Deviance and Destiny

Chapter 2

Achenarii Kentarus, a rhetorical man, full of wits and independent, somehow ended up being carried into somebody else's house. He wasn't sure when he came to his senses but at the moment he realized he was awake, the sweet smell of cooking bread filled his nose that made feigning to be asleep hard. He could hear three voices speaking, they seemed to be discussing something but he was exhausted to comprehend their statements. These people didn't seem to be of any harm to him, the door creaked open but the footsteps were quiet and still, through the little gap in his eyes, he caught a glimpse of a woman wearing an apron and a red dress underneath, her natural large curled black hair untied and fell up to her waist. She placed a plate of food on the end table beside his bed, he could smell the pastries that almost made him drool. The woman leaned on the bed, curiosity took over her, he could feel the warmth of her hand against his skin, before she could remove his blindfold he turned to his side which made her hand flinch. A moment there was silence in the room and then the door creaking close.
When he was sure that no one was coming into his room, he quietly sat up and tightened his blindfold that was coming loose. He assumed that the room he was in, belonged to a woman or specifically the woman who came in earlier and attempted to remove his blindfold. Scanning the room; through the door the bed was at the right corner near the window, a dresser to the left side of the door, a desk at the end of the bed stacked neatly with textbooks and an end table at the side of the bed where the lamp stood and the food that the woman placed. The wounds that he got last night were also treated with bandages and salve, he stared at the food that and doubted it was poisoned.
"Poison can't effectively harm me anyway." He muffled the words and sighed, so he took the bread and ate it slowly, savouring the taste that filled his taste buds, that was a good meal after eating on whatever he could salvage on the road and in the forest.
He thought to himself. "I can't stay here for long, my presence will cause disturbance."
He searched for paper which he found in the drawer of the desk and started struggling to write his appreciation. The window was the right choice to exit from, the door would be too obvious and since it was inevitable for it not to creak, considering the hinges were already rusted. Looking down at the window, the street spread in front of his eyes.
"I'm in... Regalia?" He said to himself as he looked out the window and the banner, which had a printed name of Regalia, hung from one of the roofs.
He unlocked the window seal, the fresh breeze tickled his face, he tucked himself out of the house and scurried with feline grace atop the roofs of nearby houses, careful not to disturb anyone. The city was lively, children playing along the streets, men wooing their way to the women nearby and some drunkards along the gutters of the street. A sound of a lute intrigued his attention, he turned his head at the sound and he saw a massive market place in the middle of a huge circling spacious area, it also stretched all the way through the leading lines that seemed to be the soldier barracks.
The market presented a perfect opportunity to finally get some snacks, as that was the first meal he has had in two days, and he wasn't done eating. He checked his inner pockets underneath his shirt and found two small coins. The assurance that he still had money only lasted for a second.
He wondered if there would be anything in the capital he could purchase for only two small coins and sighed in annoyance. He thought to himself, "How long must I rely on words alone to stay alive?" He secured the two small coins in his pocket while he made his way down using a ladder bolted onto the wall into the alleyway. He was met by rats and rancid trash, however, that was the least of his concerns.
As usual, since his appearance would attract attention he decided to adjust the collar of his cloak and fastened his blindfold and looked for sellers that had affordable prices although deep in his mind he thought that no one was going to sell anything for two small coins. He made his way through the crowd towards the lady at the banana stand and wielded his speechcraft.
He raised his hand with his index finger extended as he tried to get the attention of the lady. "Pardon me, miss?" He coughed and smiled at the lady.
"Yes, sir?" The lady responded, she was wearing a white headdress, a peach dress that had ruffles at the bottom and her hair was blonde.
"How much is the cheapest snack that I can get from your beautiful stall, pretty woman?" He still had his smile on, although in his perspective, a guy wearing a blindfold is utterly ridiculous and funny when trying to woo someone.
"U-umm, may I offer our best bananas in a special price for you, Sir?" The lady stammered.
"I'd love that, miss." He said wittingly. "How much would the special price be, if I may ask?"
The woman thought for a second and replied, "Three small coins."
"Too bad, I only have two." He clicked his tongue in feigned disappointment and pretended to walk off.
"W-wait! It will be a deal!" The lady bellowed and started packing the tier of bananas into the paper bag.
As he was about to hand the two small coins over to the woman, he began searching around for a good place to rest and eat his snack up, however he noticed the woman who took him in buying at the stall opposite his. The woman, intrigued by his presence in the market tried to catch his attention.
"Hey, you.." Before she finished, he left the two small coins on the display rack and grabbed the paper bag, and briskly walked away.
She started to chase him and when he noticed, he began to run. The streets were crowded, he had to push his way through it while apologizing. There were a lot of corners to choose; east, west and north. He chose the one that was least crowded, west. He sped up and looked over his shoulder and saw that she was keeping up with him.
"Can she actually catch me?" He thought as he jumped over a wagon filled with watermelons, hoping that this unnecessary chase wouldn't attract attention. Older women chuckled when he passed by as it seemed like a lover's quarrel.
He ran into an alleyway, but alas it was a dead end. He ran all the way to the end hoping that the darkness of the alleyway can help conceal him.
However, the woman had caught a glimpse of him entering the alleyway, and as such, searched inside. She eyed him like she was piercing through his soul, her turquoise eyes gleamed like diamonds in the dark, eyes that had witnessed the depth of this world.
"What do you want from me?" He asked loudly. He didn't have anything that she could possibly want, when he mostly and only relies on his words and luck to get around. He was trying to make something up, something that would distract her from learning what he was.
"I'm just another one of the common rabble around here. Here take this paper clip." He took the paper clip that has been in his pocket for God's know how long.
"Want from you? No, no, you got it all wrong." Her face was soft in expression.
"Then..?" He clutched the paper clip in his hand and –
"Besides, who would want to have this paper clip?" A change of mood and there it was, an unexpected devilish smirk, hand extended high enough for him to see and she beheld the paper clip in between her thumb and index finger.
He unclutched his hand and saw that the paper clip was indeed gone – she had it.
"You were in bed with internal and external wounds, how could you have recovered that quickly?" Her curiosity fired up.
He looked at the right side of her dress and found an identification card. He pretended to reach for the paper clip as he took her ID obscuring his real intention - taking the card.
He turned around and faked a cough while he read the ID card. Looking up he said with a questioning tone. "Miss Rue Avalon, is it?"
"Wait, how the hell..?" He understood what she meant and before she could continue, he held up the card in his hand.
"It was on your dress after all." He held up his index finger on her and winked.
"That was inappropriate! Give it back!" She bellowed but he didn't expect her reaction, his trick didn't work. She was flushed, her face dyed red.
He knew what she was referring to, she was embarrassed by her ID card.
The ID card had her name under her picture. She looked more surreal but the hair was a bit messy, the cut was uneven, it was recognizable that in this photo she wasn't able to fully prepare and accomodate herself with proper attention when it comes to cosmetics.
"I'll give your clip back, just don't look at that card!" She offered, however he replied, "I don't need the paper clip anyway."
He tossed over her ID card and she caught it. He wasn't entirely surprised how graceful her motions were when she caught it. She was able to keep up with his speed, something he hasn't been able to encounter in awhile but this woman here, Rue in particular, was able to seize it without breaking a sweat.
She tried to regain her composure and breathed in heavily and slowly. "Look, just tell me who you are." A tone that most people would have been scared.
"Achenarii, Achenarii Kentaurus." He said flatly.
"That blindfold, how is it necessary?" She questioned with slight amusement lingering in her eyes.
"I have an eye problem since I was a child, my eyes are sensitive to the light." A lie. He didn't trust her, yet.
"I'm not surprised. Well I have things to do, I'll see you around." She replied, turned her back and started to walk away.
He doubted if he should call out but in this case, he did. "Wait!"
"Hmm?" She turned to him
"I mean..." He sighed, "Thank you for saving me."
"You're welcome." There was no joy to her tone, it almost seemed like, lifeless and another mystery to her as a person.
"I don't have any money left, I'm broke." He went on.
"If you're a hard worker, I might consider hiring you as one. Living in this city is difficult, living expenses are higher than its normal price range."
"That'll do." He said.