"Likely right after." Ally shrugged, fiddling with the reins in her hands. "You're right, I'm an assassin. There's no reason for me to do anything but what I was made to do. I'll head to some city, kill a king or noble or anything for some cash, then I'll keep moving. Lucky you. You got to see me, and you get to live. Most people don't."
"Have you ever thought about leaving the assassin business?" Dorian asked, leaning back in the seat, "If no one really knows who you are you could. Earn a living like everyone else without having to kill."
Ally blinked, tilting her head. Of course she had. It wasn't like she had wanted to kill people for a living. "Yeah. I have. Many times." She said, looking up at the sky, the sun nearing the midway point in the vast abyss of blue.
"I started life as an orphan, then became a thief. When I was grabbed, I lost the little I had given myself. I died there, in those barbed wire chains and that manor that smelled of rosemary. Stripped of everything and killed mercilessly, to create the perfect doll." Her voice was strangely steady, but even more strangely empty. "So when I killed him and left, I was a ghost. And what can a ghost do better than create more ghosts? Where is someone like me supposed to go, after living a half-life like this. What else am I supposed to do?"
Dorian listened closely, wanting to know more but didn't want to ask and over step, "When you.. escaped, you could have tried to reinvent yourself, tried to find yourself again," He shrugged, "But that's hard, and it's your life. You could try now but…"
"There was nothing to find, your Highness." Ally stated, releasing the reins. She lifted one arm, using the other to tap an intricate scar on her forearm. "Where I'm from, they call me a Slummer. A Slummer, and a thief. I was nothing as it was, just a kid who'd been taken in by a gang of criminals. He killed them, when he took me. Every single one of the few people I had called family. There was nothing left but myself, and when he took that, there was very much nothing. I could only move forward, and that meant doing what I could to survive and keep others safe. Some of us don't get to reinvent, we're stuck as what we've become."
"Could you… find another family?" He knew what the answer was already going to be, but he couldn't help but ask. Dorian knew in the back of his mind he might have to do the same thing, that the chances of the rest of his family surviving would be very low. He didn't want to think about that, not yet.
"How the hell am I gonna do that? Put up a wanted add in the newspaper?" Ally asked, shaking her head as she let out a dry laugh. "I got lucky the first time around. I ain't gonna get lucky again, not like that. It's better people dont get that attached, anyway. I always have to leave."
He sighed, "Suppose you have a point, I guess." He ran a hand through his hair, looking to the side and scanning the landscape, "How far is it to Caverin?"
The assassin lifted her arms up, stretching them as high as she could. "We should be there before dark. At least, at a good pace. If we slow, we're gonna have to camp for the night." She said, motioning up to the sky. "I've got a pal who'll rent us a room for my services."
"Wow," Dorian chuckled lightly, "You really do have connections everywhere. I don't know why I'm so surprised." He sighed softly, "What's it like? You know, being able to travel to so many places and not be confined to one place?"
"Tiresome." Ally said with a shrug, letting her arms drop. She pulled a knife from somewhere, spinning it idly in her fingers, like a habitual tick. "I don' exactly get t' go 'round sight seein'. I'm around for work, then I'm on again for work. Though, sometimes I…like goin' to different places to eat. Tastin' different foods from different cultures."
"What's the most interesting cuisine you've had? Like, if you had to narrow it down to one, what's the one thing you'd eat for the rest of your life." He asked. If they were going to be stuck together for a while, he may as well try and get to know her a little.
Ally paused, tilting her head as she thought over that for a bit. “Pietskell. It’s a shrimp and veggie dish with rice. It’s incredible. You usually find it in seaside towns, though there’s a variatiational dish in a lot of mountain areas. It helps that it’s got most of the necessary vitamins and things. I wonder if we could get ahold of some…anyway, what about you?”
"Ah, sounds nice," Dorian took a moment to think, "Drymoren, probably. It's a pastry stuffed with a bunch of vegetables, bacon and rabbit. Generally it's served with like a savory cake with some form of cheese on the top, it's delicious. I'm pretty sure it originated in the countrysides, if my brain serves me correctly."
"It sounds familiar, but I don' think I ever tried it. Mighta heard someone talkin' about it, though. It sounds pretty damn good." Ally said, nodding appreciatively. "Rabbit's pretty easy to fuck up, if you aren't careful. Gets all stringy. New question, to pass the time. Where's your favorite place that you have been?"
"Oo, tough one, uh…" He frowned a little, looking down at his knees before back up towards the horizon, "Kerrian, probably. It's a small town on an island not to far from the coast line. It's been a… very, long time since I've been but still my favourite," He sighed, "I'd go back but… not a fan of oceans and boats anymore. Anyway, what about you?"
"Viansawen." She said, lips curling up slightly into a smile. "It's a beautiful city in Spanyera, cliffside to the ocean. The buildings are all built of white stone and brick, or carved into the cliffs themselves. And there are so many lights. Strings of them everywhere, glowing warmly at night. I am someone most comfortable in the shadows, but I'll tell ya. Never felt more at home than there, or on the road. They have these festivals…." Ally's eyes had lit up as she'd spoken, the harshness and seen-too-much look on her features melting away to be replaced by something…normal. Something one would expect to see on a young woman, not an assassin who'd seen the worst of humanity and become it. A living being, not a ghost. "The summer festivals are so musical, and the nights are warm and clear. It's incredible."
He listen, smiling softly over at Ally. She looked and sounded like a completely different person, "It sounds amazing. I remember hearing about the festivals a while back but never had the chance to go. I think my favourite festival I've ever been to was the midnight festival in Melrotian. The foods, the lights, the sounds, the atmosphere. Being able to just stay up and watch the stars telling stories and dancing is just… it's wonderful."
"I should go there. If I live long enough, maybe I'll go check it out." She mused, that same life still glowing in her features. "I go to the Viansawen festivals every year. Each one. It's the only thing I've ever let myself live for, because they're so amazing. You should go, if you ever get the chance. I think you'd like it." Her eyes flickered over to him, those silver eyes sparkling like pools of mercury with her excitement. "What was the midnight festival for? The history behind it?"
"Well, the people there believe that out world was created by Herna the goddess of the moon in their culture. They believe that everything in their society and formed and made by her, by the stars who are her children. Every year they have two festivals, the midnight festival. It's a celebration of life and creation for them, to bring in good luck an wishes for the coming months," He smiled, thinking back to the times he'd been and how amazing it was, "So, at midnight, they all stop and sing, starting of the festival and then they party till morning. It's beautiful. They don't have many lights out, mainly because they celebrate by the light of the moon and the stars."