Re: Steal Any Love Lately?

[Tabitha Wolfe]

She was content. It wasn’t very common for her, but she felt mostly content. Perhaps not entirely content, because Tabitha just couldn’t be that way. She had things she wanted, but how many goals did she really have? One thing she wanted was to find a purpose, but until that happened all she was doing was continuing on. It was her decision to make, and that was good enough most of the time. It allowed for a sort of contentment, but also a common trap of boredom. Sharaku at least allowed her a high entertainment value.

“I aim for amusing. It keeps me from being too bored. I get stupid when I get bored,” she explained simply. She wasn’t a genius, by any measure of the term. She wasn’t stupid either. All Tabitha was… was… there. Well, she didn’t know. She wasn’t educated very well, but she was smart enough to survive. She had instincts that helped her out when her better judgment was gone. Sharaku was smarter than her, and probably more educated, but they didn’t exactly talk about their pasts.

“Why?... because you’re… good company. You’re my friend, and I enjoy how you react.” Him sassing back was amusing, him blushing was cute. It was pretty well a win-win for her. “Why did a guy like you join a group like us?” she asked. She didn’t know if he’d answer. It just… didn’t make sense, “You’re too good a person.”

[Sharaku]

Well what did you know? An honest sounding answer. Sharaku had hardly expected that from the likes of Tabitha. Not because he thought badly about her, obviously, but because she loved to not tell the truth and give coy answers at best. Sharaku blinked a couple of times before making a small amused sound as he shrugged to himself. He liked that she’d actually answered his question, despite not having cared particularly if she didn’t.

It was enough to make the ebon-haired wizard boy decide he might as well answer her question at least partially. “My father was a member of the Magic Council,” Sharaku explained, fully aware that sounded like he should have been some goody-two-shoes council mage instead. He looked over at her, a serious look on his face, and a slightly dangerous look in his eye. “Someone had him killed as a setup. I don’t know who, but Shadow Heart promised to help me if I helped them.”

His posture was slightly more tense, but after a short moment he visibly relaxed back to his normal posture, and he grinned at her. “Sorry, you gave me a real answer. I figured I would give you one too. It’s not a pleasant thought though.”

[Tabitha Wolfe]

She was capable of an honest answer. She simply rarely felt like giving them. She did want an honest answer to her question though. And he gave her that. She frowned. He looked so… different talking about this. She didn’t like it. She liked the sweet and confused and strange boy she’d had moments before. He looked like she did when she got angry. Stupid. He was too smart for that. She hoped.

So he must have had a good father. She pulled back from him, no longer clinging to his arm like some lost pet. She crossed her arms, feeling the knives at her back and legs. They were her protection. She didn’t need to feel so uncomfortable. So he joined Shadow Heart as a means to some vengeful end. She wasn’t stupid enough to tangle with the Magic Council. They had some weird crusade against guildless mages. It would only fuel the fire. Whatever power they had right now could be easily snuffed. Still, she didn’t mess with the council.

“I’m sorry,” she sighed, still standing separately from him. Her arms felt  cold away from his body heat. “My father is a *******. He kicked me out because I wasn’t good enough for his new wife,” she told him. One more honest answer. She didn’t even pay attention to his apologizing for giving her an honest answer. “Human beings are not good creatures…” she said thoughtfully, looking at the road ahead, “Its why I don’t need any of them… I’m sorry about your father.” There wasn't much else she could say.

[Sharaku]

Well, now it was awkward. Good going, Shar, the young man thought to himself as Tabitha pulled away. He wasn’t sure if he minded that part or not, but he did mind the feeling he got for the reason she had probably done so. It was probably a bit of a mood killer to mention a dead good father when one that was horrible was perfectly alive and well. Or something. Sharaku sighed, nodding when Tabitha apologized for Sharaku’s father’s passing, but had already dropped the subject and didn’t say anything else about it. “People are stupid,” Sharaku agreed with her. “Some worse than others.”

He was mostly quiet for the rest of the trip to Era, unless Tabitha said anything. He wasn’t rude, and would respond truthfully, at least to a point, and always in a more friendly manner than what the conversation had turned into earlier. Finally, the city gates were in sight, along with a few unsavory-looking folk that gave Sharaku a bad vibe. “What do you think they want?” he asked Tabitha as he stuck his hands in his pockets yet again, seeming somehow more at-ease and casual than before. It was a sure sign he was on edge all of a sudden.

[Tabitha Wolfe]

Life. And freaking people. How could this have happened? The memory of her ******* father had ruined a good time with Sharaku. That man. Tabitha looked calm, she looked relaxed, her muscles were actually not tensed, but the woman was on edge. She was so angry with herself. That man. She hadn’t seen him in seven years. That disgusting creature. To turn on her so horridly, and then… then… then to mess up her day with Shar! She could kill him. She should kill him. She hated him. She was fuming.

The polite man at her side had said that people were stupid, some worse than others. She didn’t say much. It wasn’t worth it. Not when all she was felt… stupid. Stupid, and angry, and upset, and embarrassed, and weak. And stupid. She felt so stupid. It was unacceptable. A pair of men were near Era. Masks on their faces, and clearly bad intentions. Sharaku asked what Tabitha thought they wanted. “Probably everything we own,” she told him with a tone of irritation. Not irritation for him. Not even for them. For herself. Or her father. She was so stupid.

She walked ahead of Sharaku. “Hey, sweetheart,” one of them teased. She didn’t look formidable. That wasn’t even an asset. Anyone who knew anything about combat knew not to underestimate a seemingly easy target. She looked them up and down, they were objects to her right now. Objects in her way. She was not in the mood.

“You want to fight, right? Or make a demand, hm?” she asked, her arms still crossed. They looked taken aback, and one created a spear of magical lighting his hand. Cute. Tabitha shot her magic string toward that man’s hand, then to the other, then jerked him forward. He dropped the spear, it dispelled at that moment. When he got close enough she pulled out her knife with another string, it sat against his throat. The other started to intervene. She was still not in the mood. Her strings wrapped around his throat when he got close, and she pulled them until they cut into his skin. She stopped, punching him in the face, then kneeing the other in the cut. It was a show of force, and nothing too terrible impressive. But it was dark. She dropped them there. They looked rather pained, one bleeding from his neck, the other bleeding from his nose. They would live.

“Ready to go?” she asked Shar, her knife simply returning to its place on her back with the help of her string magic.

3115/500

[Sharaku]

Sharaku hadn’t exactly been slacking off. He’d been more than ready to defend himself upon seeing the masked strangers. Tabitha, however… she was suddenly like a demon – a whirlwind of wire and blades that lashed out at both opponents and they dropped before the mimic could act at all. He stood there, a surprised look on his face for a long moment before it returned to its normal expression and he resumed his ‘hands In pockets cool’ look. “Ready,” he echoed, not wasting time as he fell into step with his companion. She was stronger than he remembered. That was interesting.

As the pair passed through the city gates, the rebuilt Era greeted them. It looked a lot better than he remembered it, and for that he was glad. Now, as long as he didn’t run into his family, he would be all set. They couldn’t see him. They would ask questions, and those questions could be far more dangerous than they realized. He wasn’t on edge when it came to seeing them. Era was a big city, however smashed up it had been. The odds of seeing them on any given trip were actually rather low. “What was the address again?” Sharaku asked after a bit.

[Tabitha Wolfe]

Tabitha wasn’t a demon, but she probably couldn’t have reasonably argued much with the comparison. She was just angry. She was a vicious woman, and right now she was very angry. It wasn’t that she was so much stronger, as she was going all out in a moment. She had trained, of course. She didn’t even mind Shar taking her magic right now. He was the only person she felt that way about. She didn’t like people to see her magic. In fact, no one else even knew about the spell she’d just used. Her new garrote spell. The one she’d learned while arguing with herself over liking Shar. Bleh. Life.

Sharaku walked with Tabitha, and she felt oddly different. They were in the same guild. He had his reasons. She had her reasons. His were based on some feeling of anger, fueled by some feeling of love. At least she felt that way. Hers were fueled by mere convenience and anger. Even in how they acted. She was… she didn’t know. She was not the same kind of person as Sharaku. She took a deep breath. She should get back into character, but she also didn’t think he’d want to be near her. Only crazy people did, when she acted crazy. “This,” she told him, showing him the letter before putting it safely back in her bag. “Can I have your arm?” It was honestly the first time she’d asked, but she felt like she should.

[Sharaku]

“Go For it.” Sharaku knew she was in a mood after her father. It had taken him a minute to figure it out, but that was when it had started, so it was logical. Sharaku let her take his arm, guiding him towards the house that was their destination. He wasn’t actually sure where it was. He wasn’t that familiar with the rebuilt Era, having not been here in several years. It felt even less like home than before, and was one more reason he didn’t want to look back now, after everything.

It would be up to Tabitha to find the house. She had the letter with the address, and it was basically her job anyway. He had decided to just play arm candy. He was quiet, though not because of her outburst. It was because of the town. He hadn’t thought he would react this way coming back, but he did. As they walked, they passed a few council members, though both of them knew enough to not make it obvious they were basically wanted criminals, so it wasn’t a big deal. If he hadn’t come to hate the council for letting it become corrupt, he might have admired these men and women like he did as a child. As it stood now, they were no better than Tabitha’s father in his eyes.

[Tabitha Wolfe]

Tabitha had never been in the position to respect the council. She was a little girl with a sick mother, in a poor home. They were just some people who did some things. She was not their priority, and they were not hers. It was interesting to think that a little girl like her could become a real threat as an adult. She didn’t think they should regret not watching her at her weaker age, she just thought they should mind their own business. She didn’t like what had happened to Sharaku, just from hearing about it, but she was happy to have him here now.

She took his arm and walked next to him again. It helped her relax, just having someone there who she had a positive relationship with. Even if she was clearly not in a positive mood. This helped her calm down, and with some time she could be relaxed again.

It became cloudy as they searched for the address, and by the time they found the right house, it was raining. Tabitha was in a better mood by now. She kept holding Sharaku’s arm as she knocked on the door. “Hello,” she said when the man answered. She sounded chipper and pleasant again. “Are you Mark?”

“Um, yes? And you are?”

“I’m the delivery service. This is from Linda,” she said, holding out the letter for him. He looked surprised, but then pleased. It was a bit endearing.

“Oh, thank you! I have some jewels for your trouble…” he said, leaving for a moment. He returned with a bag of money. The rain was getting heavier. Tabitha supposed they shouldn’t stay for long.

“Well, thanks. Have a nice day…” she said. When they were far enough from house she told Sharaku, “Are you going to head back with me? Also… you make a good boyfriend. You should think about a career change.”

3679/500

[Sharaku]

As they dropped off the letter, sharaku let out a sigh. It was good to have that over with. He was finding himself ready to be out of the town he didn’t recognize, and yet it carried too many memories he didn’t want to have to deal with. He needed to forget about his family, just like they needed to forget about him. His older sister and mother were perfectly capable of being happier without him. He’d done a good job of ruining things after his father had died before.  Tabitha interrupted his thoughts telling him he would make a good boyfriend, which was tacked onto the question of whether or not he was going back with her. “Sure,” he nodded.

“I’m afraid I can’t take that sort of career change at the moment. It would break the hearts of too many young women who need to learn what good taste is,” he told her with a slight grin. “At any rate, let’s be off. Crocus isn’t too far of a walk from Era, after all.” With that, he semi-led the way back. It had been an interesting, mostly relaxing, yet somewhat long day of travel. At least there was someone fun to spend that day with.

3530/500 words

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