Merbella

Project Freelancer Futuristic, Scifi, Action, Secret Ops RP

I was gonna say the same thing

Hunted (Pascal and Merbella)

Luka looked down slightly at the girl’s words. He was aware that what she was saying was true and it didn’t fill him with a lot of confidence about leaving her. Still, in the end it may give him a little time to rest. He was still confident that in a new town, where no one knew her and with the days she’d be off the radar the guards would forget all about her. But how much of that was wishful thinking and how much of it was actually true he didn’t want to think about.

He looked to her as she questioned about not getting soaked. Having not spent a whole lot of time around people, sarcasm was often lost on him and he was left giving her a confused look as she handed him the bag. The boy nodded slowly as he made his way to the water’s edge, keeping an eye on the girl as he began wading into the water, holding the bag above his head as he began swimming to the other side, passing her fairly soon in the crossing but looking back every now and then to make sure she was still managing.

The river was cool, the water pushing against his skin as he swam with one arm held up, keeping the bag out of the water. As he reached the opposite side he slowly climbed up onto the bank, putting the bag down on the ground as he pulled off his boots, tipping the water out of them, feeling a strange sense of déjà vu. Looking out along the tree line on the opposite side of the bank he saw no sign of Endi, which led him to guess they wouldn’t be seeing her till later that evening. He wasn’t concerned, sometimes she travelled with him, sometimes she didn’t.

She wasn’t a pet or anything like that. She was his friend. She was free to come and go as she pleased, but they had been together so long he figured they’d probably be together for a long time still. He kept his eyes on the girl as she swam, slowly getting carried downstream to his location. But he wasn’t concerned, she was getting close enough that he wasn’t concerned that she was at risk of getting swept away. He glanced at her bag beside him for a moment before looking away once more with disinterest as he waited for her to reach the other side.

On the Hunt (thepeacefulfallen and Merbella)

Luka was silent as the girl worked; his face mostly impartial however every now and then he would wince visibly or his body would stiffen in pain of flinch. However not a sound left his lips as a result of the pain, he did somewhat answer her question though. “I was stabbed.” He answered cryptically, looking down. “The less you know the better.” He didn’t mention it would be better for him. The less she knew about him the less she could say if they came through questioning her. Despite everything, he still wasn’t sure if she’d be as accommodating when push came to shove and her life was on the line.

He remained silent for the rest of the procedure, taking note of her words. So she had a grudge against the guards, or at least that was the feeling he got from the sound of her voice. Once she finished and got up he sat there for what felt like the longest time, just sitting there and staring at nothing as he listened to the world outside the house. However there was too much activity, too much noise for him to determine whether the guards were still around, where they were or what they were doing.

Her words burst into his thoughts and he looked up and then his gaze fell to the food before he turned away. His pride was already deeply hurt by having to accept help from her once. He wasn’t overly keen to do it again, despite the hunger he felt. At her name he only sunk further away. The girl puzzled him a lot, helping him and being so open and talkative. Why? What did she have to gain from this? He knew, by social standards he was supposed to respond with his name, but again he felt the less she knew the less danger they’d both be in, in a world where he was generally surrounded by danger.

Hunted (Pascal and Merbella)

The walk was quiet, giving Luka a lot of time to think. Endi was absent for a lot of it too, he guessed that she was off hunting somewhere, since he’d never really been able to entice the creature to eat fruit or vegetables he could only assume it meant she was a purely meat eater, which often made things hard for him, having not been able to stomach animals since he could remember. It was taking a lot longer than it had when he’d been foraging on his own. But this was also to be expected.

As they walked he’d often wonder off every now and then, gathering small food items to snack on as they walked. Soon enough the sounds and smells of rushing water reached his awareness. Within fifteen minutes of that they reached a sizable river running lazily along, blocking them from going any further. He sat by the water’s edge, watching as the girl, whom he still didn’t know the name of, went to drink and gather some water.

Once again he seemed in an odd state of readiness as he prepared to jump up and catch her if she looked like falling in too deep and getting swept away. However when she offered one of her apples to him he simply held up his hand and shook his head to decline. He was more than happy to snack on some of the stranger foods of the forest but he had no idea how her body would react to them, so he figured it’d just be safer if he knew she was eating something she was familiar with. Sitting back Luka eventually rose to his feet, looking over at the girl for a few moments and then back to the river.

“We need to cross this river at some point… it would take an excessive amount of time to walk all the way around and too risky to go to the road where there should be a bridge. But I don’t want to force you to cross if you don’t feel comfortable doing so…” He trailed off again, looking down. That was probably the longest he’d taken to actually say anything to her. It was hard, the desire not to let himself get attached was strong, but it also didn’t seem fair he was being so… rude. Sighing loudly he ran a hand through his hair and looked at her again.

“You probably think I’m a real jerk for not telling you anything… you’re right. But… I feel like I should at least tell you why. I’m a hunted man… and by you being with me it puts you in a great amount of danger. The less you know about me… the safer you’ll be in the end. The safer I’ll be… it’ll be easier for you to forget that way.” He turned away again and moved over to the water, looking down at the water, his reflection unclear in the moving water.

Hunted (Pascal and Merbella)

Luka wasn’t too far off, having stayed at least within hearing distance to make sure he could come back if anything happened. That being said, his hearing range was rather extensive. When he heard the scream it was far off, even for him. Still he turned instantly, sprinting back towards the source of the sound. His feet flew across the ground, easily finding sure footing even across the hazardous forest floor, the speed making the pace he had been pulling the girl along yesterday seem slow by comparison. Even so, it took him nearly fifteen minutes to return to her; in retrospect a time that would have left her easily dead by the time he’d gotten there.

He hadn't realised how far he had truly wondered off. So when he finally laid eyes on her and she was just sitting in the grass drawing he seemed extremely confused. Endi turned to look at him and mewled softly. “A nightmare?! Are you kidding me! I thought you were being attacked by a bear the way you screamed.” He said, his tone a mixture of annoyance but relief none the less. Walking over to her Luka dropped something big and red in front of the girl.

An apple. He had a few more in his arms, but had been unable to bring anymore due to the rush he had taken to get back. “I know it’s not much, but there’s a bunch of wild foods we can gather as we walk today… I wasn’t really thinking too much about it yesterday, sorry.” He made no move to eat any of them himself, however, since he’d snacked as he’d explored. “There’s also a river about an hour that way.” He pointed off in a seemingly random direction. “I was just beginning to hear it and trace scents of water when you screamed and I had to come back.”

He placed the other three apples on the ground in front of her and turned away suddenly. “Eat up and we can get moving once you’re ready.” No point eating on the move like he had been, it wasn’t good for digestion. Endi looked at the girl for a few moments, sniffing at the apples before she turned suddenly and dashed off into the forest, disappearing into the thick underbrush, causing Luka to smile slightly and shake his head. She’d be back. However this, once again left him alone with the girl and an awkward silence once again set in.

Really he had no clue what to even talk to her about. He didn’t think he had a right to ask her about anything personal; it didn’t seem fair since he wasn’t willing to answer anything like that for her. So then what did that leave them to talk about? Things were certainly less complicated when he was just alone.

Hunted (Pascal and Merbella)

Luka’s pace was quick, only just short of a march for the first hour, fuelled mostly by painful memories now surfacing in his mind. However after that initial period he did slow down to a very casual pace, mostly because he was tired. He’d spent the entire day running from those guys, his muscles were exhausted, he was hungry, thirsty and his side was throbbing, even after the treatment. Still he marched on due to necessity over anything else. It began to get dark, but he was able to see well enough that he pushed on.

It was only after the girl spoke suddenly did he realise how dark it had gotten and how difficult it must be for her to see. So he stopped, somewhat grateful for the intrusion. In all honesty he’d mostly forgotten she’d been there. Looking around for the moment Luka walked over so he was only a few metres away from the girl and sat down in sight of where she had made her little shelter. He couldn’t just leave her alone in the forest. He had cemented, at least in his own mind, that he was going to escort her to the next town, where she’d be safer.

He figured he at least owed her that much. No one would know her there, she’d be able to blend in and by then the guards wouldn’t be able to remember well enough what she looked like to make an arrest. He hoped anyway. Still, that wouldn’t do much good if they starved on the way there so he resolved to see what he could do about it in the morning. His resolve hardened he was easily able to slip into an exhausted sleep with Endi curled up on his stomach.

His rest was not nearly as much as he would have liked though, Luka’s sleep disturbed too soon by the first light of morning. Eventually he sat up, giving into the morning and rose, yawning and moving off into the forest. Endi stayed behind, keeping an eye on their new sleeping travelling companion. No doubt when she awoke and found herself alone she’d assume she had been abandoned. Luka could only hope she didn’t go wondering off into the woods on her own. There were a lot of dangerous things out here, some of them not human.

Wild (whitebird21 and Merbella)

“Excuse me for getting stabbed.” Luka grumbled before she suddenly grabbed him by his arm and began dragging him away. “Hey! Let me go!” The boy hissed angrily, but found himself sitting down all the same. He glanced at Endi as the cat sauntered into the room, seeming curious, yet slightly amused by the situation the boy was in now. “Not a word you!” He warned as the girl began tending to his wound. His entire body was tense as she worked, as if this was one of the most terrifying things in the world for him. And in truth, it was.

He couldn’t remember the last time he’d been so close to a human, let alone let one touch him and it not result in something extremely painful. So it was a combination of shock, terror and logic that allowed the girl to perform unopposed. His mind repeating over and over again that if he let her he could get out of here all the faster and that if anything suspicious happened he was fairly sure he could overpower her. Then again she was greatly underestimating him, but that was to be suspected. She had no way of knowing. When she moved to leave he turned to Endi once more.

“You heard the pushy lady, they’ll be looking for me soon, you better get out of here and I’ll meet up with you later alright?” The cat looked at him hesitantly but eventually did as he asked and leapt up onto the bench and out the small window she had entered through. When the girl returned and demanded he get changed she was met with another defiant look. But he had to give it to her; she didn’t seem scared at all. It was an odd change. Luka wasn’t entirely sure if he liked it or not. Either way he slowly took off his jacket and removed what remained of his shirt after she’d ruined it. Putting on the new one and pulling the think brown jacket back on over the top as he began planning on what he was going to do next.

(Soul Hunter & Merbella)

Luka looked at the girl defiantly as she questioned what was going on, however suddenly began pushing him into the back room, saying shed hide him if he left afterwards, which caught him a lot off guard. Clearly this girl was a strange one. But he knew there was no way he’d be sticking around to offer an explanation. It would just get both of them in more trouble. As he finally came to rest in the back room, Luka sank to the ground, clutching at his stomach, pain radiating under the pressure. It was dark in here, and it smelt of dust, which agitated his nose.

He peeled back his hand for a moment, inspecting the red blood staining his shirt from a rather nasty stab wound he’d received a day or so ago that he hadn’t had time to rest or heal. Blood on his hand that he had left smeared on the girl’s sleeve from where he’d grabbed her… he heard sudden crashes from the other room, the girl protesting angrily. Yep. Strange one that one.

Even as she claimed ignorance to the boy’s whereabouts the guard looked at her suspiciously, his eyes falling to the blood mark on her sleeve. “Really?” He questioned suspiciously. “You two!” He barked quickly. “Watch the girl and the door whilst I search the back!” His eyes turned to glare at her, a silent warning to stay put. If she had appeared afraid he might have suspected she had been forced into this, but if anything she just seemed angry. Maybe she really had nothing to hide, if that was the case then there was no harm. But if she was found to be harbouring a wanted criminal the consequences would be… unpleasant to say the least.

Luka quickly rose to his feet and moved deeper into the store room. He always found it funny how guards announced their plans so boldly and… loudly. It made it all the easier to plan around them. As the man entered the dark room Luka heard him tripping over objects as his eyes struggled to adjust to the darkness. Luka, on the other hand, could see fine. He was easily able to slip up behind the guy and take him by the neck, wrapping one arm around it and squeezing hard. The guard gurgled and struggled by was silent mostly until he fell into unconsciousness and the boy let him slip to the floor. Only two left now.

Hunted (Pascal and Merbella)

Luka rolled his eyes at the next question. Still, it wasn’t a personal one, so he supposed he didn’t mind answering that. “Of course she’s a she. Has to be something doesn’t she?” He was probably coming off as a big jerk for not answering her, and in truth it was all just to protect himself. The less she knew the less she would be able to tell others. As it stood she didn’t know who he was, what he’d done, where they were going or where he planned on going after that. She wouldn’t be able to tell them a thing.

The less she knew the easier it may be for her to forget about all this too. He knew the less he knew about her the easier it would be to forget her. It made moving on easier when he had less to remember and didn’t care enough to worry. He’d rolled over once more to lie on his back, staring up at the sky, once again letting things go quiet between them, though he was still aware of her nearby, could hear her breathing and her scent still lingered in his nose. He felt himself on the verge of sleep when she spoke again, bringing him abruptly back to reality, his eyes snapping open.

He hadn't realised how tired he was, the drowsiness had caught him off guard. However it was what she said that surprised him more than anything else and the boy frowned deeply, thinking about the words as he contemplated an answer. He heard her get out her book and begin scribbling in it, Endi’s interest peeked by the action she began creeping slowly, stopping every now and then to watch the girl, as if she was trying to get closer undetected. The small creature circled around the girl until she was sitting behind her, looking at the pages of the book as she drew.

They were close now, only a hand’s width away and the creature kept looking from the girl to her actions curiously, obviously unsure of what she was doing when suddenly Luka spoke again. “I couldn’t let him… do what he was thinking of okay?” The boy suddenly said, as if annoyed he had let himself answer her. “It’s cruel. No one ever deserves to have their choices taken away… their freedom.” It seemed now he had begun he was unable to stop, his words laced with anger.

He rolled over again, looking at her with deep blue eyes. “I am not a bad guy okay? You may think I am because people are after me… but I’m not.” He looked down bitterly. “I’m not.” The boy repeated under his breath before suddenly getting to his feet, his anger seeming cause him to decide it was time to go as he pulled his shirt and boots back on and began walking without anymore words. Endi took off when the girl closed her book, running back to the boy’s side and practically running up his body until she came to rest on his shoulder, blinking back at her, clearly curious to see if she’d follow.

Luka had headed off into the forest, leaving the city they had been in to his back. They wouldn’t be travelling for long until they lost the light. He suddenly wanted to put as much distance between them and the horrid place as possible. In the forest he felt… safer somehow, the trees could easily conceal enemies, but they also concealed him, and he was certain he’d know someone was close to him before they knew he was close to them. If he could eventually manage to tune out the girl trumping behind him that was. Either way the outburst had apparently left the boy in a foul mood.

Wild (whitebird21 and Merbella)

Luka’s eyes flashed to the dagger as it became known to him and slowly he raised both hands, one covered in a thick, red blood that had rubbed off when he had grabbed her arm. The source seeming to be from the wound on his side, where a large red blood stain could be seen. But he made no move other than showing he was unarmed and meant her no harm. The more in control and safer she felt the less likely she was to make too much noise or draw attention to herself. He felt slightly confident he could overpower her if she tried to attack him with it, but doubted that was the intent.

She didn’t seem scared, her breathing and heart rate were normal and he caught no hint of fear in her voice or eyes. It was more like she was showing she was ready to defend herself if he threatened her, a mentality the pair of them shared. However the question made him roll his eyes and shake his head slightly. “I didn’t kill anyone. If that’s what you’re thinking.” He stated, a hint of disgust in his voice, his breath still heavily laboured as he winced and dropped one to his stomach, where the sizable patch of blood had stained his shirt.

His head snapped up as there was a crashing sound in the back room, as if something had toppled off a shelf and fallen to the floor. Luka watched as a small blue, cat like creature, though leaner than most would be casually strolled into the room as if it owned the place, jumping up onto the counter and looking at the girl with the knife, blinking its large black eyes. “Hey!” Luka hissed, causing it to turn its attention towards him, still with a slight air of indifference about it. “What do you think you’re doing here?” The cat-like creature blinked at him for a few minutes and eventually made a strange, soft whistling noise at him, which seemed to quell the boy’s annoyance and he sighed softly, letting his head fall again. “And you’re sure no one followed you?” Once again it whistled at him as it sat down and began licking its paw, a soft pink tongue running along the fur before it ran it over its head much like any normal cat.