Silent Night (Kasey, Invites Only)

[grimmhallows]

Grey, having traveled all the way south from the Downward Spiral with his new personal slave Kasey in tow. It'd taken several days, since the girl was in Grey's opinion both slow, weak and bad luck charm. Worse, she complained often, and none of the traders he'd robbed wanted anything to do with her because she constantly nagged and wanted to escape.

"Bloody persist, you little pest, and I'll cut your leg. And this time I'll let it get infected." Grey called back to her as he dragged her along with a strange glowing leash. Shaking his head, he finally reached the outskirts of the farms in the valley, and quickly pulled her up.

"You'll do as you're told. I need to re-supply, and then we move out, got it? And if you find someone rich and dumb by the afternoon, we'll pop by on our way out of here." Grey took off the magic collar and shook his head and sighed.

"From what I know, they don't like slave labor here; so you're now my girlfriend. Got a problem with it, take it up with the blade of my scythe."

[Kasey Fitzpatrick]

Kasey seethed internally as Grey threaten her with bodily harm if she stepped out of line as he removed the collar he'd forced upon her just over a week prior, following her third attempt to escape.

She gave a reluctant nod as she was informed she was to pose as his girlfriend and crossed her arms to show her displeasure, still defiant although she was past trying to escape. At least for the moment.

"I'm not sleeping with you, so don't get any ideas." The purple haired Mai grinds out, one hand moving up to rub at her neck where the collar had been fastened. "Other than that, fine. I'll play by your rules."

She started walking further into the city, knowing that Grey would catch up, to either walk ahead of or along side her, either way he could keep his eye on her.

[grimmhallows]

Grey sighed and wrinkled his nose in displeasure, and retrieved from his coat a few different dresses; more than once he'd needed disguises for others, it seems.
He tossed one he judged about right for her and it landed lazily on her shoulder. He sped ahead of her and smirked.
"You're funny, thinking I'd do any such thing with you. Far more attractive girls in the slums of Isafaro, I'd wager." Grey said smugly.

"You can't be my girlfriend looking like that. Take the dress by those bushes over there and change. Once your done, we'll be ready to head in."
Grey sighed, and shook his head, screaming at her mentally to have some brains for once.
He looked away and muttered several curses before telling her the whole story behind the fake relationship.

"Now, we both met on the road roughly 4 weeks ago. I saved you from a mugger, your father and mother both already murdered by the man. Other than what I've told you, you don't know much about me. But you like me, and I saved your life, so you feel grateful. You think my level head and sly charms is clever and amusing. Got it?" Grey said as Kasey was changing.

[Kasey Fitzpatrick]

Kasey grabbed the dress and quickly made her way into the bushes, and quickly sheds her dirty clothes, and pulls the crimson red dress on over her head, and patting it down to get the wrinkles out.

She comes back out from behind the bushes and up to where Grey is standing, an unhappy frown on her face at his choice of garments for her.

"You're gonna need to zip me, I can't reach." Kasey informs him, turning so that he can do just that.

[grimmhallows]

Grey sighed in annoyance and summonded his scythe; using the very tip, he casually zipped up the dress. Shaking his head, he began simply walking off towards the fields, and taking note of the sunset looked for a farmhouse.

"Hey, catch up, or I'm leaving you outside." he said as he walked. He wondered just what exactly he could manage to do while in town, and while he was sure there'd be some sort of tavern where alcohol was served, he disliked the notion of getting drunk and letting the girl get away. Maybe more explosive bullets would work, but too much of a scene.

Grey sighed and continued rather quickly, wishing he'd had a better slave to trade than the quick mouthed, ungrateful snot he'd found.

[Kasey Fitzpatrick]

"You're such a charmer." Kasey quips under her breath as she follows after her self appointed owner, keeping her pace to remain about ten feet behind him as the two trodded further into the town.

"So do you have friends here or something?" the nineteen year old asks curiously, trying to make conversation. If she was gonna be stuck with him for the foreseeable future, she'd like to at least have some kind of positivity to their unorthodox partnership, using the term partnership very loosely of course. Maybe she could one day convince him to grant her freedom.

[grimmhallows]

Grey simply shook his head, and as they got closer to the lights of the small town, the youth saw the house he'd spotted earlier.
They were fairly, close; walking up the long sort of pathway to the farmhouse, Grey muttered something under his breath. they approached the door, and were greeted by an elderly man; at which Grey's evident years of acting came into play, his bitter expression turning to one of warm eager joy. He greeted the old man gently and smartly, and they both laughed at a joke they both made.

Grey explained the "situation" to the old man; being that he was on the road travelling, and that he'd saved the girl from being mugged and murdered on the roadside. Both the old man and his wife, who lived with "Mr Clearance" offered a place to stay; the room upstairs being free after thier son had gone to fight in Isafaro for the army.

"Come for dinner" the old man said, and before them laid a large sort of feast; a spread of staples and a few different soups.
"So, young lady. Your charming body-guard here tells me you lost your parents. I'm terribly sorry to hear that."

Grey sat quietly, wondering how well an actor his slave was, given how terrible she'd been on the roads with the traders.

[Kasey Fitzpatrick]

Kasey sat down in the chair next to Grey at the table, remaining silent for the most part, knowing if she spoke too much it would fairly easy to spot her distaste for her master.

She gives a soft nod at the older man's condolences, her eyes reflecting her sadness, which was real enough but for a different reason.

"Thank you." She replies politely, having no reason to be rude to their hosts. "It was quite tragic, but Grey here was amazing. He saved me." Kasey lies, cursing herself internally as she speaks.

After that, she focuses on finishing her food, lapsing back into silence so that she might be able to go to sleep tonight without fresh bruises or cuts.

[grimmhallows]

Grey feigned rather well his worry for the girls silence, and he sighed with a great melancholy and shook his head.
"She's been through hell, this one." he said softly to the Mr and Mrs Clearance, and Grey stood from the table rather slowly.
"Would you mind if we went to bed early? No doubt the young lady is tired, and I myself feel rather drowsy from my travels. If it's alright with you . . . ?"
The elderly couple smiled gently and nodded, and Grey acted grateful and led the young girl gently from her chair to upstairs. he lightly smacked the back of her head; not forcefully, but more playfully and pleased.
"Finally got something right. I'm even a little impressed. Alright, lets get to sleep. Oh by the way, I want you to drink this." Grey took out a small vial and chuckled.
"It's an antidote to the infection you got last week from the attack by bandits. It'll fix you up."
Grey nodded and pushed her inside and followed afterwards.

He took his place on the left bed and sat, seemingly thinking about something.
He was thinking about tomorrow, getting resupplied.

And he was thinking a little of his home in the Great Library.

[Kasey Fitzpatrick]

Kasey woke up the next morning, stretching her limbs out as she lay on the floor. She starts to sit up and lets out a groan as pain shoots up her spine as she rolls over onto her ass. She quickly rises to her feet and lets out a scream as she sees herself in the mirror, a two and a half foot long tail hanging down from behind her.

Kasey's hands immediately went behind her, clutching at the new appendage and letting out another cry of shock as she realized it wasn't coming off.

Her furious and tearful eyes sought out Grey, who had claimed the bed and she raises an accusing finger at him, her whole body trembling from the mental and physical anguish that had built up in the past couple weeks coming to the surface at the discovery of the tail protruding out of her back above her ass.

"What the hell did you do to me?!" She shrieks, tears springing out of her eyes.

[grimmhallows]

Grey sprung to his feet and was behind her instantly, and shook his head in surprise.
"Oh, so you're not human after all. What do you know?" Grey said slyly. And shook his head and shrugged.
"You know, it doesn't look too bad on you. Gonna need to fix the dress for it though . . . " Grey said casually, though the surprise on his face showed he hadn't meant this intentionally.

He paced around a bit, and the elderly couple burst in, almost over the top of each other and gaped at the tail on her behind.
"Turns out she's a beastkin . . . And the potion I gave you last night was meant for human consumption only so . . . " Grey shook his head, and apologized to the elderly couple for the inconvenience. He couldn't help but stare at the tail, and he even stiffled a little laughter.
"Maybe I shouldn't help you from now on?" He said, as he motioned for them to take thier leave.

Walking out, he thanked the elderly pair graciously, and gave them some gold coins; yes, real gold. Seemed to be mighty valuable around these parts. Dragging Kasey by the hands, he muttered with displeasure and sighed.
"Could have told me you weren't human all this time you know." He said angrily.
"Now you've gone and had a permanent allergic reaction. And if you try to cut ift off, it just grows right back too."
Grimm's face then lit up, which was never a good thing.
"Some people pay extra for tailed girls . . . "

[Kasey Fitzpatrick]

Kasey's eyes widened at the implication of Grey's last words, and she turned a frightened look at him.

"You're going to sell me?" She gasps out, her new tail flicking behind her as if to belay her shock and dismay. Her eyes harden after a moment and glow golden as her Mai abilities come to the forefront, the anger she felt at being nothing more than an item utterly destroying the walls that had blocked her from accessing the training.

Three years of being taught how to be an assassin that she'd lost when she had broken free of the brainwashing came flooding back and she lets out a feral growl. The purple haired Mai lets her claws out as she launches herself at the spellcaster in a blur.

[grimmhallows]

Grey sensed the physical build up of anger; his training in manipulation easily giving away the intended attack. For every slash that the young woman attempted with Grey, he appeared somewhere else, with that sly smirk on his face.

"Tch, please. You're just being a nuisance to yourself more than anyone." Grey said, his casual stance in the midst of dodging mocking the girl further, and after the 21st or so wild slash, he caught both her arms from behind, using his speed to kick her to her knees, and held her there roughly in the tall grass. His scythe flashed to his arms and the shaft pressed hard against her skin, and the blade came suddenly but silently to her neck.
He sighed in exasperation, and shook his head accordingly.

"I was making a joke, you know?" Grey said with that smirk on his face, and he let her go, the scythe vanishing.
"Don't forget who is in charge here, else that scythe will come through to the other side of that pretty neck of yours. What a nuisance . . . " Grey said simply as he let her get to her feet.

He began walking off and muttering something about honor and nuisances, and motioned for her to follow; his gun now in his hand.

[Kasey Fitzpatrick]

It was a couple days later that Kasey finally came to a decision. Making sure that Grey was asleep, she calmly grabbed the rope he used as her leash and crept up to a tree within the confines of the area that had been warded for their campsite.

She was careful not to pick a tree too far from Grey to ensure she didn't set off his alarms, tossing the rope over a branch that looked thick enough to hold her weight of 98 pounds, securing the end of it to the base of the tree, and then climbing up the rope to sit on the branch.

A couple tears leak from her eyes as she pulls the rope upwards and loops the slack into a noose, which she then cinches shut around her throat. She throws up a silent prayer that this will allow her to wake up in her own world, and then drops off the branch, hurtling towards the ground.

[grimmhallows]

Grey's scythe was over the rope barely after she'd jumped; Grey had woken when she heard her footsteps walking away. He caught her and sighed rather with an upset, worried look on his face.
"You know, it's not healthy to try to kill yourself. General side effect is death, and the others include making people cry. Even people you think don't care about you, got it? What a nuisance."
Grey muttered under his breath; enough so she could hear, but not loud enough to convey emotion.

His scythe disappeared from his hands, and he pulled out a rifle from his long jacket, and then set her to the ground. Giving her the rifle, he chuckled slightly; the sniper was almost the same length as she was tall. He also gave her a small ring, and smirked.
"That ring is connected to the energy rifle you got there. It'll adjust the rifle to whatever mode you want; sub-machine gun, rocket launcher, snipers. Since you make a terrible slave, as of now you are my mercenary."

Grey touched the ring and it disappeared onto her finger; and the rifle with it.
He sighed as he walked back to where he had slept, and secretly hoped the "empowerment" of a weapon and a new title might set a better tone with her; but in Grey's mind, she was still a slave, really.

He lay down, thinking about his old rifle; the gun the young girl now had in his hands.
"You mark the paintwork," Grey said, "and I'll mark you. Got it? Now get to sleep. Tomorrow we head into town."