A Walk on the Wild Side (Private~Hsin)

[Calise Desseren]

Brightening 19th of Imperos
Summer of Era I of the Celestine Mandate

There was a saying, wasn’t there? Bad things come in threes. Calise pulled her knapsack closer to her, tightening her grip on the straps as she cast a wary glance around. First, Malachy had given her a hellacious amount of reading, full of the legal jargon and flowery words that legal types seemed to enjoy. Then, at work, she’d been given the grand task of mucking out all the stalls. Her arms ached, she smelled of horse manure, and there were things caked underneath her fingernails that she didn’t even want to imagine the identity of.

But that was only the second bad thing. To complete the trio, she was now lost. Complete, utterly, lost – and in what seemed to be the armpit of the town. It hadn’t seemed so bad in the beginning, Calise mused to herself. Maybe a broken window here or there, but the neighborhood had seemed okay. But it had steadily degraded as she’d (foolishly) continued walking – drunks in the street, shifty-eyed characters loitering in front of run-down buildings.

The smart thing to do would be to turn around and run, but an irrational pride kept her going, head held up high as she pretended that this was her normal route home. Her fingers traced over the dagger she wore at her belt, never used. Calise didn’t even know if she could draw it out of the sheath properly, but hopefully that wouldn’t be an issue. In any case, bad things came in threes, right? And since this was the third… that meant nothing else bad could happen… right?

[Hsin]

Narim. Sparkling harbor of the Sheridan.

Obviously, whatever mid-level government clerk in charge of tourism had not ventured into the less desirable neighborhoods of the city. He probably sat in some fine upper class mansion sipping wine from a glass while enjoying a fine four-course dinner. Meanwhile, in one of the slums between her workplace and her home, Calise Desseren seemed to have discovered the true value of proper directions and, above all, a good, accurate map. After all, she probably looked forward to a long, hot bath to wash away the dirt and smell of her job as a stable hand. Perhaps a nice light dinner too to prepare her for a night of studying. If she got through her reading in time, perhaps the younger Desseren would turn in early to dream about handsome men and pretty dresses. Or maybe not. How’s the narrator supposed to know that stuff anyways? In any case, cities generally instilled their occupants with a great deal of survival skills. Not every country bumpkin could walk through the gates of the city and make a living. And, usually, it was a very, very good idea to listen to one’s own instincts. They had a nasty habit of saying I told you so when they proved right, in any case. Calise would have done well to listen to her instincts.

Shouts and catcalls came from the direction of a group of young men hanging around the mouth of an alleyway to her left. All seemed to sport some kind of make shift weapon designed primarily for teaching any interlopers that mass multiplied by acceleration usually resulted in a great deal of force. If the Allerian military had indulged in the time honored tradition of drafting, a sergeant would have been rounding up the little group for a short trip to see the wild and wonderful sights of the Allerian Empire. One in particular stood out, not because of his size or his strength, but because of his somewhat superior equipment. Instead of assorted clubs and knives, this man had gotten himself on a crude iron sword. No doubt from the wholesale pile. He motioned with a hand at Calise, ordering the gang to spread out around the increasingly nervous but still somewhat prideful half-elf. And spread out they did, with the catcalls and shouts that usually accompanied such gangs. The self styled leader of the group stepped in front of the would-be politician and cast a malicious eye over her features. ”Where do ye think yer doin’ in dis part of town, missy? Think ya’ll find er pretty trinkets or a dress ‘ere?”

[Calise Desseren]

At the sound of catcalls, Calise made a fatal mistake, so common among those who don’t normally live in large cities. She looked _ and met the eyes of her antagonists. The golden rule was broken _ never look anyone straight in the eye. But, clueless as she was, Calise found herself staring at the ragtag gang of young men. Perhaps their weapons weren’t top-notch, but Calise had no doubt that they would be effective. The advantage of numbers was on their side as well _ something she couldn’t help but notice as they surrounded. Her dagger seemed rather pathetic and useless, comparatively.

Despite the obvious gravity of the circumstances, her mind was racing with trivial thoughts. I guess this means I won’t be able to have that nice hot bubble bath…And I was looking forward to having a good dinner. The reading I won’t miss, but… if only I could remember that dream! He was the most dashing young man, and I was wearing that gorgeous red silk… No, no, no! Calise pushed those random thoughts away. Where had they come from anyway?! She was supposed to be focusing on the situation at hand _ the very serious situation at hand.

Fear heightened her awareness. She could feel the rapid pace of her heartbeat, the line of sweat trace its way down her back. It also had the unfortunate effect of making her hands tremble, something Calise controlled by gripping the straps of her pack even tighter. What should she do!? Her first instinct was to just run… but that would probably result in a gleeful (for them) chase that would probably end badly for her. Screaming would probably incite them as well. Possible ploys whipped through her mind, only to be swiftly discarded. Calise was at a total loss.

She had nothing to fall back on, but honesty. Somehow, Calise doubted that this gang would have any sympathy for a lost girl _ but she just couldn’t think of a glib enough lie to help her out in this situation. She stood her ground, trying to look as innocent and harmless as possible. Just some girl, barely worth their attention… “I’m just a little lost.” Even to herself, her voice sounded thin. She tried to speak with more confidence, as if her stomach wasn’t flip-flopping wildly. “But don’t worry, I didn’t mean to concern you fine gentlemen.” She began to back away, casting sideways glances at them. “Now, if you’ll just be excusing me, I’ll be well on my way…”

[Hsin]

Indeed, one should wonder about the general proliferation of low quality daggers among the Teenage/Young Adult age bracket of the Allerian Empire. Some evil capitalistic baron must surely be masterminding the production of sub-standard equipment as part of a mad scheme to overthrow the monarchy of Alleria in favor of the evils of the free market economy. After all, the power of economics often trumped the strength of the sword or the might of magic. One could not kill if one could not eat. In the case of these particular young toughs, they apparently had taken care of the eating and survival part of the equation. No doubt by relieving the overly wealthy of any un-needed capitol and causing a great deal of shifting in their indifference curve. Not to mention the general lowering of their budget constraint in connection as well as a forced shift in the individual’s allocation of work hours verses leisure. Of course, Calise probably had far more on her mind than the economics of the situation at the moment. For example, where exactly had that red silk come from? Or, perhaps, most importantly, how she would get out of this tangle with her skin intact. After all, how could she rise to power and destroy all in her path if she would meet an untimely and probably painful end in an ally in the slums of Narim? No doubt she would have to find some way to get around the small problem of presented by the thugs.

Their harsh laughter echoed up and down the streets as Calise’s attempt at honesty fell flat on its gender-neutral face. ”We ain’t gentlemen missy.” sneered the one holding the sword as he edged closer to her. The stench of liquor seemed fairly apparent in his breath, raising several questions about his mental fitness as well as his dental health. Several of his followers had pulled out their makeshift weapons and began to close the circle around the half-elf. ”And you ain’t exactly going your way until we git our due comensation.” He laughed uproariously, obviously finding his own joke quite amusing. His friends, of course politely joined in the general revelry. If Calise had the state of mind to turn around and look down the street, she could see a blacksmith walking toward their little not carrying a large hammer. However, from the generally carelessness displayed by the ruffians on the other side of the group, Calise would probably not expect much help.

”Well waddya got for us,” shouted the leader as he lost interest in his own mirth. Apparently deciding she was not worth cold iron, the man grabbed for Calise’s shirt and backpack. ”Hurry up, girlie, and you might stay alive.”