There's A Lie Upon [M]y Lips [Ashen & Fanatasia]

Cosette blinked as she was pulled upright. She furrowed her brow as he led her up the stairs, tripping a bit though she managed to keep up. Someone was after them? It was time to go? She knew what he meant--the assassins had found him, and had used her to do so.

The woman frowned softly, as she was led to a window--fingers resting on the windowsill. With a quiet hum, she nodded slowly. "I can... I can find it." She nodded slowly, waiting until she felt the ladder under her fingertips, and noting the fact there was no vibrations--she took this to mean he was off it completely.

She moved to find the ladder, quiet as she tried to get settled. However, rattling at the door caused her to slip, and she huffed, clutching the rung above her as she lost her footing. As she tried to find her footing, she could hear the lock mechanism click as the door was forced open, and so she simply let go. She had to trust the man would catch her, didn't she?

Lucky enough for her, she was right to trust him. She curled against his chest as she hit his arms, his chest. Cosette gasped softly, whispering, "I--I'm sorry."

They were running out of time, and Cosette was taking far too much of it. Luuk hesitated. He was considering shaking the ladder, forcing her to fall, because that would be quicker than this. He heard the door in the bedroom rattle and open, and just as he was about to beckon Cosette to let go, the girl seemed to panic and slip, leaving Luuk to scramble for her.

Surprisingly, he managed to catch her. Luuk stood there for a moment, shocked at his feat. When he recovered, he set Cosette on the ground and looked her over for injuries. He'd spared her any major ones, and he was at least glad for that. "Are you alright?" he asked her. "I'm sorry for the rush, I didn't think they would--ah." He saw their kidnappers in the window, and they were shouting angrily towards them. "No time," he said. He grabbed Cosette's hand again. "Come on."

There were many places to take her, but Luuk was tasked with thinking of a place a blind person would not have too much trouble navigating. It was not something he was accustomed to considering, and so as they ran through town, he kept making last-minute turns. He mumbled apologies for all of them. Finally he led Cosette to the lake where they had bathed. He looked around to make sure no one was following them. Perhaps, now, it was time to say goodbye. He did not want to bring her along on this chase and possibly endanger her, even if her handicap did make things more... exciting.

Luuk cleared his throat. "We're at the river. You can probably hear that." He mentally facepalmed. "Are you going to be okay? You can get around from here, right? They're after me, all I need to do is lose them, but you don't need to be put in danger like this. Maybe... Maybe I'll see you around, eh?" In the distance, he could hear footsteps, and angered shouts of confusion. "I think that's my cue to bounce, pidge," he said. He grabbed her hand and kissed it gently. "Be safe, okay? Bye."

Cosette stumbled into each and every turn that he tossed her way, though she never once fell. No, rather, she latched onto him up until she heard the river--her head tilting. Then, he explained he was going to leave her. And this was where panic set in. She shook her head slowly, and then once more as he kissed the back of her hand, her free hand finding his wrist.

"Please don't. Don't leave me." However, she felt his fingers slip from hers, heard a soft, "Be safe." and he was gone. The woman stood there, hugging herself as she stared into the darkness that was her world.

The assassins of course, would shove her out of the way--straight into the river, and go about their chase. She wasn't their target; she was just a waylaid woman they'd promised to pay--a waylaid woman who had come to regret her agreement after spending the day with the target.

The woman would eventually find her way back into the town; and to her despair, the dinner she had with Luuk would be her last real dinner for weeks. She eventually took to a roaming group of people; where scraps were provided weekly... Which was better than living on her own.

However, the day that the sun shone hot, she had entered a new town--much busier than the last, and she was left again as her companions took to their separate ways. She was once again dancing on the streets, still in the same outfit he had given her--though it was no longer clean or even whole; tattered and torn, her hair a nest atop her head, her flesh covered in grime. Cheeks were hollow.

But still, she danced. She twirled and she laughed, dancing a gypsy-based dance, giggling softly to herself. The woman was enjoying herself, despite her circumstances. Cosette could hear coins hitting the ground before her, people tipping her for her dance.

As she continued to dance, another pair of homeless men were darting in front of her, claiming her coins, and the two of them turned to scamper away--she was unaware of this slight, however, and simply continued on her merry way. Dancing was all that made her smile; often her thoughts wondered after her strange target from the days gone past.

It pained Luuk to leave her. There was a plea in her voice, and he hated that there was nothing he could do. He needed to protect Cosette, to keep the authorities on him and away from her. She didn't deserve the goose chase that was his life. She deserved some peace, and she would not get it with Luuk. So, clenching his fists, he started away from her, hoping he would see her again.

Luuk eventually lost the would-be kidnappers, just as he always did. Following that, he took to a normal routine again, living off the streets. He would have left right after the attack, but something kept him in this town, and he knew exactly what it was. Every day he looked for that blind dancer, but she seemed to have bounced, too. After a while, he realized there was no use looking for her anymore. She was gone, and he needed to be. So, Luuk returned to the house he'd shared with her, if only for a little while. He gathered up some essentials, prepared for a journey away. This house was now a known location for his pursuers, and he would not be back for a long while.

Luuk didn't know how long he'd been wandering. He'd watched the sun rise and fall over the horizon many times. His original food supply was completely depleted, and he'd been living off the land for a while now. He had no money on him, often didn't carry money on him, and the wear of the road was starting to show. He saw a town in the distance, one that didn't look all that different from the one he'd previously stayed in. He could smell a bakery, could hear children playing in the streets. Luuk jogged the rest of the distance to the town and took it in. The sights, the sounds, the smells; this was the new home he'd been searching for. With a smile, he began exploring.

It wasn't long before he was lured by the sound of music playing. He followed the sounds, and he found a man playing a stringed instrument. Luuk stayed for a while, admiring. He happened to look up, and there was the dress of his mother. He rubbed at his eyes to make sure, but there it was, battered as the woman who was still wearing it. "Cosette?" he whispered. He started after her.

She was dancing still. Her hair had grown a bit, and her skin was back to that dirtied color. The dress, obviously treasured, was now falling apart. But that didn't matter. Cosette was there. He was going to call her name again, louder this time so she would hear him, but something stopped him. As he watched her, he also watched two homeless men come up to her and take the donations she had received. They started off, but Luuk was not going to allow that. He drew his dagger, and he started after the thieves.

Luuk returned to Cosette a few minutes later, glad she was still there. He called to her, and waited until he had her attention. Then, he grabbed her hand, and dropped the retrieved coins into her hand. His dagger was tied by his hip again, staining the inside of his trousers in a ruby red. "Hey," he said. "It's been a while, huh? These were yours."

Cosette blinked quietly, furrowing her brow as he spoke--she knew that voice! Her face brightened, and she reached out with one hand to find his direction, before she lunged. Fingers curled into his shirt, against his chest as she giggled, "Luuk! You got away! You came back." The coins in her hand were released, as she latched onto him. As each coin clinked against the ground, she whispered, "I thought they got you."

"I thought they got you, hurt you." She'd buried her face against his chest, and had released his shirt with one of her hands, to brush it through her hair with a grin upwards. "My hair's grown out. Did you see? Did you see?"

The slight woman was beaming as she bounced against Luuk, fingers tangling into his shirt haphazardly. "I missed you." She paused, before asking: "Do you have food? Do you have food? I'm hungry." She danced from foot-to-foot as she waited for Luuk's answer; she needed to know if she could get something to eat. She wanted something to eat.

While she knew she could try to buy something with the coins he had gave her, she was used to losing all her funds or being accused of stealing the coins when she tried to buy something. She didn't pay mind as a few small children picked up the coins, dropping them repeatedly by her feet.

Each clink of the coins had the woman giggling, at least until one of the children pulled at her skirts, and tapped the coin against her leg. "Yours, miss. Yours." Cosette tilted her head slightly, reaching down to find the coin, as it was laid in her hand once more, before releasing Luuk to drop to her knees.

"Cosette. Never 'miss'. Out here, first names, so someone remembers us." She'd blink as coin after coin was settled back into her hands, the trio of children seemed quite proud for returning the coins. Tapping a finger against each coin, she held one up and inquired, "What does this one say on it, child? Ten, right?" Confirmation, Cosette hummed and reached to divide the coin between the three children.

"Two for each of you. Twenty gold each."

Cosette was certainly happy to see--er, hear--him. Luuk was caught by surprise when she grabbed him, dropping all of her coins. Her smile and giggles brought a grin to his face. She was excited about her hair, and that he wasn't captured. Luuk shook his head, trying to reassure her, but before he could she kept going on. He didn't mind in the slightest; the boy was just happy to see the dancer again.

A group of kids came by to return Cosette's coins, and Luuk watched as Cosette divided the coins between them. Amazing, really, that someone with nothing would give away what she'd earned. He waited for the kids to be off, then turned back to Cosette. "That was kind of you," he commented, motioning towards the kids but realizing that meant nothing. "Yes, your hair has grown out, and it's starting to look like how it did, only healthier still. I... I do not have food, but that can easily be remedied." He chuckled a bit and shook his head. "As for me... You don't have to worry about me, pidge. They couldn't catch me unless I wanted them to."

Luuk looked around the town. If Cosette was hungry, he intended to fix that. "We can find something to eat," he said slowly, surveying the passersby. "Here, why don't I teach you how to get something? Give a man a fish, something like that, right?" Luuk took her by the hand and led her away from the crowds. He took her through town, letting his nose guide him. Finally he stopped outside a building that smelled of breads and fruit pastries. "Places like these, they usually have spares from the day before in the early morning. Since it's not morning, though... Guess we'll have to take what we need."

He went inside the bakery. There was a man there looking over his breads, judging them. He looked up when Luuk cleared his throat. "Welcome!"

Luuk turned to Cosette, and he whispered in her ear. "I'll distract him. You take your fill. Alright?" He then turned to the baker. "Ah, sir, I need to inquire about your cakes there, on the right." He glanced towards Cosette, hoping she would go left while he diverted the man's attention. "Your cakes always look to die for, and I just wanted to know how you do it?"

Cosette followed eagerly, and she clung to Luuk's arm as she heard the man 'welcome' them. However, she was never good at stealing--for right reason too. So when he whispered to her to take her fill, she released him and wandered the shelves, fingers leading her.

Eventually she felt that the bakers voice was distant enough that she would be safe tear off a piece of bread, eating it slowly. She'd slip the other half of the loaf into the sleeve of her dress, before starting off to find her way back to Luuk. The girl would easily reclaim one of his arms, hiding her face as she yawned. "Can't 'ford nothin' here."

She had looped both of her arms around one of his, and was leaning into his side with a smile towards the baker. "They smell lovely, though. Are they hard to make?" Her head tipped to one side, as she waited for Luuk to either bid the man adieu and lead the way out, or for the man to speak to her question. She was just a little waif, on the streets--she didn't expect much.

Cosette seemed to grab something, but Luuk couldn't tell without looking directly at her. He didn't want to give them away, so he kept his attention on the baker as he mused about some recipe that had been passed on in his family for generations. Luuk didn't care much, but he could fake it well enough. When Cosette finally returned to him, he bowed towards the baker and was about to head off when Cosette asked him a question. To his surprise, the baker completely ignored her, as if she didn't deserve an answer. Luuk waited, expectantly, but the baker just looked to him and asked if there was anything else he wanted. That made the kid mad.

Luuk nudged Cosette towards the door. "I'll join you soon," he said, and he waited for her to leave. Once she did, Luuk turned back to the baker. "I believe she asked you something," he said curtly. "If that's how you treat anyone, I have no respect for you, sir." The baker looked unamused, but then Luuk flashed his knife. "Now, I don't think you'd want any trouble, huh? I mean, if you're going to just ignore people... That's disrespectful. You wouldn't want someone to be disrespectful to you..."

By the time Luuk left the bakery, he was carrying another loaf of bread. He noticed Cosette and caught up with her. "Ready to go?" he asked, breaking a piece of bread and popping it into his mouth. "I don't think he'll be ignoring anyone any time soon. Now... How have you been? What have you been up to? How did you make it all the way out here?"

Cosette blinked softly as she was led to the door, and he excused himself. She wandered in the square, tearing pieces of bread from her loaf to pop into her mouth as she waited nearby. When he returned, she was overjoyed, giggling as she reached to find his arm, just so she could ground herself to him. She didn't like floating about if he was near.

She'd tilt her head and grin upward. "I've been... doin' what I know. Dancin'." To his last question, she bit her lip quietly. "Is this Gardener City?" Her head tilted to one side, "I think that's what they said when they came here with me... I got a ride with some gypsies." She shrugged with a grin, "But I know this place, Luuk!"

She was from Gardener City, and excitement blossomed on her cheeks as she tugged Luuk's arm. "Come on, come on! There's this pub... down main street for two hundred paces, then take a right for ten paces, and then a left and you're in the door." She bobbed her head with a wide smile, tugging him insistently. She didn't know which way was down main street and which was the entrance, so she really relied on him. Her instructions, as well, were going from her old 'home', in the central park of the city.

Luuk looked around in search of a sign, but he found none. "It might be," he mused. "I'm glad one of us knows where we are." She gave directions to somewhere, but Luuk was at a loss. He wasn't used to measuring distances in paces, and certainly not Cosette's paces. She said it was a hundred of them, but... from where? "We'll find it," he assured.

They started walking around. Luuk kept his eyes open for any pubs, or any indication that they really were in Gardener City. "How do you know the place?" he asked. He figured it was hard for someone like Cosette to know any place. Maybe it was her home. His own home was far from here, across the ocean in a foreign country, but he could still remember every stone of it. Luuk had considered going back, but he knew it wouldn't be the same without his parents.

Suddenly Luuk stopped. There was a pub a few meters away, and Luuk wondered if this was the one Cosette had been referencing. "I think we found it," he said. "It's about... twenty paces forward. No, more like twenty-five, I think." He wasn't good at this yet. He helped her to the front door. "Why were we looking for it? Do you know anyone here? Maybe you've been thrown out of here and you want to cause more trouble?" He was joking, but he had to admit the idea sounded fun. Luuk loved going to forbidden places, but Cosette didn't strike him as a type for that.