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((...))

Jocelyn's gaze never stayed in one place long, taking everything in. From her view up on the horse's back, she was able to see just about everything, noticing the subtle changes that she hadn't been around to see take place; some new shops, some shut down and out of business, redecorated store fronts, others in disrepair. She used to know these streets like the back of her hand and once she and Hunter reached the market, Jocelyn knew that if she just kept heading down the street for a few more blocks and took a right, she would find herself on the doorstep of the place that had been her home for a third of her life.
Jocelyn did not act on the impulse however, no matter how much it made her heart ache, and she instead pulled on the reins of her steed until the willful mare decided to come to a stop.

Hunter's eyes normally would have been doing exactly as Jocelyn's, but today he was looking at something else in particular, her. He watched as her gaze from one thing to another, though it was hard to really keep track with her mask in the way. He tried to tear his look from her but he found the way she was taking this all in to be fascinating. He knew she had been here before, probably lived int he area, but he had no idea how long it had been. He didn't know how much of this was even still familiar to her, and he found himself kind of wanting to find out. He sighed softly, however, and shook his head.
He was going to buy her shoes, and that was it. He was never going to see her again after this and he didn't want to. Really, he had no desire to see her again, not ever. Except his eyes were already creeping back toward her. The way she looked at everything to hungrily...His head snapped back forward as they finally reached the square and he pulled his horse to a stop, clearing his throat. "Alright," he said, "To find you some shoes you will wear."

"Right," Jocelyn said shortly, oblivious to Hunter's gaze. The goal right now wasn't to take a literal trip down memory lane. She didn't even allow herself to so much as look in the direction of the narrow street heading to the southern part of the city. With the horse relatively still beneath her, Jocelyn took the opportunity to dismount, the soles of her feet immediately feeling the familiar grime that coated the cobblestones. And Hunter had worried about what someone's feet could pick up off of the library floor... this was the place people would want to wear shoes. Nonetheless, it felt good to get a little dirty again, giving Jocelyn's rebellious side some satisfaction.
Holding on to the horse's halter, she scanned the square, glossing over the poor farmer who she used to deliver stolen fertilizer to, and the apothecary stall that Weaver provided with exotic medicines.

Hunter grimaced as her bare feet touched the filthy floor. He honestly didn't know how she could stand it. Honestly, he didn't mind getting dirty but he couldn't stand if it was on his feet. Feet were meant to be in shoes.
He dismounted his own horse soon after her and then took them both and tied them up. He knew there was a fairly good chance of them being stolen, but he found he didn't much care.
When they were tied up he walked back over to Jocelyn. "I would offer you my arm but I don't think you're a lady who needs escorting. You're probably more familiar with this area than I am anyway," he said with a shrug. If there was one thing he actually respected about this girl, it was that she could absolutely take care of herself.

It hardly seemed like Hunter was gone for more than a handful of moments before he was back by her side. His words allowed an unbidden crooked grin to creep across her lips. "There's another market I know just a little better, but yes, I suppose I know this area fairly well," she admitted. Besides, she had had enough of him and his arms today after the struggle in the garden.
Jocelyn was soon able to spot an area with some shoes on display, all of them gloriously simple. There was no fancy material, no elevated heels, and all of them looked like they would be able to stay on her feet without being tight enough to give her blisters. Why noblewomen looked down on the shoes of the peasants was beyond her.
Without a word, she set off towards the stall, not looking back to see if Hunter was following.

((Headed to work, back in a few hours))

Hunter caught her comment and knew she was talking about the black market, but this didn't surprise him. Considering her current employment, it wasn't a far stretch. What did catch him a little off guard was how quickly she went toward the shoe stall. He had expected her to look around a bit but she actually seemed a bit excited about it. He had thought she would be just as difficult here, but maybe not.
He followed after her easily and slipped his hands into his pockets. "Any pair you like," he told her, "Even two if you promise you'll actually wear them." The shopkeeper, a woman, smiled at him and made some corny about how sweet he was to his lady, mistaking him to be in a relationship with the girl.

Once she had reached the stall, she studied the shoes closely as if it were vital to get just the right pair, although they were practically all the same, just different sizes. Jocelyn held back a snort at his offer. "I'm sticking with one. A second pair of shoes isn't worth owing you any favors," she informed him, picking up a shoe to see how sturdy and flexible it was.
Jocelyn blinked up at the woman, than glanced over at Hunter briefly. Being his lady would be more than likely... unpleasant. He would probably always scold her for something and there would be countless, never ending arguments. "Oh, he wishes I was his," she told the woman lightly as if he would be lucky to catch the eye of a girl like her.
Satisfied with the quality of the shoes, she found a pair that was just about her size.

Hunter rolled his eyes and just kept his mouth closed. He could do better, by far, if he wanted to have a lady in his life, but he didn't think it was worth saying out loud. "You won't owe anything regardless," Hunter decided on. "There's nothing you could offer me that I would want. There is nothing I need. I'm simply buy you shoes and then we're parting ways."
He put his hands behind his back and watched her choose her shoes, so carefully like it was the biggest decision she would ever make. She was odd. He couldn't figure her out.

Jocelyn was surprised and a little skeptical that she was getting such a good deal here. She was getting free shoes and Hunter wouldn't be anywhere in her foreseeable future. He must really care about shoes... "Sounds perfectly good to me. I'll take these ones, then," Jocelyn announced finally. It was a simple, dark brown pair of shoes with a little bit of tread on the thick soles, something none of her other shoes had. If she was still running the streets, these shoes would be perfect... even if she wasn't now, they would still do quite well.

Hunter handed over the money for the shoes then gestured for Jocelyn to take them. "Well, let us see how they look," he said, mostly just to make sure she put them on, "Then we can be off."
He could hear whispers now, all directed toward them. He had paid and was obviously comfortable in his money supply, as was not often seen around the city. He had a feeling that at least one person would try to pick his pocket, and he probably wouldn't even try to stop them. It wasn't his money and he wasn't one to stop someone from stealing what they thought they needed. He had no use for the wad of paper and it was only drawing unnecessary attention.
Then, a little girl tugged at his pants. He looked down at her with a raised eyebrow and she held up a little cup. He thought it low that someone would send such a little creature to do what they all wanted to do, but he didn't say so. He said nothing, in fact, he just took out the was of paper and put it into her little cup before patting her head awkwardly.

(Be back in an hour or so)

Rolling her eyes, Jocelyn took a knee to slide the shoes on. The inside was cool and smooth against her feet and she was pleased by her choice. When she was tying up the laces, movement drew her gaze up to see a small girl standing at Hunter's side. Her clothes were slightly tattered and hung off of her frame. There was a look in her eyes as she gazed up at the nobleman that Jocelyn knew all too well. She couldn't help but wonder if she had looked as fragile and hopeless as this girl when Weaver took her in under his care.
Jocelyn watched the money being transferred to the little girl and she bent her head down as if to focus on finishing tying her shoes, though she was trying to hide the astonishment that must have been showing on her face. Considering how Hunter had treated her, she was surprised he could be so gentle. There were so few who had money who would use it to help those who had none. He might have just given that girl everything he had on him.
Once the child had skittered away, Jocelyn finally got to her feet. "Happy?" she asked, lifting the hem of her skirt to show that her feet were once again wearing shoes.

Hunter turned and looked at the girl's feet. The shoes were simple but they were nice on her. "Yes, quite happy," he replied to her. "Now, I hope if I ever run into you again that you will be wearing those." He raised an eyebrow at her then turned away and walked back toward where he had left the horses.
When he got to the horses, it had actually turned into horse. One was missing, either escaped or stolen. He sighed softly then shrugged his shoulders, once again turning back to Jocelyn. "It looks like we're riding back together," he said. He normally would have just paid for a ride back, but well, he couldn't anymore.

"I'll probably wear them until they fall off," she mused lightly, admiring the fantastically basic shoes. It had been years since she had had anything this comfortable on her feet. The manners in her that hadn't been used in about just as long tried to force a thank you past her lips, but Jocelyn held her tongue, using the excuse for his retreating back for not showing her gratitude.
Following close behind, her face fell when she saw that only one horse had remained tied up. She hadn't signed up for this particular part of the agreement. Jocelyn got the feeling that riding double would be a bit uncomfortable. At this point, her uncooperative side made another appearance. "I could just walk back, test out the new shoes..."

Hunter rolled his eyes and shook his head. "You know what, just take the horse back. I'll walk, if it's really that big a deal." He untied the horse and handed her the reins, practically shoving them into her hand.
He started off away from her and the animal. If she was going to be this way even after he had done her a favor he just wasn't going to deal with her. She could ride back and he would walk however many miles he had to, just as long as he didn't have to be anywhere near her.

Jocelyn felt like screaming. So the truce had lasted about, what, an hour? If he had really wanted to ride back with her so badly, he should have just said so, but instead Hunter had to go throw a fit. And he said he was hardly royalty...
"You don't get to do that," Jocelyn informed him, leading the horse through the street as she followed Hunter. "It's your horse and I'm the one who offered to walk in the first place. You don't get to act all wounded when I only offered because neither of us like each other all that much and I figured you would want to get away from the most frustrating human being you've ever met as quickly as possible."

"Then you don't get to follow me and tell me what I can't do," Hunter said, not even looking at her. "Just go back to the palace. I hate to sound cliche but I am the man and if someone is going to be walking, it will be me. You have some spying to get back to anyway, and I do not. So just take the horse, go back, and leave me alone. Enjoy your shoes but forget you got them from me, because yes, right now I really would love to get away from you. You're horribly ungrateful, stubborn, and rude. You could have just agreed to ride back on the same horse and this would be done with now. So, just go. I'm done."

Jocelyn glared at his back. Because women were so incapable of walking... He was right, though. She had work to do and she wasn't going to waste her time arguing with someone as immovable as a brick wall. And here she thought she was doing him a favor.
"Fine, but when the sunsets in two hours and you still haven't made it back home, you'll have no one to blame but yourself when the vultures of these streets come to circle you and your fancy clothes," Jocelyn said, bringing the horse to a stop so she could quickly mount. As the horse brushed passed him, she finally snapped, "And thank you." Of course now that he had called her ungrateful, she simply had to prove him wrong.

((Off for the night))

((Night!))

"I don't care about the damn clothes," Hunter snapped at her, "I'll walk back to the palace naked if I have to. Just as long as you're not here with your fake thank yous." He watched her ride away and he turned back in the opposite direction. He didn't even want to go back knowing that she was going to be there. He had to, but he didn't want to. So, he just stood there in the street for a few moments. People were staring, but he didn't remotely care. He took a long deep breath then once again turned back and started in the direction of home. Yes, he could see the palace, but it was going to be a long walk.

((shall we skip ahead?))

((Sure, where shall they meet this time?))

((You can choose. I'm heading back from a gross anatomy lab, so just post where you want and I'll follow))

((I've got a class and then a test so I won't be on for a bit. If you're on before me you can post wherever and I'll follow))

((posted in the dining room))

Wearing a white cloak, with his rabbit mask covering his face, Kolsten Astor was unafraid. Even without guards or slaves surrounding him for protection, he was undoubtedly unafraid. He rarely comes out of the castle, and slaves rarely set their eyes upon him, but he just knew that there are probably a lot of people who knows him by mere descriptions. After all, he was the only one in the castle who always wears the lightest colors when it comes to clothing, and the only one with the certain unnerving white rabbit mask. Looking around for a bit, brilliant green eyes blinking, he was sure no one was paying attention to him much, which means he indeed managed to get the guards off his trail.

Piper watched the boy with the rabbit mask walking by, her eyebrows raised in interest. She crossed her arms. This was interesting. She, of course, knew exactly who he was but she hadn't expected to see him just waltzing through the square without any sort of guard about him. Further, she was surprised to finally get a view of his mask. She had heard of it, heard of how unnerving it could be, yet she didn't quite feel that way. She thought it interesting, but not unnerving. She pulled her skirts about her then headed out and walked alongside the boy as if she had every right to.
"Where does one find a mask like that, anyway?" she asked him.

"It was given to me." Kolsten answered the girl, or lady, who walked straight towards him. He smiled, the dazzling smile he always wears everywhere. Truthfully, he used to have a different mask when he was younger, a more plain one, but ever since he had been recognized as the third bastard, the King made him get rid of his old one and gave him this one instead. It was fitting, really, for his past self had to be deleted. It was interesting however that he really didn't know who the lady was, and yet she acted so casual. "And I'll take that question as a compliment, my lady." He said, as polite as ever, wondering. "So, what's your name, if you don't mind? I'm Kolsten Grey." Astor, he added silently. He might be a kid, but then again, he rarely behaves like one.

"Oh no, not a compliment," Piper smirked just a little bit. "I've never much liked rabbits. I had one as a child and it was constantly biting me. Though, I really hope that you're not the person-biting type. That would be entirely odd, Kolsten Grey." She paused for a moment, just letting him take that all in. She then giggled lightly and shrugged. "I'm Piper Clemons. Now, tell me what it is you're doing out here. Shouldn't you have guards or something? It seems odd that they would just let a boy like yourself run about without protection."

Yes, Kolsten thought with a smile still on his face, that would be entirely odd. He wondered for a moment if the lady -Piper- was an assassin, but they were in a much public place so he ruled it out. "I don't bite. I'm a good kid." Good enough not to get kicked out of the Palace in a body bag. "And it's very nice to meet you, Piper. If you're looking for guards, there's a high probability that they're somewhere, maybe two or three streets away from here. I guess they got interested to buy something. They'll be here, soon-ish." Not really soon-ish. It was just precaution in case Piper goes kidnapper. "What are you doing here, if you don't mind me asking? Got anything to buy?"

Piper shrugged, just ignoring everything about the guards as she had already grown bored with it. "I'm supposed to be performing in a couple of hours, just a street over. I live pretty far so I tend to get into town early just in case. For now though, I'm just being bored and you caught my interest. That sounds creepy but I promise I'm not going to kidnap you or anything. I'm just bored and you seemed like the least boring person in the area. What are you doing here anyway? This isn't your usual area."

Piper was ranting a bit, Kolt noted. She really seemed bored. "I'm bored as well. Living inside the castle can be a bit boring, not to mention this place seems much more livelier than where I usually go to." He told her, observing the people around. Townsquare was buzzing with life, while the Castle wasn't. He didn't like slaves, so maybe that was a reason. "It's funny though, that your're one of the few who actually talked like a normal human being. Slaves are weird."

Piper's lips turned down into a frown. "I'm not a slave and you shouldn't be so judgmental, young man. First, I'm an opera singer, not a slave. I'm free. Second, slaves aren't from here so of course you think they're weird. It's nothing that they can help. We import those poor people to do our bidding and I think they have a right to be weird." She knew she probably shouldn't talk to him in such a way, but she couldn't help herself. She didn't have much of a filter.

((Really sorry for the lateness!))

Kolt still held his smile, unaffected and unflinching. "I'm not just a young man, miss, and I'm not being judgmental either." But he does have the right to be, he's a bastard after all. "I just implied that you talked so casually to me like a normal person, unlike those slaves who rarely speak to me like I'm not some sort of god." He informed her, finding it interesting that the opera singer took a huge step with her inference. It was like she accused him of racism after saying that she was unlike the slaves. "The way you speak... are you implying that slaves have rights? You know, I know some people who wouldn't like that idea." He added in a happy tone, as if he wasn't speaking something so serious.

((Don't be. I'm just as late.))

"And I know that none of those people would care what someone of my status thinks," Piper replied, "I'm a nobody, and on top of being a nobody I'm a woman. At best I would be called an idiot, if I did believe such a thing." She shrugged her shoulders without the slightest bit of concern. "In any case, I don't think you'll run and tattle on me. That would just make you look foolish and you wouldn't want to do that in front of your father, would you? I don't think so. But, if you want to tattle I'll deal with whatever consequences for believing or not believing." She gave him a nice big smile.

"I would never look foolish." Kolt said, snickering a bit in a childish way. He doesn't get out of the Castle much, and people assuming his persona was just funny. He doesn't get to talk much to nobodies who think their nonexistent status can save them from everything, and it was as amusing as it sounds. "And who said I would tell my Father?" Ha. He can tell other people, but not his father, and not in a direct way either. She wasn't that important, as she had pointed out. "You're such a serious lady."