Young Writers Society

Jude

I took off the second the little girl did. She was blasted fast- took me five minutes to even figure out where she was, let alone catch up. I managed to get a few feet away from her.... and she bolted again. Biting down a swear, I took off again. I finally caught up- finally - and wrapped my arms around her from behind. Maybe not the best idea. I got a hard bite to the forearm. Whimpering, I set her down on the steps of another building.

"Sh, sh, it's okay, hush now," I said awkwardly. I had no experience with children. "Now, mind telling me why you're crying?" I said gently, taking her small hands in mine.

"Your hands are cold," she choked out.

"I know- is that why? Oh dear, let me warm them up real quick.." Mission accomplished. The girl giggled a little.

"No... I just..." She began to cry again. On instinct, I pulled her into my arms, rocking her. After a few seconds, I got an idea. I pulled away, reaching into the back pocket of my cloak.

"This," I said, pulling out my stuffed puppy, "is Rosco."

"Rosco?"

"Yes, Rosco. That's my brother's name." I made a face. "Rosco always stole my pillow..." I said wistfully. The girl giggled again, petting Rosco's head.

"Why would your brother want your pillow?"

"No idea," I said, turning my head back to her. "But you can borrow Rosco for tonight, if you want." I said, holding the puppy out. She looked on with wide eyes.

"Really?"

"Sure."

She took the dog, nuzzling his nose. The bird cheeped, and I gave it a look that went, for the most part, unnoticed. The girl yawned loudly, then covered it. I laughed.

"If you're sleepy, you're sleepy. Come on, up up," I said in the most maternal voice I could. I scooped her up, tucking Rosco between her and me. By the time we got back to the little group, she was fast asleep. OLT gave me an impressed look, to which I replied with a shrug. The older girl took the small one, and I massaged my arms, already sore.

"What's your name?" I said, tilting my chin up towards the two boys.

"Luke," the young-looking one said smoothly.

"Not you," I said with an eyeroll. I'd long since been immune to suave boys. "You." I said, tipping my head to OLT.

"Jurian."

Jurian. Huh.

Nice name.

Jurian|Streets:

"Jurian," I muttered. Jude looked amused while Lukas was trying not to laugh. It was irritating. I turned on Lukas. "And you," I said sternly. "Where were you earlier?" Luke shifted from one foot to the other. "We were supposed to go soon. The soldiers were getting close..." I trailed off, glancing towards the girl who now had the bread. "Typical," I muttered and stepped away from them.

I shot Jude and the two girls a glance before I grabbed Lukas by the arm and pulled him a few steps away from the girls.

"I'm going back to the tavern," I told Jude. Lowering my tone, I directed my next words to Luke. "Lukas, you've been stealing again, haven't you? I bet you had several men chasing you too." I shook my head. "Nevermind. Did you get any coin? The rooms won't pay for themselves."

Lukas grinned and showed me a bag. I snatched it out of his hands. It was heavy...pretty heavy. I peeked inside to see gold glinting back at me and grinned. The bag was almost full.

"Nice catch," I said and turned away, heading back to the tavern. Miss Rosa wouldn't mind some spare change.

Carina

The guys took a step away from us and were out of earshot. I rocked back and forth with Bethy in my arms. She was so cute when she was sleeping, so calm, so quiet. I smiled up at Jude.
"What's your name?" She asked, in a boy's voice.
"Carina, this is Bethy." I replied, hugging my little sister to me tightly. Jude smiled at her, who wouldn't?
"That's a very pretty name." She said, I flinched when Bandana came and landed on my arm, peeking at Bethy's hair. "Who was the boy that was in the room with you?" She asked. I swallowed hard and looked away from her.
"Our brother, Davis. He's been taking care of us for a while now."

Jude

I raised an eyebrow. "He didn't look like he was taking very good care of you."

The girl dropped her head. "No." she said softly.

"Well, don't worry about it. If he gets anywhere near you, I'll..." My voice trailed off. I'd been threatening- and following through - for so long, I'd almost forgotten that it wasn't good for smaller ears. "I'll report it to the guard." Pft, heck no, I wouldn't, but I'd get a Whip to. They were actually nobles, and therefore immune to royalty.

"Where are we going?" she asked, shivering slightly. I dropped my cloak around her shoulders, wrapping it around so it wouldn't drag on the cobblestones. I held my shirt closed and made a mental note to get a new fastener.

"My place. It's just an inn room, really, but it's warm, and the people are nice." I answered, keeping one hand around hers. It was getting close to curfew. I pointed to the lantern hanging over a red brick building. "That's it, there."

We slipped in without much fanfare, save a smile from Mr. O' Reilly and a quick "Food's in the room, love." from his wife. I thanked them both in a male voice and scurried up the stairs to my room.

"You two, on the bed now, you're both tired." I said, helping them up. I glanced around. The Lukas kid had wandered off, and I had seen Jurian race back to the tavern. I was a little disappointed. I'd been hoping for more company than two frightened girls who were five and ten years younger than me.

As soon as the girls were asleep, I sat down in the armchair with the plate of food in hand and began to eat. The little girl was still holding Rosco, and I dropped my head. If only my hair was longer, to hide my face. But I liked it this short, and there was rarely reason to hide my face. But... Rosco was my brother's name. He had stolen my pillow. And I had seen a sword go straight through him.

He had been fourteen.

I shook my head and brushed away a stray tear. Now was not the time to cry. Now was the time to eat, and guard the sleeping girls.

Lukas~

Lukas dropped down from the rafters, landing on a guard's shoulders. His cloak was drooped heavily around his shoulders. He smirked and took the guards head, his chin and his scalp, and twisted his hands in oppisite directions. The guard gave in, and dropped, Lukas leaping back into the rafters after nabbing the money sack. Coupling with being a thief, Lukas was also an experienced assissin, but only for good purposes. He slung down from the rafters, and kicked the double-bedroom doors in, a man shooting up in his bed. It was pitch black, but Lukas could just smirk. He stayed in the corners, and jumped on top of the mans bed, swiftly beheading him with a gargled scream. He stuffed his head in his sack, and took the money, running from the room as fast as he could.

Shit, gotta run faster.

At those thoughs, his legs pumped faster, and he swung into a window, rolling across the ground before coming to a pair of familiar feet.

*Ninja?*

Cale Ersaid

Cale smiled at Micayla. "A truly magnificent place in the outer rims of the city. There are some abandoned buildings out there that have spectacular views."

"Is it - safe?" asked Micayla tactfully. Cale laughed, leading her into a side alley.

"If you know where you are going. Trust me on this, Micayla. It is a sight you won't want to miss."

Cale carefully began threading Micayla through the side street and alleyways. He tried to keep the path as twisted as possible, in order to disorient Micayla. He and Micayla struck up with some small talk. Micayla would remark on the weather, Cale would reply with something equally uninteresting.

At last, Cale turned to Micayla. "Here's where the climb starts," Cale said, his eyes twinkling. "The building is old, so watch your footing. Some of the steps have rotted out." Micayla hesitated for a moment before eagerly following Cale upwards. Cale grinned. To be honest with himself, Cale truly did like Micayla's spunk.

Soon enough, the two of them had reached the roof. Cale hung back slightly as Micayla gasped quietly at the city glittering in the sunset.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" said Cale quietly, staring at Micayla's back. It was getting late. He had best finish the job quickly.

"It's wonderful!"

"Tell me, Micayla," said Cale seriously. "I've been wondering something since I met you. What are you?"

Micayla tensed. "What do you mean?" she replied measuredly. Cale laughed softly. Micayla spun around to glare at him.

"What do I mean? I know you are nobility, Micayla. That much is obvious. I curious, though. Are you a duchess? Baroness? Countess? You stuck out like a sore thumb in the streets, I can assure you. To be honest, Micayla, you are lucky that I was the one who found you, not some other petty thief. Who knows what could have happened then? Besides, I rather enjoyed meeting and talking with you."

Micayla was not hiding her glare now. She reached for her dagger. Cale sighed. "Look, milady," he said matter of factly. "I don't want to fight you. I do not deny that you are most likely a skilled fighter, and I'd rather not test it. Besides, even if you run away, you couldn't possibly find your way back to the main streets before I found you. I know this area far better than you could. So, please, make this easy on the both of us. I only want that coin purse of yours. Just toss it over, and we can both walk away with limited damage to our dignity."

Torin Ersaid

Torin could see that Cael was about to snap back at the prince for suggesting they go against orders. "Very well, your Highness," said Torin quickly, stepping in. Cael shot Torin a dangerous look, but Torin ignored it. "We will set off in search of your sister," Torin continued. "But we will leave some men here. And if we should meet on our search, then your sister will have someone familiar to comfort her on the way home."

The prince seemed to gather himself. "That is all I ask," he said quietly. Torin bowed again, and pulled Cael toward the entrance.

"What did you just do?" Cael exploded as they reached the courtyard. Torin clipped his pack to the nearest horse.

"The prince is desperate to find his sister, Cael. This way he will seek out the safety of an army to help him. If we had refused, I doubt the prince would have stayed behind. But he would probably have avoided us. Wouldn't you rather the prince be in our hands versus being on his own?"

Cael grumbled. Torin swung himself onto his saddle. "Come on," said Torin briskly. "If we leave now, we can stay at an inn in town for the night. It would save us from having to deal with any more of the panicking nobles until we reach the mountains."

**Jeez. Sorry for such a long post.

Jude

I tapped my toe, scowling. The boy tried to get up, and without missing a beat, I trapped his head under my foot.

"You are not moving until I hear every last word of a well-thought-out, improvised speech giving an apology and an explanation. Go."

From under my boot, he gave a sweet smile. "Well, see, I was trying to get money for a friend. You know how it is- they get themselves into trouble, you're the only one who can help- and, well, some guards weren't too pleased with me. So, I had to run, and this was the first place I could slip into."

I grunted, folding my arms over my torso. No need for him to think I was being... feminine. I wasn't even sure he knew I was a girl. Big possibility, but not a fact. I rolled his head over, and before he could move, twisted so I was kneeling on his chest. Yeah, he was definitely the young smooth-talker from earlier.

"I don't like you," I announced, grabbing his collar, leaping off of him, and pulling him to his feet.

"But... are you going to let me go?"

"No."

"Oh, alright."

"You. Sit." I said, pointing to the armchair. He obeyed. I hopped up on the desk and sat indian-style, keeping a watchful eye on him. At some point, I tossed him a few rolls and a pear.

And so we waited for the other to speak.

Micayla~

Micayla smirked, her dagger out swiftly and pressing against the back of her forearm. Her second dagger was still hidden in her corset, the third in her bracers while her throwing knives where holding her curly hair up in an elegant bob. "I, my friend, am a princess. My full name is Micayla Wolfe Gromskull. More than that, I am to be betrothed to the prince, which is really a horid thing." She shook her head and swung her dagger around so it was facing outwards. "My father is one of the greatest warriors in the land of Grom, and I, his daughter, take great pride in this." She didn't dare mention who her mother was.

Cale smirked, as if he doubted her skill. "Now... why don't you drop the good guy act, and come and take my gold, if you want it that bad that is." She shot him a shining smile, reading out his body language as she secretly poured the purple death poison over her dagger in her hand. She dropped the vial, and the crystal encasing shattered on contact with the concrete roof of the building.

Micayla rocked back on her bare heels, a smirk on her face. She untied her coin purse, letting it fall from her waist, and took up the fighting position her father had taught her. Cale charged, rather gracefully. Micayla, at first, was caught off guard by his extremely swift first blow, cutting a small, but deep gash in Micayla's shoulder. She, however, recovered soon after, and twisted from his grip, slamming her foot into his chest. She watched in satisfaction as he picked himself off the ground, eyes set in a glare.

Lukas~

Lukas took in a breath, looking around the room. "So... nice place you got here." He started, trying to start a conversation. Jude glanced over at him, looking very feminine. As much as he wanted to believe she was a man, like he'd first thought her to be, he knew know, by obvious curves, and other things Jurian had taught him, she obviously wasn't, but whatever.

"Thanks," he voice was a bit masculine, but held a bit of feminity, just enough to tell what gender she really was. Lukas rubbed the back of his neck, thinking as hard as he could.

"Umm... Jurian seemed to really like you." At that, Jude's eyes shot to him.

"Excuse me?" She about screeched, eyes wide. Lukas threw his hands up defensively.

"I mean, there are few woman he talks to like he did with you. He must think you're s-"

"Mmm, Jude, what's going on?" The older of the two other girls, Carina, walked out rubbing her eyes. The other must have been asleep. Lukas smiled softly at her, and pulled his cloak a bit closer nervously. She was super cute... for someone younger than him by only a few years.

Carina

I shuddered when I saw one of those guys were back, and instinctively closed my legs and wrapped my arms around them. I smiled at Jude. I looked down to Bethy, who was still fast asleep. She was still very cute when she was sleeping. Then looked back up to Jude.
"Our friend popped in for a visit." She said, nodding at the boy. I glanced at him.
"W-who are you?" I asked. He cleared his throat.
"I'm Lukas, you?" he asked, trying to seem strong.
"Carina, this is Bethy." I said, putting one hand on my little sister, protectively. He'd be going to hell if he thought he could lay a finger on her.

*sorry Writers block*

Carina

I shuddered when I saw one of those guys were back, and instinctively closed my legs and wrapped my arms around them. I smiled at Jude. I looked down to Bethy, who was still fast asleep. She was still very cute when she was sleeping. Then looked back up to Jude.
"Our friend popped in for a visit." She said, nodding at the boy. I glanced at him.
"W-who are you?" I asked. He cleared his throat.
"I'm Lukas, you?" he asked, trying to seem strong.
"Carina, this is Bethy." I said, putting one hand on my little sister, protectively. He'd be going to hell if he thought he could lay a finger on her.

*sorry Writers block*

Carina

I shuddered when I saw one of those guys were back, and instinctively closed my legs and wrapped my arms around them. I smiled at Jude. I looked down to Bethy, who was still fast asleep. She was still very cute when she was sleeping. Then looked back up to Jude.
"Our friend popped in for a visit." She said, nodding at the boy. I glanced at him.
"W-who are you?" I asked. He cleared his throat.
"I'm Lukas, you?" he asked, trying to seem strong.
"Carina, this is Bethy." I said, putting one hand on my little sister, protectively. He'd be going to hell if he thought he could lay a finger on her.

*sorry Writers block*

Carina

I shuddered when I saw one of those guys were back, and instinctively closed my legs and wrapped my arms around them. I smiled at Jude. I looked down to Bethy, who was still fast asleep. She was still very cute when she was sleeping. Then looked back up to Jude.
"Our friend popped in for a visit." She said, nodding at the boy. I glanced at him.
"W-who are you?" I asked. He cleared his throat.
"I'm Lukas, you?" he asked, trying to seem strong.
"Carina, this is Bethy." I said, putting one hand on my little sister, protectively. He'd be going to hell if he thought he could lay a finger on her.

*sorry Writers block*

Carina

I shuddered when I saw one of those guys were back, and instinctively closed my legs and wrapped my arms around them. I smiled at Jude. I looked down to Bethy, who was still fast asleep. She was still very cute when she was sleeping. Then looked back up to Jude.
"Our friend popped in for a visit." She said, nodding at the boy. I glanced at him.
"W-who are you?" I asked. He cleared his throat.
"I'm Lukas, you?" he asked, trying to seem strong.
"Carina, this is Bethy." I said, putting one hand on my little sister, protectively. He'd be going to hell if he thought he could lay a finger on her.

*sorry Writers block*

Jude

I put on a smile, getting off the desk. "Nothing, Rina. You hungry?"

"A little."

I handed her a plate. She sat down on the floor and began to eat. I slipped back up onto the desk, grabbing my cloak and pulling it around me. It didn't feel right to have someone in the room -who wasn't female- who knew I was a girl. With Jurian, it had been... okay. Nice, even. To know someone -who wasn't in a gang I recognized- knew I was a girl, was a male, and was still staying beside me.

I shouldn't like that.

I shook my head, only then realizing that I had been smiling. The smaller girl- Bethy- got out of bed, Rosco hanging over her arm. Yawning loudly, she tottered over to Carina and sat down, resting her head on Rosco's. I handed her a plate too. I saw movement in my peripherals, and raised a hand behind me with a "ch-ch!" to stop Luke.

Smirking, I leaned back, ruffling my hair. I really did like it short. Made me feel... light. I pulled my cloak tighter and crossed my legs, letting my hands drop to my lap.

I closed my eyes, just for a second, and wondered where Jurian was now.