♛ⒹⒺⒸⒺⓅⓉⒾⓄⓃ♜ discussion

((Lᴏᴏᴋɪɴɢ ғᴏʀ ᴄʜᴇᴀᴘ, sᴛʀᴀɴɢᴇ ᴀɴᴅ ᴍᴏsᴛ ʟɪᴋᴇʟʏ ɪʟʟᴇɢᴀʟ ᴘᴏssᴇssɪᴏɴs, ᴛʜɪs ᴘᴀʀᴛ ᴏғ ᴛᴏᴡɴ ɪɴ ʀɪᴘᴇ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴘᴏᴛᴇɴᴛɪᴀʟ ғᴏʀ ʀᴇʙᴇʟs, ᴛʜɪᴇᴠᴇs ᴀɴᴅ ᴍᴜʀᴅᴇʀᴇʀs. Yᴏᴜ ᴡᴇʀᴇ ᴡᴀʀɴᴇᴅ, ʏᴏᴜ sʜᴏᴜʟᴅɴ'ᴛ ʙᴇ ʜᴇʀᴇ ᴘᴀsᴛ ᴅᴀʀᴋ))

Daphne blinked slowly, a little surprised by his nonchalant announcement, that he would be doing her any favors. She said nothing, though, following him quickly without protest so she wouldn't be left alone in the unfamiliar street.
"Answers?" she repeated, not entirely sure what he meant until she was reminded of her previous curiosity. Daphne had wondered about him long before he had held a sword to her throat, when she had first started bringing him food. She would think of all the possibilities of what had put him behind bars. And behind the fear she had experienced in the moment, she had been completely bewildered as to why his mouth had been gagged and how he had been able to emit such an ear splitting sound.

Felipe laughed at her bewildered expression
"If you don't have any questions im perfectly fine with that" he teased "but I know so much about you already I just thought it was unfair that you know nothing about me" he said with a simple minded shrug.
They walked through the dark alley, breaking into a large space, almost like a square but filled with shadier characters

Daphne was about to inform him that she had plenty of questions, but his words stopped her short. "What do you mean you know so much about me? We've never said a single word to each other," she said, her brows furrowing beneath her mask in confusion. Of course she had passed his cell more times than she could count and visited her father only a few yards away, but most of the times it had seemed like he was barely conscious or simply didn't care about his surroundings.

Felipe flashed her his marvellously charming smile
"They covered my mouth but not my ears, Daphnr Iris Sloane" he let his words sink in, smooth and easy "you came to visit your father so often that I got curious, started listening. He speak about your mother a lot, always talking about how much he loves her and how one day she'll work herself to death" he said with a simple laugh.
"But you" he said spinning on his heels to face her "you are special to him. His miracle, his angel, he always talks about how much you and Delilah work so much, care so much" his words seemed to fade
"So" Felipe said with a clap of his hands "what do you want to know?"

Daphne's eyes widened ever so slightly as her full name rolled off his tongue. She had no idea her father talked about her and her mother so much. His love was evident at home, but for him to share his affection when he was away, enough for it to leave an impression on someone completely removed from their family warmed her heart only to have it followed by a sharp pang at how she had no idea if her father had managed to make it out of the prison safely. How could Felipe still think of John Sloane as a monster?
She wondered about how the guards had silenced him and she wanted to ask him why he had been gagged, but then a rush of questions filled her mind and she knew if she opened her mouth without thinking, all of her questions would spill out at once. After a moment, Daphne decided to start at the root of it all. "Why were you there?"

Felipe threw his head back in gruesome laughter
"Well that's a very very long story. But, to cut it short, i was a slave" he paused, trying to find the best way to word what he was trying to say "I "belonged" to this sadistic freak, i was twelve years old when he killed my best friend for stealing a few pieces of bread so i escaped to help him. When i got there my friend, Rat" Felipe sucked in a deep breath "was already dead, so i ran, but i wasn't fast enough"
He let a slow breath of air out, closing his eyes tightly to keep out the memories, the memory of Rat lying dead and bloody on his masters floor.

Daphne couldn't understand why something so gruesome would warrant a laugh from him. She had wondered if he was a slave, never having seen him wear a mask. And now she knew who he had been muttering too earlier when she had thought he was crazy and talking to himself. Remembering his best friend didn't make him seem quite so unstable.
"So... they put you in prison because you tried to run away?" she asked, not entirely understanding why that this would lead to a punishment as severe as imprisonment for years on end.

Felipe massaged the back of his neck, frowning at her question
"Not exactly... I guess i owe you this so i might as well tell you" he said with a small sincere smile
"Since i was little i've had this... power, i guess, i've been able to control my voice, manipulate the air waves. Control and cut away sound. I don't know why, but the King is scarred of people like me, he would make the guards torture me for information on "the others", but up until i was caught i'd thought i was the only one"

That just opened up a rise of whole new questions and Daphne struggled to contain her urge to interrogate him. She didn't really believe in "powers" or magic or anything like that. If she couldn't see it, or touch it, it wasn't real. But she had certainly heard Felipe's ability first hand and she didn't know what else she could call it.
Taking a deep breath, she tried to focus on one question at a time. "How is something like that even possible? Was what you did at the castle gates, was that part of it too?" Daphne mentally kicked herself for not holding her tongue and restraining her curiosity.

Felipe smiled "How is something like that even possible?" he mimicked in Daphne's voice. A small blush came to his face but it was half hidden by the dirt and the blood "Yeah, that i was me"

Daphne whipped her head up to stare at him when she heard the small, distinctly feminine tone of his voice. The tiny part of her that had simply accepted the existence of Felipe's so called power wondered if that was really what she sounded like, but the bigger part of her couldn't believe that her voice had just come out of his mouth.
Half unsettled and half in awe, Daphne asked, "And there are other people who can do that?"

Felipe laughed "I hope not, i've always liked thinking that i was one of a kind" he teased, giving her a wink.
"I don't know, the king came down to talk to me a few times, telling me that i was part of a prophecy and he needed to know where the others were"
Felipe's eyes bounced around, leaping from face to face.
He saw a small stand on their left hand side, a man stood behind the counter with piles of clothes, jewellery and other odds and ends.
A sign stood in front of him. It read:
"Nᴏ ǫᴜᴇsᴛɪᴏɴs. Nᴏ ᴘʀᴏʙʟᴇᴍs"
Felipe made his way towards it, smiling at the idea of fresh clothes.

A prophecy? Now that was a bit far fetched... She felt like if there was some prophecy about people who could do things like use their voices to bust open cell doors and mimic the sound of horse hooves, she would have heard something about it at least once in her seventeen years.
Daphne watched as something caught Felipes eye and he started veering off towards a stand set up on the side of the street. Frowning slightly, not thinking that interacting with anyone here would be a good idea, she followed close behind him.

"How much for the clothes?" Felipe asked the man behind the table.
He was old, with thin greying hair and yellow skin. The old man smiled, a disgusting, crooked teethed smile. They were rotten and cracked and only two of them remained.
"What you have?" He asked, raising a black brow, looking over and Daphne, his smile crawling up his pasty face.

For a moment, Daphne wondered if he would actually succeed at getting what he wanted. She thought for sure there would be no way he would get help from everyone while going about maskless and covered in blood.
Daphne tried not to wrinkle her nose at the sight of his decaying teeth and was a little surprised he was able to speak around all the rot, but she didn't like what she heard. More accurately, she didn't like the way he looked her over when he spoke. Feeling distinctly uncomfortable and exposed, she took a step to try to subtly hide behind Felipe.

Felipe looked behind at Daphne then back at the old man.
"Nevermind" he said reaching behind him and pushing Daphne further away, slowly walking back.
The old man looked her up and down, a hunger in his black eyes.
"NO!" He said is hands outreached. He grabbed onto the girls arm "Let's talk, boy, i'll give you a good price, jewellery, gems, a new identity? Anything for a piece like this" he slurred, brushing a cool hand up against her face

Daphne had a brief moment of relief when Felipe started to push her away from the stall, but it was short lived. For the second time that day she had been grabbed and used as a bargaining chip. She turned her head away from him, his hand leaving a faint streak of grime along her cheek and Daphne slapped his hand away, making an attempt to break out of his grasp. In her desperation, she looked to Felipe for help.

Felipe grabbed the old man by the wrist, squeezing so hard until the man let out a helpless whimper.
The man let go and Felipe lifted the man up by his collar, lifting him up off the ground as slamming him against the cold brick wall like he was nothing more then a rag doll
"She's not for sale" he said through clenched teeth.
Felipe let the man fall to the ground, he slithered away like a scared little mouse.
Reaching out Felipe pulled a shirt and pants from his stand
"These i'm taking for the young ladies sake"
His eyes caught the sight of a beautiful necklace "and this" he said as he snatched it up.

Daphne quickly stepped away from the man when he released her and her eyes widened when Felipe suddenly lifted the man off his feet. She could hear the wind being knocked out of the old man as his back hit the wall. Daphne was once again reminded and surprised by Felipe's strength.
She began to breathe a little easier with the man now to terrified to even go near them and she waited as Felipe grabbed some clothes, raising an eyebrow when his fingers snagged the chain of a necklace. She wondered what possible use he could have for it, but figured he might try to sell it off later.
"Thanks for that," she told him quietly, referring to his assistance with the owner of the stand.

Felipe gave her a small smile "come on, let's get out of here"
Felipe started jogging down the street, taking turn after turn down alleys, looking for a way out of this filthy maze.
"So... Uh where do you live again?"

Daphne followed him, doing the best she could to keep up with his long strides, but despite his apparent confidence, she got the feeling he had no idea where he was going and they were only getting more and more lost.
When Felipe finally slowed down enough to ask her a question, she frowned slightly. Daphne didn't recognize anything around them. "Not here," she said, as if that weren't obvious already. The streets were getting darker, the sun now hidden behind the buildings and she tried to at least determine what direction they should be heading in. Right now, it looked like they needed to go north, but with all the twisting streets, they would probably just get turned around eventually.

"I'll take that as a no" he said with a small laugh "I'm sorry about this Daphne" he said for the hundredth time that might "I don't mean to get you mixed up in all this, but I saw my chance and I had to take it. It's been five years in the cell, and there's not enough I can give you to repay you for what you've given me. It looks like there's an abandoned building up ahead. We can sleep there tonight, and I'll get you home tomorrow" he offered, knowing it was the best he could do under the circumstances.

Daphne didn't forgive him, not by a long shot, but she was beginning to accept that he really did feel like he had no other choice and she imagined that if she had been in his position, she probably would have done something desperate as well.
She looked up at the run down building with glassless window panes. It didn't look like some place she would want to spend the night, but at this rate, they would still be wandering the streets long after dark, and she would rather take her chances in an abandoned structure than see what could happen at night in the black market.
Looking back to Felipe, she sighed, knowing that he was really doing everything he could. "I'm holding you to that, de Sole," she said tiredly, walking past him in the direction of the abandoned building.

((Want me to make a new thread?))

((Sure :) ))

((Made one and posted :) ))

((Saw it and will have a post up in a minute. Might be the last of the night :/ ))

((Yeah no problem :) ))

Hunter just tried to make himself as scarce as he could at this time. He followed after her but he didn't talk and he didn't try to change the pace. He knew he wasn't in charge here and he didn't even know what the plan was. It was better for him to just keep quiet at this point and hope that he didn't mess up.
Thankfully, no one seemed to be paying them much attention. They were nothing but ordinary people like everyone else at this point. It wasn't so strange for him. He was quite used to being ignored.

After a certain point, Jocelyn didn't have to bother thinking about where she was going. Years had passed since she had walked these streets, but her feet fell into the familiar route. The only thing unfamiliar to her was the sense of paranoia she felt. She only glanced back to Hunter twice to make sure he was there, but with every turn they made, she bowed her head and glanced down the street to make sure there were no signs of anyone following them. She just had to convince herself that no one knew they were there and they would be fine. Confidence was key when you lived among criminals; any insecurity was a sign of weakness and you would be picked off before you could bat an eyelash.
Lost in her paranoid thoughts, it actually took Jocelyn a moment to realize that she had stopped, why she had stopped. They had turned down a secluded side street that was virtually deserted, but a small oil lamp burned next to an inconspicuous door, catching on a dull iron knocker, worn from use. Her hand twitched at her side, ready to beat the simple rhythm that had been embedded into her brain, but she hesitated.

Hunter stopped when she stopped, though he was a few feet behind her. He didn't know the area so he had fallen behind just a bit, but he had figured that was better anyway. Maybe it was best they not be seen directly together in case one or the other of them was recognized. He didn't know. He was really just waiting for her directions while at the same time making sure she was safe in this part of town. Sure, he knew they she had lived here, but that didn't change how he felt about her spending time there alone. At least this way he would be able to do something if things went terribly wrong.

She couldn't believe it was this easy, that this entire time, she could have just walked back home. Of course Jocelyn knew that Whitaker had kept a razor sharp eye on her the first few years, had her followed by some hired thug to make sure she didn't sneak off. But now she had just come here without incident... Jocelyn had to shake herself, and with renewed determination, she reached up and gave the three sharp pounds with the knocker before following it with two more delayed ones with her fist against the door.
On the other side, there was nothing but silence. Moments passed, stretching into minutes and her heart clenched. Jocelyn looked over at Hunter desperately, her voice coming out weak. "He's not here--"
With the hint of a creak, the door was pulled open.

Hunter was repaired to pull her into his arms and comfort her. He couldn't stand that look of hurt in her eyes..but then he didn't have to comfort her after all. The door was creaking slowly open. His own eyes shot toward the door and he watched carefully. If this wasn't Cal, whom they were expecting, then he had to be prepared to take action. Of course, he wouldn't actually know Cal so he had to keep an eye on Jocelyn's reaction too.
He found himself wondering what he had gotten into. This was all so strange and backwards...

Cal squinted out into the dim light, he amber gaze moving between the two figures standing outside his door. He recognized neither of them, which didn't sit well with him, because that knock hadn't been used in years. "What do you want?" He demanded gruffly.
Jocelyn practically choked on her own air. The light from the lamp cast shadows on his face, making his features dark and unwelcoming, but she knew it was him. She took a small step back into the pool of light so he could see her better and she tried to speak, but words were failing her. Cal frowned at her as if to discourage her advance but as he stared her down, the slow look of shock that came over his face was clear even beneath his black mask. "Joce?" Her body went tense and for some reason, after not being able to see him for so long, Jocelyn couldn't bring herself to look at him. She felt if she did anything, she would break, but Cal had other plans.
Stepping boldly out into the street, he took her face in his hands and turned it towards the light, giving him a clear view of her eyes and even though they were filled with unshed tears, there was no mistaking them. Within the next breath, he pulled the girl to him in a crushing embrace.

((Gah, it's too late here and I have to go :( ))

((That's totally alright. I need to go too haha.))

Hunter averted his eyes immediately to the ground. He didn't feel worthy of witnessing this moment. He had judged the relationship between Jocelyn and this Cal gentleman once, and quite openly. Now, he was seeing that they did have a real bond. Really, this bond was more loving than anything he had ever felt with his own flesh and blood, and the two weren't remotely related. It caused a small pang of longing in the pit of his stomach, though he would never admit it aloud. It would be nice to have someone care so deeply about him, just once, or even half as deeply would be acceptable. Of course, that wasn't to be expected so, he just push that pit in his stomach away and he tried not to watch the encounter occurring before him. He should have let Jocelyn come alone, he now realized. She was home and he was nothing more than an awkward lump in street clothing.

In his arms, Jocelyn fell apart. The simple action of closing her eyes caused tears to cascade down her cheeks and she buried her face in his shoulder as her body shook was silent sobs. Cal was stroking her hair lovingly, still in disbelieve.
"I thought something terrible had happened, I looked everywhere for you, but... Joce, we thought you were dead," he murmured when he finally trusted himself to speak, choking on the last word. He was beside himself with emotion, feeling as though he were being reunited with his own daughter, something he never thought would happen. He drew her away from him, grasping her face again and catching her tears with the pads of his thumb.
"It's kind of a long story," she forced out, sniffling and trying to collect herself. Cal nodded and was about to pull her inside and never let her leave, but he then became aware of the other shadow in the street.
"Who are you?" he interrogated, turning so Jocelyn would be forced behind him, away from the stranger.

Hunter shrugged his shoulders. "I guess I'm a friend of Jocelyn's. I didn't want her coming here alone without knowing you were here for sure. I'll be going now," he said, still not looking up. He felt so strangely unworthy. And now, he was turning around and started to head in the other direction. He didn't belong there. Not in the slightest. He had made a mistake in thinking that Jocelyn would need him and he had made another mistake in doubting that Cal cared for Jocelyn.

Cal nodded, not understanding the significance of the man's presence and had turned back to Jocelyn, but she was no longer focused on him. A frown settled on her face and she stepped around Cal and hurried to catch up with her "friend".
Grabbing his hand, Jocelyn stopped him. She looked up at him with shining eyes that implored him to stay. "This is Hunter, he's been helping me a lot." She wished they had been able to come up with a title for their relationship, because she knew "friend" far from covered what Hunter meant to her.
Cal's gaze narrowed ever so slightly. "He's been helping you?"
"Like I said, long story," Jocelyn shrugged after turning back to Cal, still holding tight to Hunter's hand, something that didn't escape the man's notice.

Hunter swallowed and fidgeted from one to the other. He felt like he was meeting the father and had come very unprepared. His clothes didn't fit. He didn't even understand his relationship with Jocelyn. And, he had passed all sorts of judgement.
"I really should be going," he said softly, turning his gaze to Jocelyn. "You need time to catch up with Cal and I'll only get in the way. I'll wait for you around the corner if you want, but I don't want to interrupt. Go. Enjoy." He pulled his hand gently from hers and gave her the softest of smiles.

Jocelyn worried at her lower lip, her brow furrowed. She felt terribly torn between being with Cal and having Hunter leave. It was probably greedy to spend time with both of them, but was it really so wrong for her to want to be around the two people she cared about most in this world? But Hunter really did look uncomfortable and she didn't want to force him to stay if he didn't want to, though she wished he would.
"Wait for me in the square. I'll meet you there when I'm done," she said finally. If he was going to wait for her anywhere, it was going to be somewhere more well lit and far safer than the black market district.

"I'll wait for you just around the corner," Hunter replied to her, being his usual stubborn self. There was no way he was going to go all the way to the square. He was going to stay as close as possible and he was going to wait all night if he had to.
He turned his gaze to Cal now, still barely able to look at the man. "Nice to meet you Cal. I trust she'll be safe with you," he said before turning and walking off. He found himself a place to sit, and he sat. He leaned his head back against a wall. No one was going to bother him, and if they did they wouldn't get much off him.

When he decided to be difficult with her, Jocelyn narrowed her gaze at him. She figured it should really bother her that he could never do as she asked, but in reality it almost brought a smile to her face. She watched him walk off until he was around the corner and out of her sight before she turned back to Cal. He had a smug expression on his face and a sad look in his eyes. "So how long have the two of you been together?" he teased as she approached him.
Jocelyn rolled her eyes as if four years had passed like four minutes. "Cal," she grumbled.
"Jocelyn," he mimicked as she hooked her arm through his and led him towards the door.
Deciding to ignore his question, she focused on the task at hand. "We have a lot to talk about."

((yeah I don't have much to do here...))

((Yeah, I probably should have suggested a fading point earlier, should we maybe skip ahead to when she goes back to Hunter?))

((Sure sounds good haha))

((Do you think you could come up with something, other wise I'll post))

((I've got nothing right now...))

((Alright, I'll come up with something quick))