Daevas -I- ✔️

Chapter 17.2: Reciprocity

Ari crept through the town. The more he travelled inward the more reluctance grew to go farther. He was becoming anxious, but it was far too late to turn back now. He had to see if Rein or Freir were nearby even though he knew the odds were slim. Even if they were not he wanted to gather more information, so he would not be leading Kaval and himself blindly into whatever they were going towards. 

Back alleyways and narrow streets that he could get lost in were everywhere he turned. Some were speckled with a pair of women or men enjoying themselves with one another. Others harbored more illicit dealings that Ari turned a blind eye to not wanting to know. He did not know where to begin searching in such a large, densely populated town. He had never been in one like this before. 

The mannerisms of the town was different from what Ari had ever seen. They were dressed differently and spoke with strange accents he never heard before. Even the fleeting smell of food smelled tantalizing but different. He did not know a town like this could exist. Had Nolan truly tucked him away from the world to serve no greater purpose than to be at his every whim and mercy? The more he thought on that the greater his determination grew to see this through to the end. 

As he made his way through the boisterous streets, light fled from the sky. The remaining bits of sun sank away into the horizon, casting darkness across the town if it were not there already. Ari's vision suffered. His vision at night was close to non-existent. However, there were torches posted on nearby buildings. He followed them along with the laughter of raucous men growing closer. They passed him by without sparing him a glance, which he was thankful for. He slithered in between them and into the bolstering streets illuminated by dim red lights. 

Women were draped across balconies beckoning to the women and men below to pay visit. Ari gazed into one of their eyes and blushed. Half clothed and breasts bared to the world for all to see. One traced her hand along her bare skin and arched her back as if put on display. When his eyes landed on one of the women with a beautiful face, he turned his head and kept it lowered. Never in his life had he seen a woman as pretty as the ones he was seeing now. To be honest, he never seen much women dressed in women's clothes with painted faces. The Khaeo forbade such things. They would say women with painted faces and luxurious clothing were tempestuous beasts that would stray them away from the path of righteousness. 

He rose his head and looked again out of curiosity. Her hair was the color of fire and eyes a deep gray that called—demanded his attention.  She gazed into his eyes and gave him a soft smile that stretched up to her cheeks. Ari blinked and looked again only to see her with a lustful gaze focused on someone else. 

The people felt odd. Ari could not explain it well. He rolled his shoulders and shook his head. They looked normal enough, but something was just not right. He moved through the throngs of people until he found himself lost in the crowd and noise. That feeling once scared him, but now gave him more comfort than anything. Here, what he was did not matter. No one cared. He was just another face— another person going through the motions of life. Soon Ari was out of the red lighted streets and back onto the less busy area of the town. 

"You. You right there! Stop!" a man shouted. Ari turned his attention towards the man dripping with sweat and anger as another man dashed right past him with a handful of bread. Ari wanted to help, but he did not want to stand out. He had to blend in so as to not cause any more necessary trouble for Kaval. 

The man wiped the sweat from his brow and huffed, kicking nearby stones as he did. He was a tall and burly man with sharp striking features. His arms and face was an assortment of scars and burns. He looked more like a soldier of the Khaeo than a baker.  

The onlookers disbursed after a couple of seconds leaving Ari and the angry man alone. He gave Ari a fleeting glance before walking back inside his store. However, he stopped and took another long look at Ari.