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When he was a child, he’d seen a spider crawling straight up a wall. That had so impressed him that he’d crouched underneath the disgusting little beast, watching it move. It’s spindly arms stretched out and it looked like it stuck to nothing - just moved upward with sheer force of will. Later, once he had one impaled on the tip of his knife, with its legs tightly curled into itself, he’d used a needle to coax one of the legs free. There had to be a secret to the spider’s ability to climb. And he’d found it.
There, on the ends of each of a spider’s eight legs, were claws. Little, tiny claws that allowed it to grip onto almost any surface, except for glass, and ascend wherever it wanted to go. How simple. The gods had been clever when they designed this little demon. He did not have claws, but he could get some, and it took a long while, but eventually he’d encountered a man with the vision and skill to create what Khanh wanted.
Claws for his shoes and his hands. Not as delicate as the ones a spider was born with, they nonetheless bit into stone and allowed him to be able to climb up vertical surfaces, even when there were no hand or footholds. Tiny scrapes were all that betrayed his ascent. The night sky was moonless, and the stars incapable of lighting anything properly. He was but a shadow on the outside of the Hei’s home.
His target was a window and he reached it with no trouble at all. Hauling himself up through the open window, he perched on the sill, looking into the dark room. Furniture dotted here and there. He could hear deep, soft breathing from the bed. By smell alone, he knew this was a woman’s room. Cosmetics had a certain scent that gave them away, along with the jars of perfume collected on a shelf.
Slowly, he eased one shoed foot on the ground, the followed with the other. His hand stayed splayed against the wall. No moon had aided him on his climb but it did not help him now. The man in the tavern had said he’d given this woman a rare necklace as a gift. A necklace that Khanh thought sounded interesting. The more interesting part was that the man at the tavern had bet him that he could not get such a thing and that if he managed to do so, this night, that the man would give him his prized horse. No small bet.
Khanh stood up fully, a tall, black figure in the darkness and edged toward what he assumed might be where this girl kept her jewelry. The problem would come when he couldn’t see what he was doing, but he had a solution for that. He’d simply take them all. Crouching down, he gingerly opened the doors and started the arduous process of testing out what was in this cabinet. The jars he touched clinked gently together. He froze.
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This character is currently a work in progress.
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When he was a child, he’d seen a spider crawling straight up a wall. That had so impressed him that he’d crouched underneath the disgusting little beast, watching it move. It’s spindly arms stretched out and it looked like it stuck to nothing - just moved upward with sheer force of will. Later, once he had one impaled on the tip of his knife, with its legs tightly curled into itself, he’d used a needle to coax one of the legs free. There had to be a secret to the spider’s ability to climb. And he’d found it.
There, on the ends of each of a spider’s eight legs, were claws. Little, tiny claws that allowed it to grip onto almost any surface, except for glass, and ascend wherever it wanted to go. How simple. The gods had been clever when they designed this little demon. He did not have claws, but he could get some, and it took a long while, but eventually he’d encountered a man with the vision and skill to create what Khanh wanted.
Claws for his shoes and his hands. Not as delicate as the ones a spider was born with, they nonetheless bit into stone and allowed him to be able to climb up vertical surfaces, even when there were no hand or footholds. Tiny scrapes were all that betrayed his ascent. The night sky was moonless, and the stars incapable of lighting anything properly. He was but a shadow on the outside of the Hei’s home.
His target was a window and he reached it with no trouble at all. Hauling himself up through the open window, he perched on the sill, looking into the dark room. Furniture dotted here and there. He could hear deep, soft breathing from the bed. By smell alone, he knew this was a woman’s room. Cosmetics had a certain scent that gave them away, along with the jars of perfume collected on a shelf.
Slowly, he eased one shoed foot on the ground, the followed with the other. His hand stayed splayed against the wall. No moon had aided him on his climb but it did not help him now. The man in the tavern had said he’d given this woman a rare necklace as a gift. A necklace that Khanh thought sounded interesting. The more interesting part was that the man at the tavern had bet him that he could not get such a thing and that if he managed to do so, this night, that the man would give him his prized horse. No small bet.
Khanh stood up fully, a tall, black figure in the darkness and edged toward what he assumed might be where this girl kept her jewelry. The problem would come when he couldn’t see what he was doing, but he had a solution for that. He’d simply take them all. Crouching down, he gingerly opened the doors and started the arduous process of testing out what was in this cabinet. The jars he touched clinked gently together. He froze.
When he was a child, he’d seen a spider crawling straight up a wall. That had so impressed him that he’d crouched underneath the disgusting little beast, watching it move. It’s spindly arms stretched out and it looked like it stuck to nothing - just moved upward with sheer force of will. Later, once he had one impaled on the tip of his knife, with its legs tightly curled into itself, he’d used a needle to coax one of the legs free. There had to be a secret to the spider’s ability to climb. And he’d found it.
There, on the ends of each of a spider’s eight legs, were claws. Little, tiny claws that allowed it to grip onto almost any surface, except for glass, and ascend wherever it wanted to go. How simple. The gods had been clever when they designed this little demon. He did not have claws, but he could get some, and it took a long while, but eventually he’d encountered a man with the vision and skill to create what Khanh wanted.
Claws for his shoes and his hands. Not as delicate as the ones a spider was born with, they nonetheless bit into stone and allowed him to be able to climb up vertical surfaces, even when there were no hand or footholds. Tiny scrapes were all that betrayed his ascent. The night sky was moonless, and the stars incapable of lighting anything properly. He was but a shadow on the outside of the Hei’s home.
His target was a window and he reached it with no trouble at all. Hauling himself up through the open window, he perched on the sill, looking into the dark room. Furniture dotted here and there. He could hear deep, soft breathing from the bed. By smell alone, he knew this was a woman’s room. Cosmetics had a certain scent that gave them away, along with the jars of perfume collected on a shelf.
Slowly, he eased one shoed foot on the ground, the followed with the other. His hand stayed splayed against the wall. No moon had aided him on his climb but it did not help him now. The man in the tavern had said he’d given this woman a rare necklace as a gift. A necklace that Khanh thought sounded interesting. The more interesting part was that the man at the tavern had bet him that he could not get such a thing and that if he managed to do so, this night, that the man would give him his prized horse. No small bet.
Khanh stood up fully, a tall, black figure in the darkness and edged toward what he assumed might be where this girl kept her jewelry. The problem would come when he couldn’t see what he was doing, but he had a solution for that. He’d simply take them all. Crouching down, he gingerly opened the doors and started the arduous process of testing out what was in this cabinet. The jars he touched clinked gently together. He froze.
Neithotep usually slept like the dead; her penchant for drinking to excess typically ensured that she passed out hard and fast. Tossing and turning and never seeming to get comfortable, tonight was different. Her rest was fitful and plagued by nightmares, awakening every hour or so with a fine sheen of sweat coating her skin. Every dream had the same basic idea—an unknown and unrecognizable figure chased her somewhere, whether it was down an alley or into the Nile or even the halls of her own home. It lingered just behind her, close enough that she could hear the rustle of its clothing and feel the warmth of its breath, but still she ran and ran until she thought her lungs would burst and her heart would collapse…
Blinking awake yet again, Nia sighed softly and laid back against the bed. How many times had she awoken since she first laid down? Four? Five? Looking toward the window at the blackness outside, she made a face. If it was still that dark, there’d be no sense in just getting up already. It’d be hours yet before the day began.
A muted sound to her right tore her gaze from the window toward a cabinet on the far side of the room, blinking rapidly in the scarce light creeping through the door. Was that a man crouched beside it? In the darkness, it was hard to tell, but she could just barely discern the outline of a person. And if that was what she was seeing, who could it be? And… why?
One of her brothers, perhaps, though why they’d be rifling through her room at this hour, she had no idea. “Akhenaten?” she called out in a bleary voice, slowly sitting up and rubbing at her eyes. Of the two, she thought it was more likely to be him than Sutekh. “Is that you? What are you doing?”
In her drowsy confusion, the situation didn’t strike Nia as being all that odd; after all, the saraaya was a busy one, always full of activity, no matter the time of day or night. Even if it wasn’t one of her brothers, it could be one of the slaves, though the question still remained—why the hell were they in her room while she was sleeping?
Standing up with a slow stretch, she started closing the distance between herself and her nocturnal visitor, but came to an abrupt stop as she realized the man in her chamber was neither her brother nor a slave. He was no one she recognized, and how he had managed to get this far into the house without being apprehended, she had not a clue. Nia froze. What should she do? Should she grab the nearest object at hand and attack? Should she call out for help? Or should she just run?
Paralyzed where she stood and unsure what else to do, wide dark eyes stared at the man in disbelief before she finally opened her mouth to scream.
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Neithotep usually slept like the dead; her penchant for drinking to excess typically ensured that she passed out hard and fast. Tossing and turning and never seeming to get comfortable, tonight was different. Her rest was fitful and plagued by nightmares, awakening every hour or so with a fine sheen of sweat coating her skin. Every dream had the same basic idea—an unknown and unrecognizable figure chased her somewhere, whether it was down an alley or into the Nile or even the halls of her own home. It lingered just behind her, close enough that she could hear the rustle of its clothing and feel the warmth of its breath, but still she ran and ran until she thought her lungs would burst and her heart would collapse…
Blinking awake yet again, Nia sighed softly and laid back against the bed. How many times had she awoken since she first laid down? Four? Five? Looking toward the window at the blackness outside, she made a face. If it was still that dark, there’d be no sense in just getting up already. It’d be hours yet before the day began.
A muted sound to her right tore her gaze from the window toward a cabinet on the far side of the room, blinking rapidly in the scarce light creeping through the door. Was that a man crouched beside it? In the darkness, it was hard to tell, but she could just barely discern the outline of a person. And if that was what she was seeing, who could it be? And… why?
One of her brothers, perhaps, though why they’d be rifling through her room at this hour, she had no idea. “Akhenaten?” she called out in a bleary voice, slowly sitting up and rubbing at her eyes. Of the two, she thought it was more likely to be him than Sutekh. “Is that you? What are you doing?”
In her drowsy confusion, the situation didn’t strike Nia as being all that odd; after all, the saraaya was a busy one, always full of activity, no matter the time of day or night. Even if it wasn’t one of her brothers, it could be one of the slaves, though the question still remained—why the hell were they in her room while she was sleeping?
Standing up with a slow stretch, she started closing the distance between herself and her nocturnal visitor, but came to an abrupt stop as she realized the man in her chamber was neither her brother nor a slave. He was no one she recognized, and how he had managed to get this far into the house without being apprehended, she had not a clue. Nia froze. What should she do? Should she grab the nearest object at hand and attack? Should she call out for help? Or should she just run?
Paralyzed where she stood and unsure what else to do, wide dark eyes stared at the man in disbelief before she finally opened her mouth to scream.
Neithotep usually slept like the dead; her penchant for drinking to excess typically ensured that she passed out hard and fast. Tossing and turning and never seeming to get comfortable, tonight was different. Her rest was fitful and plagued by nightmares, awakening every hour or so with a fine sheen of sweat coating her skin. Every dream had the same basic idea—an unknown and unrecognizable figure chased her somewhere, whether it was down an alley or into the Nile or even the halls of her own home. It lingered just behind her, close enough that she could hear the rustle of its clothing and feel the warmth of its breath, but still she ran and ran until she thought her lungs would burst and her heart would collapse…
Blinking awake yet again, Nia sighed softly and laid back against the bed. How many times had she awoken since she first laid down? Four? Five? Looking toward the window at the blackness outside, she made a face. If it was still that dark, there’d be no sense in just getting up already. It’d be hours yet before the day began.
A muted sound to her right tore her gaze from the window toward a cabinet on the far side of the room, blinking rapidly in the scarce light creeping through the door. Was that a man crouched beside it? In the darkness, it was hard to tell, but she could just barely discern the outline of a person. And if that was what she was seeing, who could it be? And… why?
One of her brothers, perhaps, though why they’d be rifling through her room at this hour, she had no idea. “Akhenaten?” she called out in a bleary voice, slowly sitting up and rubbing at her eyes. Of the two, she thought it was more likely to be him than Sutekh. “Is that you? What are you doing?”
In her drowsy confusion, the situation didn’t strike Nia as being all that odd; after all, the saraaya was a busy one, always full of activity, no matter the time of day or night. Even if it wasn’t one of her brothers, it could be one of the slaves, though the question still remained—why the hell were they in her room while she was sleeping?
Standing up with a slow stretch, she started closing the distance between herself and her nocturnal visitor, but came to an abrupt stop as she realized the man in her chamber was neither her brother nor a slave. He was no one she recognized, and how he had managed to get this far into the house without being apprehended, she had not a clue. Nia froze. What should she do? Should she grab the nearest object at hand and attack? Should she call out for help? Or should she just run?
Paralyzed where she stood and unsure what else to do, wide dark eyes stared at the man in disbelief before she finally opened her mouth to scream.
He’d heard her sharp intake of breath and rose immediately to his feet. The only thing about her that he knew was her name. At the time, he hadn’t been interested to know anything else, since this was going to be the easiest job of his career. Well. The easiest way to win a horse, anyway.
Watching her sit up, he stayed completely still as she spoke the name of someone else. There wasn’t supposed to be another man in here, was there? Probably that was her brother and he might have attempted some sort of subterfuge to get her to go back to sleep, but he didn’t know what Akhenaten sounded like in order to mimic him. His body tensed when she stood to stretch.
In the seconds it took her to cross from the bed to within arm’s reach, he’d removed the climbing implements from his hand. He did not wait for her to realize that he wasn’t her brother and he didn’t allow her to scream. Springing at her, he clamped a hand over her mouth and an arm around her neck so that her throat nestled in the crook of his elbow. She was tiny in comparison to himself and he knew exactly the force it would take to snap her neck if he needed to.
“I’m here for a necklace,” he said murmured. “Give it to me and I won’t snap your neck. I want you to point to where you keep your jewelry. Then you and I will walk over there. If you bite my hand or fight me, I’ll kill you. Nod if you understand me.”
Violence was something he enjoyed and he really, honestly hoped she’d give him a reason to end her. Nahash might not like the attention on them, though, since there were people at the tavern who knew where he was going and when. If she ended up dead, there’d be problems he’d have to answer for. None that he couldn’t get out of, of course, but Khanh didn’t love being yelled at, which was what Nahash would do if he found out.
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He’d heard her sharp intake of breath and rose immediately to his feet. The only thing about her that he knew was her name. At the time, he hadn’t been interested to know anything else, since this was going to be the easiest job of his career. Well. The easiest way to win a horse, anyway.
Watching her sit up, he stayed completely still as she spoke the name of someone else. There wasn’t supposed to be another man in here, was there? Probably that was her brother and he might have attempted some sort of subterfuge to get her to go back to sleep, but he didn’t know what Akhenaten sounded like in order to mimic him. His body tensed when she stood to stretch.
In the seconds it took her to cross from the bed to within arm’s reach, he’d removed the climbing implements from his hand. He did not wait for her to realize that he wasn’t her brother and he didn’t allow her to scream. Springing at her, he clamped a hand over her mouth and an arm around her neck so that her throat nestled in the crook of his elbow. She was tiny in comparison to himself and he knew exactly the force it would take to snap her neck if he needed to.
“I’m here for a necklace,” he said murmured. “Give it to me and I won’t snap your neck. I want you to point to where you keep your jewelry. Then you and I will walk over there. If you bite my hand or fight me, I’ll kill you. Nod if you understand me.”
Violence was something he enjoyed and he really, honestly hoped she’d give him a reason to end her. Nahash might not like the attention on them, though, since there were people at the tavern who knew where he was going and when. If she ended up dead, there’d be problems he’d have to answer for. None that he couldn’t get out of, of course, but Khanh didn’t love being yelled at, which was what Nahash would do if he found out.
He’d heard her sharp intake of breath and rose immediately to his feet. The only thing about her that he knew was her name. At the time, he hadn’t been interested to know anything else, since this was going to be the easiest job of his career. Well. The easiest way to win a horse, anyway.
Watching her sit up, he stayed completely still as she spoke the name of someone else. There wasn’t supposed to be another man in here, was there? Probably that was her brother and he might have attempted some sort of subterfuge to get her to go back to sleep, but he didn’t know what Akhenaten sounded like in order to mimic him. His body tensed when she stood to stretch.
In the seconds it took her to cross from the bed to within arm’s reach, he’d removed the climbing implements from his hand. He did not wait for her to realize that he wasn’t her brother and he didn’t allow her to scream. Springing at her, he clamped a hand over her mouth and an arm around her neck so that her throat nestled in the crook of his elbow. She was tiny in comparison to himself and he knew exactly the force it would take to snap her neck if he needed to.
“I’m here for a necklace,” he said murmured. “Give it to me and I won’t snap your neck. I want you to point to where you keep your jewelry. Then you and I will walk over there. If you bite my hand or fight me, I’ll kill you. Nod if you understand me.”
Violence was something he enjoyed and he really, honestly hoped she’d give him a reason to end her. Nahash might not like the attention on them, though, since there were people at the tavern who knew where he was going and when. If she ended up dead, there’d be problems he’d have to answer for. None that he couldn’t get out of, of course, but Khanh didn’t love being yelled at, which was what Nahash would do if he found out.
Before she could force the sound from her throat, a large hand was covering her mouth, pulled against a muscular body that dwarfed her own. Normally, Neithotep would be thrilled with such a position, but given the circumstances, ‘thrilled’ wasn’t exactly the word she would use. The arm around her throat kept her breath short and shallow, her body tensing and heart pounding. All this over a damn necklace? She didn’t even know which one it was that he wanted, but she’d give him every piece of jewelry she owned if it meant he’d let her go. Her life meant far more to her than any stones or gold.
Nia shakily nodded in affirmation that she understood, her right arm slowly reaching to point to a small cabinet close to the door. Nearly every bit of jewelry she owned was stored in the tiny container; lovers’ tokens, mostly, or gifts from her parents. In spite of being a noble lady, she didn’t care much for jewelry or baubles, and therefore owned very few. The fabrics she usually wore were fine, but simple, and typically only accented by the barest of adornments. She was a lovely girl on her own and preferred to rely on her natural beauty, having never cared much for the ostentatious fashion of Egyptian royalty. She was sure her unexpected thief would be rather disappointed with what he found.
What a coincidence that a man should come sneaking into her room looking for a necklace the same night an admirer had gifted her with some rare charm he claimed to have gotten across the sea. It was a beautiful pendant, encrusted with rubies and tourmaline, and even with her typical forgoing of such frippery, she’d fallen in love with it the second he draped it around her neck. Now that another man was here trying to take what she could only assume was the same gift she’d received that evening, she wondered if it had been some elaborate set-up all along.
She nearly laughed when she remembered she hadn’t even taken it off before she’d gone to sleep. It still rested just below the hollow of her throat, trapped beneath the brawny arm that held her in place. The irony that he should be threatening her over a trinket that was quite literally already within his grasp.
Nia very gently tapped his elbow to get his attention. With her other hand, she reached up to touch the pendant, keeping her movements slow and nonthreatening to show that she didn't intend to try anything that might get her hurt.
“Is this what you wanted?” she asked, her lips brushing against the palm that muffled her already soft voice. “Just take it.”
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Before she could force the sound from her throat, a large hand was covering her mouth, pulled against a muscular body that dwarfed her own. Normally, Neithotep would be thrilled with such a position, but given the circumstances, ‘thrilled’ wasn’t exactly the word she would use. The arm around her throat kept her breath short and shallow, her body tensing and heart pounding. All this over a damn necklace? She didn’t even know which one it was that he wanted, but she’d give him every piece of jewelry she owned if it meant he’d let her go. Her life meant far more to her than any stones or gold.
Nia shakily nodded in affirmation that she understood, her right arm slowly reaching to point to a small cabinet close to the door. Nearly every bit of jewelry she owned was stored in the tiny container; lovers’ tokens, mostly, or gifts from her parents. In spite of being a noble lady, she didn’t care much for jewelry or baubles, and therefore owned very few. The fabrics she usually wore were fine, but simple, and typically only accented by the barest of adornments. She was a lovely girl on her own and preferred to rely on her natural beauty, having never cared much for the ostentatious fashion of Egyptian royalty. She was sure her unexpected thief would be rather disappointed with what he found.
What a coincidence that a man should come sneaking into her room looking for a necklace the same night an admirer had gifted her with some rare charm he claimed to have gotten across the sea. It was a beautiful pendant, encrusted with rubies and tourmaline, and even with her typical forgoing of such frippery, she’d fallen in love with it the second he draped it around her neck. Now that another man was here trying to take what she could only assume was the same gift she’d received that evening, she wondered if it had been some elaborate set-up all along.
She nearly laughed when she remembered she hadn’t even taken it off before she’d gone to sleep. It still rested just below the hollow of her throat, trapped beneath the brawny arm that held her in place. The irony that he should be threatening her over a trinket that was quite literally already within his grasp.
Nia very gently tapped his elbow to get his attention. With her other hand, she reached up to touch the pendant, keeping her movements slow and nonthreatening to show that she didn't intend to try anything that might get her hurt.
“Is this what you wanted?” she asked, her lips brushing against the palm that muffled her already soft voice. “Just take it.”
Before she could force the sound from her throat, a large hand was covering her mouth, pulled against a muscular body that dwarfed her own. Normally, Neithotep would be thrilled with such a position, but given the circumstances, ‘thrilled’ wasn’t exactly the word she would use. The arm around her throat kept her breath short and shallow, her body tensing and heart pounding. All this over a damn necklace? She didn’t even know which one it was that he wanted, but she’d give him every piece of jewelry she owned if it meant he’d let her go. Her life meant far more to her than any stones or gold.
Nia shakily nodded in affirmation that she understood, her right arm slowly reaching to point to a small cabinet close to the door. Nearly every bit of jewelry she owned was stored in the tiny container; lovers’ tokens, mostly, or gifts from her parents. In spite of being a noble lady, she didn’t care much for jewelry or baubles, and therefore owned very few. The fabrics she usually wore were fine, but simple, and typically only accented by the barest of adornments. She was a lovely girl on her own and preferred to rely on her natural beauty, having never cared much for the ostentatious fashion of Egyptian royalty. She was sure her unexpected thief would be rather disappointed with what he found.
What a coincidence that a man should come sneaking into her room looking for a necklace the same night an admirer had gifted her with some rare charm he claimed to have gotten across the sea. It was a beautiful pendant, encrusted with rubies and tourmaline, and even with her typical forgoing of such frippery, she’d fallen in love with it the second he draped it around her neck. Now that another man was here trying to take what she could only assume was the same gift she’d received that evening, she wondered if it had been some elaborate set-up all along.
She nearly laughed when she remembered she hadn’t even taken it off before she’d gone to sleep. It still rested just below the hollow of her throat, trapped beneath the brawny arm that held her in place. The irony that he should be threatening her over a trinket that was quite literally already within his grasp.
Nia very gently tapped his elbow to get his attention. With her other hand, she reached up to touch the pendant, keeping her movements slow and nonthreatening to show that she didn't intend to try anything that might get her hurt.
“Is this what you wanted?” she asked, her lips brushing against the palm that muffled her already soft voice. “Just take it.”
Feeling her nod, he relaxed his hand a fraction and looked to where she pointed. Because there was not a lot of light, most of her room was swathed in shadow. The furniture made up the bulk of the black shadows, though there were slices of inky black in the corners as he moved them both sideways toward the cabinet. He was relieved that her room was clean, or, at least where they were stepping was. There were no clothes littering the ground to trip him up, no random boxes or sandals to stumble over.
The two of them moved silently and seamlessly over to the cabinet as though they were in a dance. Once there, though, he had a choice to make. Unclasp her mouth or her throat? His grip on her was complete. Perhaps he should have asked her to get the necklace for him but before he could even get the whispered words out, she was patting him on his bicep.
“What?” he asked and then realized she was gesturing. Easing his grip on her, he also removed his hand, though kept his hand against her jaw, just in case he needed to make good on his threat. Sometimes people would nod that they understood, but either not believe he was completely serious, or they decided to test him and see if they could somehow fight their way free, all while screaming for loved ones. Thankfully, she did neither of these things. She merely spoke in a hushed tone.
“Is this what you wanted? Just take it.”
“Yes,” he whispered, dropping his hand to feel along the necklace. Yes. It was pretty distinctive and he could tell by touch alone that it was what he was after. “Thank you. I will.” He adjusted his hold to around her middle, hand flat on her stomach as he used his other one to unclasp the necklace from around her neck and take it away from her, holding it up to look at it. “This gets me a horse,” he said conversationally, like he hadn’t threatened to kill her or broken into her room.
“Go back to sleep.” He let her go completely and reached into his bag for his climbing gear, intending to go straight back out of the window. “Be a good girl and don’t scream.”
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Feeling her nod, he relaxed his hand a fraction and looked to where she pointed. Because there was not a lot of light, most of her room was swathed in shadow. The furniture made up the bulk of the black shadows, though there were slices of inky black in the corners as he moved them both sideways toward the cabinet. He was relieved that her room was clean, or, at least where they were stepping was. There were no clothes littering the ground to trip him up, no random boxes or sandals to stumble over.
The two of them moved silently and seamlessly over to the cabinet as though they were in a dance. Once there, though, he had a choice to make. Unclasp her mouth or her throat? His grip on her was complete. Perhaps he should have asked her to get the necklace for him but before he could even get the whispered words out, she was patting him on his bicep.
“What?” he asked and then realized she was gesturing. Easing his grip on her, he also removed his hand, though kept his hand against her jaw, just in case he needed to make good on his threat. Sometimes people would nod that they understood, but either not believe he was completely serious, or they decided to test him and see if they could somehow fight their way free, all while screaming for loved ones. Thankfully, she did neither of these things. She merely spoke in a hushed tone.
“Is this what you wanted? Just take it.”
“Yes,” he whispered, dropping his hand to feel along the necklace. Yes. It was pretty distinctive and he could tell by touch alone that it was what he was after. “Thank you. I will.” He adjusted his hold to around her middle, hand flat on her stomach as he used his other one to unclasp the necklace from around her neck and take it away from her, holding it up to look at it. “This gets me a horse,” he said conversationally, like he hadn’t threatened to kill her or broken into her room.
“Go back to sleep.” He let her go completely and reached into his bag for his climbing gear, intending to go straight back out of the window. “Be a good girl and don’t scream.”
Feeling her nod, he relaxed his hand a fraction and looked to where she pointed. Because there was not a lot of light, most of her room was swathed in shadow. The furniture made up the bulk of the black shadows, though there were slices of inky black in the corners as he moved them both sideways toward the cabinet. He was relieved that her room was clean, or, at least where they were stepping was. There were no clothes littering the ground to trip him up, no random boxes or sandals to stumble over.
The two of them moved silently and seamlessly over to the cabinet as though they were in a dance. Once there, though, he had a choice to make. Unclasp her mouth or her throat? His grip on her was complete. Perhaps he should have asked her to get the necklace for him but before he could even get the whispered words out, she was patting him on his bicep.
“What?” he asked and then realized she was gesturing. Easing his grip on her, he also removed his hand, though kept his hand against her jaw, just in case he needed to make good on his threat. Sometimes people would nod that they understood, but either not believe he was completely serious, or they decided to test him and see if they could somehow fight their way free, all while screaming for loved ones. Thankfully, she did neither of these things. She merely spoke in a hushed tone.
“Is this what you wanted? Just take it.”
“Yes,” he whispered, dropping his hand to feel along the necklace. Yes. It was pretty distinctive and he could tell by touch alone that it was what he was after. “Thank you. I will.” He adjusted his hold to around her middle, hand flat on her stomach as he used his other one to unclasp the necklace from around her neck and take it away from her, holding it up to look at it. “This gets me a horse,” he said conversationally, like he hadn’t threatened to kill her or broken into her room.
“Go back to sleep.” He let her go completely and reached into his bag for his climbing gear, intending to go straight back out of the window. “Be a good girl and don’t scream.”
Nia felt her breath leave her in a whoosh as the stranger let go of her, a hand creeping to her throat where his arm had just been. She took a couple steps back when she was released, tracking his progress through the room and to the window. “A horse?” she finally repeated in blatant disbelief, shaking her head with confused irritation. “You crept into my room in the middle of the night to steal a gift just so you could get a horse?” Her sigh was more annoyed than frightened at this point, the look on her face speaking a million words had it been light enough for him to see it. “By all the gods, I hope it’s the finest horse this side of the Nile to go to this sort of trouble for it.”
She watched in yet more disbelief as he started to go back out through the window, disregarding his command for her to go back to sleep. As if she could just easily fall back asleep after this. Not that she’d been sleeping very peacefully to begin with. “You know, I’m not fully convinced this isn’t just a strange dream,” she told him thoughtfully, sitting back on her bed and propping her head in her hands. A sliver of moonlight briefly illuminated her face, dark eyes glinting as they looked on her intruder. “A man appears in my room like magic, threatens me, steals my necklace, then declares he’s going to trade it for a horse, all while neglecting to even put a scratch on me. Not that I’m complaining about that, mind you, but it does seem like a bizarre cautionary children’s tale, don’t you think?”
Watching him at the window with mild bemusement, Nia lifted her brow. She was still too numb with drowsy shock to be as properly frightened as she should have been. “You know, that’s a rather long drop,” she pointed out, though she wasn’t very concerned. What did she care if he snapped his neck on the way down? “You’re bound to break your leg that way.”
After a moment, she paused, brows together as if in sudden realization. “Wait… is that how you got in here? Through the window?” She stood back up and thoughtlessly brushed him out of the way, leaning her head out the window and peering down. She looked outside and then back at him two or three times, her frown deepening in suspicion. “How in the world did you manage that? Are you actually magic?”
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Nia felt her breath leave her in a whoosh as the stranger let go of her, a hand creeping to her throat where his arm had just been. She took a couple steps back when she was released, tracking his progress through the room and to the window. “A horse?” she finally repeated in blatant disbelief, shaking her head with confused irritation. “You crept into my room in the middle of the night to steal a gift just so you could get a horse?” Her sigh was more annoyed than frightened at this point, the look on her face speaking a million words had it been light enough for him to see it. “By all the gods, I hope it’s the finest horse this side of the Nile to go to this sort of trouble for it.”
She watched in yet more disbelief as he started to go back out through the window, disregarding his command for her to go back to sleep. As if she could just easily fall back asleep after this. Not that she’d been sleeping very peacefully to begin with. “You know, I’m not fully convinced this isn’t just a strange dream,” she told him thoughtfully, sitting back on her bed and propping her head in her hands. A sliver of moonlight briefly illuminated her face, dark eyes glinting as they looked on her intruder. “A man appears in my room like magic, threatens me, steals my necklace, then declares he’s going to trade it for a horse, all while neglecting to even put a scratch on me. Not that I’m complaining about that, mind you, but it does seem like a bizarre cautionary children’s tale, don’t you think?”
Watching him at the window with mild bemusement, Nia lifted her brow. She was still too numb with drowsy shock to be as properly frightened as she should have been. “You know, that’s a rather long drop,” she pointed out, though she wasn’t very concerned. What did she care if he snapped his neck on the way down? “You’re bound to break your leg that way.”
After a moment, she paused, brows together as if in sudden realization. “Wait… is that how you got in here? Through the window?” She stood back up and thoughtlessly brushed him out of the way, leaning her head out the window and peering down. She looked outside and then back at him two or three times, her frown deepening in suspicion. “How in the world did you manage that? Are you actually magic?”
Nia felt her breath leave her in a whoosh as the stranger let go of her, a hand creeping to her throat where his arm had just been. She took a couple steps back when she was released, tracking his progress through the room and to the window. “A horse?” she finally repeated in blatant disbelief, shaking her head with confused irritation. “You crept into my room in the middle of the night to steal a gift just so you could get a horse?” Her sigh was more annoyed than frightened at this point, the look on her face speaking a million words had it been light enough for him to see it. “By all the gods, I hope it’s the finest horse this side of the Nile to go to this sort of trouble for it.”
She watched in yet more disbelief as he started to go back out through the window, disregarding his command for her to go back to sleep. As if she could just easily fall back asleep after this. Not that she’d been sleeping very peacefully to begin with. “You know, I’m not fully convinced this isn’t just a strange dream,” she told him thoughtfully, sitting back on her bed and propping her head in her hands. A sliver of moonlight briefly illuminated her face, dark eyes glinting as they looked on her intruder. “A man appears in my room like magic, threatens me, steals my necklace, then declares he’s going to trade it for a horse, all while neglecting to even put a scratch on me. Not that I’m complaining about that, mind you, but it does seem like a bizarre cautionary children’s tale, don’t you think?”
Watching him at the window with mild bemusement, Nia lifted her brow. She was still too numb with drowsy shock to be as properly frightened as she should have been. “You know, that’s a rather long drop,” she pointed out, though she wasn’t very concerned. What did she care if he snapped his neck on the way down? “You’re bound to break your leg that way.”
After a moment, she paused, brows together as if in sudden realization. “Wait… is that how you got in here? Through the window?” She stood back up and thoughtlessly brushed him out of the way, leaning her head out the window and peering down. She looked outside and then back at him two or three times, her frown deepening in suspicion. “How in the world did you manage that? Are you actually magic?”
This was the easiest robbery in the history of robberies. Not only was there no begging or crying, but she didn’t claw him or fight him in any way. This was basically pleasant. Idly, he wondered if he’d sent her scampering downstairs to fetch him a drink of water, if she’d have done it and breezed back up with a smile. Likely not, but it was an interesting thought that he’d have liked to put to the test.
“A horse?” her incredulousness drew his notice as he threaded his fingers into the linked metal cylinders that curled to give him the ability to climb pretty much anything. “You crept into my room in the middle of the night to steal a gift just so you could get a horse?”
“Not that I have to explain my reasons to you, girl, but yeah,” he shot her a smile, completely unapologetic about scaring her senseless. “Easiest horse I’ll have ever gotten.” Moving onto the next hand, he stopped fiddling with the metal and thought about it. “I might sell it for a camel, though. Those are far more useful and less finicky,” he said conversationally, as though he wasn’t about to go out her window in the middle of a burglary.
“By all the gods, I hope it’s the finest horse this side of the Nile to go to this sort of trouble for it.”
“You are a little too invested in this,” he adjusted his belt and paused on the windowsill, looking down. “Go back to sleep,” he said again. Why was it so hard for women to just obey? At least she’d gone back to the bed. He heard it creak as she sank down onto it and began musing aloud how this all seemed like an incredibly weird dream. While he couldn’t deny that the circumstances of this little conversation were definitely unorthodox, she was most definitely not dreaming.
Again he looked out the window, gauging how he was going to crawl back out and maintain a foothold while he sorted his hands, when she said, “You know, that’s a rather long drop. You’re bound to break your leg that way. Wait… is that how you got in here? Through the window?”
Before he could answer this, she was up and off the bed. He braced himself against the window frame but realized she’d be able to push him straight out to his death, so he climbed down and stood in her way, only to have her brush past him as though she was completely unconcerned by his presence any longer. This was...new. She wasn’t playing this game correctly and he wasn’t totally sure that she wasn’t out of her mind. Or drunk, but really, sometimes they were one and the same.
“How in the world did you manage that? Are you actually magic?”
Khanh breathed in through his nose and pursed his lips, shooting her another look. “Do you have a comment for everything? I’m shocked someone gave you a necklace.” But, because he was incapable of not showing off, he held out his hands for her to look. The ‘claws’ were a little like gloves, only metal and extended a bit past his fingers in a curve, like a cat’s. The ‘sleeves’ of the contraption along his fingers were in thick cylinder links so that he’d be able to bend and wiggle his fingers however he chose.
“Magic of a sort,” he said and then used the back of his hand to nudge her out of the way. “I’m going to be late. If you’ll excuse me, I need to go see a man about a horse.”
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This was the easiest robbery in the history of robberies. Not only was there no begging or crying, but she didn’t claw him or fight him in any way. This was basically pleasant. Idly, he wondered if he’d sent her scampering downstairs to fetch him a drink of water, if she’d have done it and breezed back up with a smile. Likely not, but it was an interesting thought that he’d have liked to put to the test.
“A horse?” her incredulousness drew his notice as he threaded his fingers into the linked metal cylinders that curled to give him the ability to climb pretty much anything. “You crept into my room in the middle of the night to steal a gift just so you could get a horse?”
“Not that I have to explain my reasons to you, girl, but yeah,” he shot her a smile, completely unapologetic about scaring her senseless. “Easiest horse I’ll have ever gotten.” Moving onto the next hand, he stopped fiddling with the metal and thought about it. “I might sell it for a camel, though. Those are far more useful and less finicky,” he said conversationally, as though he wasn’t about to go out her window in the middle of a burglary.
“By all the gods, I hope it’s the finest horse this side of the Nile to go to this sort of trouble for it.”
“You are a little too invested in this,” he adjusted his belt and paused on the windowsill, looking down. “Go back to sleep,” he said again. Why was it so hard for women to just obey? At least she’d gone back to the bed. He heard it creak as she sank down onto it and began musing aloud how this all seemed like an incredibly weird dream. While he couldn’t deny that the circumstances of this little conversation were definitely unorthodox, she was most definitely not dreaming.
Again he looked out the window, gauging how he was going to crawl back out and maintain a foothold while he sorted his hands, when she said, “You know, that’s a rather long drop. You’re bound to break your leg that way. Wait… is that how you got in here? Through the window?”
Before he could answer this, she was up and off the bed. He braced himself against the window frame but realized she’d be able to push him straight out to his death, so he climbed down and stood in her way, only to have her brush past him as though she was completely unconcerned by his presence any longer. This was...new. She wasn’t playing this game correctly and he wasn’t totally sure that she wasn’t out of her mind. Or drunk, but really, sometimes they were one and the same.
“How in the world did you manage that? Are you actually magic?”
Khanh breathed in through his nose and pursed his lips, shooting her another look. “Do you have a comment for everything? I’m shocked someone gave you a necklace.” But, because he was incapable of not showing off, he held out his hands for her to look. The ‘claws’ were a little like gloves, only metal and extended a bit past his fingers in a curve, like a cat’s. The ‘sleeves’ of the contraption along his fingers were in thick cylinder links so that he’d be able to bend and wiggle his fingers however he chose.
“Magic of a sort,” he said and then used the back of his hand to nudge her out of the way. “I’m going to be late. If you’ll excuse me, I need to go see a man about a horse.”
This was the easiest robbery in the history of robberies. Not only was there no begging or crying, but she didn’t claw him or fight him in any way. This was basically pleasant. Idly, he wondered if he’d sent her scampering downstairs to fetch him a drink of water, if she’d have done it and breezed back up with a smile. Likely not, but it was an interesting thought that he’d have liked to put to the test.
“A horse?” her incredulousness drew his notice as he threaded his fingers into the linked metal cylinders that curled to give him the ability to climb pretty much anything. “You crept into my room in the middle of the night to steal a gift just so you could get a horse?”
“Not that I have to explain my reasons to you, girl, but yeah,” he shot her a smile, completely unapologetic about scaring her senseless. “Easiest horse I’ll have ever gotten.” Moving onto the next hand, he stopped fiddling with the metal and thought about it. “I might sell it for a camel, though. Those are far more useful and less finicky,” he said conversationally, as though he wasn’t about to go out her window in the middle of a burglary.
“By all the gods, I hope it’s the finest horse this side of the Nile to go to this sort of trouble for it.”
“You are a little too invested in this,” he adjusted his belt and paused on the windowsill, looking down. “Go back to sleep,” he said again. Why was it so hard for women to just obey? At least she’d gone back to the bed. He heard it creak as she sank down onto it and began musing aloud how this all seemed like an incredibly weird dream. While he couldn’t deny that the circumstances of this little conversation were definitely unorthodox, she was most definitely not dreaming.
Again he looked out the window, gauging how he was going to crawl back out and maintain a foothold while he sorted his hands, when she said, “You know, that’s a rather long drop. You’re bound to break your leg that way. Wait… is that how you got in here? Through the window?”
Before he could answer this, she was up and off the bed. He braced himself against the window frame but realized she’d be able to push him straight out to his death, so he climbed down and stood in her way, only to have her brush past him as though she was completely unconcerned by his presence any longer. This was...new. She wasn’t playing this game correctly and he wasn’t totally sure that she wasn’t out of her mind. Or drunk, but really, sometimes they were one and the same.
“How in the world did you manage that? Are you actually magic?”
Khanh breathed in through his nose and pursed his lips, shooting her another look. “Do you have a comment for everything? I’m shocked someone gave you a necklace.” But, because he was incapable of not showing off, he held out his hands for her to look. The ‘claws’ were a little like gloves, only metal and extended a bit past his fingers in a curve, like a cat’s. The ‘sleeves’ of the contraption along his fingers were in thick cylinder links so that he’d be able to bend and wiggle his fingers however he chose.
“Magic of a sort,” he said and then used the back of his hand to nudge her out of the way. “I’m going to be late. If you’ll excuse me, I need to go see a man about a horse.”
“So, let me get this straight. You’re going to trade my necklace for a horse, which you’re then just going to trade for a camel.” Nia wasn’t sure why she was still talking to her late-night burglar, but there was a bizarre part of her that was actually offended by all this, and her dreamlike consciousness wanted to see it all set right. “Why didn’t you just steal a camel, then? Seems like an awful lot of steps to go through to get the same result in the end.”
He commanded her to go back to sleep again, but she just rolled her eyes. As if she’d ever go back to sleep tonight knowing someone could just climb in and out of her window at their leisure. Though, it did give her ideas on more efficient ways for her to get out of her house at night. She wanted to see how he did it.
“Why, yes, I do typically have a comment for everything, thank you,” was her unperturbed response, looking in awe at the metal that covered his hands. “Some men happen to like that. It’s how I get necklaces.” She knew she ought to be more scared than she was, that the man standing next to her so casually preparing to climb out her window was probably dangerous, but he hadn’t hurt her yet, had he? In the morning, she’d probably be a little more alarmed than she was now, but it all felt so surreal that it was hard for her to summon the proper reaction.
She lightly touched the tip of one of the ‘claws’ with frank fascination, far too casually turning his hand over to see how they fit. “Where in the world did you get these?” Nia asked in wonder, dropping his hand and looking back up at his face. The better question was how could she get a pair of those, but even in her drowsily confused state, this wasn’t one she asked. What reason would he have to tell her?
Huffing in mild annoyance when the stranger brushed her out of the way, she crossed her arms and leaned against the wall. “Fine, go get your ill-acquired horse. I hope it throws you before you have a chance to trade it in.” Lifting her brow at him, Nia added, “I’m just going to watch you leave, if you don’t mind. I want to see how these claws work. Or watch you fall. No real preference on my part.”
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“So, let me get this straight. You’re going to trade my necklace for a horse, which you’re then just going to trade for a camel.” Nia wasn’t sure why she was still talking to her late-night burglar, but there was a bizarre part of her that was actually offended by all this, and her dreamlike consciousness wanted to see it all set right. “Why didn’t you just steal a camel, then? Seems like an awful lot of steps to go through to get the same result in the end.”
He commanded her to go back to sleep again, but she just rolled her eyes. As if she’d ever go back to sleep tonight knowing someone could just climb in and out of her window at their leisure. Though, it did give her ideas on more efficient ways for her to get out of her house at night. She wanted to see how he did it.
“Why, yes, I do typically have a comment for everything, thank you,” was her unperturbed response, looking in awe at the metal that covered his hands. “Some men happen to like that. It’s how I get necklaces.” She knew she ought to be more scared than she was, that the man standing next to her so casually preparing to climb out her window was probably dangerous, but he hadn’t hurt her yet, had he? In the morning, she’d probably be a little more alarmed than she was now, but it all felt so surreal that it was hard for her to summon the proper reaction.
She lightly touched the tip of one of the ‘claws’ with frank fascination, far too casually turning his hand over to see how they fit. “Where in the world did you get these?” Nia asked in wonder, dropping his hand and looking back up at his face. The better question was how could she get a pair of those, but even in her drowsily confused state, this wasn’t one she asked. What reason would he have to tell her?
Huffing in mild annoyance when the stranger brushed her out of the way, she crossed her arms and leaned against the wall. “Fine, go get your ill-acquired horse. I hope it throws you before you have a chance to trade it in.” Lifting her brow at him, Nia added, “I’m just going to watch you leave, if you don’t mind. I want to see how these claws work. Or watch you fall. No real preference on my part.”
“So, let me get this straight. You’re going to trade my necklace for a horse, which you’re then just going to trade for a camel.” Nia wasn’t sure why she was still talking to her late-night burglar, but there was a bizarre part of her that was actually offended by all this, and her dreamlike consciousness wanted to see it all set right. “Why didn’t you just steal a camel, then? Seems like an awful lot of steps to go through to get the same result in the end.”
He commanded her to go back to sleep again, but she just rolled her eyes. As if she’d ever go back to sleep tonight knowing someone could just climb in and out of her window at their leisure. Though, it did give her ideas on more efficient ways for her to get out of her house at night. She wanted to see how he did it.
“Why, yes, I do typically have a comment for everything, thank you,” was her unperturbed response, looking in awe at the metal that covered his hands. “Some men happen to like that. It’s how I get necklaces.” She knew she ought to be more scared than she was, that the man standing next to her so casually preparing to climb out her window was probably dangerous, but he hadn’t hurt her yet, had he? In the morning, she’d probably be a little more alarmed than she was now, but it all felt so surreal that it was hard for her to summon the proper reaction.
She lightly touched the tip of one of the ‘claws’ with frank fascination, far too casually turning his hand over to see how they fit. “Where in the world did you get these?” Nia asked in wonder, dropping his hand and looking back up at his face. The better question was how could she get a pair of those, but even in her drowsily confused state, this wasn’t one she asked. What reason would he have to tell her?
Huffing in mild annoyance when the stranger brushed her out of the way, she crossed her arms and leaned against the wall. “Fine, go get your ill-acquired horse. I hope it throws you before you have a chance to trade it in.” Lifting her brow at him, Nia added, “I’m just going to watch you leave, if you don’t mind. I want to see how these claws work. Or watch you fall. No real preference on my part.”
“Some men happen to like that. It’s how I get necklaces.”
“It is?” he eyed her. “I don’t think it’s what comes out of your mouth that gets you jewels.” Her earlier comments about his decisions went unremarked upon for the moment. He didn’t have to explain the reasons to her. She probably would not have understood the logic anyway - not there was a terrible amount of logic in it. The camel he hadn’t even thought of until the words escaped his lips.
That train of thought came to an abrupt halt as she touched his hand and the claws. She was possibly the worst burglar-ee he’d ever come across, but this was better than her screaming. Because, obviously then he’d have had to kill her. Bodies were such a mess to deal with and he was pretty sure his soul was not where it needed to be and he didn’t super want to add to the weight his ba no doubt already had. Someday, he’d see to that little problem, but not today. Today, he had things to do.
“Where in the world did you get these?”
“I found a blacksmith who figured out how to do it,” he looked at the claws and flexed his fingers. These were not retractable, like real ones, but they were definitely useful. “Only an Egyptian could do this, obviously,” he added. Like he’d have gotten such superior craftsmanship from any other place on the planet. After he’d brushed past her, she said,
“Fine, go get your ill-acquired horse. I hope it throws you before you have a chance to trade it in. I’m just going to watch you leave, if you don’t mind. I want to see how these claws work. Or watch you fall. No real preference on my part.”
Khanh was on the verge of climbing out the window but stopped and moved back over to her. He placed a large hand on her shoulder and looked her in the eye. “You have a lot of aggression towards me over a necklace you don’t care about. Since you have such opinions, did you want to come see the horse? No, nevermind.” He withdrew his hand. “I’ve never tried to climb down with another person…” He was going to follow up on that thought but went to the window anyway and climbed onto the ledge.
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“Some men happen to like that. It’s how I get necklaces.”
“It is?” he eyed her. “I don’t think it’s what comes out of your mouth that gets you jewels.” Her earlier comments about his decisions went unremarked upon for the moment. He didn’t have to explain the reasons to her. She probably would not have understood the logic anyway - not there was a terrible amount of logic in it. The camel he hadn’t even thought of until the words escaped his lips.
That train of thought came to an abrupt halt as she touched his hand and the claws. She was possibly the worst burglar-ee he’d ever come across, but this was better than her screaming. Because, obviously then he’d have had to kill her. Bodies were such a mess to deal with and he was pretty sure his soul was not where it needed to be and he didn’t super want to add to the weight his ba no doubt already had. Someday, he’d see to that little problem, but not today. Today, he had things to do.
“Where in the world did you get these?”
“I found a blacksmith who figured out how to do it,” he looked at the claws and flexed his fingers. These were not retractable, like real ones, but they were definitely useful. “Only an Egyptian could do this, obviously,” he added. Like he’d have gotten such superior craftsmanship from any other place on the planet. After he’d brushed past her, she said,
“Fine, go get your ill-acquired horse. I hope it throws you before you have a chance to trade it in. I’m just going to watch you leave, if you don’t mind. I want to see how these claws work. Or watch you fall. No real preference on my part.”
Khanh was on the verge of climbing out the window but stopped and moved back over to her. He placed a large hand on her shoulder and looked her in the eye. “You have a lot of aggression towards me over a necklace you don’t care about. Since you have such opinions, did you want to come see the horse? No, nevermind.” He withdrew his hand. “I’ve never tried to climb down with another person…” He was going to follow up on that thought but went to the window anyway and climbed onto the ledge.
“Some men happen to like that. It’s how I get necklaces.”
“It is?” he eyed her. “I don’t think it’s what comes out of your mouth that gets you jewels.” Her earlier comments about his decisions went unremarked upon for the moment. He didn’t have to explain the reasons to her. She probably would not have understood the logic anyway - not there was a terrible amount of logic in it. The camel he hadn’t even thought of until the words escaped his lips.
That train of thought came to an abrupt halt as she touched his hand and the claws. She was possibly the worst burglar-ee he’d ever come across, but this was better than her screaming. Because, obviously then he’d have had to kill her. Bodies were such a mess to deal with and he was pretty sure his soul was not where it needed to be and he didn’t super want to add to the weight his ba no doubt already had. Someday, he’d see to that little problem, but not today. Today, he had things to do.
“Where in the world did you get these?”
“I found a blacksmith who figured out how to do it,” he looked at the claws and flexed his fingers. These were not retractable, like real ones, but they were definitely useful. “Only an Egyptian could do this, obviously,” he added. Like he’d have gotten such superior craftsmanship from any other place on the planet. After he’d brushed past her, she said,
“Fine, go get your ill-acquired horse. I hope it throws you before you have a chance to trade it in. I’m just going to watch you leave, if you don’t mind. I want to see how these claws work. Or watch you fall. No real preference on my part.”
Khanh was on the verge of climbing out the window but stopped and moved back over to her. He placed a large hand on her shoulder and looked her in the eye. “You have a lot of aggression towards me over a necklace you don’t care about. Since you have such opinions, did you want to come see the horse? No, nevermind.” He withdrew his hand. “I’ve never tried to climb down with another person…” He was going to follow up on that thought but went to the window anyway and climbed onto the ledge.
I don’t think it’s what comes out of your mouth that gets you jewels.
“Perhaps not always,” Nia answered, her voice sweet and her glare anything but. “But I’ll have you know that I barely even let that poor sod in the tavern tonight catch a feel, and he gave me that, anyway. So, the way I see it, I’m either far more charming than you seem to think, the necklace isn’t really worth that much, or you two were in this together all along.” Her look dared him to contradict her, and her voice was dry as sand when she continued, “Personally, I’m leaning toward the first one, but if you have any other theories, I’d love to hear them.”
She listened to him explain how he’d acquired the claws, her expression slowly fading into a smirk. His answer was about as vague as she expected, but then, she hadn’t really expected him to be specific. “You should get me a pair of those claws for stealing my necklace,” Nia said, only half teasing. “Especially if it’s as rare as the man claimed. A small fortune right there in your hands, and I just let you take it. Really, I’m too nice for my own good. It’s the least you could do.”
Biting her lip on a laugh, she ducked her head to hide its accompanying smile. What was wrong with her? Why was she standing here bantering with the man who’d broken into her room and stolen from her instead of screaming for help or pushing him out the window? She blamed it on the substances that still lingered in her system from a long night out, but perhaps it was exhaustion. Or maybe she was just bored. Regardless of what it was, when had Neithotep ever been known for her good decisions?
When he came back over to her and offered to let her see the horse, she blinked a few times and rubbed her eyes. Had she heard him correctly? Nia was starting to believe she really was dreaming with how strange this night was becoming.
“First of all, I never said that I didn’t care about the necklace,” the young courtier pointed out with a wrinkle of her nose. “I just care about my life more than any bit of jewelry, so it seemed smarter to hand it over than try to hang onto it.” She gave him a look that wordlessly said ‘so there,’ releasing a short breath with her hands on her hips. “Second of all, I feel like I’m entitled to a bit of aggression when someone breaks into my room in the middle of the night and steals from me. Third of all… what? Did you actually just ask if I wanted to see the horse? Bold of you to rub your victory in my face so… blatantly.”
Though when he took it back, Nia looked almost disappointed. She trailed him back to the window. “I mean, I also didn’t say no…” she trailed off when he climbed onto the ledge, though he made a good point about carrying more weight. How sturdy were those claws he was so proud of?
“I can just sneak out a different door, you know,” she pointed out thoughtfully, hardly believing the words that were tumbling out of her mouth. “I do live here.”
What was she doing? She should be getting back in bed like he’d told her to and just forgetting this whole night ever happened, not flitting off somewhere else with her robber. But it wasn’t like she was falling back asleep any time soon, and no one else would be awake for hours yet. Why not?
Whatever, I’ll chastise myself for my poor choices tomorrow.
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I don’t think it’s what comes out of your mouth that gets you jewels.
“Perhaps not always,” Nia answered, her voice sweet and her glare anything but. “But I’ll have you know that I barely even let that poor sod in the tavern tonight catch a feel, and he gave me that, anyway. So, the way I see it, I’m either far more charming than you seem to think, the necklace isn’t really worth that much, or you two were in this together all along.” Her look dared him to contradict her, and her voice was dry as sand when she continued, “Personally, I’m leaning toward the first one, but if you have any other theories, I’d love to hear them.”
She listened to him explain how he’d acquired the claws, her expression slowly fading into a smirk. His answer was about as vague as she expected, but then, she hadn’t really expected him to be specific. “You should get me a pair of those claws for stealing my necklace,” Nia said, only half teasing. “Especially if it’s as rare as the man claimed. A small fortune right there in your hands, and I just let you take it. Really, I’m too nice for my own good. It’s the least you could do.”
Biting her lip on a laugh, she ducked her head to hide its accompanying smile. What was wrong with her? Why was she standing here bantering with the man who’d broken into her room and stolen from her instead of screaming for help or pushing him out the window? She blamed it on the substances that still lingered in her system from a long night out, but perhaps it was exhaustion. Or maybe she was just bored. Regardless of what it was, when had Neithotep ever been known for her good decisions?
When he came back over to her and offered to let her see the horse, she blinked a few times and rubbed her eyes. Had she heard him correctly? Nia was starting to believe she really was dreaming with how strange this night was becoming.
“First of all, I never said that I didn’t care about the necklace,” the young courtier pointed out with a wrinkle of her nose. “I just care about my life more than any bit of jewelry, so it seemed smarter to hand it over than try to hang onto it.” She gave him a look that wordlessly said ‘so there,’ releasing a short breath with her hands on her hips. “Second of all, I feel like I’m entitled to a bit of aggression when someone breaks into my room in the middle of the night and steals from me. Third of all… what? Did you actually just ask if I wanted to see the horse? Bold of you to rub your victory in my face so… blatantly.”
Though when he took it back, Nia looked almost disappointed. She trailed him back to the window. “I mean, I also didn’t say no…” she trailed off when he climbed onto the ledge, though he made a good point about carrying more weight. How sturdy were those claws he was so proud of?
“I can just sneak out a different door, you know,” she pointed out thoughtfully, hardly believing the words that were tumbling out of her mouth. “I do live here.”
What was she doing? She should be getting back in bed like he’d told her to and just forgetting this whole night ever happened, not flitting off somewhere else with her robber. But it wasn’t like she was falling back asleep any time soon, and no one else would be awake for hours yet. Why not?
Whatever, I’ll chastise myself for my poor choices tomorrow.
I don’t think it’s what comes out of your mouth that gets you jewels.
“Perhaps not always,” Nia answered, her voice sweet and her glare anything but. “But I’ll have you know that I barely even let that poor sod in the tavern tonight catch a feel, and he gave me that, anyway. So, the way I see it, I’m either far more charming than you seem to think, the necklace isn’t really worth that much, or you two were in this together all along.” Her look dared him to contradict her, and her voice was dry as sand when she continued, “Personally, I’m leaning toward the first one, but if you have any other theories, I’d love to hear them.”
She listened to him explain how he’d acquired the claws, her expression slowly fading into a smirk. His answer was about as vague as she expected, but then, she hadn’t really expected him to be specific. “You should get me a pair of those claws for stealing my necklace,” Nia said, only half teasing. “Especially if it’s as rare as the man claimed. A small fortune right there in your hands, and I just let you take it. Really, I’m too nice for my own good. It’s the least you could do.”
Biting her lip on a laugh, she ducked her head to hide its accompanying smile. What was wrong with her? Why was she standing here bantering with the man who’d broken into her room and stolen from her instead of screaming for help or pushing him out the window? She blamed it on the substances that still lingered in her system from a long night out, but perhaps it was exhaustion. Or maybe she was just bored. Regardless of what it was, when had Neithotep ever been known for her good decisions?
When he came back over to her and offered to let her see the horse, she blinked a few times and rubbed her eyes. Had she heard him correctly? Nia was starting to believe she really was dreaming with how strange this night was becoming.
“First of all, I never said that I didn’t care about the necklace,” the young courtier pointed out with a wrinkle of her nose. “I just care about my life more than any bit of jewelry, so it seemed smarter to hand it over than try to hang onto it.” She gave him a look that wordlessly said ‘so there,’ releasing a short breath with her hands on her hips. “Second of all, I feel like I’m entitled to a bit of aggression when someone breaks into my room in the middle of the night and steals from me. Third of all… what? Did you actually just ask if I wanted to see the horse? Bold of you to rub your victory in my face so… blatantly.”
Though when he took it back, Nia looked almost disappointed. She trailed him back to the window. “I mean, I also didn’t say no…” she trailed off when he climbed onto the ledge, though he made a good point about carrying more weight. How sturdy were those claws he was so proud of?
“I can just sneak out a different door, you know,” she pointed out thoughtfully, hardly believing the words that were tumbling out of her mouth. “I do live here.”
What was she doing? She should be getting back in bed like he’d told her to and just forgetting this whole night ever happened, not flitting off somewhere else with her robber. But it wasn’t like she was falling back asleep any time soon, and no one else would be awake for hours yet. Why not?
Whatever, I’ll chastise myself for my poor choices tomorrow.
He gave her a flat look while she outlined for him in extraneous detail about how charming she was. The part about the necklace not being worth much made him look down at it for just a second, but to that, he shrugged. This was going right back to the man who’d given it to her, so its worth was up to that man. The conversation moved on from there to the claws, where she teased him and it was at that point that he began to think she was both interesting and a little crazy. His favorite combination.
Though he’d done his level best to be a good, professional thief, she appeared to be intent on making good and sure this was personal. The flirting, the smiling, the touching his hand. None of that was someone who was particularly afraid and either she was unusually brave or unusually careless with her life. Either way, she was very lucky that he didn’t target women as an outlet for some of his more violent inclinations. Most of the time he was quite sweet to the female half of the species.
Perched on the windowsill, he gave her a pursed lipped smile and leaned one arm on the frame with his forehead resting against his bicep while she battled with herself, out loud, about him asking her to come with him and honestly sounding offended and intrigued. Clinking two claws together, he raised his eyebrows at her. “Now or never, woman. Are you coming or not?”
“I can just sneak out a different door, you know. I do live here.”
He nodded. There was no arguing about that. “I’ll meet you by your front gate, then.” And rose up as much as he could on the window sill. From there, it was a simple matter of pressing his body to the frame and getting a good handhold on the stone outside to scale back down. Ropes, he reflected. Next time, he’d take a rope with him. Made for a faster getaway and also he didn’t have to think about the very painful death that awaited him if he fell from this height. It wouldn’t even be dead on impact, either. He could lay there for hours, in and out of consciousness before death finally came for him.
Then, of course, he’d be standing before Toth and Anubis and Sobek...gods. That didn’t bear thinking about. He knew right now that if they weighed his Ba, it was not going to be feather light. Thankfully, he was well practiced at this and scaled down the wall without incident. He dropped lightly into the courtyard below and then scaled the wall that ran around the estate, creeping along its top until he could jump down beside the front gate.
Once safely outside the house, he took off his climbing gear, put it back in the pouch on his belt, and leaned on the wall beside the gate, fiddling with the necklace until she showed up. As soon as he saw her, he said, “Shall we?”
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He gave her a flat look while she outlined for him in extraneous detail about how charming she was. The part about the necklace not being worth much made him look down at it for just a second, but to that, he shrugged. This was going right back to the man who’d given it to her, so its worth was up to that man. The conversation moved on from there to the claws, where she teased him and it was at that point that he began to think she was both interesting and a little crazy. His favorite combination.
Though he’d done his level best to be a good, professional thief, she appeared to be intent on making good and sure this was personal. The flirting, the smiling, the touching his hand. None of that was someone who was particularly afraid and either she was unusually brave or unusually careless with her life. Either way, she was very lucky that he didn’t target women as an outlet for some of his more violent inclinations. Most of the time he was quite sweet to the female half of the species.
Perched on the windowsill, he gave her a pursed lipped smile and leaned one arm on the frame with his forehead resting against his bicep while she battled with herself, out loud, about him asking her to come with him and honestly sounding offended and intrigued. Clinking two claws together, he raised his eyebrows at her. “Now or never, woman. Are you coming or not?”
“I can just sneak out a different door, you know. I do live here.”
He nodded. There was no arguing about that. “I’ll meet you by your front gate, then.” And rose up as much as he could on the window sill. From there, it was a simple matter of pressing his body to the frame and getting a good handhold on the stone outside to scale back down. Ropes, he reflected. Next time, he’d take a rope with him. Made for a faster getaway and also he didn’t have to think about the very painful death that awaited him if he fell from this height. It wouldn’t even be dead on impact, either. He could lay there for hours, in and out of consciousness before death finally came for him.
Then, of course, he’d be standing before Toth and Anubis and Sobek...gods. That didn’t bear thinking about. He knew right now that if they weighed his Ba, it was not going to be feather light. Thankfully, he was well practiced at this and scaled down the wall without incident. He dropped lightly into the courtyard below and then scaled the wall that ran around the estate, creeping along its top until he could jump down beside the front gate.
Once safely outside the house, he took off his climbing gear, put it back in the pouch on his belt, and leaned on the wall beside the gate, fiddling with the necklace until she showed up. As soon as he saw her, he said, “Shall we?”
He gave her a flat look while she outlined for him in extraneous detail about how charming she was. The part about the necklace not being worth much made him look down at it for just a second, but to that, he shrugged. This was going right back to the man who’d given it to her, so its worth was up to that man. The conversation moved on from there to the claws, where she teased him and it was at that point that he began to think she was both interesting and a little crazy. His favorite combination.
Though he’d done his level best to be a good, professional thief, she appeared to be intent on making good and sure this was personal. The flirting, the smiling, the touching his hand. None of that was someone who was particularly afraid and either she was unusually brave or unusually careless with her life. Either way, she was very lucky that he didn’t target women as an outlet for some of his more violent inclinations. Most of the time he was quite sweet to the female half of the species.
Perched on the windowsill, he gave her a pursed lipped smile and leaned one arm on the frame with his forehead resting against his bicep while she battled with herself, out loud, about him asking her to come with him and honestly sounding offended and intrigued. Clinking two claws together, he raised his eyebrows at her. “Now or never, woman. Are you coming or not?”
“I can just sneak out a different door, you know. I do live here.”
He nodded. There was no arguing about that. “I’ll meet you by your front gate, then.” And rose up as much as he could on the window sill. From there, it was a simple matter of pressing his body to the frame and getting a good handhold on the stone outside to scale back down. Ropes, he reflected. Next time, he’d take a rope with him. Made for a faster getaway and also he didn’t have to think about the very painful death that awaited him if he fell from this height. It wouldn’t even be dead on impact, either. He could lay there for hours, in and out of consciousness before death finally came for him.
Then, of course, he’d be standing before Toth and Anubis and Sobek...gods. That didn’t bear thinking about. He knew right now that if they weighed his Ba, it was not going to be feather light. Thankfully, he was well practiced at this and scaled down the wall without incident. He dropped lightly into the courtyard below and then scaled the wall that ran around the estate, creeping along its top until he could jump down beside the front gate.
Once safely outside the house, he took off his climbing gear, put it back in the pouch on his belt, and leaned on the wall beside the gate, fiddling with the necklace until she showed up. As soon as he saw her, he said, “Shall we?”
Nia nodded in bemused agreement when Khanh told her to meet him by the front gate, watching as he tipped himself over the window’s ledge. Maybe she was a little crazy to be so blithely running off with a stranger in the dead hours of the morning, but what was life without risk? Without spontaneity? Boring, that’s what it was. And Nia had a tendency to go a little over the top whenever she was bored.
Following him to the window shortly after, she gazed down to observe the first part of his descent, fascinated by the way the claws dug into the wall. She was sure she’d be absolutely terrified if she ever tried such a thing, but the thrill of being able to scale walls… Nia could overcome such terror if no one could ever control where she went again.
Perhaps I ought to try to rob him by the end of the night.
She didn’t waste too much time watching him before she was planning her own escape, grabbing her discarded kalasiris and wrapping it around her while sliding her feet into a pair of thin leather sandals. Looking outside at the height of the moon, she doubted anyone that would stop her was going to be awake. A few of the slaves might still be up, but they wouldn’t say anything. There wasn’t a one of them that wasn’t familiar with Nia’s proclivity for late night ventures, alone or otherwise. Most simply turned the other cheek.
Black linen rustled as she tied it under her breasts, straightening the fabric so it didn’t look quite so unkempt. Smoothing her hands over her stomach, she nodded in satisfaction before quickly finger plaiting her hair as she walked through her bedroom door. It was rushed and messy, but Nia doubted it mattered wherever they were going. Besides, who was she trying to impress?
Slipping silently down the hall, she padded down the stairs and cut quickly across the foyer toward the back of the saraaya where fewer people would be active. Ducking around a corner, Nia peered around the hall, spotting only one of the kitchen slaves with a sack full of vegetables. Offering the woman a casual nod, she walked right past her and out the back door into the surrounding garden without so much as a word. She wouldn’t have to worry about her saying anything.
Breathing in the balmy night air, Nia smiled and started on the short walk to join Khanh by the gate. No matter how strange the circumstances, she was happy to be outside the house again and doing something besides tossing and turning restlessly until morning. She just had to hope she wasn’t wandering off with the wrong stranger.
Joining him, she took a moment to drink him in, the unimpeded moonlight outside more clearly illuminating his features. Tall and muscular with a chiseled face, he was handsome enough to make her look twice. All she could tell of him in her dark bedroom was that he was much larger than she was. Out here where she could actually see, she was secretly a little happier she’d decided to tag along.
“My name is Neithotep, by the way,” she informed her robber turned bizarre companion as they started walking away, following his lead. “Or Nia. So you don’t have to keep calling me girl or woman for the rest of the night.” Nia raised a brow at him, a glimmer of humor in her dark eye. “Do you have a name, or should I come up with some terribly unclever nickname to call you?”
She snorted at her own joke, then looked at him curiously. “So, where are we going, anyway? I probably should have asked that before I agreed to come, but ah well. Here we are.”
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Nia nodded in bemused agreement when Khanh told her to meet him by the front gate, watching as he tipped himself over the window’s ledge. Maybe she was a little crazy to be so blithely running off with a stranger in the dead hours of the morning, but what was life without risk? Without spontaneity? Boring, that’s what it was. And Nia had a tendency to go a little over the top whenever she was bored.
Following him to the window shortly after, she gazed down to observe the first part of his descent, fascinated by the way the claws dug into the wall. She was sure she’d be absolutely terrified if she ever tried such a thing, but the thrill of being able to scale walls… Nia could overcome such terror if no one could ever control where she went again.
Perhaps I ought to try to rob him by the end of the night.
She didn’t waste too much time watching him before she was planning her own escape, grabbing her discarded kalasiris and wrapping it around her while sliding her feet into a pair of thin leather sandals. Looking outside at the height of the moon, she doubted anyone that would stop her was going to be awake. A few of the slaves might still be up, but they wouldn’t say anything. There wasn’t a one of them that wasn’t familiar with Nia’s proclivity for late night ventures, alone or otherwise. Most simply turned the other cheek.
Black linen rustled as she tied it under her breasts, straightening the fabric so it didn’t look quite so unkempt. Smoothing her hands over her stomach, she nodded in satisfaction before quickly finger plaiting her hair as she walked through her bedroom door. It was rushed and messy, but Nia doubted it mattered wherever they were going. Besides, who was she trying to impress?
Slipping silently down the hall, she padded down the stairs and cut quickly across the foyer toward the back of the saraaya where fewer people would be active. Ducking around a corner, Nia peered around the hall, spotting only one of the kitchen slaves with a sack full of vegetables. Offering the woman a casual nod, she walked right past her and out the back door into the surrounding garden without so much as a word. She wouldn’t have to worry about her saying anything.
Breathing in the balmy night air, Nia smiled and started on the short walk to join Khanh by the gate. No matter how strange the circumstances, she was happy to be outside the house again and doing something besides tossing and turning restlessly until morning. She just had to hope she wasn’t wandering off with the wrong stranger.
Joining him, she took a moment to drink him in, the unimpeded moonlight outside more clearly illuminating his features. Tall and muscular with a chiseled face, he was handsome enough to make her look twice. All she could tell of him in her dark bedroom was that he was much larger than she was. Out here where she could actually see, she was secretly a little happier she’d decided to tag along.
“My name is Neithotep, by the way,” she informed her robber turned bizarre companion as they started walking away, following his lead. “Or Nia. So you don’t have to keep calling me girl or woman for the rest of the night.” Nia raised a brow at him, a glimmer of humor in her dark eye. “Do you have a name, or should I come up with some terribly unclever nickname to call you?”
She snorted at her own joke, then looked at him curiously. “So, where are we going, anyway? I probably should have asked that before I agreed to come, but ah well. Here we are.”
Nia nodded in bemused agreement when Khanh told her to meet him by the front gate, watching as he tipped himself over the window’s ledge. Maybe she was a little crazy to be so blithely running off with a stranger in the dead hours of the morning, but what was life without risk? Without spontaneity? Boring, that’s what it was. And Nia had a tendency to go a little over the top whenever she was bored.
Following him to the window shortly after, she gazed down to observe the first part of his descent, fascinated by the way the claws dug into the wall. She was sure she’d be absolutely terrified if she ever tried such a thing, but the thrill of being able to scale walls… Nia could overcome such terror if no one could ever control where she went again.
Perhaps I ought to try to rob him by the end of the night.
She didn’t waste too much time watching him before she was planning her own escape, grabbing her discarded kalasiris and wrapping it around her while sliding her feet into a pair of thin leather sandals. Looking outside at the height of the moon, she doubted anyone that would stop her was going to be awake. A few of the slaves might still be up, but they wouldn’t say anything. There wasn’t a one of them that wasn’t familiar with Nia’s proclivity for late night ventures, alone or otherwise. Most simply turned the other cheek.
Black linen rustled as she tied it under her breasts, straightening the fabric so it didn’t look quite so unkempt. Smoothing her hands over her stomach, she nodded in satisfaction before quickly finger plaiting her hair as she walked through her bedroom door. It was rushed and messy, but Nia doubted it mattered wherever they were going. Besides, who was she trying to impress?
Slipping silently down the hall, she padded down the stairs and cut quickly across the foyer toward the back of the saraaya where fewer people would be active. Ducking around a corner, Nia peered around the hall, spotting only one of the kitchen slaves with a sack full of vegetables. Offering the woman a casual nod, she walked right past her and out the back door into the surrounding garden without so much as a word. She wouldn’t have to worry about her saying anything.
Breathing in the balmy night air, Nia smiled and started on the short walk to join Khanh by the gate. No matter how strange the circumstances, she was happy to be outside the house again and doing something besides tossing and turning restlessly until morning. She just had to hope she wasn’t wandering off with the wrong stranger.
Joining him, she took a moment to drink him in, the unimpeded moonlight outside more clearly illuminating his features. Tall and muscular with a chiseled face, he was handsome enough to make her look twice. All she could tell of him in her dark bedroom was that he was much larger than she was. Out here where she could actually see, she was secretly a little happier she’d decided to tag along.
“My name is Neithotep, by the way,” she informed her robber turned bizarre companion as they started walking away, following his lead. “Or Nia. So you don’t have to keep calling me girl or woman for the rest of the night.” Nia raised a brow at him, a glimmer of humor in her dark eye. “Do you have a name, or should I come up with some terribly unclever nickname to call you?”
She snorted at her own joke, then looked at him curiously. “So, where are we going, anyway? I probably should have asked that before I agreed to come, but ah well. Here we are.”
While he waited, he held the necklace out flat in his hands, observing it. Clouds had passed and the moon was back out. He’d need to observe this by candle light, or, even better, daylight, but from what he could see of it, he was shocked the man had parted with it without that strange girl doing anything for him. That definitely gave him hope that the horse wasn’t a complete nag. Testing the weight of the necklace, he nodded to himself. Yep. Definitely a simpleton.
Footsteps drew his attention and he turned to find the girl slipping through the gate and lightly walking toward him with a pretty little swing of her hips. Alright. He’d been a little bit too harsh on her in the room but he felt that the darkness had covered a multitude of her charms and that he should be excused. As soon as she’d gotten close enough to see him, she did a double take. Khanh wasn’t totally sure what that meant but he didn’t dwell on people’s reactions to him. He was not introspective and he usually didn’t self examine anything at all in relation to pleasing others. If they liked him? Wonderful. If not, too bad.
“My name is Neithotep, by the way,” she said as they began to walk. “Or Nia. So you don’t have to keep calling me girl or woman for the rest of the night.” Merely smiling at that, he was content to walk along in silence but she went on after a short pause, clearly having expected some sort of answer. “Do you have a name, or should I come up with some terribly unclever nickname to call you?”
He thought of Nahash and how his leader, friend, only kin, would probably give him such a wild, unhinged glare for giving out his real name to a girl no one knew. Khanh wasn’t introspective, but he wasn’t an idiot, either. He was clever enough to have kept his head on his shoulders all these years. Crossing one arm over his chest and tapping his chin with the index finger on his other hand as they walked, he said, “I think an unclever nickname sounds convenient. What will it be?”
And then, when she asked where they were heading, he really had to hand it to this girl: She was asking to be robbed. It was just too easy and he couldn’t not do it. However, she was right in that she was passably charming. He’d allow her to be completely charming if she kept being game for anything. That was a fantastic trait in a girl. None of this prude nonsense and not wanting to have any fun.
He told her the name of the little gaming den he’d been situated in. It was a little place nestled in the middle of the city and quite a walk from there to her house. “Pick up the pace, Nia,” he said, dropping back to lightly place his fingers between her shoulder blades and scoot her along. “Timing is everything. I’m glad you’re coming. If this man is as stupid as I think he is, I think we can get more off him than just a horse.”
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While he waited, he held the necklace out flat in his hands, observing it. Clouds had passed and the moon was back out. He’d need to observe this by candle light, or, even better, daylight, but from what he could see of it, he was shocked the man had parted with it without that strange girl doing anything for him. That definitely gave him hope that the horse wasn’t a complete nag. Testing the weight of the necklace, he nodded to himself. Yep. Definitely a simpleton.
Footsteps drew his attention and he turned to find the girl slipping through the gate and lightly walking toward him with a pretty little swing of her hips. Alright. He’d been a little bit too harsh on her in the room but he felt that the darkness had covered a multitude of her charms and that he should be excused. As soon as she’d gotten close enough to see him, she did a double take. Khanh wasn’t totally sure what that meant but he didn’t dwell on people’s reactions to him. He was not introspective and he usually didn’t self examine anything at all in relation to pleasing others. If they liked him? Wonderful. If not, too bad.
“My name is Neithotep, by the way,” she said as they began to walk. “Or Nia. So you don’t have to keep calling me girl or woman for the rest of the night.” Merely smiling at that, he was content to walk along in silence but she went on after a short pause, clearly having expected some sort of answer. “Do you have a name, or should I come up with some terribly unclever nickname to call you?”
He thought of Nahash and how his leader, friend, only kin, would probably give him such a wild, unhinged glare for giving out his real name to a girl no one knew. Khanh wasn’t introspective, but he wasn’t an idiot, either. He was clever enough to have kept his head on his shoulders all these years. Crossing one arm over his chest and tapping his chin with the index finger on his other hand as they walked, he said, “I think an unclever nickname sounds convenient. What will it be?”
And then, when she asked where they were heading, he really had to hand it to this girl: She was asking to be robbed. It was just too easy and he couldn’t not do it. However, she was right in that she was passably charming. He’d allow her to be completely charming if she kept being game for anything. That was a fantastic trait in a girl. None of this prude nonsense and not wanting to have any fun.
He told her the name of the little gaming den he’d been situated in. It was a little place nestled in the middle of the city and quite a walk from there to her house. “Pick up the pace, Nia,” he said, dropping back to lightly place his fingers between her shoulder blades and scoot her along. “Timing is everything. I’m glad you’re coming. If this man is as stupid as I think he is, I think we can get more off him than just a horse.”
While he waited, he held the necklace out flat in his hands, observing it. Clouds had passed and the moon was back out. He’d need to observe this by candle light, or, even better, daylight, but from what he could see of it, he was shocked the man had parted with it without that strange girl doing anything for him. That definitely gave him hope that the horse wasn’t a complete nag. Testing the weight of the necklace, he nodded to himself. Yep. Definitely a simpleton.
Footsteps drew his attention and he turned to find the girl slipping through the gate and lightly walking toward him with a pretty little swing of her hips. Alright. He’d been a little bit too harsh on her in the room but he felt that the darkness had covered a multitude of her charms and that he should be excused. As soon as she’d gotten close enough to see him, she did a double take. Khanh wasn’t totally sure what that meant but he didn’t dwell on people’s reactions to him. He was not introspective and he usually didn’t self examine anything at all in relation to pleasing others. If they liked him? Wonderful. If not, too bad.
“My name is Neithotep, by the way,” she said as they began to walk. “Or Nia. So you don’t have to keep calling me girl or woman for the rest of the night.” Merely smiling at that, he was content to walk along in silence but she went on after a short pause, clearly having expected some sort of answer. “Do you have a name, or should I come up with some terribly unclever nickname to call you?”
He thought of Nahash and how his leader, friend, only kin, would probably give him such a wild, unhinged glare for giving out his real name to a girl no one knew. Khanh wasn’t introspective, but he wasn’t an idiot, either. He was clever enough to have kept his head on his shoulders all these years. Crossing one arm over his chest and tapping his chin with the index finger on his other hand as they walked, he said, “I think an unclever nickname sounds convenient. What will it be?”
And then, when she asked where they were heading, he really had to hand it to this girl: She was asking to be robbed. It was just too easy and he couldn’t not do it. However, she was right in that she was passably charming. He’d allow her to be completely charming if she kept being game for anything. That was a fantastic trait in a girl. None of this prude nonsense and not wanting to have any fun.
He told her the name of the little gaming den he’d been situated in. It was a little place nestled in the middle of the city and quite a walk from there to her house. “Pick up the pace, Nia,” he said, dropping back to lightly place his fingers between her shoulder blades and scoot her along. “Timing is everything. I’m glad you’re coming. If this man is as stupid as I think he is, I think we can get more off him than just a horse.”
It didn't really surprise her that her midnight robber wouldn't give her his name, so Nia just shrugged and smiled. It didn't really matter. Unclever nickname it was, then. Dark eyes took him in with a curious glance, biting the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing. "You're quite a small man, you know," she pointed out as she tilted her head back to look up at him, gaze sparkling with mirth. "Panya," she declared his new name, the Egyptian word for mouse. "I think that will suit, don't you?"
A fleeting look of mischief passed over her face as she turned back around to keep walking, nodding when he said where they were going. She was familiar with it, though it had been a long time since she'd been there. She'd had a fling with the owner of it two years before, but once his wife had caught wind of it, she hadn't been welcome back again. Hopefully it was all water under the bridge now...
Nia cast an annoyed glance back at her hulking companion when he pushed her forward with his fingers, deliberately slowly her steps at his rushing. "What do you want me to do, run? I'm sorry my legs are about half the length of yours. Not all of us can cross a street in one step..." Huffing at him, she started speeding up a little anyway, though she still couldn't match his stride.
At his next comment that they could probably get more off the man they were meeting than the horse, she smirked again. She was sure they could too. All she'd had to do to get the necklace had been a few swipes of her hand over his thigh and a couple flutters of her eyelashes. She could probably get the keys to his house if she tried hard enough.
"I'll tell you what, Panya." She tried not to laugh at the name before she continued, "I'll help you scam him if you take me for a ride on the horse. And if I get to keep some of our... winnings. Deal?"
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It didn't really surprise her that her midnight robber wouldn't give her his name, so Nia just shrugged and smiled. It didn't really matter. Unclever nickname it was, then. Dark eyes took him in with a curious glance, biting the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing. "You're quite a small man, you know," she pointed out as she tilted her head back to look up at him, gaze sparkling with mirth. "Panya," she declared his new name, the Egyptian word for mouse. "I think that will suit, don't you?"
A fleeting look of mischief passed over her face as she turned back around to keep walking, nodding when he said where they were going. She was familiar with it, though it had been a long time since she'd been there. She'd had a fling with the owner of it two years before, but once his wife had caught wind of it, she hadn't been welcome back again. Hopefully it was all water under the bridge now...
Nia cast an annoyed glance back at her hulking companion when he pushed her forward with his fingers, deliberately slowly her steps at his rushing. "What do you want me to do, run? I'm sorry my legs are about half the length of yours. Not all of us can cross a street in one step..." Huffing at him, she started speeding up a little anyway, though she still couldn't match his stride.
At his next comment that they could probably get more off the man they were meeting than the horse, she smirked again. She was sure they could too. All she'd had to do to get the necklace had been a few swipes of her hand over his thigh and a couple flutters of her eyelashes. She could probably get the keys to his house if she tried hard enough.
"I'll tell you what, Panya." She tried not to laugh at the name before she continued, "I'll help you scam him if you take me for a ride on the horse. And if I get to keep some of our... winnings. Deal?"
It didn't really surprise her that her midnight robber wouldn't give her his name, so Nia just shrugged and smiled. It didn't really matter. Unclever nickname it was, then. Dark eyes took him in with a curious glance, biting the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing. "You're quite a small man, you know," she pointed out as she tilted her head back to look up at him, gaze sparkling with mirth. "Panya," she declared his new name, the Egyptian word for mouse. "I think that will suit, don't you?"
A fleeting look of mischief passed over her face as she turned back around to keep walking, nodding when he said where they were going. She was familiar with it, though it had been a long time since she'd been there. She'd had a fling with the owner of it two years before, but once his wife had caught wind of it, she hadn't been welcome back again. Hopefully it was all water under the bridge now...
Nia cast an annoyed glance back at her hulking companion when he pushed her forward with his fingers, deliberately slowly her steps at his rushing. "What do you want me to do, run? I'm sorry my legs are about half the length of yours. Not all of us can cross a street in one step..." Huffing at him, she started speeding up a little anyway, though she still couldn't match his stride.
At his next comment that they could probably get more off the man they were meeting than the horse, she smirked again. She was sure they could too. All she'd had to do to get the necklace had been a few swipes of her hand over his thigh and a couple flutters of her eyelashes. She could probably get the keys to his house if she tried hard enough.
"I'll tell you what, Panya." She tried not to laugh at the name before she continued, "I'll help you scam him if you take me for a ride on the horse. And if I get to keep some of our... winnings. Deal?"
"You're quite a small man, you know," she mused.
“I’m tiny,” he agreed placidly, keeping them moving along at a healthy clip. Whatever nickname she was going to come up with, he thought it would at least be interesting, and just going from her first thoughts, mildly insulting. And he turned out to be correct. She decided to call him Panya, their word for mouse.
"I think that will suit, don't you?"
“More than suit,” he sped her up just a bit, hand on her back, cruising along the streets, truly wanting to get back to this inn faster than was actually possible. If she wasn’t in tow, he’d have been jogging by now. The way time was going, he could almost feel it sliding away like sand in an hourglass. She didn’t appear to appreciate the pace he’d set either, because she said,
"What do you want me to do, run? I'm sorry my legs are about half the length of yours. Not all of us can cross a street in one step..."
“No need to be sorry about it,” he said smoothly. “You were fated to be short. I don’t require apologies for those sorts of things.” Even though he knew exactly what she meant but if she was going to play little coy games, he figured she could have a taste of her own medicine. While he wasn’t stoic, per say, he also wasn’t overly used to women, particularly strange ones, flinging themselves in his direction. His size and general lack of money were usually enough to put rational fear into any woman. Obviously he did not think her to be in love or anything close, but he had just robbed her. The fact that they were trotting the streets together now was a little bit odd. He wasn’t totally sure she was sane.
"I'll tell you what, Panya. I'll help you scam him if you take me for a ride on the horse. And if I get to keep some of our... winnings. Deal?"
He glanced at her to make sure she was serious, then laughed. “Sure.” She was so easy. Literally costing him nothing. This was great! “I’ll even let you ride in front,” he promised.
By now they were passing through the close set buildings of the city, through dark alleyways that should probably have scared her but he gave no two thoughts about. Especially at night, thieves would lie in wait for the unsuspecting wanderer or the lone fellow. Khanh being part of this sort of underworld had safe passage pretty much anywhere. Nia was safe by being in proximity to him.
They emerged, unscathed, close to the tavern. He moved ahead and pushed open the door before entering the tavern first. It was far less bustling than it had been when he left. Many of the patrons had either gone up to their rooms for the night or fallen asleep at the gambling tables they played at. At the far end, a man stood, gaping and obviously upset.
“You weren’t supposed to actually get it!” he complained and then gawked when he saw Nia behind Khanh. “You didn’t say you knew her? This isn’t fair.”
“I don’t know her,” Khanh stepped into the tavern and waited until Nia was through the door to shut it again. The man made a face, still feeling like he’d been cheated heavily on this bet. He also swayed a good bit, still very wasted, thus the bet in the first place.
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"You're quite a small man, you know," she mused.
“I’m tiny,” he agreed placidly, keeping them moving along at a healthy clip. Whatever nickname she was going to come up with, he thought it would at least be interesting, and just going from her first thoughts, mildly insulting. And he turned out to be correct. She decided to call him Panya, their word for mouse.
"I think that will suit, don't you?"
“More than suit,” he sped her up just a bit, hand on her back, cruising along the streets, truly wanting to get back to this inn faster than was actually possible. If she wasn’t in tow, he’d have been jogging by now. The way time was going, he could almost feel it sliding away like sand in an hourglass. She didn’t appear to appreciate the pace he’d set either, because she said,
"What do you want me to do, run? I'm sorry my legs are about half the length of yours. Not all of us can cross a street in one step..."
“No need to be sorry about it,” he said smoothly. “You were fated to be short. I don’t require apologies for those sorts of things.” Even though he knew exactly what she meant but if she was going to play little coy games, he figured she could have a taste of her own medicine. While he wasn’t stoic, per say, he also wasn’t overly used to women, particularly strange ones, flinging themselves in his direction. His size and general lack of money were usually enough to put rational fear into any woman. Obviously he did not think her to be in love or anything close, but he had just robbed her. The fact that they were trotting the streets together now was a little bit odd. He wasn’t totally sure she was sane.
"I'll tell you what, Panya. I'll help you scam him if you take me for a ride on the horse. And if I get to keep some of our... winnings. Deal?"
He glanced at her to make sure she was serious, then laughed. “Sure.” She was so easy. Literally costing him nothing. This was great! “I’ll even let you ride in front,” he promised.
By now they were passing through the close set buildings of the city, through dark alleyways that should probably have scared her but he gave no two thoughts about. Especially at night, thieves would lie in wait for the unsuspecting wanderer or the lone fellow. Khanh being part of this sort of underworld had safe passage pretty much anywhere. Nia was safe by being in proximity to him.
They emerged, unscathed, close to the tavern. He moved ahead and pushed open the door before entering the tavern first. It was far less bustling than it had been when he left. Many of the patrons had either gone up to their rooms for the night or fallen asleep at the gambling tables they played at. At the far end, a man stood, gaping and obviously upset.
“You weren’t supposed to actually get it!” he complained and then gawked when he saw Nia behind Khanh. “You didn’t say you knew her? This isn’t fair.”
“I don’t know her,” Khanh stepped into the tavern and waited until Nia was through the door to shut it again. The man made a face, still feeling like he’d been cheated heavily on this bet. He also swayed a good bit, still very wasted, thus the bet in the first place.
"You're quite a small man, you know," she mused.
“I’m tiny,” he agreed placidly, keeping them moving along at a healthy clip. Whatever nickname she was going to come up with, he thought it would at least be interesting, and just going from her first thoughts, mildly insulting. And he turned out to be correct. She decided to call him Panya, their word for mouse.
"I think that will suit, don't you?"
“More than suit,” he sped her up just a bit, hand on her back, cruising along the streets, truly wanting to get back to this inn faster than was actually possible. If she wasn’t in tow, he’d have been jogging by now. The way time was going, he could almost feel it sliding away like sand in an hourglass. She didn’t appear to appreciate the pace he’d set either, because she said,
"What do you want me to do, run? I'm sorry my legs are about half the length of yours. Not all of us can cross a street in one step..."
“No need to be sorry about it,” he said smoothly. “You were fated to be short. I don’t require apologies for those sorts of things.” Even though he knew exactly what she meant but if she was going to play little coy games, he figured she could have a taste of her own medicine. While he wasn’t stoic, per say, he also wasn’t overly used to women, particularly strange ones, flinging themselves in his direction. His size and general lack of money were usually enough to put rational fear into any woman. Obviously he did not think her to be in love or anything close, but he had just robbed her. The fact that they were trotting the streets together now was a little bit odd. He wasn’t totally sure she was sane.
"I'll tell you what, Panya. I'll help you scam him if you take me for a ride on the horse. And if I get to keep some of our... winnings. Deal?"
He glanced at her to make sure she was serious, then laughed. “Sure.” She was so easy. Literally costing him nothing. This was great! “I’ll even let you ride in front,” he promised.
By now they were passing through the close set buildings of the city, through dark alleyways that should probably have scared her but he gave no two thoughts about. Especially at night, thieves would lie in wait for the unsuspecting wanderer or the lone fellow. Khanh being part of this sort of underworld had safe passage pretty much anywhere. Nia was safe by being in proximity to him.
They emerged, unscathed, close to the tavern. He moved ahead and pushed open the door before entering the tavern first. It was far less bustling than it had been when he left. Many of the patrons had either gone up to their rooms for the night or fallen asleep at the gambling tables they played at. At the far end, a man stood, gaping and obviously upset.
“You weren’t supposed to actually get it!” he complained and then gawked when he saw Nia behind Khanh. “You didn’t say you knew her? This isn’t fair.”
“I don’t know her,” Khanh stepped into the tavern and waited until Nia was through the door to shut it again. The man made a face, still feeling like he’d been cheated heavily on this bet. He also swayed a good bit, still very wasted, thus the bet in the first place.