[PRP Oba] maze of streets [Bahari + Klaas]

[Stereochrome]

Peppermint Coffee

Alright. This was it. This was his chance.

Uncle Buthos was away, checking up on some business in Serr. Lady Myranda and Sarii were out shopping for wedding decorations. Everyone else was preoccupied with the wedding preparations, too -- and it seemed that for the time-being, everyone had forgotten about the household’s resident hybrid. On top of that, Bahari was bored out of his mind -- this whole wedding thing was a total nuisance! Nobody had talked about anything else for weeks, and the only guests to drop by were well-wishers and hired help.

Sitting up in his bed in the middle of the night, Bahari decided that he would slip away the next morning. Just for a little. For the afternoon, maybe. He’d be back for dinner, and if he pulled it off right, no one would be the wiser.

And so he did. It turned out to be remarkably easy; so much so that he was sort of embarassed for not having tried it before. He simply lurked around the kitchens (as was not unusual for him) and stepped out the servants’ door when no one was in sight. Just like that, he was out on the streets of Sulburi, roaming with no particular goal in mind. What sort of goal was he supposed to have, anyway? He’d only ever seen glimpses of the city until now. He’d studied some maps, of course, but he forgot all that when he came face-to-face with the actuality of the city… a maze of streets and people, a crazy tangle of sights and sounds and smells.

He darted from street to street to street, earning a fair share of curious glances but never sticking around long enough to be questioned.  

[Bronze Coffee]

Klaas had arrived without flourish. The Oban was using his staff as a walking stick right now and enjoying every minute of it. Since becoming a full Healer (he still had things to learn) Klaas felt like he had a bit more confidence. The fashionable man whistled as he strolled into the town like he lived here all his life, even if he was lost. He even went so far as to greet random people and give them a little wave.

Something pale caught his eyes and he blinked a little before he darted after it.

It was taller, so it was obviously another person and not an animal. At least, it looked to be on two legs.

"Heeey," he called out, chasing the other down still.

But the pale figure rounded a corner and Klaas looked a little confused. Where did he go? He let his brows knit at that and stood where he was, leaning against his staff. "Where did you go, white rabbit?"

Stereochrome

 

[Stereochrome]

Peppermint Coffee

The city was... well, not quite as intimidating as he thought it might be. The way Buthos got all protective about him, telling him that staying inside the manor was for his best, Bahari would have figured that folks out here would be scary and threatening and the like when they saw an unaccompanied prentice.

Well, now he was out here, alone, and... nobody seemed to care. Plus, there were plenty of other prentices out as well, and nobody seemed to care about them either. So why all the fuss? He had half a mind to ask Uncle Buthos about it, but asking would probably mean admitting that he had snuck out, and he wasn't feeling up to that yet. Maybe a little later, after he spent some more time outside. He figured that if he could do that a few times and come home safe, Buthos wouldn't be able to rightfully claim that it was dangerous anymore.

That was assuming he didn't get caught before then, of course.

"Heeey," A voice called out behind him. Bahari glanced back and spied an Oban man in an odd mask. He was a stranger, so the hybrid assumed he was talking to someone else, and turned down a narrow laneway.

The masked stranger followed him down into the lane, though. Bahari stood behind a recessed doorwa and watched him as he peered around. White rabbit?

"Are you talking to me?" He asked timidly, peering around the stone wall
so that only the top of his head was visible. "I didn't see any rabbits."  

[Bronze Coffee]

He caught sight of the pale boy again and scooted to follow him a but quicker. However, it seemed his Rabbit caught wise he was being followed and even questioned about the nickname.

"Well yeah," he said with a grin on his face. "You're a very pale thing, and you're quick footed." Klaas thought it was the perfect name. "Sorry. You... seem to be lurking a lot for someone so.. not really blending in. So are you wanted by the guards or something? You steal some food?"

Though, honestly, the boy didn't look like he'd done anything wrong in his life. He was clean and his clothing seemed to be high quality, so he was guessing the pale hybrid was someone high in the rankings.

Stereochrome

 

[Stereochrome]

Peppermint Coffee

sorry for the slowwwww.

"Well I'm not really... lurking." Bahari pursed his lips, sounding like he wasn't entirely sure if he was or wasn't lurking. He wasn't sneaking around, or anything. He was just wandering. But he certainly hadn't set out to attract any undue attention to himself. As much as his experiences today had been relatively peaceful, Buthos' harsh warnings about life outside still lurked on the edges of his mind.

"I'm not up to any trouble, if that's what you mean. And I don't need to steal food, there's plenty in the kitchen at home. I just, well, maybe I just don't want anyone to steal from me."

It then occurred to him that he was talking to a man in a mask. Didn't thieves wear masks, so that people didn't recognize them? He was certain he'd read that in a book once.

"Are you a thief? I... I haven't actually got anything worth stealing, if you are. So I didn't really mean that I didn't want anyone to steal from me, I guess. I just didn't want anyone to try. Because if they tried, they'd be disappointed. But I can run pretty fast. And if I get to my uncle's place, a thief would be in big trouble, because he has guards. Although I'd be in big trouble too, so... see, I just don't want to get into any kind of mess like that. I just wanted to... look around, I guess."

If he sounded a confused, it was because he was feeling a bit out of his element. He hadn't actually talked to normal people out on the street before.  

[Bronze Coffee]

Stereochrome

Now who's slooooow

"Oh. Lurking... it's not inherently a bad thing! It..." Klaas' cheeks rounding as the Oban smiled. He pushed one of his dead behind his ear, showing off the cuff that made his ears look a bit more pointed than most. The masked man couldn't help but let his grin shift when the other asked if he was a thief. Fair question considering Klaas had asked him first.

"Me? I've stolen from time to time. Small things. A piece of fruit here, a veggy there. Nothing big and I always go back when I have the coin and buy things and over pay to make up for it. So. ...Yes and no, I guess, on the thief part. But no, I'm a healer!" He motioned to his staff, his pride and joy and just shrugged.

"So, little rabbit. I don't think anyone would steal from you. No offense, but you do look like you don't have too much..." He looked the other over and just shrugged after that again. One hand came up to his mask and he shifted it a little before settling it back in place. It was sweaty there. It itched on the scar tissue.

"Where are my manners. I'm Klaas." He held out his hand for the other and gave him a flirtatious wink at the same time. "Sorry to accuse you of stealing something. Just a little shifty at the beginning."