You Really Shouldn't Be Here

[Astrid Brynn]

"With that attitude you'll never find them," she chastised him lightly, her finger pointing at him accusingly. She couldn't blame someone for being cynical. This kind of world made the best of men cynical. It made her sad though; she really wanted to believe that there was more to it all than war and suffering.

With a grin, the blonde put her hand to her waist and bowed before the man. "I'm glad I was able to prove myself to such a fine gentleman as yourself." She suspected he wasn't much above what he seemed to claim to loathe; Perhaps not a thug, but certainly not a noble. Then again, she supposed that was arrogant of her; she didn't carry herself much as a noble and well, here she was.

[Ethan Black]

With his attitude, he'd never find them. She was chastising him. It was light. Yet he saw a change in her eyes. Disappointment? Sadness? Ethan couldn't tell. "Actually I've found quite a lot of them." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small gem. A grin was on his face. Cheeky and smug. The stone was an emerald by his guess. Small yet valuable. "You'd be surprised what you can find. Although staring at the ground is a good way to have your coin snatched."

He put it back. She bowed. She was glad to prove herself to such a gentleman. The grin on her face told him she was teasing. Ethan laughed. With a flourish and ease, he returned the bow. Even through the years, he remembered his training. Much as he hated the memories of that place. Yet the lessons set him out from the rest. And gave him advantages at points. "Oh my lady, you have certainly proved yourself not to share rank with the usual rambunctious imbeciles."

[Astrid Brynn]

The item the man pulled out of his pocket had the blonde rolling her eyes. She felt no need to say anything, because she had a feeling he already knew that wasn't what she'd meant. Instead, she simply shook her head. There was little else to be said about it.

After the bow, the blonde stood up straight once more. "Well, I never!  This is the happiest day of my life!" She even added a dramatic wave of her hand, as if fanning herself with it. She found herself enjoying the banter; it was anything but what she was used to. 

[Ethan Black]

She rolled her eyes. He laughed again. It wasn't what she meant by gem. He knew that. He just wanted to tease her. Taunt a little. He was having fun. Which surprised him somewhat. Yet not too much. There was an ease with which he could speak to her. Even if they'd met as strangers initially. He felt relaxed. Still tense underneath. Yet not for her. For someone else. A thief sneaking out to attempt to take advantage of them. If one would be so foolish.

This was the happiest day of her life. Ethan knew it was dramatic even before her little wave. He chuckled and shook his head. "Happiest day of your life? Then I'm afraid you're setting a very low bar for yourself. That, or the rest of your life is far more dull, boring, or saddening to make the acceptance of a complete stranger- even a charming gentleman as myself- the highlight of your life." He pointed out. The grin was back, wider than before. With mischief in his eyes again.

[Astrid Brynn]

"Oh wow," the blonde laughed. "If you were any more of a narcissist, you'd be on fire." In a way, Astrid envied the man for his ability to talk himself up. Though, she also suspected that there was more to it than that. A defense mechanism, perhaps. Though, sadly, the young woman didn't consider herself very good at reading people. One needed to actually talk to people to learn any social skills whatsoever.

"You want to know what else are charming? Kittens. Kittens are very charming." She could barely keep herself from winking at the man. Barely. Though, she settled with a smirk at the tease she'd thrown his way. Well, tease in the sense of poking fun at his masculinity, but hey. A shot was a shot.

[Ethan Black]

She laughed. If he was any more of a narcissist, he'd be on fire. Ethan snickered. Most of it was talk, if not all of it. Confidence was key for many reasons. "Well we can't all be as fabulous and wonderful as I am." His tone was playful. She would likely hear that.

Did he know what else was charming? Kittens. The statement came with a smirk. She seemed like she was barely hold in her mirth. Ethan himself nearly laughed. But he refrained. Smirked instead. "I hope you aren't expecting me to start mewling like a cat any time soon."

[Astrid Brynn]

"Well..." the blonde began, her head tilting as she looked at him. She wondered where he got this confidence from. She had seen confidence in many forms and variants. Though, she had never seen this kind of rugged and raw kind of confidence before. It was enthralling.

"No," she shook her head. "Hissing on the other hand..." The evening had taken such a weird turn. In no lifetime had the young noble expected to find herself standing in a dark alley, bantering with a complete stranger. It was such an unusual thing and yet, the blonde enjoyed every second of it.

[Ethan Black]

She began speaking, but trailed off. She tilted her head and looked at him. He arched a brow. She seemed curious. Almost searching. For what? Ethan hadn't a clue. Yet her silence was different. He'd gotten used to the banter, so the pause seemed stark in contrast. "What? Cat got your tongue?" It was a light tease complete with a wicked smirk.

No, but hissing was another matter. Ethan laughed and shook his head. "Hissing? Now you're making me sound more like a snake than anything." It was quite the notion. Enough to make him grin. "Some poisonous viper you stumbled upon in a back alley. Careful! I might just bite you yet." Another tease. Harmless. He saw no reason to fight her. Especially with how strangely well their conversation was going.

[Astrid Brynn]

"You're just different," she replied simply. She saw no reason in lying. After all, he was different. Different from the nobles she surrounded herself with and different from the people she had lived around before being returned to her royal heritage.

Grinning, the blonde shook her head. "If you wanted to, you would have done so already." She didn't see him as a threat. And even if he had been one, she didn't think of him as a coward that would see the need to hide behind poison.

[Ethan Black]

He was different. The reply was simple, yet honest. And entirely unexpected. He'd grown used to words have a thousand meanings. This was refreshing. Smirk turned to smile, and he chuckled. "I'm going to take that as a good different. Besides, you seem different yourself. Not just from the usual company that scurries about in these alleys, but from Goldcrest itself." He'd noticed it almost immediately.

She grinned and shook her head. If he really wanted to, he would have already. Her grin was returned. "Now who's judging who?" It was a joke. She was right. "But yes, you're correct. I see no reason to bite you. First and foremost because that would be nasty. Second of all because you've been excellent company for a person I've just met. In an alley no less and without a name, as far as I can tell."

[Astrid Brynn]

She wasn't quite sure whether that was to be taken as a compliment or not. She supposed it made sense that she was different- She wasn't from here. She was from Astilon. And that, the fact that she was royal, wasn't something she ever wanted to take as a compliment. But the first ten or so years of her life hadn't been spent with royals. And that, that surely was to be taken as a compliment.

Spreading her arms to the side, Astrid shrugged. "Got me there." This almost made her wonder if she'd been missing out not coming to Goldcrest sooner, though she chastised herself for thinking that; people weren't all the same. She'd likely only been lucky meeting him out of all people.

"Goldcrest isn't what I expected," she then said, looking up at the sky. "It has the same sky as back home."

[Ethan Black]

She seemed unsure. Much like he had been when she called him different. It was more of a compliment for her. She was smart. Or at least clever. Her responses to him proved that much. She also appeared to be able to handle herself. The fact she was able to walk the alleys simply for fun meant she had to have some confidence. Or enough sense to pretend she did.

He got her there. She wasn't from the city. Neither was he. It wasn't what she expected, but the sky was the same. Ethan glanced up with her. Smiled slightly. "Well, regardless of where we hail, the sky is the one thing we all share in common." It was true, though he rarely thought on it. He looked at her again. Observed. "Can I ask where you're from then? Or is that also a secret?"

[Astrid Brynn]

The blonde continued peering up at the sky with emerald eyes. "Astilon," she replied with ease. It had been foolish to think that the sky would be different, because Astilon was a part of this world. But still, she couldn't help but being disappointed in that fact.

She looked at him once more. "That's the one thing that isn't a secret," she added with a small smile.  "And you?" she asked. "Are you a resident of Goldcrest?" She wondered then, how many of the people here actually were from the isle itself. And how many had traveled here.

[Ethan Black]

Astilon. His gaze went to her. Surprised. They had more in common than just the sky. He had to wonder now. Did she know his family? Or rather, former family. All they shared was a name. Something he kept as more of a mockery than anything else. A last way to scorn the rest of them.

It was the one thing that wasn't a secret. He smirked as she smiled. Then came a question. Was he from Goldcrest? Ethan laughed. "Actually, I come from the same place as you." It was no secret for him either. Though he would keep his last name from her if he could. "Though I much prefer here and the open sea."

[Astrid Brynn]

That, actually had the blonde pausing. If he too was from Astilon, why'd he not recognized her? Was it the hood? The clothes? The way she carried herself that was far from being royal as humanly possible? Perhaps she had done a good job keeping herself out of the social circles, though, she somewhat doubted that. It had been quite a debacle when the lost princess of Astilon has been returned to the kingdom.

"I can see why," she replied as she nodded. "Astilon doesn't seem to have the same charm as Goldcrest does," she added with a wry smile. "Well, this alley doesn't, but you know what I mean," she laughed.