His eyes flickered, and he looked down for a moment. "I…don't think that's possible, your highness." He said, looking at her again. "If I don't address my…" Master? Owner? She is neither… "Superior by their title…" He shook his head. "Bad things happen." He finished simply. He wasn't sure he could explain what he meant. What would happen if he didn't.
“Then try not t’ call me anythin’.” Elara said, shaking her head as she looked forward once more. The gates swung open, and a minute later found them outside, Elara walking with purpose through the crowds of people shopping and running errands. “An’ if ya gotta, don’ shout the title. Though I’m tellin’ ya now, nobody’s touchin’ ya round here unless you say so.”
"I'm not talking about a beating." He replied. "And I shall try to do as you ask." He said, following her. He adjusted his sleeves again to cover the manacle scars on his wrists. The sleeves on this uniform were just a touch too short for him, though he wasn't going to complain about it.
She glanced back, her eyes flickering to his sleeves before returning ahead. “If ya need an adjustment, jus’ ask. The King likes his staff lookin’ classy, so they’ll change anythin’ ya need.” She said, brushing a well-off looking man as they passed him.
Kieran nodded. "I see. I shall keep that in mind, your highness." He said, following her. She was starting to grate on his nerves, though he didn't exactly have enough emotion to say he was annoyed.
Elara didn’t say anything more after that, pulling a coin purse that looked entirely too fancy to be hers from her pocket. She stopped, occasionally, to greet people who seemed happy to see her, pulling a few coins out of the purse to give to each vagrant and beggar she greeted.
She didn’t speak to Kieran again for a little over half an hour, the time spent chatting with people and children, and nicking the occasional purse or wallet from wealthy people she passed.
When she did speak, it was when they cut down an alley, as she was digging through her duffel bag. “You’re gonna either hafta stay ou’side, or wear a mask I’m here. Your pick.”
Kieran had remained silent until she spoke to him. "I'll come with you. But why do I have to wear a mask?" He asked, looking down at her with an eyebrow raised. His orange eyes were flat, emotionless. Almost like a doll's. His hair was still back in that loose bun, it's strange bicoloration in full view. A mask wouldn't do much to disguise him; he stuck out too much already, with his horns and his hair, unless he wore a hood.
“‘Cause I ain’t gettin’ ya sick.” Elara said simply, not elaborating on that as she pulled out a mask from her bag. Not a costume mask, but a sick mask, one made to cover the nose and mouth. One that would keep diseases from entering someone’s body through the air. She held it out to him as she came to a stop in front of a a door, attached to a rundown looking house that sat next to a few houses in similar shape, lining one side of the alley.
He took the mask. "Oh. I thought you meant a different sort of mask." He put it on when they arrived at the house, quiet. Who were they visiting, he wondered, that was so sick? He remembered how back home, if you got sick…you either recovered on your own, or you died. Medicine was for the owners, not the slaves. It wasn't worth it to waste medicine on slaves.
Elara just shook her head, turning to the door and knocking three times. The door was thrown open a moment later, revealing a large and burly man covered in tattoos, who grinned as soon as he spotted Elara.
“Ellie, sweetheart! Gods, we ain’t seen ya round in almost a week now, huh?” He continues to ramble, voice rough and booming, until he seemingly noticed Kieran. Immediately, his eyes narrowed, looking between the two. “Should I be worried, kid?”
Kieran was silent, watching the man warily. He wondered what exactly this man meant, by asking if they should be worried about Elara. He said nothing, though. Possibly the man was asking because of what Kieran was. Thari. The Thari were seen as…well, nothing good, for the most part. He sighed softly, remaining silent. No good ever came of him asking unwanted questions.
“I told ya, everythin’s fine. His majesty’s jus’ gettin’ all worked up ‘bout nothin’.” Elara assured the man, shoving her hands into her pockets again. “‘Sides, Johnson. I didn’ come here for ya t’ worry ‘bout me.”
“You say so.” Johnson shook his head, stepping aside to pull the door open more, an obvious welcoming gesture. “She’s missed ya. Wants t’ ask if you’ve fallen in love with a prince yet. Keep the mask on, kid.” This was directed at Kieran, though it was slightly odd that he didn’t tell Elara to put one in as she gladly entered the house.
Kieran nodded, following Elara silently. He wondered who she was visiting, but said nothing as he followed her through the house. He knocked his left horn against a wall by mistake, and hissed between his teeth, putting a hand up and touching the horn gently to try and soothe the pain flickering through his head from it.
“Careful. House is old and ain’t built well.” Elara said, leading the way through the living room and down a hallway. She stopped at a partially ajar door, knocking on the doorframe before pushing the door open.
The room was obviously a child’s room, just as cluttered as the rest of the house was and lit with a few candles. The sickly looking seven year old girl sitting on the floor looked up, her entire face lighting up when Elara waved. “Ellie!”
"I noticed." Kieran said, quiet as he followed her. He hoped that the little girl wouldn't be scared of him; young humans sometimes were. It was the horns, and the tall, broad-shouldered form. He didn't look human, and that sometimes scared children. He waited in the doorway, quiet, and trying not to draw attention to himself.
“Hey, Mack. How’s holdin’ down the fort?” Elara asked, stepping into the room and plopping down across from the girl. She was smiling, not the wicked or mischievous looks she favored, but an actual happy smile.
“Great! Dad got me a new doll after mine got stuck under one of his anchors, and Marla stopped by with cookies! Dad says you don’t wanna fall in love with a prince though, because you’re ‘busy’. What’re you busy doing?” Mack rambled happily, her cheeriness a contrast to the pale color of her skin and her frail ness. Her eyes landed on Kieran, widening slightly. “Is he your prince? I like his horns!”
Kieran gave a soft chuckle at the question of if he was "her prince". He glanced down at the floor, adjusting his sleeves again, then turned his attention back to Elara and the little girl, Mack. "No, I am not her prince." he told the little girl. "I am her bodyguard." he couldn't even fathom the idea of being…anything with Elara. Not that she wasn't pretty, she was just…too different. Plus, he was pretty sure that she didn't like him at all.
"Oh! Does that mean you know karate? Have you ever used your sword? My dad says I can't get a sword, but Ellie gave me a knife and said that even princesses have to defend themselves. It has a little crystal on it!"
"Stop givin' my daughter knives, kiddo!" Johnson's shout carried from whatever room he was in, though it sounded more like he was laughing than upset, and Elara's grin and wink thrown at Mack showed she wasn't too concerned.
"With you around, does she not have to fight now?" Rapid paced questions were, apparently, Mack's thing. "She's good at fighting, but I know it hurts. That's how she hurt her leg."
That made Elara cough, and the Princess pointedly avoided looking at Kieran. Something told her he wouldn't be entirely happy to know she'd been fighting on an injured ankle. Mack's question and Kieran's answer flickered into her mind, and the two thoughts blended, leaving her wondering for a moment what it would be like to have someone worry about her, without any strings attached. Nothing for them to gain.
Kieran raised his eyebrows, looking at Elara. "You fought me injured?" he said. "No wonder you were imbalanced! Why would you purposely fight like that? You will make the damage worse!" he couldn't fathom purposefully fighting wounded. Why? He himself fought enough already beaten before the fight began, but to fight…he swallowed slightly, watching her to gauge her response.
(btw it's your turn on "A dreamer, a king, and a wolf", too)
(oh nvm sorry about that)
((Sksksk I was on mobile up until like maybe ten minutes ago, and we were doing a lot of longer responses while I was watching a movie, so I was sticking to just this rp until I could steal a computer from my siblings.))
"It wa'nt that big'a deal." Elara muttered, looking at one of the candles lining a shelf on the wall instead of at her Guard. "Jus' a minor inconvenience." She could almost hear her mother's voice, lecturing her about starting a fight while injured, and it took a moment to remind herself that her mother wasn't there. She's gone, remember? You can make stupid decisions all you want now. "I've fought with worse before, so it ain' like I didn' know what I was doin'. Just' didn' expect ya t' be better'n me."
(ohhh okay XD just wanted to make sure you hadn't forgotten or missed it. I do things like that sorry)
Kieran snorted. "Wasn't that big a deal?? Your highness…" he shook his head. "I warned you beforehand that I would beat you, so saying that you didn't expect it is stupid. No offense." he added the last two words after a moment. Oh god why was he arguing with her?? Most of his other masters, if he even talked back had… -locked in a dark room for days without food- -beaten and left in the dirt- -whipped- he took a deep breath, releasing it after a moment.
((Nah, it's totally cool! Though, while on the subject, in a couple of days I'll be leaving for camping with my family, and we'll have no wifi whatsoever for a week, just a heads up))
Elara snickered, shaking her head. "Ya think you're the first guy t' tell me he'd beat me in a fight? Y'ain't even the first guard t' do that." She said, finally looking to him. She didn't look mad, or even annoyed, just amused. And maybe a tiny bit…embarrassed?
"You beat her? Did she use her big knife? 'Cause I've never seen her lose while using the big knife." Mack stated, looking at Kieran in slight awe, before turning to Elara. "Can I hold it?" Elara unsheathed her mother's dagger, handing it over to Mack and keep an eye on the girl as she happily gazed at it.
(okay! That's fine, have fun! And I won't be on from tomorrow evening through Friday. If I am at all, it'll be inconsistent)
"True, perhaps, but I am most likely the first Thari, and the first slave." He said. He looked at the little girl. "Yes, I did, and yes, she was." He told Mack, then his orange eyes traveled back to Elara, emotionless.
((Gotcha! And hopefully it will be fun, if I don't sprain my ankle on the first day like I did last year))
"Wow! You must be super strong then!" Mack said happily, smiling up at Kieran. She seemed entirely unconcerned about his appearance, or usual lack of emotion.
"True. The first one's definitely a first for me." Elara said, something flickering across her features for a moment, before she went back to watching Mack. It was obvious how fond of the little girl she was, strange, considering she tended to generally be an asshole to most adults. For her own sake, of course, but people never seemed to realize that.