Grayslin
08-18-2006, 02:37 PM
It was raining again. It seemed like it was always raining during these encounters.
Sylennis Windstar stood in the dark alleyway with her back pressed up against the wall, glaring at the three hooligans standing around her. It was cold out and due to her lack of a proper cloak, she was shivering a bit. She tried to hide it at first, but finally decided the effort wasn’t gaining her anything and only wasting her strength. Her rain-soaked hair hung in her face, occasionally dripping in her eyes. The elf resisted the urge to wipe the back of her hand across them, focusing her senses on every movement of the men.
They were young, no more than boys really, and dressed in dark clothing. Their eyes looked her over hungrily and they wore mailicious grins. The one who appeared to be the ringleader had a thin stubble of a beard and one of his yellowed teeth came almost to a point. His dark hair was long and pulled into a ponytail over one shoulder of his thick cloak. The other two looked very much alike - probably brothers. She figured the one with the tattoo was probably the younger and the burly, quiet one the eldest.
“Yer out a bit late, girlie.” Sharp-tooth had an ugly grin plastered across his equally ugly face. “I’d be afeared some lowlife’d do somethin’ right nasty to me if I were yerself.”
Sylennis bit her lower lip. She’d been through this a few times before, but it never got any easier. The best she could hope for was to get it over with quickly. This time there were three of them, though, and she could only imagine what awful things they had in mind. She began to breathe quickly, trying to mentally and physically prepare herself for what was to come.
Syl glanced desperately out of the corner of her eye down toward the end of the alleyway. The moonlight played over the walls, almost reaching to where she stood before her assailants. Perhaps someone would come along. Maybe just this once she wouldn’t have to go through the torture and mental anguish. Maybe just this once she’d be able to go to sleep after an encounter like this without feeling dirty and unclean.
No sound could be heard but the rain on the cobblestones and her own quickened breath. She started to call out for help but Sharp-tooth quickly clamped his bony hand over her mouth. She resisted the urge to bite it. Slowly, the tears began to come and she couldn’t stop them. It was going to happen again, and there was nothing she could do to prevent it.
“Looks like yer helpless, girlie. It’s jus’ you an’ us now.” Sharp-tooth leaned in close and she could smell the alcohol on his breath. He grinned his ugly grin again. “Jus’ relax. It’ll be over before ya know it.”
Syl’s heart was pounding so loud now it was drowning out all other noise. She turned to run but Tattoo grabbed her by the shoulder.
“Now, now miss. None of that. You’re going to be a nice little elf and play with us.”
A lump rose in Syl’s throat and she knew the time had come. No more time to prepare herself for the things she would be forced to do. No more time to stall. She sighed and reached up to touch Tattoo’s hand...
“That’s a good girl.” Tattoo smiled.
Sylennis turned and grabbed Tattoo's arm with both hands. Shifting her weight and bending over, she used his own body weight as leverage to toss him over her back and into Sharp-tooth. The quiet one looked on in shock, unable to react. Syl flicked her wrist to draw the dagger hidden in her sleeve and lunged at him, plunging it into his throat. Quickly drawing the blade from the lifeless body, she turned to see the other two struggling to their feet. The elf drew a second dagger from her boot and her eyes glinted coldly at the two men.
In less than twenty seconds it was all over with. Sylennis stood quietly between the three dead forms lying in the alleyway and sighed. The elf wiped her blades clean and returned them to their sheathes before turning and walking out into the moonlight. She sat herself down by the aqueduct, pulled a small gold pendant from beneath the folds of her dingy shirt and held it up to the moonlight.
“Mother. Father. I'm... I'm sorry. I wanted so badly to make you proud of me... wherever you are.” Sylennis sighed. “But it seems that all I’m good at is taking lives. I want you to know that I hate it. I really do. Every time I see the life drain out of someone, a little piece of me dies along with it.”
She buried her head in her hands and started to weep, letting all the sorrow and regret pour out through her tears, attempting to drain the bad feelings from her body like poison from a wound. She hugged her knees and cried until nothing else seemed to matter. Finally, she looked up at the full moon with pleading, tear-soaked eyes.
“But I have to do it, don’t you see? I have to survive... don’t I?”
Sylennis stared up at the moon for a few more moments before slowly getting to her feet to move on. She stopped as she passed Sharp-tooth’s lifeless body in the alleyway. After debating with herself for a few moments, she reached down and removed his cloak, draping it over her own small frame. At the very least, she could take advantage of his death to keep herself warm.
Sylennis wiped the last tears from her eyes and disappeared down the street.
Sylennis Windstar stood in the dark alleyway with her back pressed up against the wall, glaring at the three hooligans standing around her. It was cold out and due to her lack of a proper cloak, she was shivering a bit. She tried to hide it at first, but finally decided the effort wasn’t gaining her anything and only wasting her strength. Her rain-soaked hair hung in her face, occasionally dripping in her eyes. The elf resisted the urge to wipe the back of her hand across them, focusing her senses on every movement of the men.
They were young, no more than boys really, and dressed in dark clothing. Their eyes looked her over hungrily and they wore mailicious grins. The one who appeared to be the ringleader had a thin stubble of a beard and one of his yellowed teeth came almost to a point. His dark hair was long and pulled into a ponytail over one shoulder of his thick cloak. The other two looked very much alike - probably brothers. She figured the one with the tattoo was probably the younger and the burly, quiet one the eldest.
“Yer out a bit late, girlie.” Sharp-tooth had an ugly grin plastered across his equally ugly face. “I’d be afeared some lowlife’d do somethin’ right nasty to me if I were yerself.”
Sylennis bit her lower lip. She’d been through this a few times before, but it never got any easier. The best she could hope for was to get it over with quickly. This time there were three of them, though, and she could only imagine what awful things they had in mind. She began to breathe quickly, trying to mentally and physically prepare herself for what was to come.
Syl glanced desperately out of the corner of her eye down toward the end of the alleyway. The moonlight played over the walls, almost reaching to where she stood before her assailants. Perhaps someone would come along. Maybe just this once she wouldn’t have to go through the torture and mental anguish. Maybe just this once she’d be able to go to sleep after an encounter like this without feeling dirty and unclean.
No sound could be heard but the rain on the cobblestones and her own quickened breath. She started to call out for help but Sharp-tooth quickly clamped his bony hand over her mouth. She resisted the urge to bite it. Slowly, the tears began to come and she couldn’t stop them. It was going to happen again, and there was nothing she could do to prevent it.
“Looks like yer helpless, girlie. It’s jus’ you an’ us now.” Sharp-tooth leaned in close and she could smell the alcohol on his breath. He grinned his ugly grin again. “Jus’ relax. It’ll be over before ya know it.”
Syl’s heart was pounding so loud now it was drowning out all other noise. She turned to run but Tattoo grabbed her by the shoulder.
“Now, now miss. None of that. You’re going to be a nice little elf and play with us.”
A lump rose in Syl’s throat and she knew the time had come. No more time to prepare herself for the things she would be forced to do. No more time to stall. She sighed and reached up to touch Tattoo’s hand...
“That’s a good girl.” Tattoo smiled.
Sylennis turned and grabbed Tattoo's arm with both hands. Shifting her weight and bending over, she used his own body weight as leverage to toss him over her back and into Sharp-tooth. The quiet one looked on in shock, unable to react. Syl flicked her wrist to draw the dagger hidden in her sleeve and lunged at him, plunging it into his throat. Quickly drawing the blade from the lifeless body, she turned to see the other two struggling to their feet. The elf drew a second dagger from her boot and her eyes glinted coldly at the two men.
In less than twenty seconds it was all over with. Sylennis stood quietly between the three dead forms lying in the alleyway and sighed. The elf wiped her blades clean and returned them to their sheathes before turning and walking out into the moonlight. She sat herself down by the aqueduct, pulled a small gold pendant from beneath the folds of her dingy shirt and held it up to the moonlight.
“Mother. Father. I'm... I'm sorry. I wanted so badly to make you proud of me... wherever you are.” Sylennis sighed. “But it seems that all I’m good at is taking lives. I want you to know that I hate it. I really do. Every time I see the life drain out of someone, a little piece of me dies along with it.”
She buried her head in her hands and started to weep, letting all the sorrow and regret pour out through her tears, attempting to drain the bad feelings from her body like poison from a wound. She hugged her knees and cried until nothing else seemed to matter. Finally, she looked up at the full moon with pleading, tear-soaked eyes.
“But I have to do it, don’t you see? I have to survive... don’t I?”
Sylennis stared up at the moon for a few more moments before slowly getting to her feet to move on. She stopped as she passed Sharp-tooth’s lifeless body in the alleyway. After debating with herself for a few moments, she reached down and removed his cloak, draping it over her own small frame. At the very least, she could take advantage of his death to keep herself warm.
Sylennis wiped the last tears from her eyes and disappeared down the street.