Myamar

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As the day rolled towards a few hours after noon, Eastborne nobles found it the time to relax and take a nap during the lazy day. There was no exception where Sasha's master resided. Due to her "unfavorable performance" in the morning, she was sent to the outside shack, cramped and dusty while the other servants resided in the manor. She spent most of her time picking out the small rocks that stuck to her foot as one of her legs were chained to one of the posts. A few small knocks made her tense, hoping it wasn't the master. Thankfully, it was just a guard bringing in some food to her. As he set it next to her, he took a seat next to her as she quietly ate. "Sasha...you don't have to live like this. Even if you were destined to live under him forever.

Sasha stopped eating and set down her utensil. "Please...I appreciate the kindness you bring to me every day, but I will be fine where I am now..."

"Sasha, I can help you. You can't-"

"Please Jon...Thank you, but I care too much for that..." Her words were tense as she pushed the plate away from her. "I never found logic in your reasoning. This is how the world works. The rich and powerful sit at the top. People like me are left no choice but to settle in our fates...be happy Jon you're not with me."

The guard named Jon stood up. "I spent years under his service. I seen countless "servants" run away and even take their own lives. The others may not say it, but they too feel the same way! They don't want any more of his unjust reasoning! Especially with someone as young as you!"

"Jon-"

"You don't deserve this! You're a young, beautiful lady! You should have a family! A wonderful husband! Children that you know will be with you forever! Not taken away like-"

"I KNOW JON!" She clasped her shoulders, shaking a little as her left hand traced the brand on her right shoulder. "I know...but I can't have that life. No matter how much I long for it...I-I can't... I know the people I pass pity me...seeing me dragged around like some mongrel...with that stupid chain I wear. But once I'm not in his hands...they don't want with me...Money changes the intent of people's hearts. And when I'm back in his hands...My fate will be so much worse..." She shook her head.

"I'm sorry Sasha, but this isn't an argument. I already made my mind up." With a soft click, the chain around her leg fell to the floor with her staring at him. "Wh-why..."

"I told you. I made my mind up. Now leave while he's still asleep. He won't get the news until hours later." He tossed her a bag of supplies which she held reluctantly. "Jon...please..."

"Hit me as hard as you can."

"I-I can't-"

"I will not be responsible for your capture OR death Sasha! If you stay, you will face it! This is your one and only chance to leave this life behind. Don't let my actions be for naught. Please."

With a deep breath, Sasha got behind him, whispering a small apology before knocking him out cold. "Thank you Jon...please don't let this be a mistake." Wrapping a cloak around herself to hide her brand, she bolted and made her way over the walls of the manor and out the gates of Eastborne silently, not looking back once.

 

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Roslind received barely a wink of sleep. She couldn't trust this strange man that insisted on following her. He was either a liar or a thief -- possibly both -- and that was no company to keep. However, no matter how hard she tried to lose him the day before, he still kept chasing after her; insisting on being her protection. Tch. She needed to protection. All he's managed to do so far is exhaust her horse and prevent her from sleeping. Chivalry may not be dead, but she wished he was. At the very least, she was thankful that he had not tried to pull anything on her. All he had done so far was slow down her travels. Being raised in the church didn't make her helpless. If he tried anything, he would surely regret it.

She sat up, dusting off her cloak. Sleeping on dirt was never fun, but it was a must in order to remain discrete. A priestess traveling by herself -- or with a strange nobleman-thief-liar -- would draw attention. The practitioners of the temple never traveled in groups less than three. Inn's were out of the question. Roslind rested her hands on her hips and stared down at the man asleep on the ground. It would have been easiest to just leave him behind once he had succumbed to sleep, but she had a feeling he would still go looking for her. ⁅Get up,⁆ she kicked at his leg, ⁅If you insist on escorting me to Eastborne, you should at least be ready to leave at dawn.⁆ Roslind glowered at him for a moment, then turned back to her horse to prep for the journey.

Eastborne was still a few day's ride from here. Wouldn't it have been faster to deliver the message by air? Birds can fly faster than horses can run, and there is less obstacles in their way. Her sharp blue eyes slid in the direction of the man and she frowned. There was no doubt about it. Birds definitely had it easier. ⁅I would like to reach the halfway point by nightfall if possible. Do try to keep up.⁆

Roslind finished packing the saddlebag and climbed onto her steed's back. ⁅Let's go, Maldar.⁆ She clicked her tongue to the roof of her mouth, and the horse took off. Roslind didn't bother to check if Marcus was following. It would be better if he didn't. The mission was given to her in private. It needed to stay that way. She had no intentions of sharing the details of her journey with him, nor had she even given him her name.

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Following his most recent pickpocketing, Damion had walked quite the distance before stopping on some crates and taking a nap. That probably wasn't the best time nor place to take a nap, but he was tired and so he did. A good couple of minutes had passed before some kind of paper had flew into his face. If not for the fact that it stayed there for a good while, he probably just would've ignored it. Nevertheless he tried ignoring and ended up removing it from his face and crumpling it up.

"Who's the wise that threw this at a sleeping man!" There was nothing but silence in response to his question. Not the 'what's this crazy guy talking about' silence, but the 'no one is around you'. With a sigh he uncrumpled the paper that was in his hands and looked at it. He might as well see what it was about. His first read through of it was pretty much him just skimming it till he got to the reward part, in which he went back to the top of the paper and read the whole thing. "Hmm, what a pleasant surprise."

Southern Holmfirth was pretty close to where he was now, so getting there wouldn't be much of an issue. The bandits he could handle should he play his cards right which left the reward all for him. A grin filled with anticipation showed on Damion face as he got off the crate. "Time to make some preparations and wait." This was probably the first time he's willing done something helpful for other people, but he did have his heroic and selfless side to him. It was just rarely seen.

 

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⁅If we went together on Brasa we could be there by nightfall.⁆

Roslind snorted at the suggestion. That would never happen. ⁅I find that incredibly difficult to believe. Two bodies would significantly slow down one horse, as opposed to individual bodies on separate horses. Maldar is fast. If you're worried about slowing me down, you can always leave.⁆ she taunted. It would be nice if they could manage to part ways before reaching the capital. If he truly insisted on 'escorting' her, he need only go as far the border. She would be safe once inside the city.

⁅I doubt Brasa would notice the added weight of one with your figure. If anything, those fancy robes of yours may put more of a strain on the beast than you would.⁆ Marcus teased in return.

Roslind huffed loudly in protest. How could he even see a figure beneath her robes? That was part of the reason they wore robes, to keep from being a temptation. Just what kind of man talks to a priestess in that fashion? I don't trust him, but I suppose being cold will not help matters. At least if I act friendly, I may be able to learn something useful about him. That would help determine how much of a threat he truly is, she thought. With a heavy sigh, Roslind turned in his direction. ⁅My name is Roslind, by the way, Priestess Roslind Dyel.⁆

Pursing her lips, Roslind returned her gaze to the road ahead of them. It would be a long journey and a small part of her was relieved not to travel alone. Being without company just made the time go by slower. Talking helped speed things alone. If only she knew what to talk about with this strange man. ⁅Do you know about the magic within you?⁆ she found herself asking without realizing. ⁅Your flame is weak, but it is strong enough for me to sense it. Those with magical properties are almost always brought to the Temple. The only exceptions being the ones that keep it a secret -- nobles or people in hiding. Which of course, brings us back to yesterday...⁆ She would obtain the information he was withholding one way or another.

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Red eyes slowly begun to awaken as the blue haired amnesiac found himself awakening in the shade of an alleyway. Groggy and tired, Valentine slowly rose up from his sitting position and began dusting himself with a groan "that....what not pleasant" Valentine muttered before glancing over at the pathway leading out of the town "though for now I'd best get used to it" Valentine said rubbing his temples as he begun to walk.

There was so much that was needed to be done, but Valentine did not know where to start or even how to start exactly. Maybe his memories would return on their own, maybe they would return if he noticed something familiar, or maybe he had no memories. Thinking about it like that Valentine immediately didn't wish to think about further and proceed to move on with his exploration of the town he was currently in.

From his exploration he could at least learn that he was in a place called Holmfirth, but there was still much he didn't know of. In this land it seemed money held a pretty big significance and unfortunately he held none. With this in mind the objective of exploration had become one of a pursuit for money, a difficult one in which Valentine had no idea how to accomplish. He lucked out with that blond haired guy, but for now he needed to find his own way to get food otherwise he's starve. He walk on and on and on until he came upon a peculiar message

"Oh? whats this" Valentine said as he crossed his arms and stared upon a flyer that had been just put up. "Well this is a surprise...I can read..." Valentine said cupping his chin in thought "Bandits..." Valentine muttered as he gripped the sword resting upon his back and glanced over his shoulder at it. He knew nothing about himself, nor why he wore an armour or wield a sword, but even so something was calling out to him, something telling him to rush forth and fight the bandits. He could not say he knew much about his skills but even so he needed the gold and bandits were not a good thing. With his decision made he walked on towards. Of course he mistakenly went north, but after finding his mistake he went the correct path.

 

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"Thank you so much." Sasha gave the traveling peddlers a small bow as they rode off in their wagon as she stuffed most of the food she bought from them in her knapsack. "Right...hopefully Jon gave me enough..." She counted the remaining coins in her hand before sliding them back into her pouch. Probably enough to get her halfway towards the crossroads between Eastborne and Porthaethwy. Hopefully she could catch a ride somewhere, possibly Holmfirth where she could find a job to sustain herself though she was still unsure. Her master will eventually start spreading the word of her escape. He was also rich. Rich enough to make sure his voice was heard in all four Holds. She just had to be careful.

As she continued down the road, a passing trade wagon passed by which Sasah overheard about the recent news about some bandits along the South Holmfirth road. She bit her lip. Damn...that's gonna hinder my travel a bit...It wasn't she couldn't defend herself, but she spent all night down the road, trying her best to put the most distance between Eastborne and herself. She rather not run into a conflict at the moment. She pulled out a small loaf of bread and took bites of it, trying to figure out a different option if the situation turned for the worst.

 

Damion had made a few preparations before setting off. He needed to make sure that he took with him some equipment that was suited for where ever the bandits should strike. He had about two traps that would work and fortunately didn't need to be set up prior to any encounter so he made sure to take those with him. Damion also checked to see if he still had his dagger on hand, you never know when things might get a little hairy. His hand firmly gripped the handle of his blade. He held the handle for a few seconds before releasing his grip.

That was pretty much everything that he could think to take with his, so he then hid the two trinkets on his person and started off towards his destination. Despite the mass of people that he would be walking past, none of them should recognize him as a result of any past encounters, but just in case he used the tattered cloak on his back to help simulate the look of someone who was just passing though. His eyes didn't move towards a single person, they remained focused on what was in front of him. While to him he may have been making a decent amount of progression terms of how fast he was walking to Southern Holmfirth, he would likely still have to wait for the bandits to make their move and who knows how long that might take.