Imprisoned (Will and Terrel)

WillowtheWhisp · Feb 27, 2013

The Tokay grasped the healer's hand even more tightly. He continued to look the man in the eyes. "Thank you." his voice had a modicum of its strength returned, his throat no longer parched. That was all the answer he gave to the Hylian, and the only answer that was needed. Releasing his hand, Azher lay his arm down next to him, fully laying down and relaxing his body. Eskwier placed both hands upon Azher, the arcane energies swirling around his hands brightly. As both palms made contact, the Tokay felt an unnatural heat wash over his body, but it was not unpleasant. In a way it was comforting, though he could feel his consciousness fading away as the forced healing of his body drained his energy.

The magic seeped into his wound, mending it and stitching the flesh back together. By now, Azher was barely awake, his eyes mere slits, staring at the ceiling. His breathing seemed more normalized, slowing as he drifted off into sleep. His last thoughts before falling asleep were of Boko and Eskwier, and that he was not alone in this world. His mother and father dead, his village destroyed by his own hand, he felt that the only companion he had left was his own freedom. But it had been lonely, and although he was more than accustomed to being an outcast, even hatred was a verification of one's own existence. When he had reached the mainland of Hyrule, he no longer even had that. And thus he had felt empty, striving on only out of necessity and a sense of duty. But here was two people that verified his existence, and were not looking to kill him. Sleep overtook him, a phantom of a smile hanging at the corners of his mouth.

Terrel · Feb 27, 2013

Boko relaxed as the magic took effect, and Azher seemed to as well. He still didn't really have an opinion about this Tokay, one way or the other, but he'd committed himself to seeing it survive, at the very least. There was still much he didn't know about the creature, but Boko felt as if he could say that about almost everything in his life. He could, at the very least, rest in the fact knowing that he had taken care of the pressing problem. This evening he had helped save a life, and now he was thoroughly exhausted. With a sigh, the man forced his tired body to move into action, glancing at Eskwier.

"Thank you for coming," he said, solemn and sincere. There was nothing more that needed saying. As he moved to snuff out the candle in the room, the aging healer nodded suavely, looking tired as well.

"Of course, of course," the other man said, though a look of worry had crept into his face. Glancing at the bedridden figure, he spoke further, his voice quieter, "Listen, Boko. I didn't realize it until now, but there's word spreading through the Military District of an escaped prisoner. Apparently tore the bloody bars out of its cell and pulverized a couple of guards. I don't know if there were any deaths, but all they said was that it was some sort of lizard and that it'd been wounded." Eskwier swallowed, looking uncomfortable. "Anyway, stories are stories. They could all be exaggerating or lying, for all I know. I won't say anything, just keep an eye on that one. It's on your head, you understand? The healing should exhaust him enough. He probably won't wake until after sunrise tomorrow."

Boko grimaced at the man's words, though they could not entirely phase him. So it was possible he'd saved the life of a convicted, then? What would Gaier do in that situation? It troubled him, but it would take more than that to truly shake the large man. Meeting Eskwier's eyes, he nodded solemnly, responding simply, "I will be careful. Thank you again." And with that, the healer departed back into the night, leaving Boko with a lantern and his thoughts.

Retreating to his own room, the large man stripped and found, to his relief, that exhaustion overpowered his thoughts even this evening. However, when sleep came it was not exactly the most restful of things. Dreams of situations he could not fix flooded the night, leaving him feeling helpless and week, trapped between two sides of himself. Try as he might, he could not master either side.

----------

The night faded, left behind as sleep consumed his mind, and before long he found himself waking up to the sun rising, feeling as if hardly any time had passed. He was tired still, but that could be pushed back. His mind was weary, but his body would learn better as he demanded it throughout the day. Getting up, the man forced himself into motion, preparing himself for the day. He was not scheduled to meet a shift until this afternoon, since he had covered someone else's patrol a few days prior, which meant that he had the entire morning to himself.

Only, that creature was still in his home. Boko had no idea what to do about that, yet.

By the time he was prepared to meet the day ahead, his stomach was rumbling, and he moved into his small kitchen, bumping into any number of things on the way. Quietly, methodically, the man began to assemble a meal of bread and cheese and, after a second thought, set aside a second portion as well.

WillowtheWhisp · Mar 1, 2013

Azher slept soundly, the shadows of mistrust and fear kept at bay by his complete exhaustion. When he woke, he did not remember dreaming, nor having moved an inch during the night. As his eyes cracked open slowly, his head was smote by a bright ray of sun, feeling as if a spear had lodges itself in his skull. He groaned, now beginning to, just barely, regret being alive. His entire body ached to the core, even his bones and joints protesting unhappily at the slightest movement. Thankfully, he was quite sturdy, though it had been a long time since he had last hurt this bad. But at least he was fortunate enough to be hurting at all.

Sighing heavily, he forced himself out of the bed, gritting his teeth. Already he could hear Boko moving around, but Azher was unsure as to where. But the Tokay wasn't terribly concerned with his host, for he had work that must be done. Standing up, stretching though it brought tears to his eyes, he pulled the sheets from the bed, inspecting the coagulated blood that had dried. He grunted. He'd seen worse. Following the noise the large Hylian was making, Azher happened upon Boko in the kitchen, just after he'd set aside two plates of food. Looking at Boko, as if this were the most normal thing in the world, he spoke. "Am looking for water. Must clean sheets." He held up the linen, showing the large bloodstains on the bedding.

Terrel · Mar 11, 2013

Boko managed to not flinch when Azher sneaked up on him, but his heart did jump a beat. He still had no idea what to think of the whole situation, how he might be housing a convict and all that; sleeping hadn't helped him clear his head at all. Turning slowly on the creature, Boko took both plates and slid them onto the table that stood between the Hylian and the Tokay. Catching those large purple eyes, Boko shook his head at the request, "You will not clean those. The maid collects the laundry tomorrow, and I will leave them in her care." Grabbing the pitcher of water, Boko placed that on the table as well, adding to his previous thought, "Only water I'm giving you is for drinking. You shouldn't even be up right now, you know, so sit." He gestured at one of the large, sturdy chairs that were used to holding his personal weight.

He grabbed a couple of glasses a moment later, also setting those on the table. With as much grace as the big man could afford, he awkwardly pulled back one of the chairs and sat down as well, as if to show how it was done. That sheet that Azher had was certainly a bloody mess, but Boko wasn't particularly surprised by it. It was simply the price you paid for triage in your own home. As if to make clear that Azher had no choice but to sit down and eat, Boko kept his gaze on the creature intently until he would sit, grabbing his own plate without taking his eyes away.

WillowtheWhisp · Mar 13, 2013

It took a moment for Azher to digest the man's words. "Azher am help servant with cleaning then." He returned, just as adamantly as Boko had just spoken. Though Boko was right, that his body was exhausted and he found it difficult even to walk, Azher refused to simply lay asleep, while his host did everything. Partially, it was because of personal pride, but also because he felt uncomfortable being treated as anything more than a slave. Folding up the sheets quietly, forming a neat little square which he set upon the floor next to his chair, the Tokay took a seat, awkwardly wrapping his tail around his waist, to drape from the side of the wooden stool.

He sat there, legs tightly pulled together, back uncomfortably strait, as if he were under inspection. Which, of course he was. Gingerly, he rose a hand to the table, carefully setting a clawed finger forward. Grabbing a piece of bread between his two forefingers, he gently lifted it to his mouth and placed it inside of his rather large maw, apparently trying very, very hard to be as polite as possible. Though his actions were sincere, they were more than inept, and most certainly strange, especially considering his species was closer to that of an animal than a humanoid. But he did not want to offend Boko, nor did he want to reveal the barbaric eating habits of his race. Judging by how the individual portions were set out, and each serving was so contained, Azher decided that the eating habits of Hylians far from being similar to his own, hence the great care he was now putting towards eating the bread an cheese, both of which he found refreshingly new and tasty.

Terrel · Mar 13, 2013

As the creature responded, Boko finally let his eyes flicker away with a sigh. Seemed like the thing was stubborn to be eternally "helpful" to him. Unfortunately, being helpful apparently didn't coincide with simply doing as he was asked. It figured as much. Well, he wasn't much in the mood to get into an argument over that. He'd just throw the sheet away while Azher wasn't looking or something. At least it was eating something, as per his suggestion. Only... the amount of delicacy and poise he ate with reminded Boko of the one time he had been invited to a formal dinner. Gaier's funeral. He'd hated that.

With a grunt, the man launched himself into his food, making an honest effort to look as carefree as he could while eating it. He had no deep-seated compassion, no dying resolve to make this creature happy or comfortable; he'd given his word, but that could only go so far. Maybe this creature always ate so delicately where he came from, but as far as Boko was concerned they were in his house and he could eat however he pleased. Pausing between swallowing the last half of a loaf of bread whole, the man poured himself a glass of water and downed the whole thing.

Finally, he reached for something on his plate and found nothing left was there. In a matter of a blindsided minute or so he had managed to demolish all the food he'd set for himself. He hadn't even so much as bothered to see if the Tokay was following suit. Yet another tired sigh escaped his mouth, and found he was leaning on the table, closing his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose. The food was already causing him to feel better, but he was still certainly exhausted, and he was going to have to face this situation soon.

Without opening his eyes, the man spoke tiredly, "Maybe you think you owe me something, Azher. Maybe you do. You can start by telling me why I found you dying in the sewers under the military district of the town, though." Some people had called Boko blunt before; sometimes that was a good thing and sometimes a bad thing. Truthfully, he just couldn't think of anything else to say, most of the time.

WillowtheWhisp · Mar 18, 2013

Azher was overjoyed to see Boko go at his food with an earnesty he himself had wanted to display. Following suit, he too began to down the food quickly, without a care for manners. Boko was not a man to care for such things, and Azher was more than grateful for that. Moreover, the Tokay did not want to awkwardly be left the only one still eating, once Boko had finished, and so it became a race, the gecko-man doing his best to keep pace. His stomach, empty for quite some time now, protested at the sudden introduction of foods, but it all stayed down, luckily. Patting his belly and letting out a quiet burp, he looked up to see that Boko, too, had finished, and was now intently staring at him.

Both of them knew what was coming, because it was a question that could not be put off. Tension hung thick in the air, making it almost difficult to breath, for Azher feared what would come next, after his reply. He had already resolved to tell the truth, for he had more respect for this man than to lie to him. Even so, he dreaded the words that would soon by leaving the Hylian's mouth. But they came nevertheless: "Maybe you think you owe me something, Azher. Maybe you do. You can start by telling me why I found you dying in the sewers under the military district of the town, though." Azher let out a heavy sigh, preparing himself to present his story in his broken mastery of the Hylian language.

"In truth, Azher am prisoner of Hylians, locked in cage of metal." He began, taking a sip of water to sooth his dry throat, and give it plenty of moisture for lengthy words to come. "Self travel here from far land, an island in sea to the west, filled with my kind; we are Tokay. Came here on ship, but no home, no family, so am wander. Stumble into forest nearby city, starved for food. Kill giant boar, when suddenly, am surrounded by many men clothed in metal. Take me prisoner, call me Lizalfos; but am Tokay. Azher has met Lizalfos before, are called pirates, and is how self come to this land from island. Azher am no Lizalfos." He paused, lifting the glass to his mouth once again, downing the rest of its contents.

Wiping the excess wetness from his lips, he began again. "Take me to metal cage, call self spy for Ganon. Say torturer will come, and then Azher will die. Azher break his cage and escape, knocking out men in metal suits. But was wounded: the same wound Boko see him with last night. Not knowing this place, Azher ran into sewers and hide from Hylians. But am found by you." He finished, setting the cup down upon the table. He kept his eyes averted from Boko, terrified by what he might see upon the Hylian's face, now that the truth was told.

Terrel · Mar 22, 2013

Boko frowned openly as Azher told his story, listening quietly and intently. Not all of it made sense to him, but thankfully the premise seemed pretty basic to him, as he thought about it. If they had thought that he was a Lizalfos, then they likely only arrested him because it hadn't attacked first. Usually those creatures had dark souls, though, and were to be killed once seen. Boko had never fought one himself, but he had seen them in the distance during external patrols. All that aside, though, it didn't help Azher's case much, given how everything else had turned out.

Once the creature finished its story, Boko sat for a long while in silence, doing his best to piece everything together in a sensible way. His friend's suspicions had been true, he was sure of it, but what did that mean for their situation? Boko had never seen anything like Azher before, so it wasn't like he could just let him walk around wherever he wanted. It wasn't something that was just going to take care of itself.

Boko wanted to curse his tongue for promising to protect the creature.

It wasn't that he had no compassion for it, but he had certainly put himself in a very difficult position. After a long pause, the big man finally sighed and caught the creature's remarkably colorful eyes. "The guards who held you. Did you kill any of them?"

WillowtheWhisp · Mar 22, 2013

"No." Was Azher's terse reply, with a finality that would end any arguments about the truth of his statements. Azher was capable of killing, and anyone could see it. But being capable of it does not make one a killer; and he was no brute. He killed when necessary, when that was the only option left, and even then, he was hesitant to do so. "Azher did not kill men... Only hit very, very hard so they not chase. They imprison Azher, so Azher escape. Killing them not necessary. Not warranted. Self am show Boko weapons." Grasping at his metal knuckles, he slid his fingers into their holes, and displayed them to the Hylian. Though they were weapons that could be capable of killing, against armored men, that was far more difficult.

Terrel · Mar 23, 2013

Boko eyed the weapons that Azher showed him, wondering just how capable the creature was with them. He'd heard of fist fighters before tearing people to shreds as good as any blade, but Azher seemed so small to the large man. Still, he simply listened quietly, nodding as his newly minted guest explained just a little bit more. It was good that it hadn't killed anything, else that would make the situation much more complicated and hard to escape from. Still, it comforted Boko very little to know that he was essentially housing a criminal. He'd been in that spot once, but Gaier hadn't been foolish enough to say he'd protect Boko from the law. The large man wasn't sure what to do.

He took a careful moment before talking, choosing his words as delicately as he could manage. "That's good, then," he said, slowly, trying to get momentum with his thoughts. What did the strange creature want to do? The large man was becoming increasingly convinced that something had to be done, but he just couldn't figure out what. Well, two minds would be better than one, he supposed.

"You understand what I am, do you not, Azher? I serve the people who imprisoned you. I cannot shelter you here for long. I guess you made quite the racket last night, and they will be looking for you," he said, sort of piecing it together as he went along. A thought struck him, though, and he questioned hopefully, "Do you know anyone in the city who can help you? Another one of your kind?"

WillowtheWhisp · Mar 23, 2013

Azher had to ponder on Boko's words for a moment. He was aware what Boko was, yes, and that he was the same as the men who had captured him, yet different at the same time. He understood, too, that as long as they remained in the city, or he remained a criminal, their interests conflicted. Azher knew he would only be a burden to this man, yet at the same time, he owed him his life. Azher had the desire to stay with this man to repay the debt, for his honor demanded it. Yet his honor also demanded that his actions be towards both of their self-interests. That meant leaving the city. And it meant being lonely again. But Azher did not have much choice.

He could not tell Boko the truth. The guard, too, seemed as if he was a man of his word, and he had sworn to protect Azher. If the Tokay told him that he did not have anyone within the city, then he found it likely that Boko would take it upon himself to see Azher out of the city. He clenched his fists tightly, looking down at the table. "Yes." He said quietly. "Azher will go to them. Will not burden Boko any longer." He said gravely, though he made no motion to leave just yet. He did not speak any further, only sitting there in the silence, looking down at his water.

Terrel · Mar 23, 2013

A feeling of great discomfort washed over the large man as he listened to Azher, those words striking at him with great subtlety. Wouldn't burden him anymore, would he? That had been what he had wanted, he supposed. Why, then, did it suddenly feel as if he were failing a duty of his by just shunting the creature out of his life? Once again his mind drew back to Gaier's actions toward him. The man had not counted Boko as a 'burden,' or it had not seemed like it, anyway. No, he could not simply make this creature someone else's problem, even if he could not house this creature for long. There had to be something he could do to fulfill his obligation. As a soldier, Boko was sworn to uphold the law. He was also sworn to help the people of this city, though.

But Azher had friends in this city? He could work with that. Quietly, his mind became made up: he would escort the lizard to wherever his acquaintances were safely. Once he was certain that Azher would be safe, then he could return to his life. That seemed to ease his mind an ounce or two, and he found himself nodding and standing up, turning to a cabinet. After a few moments of rummaging, he pulled out a large map and placed it on the table between the two of them, only bothering to ask the obvious question after he'd already done that.

"Show me where they are, then," he said, gesturing at the map, "and I will bring you to them safely. If you do not know the city's streets well, then I can help you, or if you only know their names, then I have someone who I can ask who may know."

WillowtheWhisp · Mar 25, 2013

Azher was glad Boko had a map; Azher had a very good memory but he had seen only a fraction of the city. And while he could trace his own steps rather easily, he would not have been able to find his way outside of that. Though he felt bad about lying to Boko, it seemed that he did not have much choice, if both were to have peace from the outcome of this. "Friends of Azher live here, in sewers. Is why Boko am find self in sewers." He said, pointing to the map near the Southern Gate. "Azher not know exactly where they are, only given description, so self look for them, but Boko find me instead. But on map, place should be here, somewhere." He elaborated.

He would go with Boko, and as they neared the southern gate, he planned to tell Boko not to accompany any further, for his kind would not trust him. After that, Azher hoped it would be relatively simple to get out of the city. Or so he hoped; sometimes things just never go as planned. Nevertheless, the hard part would be getting there, without being caught by other guards, but Azher assumed Boko would be greatly helpful in that regard. His nails dug into his flesh again, as he clenched a fist. This man was trying only to keep his word, and Azher was using him. Were the circumstances any different, he would not have done so, but as it were, he found himself still needing to rely on Boko. It dishonored him.

Terrel · Mar 29, 2013

Azher pointed to the place on the map, explaining that those of his kin lived in the sewers, and Boko frowned a bit. He spent quite a good portion of his time in the sewers, and he had never before met anyone of the likes of Azher. These Tokay, as he referred to himself as, were creatures he had only ever known by name and nothing more. Maybe he had seen once in passing, but he couldn't be terribly sure. The only one he knew for certain was the Tokay Ambassador, an odd fellow by all accounts, that had traveled from their island some time ago.

That was a novel thought, actually. Could he take Azher to see the ambassador?

He saw no reason for the creature to lie to him, but Boko was not sure the creature's information was accurate. It was certainly possible, but... The large man frowned deeper still. There was no appeal to taking him all the way across the city, something that would take most of the day, only to find out that these friends of his had already moved away. After all, Azher was new to the city. How could he be sure?

Finally, after puzzling it over in his head, he spoke his mind. "You say your friends are here," he said, pointing to the map, "but I am not so sure. It is possible, but I have never heard of any of the likes. Are you quite certain they are there?" Picking up his heavy finger, the man relocated it to another district entirely. "Your people have an ambassador here, in this city. If anyone could sort out your crimes, it would be him. Perhaps we should go there."

WillowtheWhisp · Apr 11, 2013

"Have... ambassador?" This was the first time that Azher had heard of this. Though, the presence of another Tokay wasn't particularly surprising; his island was home to many different tribes, and few of them kept in good contact with each other, most preferring isolation or even outright war against each other. The Tokay had not believed that he had been the only one of his kind to come to this land. What did surprise him was that there was an emissary of his kind, living within the city, and apparently peacefully. So the Hylian's could differentiate between Tokay and Lizalfos.

Unfortunately, that left Azher in an awkward position, given his own blood and appearance. He supposed he couldn't entirely blame the Hylians for mistaking him for a Lizalfos, when it was true that he did indeed share blood with them. He cursed quietly to himself: perhaps if he had stayed in prison, this ambassador would have... No. He was deluding himself. His captors had seemed to have every intention of torturing him, then holding his execution. They hadn't so much as even mentioned the ambassador, Azher would bet. He highly doubted that the ambassador was even aware that a Tokay had been captured.

He sighed heavily in resignation. "Then maybe best if go to ambassador." He replied to Boko. Azher was terrified of meeting this other Tokay, too. Azher had the brand of a slave, and he had already assaulted several members of the guard. Though none had been killed, Azher wasn't so sure that the ambassador wouldn't just throw him back in prison, members of the same race or not. Azher had to hope that this Tokay was more civilized than those of his own tribe, and would be more understanding, too.

Terrel · Apr 23, 2013

Boko sat in silence for some time, plan slowly piecing itself together in his head. Yes, the idea to seek the ambassador sounded much better to him, and it would be in every interest of the law he was paid to protect. It was probably Azher's best bet too--Boko himself had needed to face the law before his situation could be fully figured out. He suspected there were many other parts of the situation he could not see or understand, but that much he knew at least. Finally the large many nodded and pulled out a pen.

"We will find the ambassador, then. My shift begins in several hours, but I do not intend to stay in my home the entire time before it. By the time my shift ends, the clock will look like this," Boko said, drawing a crude circle on the edge of the map that indicated the hands on the clock's face for what would be seven in the evening. "While I am at my shift I will send word to the ambassador that I must speak to him about the investigation. It will not surprise him. His home is two hours from here, and the sun will be setting at that point. We will need to think of a way to get you there without being seen."

The large man moved the pen across the map again, drawing a circle around where the ambassador's residence would be. Moving his hand again, he marked where they currently were. "I do not always move quietly," the large man admitted. "While I am away, perhaps you can think of something we can do? No one will look very closely, but both of us attract attention. Do you understand?"

Imprisoned (Will and Terrel)

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Terrel Oracle of Secrets reg

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Terrel Oracle of Secrets reg

WillowtheWhisp Admin admin

Terrel Oracle of Secrets reg

WillowtheWhisp Admin admin

Terrel Oracle of Secrets reg

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Terrel Oracle of Secrets reg

WillowtheWhisp Admin admin

Terrel Oracle of Secrets reg

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