Lutis, who always had a way of surprising her. She grinned, lowering her hands and returning the greeting. "Hey, gorgeous, nice to see you in town. I've missed you." She said it in her usual slightly teasing manner, but to be honest, she meant it. She was too different to feel comfortable making friends (unless she had had a little too much to drink and made some new lovers in the local pub, as she did more often than she cared to admit), and Lutis was one of the only people in the city that she could reveal herself around. Being a thief, it seemed he was used to seeing unusual things, and her appearance wasn't any worse than many others' in the town. "How's life been treating you? It's been a while since I last saw you; I was afraid perhaps you had finally been caught." Her voice was practically a purr as she spoke,.

She patted next to her in an invitation for him to sit. She watched as he devoured the last of a pastry, still smirking lightly. "How much did you save swiping that?" she asked, knowing full well that he never bought anything if he didn't have to. She was certain that the man who was trying to sell the pastry would never even notice it missing, but it was still amusing that Lutis could steal something like that under the noses of anyone around. The poor fellow never seemed to have enough money to actually purchase anything, and he needed to eat, so of course he resorted to stealing. She didn't care about his small crimes in the least; she had fooled around with criminals of much higher crimes, and besides, he did it just to survive. Well, most of the time. When your as good a thief as he, then why not steal anything you want to?

When that thought crossed her mind, she thought once more of the insanely priced trinket, and her smirk widened into a cheshire cat-like grin. She wasn't going to suggest anything... Yes. "I'm not sure if you'd be interested, but I was wandering around the market today when I happened across an interesting stall. The man there was selling an assortment of strange things, all buzzing with magic and sorcery, and when he saw me, he immediately grabbed my attention and produced a hidden good. He said he did so 'because I have an aura of power', or something." She rolled her eyes. "Anyway, he unwrapped this cloth to reveal a simple necklace adorned only with a small stone with an odd design upon it. It didn't feel magical to me at all, and it wasn't very impressive to look at. Guess how much he wanted for it?" She let the question hang in the air for a moment before answering her own question. "12,000 gold! Who does he think he's fooling? I got out of there as fast as possible." She was silent for a moment before adding,"If it really is something that's worth a lot, though.... It's so small, it would be an easy steal. A person could get rich just selling it to someone who was foolish enough to think it worth 12,000 gold...." Here she started hinting at Lutis, letting her gaze rest on his for a moment too long, trying to persuade him into putting his skills to use. To think! If he could get away with this, they could both earn enough gold to buy food months. "You're the best at what you do," she ended, hoping a little flattery might help her persuasion.

((Sorry it's kinda fail. Again >.< She's actually rather hard to play. :p ))

Lutis held his hands up in a gesture of surrender as the satyr turned suddenly on him, summoning her fire magic already. She hadn’t got any milder since he had seen her last, that was certain! He gave a laugh as she smiled, sitting down on the edge of the fountain and cramming the rest of his pastry into his mouth. He chewed hard for a moment, then swallowed.
“Missed you too darlin’. I’ve not been too bad- Been out of town for a month or two adventuring with a new friend. I forgot how lax Kaionar is compared to other cities around here.” He laughed again at the purr in Ardere’s voice. “D’you really think I would get caught?” He shook his head slightly, looking to the sky in mock disappointment. “And here I was, thinking you knew me better than that.”

“Money is no barrier for light fingers. Anyway, it wasn’t worth what they were asking for.” said Lutis, licking his fingers of the last dregs of lemon. It wasn’t very filling, but tasty enough. He was lucky to have a friend like Ardere, who was honest enough herself, yet didn’t mind his ways. He would have to thank her for that one day… Not that her lack of consent would stop him anyway. “I see you’ve gone for something more healthy.” He waved a finger towards the satyr’s hand, which still held her half eaten apple.

As Ardere started to retell the events of her earlier encounter with the stallholder, sparks of interest started to kindle within Lutis. 12,000 gold eh? That would keep him afloat for a while- No more petty stealing of lemon pastries, he could actually buy them! That, and it would be sure to put him on the thieving leader board for weeks, maybe months to come… And if the stallholder had got it wrong, well, maybe they could make even more… Feeling Ardere’s eyes on him, he gave a sly smile, knowing she was trying to persuade him. She wasn’t being very subtle today, although her story was interesting.
“An aura of power?” Lutis scoffed- it sounded a lot like hocus pocus to him. Why would he show Ardere- Who, credit given, was very beautiful, but why would a stallholder show a hidden good to a cloaked woman, when there were others who showed their wealth so plainly? There must have been a reason somewhere, and an “aura of power” was little explanation for that.

“Well, if you want it that much, how can a young thief resist such charms?” He jumped to his feet, turning to face Ardere and offering a hand, to pull her to her feet too. “But, if I’m to get it, you might have to lend a little more information than that. Where is this stall?” Lutis immediately leapt into steal-mode, starting to assess the information that he had, and the best way to get at the goods. If the item was in a busy market place, it would be hard to get at, even if it was hidden to start with, but a challenge was exciting. Now he was back in Kaionar, things were back to their normal dishonest ways.

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Ardere listened to Lutis attentively, paying careful attention to his twinkling eyes and handsome features as he spoke. She was no stranger to him, that was for sure; they had known each other long enough for her to want to play around with him a bit, and unlike most men, who were only one night stands, Lutis never failed to hold her attention. Not to mention the fact that he was a thief just added to his sexiness; she always was a sucker for bad boys. She wasn't surprised that he had left town for a while; even a criminal as small and crafty as he had to get out every once in a while to escape notice from the authorities. She was glad to have him back, though, and it just happened to be the perfect day to meet up with him again. She found herself itching to caress his face, perhaps take him to a bar for a little fun, but she tried her best to keep a straight face and focus on the task at hand.

She stood as he did, nodding in the direction of where the stall was. "It was over that way. It's hard to miss; it's very brightly colored, and he has wares of the likes that I've never seen before." She smirked lightly, tugging back her hood until only her horns and hair were still covered, revealing the full portion of her face. "I think I can cause a distraction to the seller, if you know what I mean." She winked. "No man, no matter how strong, can resist a little seduction. You just do your thing, and I'll take care of the merchant." With that, she turned and made her way back to the stall. The man was still there, exclaiming to someone about the brilliance of a jewel-encrusted scabbard that apparently made the user invincible. Once he effectively sold it to the wide-eyed customer, she walked up to him, her usual confident smirk in place. "Ah, yer back I see," the mad said, grinning wickedly. "Changed yer mind, have ye?"

"Not exactly," she said, letting her eyes wander over the assorted items laid out over the table. "I was wondering if you have any.... Other wares for sale." She let her brow lift suggestively, and was pleased to see him flush visibly, a confused yet pleased look crossing his face. She took in his thin features, beetled brown, and ashy skin... She bet that this was a man that didn't see action often.

While he was stammering some unintelligable response, she let herself glance over her shoulder, hoping Lutis was making his move. She assumed he was somewhere nearby, and since the merchant was so distracted, she made a small motion with her arm to the pack in the back of the stall, where the necklace was hidden. She then turned back to the man, pursing her lips and cradling her chin with a long, thin hand. She kept up the game for a while, toying with him playfully until his tongue was in knots and his attention was completely taken off of the pack behind him.

Lutis gave a smile as Ardere got to her feet, pulling back her hood. She was so beautiful, yet she chose to hide it under a heavy cloak like that… Well, needs must in the city, he was sure he could persuade her to show a little more later when they were in more private company.
“Oh, you provide a wonderful distraction.” He gave an approving grin as she turned away, heading for the stall. He himself took a more roundabout route, watching her as she made her way towards the stall. She was right, it was a gaudy stall, bright fabric covering the table on which most of the stallholder’s wares were displayed, bright canvas shading his customers from the beating sunshine.

As Ardere stepped up to the stallholder, already winding her seductive words, Lutis started to slink towards the stall. He would have to watch her, she was so good at it… Easy enough to wind him around her finger! Although, he wasn’t sure that that would be a bad thing…
Keep your mind on the task! he silently chided himself, shaking his head and walking along the line of stalls behind the one in question. It was a bad place to put a stall, right in the middle of the market, and completely solitary, with no stalls backing on it. The stallholder had been foolish, very foolish, when he had put his pack where he had. He was too far away from the stall to hear Ardere, but he knew she was quickly working her magic.

Sliding between two stalls, he started to make his way towards the stall, seeing the satyr’s tiny gesture towards where the treasure lay. Ducking through the next set of stalls, he was now behind the stall, and could see the pack clearly with no obstructions in his path. Looking around as if he was interested in what was going in the market, he stepped closer, then swiftly and smoothly ducked down to the pack, flicking a small coin onto the ground at the same time as he slid his hand under the chair, crouching a little way away. Adrenaline rushed through him, the thrill of the catch. He fumbled around in the pack for a moment, then his fingers closed around a twist of cloth, thin and malleable. He pulled it out, tucking it in the palm of his hand and picking up the coin he had dropped in one movement. He tucked both into his pocket, then carried on his way, heading back towards the fountain. It had taken a matter of moments- If it was worth as much as Ardere had said it had, then it had been one of the easiest steals that he had ever done!

Lutis sat down at the fountain again, pulling the little twist of cloth out of his pocket. It was dark grey, very unassuming, as was the object inside, with a plain strap, a few beads, feathers… He ran a thumb over the largest stone on the necklace, feeling the lines of the engraving under his skin. The colours glimmered in the sunlight, shimmering and shining as he turned it. Well, even if it wasn’t powerful, it was quite pretty… But not pretty enough to be worth 12,000 gold, only a fraction of that. He dropped his hands into his lap, rubbing the stone still with a thumb absently as he waited for Ardere. Hopefully he had got the right item.

((Feel free for there to be nasty side effects to stealing the jewellery- Monsters, sirens, angry stallholders…))

Guest

Ardere struggled not to look at Lutis as he appeared behind the stallholder, searching for the necklace. If she made any motion of looking behind the merchat, he would certainly glance back as well and ruin everything. As the thief fumbled around, the merchant frowned, as if he felt something was a little off. He began to look around when Ardere, in desperation, grabbed his chin and planted a large kiss on his mouth, completely taking his mind off the object. His breath tasted of garlic and beer, a terrible combination, and she had to force herself not to gag at the taste. When she saw Lutis dart away out of the corner of her eye, she pulled back, trying not to let the disgust show on her face.

That's when all hell broke loose.

As soon as Lutis was out of sight, a siren started blaring right above where Ardere was standing, an awful, screeching noise that made her flinch and cover her ears. Shit. Apparently there was an alarm system. She guessed that it had supposed to have gone off as soon as Lutis had touched the bag, but he was so light and swift that it hadn't been tripped until he took the necklace away. The stallholder went pale, then red with rage as he started frantically pawing at the bag. He started cursing wildly, eyes wide with fury and panting heavily as his gaze fell back on Ardere. "YOU!" he screeched, making a lunge for her across the table. It was only the satyr's quick reflexes that saved her from being grabbed as he flailed around, spraying his wares left and right in his attempt to snatch her. "How could I have done it?" she stuttered half-heartedly. "I was here the entire time. I had nothing to do with it!" As he snatched out at her again, and other stallholders started dashing over to the scene, she took it as a cue to leave, and dashed off back to the fountain with her odd, galloping-like stride. Her hood fell back as she ran, but she didn't have time to put it up as she frantically made her way back to where she had seen Lutis go, and she got many gasps and curses from people as she ran by them with her horns and crimson hair in full view.

She finally made it back to the center of the square to see Lutis calmly sitting on the edge of the fountain, admiring his steal. She ran up to him, muttering curses as she doubled over and attempted to catch her breath. "Damn thing.... Had sirens attatched... May be followed...." She was cut off with a shout from the direction she had just come from, and, without another word, grabbed onto Lutis's hand and dragged him down an alleyway, making twists and turns until any normal person would be completely lost in the labirynth of alleys and backroads. Luckily, Ardere knew her way around quite well, and they were soon tucked into a dark corner in the outskirts of town, both breathing heavily and with hearts racing with adreneline, and, in Ardere's case, fear. "That thing.... Better be worth a lot," she sputtered, holding her side as it ached in pain from the exertion. "As soon... As you snatched it up..... An alarm went off. He.... he thought I had somehow stole it, and started to go after me. Thank goodness for my quick feet, or I would almost certainly be caught now." She was silent for a while longer as she caught her breath, not even spending the energy to lift her hood. There was no one around save for Lutis; no one to see her freakish appearance. She would have to be especially careful now, though. Her face would more than likely be posted all over town tomorrow, if the necklace was worth as much as the merchant said. Dammit. She wasn't a criminal! She had only helped one. It may even be so bad that she would have to leave town...

She suddenly felt lightheaded, only now remembering how hot the day was, and she sank down onto the shaded pavement, head spinning. She wasn't used to running so far for so long, especially in the heat. She may be a fire witch, but that didn't make her immune to heat stroke. "Water...." she mumbled almost incoherently, reaching a hand up to caress her throbbing temple.

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Back in the city, the town was abuzz with the story. Everyone was gossiping about the demon that had stolen from one of the richest stalls in the city, taking an item that the stallholder proclaimed as sacred. "I want this woman's head!!" he fumed at anyone to approached him about it, and soon, wanted fliers were posted all over town, bright red text bordering a drawn portrait of Ardere sneering, crimson hair ablaze and horns viscious and evil-looking like that of a devil. A very large reward was offered for her head, or her body, dead or alive. Word had also spread that she had been seen briefly conversing with another man, and his face, though not as common as hers, started to pop up every now and again too. As the night came to a close, the story was known all over the town, and searchers were everywhere, looking for the elusive pair.

Lutis raised his eyebrows when Ardere ran into view, her hood back and crimson hair bouncing around her. Sirens wailed in the air, but he hadn’t noticed them before as they were muffled by the stalls, and he had been distracted by the necklace. She looked thoroughly frightened, and out of breath, leaning over to catch it. Before he could ask her what had happened, whether she had been followed, he saw the bumbling form of the stallholder stumbling down the street where she had come from, waving his fist in the air and followed by a troop of other stallholders, looking equally as angry. She grabbed his hand, yanking him to his feet, pulling him along at a run behind her. They ducked down an empty alleyway, diving down even smaller cracks in the buildings, dashing past dazed looking pedestrians, negotiating the back alleyways of the city as fast as only a long term inhabitant of Kaionar could.

The sound of sirens receded into the distance as they ran, replaced slowly by the general hum of the city, but Lutis was sure he could still hear them ringing in his head. What had happened? He hadn’t tripped anything when he had stolen the necklace, he was sure of that, he would have felt it. It must have been some sort of magic then- Which wasn’t out of the question, considering that it was one of the wealthiest stalls in the market, and its goods themselves were enchanted. And he had thought it was Ardere who had stolen from him… Well, that was bad news, she would for sure have to leave the city now, and that was his fault, partially. That, and her running wouldn’t have been any help to their cause either, but that couldn’t be helped now.

“Are you okay?” asked Lutis as they came to a halt, the alleyway around them deserted- Thankfully. They were close to the wall of the city, a long way away from where Lutis’ room was, but that couldn’t be helped- Maybe they could hide outside the city for a few days before he headed back to normality. Ardere’s cheeks were flushed with exertion, her hair falling around her face, hood back. He took a few deep breaths, hot under his long coat- It was a good thing he hadn’t been far from the desert on his adventures, otherwise he would have been terribly unaccustomed to the heat. Thankfully the buildings around gave some shade from the punishing sun, leaving the alleyway cooler than the wider streets that were more frequented by humans.

As Ardere slid to the ground, a hand drifting to her head, her hand slipping from his, he bent down next to her, suddenly worried. The necklace chinked a little as it was released from being squashed between their two hands- he hadn’t had the time to put it away before she had grabbed him by the fountain. He slipped it into one of his outer pockets, forgotten for the moment- There were more important things at hand now.
“Ardere?” At her mumbled request, he leant close to her face, trying to make out the word. Water? Was that what she was asking for? He fumbled at his belt, unhooking a flask. He pulled the stopper out of the cap and pushed it into her hand, pushing her cloak away from her sides. It was quite heavy, and he wasn’t surprised that she had overheated- It was obvious.

Lutis sat down properly next to her, resting his back against the wall and stretching his legs out. She wouldn’t be better in a matter of seconds; it would take a little longer than that. The flush of exhaustion quickly disappeared from his face, as he sat, taking deep breaths now and then. The hot, stale air wasn’t very refreshing, and he pushed his coat sleeves up his arms a little- They slid down slowly, irritating, but if they had to make another quick getaway, he didn’t want to leave all his possessions behind.

Guest

Still breathing heavily, Ardere greedily took the flask and drank eagerly, accidentally letting some of the precious liquid spill onto her lap in her haste to get a drink. After several long draughts, she dropped her hand and leaned back against the wall, shivering from exertion and overheating. She was still unsufferably hot, and, she decided, since only Lutis was around, there was no need to conceal herself. Her hood was already down, and it was simply a matter of unbottoning the front of her cloak to release the heavy fabric from her skin. She did so, revealing the rather skimpy clothing underneath, which consisted of little more than a tight black corset and short skirt of the same style and color. Her unusual legs were now in full view as well, like those of a goat, only longer and more slender, but still covered in the same thin, brown fur as that of the animal. Her hooves were dainty and sharp, and appeared as though they could do a lot of damage if she decided to kick someone. She poured some of the water over her hot skin and breathed a sigh of relief; she was still hot and exhausted, but at least it was bareable now. She was not made to run long distances; her oddly angled legs were not good for dashing along the cobbled streets madly.

She handed the now nearly empty bottle back to Lutis, mumbling thanks as she did so; she was not one often put in the position to thank others, and it was not an easy thing for her to do. Of course, she thought, Lutis was a friend, so it was alright... He, too, appeared warm and tired, but not to much as her, and he seemed to be recovering rather quickly. The shade was cool, and as they sat and murmured about what had happened, the sun began to sink on the horizon, causing the shadows to lengthen. Soon it was sunset, and the air had cooled considerably, to the relief of the pair.

They knew not of the madness that was taking place in the city, the searches and mad conversations about the stolen good. It was said that this necklace that had been stolen was an object of great worth, and shouldn't have even been in the possession of a simple stall holder. Once the king of the city heard tale of the powers of the object, he ordered an even greater watch, greedy for the power of the necklace himself. The stallholder was chosen as leader of the search parties, considering he had got the longest look at the appearance of the thief, and he would more than anyone be likely to recognize her. Any person they search parties saw wandering around the town in a long black cloak was seized and studied, but all that were caught were not the woman that they were looking for.

When night had fallen, the parties still searched, and Ardere and Lutis were forced to follow the dank, dark passages and alleyways that only few knew to the home of Ardere, which was hardly more than a small shack located in a nearly deserted back alley of Kaionar. No one would be searching here for a while; the area was said to be watched by witches or spirits, but Ardere knew it was nothing more than superstition. In fact, she might have been part of the legend herself, considering her gaunt, shadowy sillohuette and pyrokinetic abilities that could be mistaken for demon flame. She was glad for the isolation, except it could get lonely, especially when she was looking for a good time, and only someone really drunk in a bar, usually, would be willing to take her to their bedroom.

She led Lutis inside the small abode and let him make himself at home, as she went to clean up and make herself more presentable. The mad dash had ruffled her hair terribly and created a thin layer of sweat on her skin, and she took a while to shower and cleanse herself, before coming back out to find Lutis alone in the room. Normally, she would have taken advantage of the fact, offered him a drink or two, and proceeded to seduce him with her charms, but she wasn't in the mood now; a rare occurence. She simply got some water for herself and sat, perched, on the edge of her damaged couch, still dressed lightly without her cloak. She never bothered to wear it in her home, since no one visited, and now was no different. She sighed heavily, glancing up to meet Lutis's gaze. "I won't be able to stay here long," she murmured, looking downcast. "Soon they will forget their fears of this area and search here, and they will find and capture us to be brought and most likely executed before the king. I have nowhere to go..." She trailed off in nearly a whimper, then cleared her throat, unsettled that she showed so much weakness. "I'm not saying that you have to leave, but I will be going tomorrow, to where, I don't know. I have little to take with me, except for a few belongings..." She wondered about the necklace; they had both been involved in stealing it. Who was the rightful owner? She didn't want to have to fight Lutis over it...

The thief hid his smile as Ardere drunk deeply, slopping some onto her cloak. It puddled in her lap, the dryness of the day stopping anything from soaking quickly into either fabric or the ground. It didn't stay long enough to soak in however, as Ardere unbuttoned her cloak, shrugging it off her shoulders into folds on the ground.
"You certainly dress for warm weather." commented Lutis with a wink and a grin, looking over the satyr. Her furred legs always amazed him; so slender and delicate, but able to run fast and kick out hard- She had never kicked him, but he had seen the welts that she had once left on one she didn’t like. He could see why running through such knobbed ground underfoot tired her so; her hooves were tiny. Balancing with such hazards would be stressful for anyone.

Lutis took a drink of the rest of the water, even though it was warm and tasted strange. He capped it again as Ardere muttered her thanks, making him smile. It wasn’t often he had heard the satyr’s thanks, with her normally acting much more aloof. He would have to fill up his bottle again, sooner rather than later if possible, but it wouldn’t be that much of a problem. Kaionar had small water butts scattered around its streets, readily available when one needed a drink. Of course, some tool a toll for a refill, but there were plenty enough opportunities to get a drink from an unguarded butt, especially with the coming of the night.

At night, Kaionar was a much cooler place, the clear night skies allowing the heat to depart with the closing of the day at ease. Ardere’s house was somewhere Lutis had never been before, so when they reached it he didn’t know what to expect. He was pleasantly surprised to find that it was not unlike his own little dwelling across the city. The furniture was worn and homely- Not what he would have expected from the satyr.

While she went into the room that lead off from the one that he was in, he filled his waterskin again, taking a long drink as he did so, before pulling a sheet over the window against prying eyes, and striking a match against some candles he found in a basket near the empty fireplace. Finally he sat down on the broken sofa and tugged the strange necklace from his pocket. The feathers were slightly ruffled and he smoothed them with one thumb as Ardere reappeared from the other room, looking rather neater than she had before, although very glum. He watched her until she spoke, the leather thong of the necklace twisted between his fingers. He could see she was frightened, that was as plain as the day.
“You could come over to my place for a couple of days until they’ve gone.” Said Lutis, trying to lighten the mood. “I’ll go and check if its safe, then I’ll come back and get you. Then we can sell this necklace on the black market and everything will go back to normal.” In theory.

“Anyway, that stallholder saw me too, he’ll probably be after my blood as much as yours.” He got to his feet, dropping the necklace into her lap, then made his way towards the door. “I’ll be back in a bit.” He went to open the door, then though for a moment and shrugged off his coat, then pulled the leather tie from his short ponytail. “Wouldn’t want to be recognised.”

He slipped out of the door and down the street, his shoulders strangely light without his coat, but he still had a couple of tricks tucked up his sleeve- And a big advantage too, even though it was now visible strapped to his back- A pair of homemade wings, enchanted to hold him in the sky if he had to escape from a height. They had got him out of a couple of scrapes already, and he was really starting to appreciate them.

Lutis strode boldly down the first street he appeared out of the alleyway onto, a chuckle on his lips. There was nobody to be seen, apart from a lone wandering drunk, who staggered into a black sidestreet. As he turned onto the next street however, heading in the direction of his house, there were more people, a couple of which headed immediately towards him. When they met, they stared at him fiercely, then down at some pictures clutched hard in their hands.
“Whatcher got there?” he asked, turning to look over one’s shoulder. The person handed him a slip of paper, a crudely drawn picture of Ardere filling up most of the space. The other handed him another poster, this time with a picture of- he realised with a jolt- him, in a blue coat and with much longer hair than he actually hand. He looked at them for a moment, then pointed to the picture of Ardere.
“Hey, I’ve just seen her! She was heading for the west gate.”
The two men looked at each other in surprise, then dashed off towards the gate calling to their companions, no doubt to warn the guards. They hadn’t even recognised Lutis- But the picture was very poorly drawn. He chuckled, then folded the papers in half and made his way back to Ardere’s house.

“I’m afraid I’ll be coming with you.” He said, when he had shut the door again. “Seems we’ll be doing some more adventuring together tomorrow.” He held up the posters, a wry smile entering his expression. “Sorry.”

Guest

Ardere listened intently as Lutis spoke, once again letting her eyes wander over his face - his cheekbones, his eyes, and of course that perfect, alluring mouth - as he talked of his plans. She perked up at the idea of staying in his home, letting a quick smirk flash across her face as she did so. She had never been to his home before, but it was sure to be cozy and interesting... He was a thief, after all, and not many that were as skilled as Lutis lived in shambles and cheap decor. She stood as he prepared to leave, taking his cloak as he shrugged it off and 'accidentally' letting a finger brush through his hair as she also took the band that kept his hair pulled back. It was, she noticed, even more luscious and enchanting when it framed his face in long locks, and she forced herself to stay put as he left to go and check on his abode.

When he was gone, she let herself wander around her own home, straightening out a few things just for something to do. She let her thoughts wander about Lutis, and the necklace they had taken, and what it meant for their relationship. Of course, Ardere was not one for loyal romanctic relationships, and though she and Lutis had most definitely shared some love a couple different times, she didn't feel extremely attatched to him in that way; it was simply the way she was. She had learned long ago to harden her heart against such soft thoughts, and now only lived for the night life, nearly always managing to snag a sexy man by the time the week was through for one night of fun. After that, she would simply forget about him and move on to her next target. She had also realized that, apparently, she was infertile, or at least with human men; she had never gotten pregnant, no matter how many beds she slept in. She had often wondered if it would be different with another satyr, but had never met a male one of her kind, and had let her musings of the idea pass. But then there was Lutis.... He was different, not the least of which because they had started out as friends before lovers. He could make her feel happy in ways that she didn't know existed in her dark, shriveled heart, and had this way about him that simply made him fun to be around. And, of course, he was incredibly attractive to her, which was a definite plus. His skills in thievery upped his view in her eyes even more; who didn't like a man with a rebellious streak? There was more, she thought, but soon became strangely upset and frustrated thinking about him too much, and gave up. He was just a man, she thought. Nothing more.

She shivered; it was starting to get cool, and, not realizing what she was doing, took hold of the cloak Lutis had left and wrapped it around her; she was so absent-minded that she didn't realize it wasn't her own, since she owned so many. She hummed to herself as she waited impatiently for the man to return, hoping he hadn't been foolish and gotten himself caught. She soon heard footsteps outside, and hurried in hide around a corner, lest it turned out to be an unfriendly. She breathed in relief when Lutis entered again, looking a little shaken, but not altogether unhappy. In fact, a wry smile even crossed his face as he spoke, making Ardere glower at him. "I see no humor in the both of us having to escape this city for out lives in the morning," she replied sourly, finding another place to sit as Lutis began to make himself at home, preparing for the evening. Of course she would let him spend the night; no point in having him go home, for all they knew, it could be swarming with people. At least her home was somewhat secluded; they should be safe for the night.

She stayed silent as she wallowed in her own self-pity, switching between blaming herself and Lutis for their predicament. She glanced at him, noticing that the trinket was being held loosely in his grip. She watched him toy with it a while, wondering why on earth the ridiculous thing was so highly wanted, and if it was worth losing what little of a life she had to flee to the desert. She couldn't think of why it would be.

After letting her thoughts mull around for a while, and making occasional comments to Lutis about whatever crossed her mind, her mood began to lighten a bit, and letting her lips curve up slightly, she shifted herself so she was leaning against the thief, her back arched slightly and legs lightly brushing his. She let her face get intimately close with his, tracing a finger down his smooth cheek as her grin widened. "If you're going to be staying the night," she purred, letting her voice get low and alluring, as she always did when trying to seduct someone,"we might as well have some fun, don't you think?" She left him to ponder her words as she stood and walked back into her hall towards her bedroom, knowing that he would soon follow. Men could be so predictable, especially since she had already tainted his water supply with a drug that just slightly altered his senses. It was harmless, but could make things very interesting...

((Feel free to time skip or whatever, perhaps to the next morning to find them tangled together in bed? ;] Also, sorry it's kinda short >.< ))

Lutis slowly realised that Ardere was wearing his coat- Her bright scarlet hair went surprisingly well with the dark blue of the fabric. When she scowled, his smile widened more. She still looked beautiful with such a dark look on her face, watching him from behind a corner.
“Did you think I was a guard?” He pulled the chain on the door behind him, then made his way into the middle of the room again. Ardere had left the necklace on the sofa after he had left, and he picked it up again, running his fingers over the smooth stones laced onto it. It was such a simple object for such fuss.

He looked up at Ardere.
“You’re surprisingly quiet. Still biting at you we’ve gotta leave?” He had put the two wanted posters on the side, for later admiration. “Wouldv’e had to go if the black market hadn’t given a good price for this thing anyway.” He wandered over to the sofa again, plonking himself on the worn fabric next to the satyr. She was even prettier close up… The trinket slipped forgotten onto the floor as she stared into his eyes. Her finger was soft against his cheek... As she backed towards her bedroom, he got to his feet, quickly following…

~

Lutis blinked blearily as he woke, stretching an arm above him and hitting a bed head with his fingers. He looked up, blinking again… This wasn’t his house…
Suddenly, he remembered. He had gone to Ardere’s house…And they had gone to the bedroom… He turned his head, and there was the satyr, her hair sprayed across the pillow and her eyes lightly closed. She might have been sleeping, but you never could tell with this fire witch. He brushed a little hair out of her face, then slid up the bed, sitting up. A little sunlight poked through the cracks in the curtain, bathing the room in a pale cream. The sun rose early when you lived near the desert, but it still might have been any time of day… Time to get moving, if they were going to be out of the city before the house was raided for those looking for them.

He slid out of bed and pulled on his trousers, dragging his shirt over his head afterwards before heading out of the door to get a drink from the other room. His mouth felt kind of strange, fuzzy, like he had been drinking, but he knew for certain he had only drunk water the night before.
“Oh Ardere, you bad satyr.” He muttered under his breath as he took the cup he had been using the day before and smelt it- There was a strange smell hanging around it. He washed it out thoroughly before taking another drink, grimacing. The water was warm. Suppose I’ll have to get used to it if we’ve off out of the city- There’s no cold water in country backwaters. He started to rummage through her cupboards- Yes, it was a breach of privacy, but it was better to have her annoyed than have her thrown in prison, and him too for that matter.

Guest

Ardere blinked blearily awake as the bed shifted underneath her. For a moment she panicked, wondering who it could be that was making the bed rustle, and whether or not she should attack them. Then she remembered what had happened the night before, and a sly smile came upon her lips. She moved her arms behind herself and pushed up into a half-sitting position, yawning as her crimson hair rippled over the cotton sheets. She shivered silghtly; it was still early morning, and though the sun was rising, its warmth hadn't yet reached the bed, and her bare torso, covered only by the thin sheet of her bed, was still cold from the night. She blinked at Lutis as he got up, not bothering to wish him good morning as he got dressed and out of the room before she was entirely awake. For a moment she layed there, content, thinking about the fun she had had the night before. Lutis was amazing in bed, she could admit that much; the drugs she had slipped him had only made him all the more passionate and playful. Her thighs ached slightly from the deed, but she ignored it as she crawled out of bed and put on her skimpy corset and skirt, and, since they would more than likely be leaving soon, her thinnest, light grey cloak; it didn't do as good of a job of covering her as her thicker, darker cloaks, but if they were to leave the city alive, she couldn't look recognizable at all. Since the stallholder had seen her donned in a black cloak yesterday, then they would probably be going after people wearing them; hopefully they would leave her alone.

She didn't bother to put up her hood yet, trodding silently to her kitchen, where Lutis was looking curiously at the cup he had been drinking out of the night before. As she watched, he sniffed it experimentally, and immediately frowned. She laughed lightly, letting him know that she was watching and commented,"I guess my trick has been discovered." She smirked, walking over to the sink and getting a drink herself, only shivering slightly at the warm, dirty water; she was used to it by now, and though it wasn't pleasant, it was the best she could do. She let Lutis rummage around in her cupboards as she went about the house, grabbing her large knapsack and filling it with all the canteens, food, and provisions that she could manage, as well as a cloak or two in case the one she was wearing got worn out. Who knew how long they would be away? Soon the pack was full to the brim, and she tossed it over her shoulder, grunting a little at the heavy weight.

She gave a last look around her home, a look of longing and sadness touching her face as she glanced around it for the last time in what was sure to be a while. It wasn't the nicest of homes, but it had served her well the past few years, and it was hard to leave it after it had protected her from so many unwanted visitors and pests. With a deep breath, she opened the door to the outside world, shielding her eyes against the bright morning sunlight. It was warm out now, and she was glad to be wearing her lightest cloak; at least it shouldn't make her overheat like the other one had the day before. "Well, I suppose we'd better go northeast," she told Lutis dryly. "If they would expect us to try to escape from the city, then they would most likely assume that we would go south, to the forests. There is only desert to the north, and it's probably the safest plave for us to go." Perhaps once they had left the city, they could make a big loop around the city and then go south, to the coolness of the plains and forests. It could almost be fun, she thought; the two criminals, fleeing the city and traveling about the land, living off of what the earth could provide and not caring about the rest of the world... It might be nice for a change. Of course, there was the small detail that they were still running for their lives...

She was startled out of her thoughts by a mournful, screeching animal noise. She flinched in surprise, then frantically looked around, afraid that someone had discovered them. She saw nothing, and frowned in confusion until she saw movement within the shadow of a nearby building. It was a donkey, of all things. There appeared to be no one around to claim the beast, and she wondered how on earth it had found its way into the area. She walked towards it warily, waiting for it to run or panic. It just stared at her forlornly, in such a said, pitiful way that she nearly felt nautious. She humphed, then made a shooing motion at it. "Go on, get back to your master," she muttered, but the donkey didn't move. She glared at it, then picked up a rock, prepared to chuck it at the animal to get it to leave. She didn't like animals, especially hooved ones; they reminded her of what she was, how inhuman she truly was because of her unnatural legs.

((Sorry, it's kinda short and fail. I'm not concentrating very well right now, so please forgive grammar and spelling mistakes x.x ))

They soon made a large pile of items to take on the sofa and sides, each little pile containing a different thing- Food, water, sleeping bags, that sort of thing. Bruised and squashed apples, when they were the only hard foods you had for a while, were so much more enjoyable when they were in one piece. Thankfully Ardere had a couple of big bags lying around, so carting all the stuff around wasn’t much of a problem, although Lutis hadn’t thought on how he was going to wear a bag over his wings… It wouldn’t be comfortable if he had to, maybe there was some way of attaching the two?

He pushed his coat into the top of his sack, knowing that however much he wanted to wear it, it would probably give away who they were straight away. The pockets clinked reassuringly as the fabric scrumpled. He had lost his leather tie in their fun the night before, but it always managed to turn up… Maybe Ardere had packed it? He hefted the bag onto his shoulders, wincing under the weight. Water was so heavy.
“I hate deserts.” Lutis pulled a face, following Ardere to the door. The street was deserted- which was good- “But if we must, I suppose it’s the best place to go.” He pulled the door shut behind him, hearing the lock click gently.

Suddenly, as a screeching sound came out of the shadows, Lutis froze, Ardere jumped. It was just a donkey…Thank goodness. He continued to fiddle with his pack, adjusting it while they were still, and checked the door to see if it was properly locked. The curtains were still drawn inside. He gave a sigh, hefted the bag a little higher and walked over to where Ardere was standing looking at the donkey. Her hooves were just about visible underneath her cloak, which stopped a couple of inches above the ground. As she picked up a rock, pulling her hand over her shoulder to throw it at the beast, Lutis had a thought, catching her hand in one of his.

“Wait a minute. These bags are heavy, it can carry them for us.” He pulled the rock out of her grip, dropping it onto the floor again with a small clatter. “Besides, noone will be looking for two people and a donkey will they?”
He walked over to where the donkey was standing. It lifted its head with a little interest as he approached, and he saw that it had a frayed rope halter tied around its head. It shifted a little as he caught at it, holding it still. A little more rope hung down under its head- it must have bitten through the rope and run away. It was perfectly healthy, and from the look of it, a beast with a little character, as even now, it seemed to look at the thief and say ‘hey, I don’t belong to you!’.

Guest

Just as Ardere was about to toss the stone at the creature, she felt her wrist suddenly halt, and she whirled around to see Lutis grasping her forearm to stop her from throwing the rock. She was about to ask him what he thought he was doing when he gave her a rather plain, obvious answer. A donkey.... To carry their bags? She hadn't stopped to think of that. Even now the loaded bag she was carrying was wearing down on her shoulders, and her back was beginning to ache from the weight. There was no way her small frame would be able to bare a load for a long period of time. Frowning in thought, she dropped the stone and pulled her wrist away from Lutis, studying the creature. Donkeys were not her favorite animal, for obvious reasons. They stunk, they're ugly, and they made horrible, loud noises that made her want to claw her ears off. Not to again mention the fact that they, sadly, reminded her of herself. Even though her legs were more like those of a goat than a donkey, they were too similar for her to feel comfortable with.

As Lutis approached the donkey, she finally sighed and, rolling her eyes, said,"Well, I suppose if it can carry our bags, it could be useful enough for us to drag along. I'm putting you in charge of taking care of it, though." Smirking, she hefted off the bag on her shoulder and placed it, a little roughly, on the poor creature, causing it to complain and try to dash away. By this point Lutis already had a hold of the rope around its neck, though, and its attempt to escape failed against his hold. It continued to complain and cry out until Ardere, grumbling, adjusted the bag more comfortably over its back. It stopped crying, but seemed to glare at her with as much hatred as an animal could muster. "Oh, shut up, I don't like you either," Ardere grumbled, rubbing her shoulders, which were now relieved from the heavy burden.

After waiting to see if Lutis would drop part of his load on the donkey as well, Ardere then glanced around the clearing once more, making sure that no one was around. Her hair flickered as sparks flew from the ends, a sign that she was nervous. She was a wanted criminal, she thought disheartedly. True, she had never been a sweet, kindhearted person, but she had never been a wanted person.... Well, her acts the previous day really had been less than civilized, and she supposed she did deserve at least a part of what was now coming at her. But to be one of the most looked-for criminals in the city? It just seemed absurd. She half expected herself to wake up any moment to her normal life, before the day before when she had run into Lutis in the marketplace. She closed her eyes briefly, but when she opened them, she was still stuck in reality. Well, so much for that idea.

"We might as well get moving; the longer we wait, the more chance that someone will stumble here and find us." Sighing, and with a last glance at her home, Ardere began to walk, in her odd way, northeast, towards the gate that led to the desert. It would be a long walk, but luckily, there were many alleys and backroads between where they were and the gate, so it shouldn't be too much of an issue, as long as they didn't stumble upon a search party. She pulled her hood over herself as she walked, looking behind herself to make sure that Lutis was following, and, of course, bringing the donkey along. For a long while they simply walked among the dark passages, the twists and curves of the alleys automatic to them, since they were so accoustomed to using them to travel. Before long, though, they ran into a busy street, and, trying to look as innocent and inconspicuous as possible, as well as keeping mainly to the shadows, they quickly hurried along until the nexy set of backroads, where they began there slow progress once more. The donkey complained a lot about the burden it was forced to carry, and it slowed them down a bit, being a stubborn and slow creature. Ardere began to lose patience with it, but she forced herself to keep quiet about the subject, instead conversing with Lutis about random topics and ideas, purposefully keeping the subject away from the night before; she was not one to bask in the glory of sleeping with a man, especially one that she knew so well. She wasn't that vain.

After a couple hours, the three travelers finally made it to the northeast gate. It was the least guarded, since few traveled in and out of the small gate; hardly anyone came into the city from the desert, and only the insane wanted out of the city into the sea of sand and heat. The two guards that were stationed there gave them a curious glance, once even nudging the other and murmuring something in his ear, but the other guard shook his head. As Ardere passed by, forcing herself to walk as human-like as possible, she heard him whisper,"Nay, the gal that they're lookin' fer was wearin' a dark cloak, an' she walked like a cripple. This pretty thing ain't worth searchin'; she's too little to have caused any harm. An' I heard nothin' about 'er travelin' with a man an' a donkey. Besides, only an idiot would escape the city to the north." Ardere ground her teeth at the assumption, but forced herself to nod politely at the two men as she exited the city. Once they were out of hearing range, she muttered a curse, saying,"We're lucky that they assign such idiots to guard this gate. I was expecting them to at least search us, but apparently we look too innocent to be worth looking at." She sniffed in disdain, then sat upon a sand dune, giving herself a moment to rest. It was already hot, and she wiped away a trickle of sweat from her forehead as she searched in her bag for a canteen. They rested for a few minutes, cooling off and letting the relief of being out of the city wash over them like a cool breeze. It was amazing how much freedom she felt out here in the open sand; she felt like she could get away with anything now. "Hey, where is the necklace, anyway?" she pondered aloud, tilting her head at Lutis. "I don't think I've seen it since last night."

((Feel free to have them discover some of the necklace's power in your next post Very Happy

Also, I know the guard part seems a bit hokey, but.... Oh well x3 ))

“I can take care of it, no problem.” Lutis ran a hand down the donkey’s nose, and it brayed again before lashing out with its teeth to try and snap at him. He pulled his hand out of the way just in time, and its teeth cracked together audibly. “Even if it is a bad tempered beast…”

The donkey brayed again as Ardere thrust her bag onto its back. It slipped until Ardere fixed it. Lutis, meanwhile, had slipped his bag off his back, and was busy unpacking some of the larger objects. If they overloaded the donkey it wouldn’t last long, but he could at least lighten his load too. Wrapping the donkey’s rope around one arm and holding in one hand tightly, he rummaged in the bag for another strong length of rope. He found it and pulled it out, threading various items onto it- A mug, a few of the smaller flasks of water and such.

He pulled the cord on the bag again, then hoisted it back onto his back. It was much lighter without the weight of the extra water, but he was sure it was going to feel heavy enough after a few hours travelling- Especially in the heat. He looped the rope of supplies onto the back of the donkey, hoping the bottles wouldn’t slide around under the donkey and be kicked open by its sharp hooves. He tucked them close to the pack to make them more secure. Hopefully they would hold.

“Okay, let’s get going. Don’t look so nervous- You’ll draw attention.” The satyr was looking slightly sick again, as she had the previous evening, but that, he supposed, wasn’t surprising- He had been wanted for a long time, but for someone who had never been on the wrong side of the law (or so he assumed) that would be a shock. No wonder Ardere was freaking out.
“We’ll be alright once we get outside the city, nobody’ll find us then.” He started to pull the stubborn donkey after him, trying to persuade the animal to move. It protested for a moment, then gave up and followed, its long ears back.

The streets were relatively cool in the mornings, when the sun didn’t quite reach down into the thin alleyways, leaving the air cool from the night before. Once they had got the donkey moving, it protested less, but it was still rather vocal, drawing a glance from out of a window they passed, or a surprised look as they passed another walker, but it would be useful in the long run, even if it did mean their water supplies ran out faster. In theory, it would be the same amount of water drunk if they had been carrying the full weight of the supplies.

The northeast gate was the smallest gate of the city, and it was little wonder, for all the time that they were nearby, there were no other travellers using it. No wonder the guards looked bored.
As they made their way past, Lutis kept his eyes down, tugging the donkey closer. When they were out of the gate, they walked a way further before starting to talk again.
“Yeah, looks like they’re the idiots, not us.” The donkey looked disdainful at having to walk on sand, but didn’t bite out again like it had before.

Lutis sat down on the sand dune as well, pulling off his boots. Even though the city walls were still in sight, he could already feel a little pile of sand swishing around in the bottom of each one. He refrained from taking a drink however, as he knew that later in the day, he would be much thirstier.
“I’ve got it, been keeping it in my pocket.” He poked around for a moment, then withdrew it, the beads clinking slightly as they touched. “Don’t need to hide it anymore, now there aren’t any prying eyes.” He slipped it over his head- the necklace was long enough to fit over his head without having to undo it.

Suddenly, he felt a strange sensation all over. He looked down at the necklace, frowning. When he looked up again, the donkey was still in front of him, looking highly unimpressed- But Ardere was gone! He blinked in surprise, then scrambled to his feet, looking around for where she had gone- he hadn’t heard a thing. In front of him, he saw two people, dark in the sunshine, and walking towards him- one was leading a donkey. They seemed to appeared as suddenly as Ardere had disappeared.

Thoroughly confused, Lutis pulled off the necklace and balled it in his fist, hiding it from view- And Ardere appeared again!
“What the heck? What just happened?” He put a hand to his head- Maybe it was the sun? Maybe he should have a drink after all… He sat down again, not understanding what had just happened. He unclenched his fist, looking at the necklace lying so innocently on his palm. He thrust it at Ardere.
“I don’t want this thing anymore. It does weird things.”

Guest

Ardere had found a fan in one of their bags, and was busily cooling herself off as Lutis messed with the necklace. So simple and innocent looking, and yet it had gotten them into so much trouble... What for? That's simply what she couldn't understand. Why on earth would such a small, useless trinket cost so much? It didn't make sense at all. And they had been so close to stealing it without trouble! She should have known such an expensive object was guarded by some sort of security. Idiot.... She was too distracted by her own thoughts to notice when Lutis put the necklace on, and went through.... Whatever it was that he went through. She wasn't torn away from her thoughts until he thrust the object at her, looking confused and maybe, she thought, even a little scared. "Weird things....?" she repeated, picking up the necklace and studying it. "What on earth do you mean?" The necklace was not changed in any way since she last saw it, still with the same small adornments and feathers as the night before. Nothing seemed off about it, and she frowned at Lutis. "Is this some kind of game? This thing is useless. There's nothing weird or magical about it. But if you don't want it, then I suppose I'll hold onto it. No point in throwing away something that cost us so much to attain...." She pulled open the cord and strung it around her neck, half expecting something amazing or strange to happen. But when it was firmly looped around her neck, she felt.... Nothing. Her frown deepened, and she glared at Lutis. "Very funny. I think we can assume that this stupid thing is worthle-" As she was speaking, she let her hand drift down to the largest stone on the necklace, the one with the strange, raised design on it. Her thumb brushed lightly over the mark, and she thought she felt it shift slightly, like a button. Surprised, she looked down to see the stone start to glow faintly. Gasping, she struggled to pull the trinket off, but it seemed to weigh a ton, and she couldn't budge it.

She struggled to her feet, her mouth open to cry at Lutis to help her when she realized that the earth was moving around her. She looked up to see Lutis.... Gone!? No, that wasn't quite right. She could see a figure in the place where he had been a moment before, but it wasn't solid.... It was more like a shadow of his body. It was the same with the donkey, and all of their supplies. It was like she was standing frozen in time as everything around her sped up, moving impossibly fast and strange. She whimpered in fear as shapes and shadows and colors whirled around her, until she was so dizzy and confused that she collapsed on the sand, covering her head to protect herself from the images. She stayed in that position for what seemed like hours, but was really no more than a few seconds. When she finally dared to open her eyes, she saw Lutis walking up to her with the donkey, just before he sat down to rest. That didn't make sense.... He had just done that a minute ago. She watched in confusion as he pulled off his boots, just as he had done a minute ago..... What on earth had happened!?

"Did you see that?" she finally gasped, scrambling to a sitting position. He looked too calm to have experienced what she had just gone through, but.... She shook her head. She must be going insane from a heat stroke, or lack of water, or something. She grabbed a canteen and drank again, hoping that the occurence would slip out of her mind once she was hydrated again. But the more she thought about it, the weirder it got. It was almost as if she had.... Traveled back in time. It was such an absurd thought that at first she pushed it out of her mind, but the more she thought about it, the more she wondered if the necklace really did have magical properties... She looked down at it, now back to its normal state, with the dull stone and strange, slightly raised design. "I think I know what you mean now," she quietly told Lutis, glancing up at him. "This necklace is quite strange..... But I think I understand why it was so expensive. With this much power..." She let herself drift off. What other abilities could it contain? How far back in time could they travel? Now that she had accepted the fact, the possibilities seemed endless. Could they change the past? Go to the future? She was almost afraid to think about it. She was still shaking with fear from the event, though, and she dropped her hands into her cloak so Lutis wouldn't see them trembling.

----

Nearby, a dark, stealthy figure darted about over the sand, snuffling around for something to eat. Ink had gone without food for the last two days, and she was starting to get incredibly hungry from lack of food. She couldn't simply enter the city to find something to eat... She would more than likely be caught to sell in the market, if not killed on the spot. Her stomach growled, and she whimpered unhappily. She should have stayed up north, where there was plenty to eat and drink, but nooo... She had to follow her stupid instincts and come down here, for what reason, she knew not. She just had some inkling that something important was going to happen in the desert. And her intuition was almost always correct.

Her ears twitched in interest when she heard voices just over the nearest sand dune. Curious, she crept up the sloping sand, staying as close to the ground as possible so whoever it was wouldn't see her. She dared to take a peek over the crest of the dune, and caught sight of two humans and a donkey. Her stomach growled again. Hoofed mammals weren't her favorite thing to eat, but she was starting to get desperate... She was about to attack when she felt an odd tingle in the air. Something shifted around her, and though she couldn't place what, she knew that something had just happened, something with magic.... She looked closer at the humans, and saw one, the female, clutching something around her neck. A necklace? Ink's eyes widened in shock. Such a rare object, found in the desert on the bosom of a weak little human girl? She couldn't believe it. How had it gotten here? There must have been a reason. Fate was definitely at work....

She decided to watch and wait for a while, to see if anything else happened. She would approach them later, if they didn't notice her presence sooner. She, like most dragons, knew a powerful object when they saw one, and this was no exception. In fact, if it was what she thought it was, she could have just stumbled upon the greatest magical artifact of the century...

((Just a note - since she traveled back in time before Lutis tested the necklace himself, he'll have no recollection of anything that happened after he sat and rested. So he won't know what she's talking about, or how she got the necklace... ;D ))

“Yeah, weird things, like you… and me… and the donkey over there.” He pointed in the direction of where they had come from- there was nobody there any more, but it had certainly looked like them- almost like a memory. But that couldn’t happen, could it? It sure still looked the same, but appearance wasn’t everything.
“Maybe that necklace is worth more than we thought. I doubt the stallkeeper was quite right about the price, but…” From the look on Ardere’s face, she didn’t believe him- Although he wasn’t surprised. If he were she, he wouldn’t believe him either, it just was too strange to be true.

“Well, I don’t want it any more, so you keep it.” He looked down to rummage in his pockets for a snack as she put the necklace on around her neck.

Lutis pulled the donkey to a halt as a new sand dune rose up in front of them, the city a little way behind them. He had been daydreaming about the necklace… But out here in the desert, it was probably a good thing to keep his head clear in the heat. He sunk onto the sand, flapping a hand in front of his face to try and dispel some of the hot air, or make a little breeze. And maybe a drink too…

“See what?” He looked at her in confusion, then out towards Kaionar. “Is someone following us? Already?” He couldn’t see anyone, and peered around the side of the donkey to see if it was blocking someone he couldn’t see.
“Hey, there’s nobody there!” He looked back at her again, frowning. What was she playing at? “Woah, don’t drink so much, that’s gotta last us a while, and we’ve hardly started out!” He let her drink though, she looked kind of scared- He wasn’t sure why though, because nothing had happened since they had left the house earlier- Apart from finding the donkey of course, but that wasn’t much of a problem, was it?

“What do you mean, you know why it would be so expensive?” Ardere was really starting to confuse him now. What had come over her that she was suddenly so scared and so interested in the necklace they had stolen- He had stolen… They had stolen together?
“Wait… How did you get that?” he dug in his pocket frantically for a moment, hunting for the necklace, but it wasn’t there. “It was in my pocket just a minute ago, how could you have got it out without me noticing?” When you’re a thief for as long as Lutis had been, you learned to watch your pockets for pickpockets- But it was something that any long-term resident of Kaionar would have learnt over the years, it was something you just picked up. Now he didn’t have the necklace, his fingers itched for it, and he wanted it back. He fumbled with the cap on the waterbottle in his hand, taking a swig before replacing it again.

A hushing sound came from above and behind them, and he looked up to see where it had come from. A dark shape rustled at the very top of the dune, close to the edge of the sand, but it didn’t look quite human. He scrambled to his feet, dropping the donkey’s rope as he did so and holding a hand to his face, to shield his eyes from the sun.
“Who’s there?” he called, squinting. It was hard to see such a dark shape against the pale yellow of the sand all around them. “What do you want?” He started up the side of the dune slowly, but his boots began to fill up with sand. He stopped and pulled them off, throwing them back down the incline to near where Ardere was sitting near the donkey, then started up the dune again.

Guest

Ardere blinked at Lutis. She was still in shock from what had just happened, and now Lutis was striding up like nothing had happened.... Had he truly seen nothing? From the way he was acting and what he was saying, it appeared that way. But... How could he have not seen it? It was everywhere! And yet.... While she had stayed in the same place, he had moved somehow, back the way they had already came. The only possible way it could have happened was through magic. Time travel.... Could it truly exist? Perhaps... Perhaps only the wearer of the necklace could travel, and see what was going on around them? Her thoughts whirled as she attempted to make sense of the situation.

"Lutis...." she finally said, fingering the stone and looking up. "When you.... Just a moment ago, we were both sitting here in the sand, talking about this stupid trinket. Suddenly you had a strange look on your face, and thrust the necklace at me, telling me it did weird things. I didn't know what you meant, but then.... Then I pressed this." She motioned at the innocent-looking design on the largest stone. "Everything started to spin, and you and the donkey disappeared, and the entire world was a blur." She closed her eyes, trying to force out the freakish images. "And then.... Then you appeared again, over there," she said, motioning to where he had just been,"even though we had already passed that point. And I was still here... Lutis, what the hell is going on?" Her gold eyes were wide with fear and confusion, and she jumped in fright as Lutis suddenly called out someone behind her. "Now what?" she muttered, cowering. She was a simple girl with a boring, if unusual, life, and she was not used to so much action and surprise in one day. Her little body couldn't handle it. She whimpered without turning around, leaving Lutis to handle whatever it was that was on the dune.

Curses! Ink thought darkly as she saw the man's head snap to attention and call her out. She shuffled backwards in an attempt to hide herself, but it was no use - she had already been spotted. He came up the dune after her, quickly filling his shoes with sand and, in an attempt to move faster, took them off. Sighing, she decided that it would be easier for everyone if she simply showed herself. She popped her head over the dune, flaring out her feathers in an attempt to startle the man. She didn't mean to scare him too badly... She just thought she'd have some fun. It was just her character. After waiting for his reaction, she reached her mind out to his, saying, Greetings, human. I see that my hiding tactics weren't as effective as I thought. She walked until her entire small frame was over the dune, then perched in front of Lutis, tilting her head. My name is Ink. What should I call you? Before he could answer, her attention was caught by movement, and she whirled her gaze until it rested on the strange women that smelled like goat. She was fumbling with the necklace again. Ink's eyes widened, and she dashed down the dune until she was next to the satyr. Don't press anything! she cried into her mind, making Ardere scream and fall over onto her back. She hadn't heard the dragon come down the dune, and now she lay on the ground, cowering beneath Ink's stern gaze.

Do either of you know what this is? she fumed, nodding at the necklace. This is one of the most powerful artifacts of your time. How you got ahold of it, I have no idea, but if you are going to be so foolish with such an incredible gift - here she glared at Ardere, who sank farther into the sand -[i]then I suggest you give it to someone who at least knows what it is. She humphed, planting her rear end in the sand pointedly.

"Lutis, what.... Who is this?" Ardere gasped, staring in shock at the dragon. She had never seen a dragon up close before, and she had to admit, it was a frightening image. Her hair started to spark in fear and anxiety as the beast glared at her, and she wondered if she should try to attack it, or just stay still and hope it didn't eat her. Even though it wasn't a huge, scaled beast like she had pictured most dragons to be, and was actually quite small, and feathered, it was still unsettling to have a dragon staring at you with such fury. "I.... I'm sorry," she finally stammered, dropping the necklace in the sand. "I... I didn't know what it could do. What... What is it?' She thought she might as well ask; this dragon obviously seemed to know what she was talking about, even if she was angry.

Ink stared at the girl in shock. You've honestly never heard about the Necklace of Time and Deathly Desire? she asked. My my. Perhaps only dragons are trained in the knowledge of magical artifacts.... She mused for a moment, then turned her attention back to Ardere. The necklace you are holding contains more power than you can possibly imagine. Time travel, healing, pyrokinetic abilities, flight.... It can grant you nearly any ability you want. However, the more you use it, the more you become attatched to it, and the greater it controls you, hence the name 'Deadly Desire'. You will become so addicted to it that eventually it will drive you to insanity.[/i] Her eyes narrowed. There are only a few who are strong enough to resist the lure of the necklace. Legend tells that there is a tomb somewhere among the desert sands where the necklace can be hidden forever, away from the greed and hunger for power of the evil men in this world. She frowned, looking over her head at the desert, spread out across the landscape in all directions. Only question is, where? And if you decide to take it there, how long will you be able to resist its power? She looked pointedly at Ardere. That necklace will only bring you pain. I would suggest you either give it to me immediately, or let me help you take it to where it belongs.

Ardere looked to Lutis, bewildered, scared, and confused. Unfathomable power, in her hand? She looked at the harmless-looking necklace, stunned. She hadn't asked for this power, she didn't want it.... And yet, even now, she could feel the faintest of urges to just touch the necklace, to feel its smooth surface in her palm. She brushed aside the feeling, staring at Lutis and focusing on him instead. "What should we do?" she whispered. She had no doubt about the truth of the dragon's words. There was no reason for her to lie. "I.... I don't want to have to take this thing across the desert! It's insanity." But she couldn't imagine just giving it up to the dragon either....

She stayed quiet, unsure of what to do next.

“Sounds like you’ve been drinking something funny. I’ve been here all the time. So’s the donkey.” He scrambled further up the sand dune, calling over his shoulder to Ardere, who was still sitting at the bottom of the dune. Well, he couldn’t blame her really, she wasn’t used to all of these adventures he was so prone to getting into. Especially in the past few months, he had hardly been in Kaionar more than a few days, and yet here he was again, stuck in the blasted desert.

His bare feet slipped in the sand and he nearly fell on his face as the soft sand moved down the slope. His hands got covered in sand, and he took a moment to shake the silvery golden stuff out of his sleeves, before it started to itch under his coat. It was uncomfortable enough without having sand stuck everywhere. But he figured it would happen eventually, being in a desert and all.

The dark shape at the top of the dune slid out of view for a moment as he clambered higher, and he gave another quieter call.
“Who’s there?”
A strange feathered head popped over the top of the dune all of a sudden, its features suddenly encompassed by a frill of feathers. Lutis gave a yell, startled, losing his footing on the uneven dune and toppling over with a spray of sand in the air. He blinked frantically, sand making his eyes itch, then scrambled backwards on all fours as a voice came in his head.

The head feathers had reminded him of Hone, who he knew was somewhere in the desert, but she couldn’t speak through her mind.
“I…I felt the sand move.” he stuttered, then slid back further as the rest of the dragon followed her head over the dune. She was quite small, for a dragon at least, but if you lived in the desert, there wasn’t much food- Apart from the odd slink lizard. Dark coloured, now he thought about it, completely different to Hone.

Lutis blinked more sand out of his eyes before rubbing one for a second.
“Uh… Lutis- Wait!” the dragon had set off down the slope towards Ardere, running down the sloping sand like it was the easiest thing in the world. He climbed to his feet, sliding clumsily after the dragon, his feet sinking into the sand.

Ardere’s scream cut through the quiet of the desert, the dragon in the way of Lutis’ view of her. The dragon’s words didn’t make any sense, making her an immediate threat. Lutis bowled down the sand after her, taking a flying tackle at the dragon so Ardere could get away.

It wasn’t quite as effective as he thought it might have been. He tugged Ink half to the floor before sliding off her side, having misjudged his timing (and angle) so he slid over her back, instead of pushing into her side. He landed in a tangled heap in the sand. The donkey gave a bray and stamped his feet (that cleared one thing up about the beast), backing away from the pile that was Lutis. He flailed in his coat for a moment before sitting up and pushing it nonchalantly off his head. Ink seemed little phased, and sat up again, plonking into the sand and immediately chastening Ardere about the necklace she wore around her neck. He still didn’t know how she got hold of it.

At Ardere’s question, Lutis found his tongue again. Ink’s words- how could the necklace be so powerful, it was just something they found in the market!- had completely confused him.
“She said her name was Ink.” Now the dragon was just sitting calmly in front of Ardere, she seemed much less threatening than before. Even though she was still angry. An embarrassing turn of events. The donkey brayed miserably again, backing away from the dragon and threatening to bolt. Lutis caught at its rope before it had the chance to run.

The Necklace of Time and Deathly Desire? What sort of name was that? And since when did dragons become the experts on magical artefacts? Hone certainly didn’t know anything much about magical artefacts- But she wasn’t quite the normal dragon.
“Sounds like fun… Until the whole insanity and madness and falling into our doom thing…” Ink didn’t seem to be lying, she seemed very sincere for such a peculiar turn of events. Did the necklace they had stolen really have the potential to do all that? “Ardere, maybe you’re right about that whole spinning around and me changing places thing.” He tried to sound sincere too, but it sounded just ridiculous. He cracked up into laughter, grinning in disbelief at Ink. “Do you really expect me to believe all that?”

“And take that thing across the desert too?” Now things were getting a little out of hand. Really, did Ink expect them to go across the desert for some trinket?
He flapped his hands to think for a moment. It looks stupid, he knew, but it was the only way to get a moment.
“Okay, so you’re saying this necklace thing,” he pointed to the necklace in the sand, “is some all powerful object that supposedly, if we don’t get rid of it fast enough, is going to kill us. Great. And you want us to take it all the way across the desert.”
He turned to Ardere. “Well, if you don’t want to give it up to this dragon (and I certainly don’t, it cost us at least a month out of Kaionar), then maybe we could take it to this tomb. It’s either that, or getting lost out here ourselves, or heading for the plains.” And getting lost in the desert was not his idea of fun.

Guest

Ink huffed at Lutis. I see that you're skeptical. Well, it's no surprise, coming from a human, especially one that tried to attack a dragon. She stared at him meaningfully, quite aware of what he had tried to do earlier. It was rather amusing, really. He was now covered head to toe in sand, which was unfortunate, as there was no place to bathe for the next few miles. There were oasises sprinkled around the desert, though, and perhaps if he asked kindly, she would show one to him nearby... Now, though, she let him suffer the consequences of having tackled her. If you want to take my advice, I would suggest keeping the Necklace wrapped firmly around your neck, so that it would be difficult for you to lose it. That way I can show you to the tomb, which is.... Somewhere.... Around. She blinked uncertainly, slightly embarassed that she didn't know the exact location. She would just have to trust her instinct to find it, she supposed.

"Lutis, I'm not joking.... Something really did happen just a moment ago." Ardere stood slowly, looking uncertainly at Ink, as if she was afraid the dragon might attack her at any moment. "When I pressed the button-thing, it was as if time reversed itself. There's no other way for me to explain it. I.... If what Ink says is true, then we have no right to have it. This... this thing obviously has a lot of power that we were unaware of when we stole it."

Ink huffed. You stole it? My my, somone should have set better security around their goods.... The seller himself must not have known the complete potential of the Necklace, or else he would have kept it safe and secret at all costs. You're quite lucky to have gotten away with it. She tilted her head curiously. Oh, now I see. You must be escaping the town as fugitives now, hmmm? Well, all the better for me, or else I would never have run into you in the first place. She shook herself, sending sprays of sand in all directions. If you will let me, I can show you to a place where we can rest and I can tell you more. She looked first to Ardere, then to Lutis, waiting for an answer.

Ardere hesitated, then sighed. "It seems we really have no other choice. We can't go back to the town, we can't go south with this necklace for fear of it driving us to insanity, and we can't just leave it here for someone to find." With Lutis's agreement, she nodded tiredly. "Lead the way." She stood shakily, grasping the necklace and wrapping it around her neck. If anyone was going to carry it, it would be her. She didn't want to risk Lutis going power-hungry over the thing... She realized with a jolt that she cared enough about him to worry about his safety. Interesting....

Once the donkey was loaded once more and all their belongings free of sand (or as free of sand as possible), the four trudged on, Ink leading the way with an idiotic grin on her face. To think, she would be the one to find the tomb for the most powerful artifact of this age! How jealous her friends would be if they could see her now. She led them for at least a mile before turning suddenly to an extremely tall dune. It was impossible to see what lay beyond its long, high peak, and as she easily started climbing the steep slope, she looked behind to watch the trio struggle in the sand. Just a little farther, she told them, nodding. Once you get over this hill, we'll be where we want to be. She scurried up the rest of the way, standing momentarily on the peak before giving a shrill cry and sliding down the other side like a child on a slide. It was the fastest way down, and it was fun, so why not? Once at the bottom it was obvious where she was going - a small pool, sheltered by thin, wide-leafed trees and grasses and bushes was tantalizingly close, and as the dragon reached it she leaped into the water, cooling herself off from the hot afternoon sun. She looked back to see the rest of the group just reaching the top of the hill, all covered in sweat and sand and looking rather grumpy. I didn't lie. See? She swished her tail in the water, sending ripples across the surface. Come on! She stepped out to allow the humans to have it for themselves, shaking and going a little ways off to allow them privacy, if they wanted it.

Ardere needed no more persuasion. She scrambled down the dune, half running, half sliding as she made her way to the small lake. She landed in a spray of sand and water as she hit the edge of the lake, sighing in relief as the cool water rushed over her hot skin. For a moment all thought of the necklace weighing around her neck vanished, and she went deeper into the water, stripping herself of her heavy cloak as she sunk into the cooling liquid. More explanation about the trinket would wait - she needed to rest for a while.

~*~*~*~*~

Nearby, unknown to the group, a pack of around thirty bandits were grumpily making their way across the sand. They hadn't run across an oasis all day, and their water was beginning to run low. Some were beginning to regret the trek across the desert, especially one in particular. Terrowin hadn't even really wanted to be a part of the band, but desperation had led him to them, and now he was stuck with them. He hated the way they treated women and hurt anyone that got in the way of their greed; sure, he had stolen things on many occasions to survive, but he never harmed anyone in doing so. He regretted ever joining the group, and was hoping that soon some oppurtunity would come up that would allow him to leave.

For now, he trudged alongside the troup, sweat dripping from his brow as he sipped away at the last of his water. Were they all doomed to die out here? In the distance, he saw a large dune, and his hope rose. Perhaps beyond that, they would be able to find a place to rest.

((Gaaaahhh, I feel like it's terrible >.< Sorryyyyyy ))

“I think sceptical is a bit of an understatement.” said Lutis, crossing his arms. “And I thought you were going to attack Ardere.” he huffed, looking away from her disapproving gaze and pulling at the sleeves of his shirt, emptying them of sand again. So much for trying to stay clean.

“Oh great, and you don’t even know where this tomb is?” If Lutis was having doubts before, he was definitely having them now. “We’re going to be wandering around this hellhole for months.” he grumbled under his breath.

As Ardere climbed to her feet again, Lutis reached for his bag, where he had deposited it onto the sand, and hoisted it onto his shoulders. “Fine, I believe you.” he said, leaving the necklace in the sand while he fixed his bag, keeping hold of the donkey’s rope with the other hand. “But since when did you get a conscience about nicking things, since yesterday?” Ardere wasn’t a thief like Lutis was, but her sudden change of heart unnerved Lutis. Probably more than it should have, too.

Ink didn’t have much faith in his pickpocketing skills. “I think you’ll find that luck had little to do with it.” He covered his eyes as Ink stood and shook the sand from her coat. “Hey, watch it!” He had enough sand stuck under his clothes without the dragon contributing to the load as well. As they loaded the donkey again, ignoring its complaints, he added his discarded boots to its load. His feet were all sandy anyway, and although the sand was hot underfoot, he would rather have hot feet than heavy boots.

He followed Ink as she led them to… wherever they were going. She hadn’t been very specific when she had said “a resting place”, and they could be going to pretty much anywhere. He snuck a quick glance at Ardere, who still seemed pretty serious about the whole magic-necklace thing. It wasn’t that he didn’t believe her, or the dragon, in fact, some bits of their story made more sense than it would have done otherwise, but could it really all be down to the necklace being a powerful magical object? It was strange how she had come to be holding it when it had been in his pocket all along… And why would she keep faking such fear when he knew she didn’t like to be seen as fearful? None of it made sense. He decided he might have to… experiment… with the necklace later when the two weren’t looking and see if anything strange happened to him. Although that wouldn’t go down well if they knew. It would have to be secret- But that was hardly a problem for him.

Lutis was starting to wonder how far the resting place was when steep banks of sand started to rise in front of them. It slipped under their feet, and it was particularly hard going for the donkey, whose petite hooves were made for flat soil, not sliding sand. It was thirsty work, as well as frustrating- Two steps forwards seemed to have to include one step backwards. He nearly asked Ink how much further it would be, but then she decided it was just over the next crest, so he kept his peace. Hopefully the dragon wasn’t trying to make light of a bad situation, but she didn’t seem to be one for bending the truth- She had been rather blunt at times so far.

He tugged the resisting donkey up the last part of the slope, making it move even though it didn’t want to. It was liking it less and less in the desert, and if they had thought it bad tempered back in Kaionar, it was twice as bad now, snapping at his fingers if he put them anywhere near it’s headcollar to lead it that way. It baulked as Ink gave a cry, but Lutis held it still until it calmed down and carried on, suddenly settled as the dragon disappeared from its view. They reached the top of the dune, and Lutis’ heart lit up as he saw a green oasis, Ink slipping and sliding down the sandy bank towards it. The donkey leapt forwards, giving a bray and heading straight for the water.

Lutis felt the rope tug out of his hands but he let the donkey be, following Ardere and Ink with long strides, sliding with the sand as it moved underfoot. He gave a laugh, pulling off his pack and following Ardere into the water after he threw it onto the bank. It was lusciously cool and he gave a sigh of relief, ducking his head under the water and shaking it to get the sand out of his hair. It drifted round his face like seaweed, and he pushed it off his face when he resurfaced, spitting water out of his mouth. Ardere was floating a little further off and he paddled over to her, half swimming with a strange paddling stroke, half pushing along the bottom with his feet. The donkey was sticking to the edge of the water, taking long thirsty draughts.

“Hang the necklace, this is much nicer than I thought it would be, escaping from Kaionar.” he said, smiling at Ardere. “And it always helps to have a beautiful companion with you.” His grin widened, and he sent a playful splash at water across at her.

Guest

Ardere grinned at Lutis as he slipped down the dune after her, nearly tripping over his long legs in his haste towards the water. As he reached the edge of the pool and leaped in, Ardere ducked her head, taking the chance to take a long, cool draught of what she assumed would be refreshing water. It wasn't until after she swallowed that she realized how strange it tasted. She pulled a face, grimacing slightly, and said to Lutis,"Don't drink the water, is has an odd taste..." The words were no sooner out of her mouth when Lutis spoke, and then splashed at her. The water hit her right in the face, and she gaped at him, letting out a bark of laughter as she sent one right back at him. "Speak for yourself, you handsome devil," she crooned, splashing over to where he was and continuing to drench him with water, even though they both were already soaked. She laughed, letting the frustration and toil of the day release from her as the water cooled her overheated body. She wondered where Ink had gone, but didn't really worry too much as the two continued to play around in the water. Her drenched crimson hair hung in wet ringlets around her face, further pronouncing the pair of horns atop her head, but she didn't mind if she looked bad; she was having too much fun, and Lutis wouldn't care. She couldn't remember the last time she had let herself enjoy something so much, and she realized that living outside the city might not be such a bad thing after all. She was free to be herself, and having Lutis along for the ride just made it that much more pleasurable. The neckclace around her neck was forgotten for a while, as was the mysterious dragon that had somehow appeared to them only hours ago.

Eventually, after she was completely soaked and cooled off, she pulled herself out of the water, a light grin still on her face. Even though the sun had begun to set, it was still pleasantly warm out, and she sat on the back, dangling her bare feet in the water. Her cloak lay beside her, and she saw no sense in putting it on, since she didn't mind if Lutis saw her nearly nude, and Ink had yet to reappear. She stretched, yawning, and realized how tired she was. She motioned to Lutis. "C'mere, let me use you," she purred, offering a rare genuine smile. The water had put her in a strangely happy mood. Once he was beside her, she leaned against him and closed her eyes, savoring the coolness and softness of his body as she snuggled against him. She was beginning to feel more attatched to him than she would like to admit, and she made a note to herself that she wouldn't let herself feel this vulnerable once the giddiness of the water had left her. It just wasn't in her nature, or so she thought...

She fingered the necklace around her neck, wondering if there was some way for them to get out of the entire ordeal, and maybe just stay here for a while... Heck, she wouldn't mind staying here forever, as long as she had nothing to worry about. It was just strange to feel so... Free.

While the two lovers rested by the lake, Ink was off in the small forest surrounding the oasis, checking for any signs of someone having discovered her secret resting place. It was almost impossible to find unless you were a dragon, or simply very lucky, and she was glad to see that no one appeared to have discovered it yet. She decided to let the humans sleep by themselves; she assumed that her presence might make them too uncomfortable to sleep soundly, and she was sure that they would need a good night's rest for the journey tomorrow. She found a nice ray of dying sunlight peeking through the canopy near the edge of the forest, and she curled up and was soon asleep in the warmth. Her dreams were filled with visions of the necklace and a mysterious tomb that held hidden secrets untold for eons...

The dragon was so fast asleep that she failed to notice when the group of bandits made it over the crest of the dune. When they saw the dragon lying nearby, they all hushed and, with professional delicacy, clambered down the slope silently towards the beast. She didn't realize what was happening until they were nearly upon her, and by then it was too late. As she stumbled to a standing point, still half asleep, one of the men dashed up and pricked her with a dagger. It was a small wound, but the effects were almost instantaneous. Ink fell back onto the sand with a silent cry, finding herself unable to move. Apparently the men knew about herbs and poisons, and had tipped the dagger with some sort of paralyzing concoction. She could only watch in horror as they tied her up, and then continued onward into the forest. One man, with icy blue eyes, a scruffy chin, and a shock of blonde hair seemed to waver, taking a last glance at the helpless dragon before running after his group into the trees.

Ardere and Lutis, too, were not aware of the approaching troup until they were upon them. The bandits finally began to make noise, but now it was commands to tie up the two and search their bags for anything valuable. The leader, a tall, black-haired man with pitiless eyes told Terrowin to watch over the two now incapacitated people as he searched through their bags. While the rest of the men were distracted, Terrowin approached the two, eyeing the scantily clad - satyr? - with interested eyes. He paused when he caught sight of the necklace, and he snuck a glance back at the men, still searching through their packs. Being a man with a conscience, and not wanting to harm the two people too badly, he knelt down and whispered,"If that necklace is of any value taw ye whatsoever, Oi suggest ye let me take it. Oi swear that if these men let ye go, Oi will return it tae ye if Oi can." He knew they had no reason to trust them, and his words really sounded too good to be true. Of course they wouldn't let him have it. He just hoped that the men wouldn't think the necklace was worth killing the two over; he could think of many ways that their leader could take the necklace from around the woman's neck, and none of them were pleasant. "As long as ye do as these men say, ye should come tae no harm."

"Oy, Ter, wotchee sayin' t' those mongrels?" one man called over, and giving an apologetic grimace to the two, turned to the speaker. "Just seeyin' if they got anythin' tae say," he replied. "Oi don't think they 'ave much worth takin'."

"Yer right," the leader spat. He took the rest of the water that he had found in the packs, spitting at the terrified donkey before turning to the two. His eyes lit up at the sight of Ardere. "Well well well, lookee at wot we have here. A pretty little gel t' have fun with. It ain't too often we find such beauty out here in th' desert." He raised his brows as he noticed her horns and furry legs. "A satyr, my God! Ye oughta give us a bit o' fun." Barking an order, the leader motioned to two men, and they leaped at Ardere, preparing to grab her and take her with them. "Leave the other one be. If he c'n escape his bonds, then p'rhaps he'll live another day. It ain't easy survivin' without food out here too long, though..." The man let out a bark of laughter, and he turned to Ardere just as the men grabbed her. With a screech, her hair burst into flames, singing one man and greatly burning the other. They both leaped away, crying out in pain. "Well well!" the leader whistled. "Yer a figher, eh? Let's see how well ye fight when ye can't move." Terrowin watched helplessly as another man dashed up and nicked Ardere with the same dagger as he had Ink, and she slumped over, completely paralyzed. Her hair fizzled out as she lay limply on the ground, eyes wide with shock and terror. "That's better. Take 'er, boys!" As they roughly took hold of the girl again, Terrowin turned back to Lutis, who was so tightly tied up that there was little chance of him breaking lose. As the group went out of sight, he dashed up and began sawing at the ropes with his knife. "Oi can't let ye die, mate," he whispered as the ropes fell loose. "If that lass means anythin' tae ye... Oi suggest ye try tae do somethin'. It's 'orrible wot they do tae women." He shuddered, pulling away the last of the rope. "Oi've been lookin' fer an excuse tae escape from these wicked men fer too long, an' this may be my chance o' escapin. If we can find that dragon an' get 'er tae help us, we may have a chance o' rescuin' yer woman." He knew chances were slim, but this man looked capable, and Terrowin went with his gut when it told him that he felt trustworthy. "Name's Terrowin, mate," he said, offering a hand. "Oi know Oi may seem rough on th' outside, but Oi really mean ye no harm."

Lutis shook his hair as Ardere splashed more water back at him, ducking under the surface as she swam over, laughing as they cooled off. It was nice to have a bit of downtime with Ardere, without their normal… passion.

“What’s so strange about the water?” he asked, taking a gulp despite her warning. She was right, it did taste different to the water in Kaionar, but he didn’t expect it not to. It was the only water source around too, so they would have to put with it. Hopefully it wouldn’t make them ill with its strange minerals though…

Lutis pulled himself out of the water next to Ardere, pushing his hair out of his eyes and pulling his shirt off to dry on the sandy bank beside them. It was dripping wet, and if he got too hot again, he could just jump back into the water. He wrapped his arms around Ardere as she leant against him, feeling strangely close with her presence. Her hair was shiny damp and he brushed a few locks off one of her horns, kissing it gently and following it to her cheek. She was so unlike other women, firey and unpredictable… He linked his fingers around hers as she played with the necklace, enjoying her company and the oasis and the evening wordlessly. Ink had pattered off to sleep somewhere else, no doubt a secret place of her own…

As the evening drew on, he pulled his coat out of his nearby backpack, tugging it around his shoulders and Ardere’s, so they shared its shade together.

Lutis was dozing, still wrapped around Ardere when he heard a rustle nearby- It must have been the donkey. The donkey needed a name… Suddenly he was jerked awake as he felt a rope pull tight around his body, and cold steel at his throat. Bandits! More ropes joined those binding his body, tying his hands, arms, legs… Out of the corner of his eye he saw Ardere being similarly trussed up, but he didn’t dare call out for fear of being killed there and then- The stories of bandits in the desert were ones to be feared. He felt his coat tuck half under him as he was dragged backward to sit against Ardere, giving a gulp, but still keeping quiet. It would do badly for them to find some of the trinkets he kept hidden in his pockets.

As one man knelt down beside them, looking up and down them with interest- Ardere particularly- he tried to pull his coat further underneath him, but only succeeded in making the bonds around his legs dig deeper.
“You take it?” said Lutis, finally finding venom in his voice. “We’d rather bury it for a thousand years in the sand.” He glared, backing up his words with a spit to the man’s face. “Who are you to say we’re safe, when we’re tied up like this?”

The donkey gave a frightened bray as who Lutis took to be the leader of the group walked towards them, the remains of his pack scattered on the ground behind him. As the men grabbed Ardere, tugging at her arms, Lutis swore at the man, rolling onto his side away from Ardere as her hair caught fire, and paling at the bandit’s words.
“You rogues! Knaves, beggars, pandars! You whoresons--” His insults were suddenly choked off as one of the men stepped forwards and gave a slap to his face, his cheek stinging with the impact. Ardere suddenly slumped over and was pulled to her feet, limp and unmoving.
“Ardere! ARDERE!” He watched as she was bundled onto the donkey’s back- Ink was nearby too, similarily unmoving, and the started off back through the trees surrounding the oasis.

“Oh shit, Ardere…” he struggled at his bonds again, desperately trying to free his arms, legs, anything! There was a whisper nearby, and he looked up- the ropes around his ankles had suddenly fallen loose. The man who had talked to them first had returned- Was he really cutting him free? The last ropes around his wrists fell loose and the man bent down, offering a hand and his name.

Lutis rubbed his wrist for a moment, then kicked out at Terrowin’s legs, sending him reeling. He scrabbled in his coat pocket, drawing one of his daggers and climbing to his feet, picking up his coat in the other hand. Terrowin was much better armed than he, and surprise was the only thing Lutis had as an advantage- He was a thief, not a swordsman!

“Sure you mean me no harm. Where are they taking Ardere? Why would you want to help me, apart from escaping yourself?” Lutis backed up a bit while he spoke, scooping the broken ropes off the ground, and his shirt too.

~~~

The bandits headed through the trees for a while before turning off into the desert. In the middle of the group, a dark-skinned man lead the donkey, pulling fiercely at its rope when it baulked. But the man wasn’t a man at all- It was a woman- Myio, to be precise. She wore the same hard, victorious look as the other bandits, but secretly she was worried- They had just captured a satyr, and who knew what they were going to do with her? It was nothing good, that was for sure- And Myio would be expected to join in, which was going to cause a problem- Let alone the fact they had also just captured a dragon too. Myio was fine with the stealing and plundering, especially the weighty gain they sometimes got in valuables, but when it came to kidnapping…

She slowed her pace for a moment, letting the donkey walk beside her so she could lean over to whisper in the satyr’s ear.
“We have to get you out of here, you’re going to get me into big trouble.” She curved her lips in a seductive smile to make it look as though she was whispering sweet nothings. “You’re going to jeopardize my whole cover.”

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