Carah walked through the dimly lit and empty caves to the little waterfall town in the cave castle. The large glowing mushrooms clung to the walls and floor. Her staff lightly tapped the stone ground, it echoed slightly off the stone walls. She weaved her way through the small houses and buildings to her small house on the far side of the town. It wasn’t a very large house but just big enough for Carah and possible one other person or animal to live in. It was finely made out of dark brown wood that was lightly dusted with white splotches from the glowing mushrooms. A small path made its way to the door. There were several small boxes with strangely colored mushrooms and plants growing in them. This was her small garden of plants and roots that she could grow in this dark place. She reached into her robe and pulled out a small iron key with a silky ribbon tied to it. She put it in the key hole and tried it to the tight then to the left and the door clicked open. She smiled and put the key back into her robe and pushed open the door.
The inside was rather large for the size of the small house. You opened the door to reveal a large room with a long table covered in books, bottles, small jars filled with strangely colored powders, plants in pots, and several mortars and pestles. Carah leaned her staff in the corner of the entryway and made her way to the table. She quickly took off her hip basket and put it on the table. Walking to a near by cupboard she grabbed a few empty glass jars and a few jars with items, similar to the ones in the basket. She brought them over to the table near the basket and started to put the items into jars. “Worm root…” She mumbled as she put a few thin green roots in a jar. She continued to mumble the names of the items she pulled out until the basket was empty. “There we go.” She said with a small smile and picked up the filled jars. She walked back to a large cupboard and opened it. This cupboard just so happened to be where she kept most of her ingredients. There were many jars filled with plants, powders, small animal looking things, and more. She closed the cupboard ad walked back to the table and grabbed a book and ran her fingers over the words.
All of Carah’s books were made especially for her. The words were raised so she could feel the letters under her finger tips. She may be blind but that wasn’t going to stop her from reading. Her finger tips ran over the letters quickly, every once and awhile she would stop on a word and go over it a few times then continue. Finally she stopped and put the book back on the table. She gave a small sigh and she yawned a little. She slowly made her way to another doorway on the other side of the room. This room was her bedroom. It wasn’t very large and it didn’t have much in it. There was a small bed roll in the far corner of the room under the window that had its thin blinds closed. A small desk was pushed into a near by corner and was covered in books as well. A small wooden chair was pushed to the side of the desk. A small pot with little purple flowers was set on the window sill and they would faintly glow a pale pink. She put her hand on the wall and had it guild her to her bed roll. “What a day…” She said softly when she made her way to the window. “Normally my night gathering isn’t this eventful.” She said with a smile when she found her bed roll. She bent down and crawled onto the bed roll and placed her head on the pillow lightly. She sighed and grabbed some small cloths pieces and put them in her ears. When she slept she could hear so many things that they always woke her up so she would put in these cotton balls and they would drown out the noise. She smiled when all of the sounds were dulled down and she closed her eyes. She wasn’t asleep, she was just resting.
She sleeps all the time since she has a lot of time on her hands because people rarely stop by, but when someone ever does come over she is very busy trying to help the sick or wounded person. She was one of the best healers in the town; even if she was feared by the people in the town they still trusted her with the lives of loved ones. For example, earlier that day she had help a little girl get rid of a very dangerously high fever. The parents were grateful but they were scared out of their minds, because they were in front of Carah. She smiled at the thought of the little girl and closed her eyes.
Carah Duke the Black Ace Voren the Cruel Leonard Morat Honwor Anar Aleray Ishati Tynal the Angel of Ice
Her eyes darted this way and that, trying to make sense of the endless tunnels and passageways. Why had she came in here in the first place? Shrugging that thought away, Ko turned a corner and found herself facing something that looked like a garden. Great, now I'm on someone's property, she thought sarcastically. Maybe she should knock to see if whoever lived here knew the way out? Or maybe not. She had no way of knowing whether they were friendly or not.
Several long seconds turned into long minutes as Ko ran the various solutions through her mind. She could knock, then run if they weren't friendly. Or she could walk off and see if she could find somebody else. Nope. The former was the best. While she was thinking, her hands had absentmindedly crawled into her pockets. It was somewhat of a habit, putting her hands in her pockets when she needed to think about something, which was quite often.
After a moment of indecision, Ko forced her legs onwards, onto the well-kept path and towards the dreaded door. She hated not knowing what was going to happen. Reaching it, she lifted an almost shaking hand to the door and knocked three times. Although she hadn't banged hard, the sound seemed to echo, bouncing off the cave walls. She didn't have a bad feeling about this, but she didn't have a good one about it either.
A soft muffled knock went through the cluttered house. Carah sat up and took the cloth out of her ears and listened closely. She could hear someone breathing...some one was at the door. Quickly she ran her hands over her silvery hair and rubbed her eyes. Slowly she pushed herself up and placed her hand on the wall to lead her back to the door. Who could it be at this hour? She thought to herself as she made her way to the main room. "Coming!" She said in her soft voice When the wall ended she felt around in front of her to make sure she didn't bump into the table. She wove her way to the main entry and found the door handle. Slowly she opened it and gazed out of the door with her milky green eyes. "Hello?" She asked starring straight out of the door. She could hear someone in front of the door and she caught the scent of someone there, but she wanted to make sure she wasn't imagining things since she has been alone for quiet some time.
Carah Duke the Black Ace Voren the Cruel Leonard Morat Honwor Anar Aleray Ishati Tynal the Angel of Ice
Ko waited patiently for whoever was inside to show themselves. She had just realized that maybe the owner was away. Mentally smacking herself for not thinking of that sooner, she was about to leave. That was, until a soft comming was heard from inside the house. She was about to breath a sigh of relief, but knew there was still the worst to come. From the voice, it was a female, and she could be fairly unfriendly.
Hello? Ko heard the voice speak again. She hesitated for a moment, then replied in her sweetest voice possible. "Hello there." Not that she was sweet at all. She just wanted to spend as less time as possible trying to find her way out of here. She could make herself sound sweet, lost, innocent or any of the opposite.
Carah tilted her head to the side. "Yes?" She asked opening the door wider even if she couldn't see anything she wanted to be polite to her guest. Her long flowing blue robe with white trim lightly brushed the dusty floors of her entry way. Her sliver belt lightly jingled around her waist. The black markings on her face and neck seemed darker in the dim light of the cave. She continued to gaze out blankly with her milky green eyes. "How may I help you?" She asked with a small smile. It was nice to have a guest for once and not a patient.
Carah Duke the Black Ace Voren the Cruel Leonard Morat Honwor Anar Aleray Ishati Tynal the Angel of Ice
Ko couldn't shake off the feeling at something was wrong. The girl's stare was too intent, but at least she was nice, or attempted to be nice. She wondered how to put her next phrase or two. Too impatient and she would ruin her 'little girl lost' effect. "Erm...I was wondering if...if...you know the way out of h...here?" she stuttered in an innocent voice. She wasn't sure if she had achieved the right effect, but it seemed the right thing to say.
Carah tilted her head to the side slightly. "Your lost?" She asked with a small smile. "Well thats not uncommon here..." He said with a friendly smile. She could tell this girl was afraid or at least nervous. "Would you like me to show you hey way out my dear?" She asked, her gaze was becoming less intense but she still gaze straight ahead.
Carah Duke the Black Ace Voren the Cruel Leonard Morat Honwor Anar Aleray Ishati Tynal the Angel of Ice
Chiyoko remained relaxed by her glaze, even though she had to admit it was somewhat unnerving. The girl had the impression of a nice person, but the eyes were a bit...weird? No, that wasn't the word, but she couldn't think of a good word right now. Her mind was focused on what to say back. "Y...yes please" she said, still in her silky childish voice. "Th...thank you..."
Carah smiled. "Let me just grab my cloak and staff." She said with a smile and turned around holding onto the door frame. She turned her head half way. "Please do come in...it will only take me a minute or two." She said as she walked back into the cluttered main room. Carah felt alone the walls trying to find the chair where she had put her cloak.
Carah Duke the Black Ace Voren the Cruel Leonard Morat Honwor Anar Aleray Ishati Tynal the Angel of Ice
Chiyoko didn't have much of a choice but to step through the threshold and into the house. "Erm...thanks a lot, and sorry to bother you," she said with a somewhat sheepish grin, although she wasn't altogether sure the woman could see her. "Uh...I'm Chiyoko, by the way, but you can call me Ko for short," she said quickly, realizing she hadn't introduced herself. It was best to act friendly and introduce yourself first when talking to strangers, she found out.
Carah finally found the chair with her cloak draped over the back. She smiled and spun it over her right shoulder and quickly locked the clasp. "Your not bothering me at all Hun." She said with a big smile. "I wasn't doing anything when you knocked...wellI'm normally not doing anything..." She said with a small shrug and felt her way to the table. "Chiyoko..." She said softly as she felt for her hip basket. "what a beautiful name." She said with a smile. She tied off the hip basket around her waist and smiled in the direction that Chiyoko was speaking from. "I'm Carah."
Carah Duke the Black Ace Voren the Cruel Leonard Morat Honwor Anar Aleray Ishati Tynal the Angel of Ice
Chiyoko tried to listen, but she just couldn't concerntrate. She wanted to get out of this hellhole as soon as possible. But of course she wasn't going to say that. "T...thanks," she stuttered again at the compliment. She didn't get much of those, being an orphan. "Nice to meet you, C...Carah," she said in a soft voice.
The faint sounds of quick footsteps echoed in the empty tunnels of the caves. Path lit only by a single glowing mushroom, he had too keep moving. Amazingly, his footprints were the only thing that gave away his presence. His beautifully crafted armor made no sound as he moved, and only the occasional flutter of his cape as he rounded a corner. This only alerted a few alley cats, and they promptly tailed after him for a few blocks. "Aw damn." He cursed. He jumped up, veiled by his black cloak, and landed on a roof with a soft thud. The cats mewed at his absense, and with a silent apology, he stalked off. Now that he was out of the shadows, he was more exposed in the intense light of the glowing mushrooms, but so long as he remained quiet, no one would pay him mind. And that was what he intended. You see, he was a man in hiding, beautiful in complexion, with skin colored ivory, though now slightly tanned from his travels in the other kingdoms. But now, a slight forwn was drawn across his face, and had been there ever since his return to the Mammal Kingdom. The state it was in was very poor, and this was no doubt the fault of their King. His frown deepened, seeming to become etched into his face. King Voren, the vile piece of filth who locked him away. Fortunately for him, no one had ever been able to hold him in one place for long, and slipping away from the King was child's play, literally. He stopped under a large, glowing mushroom to gather his bearings. Ah, he was growing ever close to the castle. Ever closer to the place of his childhood. Ever closer to his revenge. He was disguisted by the sorry state of his Kingdom, and he planned on taking his rightful place as King. He would do his country proud.
But until then, he was a simple traveler. He was Rah-juh the Bandit, and lesser known as Rah-juh the Quick, Spy of the Empire. His identity needed to be kept secret, at least until he could slip back into the palace. Perhaps his sister was there, safe from their father? Who knew. Well, he would if he'd use his power to peer into the future. But as his teacher taught, he was not to meddle in the affairs of the future. Even the death of a single butterfly could have drastic changes in the delicate time stream.
Stepping lightly on the wooden rooftops, Rah-juh eased his way around. He needed to be quieter, move slower. If people heard thunking of boots on their roof, they would leave their home to examine what was causing the strange noise. A gap to the next roof, a simple obstacle to cross. He jumped gracefully and landed with ease. "Tsch, far too easy." He whispered to the alley. He could hear voices coming from inside. He'd have to be extra cautious... Taking a step, the wood creaked loudly. Then came the sound that neither the young man nor those inside the house would find pleasent: The sound of splintering wood. He tumbled through the ceiling, landing below on what sounded like jars. Thankfully, his armor absorbed most of the damage, but the jars and their contents...were pretty much crushed flat under his weight. His eyes were wide, and his cape covered his head. He spoke in a stammering voice to the two women who he'd rudely fell in upon.
"I...I'm terribly sorry to drop in like this...but...it seems as if you're roof was getting weak and well..." He glanced to the side. "I...do apologize for breaking...whatever was in those jars and...some of it seems to have gotten itself wedged between my armor and my clothing..." He shifted uncomfortably, trying to remove whatever it was. After much grumbling, he held a root in his hand, now crushed and oozing juices. "Ew.... Ah, my apologies, miss..."
Carah smiled and suddenly heard something land on her roof. She looked up at the ceiling and frowned slightly. She heard the wood shatter she reached for her daggers and handle and whipped it out of it's sheath. Her table remained steady under the mans weight but her jars of ingredients had been damaged. When she heard the jars shatter and her books fall to the floor a small pain ran through her heart. It had taken her quite some time to collect all of the mosses and roots in the jars since she was blind. She pointed the dagger at the stranger on her table even if she could not see them. Her face seemed to show her sadness and anger. "Who are you but more impotently why on earth were you on my roof!" She said with a small frown. Her milky green eyes gazed straight a head of her.
Carah Duke the Black Ace Voren the Cruel Leonard Morat Honwor Anar Aleray Ishati Tynal the Angel of Ice
Ah, so she'd pulled a dagger on him? If that was the game she wanted to play... He gripped his sword, and took notice that she was blind. Taking his hand from Pomethus, Rah-juh rose to his feet and began to remove his armor, simply to get the strange plants out from where they weren't supposed to be.
"I was simply passing by, and travel by roof is easier than that of the road. I'll pay for your roof's repair, as I feel terrible for barging in like this." Using his gauntlet, he pushed her blade aside. "But there is no reason to pull a blade on me. I am here only by accident. Had I wish to harm you, m'lady, you would be bound and tied to this very table."
Now began the work of cleaning up the mess he'd made. Sliding off the table, the young Prince began picking up the larger shards of splintered wood. "Shall I toss these outside, or what?"
