Journey into the darkness (closed)

[JadeKnight]

As she entered into the small boutique, a little bell rang above the door. The interior was air-conditioned, cool and comfortable. A long glass counter ran along the left side of the store, going from the window display on the left side of the door to another door a few feet door. A variety of inexpensive jewelry, with a scattering of higher end jewelry in between. The clothing racks were all women's clothing, including some swimsuits and undergarments.

"May I help you dear?"

A old lady came into view from behind a couple of racks near the center of the store where she was sorting some clothing to size. She came closer with a smile.

"We don't get many visitors here in Galvaston lately. Welcome to my store. Are you browsing or shopping, my dear?"

 

[Drobabes]

Suki smiled and walked over to the women, her eyes glancing briefly at the jewelry. Her feet were aching as well, she noticed, and she made a mental note to try and find some shoes here as well.

"Shopping, mam. I was hoping you might have something..." her green eyes glance down at her outfit briefly.

"Well, a little more durable."

 

[JadeKnight]

The old lady gave a little smile for a moment, nodding.

"Of course, of course. I think most of these clothes will be a little more durable for you. I really don't carry anything fancy here. Not much demand for it here in the farming community."

The old lady gave a little gesture for Suki to feel free to browse and pick what she wanted. Most of the clothing was inexpensive, mostly everyday items to wear while working out in the fields or just sitting and enjoying company. There were a few dresses, mostly designed for going to church in. There was also a small selection of shoes along the wall.

"If you need some help, just let me know. And I have a small bathroom in the back you can use to change in. My name is Brenda, so just shout when you need me dear."

She moved to stand behind the counter, wiping the glass carefully with a soft white cloth.

 

[Drobabes]

"Alright, thank you mam."

Suki made her way through the isles a bit timidly. This was definitely a first for her, shopping on her own like this. As she begins to rifle through the various shirts and pants, feeling the textures of the clothing, she realizes that she doesn't even know what size she wears.

After about five more minutes, she grabs a few shirts and pants and decides to just try them on so that she could get an idea for what her size was. Once she's in the bathroom, she soon finds that she has made a somewhat accurate guess as to her size, but, her facial expression turns a bit sour when she looks at herself in the mirror. The clothes were not very flattering at all, and while she didn't really want a whole lot of unnecessary attention drawn her way, Suki realized that she still wanted to look nice. She had never had a chance to have her own style of clothing, and now that she had the freedom to choose, she found that she craved it badly.

It would be another ten minutes of quickly glancing through the racks, pulling out and checking almost every shirt and pants, but finally, she finds something. It was tucked away in the back of the store, in an old box that had collected quite a few dust bunnies. When Suki opens it and pulls the fabric out, she let's out a little gasp as her eyes sparkle.

It was a complete outfit, with shoes included, and two necklace choices. A little bell, which she quickly dismissed, and a little pink collar with wings and a little flower, which she found to be quite pretty, and which she quickly took out of the box to try on. Standing, she makes her way to the bathroom with the box and is absolutely delighted when not only does the clothing fit, but the shoes as well.

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Once she has the outfit on, she makes her way to the front of the store.

"Brenda? I think I'll take this."

Her smile is practically ear to ear, and she lays the money down on the counter so that she can pull her hair up and put it into a proper braid, some of her bangs falling down over her eyes as she does so.

 

[JadeKnight]

Brenda was a little surprised seeing the outfit, not recalling every seeing it herself. However, she just continued to smile.

"That looks absolutely darling on you. I am happy you found something to suit you dear. I must say, I don't remember that outfit, but then my memory has been a little hazy lately. Let's see..."

She looked at the outfit for a few moments, but didn't seen any sign of where she would normally put a little tag on it for a price. She smiled for a moment as she picked up the bill.

"Well, I don't see any tags on it. However, I believe I can let you have it for $25. Anything else you would like dear?"

 

[Drobabes]

The outfit felt so much better than the clothing she had been wearing before. The other silky black cloth had been gorgeous, but it felt like it could simply fall off of her at any moment if she moved too quickly. This felt sturdy, but easy to move in, and the shoes were so much softer on her sore feet.

"No mam," she says, finishing her braid.

"I think this will do just fine."

Once Brenda gave her the change back, Suki pulled out an extra $25 dollars and laid it down on the counter for her with a smile. She waved to the kind old women just before she headed out the door. When she saw Jacob, she gave him a bit of a shy smile and tried to stand a little taller.

"Well...what do you think? Is it going to draw too much attention?"

She really didn't want a repeat of what happened at the vending machine, but if she understood right, it sounded as ifJacob might be willing to teach her some self-defense.

 

[JadeKnight]

The old lady smiled for a moment and gave a wave to Suki as she left before going back to tending the store.

Jacob had been leaning against the driver side door, watching some of the townsfolk further down the street go about their business. A few did look his way and gave a wave, which he returned. Upon seeing Suki, he gave a low whistle for a moment.

"Well, weather it draws attention or not, I think it suits you. Rather nicely I might add."

He gave a playful wink to her for a moment before pointing further down the street.

"I can see what appears to be a diner further down the street. Perhaps a bite of actual food might do some good before we head on. How does that sound?"

 

[Drobabes]

The whistle made a deep blush light up her cheeks once again, but his honest compliment makes her absolutely beam, her smile becoming full of delight as she does a little twirl of her outfit to show off.

"Perhaps a bite of actual food might do some good before we head on. How does that sound?"

She nods, her smiling turning a bit softer.

"Alright, that sounds good. The chips were okay, but I'm still pretty hungry."

 

[JadeKnight]

He gave a little smile for a moment before leading her down the street to the diner. It was pretty small. The front portion of the diner had five window booths and the rest of the seating was five metal bar stools along a curved metal counter top. Beside Jacob and Suki, there was a young teenage couple in a booth, a family with a mother, father, and two twin preteen girls.

There were a few colorful pictures hanging on the wall above the serving area behind the counter showing what they served. It was mostly just hamburgers, cheeseburgers, and hot dogs for the main lunch and dinner. They also had onion rings, fries, and salads, along with fountain drinks and a handful of shakes.

"Where would you like to sit?"

 

[Drobabes]

As they walked into the restaurant, she kept her hands clasped in front of her to keep herself from fidgeting. She was full of excited energy, these past few days having been like a lovely dream to her, and she didn't know what to do with said energy.

"Where would you like to sit?"

Her eyes meet his, staring up at him through those long lashes as a bit of an excited grin comes to her face. Jacob was letting her pick where they got to sit? Well now, where would they sit? There was the the front, near the windows where they could have a good look at the street, but there was also some more private booths in the back. Suki had often walked past such restaurants before and wondered what it would be like to sit in a booth like those, the couples who often occupied them seeming to have a mysterious and romantic quality about them as they sat tucked away in their own private little corners.

Not that she was thinking of this as some kind of romantic date, heavens no. It's not like Jacob had totally princess napped her from her old dreary life and swept her away into an exciting adventure where she had more freedom than she ever had before. And it wasn't like Jacob was mysterious, or hansom, or totally made her have to catch her breath when he looked at her a certain way, no. Nope. Mm-mm.

"Um...can we sit at that booth? Near the back?" she asks, pointing to the back corner. It was tucked away but also facing a bit more towards the restaurant, so that they would be able to look at the people coming in, but they themselves wouldn't be spotted very easily.

 

[JadeKnight]

He chuckled for a moment at her pick of booths to sit in. A woman after his own heart, though he didn't think she choose in the same way he would have.

"Very nice choice. I was just thinking of the same place."

He decided to test her reaction towards him a little by placing a hand on the small of her back. It would have looked as if they were in some sort of close relationship as he walked back with her towards the booth. He waited till she had made her choice in sides before sliding into the side where his back was against the wall so he could face the door. He got a bit of a momentary look at the menu before a young woman in a white apron, brown shirt, and brown skirt approached them with a smile.

"Good afternoon. Have you decided on what you would like to order yet?"

He chuckled for a moment at the swift attention before nodding.

"Sure. I think a cheeseburger, large onion rings, and a chocolate shake sounds good. And you?"

He smiled for a moment as he looked to Suki, the waitress writing down his order.

 

[Drobabes]

She had smiled a little when he approved of her choice, but when he put his hand on her back, it had faltered slightly and she had quickly looked straight ahead as she let him lead her to their seats. Her body had gotten a little stiff, but she hadn't tried to shy away from his touch. Infact, it had seemed as if she had only gotten a bit stiff from awkwardness, as her cheeks had quickly bloomed with a deep blush once more.

Once they were seated, she had a bit of a difficult time recovering from that. It wasn't as if she was afraid of Jacob, it was just... Well, she found him very attractive and she hadn't been touched like that by a hansom man in some years, not since she had come of age and first taken an interest in some of the boys around her. When she had been caught exploring her new found carnal lusts with one of those boys, she had been punished severely and it had left her afraid to attempt such things again, although she had tried and gotten away with it on a few occasions.

"And you?"

"Huh? Oh, um, a cheeseburger and just some water for me. Thank you."

Well now she was feeling just a tad awkward, her eyes staring down a bit shyly at her hands.

 

[JadeKnight]

The waiteress smiled for a moment as she finished taking their order.

"Coming right up. I'll be back in a bit with your drinks and your food shouldn't take long."

She turned and made her way behind the counter, busying herself to make their drinks after calling out the order. He tilted his head a bit as he watched Suki for a few moments, noticing how she was blushing. It did suit her and made her cuter in the outfit.

"Is everything ok? I hope it wasn't something I did."

 

[Drobabes]

"Hmm? Oh, no, everything's fine. I'm just feeling a little warm, that's all."

That was totally a lie, as she was actually a little cold, evidenced by the slight gooseflesh on her arm.

"So um, you mentioned something about self defence earlier?" she asks, scrambling to find something to take the attention off of herself.

"I wasn't taught any growing up. I suppose I never needed any."

 

[JadeKnight]

He gave a little chuckle at her statement about being warm.

"Well, I would say take something off, but you really don't have much to take off. Besides, I doubt it would be right for the children to see."

He smiled for a moment, about to answer when their drinks were brought out to them. Each drink was set in front of them, a straw sat next to each drink.

"Just a few more minutes."

The waitress smiled to both of the before turning and walking away. The young lady decided to put a little sway into her walk to show off a little for them, if they decided to watch her. Jacob chuckled softly for a moment before turning his attention to Suki.

"Yes, I can teach you in several different fighting arts which could help you stay fit and safe."

 

[Drobabes]

She looked over at him as he suggested she could take some layers off if there weren't any other people around, and it only made her blush grow hotter.

"I-I wouldn't do that even if I could she!" she grumbles, a bit shocked by his comeback. As soon as the drinks were there, she took hers and started to sip off of it, taking small drinks as her eyes moved to something other than his smug face. The waitress was very pretty, but Suki wasn't into girls, so she just thought that was her natural way of walking.

After she sets her glass down, she clears her throat a little.

"So how did you learn?"

She was curious what fighting styles he was referring to, but she was also just curious about the man himself. How had he learned to become such a talented thief?

 

[JadeKnight]

He hmmed for a moment as he thought about the best way to explain how he trained, sipping on his shake some. He leaned back in the booth, stretching his legs out for a moment.

"Long hours of practice and getting into fights. Just the normal way."

He stared at her for a few moments before laughing and grinning.

"I kid. Actually it was long hours of practice, but I try not to hurt anyone or kill anyone. It's a bit complicated to explain. It would be better if i showed you, but that will have to wait for now."

He sipped on his shake for a little longer as he glanced towards the family a couple of booths away. The girls were laughing and giggling as they used their straws like like swords to fight with. Their parents just smiled and watched them as they ate.

 

[Drobabes]

Her emerald eyes watch him as he explained. She found it a bit interesting that he tried not to hurt anyone, and she wondered why that was. Not that she thought people deserved to be hurt, quite the opposite, but merely she just hadn't taken his lifestyle as the type where one would care about such things.

"I look forward to it" she said with a little smile. Her eyes then followed his to where he was looking at the family. She found the girls to be very cute, and although Suki herself didn't have any siblings, she had found playmates growing up. The two little girls reminded herself of her young friends, before the chores became too demanding and they all had a little time to simply be children.

"So where are we heading to next?"

She tried not to sound too excited as she asked; tried to remind herself that she was supposed to be nervous and scared. Maybe she should be asking about when she would be returned home? Although, she honestly didn't want to know the answer to that.

 

[JadeKnight]

He chuckled softly for a moment at her eagerness on where they would be going. He really didn't have anyplace special for their next stop, just a quick final stop before getting back to the base.

"What? You think this some pleasure cruise? We are on the run after all."

He tried to look stern for a moment, but he couldn't help tease her more. After a few moments, he final cracked a smile.

"I kid. The next place is going to just be a quick stop before I get you to the final destination. Don't worry, I won't bite when we get there."

He picked up his shake, finishing it slowly. At the same time, their meal was arriving, smelling wonderful. Each plate was set before them, along with a bottle of ketchup. The waitress smiled for a moment.

"Enjoy."

She picked up the empty shake glass before making her way back to the kitchen.

 

[Drobabes]

Her lips were trying to pull up at the corners of her mouth as she tried to fight off her own smile, as the expression on his face didn't indicate that he was truly being serious. This was confirmed when he broke it to smile, and she let her own smile pull up as well.

"Don't worry, I won't bite when we get there."

Suki waited until the waitress left, and as she picked the burger up and brought it near her rose pink lips, asked one of the questions that had been burning in her mind.

"So what do you plan on doing? I mean, I assume that you want the...my family to pay you a ransom for my safe return?"

 

[JadeKnight]

He took a bite of his own burger for a moment, chewing as he thought about the question. He did wonder for a moment about her little slip of the tongue, but he wasn't too worried about it. He figured it was just the excitement talking.

"Well, that is a tricky question really. I known that ransoming of kidnap victims can be quite the lucrative business. However, it comes down to the motive behind the kidnapping, right?"

He took another bite, finding it a little amusing that he was discussing this out in the open with the one he had stole. He took a couple more bites before talking once more.

"If I wanted a ransom, it would take a little while to come up with the right price. After all, I am already pretty wealth as it is. Tell me, what would you ransom for?"

 

[Drobabes]

Suki chewed on her own food slowly, not having thought about the motive behind why he would want to kidnap the Gabetty's daughter. It had just seemed as if money was the obvious and only motivator, so to think that there might be something more was both interesting and a little nerve wracking. What the heck had that old man gotten her into?

"Tell me, what would you ransom for?"

She swallowed her food and took a sip of water, meeting his eyes for a few seconds before looking away and trying to think about how to answer that.

She was playing the role of a princess that already had everything she could ever want as far as material riches-similar to what he himself had, as he had pointed out. He was already rich, so what could he ransom for? But he wasn't asking for what he would ransom, he was asking what price she would have asked for. Suki wanted to be honest without breaking her role, but it was a difficult question.

After a quiet moment of contemplating, in which she simply sits there with her brows a bit knit, she finally speaks up.

"A new life. I think, I would ransom for a new life. One where I had the freedom to choose my own future, without someone putting their expectations on my shoulders, or demanding more of me than I can seem to give..."

She looks up at him after she speaks, and a bit of embarrassment seems to settle over her face.

"I'm sorry, that's probably not what you were trying to ask. But it doesn't seem a very easy question to answer when you already have all the material things you could ever ask for."

 

[JadeKnight]

He was quiet as he listened to her answer, eating his burger. He finished his burger before chuckling a little.

"The princess trapped in the gilded cage. It sounds as if you were very sheltered in your life. Such things aren't an easy thing to ransom for."

He reached over with one hand, running his fingers lightly under her chin for a moment before chuckling.

"It sounds almost as if you had been wishing to get swept away."

 

[Drobabes]

After she had spoken, she had felt a little awkward again, so she had busied herself with her own food, taking small bites and chewing slowly. Despite her weird and mixed feelings, she was really appreciating that burger, it being one of the best meals she had had in some years it seemed.

His comment about her being very sheltered made her knit her brows again, looking down at the table as she remembered the conversation she had had with Mr.Gabetty. Had she been sheltered? Or had her mother simply been trying to protect her, and give her a chance at a better life, off of the streets? Either way, she did see how it could be considered sheltered, as she definitely didn't have a lot of experiences outside that big mansion. Suki wondered if the real princess ever felt similarly, or if she was content with her rich and pampered lifestyle.

Suddenly he was touching her, his warm fingers brushing under her skin and making her swallow hard before she looked up at him.

"It sounds almost as if you had been wishing to get swept away."

"I..."

She sat her food back down on the plate, picking her napkin up to wipe her mouth off before reaching for her glass of water.

"Well you know, kidnapping someone and being swept away are two very different things."

Was her face going to be permanently red around this guy? And why in the world was he just touching her so casually, he barely knew her! Did he want something more from her than simply a trade from the rich family? He had called her a treasure in the car...

She coughed a little, choking for a moment on the water as it goes down the wrong side. Once she gets it under control, she turns her attention back to that burger and puts all of her focus on it, trying very hard not to look over and be overcome by those intense eyes again.

 

[JadeKnight]

He gave a little chuckle for a moment at her choking bit. He reached up and patted her lightly on the head for a moment.

"Be careful. Inhaling water isn't good for you."

He finished his last onion ring before standing up from the booth. He grinned for a moment before leaning down and whispering for a moment.

"I heard some have considered both to simply be the same thing."

He stood up once more, leaving her to finish as he walked up to the counter. He took a moment to pay their bill, thanking the waitress for the meal. Once the business was done, he looked towards her for a moment as he waited on her to finish up.