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Post by Deleted on Jan 5, 2017 14:37:08 GMT -5
My last reply: Alice glanced in his general direction one time during his explanation. That time was when he reached the end. She pulled her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. Alice buried her face in the material of the clothes, shutting her eyes. What could he do to change her view of him or trust him? Could he do anything? "You're an assassin. I don't know what you can do to prove anything to me." Her voice was muffled due to the clothing, but she didn't want to repeat herself if Damien couldn't hear her. "If me knowing your name is such a problem, why did you tell me in the first place?" He brought that upon himself for giving her his real name. He should have made one up. Even something as stupid as Piggy would have been enough. Alice just wanted to call him by something. "You contradict yourself though. Obviously I am a danger to you considering what you just described, and if I were to say 'I won't expose you' I know you couldn't possibly take my word for it. So my advice to you: make up your d*** mind." She turned her head to face the opposite wall and rested her chin on one of her arms. Your last Reply: "You want to know why I gave you a name I should have kept secret? I haven't told anyone my real name since I left Yurriom seven years ago. In seven years, not one person has addressed me by name. So I made a mistake and gave it to you to use, not because I trusted you to keep it safe but because I trusted myself to make you and because I wanted to hear it said by someone again. I didn't know at the time how much weight that would put on me, and it's too late to undo things now." He sounded as though he regretted his decision, but he didn't sound as though he were looking for pity. He doubted he'd get it even if he asked, anyway. "I know my profession makes me the guy you don't trust, alright. I'm not stupid. I understand that trusting someone you met when they were attempting to take your life isn't easy, maybe even impossible. If you choose not to, I won't hold it against you. We can spend years refusing to trust each other if that's what you're saying. But until I can trust you not to harm me, I won't be able to leave you alone without ensuring you don't leave. While you're still afraid of me, that's never going to happen." He sighed again, not looking at her. "I'm contradicting myself, I know that. What I'm trying to get at is this, I'm not going to choose to seriously hurt you until you make an active choice that will harm me. But I can't trust you, so as much as I hate it, I have to do what I can to prevent you from ever making that choice. When we're walking through a busy street, I will hold onto you, when you ask questions whose answers are dangerous for me to share, I'll cut the conversation short. And yes, when I'm sleeping in a room full of weapons, that means restraints. If you expected anything else when you made the decision to come with me, you didn't consider your options well enough. "You know what, come to think of it, what were you expecting?" 𝘨𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘶𝘯, here it is. Sorry if I am slow. I am doing errands
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Post by 𝘨𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘶𝘯 on Jan 5, 2017 14:47:03 GMT -5
( great, thank you! don't worry about that, I'm a bit slow at the moment as well. )
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Post by Deleted on Jan 6, 2017 9:36:15 GMT -5
Alice knew Damien had his reasons for doing some of the things he does. She understood the fact that he wanted to keep her close to make sure she doesn’t run off and scream for help. Not that she would, since she really doesn't want to go back but she doesn't want to go forward either. Alice did look up at him when he asked his question, she narrowed her eyes slightly, "I'm not sure what I expected everything to be like. But I expected trust to go both ways. As of now, it's not very balanced."
In which it really wasn't going both ways. It was less than half trust on his end, and half on her own. Which she shouldn't trust him even that much if he keeps so many things secret from her. Alice hasn't tried anything yet, what reason did he have to give her so little trust? He may have known everything about her - possibly from information passed in his guild - and she only knew his name, just to put it in perspective.
"I don't know why you assume I'll try anything. Obviously I don't want to go back to where I came from. And why would I call for help now if I didn't when we first met, when you were absolutely set on killing me? It just doesn't add up in my opinion." She turned to the window again, "Then again, when has that mattered to anyone?" She grumbled that last sentence mostly under her breath, and wasn't concerned if he heard it or not. Damien couldn't possibly care about her problems, only his own apparently.
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Post by 𝘨𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘶𝘯 on Jan 6, 2017 9:56:34 GMT -5
Damien could help but give a smile at that. That a simple gesture, usually friendly, could be so condescending and self-deprecating was amazing, even to him. It wasn't pleasant, that much was certain. If anything, it was the complete opposite. Harsh and sharp and a little too pointy. "I'm not a trusting person. That's all you need to make it add up."
He pulled his bottom lip into his mouth and bit down on it, hard enough to taste blood. The pain terrified him, but his fear focused him. Not much, but enough to draw his thoughts back to himself. Enough for him to think through his next words carefully.
"You want me to trust you?" She didn't know what she was demanding from him. She didn't know how much his heart shook at the prospect. She couldn't know, but that didn't matter. He'd been through more than she could ever imagine. The trust he'd once given so willingly had been betrayed, and after a betrayal like this one, there was nothing for him to do but make it impossible for that to ever happen again.
"You want me to trust you," he repeated, this time as a statement. "You get one question. Anything you want. I'll do whatever I can to answer it honestly, to give you all the information. Or you can ask me to do something for you. Give you a weapon or teach you to use one or anything else. I won't let you leave, and I won't put myself directly in harm's way, but otherwise you can ask for anything. I'll do what I can. I know it's not much, but I can't give you anything else."
He didn't want to trust her. His entire body was screaming at him to stop, stop now. Turn back and run before you get hurt. But she was right. He had to if this was going to work. And right now, she was definitely the more trusting of them. He had to change that, no matter how hard he had to clench his fists to keep his hands from shaking.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 6, 2017 10:18:15 GMT -5
Alice first thought his statement was a test, that he was merely toying with her, but when he didn't give a sarcastic remark afterwards, she accepted it to be true. That he really was attempting to trust her, and to prove it he was giving her one request for anything. The prospect of it all made her want to either lie down and think it over or hug the nearest person out of excitement (which was Damien so she soon changed her mind). To use that 'wish' right now though, when she wasn't exactly sure on what to use it on, would be a stupid desicion.
"I'm not sure what I want to ask. I think I'll save it for later. If that's alright with you?" Alice asked, figuring it might help if she asked for his permission on the matter than make her own desicions. It might just prove that she sought out his permission or guidance on things. Hopefully anyway, she assumed they both needed a feeling of some security.
Alice quickly added though, being somewhat worried about his response to her holding onto the request. Considering she could use it at a time he believed she could take advantage of him. "I mean, if you would rather have me use it now I can. It-it's not a problem." She stumbled over her words, since she said it sort of fast.
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Post by 𝘨𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘶𝘯 on Jan 6, 2017 10:32:12 GMT -5
Damien winced. The idea of letting this draw out, making him wait to see what this recklessness had gotten him into, it was torture. But he supposed rushing her wasn't going to help either of them in the long run. So, he drew a shaky breath, then nodded. "Think about it while I change and get something to eat. Take more time after that if you want. But a cornered dog isn't kind, and I don't think I'll manage much of that either while I wait. Bear that in mind."
He wasn't sure if that would make sense to her. She had to see how scared he was in this moment. Eyes wide, pale, tense as anything, he certainly looked it. He wasn't sure if that was enough to drive the analogy home, but he wasn't going to explain it any further. No, for that she'd need to sacrifice the one question he'd given her, and by then the information would be useless.
"I'm going to get dressed in clothes that aren't all black, and then I'm getting breakfast downstairs. You can join me down there if you'd like." With that, he stood, and before long he'd stepped out, holding a change of clothes in his arms. He wouldn't change in front of her, not so much for decency's sake but because his scars were something else he'd hide. They would draw questions he wasn't willing to answer, and he'd made a promise. He'd do what he could to protect himself despite it.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 6, 2017 11:40:55 GMT -5
Alice understood the analogy for the most part, although it confused her when he looked so terrified. Like he had just seen a ghost. But she would respect his opinion on the matter and would come up with something while he was getting dressed. So maybe she could ask him her question while they are, she was starving. Alice had missed dinner yesterday, and had yet to eat today. "Okay then." She told him simply once he stood.
While he was doing what he needed to, she spent her time thinking up what to ask him. She debated between asking him a question such as something light hearted like intrests or hobbies to maybe break the ice. But what intrests or hobbies does an assassin have? Alice assumed they would just be busy murdering human beings.
Her next option was to ask him something that might tell her more about what he was hiding, but when she hasn't heard enough information from him to think of any questions, Alice was drawing a blank. What if she could learn something from him? She can possibly make herself useful. That would really be the best solution, considering her other options wouldn't help her at all.
When Alice figured he was downstairs, eating (since about a half hour had passed since he first left) she followed suit and went downstairs after him. She found him eventually, and sat down across from Damien. Her eyes were bright with the prospect of actually being not helpless for once.
{Sorry, I'm poofy cuz I'm moving and a lot of stuff needs to be done}
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Post by 𝘨𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘶𝘯 on Jan 6, 2017 11:59:27 GMT -5
( oh, you are? good luck with that! )
Damien changed quickly, so by the time Alice came to sit with him, he'd eaten more than half of his food - a generous helping of whatever the inn was serving for lunch today. She sat and he gave a terse nod, waving the woman making rounds in the room over.
"You want anything to eat," he asked curtly, chewing his food more vigorously than was necessary. His response to fear was, and always had been, to fight, and it showed in the way he clenched his fists around his cutlery, hard enough to turn them white. He had this need to punch something, but he managed to rein it in enough to appear, if not civil, then simply upset. Nobody was going to get seriously hurt today.
He ate carefully, waving to the two women to talk between themselves, then took to staring at the food on his plate again. He didn't need to look at the person he wanted to punch, now did he.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 6, 2017 12:11:09 GMT -5
Alice might as well have not shown up if he was going to be upset at her coming. Body language was something she could read, being raised in a castle where you are taught to point out such things in guests helped. Damien's knuckles were white and he asked her in a way that she definitely took as rude. It wasn't her job to tell him off about it, no matter how much she may have wanted to.
"Only if you don't mind." He seemed like he wanted to leave, like he didn't want to wait for her to eat. Which she really didn't understand why, but figured it was best not to question it. He could consider it the request she had and was using it to ask him what was wrong. Damien struck her as the person who would do that.
"But um...about my request..." Alice trailed off, as she was unsure how to approach the situation. She was walking on eggshells at the moment and has probably already demolished all of them in her wake - not intentionally of course.
{I'm going to need it. This move has proved to be the hardest out of the twelve I've done previously XD}
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Post by 𝘨𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘶𝘯 on Jan 6, 2017 13:35:59 GMT -5
( twelve? wow! military family, or do you just move around a lot? )
"No. I don't mind." This wasn't a lie. He was on edge, sure, but he wasn't going to deprive her of food just because of that. She wasn't even the one who'd caused his state, he'd done that himself.
She mentioned the request and he wasn't sure whether he should be even more terrified or relieved that he didn't have to wait any longer. Unless she was planning on telling him that she still didn't know what to ask, of course. He forced his shoulders to loosen and looked up expectantly.
"Yes, what about it? Do you know what you want it to be?" He sounded undeniably hopeful, like he wanted nothing more than for the answer to be yes. But anyone who knew how he usually spoke would know that he was shaken, too. To anybody who didn't pay attention, he didn't sound scared. To anybody observant enough, he was clearly terrified.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 6, 2017 13:41:10 GMT -5
{Military Gotta poof, have to go to the store really quick. I'll be back }
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Post by 𝘨𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘶𝘯 on Jan 6, 2017 13:51:53 GMT -5
( ahhh. I'm not American, so I won't extend my personal thanks, but I'm sure many are grateful for what your family does. alright, thanks for the heads up! )
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Post by Deleted on Jan 6, 2017 15:06:17 GMT -5
{Sorry, my phone was about to die and I was listening to the news. There is an active shooter inside an airport and it's happening right now. I'm trying to listen for updates}
Alice was glad Damien said she could eat, she was hungry, and probably would have ordered food even if he didn't say she could eat. What did they have though? She looked over at a list of options a supposed worker placed where she was sitting.
However, Alice spoke to Damien as she looked over them. "I was thinking that you probably wouldn't want to drag around someone who was defenseless and was all around a burden. So, I was hoping you could maybe teach me how to use a weapon of sorts. I'm assuming you've had practically with weapons of all kinds."
She would have made direct eye contact with him as she spoke but didn't think he would really appreciate it. Mainly because he hadn't acted all that excited at her presence and wouldn't want to see that in his face.
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Post by 𝘨𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘶𝘯 on Jan 6, 2017 15:21:43 GMT -5
( oh wow, that's awful. those poor people. )
Damien sighed. Thank god. This was easier to trust her with than any information she might ask for. He could beat her in a fight no doubt, it wasn't like he could replace years of experience with just a few hours.
"I don't want you keeping it while I'm sleeping, still," he warned, but he had visibly relaxed. "But I'll teach you. I favour knives myself, but I can teach you to handle a sword or a bow if that's better for you. Name it and I guarantee I have one lying around somewhere."
He did have quite the arsenal. He took copious amounts of weapons with him wherever he went and had a small pile of supplies hidden away in any major city, waiting for him. Some weapons, like whips (he still refused to use one, and they weren't that useful for an assassin anyway) and staffs (who still fought with a staff?) weren't available to him here and now, but they were never far away.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 6, 2017 15:53:42 GMT -5
Alice did try to keep eye contact this time as she did perk up as he agreed to it. She was smiling a little, which was probably the most she has smiled while talking to him since yesterday. She could finally be of some use, she hated not doing anything or not being busy with something. When she lived at the palace, Alice was normally busy with trying to make a small disaster for either her brother or parents or to anyone she thought really deserved it. However, that was child's play, and she should have outgrown it a long time ago.
"You're the weapons expert here, what do you think would be best for me?" She assumed the type of weapon a person recieved was based on what they could handle, whether it be physically or even mentally. Then again, she could be wrong. Alice was never allowed to handle anything that could be lethal. Her parents didn't trust her with it. Not that she could blame them, she would probably use it to cause mischief or use it to escape.
However, learning to use a rapier always intrested her. She would keep quiet though, until Damien made the decision. He actually knew what he was doing and more or less what was best for her.
{Last time I checked, it was five people dead and more injured. The first shooter was arrested but about an hour and a half later when the 'all clear' was given, another shooter came into one of the airport garages. I'm not sure if he's still active or not}
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Post by 𝘨𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘶𝘯 on Jan 6, 2017 16:26:05 GMT -5
( oh my god, that's just awful. I can't believe somebody would do that. )
Damien thought for a moment. She looked like she'd handle long distance weaponry better, she'd never last in hand to hand combat with any decent opponent, which was perfect for him, as well. Somebody trained in killing at a distance was far less likely to pose a threat at closer quarters than somebody trained in close combat. But that would pose a bigger threat overall, since it wouldn't allow him to defend himself. He shouldn't be factoring this into the decision, but he couldn't help it. If she had something she wanted to learn, she should have mentioned it before.
"If you want to be useful," he began, starting to eat again. "I think we can rule out anything that requires you getting close to your opponent. You're not strong enough for that. A dagger might be the exception, but you have to be quick for that. You might be able to handle a smaller sword, with a lot of practice. I'd say throwing knives, just looking at you."
He leant back and looked her up and down, thinking. "Alright, you have to choose. In my professional opinion, throwing knives is definitely the way to go here. They're relatively easy, fatal if you know how to use them but with a low risk of killing someone during training. I'd appreciate that. Nobody should start their training with larger blades, that's how people lose limbs but a lighter sword might work. That would take a lot more work, I should warn you. I'm not letting you near one until I know your arms won't ache after swinging it around for a few hours - or that you won't take my head off because you weren't balanced enough. That means months of no weapons, no replacements, nothing. You need to be able to fight with your fists before you can fight with blades of that size."
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Post by Deleted on Jan 6, 2017 17:08:16 GMT -5
Alice weighed her two options, the sword sounded intresting but challenging. Which it could be too challenging for her. The knives sounded a little easier but not by much. She hadn't handled weapons before and wouldn't know what the difference was between the difficulty of throwing knives and a light sword like a rapier. Her eyes darted around as she panicked.
"I uh...I don't know. You pick I guess." She shrugged and finally kept her eyes locked onto his after she was done speaking. Alice shifted a bit in her seat, and twiddled her thumbs underneath the table. She often did when she was unsure of something or told to do something on the spot.
{Sorry short one}
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Post by 𝘨𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘶𝘯 on Jan 6, 2017 17:20:56 GMT -5
Damien nodded. Alright then. Since she'd asked. He took a moment to think about it. The fact that she was unsure told him that she was at least interested in the sword, despite the warnings he'd given. And he had to consider himself, too. The sword would make him safer than the knives. But she'd asked to be useful, and the sword wouldn't allow that for a long time.
"Alright, here's what we do. We go with the knives for now. I'd prefer to keep a sword out of the hands of a beginner, for both our sakes. I don't want to lose any fingers, and I'm betting you'd like to avoid self-inflicted stab wounds, too. Besides, I don't use swords myself, even if I have the skillset. Teaching would be harder for me, and as you've seen I'm a selfish bastard."
He watched her carefully, looking for a reaction. The decision had been hers and she'd given it away, he wanted to know if she regretted it now that choices had been made.
( don't worry, mine will be short for a while, too. )
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Post by Deleted on Jan 6, 2017 17:36:18 GMT -5
Alice had to admit she was slightly disappointed that he told her to use the knives but she did give him the oppritunity to tell her what to do. And he knew what was best really. His last reason was really a selfish one, and she shouldn't even count it as a reason. If it was for someone's own gains it didn't qualify in her book.
"Yes you tend to be." She nodded thoughtfully. "But your other points make sense. The knives might be best." Alice told him with some hesitation but not so much to where it sounded like a complaint. She figured she did enough of that to last Damien a life time.
"When would we start?" And when would that serving lady get here to take her order? As if to answer her thoughts, the woman did approach her and Alice ordered her food quickly. She actually wanted the woman to leave so her and Damien could get back to their conversation. Alice turned her head back to Damien when she did leave though, so he would know he needed to respond.
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Post by 𝘨𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘶𝘯 on Jan 6, 2017 17:44:20 GMT -5
Damien made a surprised sound, suspiciously close to a laugh. That she'd so readily agreed with him was unexpected, but at the same time, absolutely not. That he was selfish was hard to miss. If anything, it was a little amusing. With the tension gone, almost anything would have been, so he wasn't sure if he should attribute that to her or not.
He returned to his food as Alice made her order, eating until his plate was clean. She looked back to him and he met her gaze, nodding. "We're staying here for another night," he replied. "We need to stock up on food, finish catching up on sleep, things like that. I think we'll have an hour or two to spare this afternoon."
That was when they'd have to train. In spare moments, tucked between work and sleep and food. Damien's work took much of his time, and most of it was intense. He couldn't cut back on that to train a girl he barely knew, but he could use what time he had left. An hour or two at a time would probably be easiest for them both, anyway.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 6, 2017 18:48:30 GMT -5
Alice was more surprised by the fact that he laughs. Damien seemed all too serious to laugh and the sound coming out of him didn't seem to fit his personality. Almost like there was another person inside of him. "That was a laugh correct?" She teased lightly. And then changed the subject to hopefully not allow him to come up with a retort.
"Sounds like a plan. What are we doing today though?" At least, she assumed it was the two of them and her not tied to a bed post in the room again while he went out. "It's safe to assume it's not window shopping." She tried to add more of a light hearted feeling to their conversation. As light hearted as you could get when speaking with an assassin anyway.
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Post by 𝘨𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘶𝘯 on Jan 7, 2017 4:24:36 GMT -5
Damien fiegned surprise. "Was it?" he replied, though he knew very well that it had indeed been one. For Alice, that would be surprising. But even though Damien's sense of humour wasn't the kind that had him driven to laughter, he did it surprisingly often. It was a response to amusement, but also relief both of which he was experiencing now.
"No, not window shopping." Damien nodded, lifting a hand and beckoning the waitress over. "As I was saying," he continued when she'd left with his dishes. "Not window shopping. I'm collecting my payment - for obvious reasons you can't be there for that - and then we're going to need provisions. Food and water, mainly. New clothes for you, we can't have you wearing the same outfit for the rest of your life."
He wasn't sure what he'd do with her for the hour he'd need to collect his money. The obvious, and probably safest, thing to do would be to leave her in his room like he had before. But he didn't enjoy that, in fact, he despised it. Maybe he'd be able to leave her with a seamstress who'd keep her occupied for that time and then double back to pick her up. Did it take that long? He frowned, eyeing Alice carefully, trying to judge whether or not she'd do as asked.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 7, 2017 8:03:58 GMT -5
Alice forgot she was supposed to be dead, and for that she obviously could not go with him to pick up his money. That would not be a good idea. She would assume Damien would get in trouble, and as much as she wanted to slap him sometimes, she couldn't stand to see him get in trouble. Punishments among criminal organizations were often harsh right? Judging by the fact that they were...criminals.
"Oh clothes shopping. You have my attention now." She knew that Damien didn't mean that she could stay at a store for hours and pick out the most expensive of dresses. But she could have a little fun if he decided to think that she would do exactly that. "Where did you want to leave me then to pick up your payment?" Her tone changed to something more serious when a thought came to mind, "I'm not staying in that room again right?"
Alice hated the thought of being left in the room. It was too much like home, the way there was no company and most of the time the door was locked (either from the inside or outside). And with no one to talk to or pester. Hopefully he actually had a more suitable place in mind.
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Post by 𝘨𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘶𝘯 on Jan 7, 2017 8:59:21 GMT -5
Damien was silent for a while. He had yet to make his mind up. He had to keep the long term consequenses as well as the short term ones, and he'd never had to think that way before. It was a lot to get used to.
He exhaled slowly, then shook his head. "No. I'll leave you with a seamstress while I go collect. You'll have an hour or two to take measurements and try on clothes, that should keep you occupied."
He was about to continue on to explain that she shouldn't try to leave, he'd speak to the seamstress when they got there to make sure she couldn't leave, when his eyes widened with something akin to panic. "No more than one dress. Please. You won't get many chances to wear it anyway, and I'm not made of money."
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Post by Deleted on Jan 7, 2017 9:52:15 GMT -5
Staying with a seamstress would be fun, she might take pity on Alice for the fact that she wasn't wearing a dress or had any (on hand anyway). Perhaps she could get a free dress somehow or a discount. It would actually be helping Damien if she was finding a way to save him money. Hopefully he would appreciate it, and say thank you. She hadn't heard that from him before.
"What? Are you scared of dress shopping?" She grinned. It was humorous to imagine Damien scared of anything, especially dress shopping. At least, she assumed he was scared judging by his reaction he looked scared. "And I don't plan on cleaning out the whole store. Calm down."
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Post by 𝘨𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘶𝘯 on Jan 7, 2017 11:14:00 GMT -5
Damien ignored her. He wasn't afraid of it, more like confused. He knew very little of dresses, his knowledge barely reached the realm of taking on and taking off. He knew even less about shopping for them, but he could imagine they were expensive and the idea of spending more money than he had to did worry him. An assassin made plenty, but they also spent plenty on travel and weaponry. Those expenses you had to cover yourself.
"I don't know how many dresses women are supposed to buy," he argued. "It's not like I go dress shopping regularly." He did know his way around a tailor's, he had most of his clothes specially made so that he could fight in them properly. Ill fitting clothes made that harder. But he had no idea how a woman's experience in the same field would differ, mostly because he didn't speak to a lot of women - and most certainly not about their clothes.
"Anyway, when your food arrives, you should eat quickly," he said, changing the subject. "If I'm late, my employer won't be happy." There wasn't much his employer could do, really, he could show up three hours late and get nothing but a slap on the wrist. But Alice didn't need to know that.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 8, 2017 9:03:09 GMT -5
Alice nodded her head in understanding as he told her about both the dress shopping and his employer. She didn't think Damien tried on dresses, considering he was a man. During their pause in conversation, Alice's food had arrived. Although it may not have been what she would normally eat, she shouldn't complain, she was starving and commoner's food even looked delicious right now. If there was one thing she missed back home, it was the food.
She tried to eat in quick neat bites, not having the desire to appear like a pig in front of Damien. That would be embarrassing, even if she didn't expect him to say anything out loud, he would silently judge her. After she got about half way done, she spoke. "For what occasion would I wear the dress for?"
Alice couldn't think of an answer to a question herself so it would have just been better to ask instead of find out later when she wasn't prepared for it. "And did you have certain requirements for the dress, like not too many layers or something of the sort?"
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Post by 𝘨𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘶𝘯 on Jan 8, 2017 13:43:25 GMT -5
"Contrary to popular belief," he replied, somewhat sourly. "I'm not a total slob with no social life." Close enough, he thought to himself, but Yurriom was the exception to this rule. And he'd have to return eventually, despite how much he tried to put a visit off. The Council would be expecting him sooner rather than later, they were due to ask a favour any minute. "I'll receive invitations to some gathering or another, and if you are to accompany me to them, you can't possibly turn up wearing trousers. They can be pretty judgemental." He didn't mention who they might be, she'd have to wonder about that.
Her second question stalled him for a moment. He hadn't thought about this, not really. "You'll need to be able to fold it and carry it with you, so I'd advise against anything really heavy or thick. But you're the expert here. Just pick something that you know you'll be able to move in and you should be fine. If you end up needing a ballgown at some point, we'll get to that then."
He didn't think she would. As an assassin, he knew many wealthy and powerful people that threw balls regularly, but as an assassin, he didn't receive many invitations to that kind of feast. Strangely enough, people liked to keep their hitmen secret to the rest of the world. He could count the balls he'd attended outside of his father's mansion on one hand, and most of those were for a hit he'd have to make.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 8, 2017 15:35:05 GMT -5
'They' must have been the other people Damien coordinated with for whatever he needs to do. Or it could be that he was implying the wealthy class of that country were judgemental. If Alice knew one thing, it was judgemental people. Her parents normally had their noses in the air and tried to find even the smallest annoying habits in others. She already hates being in the same castle as them, she couldn't imagine being a royal from another country.
But what shocked her most was that Damien actually did something besides drag Alice around and kill people. He may not be a slob per say, but definitely not someone she expected to go to parties. "I still can't get over the fact that you go to social events. You don't strike me as the kind of person who wants be around people." She implied he came off as an introvert, which was not an insult, unlike what he may have been expecting.
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Post by 𝘨𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘶𝘯 on Jan 9, 2017 13:40:50 GMT -5
Damien didn't seem to take it as an insult, because he gave a tiny smile and nodded. "I can't say I do want to be around people, at least not that many at a time. But you of all people should know that sometimes you don't exactly have a choice." He didn't, technically, have to attend the Council's feasts and parties, but he didn't want to think about how his father would react if he didn't show up. He'd avoided the man for so long, he didn't want his streak ruined because he was rude.
That was the thing about the Council. They owned him. Completely and totally, they owned him. Some things he could get away with, like staying away from Yurriom and not speaking to his father. Nobody questioned it because he did his job and he did it well. As long as he did what they told him to, he could do other things on the side. But some things he wasn't as free to do, unless he wanted every Kingdom he'd ever visited to put up wanted posters for Damien Parris, detailing his every kill. They knew things about him and his work he didn't know himself, and the threat of it being revealed was constant.
He'd thought about running away to do something else. He'd get several weeks' headstart, especially if he waited until he had work in a far off Kingdom. He could ride for those weeks, put distance between himself and the people who'd be hunting him. But it was risky, too risky. Every time, something happened to remind himself that even if he wanted to, no matter how hard he tried, he wouldn't be able to escape. The Council had him under their thumb, and there was nothing he could do about it.
Except, he had done something about it. Alice was proof of that. The fact that she was alive was proof of that. But he couldn't go any further. Not if he wanted to survive. He couldn't stop killing, he couldn't stop doing as he was told. Damn his survival instinct and the way it controlled him, every bit as much as his father did.
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