The Long March [Closed]

"I told you, I'm hungry!" The woman harrumphed, tramping behind the older male, glaring holes into the back of his head. He was quite clearly ignoring her as she stormed along behind him, despite her multitude of complaints. She had been good for the first day or so, managing to snag a bite to eat here or there, finding wild fruits and the like on the roads, but they had evidently reached a point where just finding wild fruit wasn't going to be their best bet. They were on open plains for the most part, with very few trees around, and no actual real sources of food nearby. "You think I asked to be like this?" So she had started complaining, "Come on, you think I like having to eat six times a day or dying? No, it fucking sucks!" She folded her arms and tried to keep up step with him, looking at the side of his face and trying her hardest to elicit a reaction, "Nothing? Seriously?"

She'd learned a few things about Alex from when they first left Aria until now. Firstly, he didn't seem to give two damns about her gender. She wasn't sure exactly how he could do it, but it made sense--when they had been interacting a couple of days back, he had pretty much touched her all over without any real care; his hand movements were methodical and precise. She rubbed the red spot on her cheek where he'd punched her in the face--her bone structure wasn't too much stronger than most, but she had somehow managed to barely roll with the hit, which stopped him from breaking her jaw--but it still hurt. Wasn't afraid of hitting a woman, that was for sure. It had pissed her off for the first little while, but as she thought about it, she guessed it could be some kind of equal respect. She didn't really know what this man's mind was like, but it was definitely unusual. He wasn't stopping her from following him either, though he'd pretty much ignored her for most of the trip. She wondered if he even realized that she was there when she didn't touch him. It was an unusual experience for Lucia, that was certain.

But now, her stomach growling loudly, she realized her mistake in leaving Aria. Not only did she have a "companion" who didn't really give a damn whether she lived or died, she didn't exactly have any access to food sources, or know her way back to the city. Even if he'd just tossed a single platinum coin at her face when she got out of the well, she'd have been fine! One plat would've been enough to feed her and keep her in an inn room while she worked out what she was doing, but no, he had to take it all for himself. If he hadn't been so goddamn selfish, he wouldn't have to put up with her, and they could have gone their separate ways! Storming out in front of him, she waved her arms in frustration, "Can't you at least say something, Alex? A 'fuck you' would be enough to at least prove you know I exist!"

"Anton." Oh, so, finally he speaks. She muttered a few annoyed words to herself before narrowing her eyes, "That's my name, Anton." Well then. So his name wasn't Alex, eh? He gave her a false name. She grumbled a bit more. She wasn't entirely surprised, really, but the fact of the matter still pissed her off. "And there is no creature in Aurora, the Nether, or Aether that would be able to ignore your existence when you never seem to shut that annoying mouth. If you're hungry, fine. Shut up for about ten minutes and maybe I'll stop letting you starve, deal?" There was the stipulation, eh? She thought about it for not even a second, before making a few irritated noises and agreeing to his deal. "That hut is a rest stop for travelers. We eat there." She looked behind her and blinked, it was a good five minutes walk away. She nodded complacently and stepped in line behind him, keeping her mouth shut for the entire remainder of their trip to this rest stop. Apparently, he was relaxed by her silence, judging from the sigh she heard from him. She didn't know if she hated this man or not, but he was definitely not making his case any better in her eyes. He probably didn't care that he wasn't either.

They arrived at the hut, and Anton seemed to make himself known. There were only two more people in the place; they didn't seem to take notice of Anton, nor did they see Lucia when she stepped into the building. That alone felt weird, but she didn't think too much of it, instead following him to the table that he had chosen, taking her seat across from him. She looked over her shoulder, and noticed that one of the men at the table had gotten up and left--strange, but not out of the ordinary. She looked back at Anton and sighed, waiting for the waitress to approach. Apparently she had been busy, because it took a few more minutes before she arrived. "One large beef stew, four rolls, butter on the side. I'd also like three turkey and cheese and three chicken and lettuce sandwiches... wrap them to go please." She blinked and tapped her chin, wondering if she was even allowed to order, Oh, of course. And you, ma'am?" She blinked a couple of times and then looked at Anton apologetically, "Uh, a Braukan Breakfast with coffee, and a side of warm bread with garlic butter." The waitress raised an eyebrow, "Al...right then." She went to leave, though apparently Anton had one last thing to say: "Also, a large bag of different fruits, if you don't mind." He was being polite, interesting. As she left for the kitchen--muttering something along the lines of 'she's going to lose that figure if she eats like that'--Lucia looked back at Anton, as he began to speak again.

"If you're wondering... Two of those sandwiches are for me. You can have four, but I'll be damned if I starve because I fed you." She blinked, made a few faces and lowered her gaze, realizing just now that she might've actually been irritating him. "Thank you... sorry." She looked to the side, back at the table, noticing that the person was still alone. She sighed and looked back up at Anton, "I realize that I might be a burden, or a frustration... But I want to thank you. You could have quite happily taken the easier money and sold me off to the slavers; if your thinking was right, you would have still earned a good six plat from my sale, which is more than enough. I'm glad that you didn't... and so I'll make it up to you, somehow." She smiled politely at him, before hearing the waitress approach. She placed the respectable bowl down in front of Anton, with his side dishes--and then produced the beast.

Now, a Braukan Breakfast was named as such because the hardy--and rather large--people of Brauk tend to have rather large meals. With four eggs, three sausages, two servings of buttered toast, an entire grilled tomato, three hash-browns and the Braukan speciality coffee (it was brewed using peculiar coffee beans that only grow in Braukan soil), this was a meal for someone that was really a good dress size or two larger than Lucia. Not to mention the warm bread and garlic butter. Most people wouldn't fathom eating a monstrosity like this, but Lucia needed to stockpile as much energy as she could. She was also fucking hungry. And so, she began to eat. Despite the speed at which she was eating it, she was polite. She didn't smack her mouth, she ate decently-sized mouthfuls instead of shovelling it in, and was generally just very good with the way she was eating. She didn't really engage in conversation with Anton, however--she decided to simply allow him his way to eat. Besides, this food was really good. She washed down mouthfuls with the caramel-textured coffee, and punctuated parts with the garlic bread. Eventually, the meal would be complete, and Lucia sat there with hands on her stomach, breathing out happily. It had been quite some time since she'd gotten to eat a meal of that size; hopefully it would be enough to keep her going for longer than usual. She looked up at Anton to see how close he was to finishing his own, and gave him a quiet smirk.

"Eatin' like a damn animal isn't something to be proud of, stupid girl." She shrugged. She really didn't give a damn what he thought about her eating habits; she had to eat like this, or she'd probably die. Swallowing her food back, she glared at him for a moment, watching the bag get slid over to her side. "You'll take your bag of food..." She blinked, seeing him put two plat on the table. More than she expected. "And these... And then you'll be on your way. I don't care where you go from here, but you're not following me anymore." She blinked again, finishing off the last of her plate. You're right, you are a burden. You don't know anything about the outside world and talk way too much for me to continue dealing with you. Beyond that, if I'm not selling you, which I won't since you pretty much bought your freedom, I have absolutely no need for you." She understood his reasoning, to a point. He didn't really want a companion, since he seemed to work on his own. Thinking about it, it was likely in his best interests for him to leave her behind. She didn't like it, if only because her selfish ass wanted to be able to survive.

"You're just an add-on, and one that I don't like. What's stupid about this entire thing is that you seem to even want to travel with me. You don't even know shit about me. You only learned my name from a fake one the damn baker brought up." She narrowed her eyes at him. "You're right; I don't know shit about you. You don't want to let people in. You're just some loner." She frowned deeply, staring daggers at him. He stood from the table and went to the counter, paying a platinum and essentially tipping them for their service. She swallowed as he turned towards the door and prepared to leave, standing up from the table herself and hooking the bag over her shoulder. She bowed politely to the staff and followed him outside, scowling deeply. It wasn't really a good look for her. She heard the door close behind her, followed by hurried footsteps and hands grabbing her shoulders. With a yelp, she tried to escape from the grip, only to feel the hands holding onto her even tighter. A voice hissed into her ear, "He doesn't care about you, missy--but we'll show you just how much we care." Her eyes widened as they put a hand over her mouth and started to drag her off. Her feet kicked rapidly against the ground, but for some reason she just couldn't find the handhold she needed to fight back.

"Mmf, mmmf, mmmmf!" She twisted her body suddenly, and apparently that was enough to break the hold. She rolled out of his grip and got to her feet, tapping her wrist and feeling the armor click to life around her body. Stepping up to the man and grabbing him by the collar, Lucia lifted him into the air--he was actually shorter than her--and glared right into his eyes. "I am not some little toy that you can just play with and toss aside. Do you know how it feels to be tossed aside? I may not be able to do it metaphorically, but, you know..." With all the strength of a man far larger than she, Lucia threw the man to the ground and stepped up to him, sneering. "That's how it feels, asshole." Turning away and letting the armor fall, Lucia sighed and brushed a hair out of her eyes. She was at least a day out of Aria, but with nothing to return to. She had two plat in her pocket, some food to hold onto, but no way of understanding the world around her. Her best bet for survival, as curmudgeonly as he was, was walking away from him. If nothing else, he probably knew a good direction to go to get a life outside of nobility. Without a second thought, Lucia ran off after Anton.

She found him eventually, skulking along as he did. She'd probably get a scowl, so she didn't entirely want to disturb him yet. Instead, she'd watch him as she walked behind him, wondering exactly what went on in that mind of his. How much of an aberration was he compared to the rest of humanity? It was weird. She'd met many people in her lifetime, but this abrasive bastard intrigued her. He had caught her attention, even if it was in the worst possible way. When she thought things had gone on enough, she let out a breath, finally speaking up. "Hey... can I at least travel around you until the next town? You know this kind of thing better than I do... and at least by watching you I might be able to learn a little bit." She looked sheepish and somewhat embarrassed.

Why the hell would I allow you to travel with me? Do I even have a fucking choice? Or are you going to follow me wherever the hell I go? Did I not make myself clear before? I'm not going to teach you anything. You're not going to learn anything. Anything that we'd even run into on this road would ignore me and go straight after you, so how the hell am I supposed to teach you anything? Just go away already!!!!" She stepped back slightly, holding her hands up at her chest and frowning. He irritated her. He irritated her because he didn't treat her the same way anyone else had treated her. Most people would treat her with seething respect, hiding their disgust and hatred behind sweet words and smiles. They thought they were hiding it, but they had never really hidden it. But Lucia couldn't see that kind of veneer over this man. He really and truly found her annoying, and just wanted her gone so that he could live his life in peace. She understood that. She had purchased her life from him, and as a result could go wherever she pleased. But where was wherever? What exactly could somebody with no skills whatsoever do? Her entire life had been turned upside down, and because of that, she didn't know what was the right way up anymore. The past two days had been essentially a minor panic attack, with Lucia desperately trying to get her life back together--so why should he have had any reason to care? She hadn't done anything but used him. She rubbed her right temple, shaking her head.

"I have no reason to give a damn about your situation. Fuck off." He was absolutely right. Honestly, she had no reason to give a damn about his either, but... She took in a deep breath. Her survival came first, but not at the cost of another person's sanity. She wouldn't live in the wilderness--she wasn't going back to Aria, because there was nothing there anymore. She was no longer just a name, because she needed to be her own person. Letting that breath out as he walked away, she started to approach at him from behind again. "If you're stupid enough to keep stalking me through all of Arcadia, I suggest you hand over that platinum I paid your ass to leave with. Lesson number one, you stupid girl, you don't get paid for not doing anything. I paid you to leave; if you're not going to, I suggest you hand it over... or get out of my sight." She frowned and rushed slightly ahead, turning to face him. "Alright, but I'm not giving you back that money." If he looked at her face, he would see that she had visibly calmed down. She was breathing steadily, and trying to keep her voice stable.

"Call it a loan, if you want. I am..." she breathed in, knowing that if this went badly, she would regret it, "Using my body as collateral. I can lift twice the weight of an average human male, my reflexes are superhuman. I don't require sleep. I can do any heavy lifting you may additionally need, and I can definitely be a distraction--just in case you really need it," She held up the two plat, before putting them back in her pocket, "You will have no obligation to feed me, and once that plat is gone, I am no longer beholden to you on money. Anything I need, I will earn. I will hunt, if I have to. But when I have given you back two platinum, maybe even more depending on what happens, my debt is paid. Hopefully by that time, I will have earned the two platinum on my own, and will not need to rely on your," she coughed, "expertise." Turning completely towards him and holding out a hand, she gave a weak smile, "My name is Lucia. Not Lucia Durand, just Lucia. Three days ago, my entire world was turned completely on its head, and I have been scrambling for survival. I realize now that I had done it at your expense, and I want to apologize--even if I bought my life back from you for forty-eight platinum, I'd rather earn the right to live in a world that doesn't respond to surnames." She continued to hold her hand out, until he either shook or pushed it away.

"I want to learn anything I can, even if it's the same things I put my family in prison for."

He was touching her face, her face, her face! He called her stubborn, grabbed her face and pushed her cheeks together! Lucia made a few frustrated squeaks as he did this and glared quietly at him, watching him through an exasperated stare. "Lesson Number One: If you're going to attach yourself to someone, make sure they like you." She raised an eyebrow as he let go of her, before sighing and placing her hands on her hips. She had calmed down somewhat, but he still seemed to completely infuriate her at times! Why was it, then, that she was so interested in hanging around him? "Lesson Number Two: If you're going to be with someone who doesn't like you, it's best to act in a manner that does not irritate them even more. For example, I prefer quiet. Shorter conversations are good. I've talked more to you than anyone I've met in years. And, no! It's not a good thing. Talking is a pain in the ass; There's a reason I don't do it!" He turned away and began to walk off, so Lucia followed. She nodded at his comment about talking being a pain in the ass, deciding that, at the very least, she would try not to talk as much. Upon reflection, Lucia realized that she had talked just a bit too much. "Lesson Number Three: If you're going to strike a deal, do it right." She frowned at this. What exactly had she done wrong? He was going to sell her for six platinum, and she instead got him at least six times that. "Having something the other person actually wants is a good way to start. You did well buying your freedom by offering me a large amount of coin, but acting like I owed you because of the amount was stupid. In the future, that's more likely to get you killed." She narrowed her eyes further.

"Understood." There was no point in arguing semantics; she had her life, and she had a way to survive. If nothing else, there was a good chance that she'd just leave him when they got to the next major town. It would make him happy, she was sure--but it would be a difficult thing for her to accomplish. Not because she liked Anton, by any sense of the thought--moreso because, right now, he really was her best shot at survival, that wasn't directly related to her returning to Aria. She didn't want to return to Aria right now, at least not while she was still a disgraced rich girl. No, she needed to go out into the world, to experience everything within it, to understand her place. As they continued to walk, she looked out at the things and the people, wondering what was going to happen. For a good two or so miles, Anton remained silent, and so Lucia remained silent as well. Nothing to say meant nothing would be said. When they eventually found something to speak on again, it was Anton who spoke up first.

"Do you know what Grandview is? Have you been there? Heard rumors about the place? Do you think you could even survive?" She blinked a couple of times, placing a hand on her chin and tilting her head to the side. "About as much as anyone within rich circles has. That you'll never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy. I've certainly never been there... never left Aria." Her last few words trailed off into a quiet, downtrodden mumble. There was so little she understood about the world, or about people. Anton seemed to sigh and shake his head at her response. "This is going to be a pain in the ass." She frowned--she needed to be able to prove her abilities to this man. Her sensibilities and demeanor didn't matter, as long as she could be pointed in the correct direction, right? A tool didn't need to be smart, it just needed a role.

For the most part, Lucia remained silent. She occasionally spoke up, asking questions about Grandview and the life there, as well as for basics--she even asked one or two things about Anton. She wasn't entirely sure if she'd be very good at stealing, per se, but she was certain that she could defend against people that noticed her stealing. A bit of a difference indeed, and one that would be difficult to put into words. She had the strength and agility to be a good thief, she just needed the knowledge. Other than those occasional--and rather reserved--questions, Lucia really wouldn't say much more towards Anton. If he refused to answer a question, she'd stop asking entirely.

Eventually, the pair came into the next town over, and Lucia felt herself stretching. This really was the furtherest she'd been out of Aria. Looking around and hten up at the sky, she noticed that the sun was starting to get lower. "How long do you think we have until nightfall? Should we find somewhere to stay here, or do you want to keep going as far as you can?" It had, quite honestly, just occurred to Lucia that she had no idea where Anton was actually going. Was he just wandering until something came up, or was there a specific place that he wanted to go? Was he going to Grandview? "I suppose it depends on just how much of a rush you're in..."

"Grandview is a hellhole in comparison to what you're used to. The people are smart, sneaky, and you can't trust them. Do not treat any of them as your friends, they're not. Do not act like they care about you. If they say they do, they're lying. The moment you lower your guard, they will step up behind you, pin you down, fuck you, and then slit your throat and leave your body in an alley way. After that, they will never be caught. Your body will be dumped somewhere, buried in a hole, or burned just so the people near it don't have to deal with the smell of a rotting body. That is Grandview. There is nothing you need to know about me. There is nothing of interest or significance that can be told. Anything personal, I do not trust you with. The best idea for you is to not ask me about who I am. Those who find out... disappear. I will not allow anyone to know anything they could use against me. Understood?" Lucia's face was blank through all of this, and as he finally finished his statement, she let out a breath that had been building up inside of her chest for the entire time. This Grandview place certainly sounded like it was frightening; she'd maybe heard tidbits of nothing about it, and that was just a 'his place smells like a sewer in Grandview!'. She didn't have any real experience with the ideas. Frankly, this didn't surprise her. She'd lived a very sheltered lifestyle in Aria, and her parents likely wanted nothing to do with that place. Well, if they weren't crooks themselves. Funny, though, she was considering turning herself to a life that she shunned her own parents for. Eventually, she found it in herself to respond, "Then..." She took a few moments to properly word what she had to say, "I'll just become threatening enough that nobody will want to fuck with me." Her face was straight, and she stated that with utter seriousness. If Anton actually bothered to look, he see that there was no smile in her eyes.

She asked about nightfall, and he responded. Less than an hour, huh? Yeah, they'd probably need to get to a place to stay. She could go on through the night; she doubted that Anton was superhuman enough to do so. "Come, we'll stay at the inn." She nodded and followed him obediently, keeping a few paces to his side as they walked. She took note of a nearby store, which she'd raid come morning. She had the money on her to stock up, after all. Anton paid for a room with two beds, and she followed him until they reached that room. He stripped off his shirt--Lucia noted that he was damn fine--before kicking off his shoes and taking a seat on the bed of his choice. It was the one closest to the door, which suited Lucia just fine. She sighed and sat on her own bed beside the window, looking down at her wrists and frowning slightly. She lamented the fact that she didn't have any way to easily change clothes--she was going to change that when she had the money to--and laid down on the bed with an irritated expression. "You don't even sleep, right?" She blinked and looked over, wondering if it was her he was talking to. There was nobody else in the room, so he must've been talking to her. Strange. "What the hell do you even do through out the night? Don't you get bored?" She sighed and looked up at the ceiling. "Insanely. Lonely, too. At home I had a library full of books, and a room where I could train myself physically. My body... it's like..." She raised a hand up at looked at it for a moment, "Supposed to be the absolute perfection of humanity. No muscle out of place. Perfectly efficient energy systems. Not needing to sleep means that I can get more tasks out of the way faster. So I'd train... and I'd learn. Alone, usually. Very few servants willingly waited on me. There was one, but my parents sent her away..." She sat up and looked over at him, "But I've learned a way to at least emulate sleep. I can generally get about four hours passing by quickly, so if there's nothing for me to do... then yeah, I can 'sleep'. But I'll be awake enough for any situation to arise, I guess." She chuckled and remarked dryly, "Perfect watchdog, I suppose." She then looked back over at him, assuming that he was asleep by then. If he was, and didn't respond, she would cross her legs and close her eyes, slowing down her systems enough to achieve a near-stasis for a few hours. If he responded, well, things would go differently.