Street Prowler

[duff]

Duff wandered about the bustling market place, timidly looking about at all the people rushing about, inspecting wares in a merchant’s stand, and carrying loads of food and other goods on their backs or on a mule that they steered behind themselves. They were all bigger than him, and all going about their own ways, not acknowledging his presence at all. He was nearly trampled quite a few times, but he managed to dodge around the merciless hoofed and leather-wrapped feat, taking cover next to a stand with many kinds of fruit on display, huffing.
It wasn’t until he caught his breath that he noticed the many colorful fruit, his stomach roaring at him for food. He slowly reached out a hand toward a strange, striped one, and picked it up. He brought it toward his mouth, and just when he was going to take a bite, he was struck hard by a wooden pole, letting out a yelp of surprise and pain and dropping the fruit.
“You! You have to pay for that if you want it!” the merchant behind the stand shouted at him, the pole in his hand.
“B-but… I don’t have any…” Duff replied timidly, frightened by the man.
“Then put it back, you filthy street prowler!” the man shouted at him again in response, waking him yet again with the pole. Duff let out a cry of pain, and tears began to form in his eyes.
“But I’m hungry!” he objected, picking up the fruit again. He started to back away from the stand, and quickly he was turned around and running into the crowd.
“Hey! Thief! Get back here!” the man in the stand shouted, but Duff kept running, and as he glanced back to see if there was anyone chasing him, ran square into someone, knocking him back onto his butt.
((Who wants to be the person he ran into!?))

[Selcette]

The person that Duff ended up knocking into was a girl that looked about 15, with pink hair and strange, black attire. She didn’t fall over, but sturdily watched the boy fall to the ground with a raised eyebrow. “Hmm?” Selcette mumbled, pulling her stuffed rabbit ‘Marmo’ closer to her. “Little boy bumped into me.” She looked down with a casual look, blinking.

[duff]

Duff stared up at the strange girl, holding the fruit closer to himself as if protecting it. There was something about the girl that frightened him a bit—but, then again, almost everyone frightened him at the moment. “W-who are you?” he questioned timidly, “No, I didn’t steal this! No I didn’t!”

[Selcette]

“Who am I? Chi sono io?” Selcette tilted her head to the side, watching the frightened boy with a blank look. After a moment, a childish grin crept onto her face. “Non si preoccupi, kiddo, it doesn’t matter if you stole it or not. I don’t want it.” A little off in the distance, there was the merchant, puffing his way along. He made it to them and stopped with his pole, looking quite angry.
“That kid’s a thief! Stop him!” Selcette’s grin was still sweetly childish as she tilted her head to the side, still holding her rabbit close.
“Che cosa? Sir, why would I want to stop him? The boy is hungry.” She took a step in front of Duff, her expression the same. “Now why don’t you just leave the child alone and be off with your business?”
“Hey! You foolish lass, just stay out of it!” and with that, the man thrusted the pole at her. Not even blinking, Selcette raised up a hand, blocking and partly melting the pole with the dark mana that now enveloped her hand.
“Don’t try it~” She replied in a lighthearted voice before the mana diminished and she turned to face Duff, grabbing him by the hand and pulling him up. “Here, I’d suggest you run; fuga.” She began to speed through the crowd at a quick speed, pulling the boy along with her. Hey, he might become a part of the crew… If he was trained properly.

[duff]

“Uaahh!” Duff shouted, trying his best to keep up with Selcette as he was pulled along through the crowd. With his odd gait, it was difficult to do, tripping several times over small stoned on the street and the feet of other people. Finally, after keeping up just barely for a while, his foot hit the wheel of a small cart being dragged by a mule, and he fell, dropping his stolen fruit in the process of stretching out his arm in front of himself to break his fall. The fruit smashed opened on the ground, revealing its bright pink insides, and he shouted in dismay as he was being partially dragged along the ground, scraping him up and ripping his already worn-down clothing. “Stop!” he whined in pain. “Stoooppp!”

[Selcette]

“Fair enough.” Selcette stopped behind a large cart and took a seat in its hay, crossing her arms in a hug-cling she had on her stuffed rabbit. “Oh, look at you. Ché vergogna! How scratched up and beaten you are. And your fruit went to waste…” She smiled at the little boy before leaning forward and putting a hand in front of him, healing several of his cuts. “You are hungry, sì?” The pinkette reached into one of her dress pockets and brought out a white chocolate bar, unwrapping it and handing it to Duff.

[duff]

Duff, seated now in front of Selcette in with his knees together and legs sticking out on each side, wiped his eyes pitifully, and blinked out the fuzzyness of tears from his eyes before staring at the chocolate bar held before him. What was that? He’d seen it before a few times. It was one of the sweet things that were at the one store that his daddy and him went to sometimes… Chocolate!? He timidly reached out a hand toward it, eyes wide, and took it, bringing it to his mouth quickly and nibbling at it with eagerness and determination. It was so sweet and delicious, so wonderful. He forgot entirely to be confused or curious about Selecette’s use of magic as he was lost in it’s taste and the relief from hunger it brought him.

[Selcette]

Selcette leaned a cheek on her hand and watched him for a moment, observing whether the little boy would be of any use to her. His torn and tattered clothing seemed to display something on her back. Raising an eyebrow, the pinkette tilted her head slightly, leaning upwards to observe it. Were those… little black wings? They were. Ah, so the boy was of some use. He must have dark powers of some sort. She could train him; he could become powerful. He seemed poor… maybe he had some spite towards the guard? That could be used to advantage.

[Blair Averill]

Blair was on her usual patrol, wearing a down sized uniform. It was the her normal guard out fit jst with less armor and only one sword on her back. She held a bag in one hand, filled with various objects merchants had givin her for free. Most of it was food. So far nothing had happened. No signs of danger- wait a minute. She stopped to listen to two men talking. One of them was telling the other how some kid had stollen food. That wasn't what caught her attention though, it was the fact that he said something about a pink haired girl. 'Selcette? I wouldn't put it past her,' Blair thought asshe continued walking down the street, looking for any signs of her arch foe.
Thats when she spotted the pinkette sitting in some hay with a little kid eating something. Selcette better not be posioning the child. Stomping over to them she stood next to Duff, standing in a straight posistion ready for any attack. "What horrible things are you doing to this innocent child this time, Sellie?" Blair asked, giving the head Shadow Knight a friendly nickname just to smit her.

[duff]

At the sound of another person’s voice, Duff quickly turned his head, and saw the leg of a guard, then looked up and saw Blair, in her guard uniform. His expression immediately changed, angry and determined as well as pained and questioning and he darted to his feet.
“You took Daddy away!!!” he shouted at Blair accusingly, his fists clenched. “You big stupid guard! He didn’t do anything! You took him away and you took everything away!!!” He kicked Blair’s armored shin, injuring his barely clothed foot and bringing tears to his eyes. “Why did you take him!? He didn’t do anything!!!”

[Selcette]

Watching the two from the hay for a moment, Selcette scowled at the appearance of her archenemy, but her lips soon curved up into an amused, childish grin. “Well, well, well. If it isn’t Averill….” She leaped down from the hay and walked over, gently grabbing Duff’s hand and pulling him away from the other woman, standing a few feet away from her and in front of the little boy. She then let go and crossed her arms, her stuffed rabbit in between her hold. She didn’t look in any way about to attack, but had a composed and sly, slightly cheerful expression on. “Horrible things? Siete sbagliato? I don’t know about you, but I’ve done nothing but help the boy,” She raised an eyebrow as if falsely convicted, “You call yourselves good people, you guard, but yet you leave a poor child to fend on their own, hungry, defenceless? Le vostre azioni sono pietose. What a joke.”

[[ Siete sbagliato? = Are you mistaken?
Le vostre azioni sono pietose. = Your actions are pitiful.]]

[Blair Averill]

Blair wore a stern look as she faced Selcette, it didn't appear that she was going to attack but she prefered to stay on the safe side. As her enemies words hit her her features softend and she looked at the ground. Everything Selcette had said was true, one of her men most likely took this kid father away and didn't even think about the childs well fare. "Your right. As the head guard I take full responsibility," Blair said lowering herself to her knee so she was more level with Duff, looking past Selcette. "I understand if you wish to put all your anger on me, but please do not trust this lady in front of you. She will only make things worse."

[duff]

Duff, from behind Selcette, looked at Blair with anger and remorse. He didn't trust Blair at all. Why should he? Selcette had helped him get away from the angry merchant, and had given him sweet food. How could she make things worse? But, though it had been guards who took Euan away, Euan had always told him to trust the guard. It was a confusing situation. He clutched the candy bar in his hand and moved closer to Selcette, hoping she would protect him if Blair did anything.

[Selcette]

Selcette raised an eyebrow, as if appalled at such a suggestion that she would do anything to make matters worse. “Scusilo? Me, make things worse? I believe you are mistaken, yet again, Averill.” She brought her arm backward to pat Duff on the head, and then returned it to her side to clutch onto Marmo, her beloved stuffed rabbit. “It seems this child here has a little bit of spite for your ‘guard’, and your kind. Even being as ‘good’ natured as you are, you probably couldn’t understand. Non presentate vantaggio, Averill.” She grinned sweetly.

[Blair Averill]

"I understand a lot of things that you do not, Sel," Blair replied cooly, she tried to make sure there was no anger in her voice. She didn't want to scare the child anymore then she already had. "You should start acting your age you know."