Tongue tied

❝ They can't distinguish between left or right anymore... ❞

They hadn't been too strict ever since he went out once. And that was for the better, as he wasn't gonna sit indoors all day. He knew that he couldn't be out for too long, as he would eventually get too unwell. He was still weak, was barely skin and bones. But he was also a stubborn kid who simply wanted to do whatever the hell he wanted to do. And even though he was aware that going out wasn't the best thing for him, he still did it. With a guard to accompany him he was sure that things were bound to end well. If he were to faint or something he could carry him home, right? Not that that was something he wanted... It would be embarrassing, to say the least. But his point was more... He would be safe even if his body gave up on him.

Being out that stuffy old castle made him feel at least a bit better. He really didn't like it in there. It was just so very... Big... And had way too much going on. He was used to grand building, since they lived in a fortress back in Norwyn. But the luxuries a castle had couldn't be rivalled. And that was the one thing he really didn't feel good about. He didn't belong in a place like that. Then again, he didn't belong anywhere. Perhaps in his bed, rotting away, as he had little to offer the world around him. He sighed as he shook his head. Damn negativity. Maybe it was time for something more... Fun.

His two coloured eyes went over to his guard before he stepped forward. He cleared his throat as he put on a smile. "Hello, may I ask you something?" he asked while keeping his polite face up. His voice was raspy and still remained damaged from what it had endured in the past days. It really hurt, but he couldn't do much about it.

Arlyana always liked to get up early to do most of her chores, out in the fresh air. The nights were often long, but nothing felt more refreshing than the first morning breeze. It was almost as if it held more oxygen, something she so desperately craved after working almost the entire night. She would get the time to rest some more during lunch hours, when the other girls were working. But for now, she was going to enjoy the market. Get herself something to eat after she had already washed herself, and her sheets.

With a basket hanging around one arm, she was walking through the many stands and people, looking for some fresh fruit. Her green eyes softly moved over some beautiful green apples before eventually buying some, and placing them in her basket. Then she also bought some bread before she started looking for a place to sit, away from the busy market. While she certainly didn’t mind crowded places, she felt like she needed only a few moments of peace before yet another day of working.

For a moment she moved the scarf around the neck a bit closer to her skin, to protect herself more from the cold while she sat down. But just as she was able to take out a green apple from her basket, she heard a question, making her turn her head. Her eyes slowly moved upward to look at the person who presumingly asked the question, and she quickly noticed the guard standing beside him as well. ”Well, yes, ofcourse.” She said, mainly because she didn’t want to be in any trouble with that guard. It took her some time to realize he could potentially be someone of importance, due to the guard, and she quickly stood up afterwards. Slightly tilting her head, waiting for another question.

❝ They can't distinguish between left or right anymore... ❞

Luckily for him the person in question was compliant. Perhaps he could ask her to do a thing he had never done before with someone else. He was in too much of a bad shape to make any grand physical escapes. So... Under that assumption the only way he could get away from a guard was quite simple; try and get someone else to do it. Or get an excuse to get away from him. He almost sighed at the second thought since he only really knew one way that could work out. Especially when it was in regards to a woman... And a man with his kind of money. Although it wasn't very becoming of a Trygg, it would have to do. If word got out he would simply dismiss it as a mistake or tell Rán that they didn't do anything. At the end of the day it didn't really matter what the rest of the world knew about him anyway.

He smiled softly as he nodded. "You're very beautiful," He said as his hand lowered into his pocket, getting out a handful of gold which he showed off at the other, making sure his face became more serious as he nodded carefully, tilting his head a bit backwards. Get me out of this situation... Please. "Perhaps we can get some privacy somewhere? I'm not from around here so I would appreciate some directions," He hoped she would get the hint. Go to a tavern, get a room. And then he simply gave her the gold and he went on his way, most likely through the window or something. Anything so he could get away of the guard... Of the insane bitch. As he looked at her once more he offered her a smile, putting the gold back where it belonged. He didn't dare to look at the man behind him. It wasn't one of his men, never was. It was just one of her henchman... And this was perhaps the only way he could get away from them.

Due to the fact that Arlyana didn’t come from Ravaryn, and had just moved here, she didn’t know the faces of any nobles from around here. It was also pretty clear to see that she wasn’t from around here. Her skin tone and eyes didn’t seem to fit with the image of people who grew up here. Therefore she looked quite different, but certainly not in a bad way. It was one of the reasons she moved here, because she thought she would earn more money here. In a place where she was able to stand out from all the rest. People who were smart enough were probably able to tell what she was, however, it appeared Arlyana had underestimated the intelligence of the young man now standing in front of her.

The corners of her mouth softly curled up into a smile when he told her she was beautiful, and ofcourse, Arlyana already knew this. But it was still nice to hear every now and then, certainly from someone who wasn’t drunk. Her eyes quickly followed his hands, taking out a few pieces of gold before he continued talking. Softly she pulled up one eyebrow in slight surprise, because she had not quite expected him to make this kind of offer while he didn’t even know who she was, or what she was. Not that she actually minded it, but still. For a short moment her eyes moved back to the guard, trying to guess if maybe this was some desperate attempt to lose it. ”You’re bold,” She said, looking back at the blonde young man, neutralizing her facial expression. Because yes, it would have been bold for him to assume that she was the kind of lady who would take money for something like that. But this was his lucky day. ”Follow me.” She followed up, now curling one corner of her mouth playfully up again as her green eyes showed a hint of seduction in them. Taking the basket with the apples and bread from the ground before offering him her arm. Glancing at the guard once again as well.

❝ They can't distinguish between left or right anymore... ❞

He made comments like this all the time. A sharp tongue forming sweetened up compliments. He sometimes wondered if women knew what he was up to when he said stuff like this. For he didn’t care at all for her or her appearance. He rarely did. He could tell when a woman was desired by a man, could appreciate their looks. But falling head of heels for appearance alone was like a joke to him. How could you choose someone based on what they looked like? But she seemed to like what he had to say, smiling at the fact that he called her beautiful. Now following that up he went on to try and get her attention even more with gold. His words surprised her, but he got it right. It didn’t seem to catch her that much off guard. Even though he didn’t even know who she was or what she did. All he knew was that she wasn’t from a high standing family in Ravaryn, and that’s all that mattered to him. As she clearly also didn’t know who he was, it would only benefit him in the long run.

Bold? He chuckled for a moment, his smile softening up rather swiftly. “Bold? Perhaps,” he quietly said with a nod. She had clearly seen the guard behind him, as he had carefully kept track of her gaze. If she put one and one together, she could most likely make up what was going on. But the stranger didn’t seem to hesitate any longer. As a corner of her mouth curled up, she instructed him to follow her. She took her basket and eventually offered her arm up to him. He elegantly took on the gesture, not even looking behind him as his gaze went over to her once more. What would happen next, was up to her. The guard would follow, of course, but as soon as they would share a room, he was sure that the man wouldn’t interfere. He could discuss price and compensation when they were there. All he could wish for now was that Rán never found out about this.

Arlyana never minded compliments from strangers, certainly not about her appearance. Not that she actually ever got them about anything other than her appearance. Because there weren’t a lot of people who seemed to care much about the personalities of tavern wenches, or so called whores. They only cared about what they could give them and some probably didn’t even care if there was even a pretty face attached to that body. This man, however, seemed to have been robbed of his pretty face by something that looked like .. an animal maybe? Not that she actually cared much about it, and she didn’t really think he was ugly or something, but he had a pretty big scratch on his face, and one of eyes seemed to have gone blind.

She called him bold, after which he chuckled for a moment, his smile softening. Her eyes only shortly went from his guard back to him while she decided that she didn’t need to say anything in response to that. After all, she already knew where this was seemingly going, having made a few assumptions. He was trying to get rid of his guard, and she was going to help him. Quickly enough she had taken her basket from the ground while he had taken the arm she offered him, after which she brought him with her towards the little tavern where she worked. The guard followed them, ofcourse, but when they entered the tavern, and eventually ended up in front of her door, she stopped him. ”Won’t you do the boy some courtesy of giving him some privacy?” She asked him, giving him a very obvious hint with her eyes showing some temptation in them. After which she opened the door, and took the boy with her inside the room, closing the door after him. Then her green eyes looked back at the young blonde man with the torn face. ”So, was that your plan?” She asked him, still showing some temptation in her eyes, even if she didn’t know exactly what he wanted. ”Or were you actually planning to pay me for something more.” Carefully she took a step closer, already taking off her coat for him. Because if he wanted more, he has still come to the right place..

❝ They can't distinguish between left or right anymore... ❞

If word got out that he had actually done this, then he was toast. So for one she wasn't allowed to know who he was. Secondly, he had to make sure that no real gossip got out about it. Or maybe... That would be a good thing. Maybe the message would reach his sister and she would bust down the doors of the castle herself out of pure rage once she knew. He was the one person who knew all too well what she was capable of. But for now he had to try and get out of this situation on his own. And where he was lacking in physical strength, he could make up in being a bit sly in his own right. Getting rid of the man that was tasked to keep an eye on him was one thing. Actually being able to remove himself from the situation, was another. But for now it would seem that step one went well. He wasn't going to get hasty and clumsy now. The guard didn't seem suspicious, or he simply didn't care. Whatever it was, he didn't open his mouth and that was everything he wanted from this. Because if he had to actually give an explanation, his entire plan would crumble in front of him. Weak foundation, a risky move, but there was reason that gambling was so addictive to the human mind.

She led him to a tavern and for a moment he looked at her, before looking around at the place. It smelled quite peculiar and Ve was a bit caught off guard by it. As the sheltered kid he was he had never really entered a place like this. He had always been somewhat of a late bloomer, so he didn't care all too much about it. Matters like these never really crossed his mind, as he usually had more important things to tend to. It didn't take long before they came to a halt in front of a door. Ve looked at her for a moment, but it became all too clear what she was doing. She turned herself towards the man that had been following them, essentially telling him off. For a moment the blonde man had to refrain from putting on a smug smile. He had been annoyed by the man all day and for him to finally leave his personal space. Oh Ranaan, it felt like the best thing ever.

They stepped inside the room and the Trygg boy let out a sigh as soon as the door closed behind them. For a moment he let his gaze go around the room, observing his surroundings with his one good eye. However, the woman that had taken him here decided that they were going to make most of their time. She spoke to him, which led him to look at her once more. As soon as their gazes crossed, his previously smug behaviour faded. He blinked for a moment, staring at the other as if... He had no idea what she was talking. The way she looked at him made him feel quite uncomfortable and he couldn't help but break their gaze every so often to glance over at the floor. Oh fuck. Woman. And then she spoke again, taking a step closer towards him while taking her coat off. Immediately the young man put his hands up in front of him, waving them. "Hey no, keep that on," he hissed at her, clearly trying to refrain from being too loud. The way he spoke made it all too clear that Ve had no idea what he had gotten himself into. Well, it was the truth. He had never been in a situation like this before. He hadn't even noticed that a soft blush had formed on his cheeks. "I just- Ahum- I just- I'm trying to get away from that man. If you could just help with that I'll compensate for your time and effort," He had averted his eyes, grabbing the poach of coin he had on him. "You can have it all, just... Please keep your clothes on," His voice almost died off as it was barely a whisper. Damn.

Arlyana had seen a lot of people enter places like this, but somehow she had gotten the feeling like this had been his first time. Due to her experience with people, she knew how to read signals, even from people who were trying to hide them. She pulled him with her through the busy taverns, towards the back where all the rooms were. The hallways were small, and while some doors were standing wide open, others were closed. If one focused enough, they could even hear the muffled sounds from those rooms. But because she knew why this young man wanted her to take him with her, she turned herself around to the guard, asking him to give them a bit of privacy, before taking the man with the scar on his face inside her room.

The room was rather tidy and clean, unlike some of the other rooms. And weirdly enough, there were books, even though Arlyana wasn’t able to read any of them. She simply liked the pictures in them, the little drawings of flowers in the herbal books. On the nightstand one could find a vase with flowers, which could give a little indication of her romantic soul, if one were to be able to look past what she was. But Arlyana did not know what this man wanted from her exactly, and so, she did the one thing she was good at.. Yet, when she actually looked at him, she could see the grin on his face fade away, and when she tried to take off her coat, he did something she did not expect. He waved his hands in front of his face, hissing at her to keep it on while trying to keep his voice down, making her pause her movements. Blinking a few times because she had never seen anyone that panicked about her taking her clothes off to be fair. Then he started mumbling things to her, still clearly distressed about the whole situation. Grabbing his pouch and telling her that she could have everything, as long as she kept her clothes on.

A soft smile appeared on her lips as she began to understand what was going on. Or he had never experienced something like this before, or he was simply not interested in her. Which was fine, honestly. Because she was not trying to hurt him. She did, however, continue to take off her coat, since it was a little too warm inside her room to be wearing it. But after she hung it over one of the chairs standing inside her room, she stopped and looked back up at him. ”It’s alright.. I can keep my clothes on.” She told him, with ease. Because truth be told, Arlyana did not even like the fact that men only wanted to see her without them on. Then she softly laughed. ”I don’t think anyone has ever told me to keep them on, at least not so desperately as you just did.” She shared with him, before taking a seat on the chair before motioning her hand towards her bed, allowing him to sit. Her whole demeanor had changed in the meantime, telling him that it was okay. That she had no intention to hurt him, or force him into doing something he didn’t want to do.

❝ They can't distinguish between left or right anymore... ❞

He honestly didn't know what to expect from places like this. He had only heard stories from the men that worked for the Tryggs. He would never be allowed in a place like this if it was up to his sisters or his parents. By the gods, they would tear him apart of they knew. He was a nobleman after all, not supposed to lower himself to such lengths. If anything he should keep himself pure for his future wife. Well that was the general idea, but he was sure that some high standing men he knew had certainly taken a misstep or two in this direction as well. So, in many ways, it was also judgemental of everyone to frown upon such a common thing. People had desires, after all. And where one had money, one could provide to meet such desires. Luckily for him, he could at least contain himself a little bit. He had been swooned by pretty ladies before, but he had always kept his honour high for such things and like the gentleman he was never done anything to advance on such things. Everything was already out of control in his life. And this was just the one thing that he didn't want to lose as easily. It held value to him. And if he was being completely honest, he wanted to share his first time with someone he genuinely loved.

So, he had spat out the words rather rapidly, a bit in a panic even. And for good reason, as he simply wasn't too sure how he could respond to her without the situation escalating too far. He didn't know what kind of woman she was. She was someone who sold her body, that much was for sure... And the picture he had in his head of such ladies wasn't particularly... Good. For him, it almost seemed like they wanted such things, reaching for it and reaping the fruit of their labour afterwards. Both feasting in ways of needs and gain. Of course, such way of thinking was rather... short-sighted. Something that she made quite clear by her expression. She looked surprised, but halted he action. And as the young lord looked her up and down for a moment, he could see her smile appear in a matter of seconds. He took a deep breath, feeling the tension of the situation slowly fade away. She continued with taking off her coat, but that was it. Most likely because it was too warm in the room. Something he felt as well. But stubborn as he was he kept his on. He also knew that... He wouldn't stay long. The faster he got out of here, the more time he would have to make distance between the guard and him. As soon as he had a horse, they wouldn't be able to catch up to him anymore.

His one good eye slowly moved across the room as he observed the many details it had. It seemed to be more of a personal room instead of a straight up workplace. Was this just her bedroom? Did she not have a separate place to do her job? He swallowed uncomfortably at the thought as he saw the flowers and the many books scattered around. It wasn't much, but it reminded him of his own room. And it sent a shiver up his spine knowing that one sold their body in a place where they found comfort and peace as well. How could anyone live like that? He focused his gaze on one book in particular and slowly frowned. Herbal books? Was she trying to be some self taught herbalist or something like that? He couldn't quite tell, but it was noticeable that most of the covers seems to be related to plants and such. Some of them he recognized from his own collections, others he had never seen before. Peculiar for sure.

When she spoke, he turned his focus back to her. Slowly nodding at her when she finished her words, assuring him that she would keep her clothes on. When she went on, however, he could feel his stomach turn once more. He could only imagine that the opposite words of his request were much more demanded of her than... Anything else. By Ranaan he kind of felt disgusted by it... And it felt wrong to feel like that, because he knew that he shouldn't judge a woman for something like that. The motion she made as she gestured him to come closer... He wasn't too sure by it. Yet, he took a couple of steps forward, before coming to a halt next to a table with one of the books he hadn't recognized. He tilted his head, placing the poach of coins next to it, before his fingers slowly moved to the item. He silently hummed, looking back at her. "Well... There's a first for everything right?" he said as he got lost in thoughts. His focus went back to her as he took a deep breath. Slowly he nodded at her, before he let his eyes go across the room. Searching for a window or any other way out then the one they gone through. "So... You live and work here correct?" He asked hesitantly, not entirely sure if he could ask such things. "You must know this place inside and out," And so also the best escape route.