What Darkness Finds ~M~(NamingtoohardXLostMisfit)

[LostMisfit]

She ducked low and barely made it to the door while the bouncer who had let them in was pulling the men towards the door, in her hurry she had tripped slightly cursing under her breath as she stumbled out the door and dashed into the shadows of the ally to catch her breath. It had been so long since she had pulled strangers into her, which meant she defiantly had too much to drink. The string tugging in her heart confirmed enough dug up sadness and wine had efficiently made her let down her guard and now she was nothing more than tired.

The distance back to her apartment had been nothing but a blur as she wandered back home, but as soon as she spotted her building a sigh of relief escaped her lips.

In the darkness of her room, she felt her shoulders unwind as she traveled to the window, touching her plants and feeling the warmth of the magic they held. It was instinct sometimes and when she was somewhere that green life was not, she would feel suffocated and almost out of place. Something she often felt, moving sleepily to her room she slowly began releasing her bonds, first the shoes, then the top she traded for a loose-fitting black tee, the pants forming a puddle on the floor as she slid into her bed. The cool sheets felt like heaven on her heated flesh, her head aching from the night. It hadn’t been a bad night merely normal. She would drink and wonder about her mother, her place, and who she was if it wasn’t one trigger it was another, and tonight had been the wine but hadn’t it also been the manager? His blue eyes flashed in her mind and she wondered if he had looked for her when she left but with a dry chuckle, she doubted that their time had warranted him to search for her. After all, didn’t he lie to her about the wine? Why? It was all too much for the fog in her brain and sleep won the war.


It had been three days since she left the bar, and the bags under her eyes from her nights since being restless, the man who had plagued her with hot a steamy dream before had become more aggressive, searching for her. Calling her and begging for her name and for her to come to him, his once nothing but a voice had become a voice and eyes so blue that if you stared too long you got lost in a blizzard. She didn’t understand this and she just didn’t understand much at this point it was all so frustrating and had led to tears in the late evenings. The leaves of her plants and drooped and she knew it was her fault, her mood reflected in the things she took care of, but it had only darkened as she went to leave for work and when she went to look for her wallet only to find it missing a key component, the ID she had given it to the bartender before she had gotten drinks and apparently in the rush to escapes, she had left it.

Running her hand through the front of her hair, frustration making her angry before her day even begins. She was supposed to go to work and take care of plants but she knew today much like her own plants she wouldn’t be much help. She should call Sara but she just couldn’t bring herself to do anything but feel the rage and frustration. Storming around her room she grabs a potted vine and throws it against the wall, though instead of the vine hitting the ground it began to grow as she paced. “Magic gifts let's list them talking to plants, making them grow, attracting people to you randomly in a creep zombie way, my stupid vine getting longer as I get more annoyed about things I don’t understand and no one would tell me about. Like oh hey faith you’re a creepy human with magic gifts but we come from here and you may not find research on it but you can find it and maybe one day you’ll understand?” rambling to herself and going to a from, it wasn’t until she felt a sharp pain in her foot she snapped back to reality. It took the glass to her foot for her to realize had that she had started spiraling in her thoughts, though she still held rage and sadness for it she was back enough to notice Ivy taking over the wall to her bedroom in a way that would have taken years to grow but she had thrown it maybe ten minutes ago. A chuckle escaped her but it did not echo happiness. Perhaps she needed to take a nap and try again, she would call Sara after that too. Then she would be safe to talk to someone calmly, remembering her mother showing her how to make tea for dreamless sleep when her mother would have nightmares. Though her mother didn’t explain what the tea was for she had tried it once and found her night nothing but a black sleep where normally it was filled with dreams of flowers and the sky so blue it was like a cartoon watching the clouds float by. That was before her dreams were filled with Mr. dark and demanding.

Tea was a good call, then she could sleep and reset she hoped. Storming around the kitchen she made herself a warm cup of flower tea, sipping it by the window she noted today was a grey day, much like her mood the sunlight just was nowhere to be found today. Though watching the city through the window people rushing around made her sigh and relax a little everything seemed normal enough. She was just having a hard time and it felt like every day it got worse and worse.. she was going to have to find out who she was and maybe a way to understand what she was going through. Finishing her tea she yawned and knew it was time for her nap, she had never changed from fuzzy black pants and a plain tank top that she had woken up in earlier. The soft pad of her feet was the only sound in her apartment as she made her way back to her bed, though she felt the waves of sleep something in her brain felt like maybe she shouldn’t be going back to sleep, maybe she should have gone to work today.

[Namingtoohard]

Whilst Kana didn’t realise it, by the time he began his search in earnest, it was already too late. Faith had slipped away during the chaos, left the bar behind, and in doing so, she had taken his last opportunity with her. The bar’s manager continued to move through the crowd with his head on a swivel, totally oblivious to the cold, cruel reality of his situation. It wasn’t until fifteen minutes later, well after things had returned to normal, that Kana finally decided to admit defeat, and return to the bar. He could only hope that Hau had spotted something he himself had missed, and would be able to provide him with some sort of direction, or information, or assistance.

Once he had seated himself, Kana didn’t have to wait for long. Hau took notice almost immediately. The bartender graced him with a small shake of the head, during the brief moment he had between customers. Unable to help himself, Kana let out a soft sigh. If Hau hadn’t seen her either, then he had likely missed his chance. A shame, to miss out on such a valuable opportunity, and let all of that hard work go to waste. Still, there was nothing they could do about it now, and Kana wasn’t the sort to dwell on the past. He simply let it go, and turned his attention to other matters instead.

It wasn’t until early the next morning, shortly after the bar had closed, that Hau delivered the news. Kana was seated behind his desk on the club’s second level, sequestered away in relative peace, when someone knocked on his door. He looked up from his paperwork just in time to watch Hau enter, a thin card held between his fingers, and a smile on his face. Without a word, he reached out and offered Kana the card he was holding. It took the fae a few seconds to realise what he was looking at, but when the realisation dawned on him, a sly grin flickered across his features. It seemed that the night hadn’t been a total waste after all.

~~

Three days. That’s how long it had been since Faith had made the mistake of coming to his bar. That’s how long it had taken Kana to prepare everything. Now, at long last, his crew was ready to move.

Normally, Kana wouldn’t have bothered trying to track down a patron once they had left his bar. Outside operations were much more risky, which made it hard to justify the extra work. This time, however, he had decided to make an exception. The home address printed on the front of Faith’s lost ID had made things extraordinarily easy for them. They had found her home the very next day. The two days that had followed were spent watching the place, and planning. Figuring out if Faith lived alone, or if they needed to worry about her family. Confirming the times that she normally left for work, came home, and went to bed. Determining the methods they would use, and how they would escape unnoticed. Now, the day had arrived. They’d managed to prepare without arousing any suspicion, and had a good strategy in place. There was no reason to delay any further.

On the evening in question, both Kana and Bast waited on the street outside, just across the road from Faith’s apartment complex. They were both dressed like ordinary humans, with their collars turned up against the cloudy evening’s chill. Kana peered up at the apartment itself, whilst Bast watched the street. Both of them looked as casual as possible. Anyone who glanced their way would see nothing but two regular pedestrians, chatting idly whilst they waited for a ride. Nothing out of the ordinary, and nothing worth remembering.

“She still hasn’t left for work yet, right? There’s no way she’d get there on time now, even if she ran the whole way. Maybe she’s sick.” It was Bast who broke the silence. He stood with both of his massive arms folded across his chest, and his mouth twisted into a frown. Kana didn’t bother to answer. To him, such idle speculation seemed pointless – the situation would be the same, regardless. He took another deep breath, burning his cigarette down to a stub. The fae held it for a moment, before he blew out a cloud of smoke, and flicked the stub into the gutter.

“Message Hau. Tell him to bring the car around, and be ready. We’re going in.”

Bast nodded once, and then quickly pulled a burner phone out of his pocket. He did as he was bid, before the two of them crossed the street together, and headed into the ground floor of the apartment building. They took the stairs instead of the lift, manually climbing up to the correct floor. Then it was simply a matter of walking down the hallway, one eye on the door numbers, until they found themselves standing in front of the right apartment. Whilst Bast kept watched, Kana reached into his jacket and withdrew his warded gloves. He tugged both of them on, before extracting a lockpick and a torsion bar from another pocket. Once Bast reassured him that they were in the clear, Kana knelt down, slid both into the door’s lock, and set his nimble fingers to work.

Ten very tense seconds later, a soft click emanated from the lock, which finally turned beneath Kana’s touch. Satisfied, the group’s leader tucked his lockpicks away again, before rising to his full height. He gave Bast a single nod, before reaching for the door’s handle. Praying that it wouldn’t squeak, he slowly pushed the front door to Faith’s apartment open, and stepped across the threshold.

[LostMisfit]

Her apartment lit with the grey of the cloudy day outside, though it wasn’t neat but held a certain organized chaos to it. the entrance led to her small living room plants lined the windows and the air was thick with the scent of a female spring Fae. The scent of flowers that lulled you in like basking in the warm sunlight, Bast blinked even after years the magic could still catch him off guard. Looking around he noticed to the right was a wall that had been taken with vines and the door it surrounded he bet held the prize they had been chasing. Tilting his head in a slight nod to signal his thought of the girl being in the room, but for as long as he had worked with Kana it probably wasn’t needed the man could easily put together a picture even without all the pieces. He had even wondered at times if the magic’s that affected him even phased the man, he had always been so serious and on task, but they all were like that. After all, he was in on these jobs because they paid well and didn’t ask complicated questions, plus being able to wander the human world had its perks. The people were funny with all types of ideas and new inventions, though now wasn’t the time to be thinking too hard his job was to follow orders and that was what he would do.

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Faith had all but fallen asleep when a tingle shot through her spine, her plants warning her of someone entering their home. Though she had noticed the hairs on the back of her neck standing up over the last few days and her mind had started to wander. Were these the people her mother warned her about? And if that was the case perhaps it could be used to her advantage. She had so many questions and no one would ever answer them. She had all but grown tired of always wondering why she was the way she was, or even if there was someone who understood and would tell her the truth. Her life had been built on lies and the rage from that had been her most recent pain lately. Her dreams were plagued with a mystery man that made her insides melt to the point her scars could be ignored. Something she felt desperate for but seemed to evade her. The man thought he wanted her name wouldn’t show his face and the small glimpse of blue was ingrained in her mind.

She had thought of the bartender after meeting him but more wanted to know what it was, he wouldn’t tell her about. He knew what she was and she knew it but he wasn’t going to tell her and she couldn’t risk going back to the bar to find out, after all, someone was now in her apartment and still after her. Was she going to die as her mother had? Wouldn’t it be a funny twist of fate if the guy from the bar was going to be the one to kidnap her? A wistful thought, nothing more. She had moved from her bed debating on putting up a fight or perhaps she should just stay still and be asleep. She had made herself a nap time tea before bed and could play off that but would they take the bait?

She had already stayed still too long overthinking her predicament and she was certain by now the visitors would know she was in her room and certain to be coming for her. So, she was going to play asleep after all maybe they wouldn’t know the magic’s she possessed, and sleep this deep could be normal? Either way, she held her eyes shut and evened her breathing as if nothing had phased her.
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Bast had stepped inside moving silently through the apartment, he noted the kitchen connected to the living room but still, her moved through it to check and be sure of where the girl was. Upon finding it clear he turned his attention to the bedroom but he knew it normally wasn’t his call on when they went into the room but he did find it odd the girl hadn’t so much as started moving. She should know they were there, she had too many plants to not have heard them warn her of the people entering her home. Would Kana think the same as him? He had seen a coffee mug in the kitchen with the scent of lavender. Perhaps she was just asleep? It still felt odd.

[Namingtoohard]

The first thing Kana noticed when he stepped over the threshold and into Faith’s apartment was the smell. The scent of several different plants and flowers he couldn’t name mingled together, undercut by the rich, earthy smell of a forest just after rain. Then, beneath it all, an undercurrent of magic that seemed to prickle against his skin. It was similar to the sensation that he’d experienced at the bar, but significantly more powerful. Intoxicating, almost. It was enough to make Kana feel light-headed, despite his experience. Had he been unprepared, the bar’s manager likely would have ended up just as clueless as the fools who had tried to start a fight that evening. There was no doubt in his mind that they had the right place. It took him a moment, but he mustered up his resolve, and shoved the temptation aside by sheer force of will. He had a job to do, and refused to be distracted.

Once he was feeling a little more steady, Kana allowed his gaze to sweep the room. The organized chaos within seemed relatively unremarkable, except for the abundance of plants. It didn’t take a genius to figure out that they were the source of the aroma, and likely connected to Faith’s gift in some way. Was she a genuine magical botanist, or was the link a little more abstract? Either way, it was good information to have. They’d still need to be careful, but knowing that Faith wouldn’t start shooting flames or flinging curses when they grabbed her was reassuring. Poison was still a worry, but something they could prepare for.

As quiet as a mouse, Kana slowly slipped deeper into the apartment. He followed in Bast’s footsteps, allowing his larger companion to check each of the rooms for danger first. When they had first started working together, Kana had been impressed. Bast moved quietly even by Kana’s own standards, despite his prodigious size. Just like Kana himself, he was a professional, though and through. Just one with a different role.

With the two of them working in tandem, it didn’t take them long to clear the rest of the apartment, even whilst moving so slowly. Within moments, they’d confirmed that Faith had to be in the bedroom – they hadn’t found her anywhere else, and it was the only room they were yet to check. The two of them paused outside the door together, and exchanged a silent look. Without any sort of fanfare, Kana knelt down beside it, and pressed an ear to the wood. He could hear faint, rhythmic breathing from the other side. The sort that suggested the occupant was asleep.

He wanted to believe that it was just their good fortune. That all their planning had paid off, but…this was starting to feel a little too easy. Faith clearly had no problem using her magic excessively – their encounter at the bar had made that clear. Shouldn’t she have some sort of protections in place? Kana didn’t keep the best company, but none of the fae he knew were so foolish as to leave their homes unprotected. Either he’d missed something critical, or Faith was incredibly naive. Kana couldn’t be sure which, but it seemed better to be prepared, just in case.

He rose to his full height again, and turned his attention back to Bast. Kana wanted to warn his companion, but didn’t dare speak. Not with Faith sleeping so close by. Instead, he gestured for the security guard to get ready. Watched as Bast carefully drew out a pair of specially made iron handcuffs, grimacing all the while. Every member of their kind found the touch of iron to be uncomfortable, if not outright painful. More importantly, it had the effect of dampening their abilities. If they could get the handcuffs on Faith, they would dampen her powers, in addition to restricting her movement. She wouldn’t be able to resist then, even if she were awake.

With Bast ready, Kana nodded once, before slowly easing the door open. The two of them would scan the room’s dark interior for a moment, before creeping towards the bed, where Faith's form lay quiet. If she really were asleep, they’d slip the handcuffs on and carry her out without any sort of problems. If she woke up, or started to struggle, then things would be a little more difficult. Bast knew to gag her if she tried to scream, and wouldn’t hesitate to knock her out if she started to struggle too much, but both were eventualities they’d avoid unless absolutely necessary.

[LostMisfit]

She listened to the sounds of their steps padding around her kitchen and she knew they were coming for her but she held her eyes closed trying to force her heartbeat to slow down. The blood rushed through her as she felt the urge to run. Fighting back instinct was a joke but not as funny as the fact it was the bar manager who had come for her. As her doorway opened she dared peek through her lashes at a man she had been able to mentally shake since she met him and now here he was of all places to kidnap her? Or maybe worse? Her heartbeat picked up once more before she even realized she had held her breath and letting it out slowly was something she didn't do very well.

Bast had caught the sound of her breathing and paused looking at his boss motioning his hands to prepare, this girl was awake but she wasn't fighting or running she was just sitting still pretending to sleep? The more and more he nosed around the girl she seemed to be clueless and very unprotected and it made him wonder how she had even gotten here. There was no denying she was a spring fae too many arrows pointed toward her and even now with her scent floating around them in a place she spent lots of time, it clouded his head like he was just going through the motions and his mind was wandering around her room.

He noted the easel and the fact she only had a vine in her room growing around it, the interior was a dull gray and for a spring fae she seemed to live a dull life, normally her kind favored bright colors and flowers, along with the richer things humans enjoyed. He figured it was more by chance that she stumbled into their bar but it didn't look like she was going to be much of a fight.

The security guard from the bar had gotten close to her she could nearly feel him touching her and before the click of the handcuffs she felt the white burning on her wrists that caused her to jerk and cry out, a moment forgetting she was pretending to sleep but the metal burned and it had shocked as she wasn't expecting such a thing, but before she could react to much a rag was forced over her mouth and nose and when she panicked and inhaled the scent of flower overtook her into darkness.

Bast had watched human men use sleeping rags in moments he didn't have to pretend to care and today the idea had proved useful as the girl slipped into darkness and went limp on the bed. Deciding to speak up “Is it just me or did it seem like she wanted us to take her for a moment there?” it was an odd thought he had not considered or really even seen before but the girl clearly was pretending to sleep as iron touched her skin she had jerked into an upright position she couldn't have gone to from sleeping, but that didn't really make any sense why would she not fight them off? Maybe she thought she didn't stand a chance and truth be told if it had been a fight she wouldn't have stood a chance against the two of them.

Sighing he picked up the limp girl and tossed her over his shoulder, with a huff. She smelled like honeysuckles after the rain and it was making his head hurt. She clearly was not taught to contain who she was because even now she seemed to radiate warmth and light. The night king was going to love her to death, a mental chuckle at the dark joke but he knew the king always loved the pretty flowers the hardest, and sometimes he would squeeze a little too hard. Bast over the years had held mental polls on how the king would kill off his next queen but then again he could just send her to his harem of toys. A degrading place where she would lose all the light she now glowed with, perhaps he would toy with her. She seemed simple enough to fall for a solid ruse and the king being like most fae loved a good game of cat and mouse and a mouse who didn't know the danger well that made for the most fun. It had been years since he had taken the king, a young girl who knew nothing of fae and magic and he had been paid quite a nice price, that one had been young, but this one was old enough her curves pushed into the muscles he toned in his spare time. Like a cat, he waited for the next prey and this mouse held promise to bring him a whole bowl of cream, it was a pity sometimes he wondered what it was like to play with a spring fae woman the way the king did.

Blinking he huffed, he had forgotten to breathe shallow and slowly her magic, making his mind wander around pulling him to her like a siren singing a pirate to the seas. Looking at Kana she exhaled slowly “we need to be careful. Her pull is quite strong for such a small thing.'' She was barely 5’4” and bust was certain she didn't weigh no more than a keg of beer he had put in the bar a few nights ago but even after years around the magic few of the females could make his head go haywire and this one had almost gotten to him. Reaching into his pocket he pulled out a piece of casting chalk, walking up to the wall he began to draw a simple door outline, drawing fae symbols around the four corners and stepping back as he focused his energy a low hum of energy making the lines glow and pulse until the doorway opened to the basement of the club.

They had set up a small room for the prey they hunted, nothing more than a bed and table with a small bathroom attached to it. They had picked this place to build a bar because the basement was lined with iron rods to stabilize the concert walls and they had taken full advantage of it building a small room with two locking doors one normal and the other an iron door that only opened with the key. This poor girl was going nowhere anytime soon, and right now that was fine. The door to the fae world could only be opened on the night of a full moon and sadly they had just missed one so now the clock to a new one had started. Meaning this mouse would have to wait before she got to her new home.

[Namingtoohard]

Like most of the Fae, Kana’s youthful appearance belied his true age. Untouched by the cruel hands of time, they never had to worry about wrinkles or bags marring their otherworldly beauty. They could live for centuries, if nothing came along and killed them prematurely. While he didn’t look any older than his mid-twenties, the leader of their little trio had been in the game for a long, long time. Even so, he couldn’t help but hold his breath as Bast slowly crept towards the sleeping Faith. This was the most crucial moment of the entire night, and would determine how everything else played out. Every muscle in his body was tense, like he were an Olympic athlete, about to spring into action. Just in case something went wrong, and Faith began to struggle, and he had to dive in and help Bast subdue her.

When Faith bolted upright suddenly, a scream perched on her lips, Kana almost dove towards them. Thankfully, Bast had the situation under control. He watched as the larger man secured both of the handcuffs around Faith’s wrists and placed a chloroform-based rag over her mouth and nose, with all the quick efficiency of a seasoned professional. Within moments, the chloroform had done its job, and Faith was unconscious. Slowly, Kana allowed himself to relax. He straightened up slightly, and let out a soft breath. That was that, then.

“Definitely strange.” Kana spoke in a normal voice. Now that they’d dosed Faith with Chloroform, they didn’t need to worry about being overheard. “Maybe she was just pretending, so that she could try and catch us off-guard, but…” the leader trailed off a little, before giving a casual shrug. Whatever Faith’s reason, it didn’t matter now.

Kana nodded once in response to Bast’s warning, before stepping out of the doorway so that the larger man could carry Faith past. As he did, Kana took a second to examine their mark a little more closely. She looked incredibly fragile, limp body thrown across Bast’s shoulder. He felt a pang of sympathy for the girl, just for a moment, before he shoved it aside. It had been years since he’d had to struggle with any feelings of guilt – it was probably just the girl’s magic, once again getting to him whilst he were distracted.

Kana watched and waited patiently as Bast set up his magic portal, before following the larger man and their mark through to the other side. Stepping across the threshold was a little bit disorienting – travelling this way always was. Thankfully, he’d experienced it enough times to know what to expect, and the dizziness soon passed. With his gloves firmly in place, Kana would help Bast lay their unconscious victim down on the bed they had prepared. Once they were done, he took a step back, and the two of them lingered in silence, just for a moment. Eventually, Bast spoke.

“I gave her a pretty big dose, for someone her size. She’ll be out for another couple of hours, at the very least. She’ll have one hell of a headache when she wakes up, too.” He spoke the words casually, obviously more relaxed now that the hard part was over. Not unlike Kana himself. The leader, however, had never really been one for small talk.

“Close the portal, and then let Hau know he’s free to make his way back. I’ll finish locking up down here, and try to have some food and water ready for her when she wakes.”

After a few more moments, Bast finally turned away. He didn’t see the bouncer step through the portal, but he heard it close a few moments later, when Bast wiped away some of the chalk markings he had made. Kana lingered for a few moments longer, eyes fixed on Faith’s prone form, on the slow rise and fall of her chest, before finally remembering himself. At long last, he turned away, and left their new captive behind. The group’s leader slipped out of Faith’s new cell and shut the door behind him. He triple-checked that both the iron door and the regular door were locked. Then he headed up the stairs and towards his room, determined to catch as much sleep as he could before the sun rose.

~~

Kana slept poorly that night. He tossed and turned for a small eternity, his body still flush with the adrenaline of their kidnapping, before he finally drifted off. His dreams, too, were borderline nonsensical. Landscapes both familiar and strange passed in the blink of an eye, populated with faceless, featureless figures. They tried to speak to him, but no matter how hard he try, Kana found himself unable to comprehend them. When his alarm dragged him back from the depths of sleep, he wanted nothing more than to silence it, roll over, and try to drift off again. Yet he had a new responsibility to worry about now. He needed to make sure Faith didn’t starve between now and the full moon. So, with a great measure of reluctance, he mustered up his willpower, threw back the covers, and climbed out of bed.

A quick shower, a fresh set of clothes, and a generous serving of coffee served to help him feel relatively normal. Then, once he was ready, Kana prepared to make good on his promise from the previous night. With his gloves firmly in place again, he made his way towards Faith’s temporary home, carrying a tray loaded up with a basic breakfast and a tall glass of water. Bast shadowed him, just a few steps behind, ready to intervene if Faith tried to ambush him and make a break for her freedom when he slipped inside. At his request, of course.

When they arrived outside Faith’s cell, Kana would pass the tray to his companion for just a moment, before extracting the key from within one of his pockets. He pulled the wooden door open, before sliding the key into the iron door’s lock. This one he opened slowly, casting a wandering eye around for Faith. If she were still asleep, then he could just leave the tray and slip away again. If she were awake, though…well, they’d see just what sort of problems she might try and cause.

[LostMisfit]

The darkness felt restless and even thick with adrenaline, she had let herself be kidnapped and all her mother's stories were about to either be proven or not. Though she had wanted answers she seemed to feel panic and regret. What if her mother's tales were true? These men would take her into the darkness until no more life or light was left inside her small frame and she would learn nothing but the end of her existence, would this all be worth it?

Then the whole other matter that the manager of the bar had been there, she had seen his face through lowered lashed and for a brief moment before the sleep had taken her. She laid on a bed it felt like keeping her eyes closed pondering all the back and forths her pounding head now decided to spew. It was silent, and she felt no organic life anywhere near her. It was like missing a piece of yourself and the air was stuffy and filled with dust. How long would she have to stay here? Who was the last person here? What happened to them?

Forcing a deep breath she dared open her eyes, she couldn't just sit in the silence and panic about the what-ifs. She came here to learn and to do that she needed to open her eyes. Her head and body felt like she had been hit by a truck, and judging from the silence she figured the bar wasn't open, that was if she were at the bar and not some creepy lair elsewhere. “great , now im pnaicing allover aI'mipanickingis bullshit fiath pull yourself to faith.” rubbing her index fingers into the temples of her head she sighs and forced more air into her lungs. Doing this a few more times to steady herself before looking around.

It was a small room with a bed, and a dresser with a mirror and lamp, there seemed to be a doorway with an open door she could only assume to be a bathroom. After all, why would kidnappers leave any other door open, and as if on cure she made out the main door shut and looking very locked. There were no windows and she couldn't even feel the hum of her magic and that scared her more than being in such a strange place. She had wanted to be normal once but she had always had her gifts and now the empty feeling in the pit of her insides just wouldn't fade. A small table near the door seemed to have a bottle of water, and a covered dish next to it.

On one hand, could it be poison? But why would they go through all this trouble for that if they could have poisoned her at any time in her home. The thought sent a cold chill down her spine and she used it to stand upright. She needed water and to eat regardless or else this headache would not go away. Moving to the table she removed the covered plate for the smell of peanut butter to hit her nose making it wrinkle. She had never been much of a fan of peanuts but beggars couldn't be choosers and who knew maybe she would get lucky and get a whole peanut piece and be able to make a break for it and do her own snooping. Though when she took a bite the irony of creamy peanut butter dashed her high hopes. Finishing her sandwich with a tingle of disappointment to the lack of things in her room, what on earth was she supposed to do in here?

Taking the bottle of water and drinking a good swig of it she made her way to the dresser, looking at herself in the mirror, PJs and her hair a mess. The bags under her eyes made her look like a wild feral woman, as her hair fluffed up all around her. What on earth was she going to do? Glancing down she noticed dust on the dresser and with a sigh, she began to use her fingernail to draw in the dust humming a soft tune she had heard her mother hum a million times.
After a while, a pattern of flowers danced from her fingertips and when every inch was covered in an almost flower lace-like pattern she felt sleep calling her back. Figuring nothing else was going to be learned from this room she was going to have to wait for her captors to come back. That posed the question as to how was she going to get any of them to talk to her, in a nervous habit she rubbed her wrist wincing at the iron burns on her skin. She hadn’t healed as quickly as she normally would and that could only be because her gift was gone in this room. Here she was faith the girl and not faith the secret weirdo with magic powers and no knowledge of how or why she was like this. Huffing at herself she made her way to the bed, thankful when sleep didn’t take long to swallow her whole once more.

It was a restless sleep and she tossed and turned through the few hours she managed to hold on to. Her dreams were weird and made no sense hopping from one play to another and ending with the stranger with blue eyes whispering her name.

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Bast stood behind Kana holding the tray as he opened the door, the click of the latch had to be what woke the girl because she sat up lids lowered with the fresh sleep, and her hair a mess all around her head, the image make him smirk to himself. The spring fea always managed to look weak and doll-like at times. Like fairies from human children’s tails but this was reality and her voice brought his mind back rather quickly as Kana took the tray and he held his position should the girl make a run for it.

—-------------------------------------------------------------

The click of the door timed with her dreams sending a chill through her spine, she sat up her mind filled with the fog of sleep as she rubbed her eyes in a child-like fashion both at once before looking to meet eyes with the manager and his big bad bodyguard “Nice to see you gentleman again.” sarcasm rang in her words as her eyes once filled with the grey cloud of sleep now filled with a bright green determination to figure out why she was here. Also what else was she going to say? Oh, I’m so happy you kidnapped me now tell me all your secrets that didn’t exactly feel like that would do her any good.

[Namingtoohard]

As cautious as ever, Kana cast a wandering eye around the interior of the prison cell from the open doorway. It didn’t take him long to realise that Faith was still in bed, but he continued with his search anyway, just in case. The knowledge that she wasn’t going to try and ambush him in a desperate bid for freedom was comforting, but that wasn’t the only thing he was looking out for. Magic wasn’t a concern here, with the iron-plated walls, but there were other things a quick search could tell him. The way a new captive treated their surroundings often gave some insight into their mental state. In the past, he’d seen several try and smash their surroundings, damaging the furniture out of anger. A few had even tried to fashion weapons from things they’d been able to find, or tried to break out through the walls. From his initial assessment, however, it didn’t look as if Faith had tried any of these things. Was she still in shock, still half asleep, or just pragmatic? Either way, he’d find out soon enough.

His search complete, Kana braced himself and stepped over the threshold, before turning his attention to Faith properly. The spring fae looked tired and groggy, which was entirely unsurprising, considering the circumstances. Even with the lingering remnants of drug-induced sleep weighing her down, though, there was still something about her that drew the eye. A sense of youth, or vitality, that made her seem full of life even now. Such was often the way with her kind. It was endearing, almost, but Kana had been in this situation enough times to suppress the thought. If spring fae were energetic, then winter fae like him were composed, and he wouldn’t dare let any errant thoughts compromise or interfere with their mission.

When their little captive spoke, her words were positively dripping with sarcasm. Kana let out a soft snort at that, born from a mixture of amusement and derision. Apparently this whole ordeal hadn’t broken Faith’s spirit just yet. That was both a good sign, and a bad one. If she had the willpower to try and goad him then she might try and escape yet, but the king had always preferred the lively ones. A blessing and a curse both, bound to make her captivity all the more interesting.

“I assure you, princess, the pleasure is all ours.” Whilst Kana’s words made it sound like he was playing along, his voice was neutral. The winter fae intentionally kept himself sounding as monotone as possible, just to avoid giving anything away. At this point, he turned his attention to the table near the door. Judging by the state of the previous tray, Faith had already had something to eat and drink before they arrived. Good. It saved him from giving the standard ‘there’s no point in us poisoning you’ lecture that most of their victims required. Kana quickly set the new tray down next to it, and then began cleaning up the old one.

“Truth be told, I have no idea how you caught on to us the other night. When you realised something was wrong and used your power to cause that bar fight, so that you could slip away in the confusion. If not for how much power you were using, I would’ve thought it coincidence.” This time, Kana’s tone was mild. Conversational, almost. He didn’t even bother to look at Faith, instead keeping the bulk of his attention focused on his hands while he worked. The winter fae didn’t worry about being attacked – Bast would undoubtedly shout a warning if Faith moved towards him. He cleaned with brisk efficiency, and only once he had finished packing up the old tray did he straighten up, and turn his attention to Faith properly again.

“I suppose I should be thanking you. If you hadn’t dropped your license on the way out, we probably wouldn’t have found you again. You would’ve gotten away clean.” As if to prove his point, Kana took one hand off the tray, so that he could reach into his shirt’s front pocket. Slowly, he withdrew Faith’s dropped license from it. He held it up so that she could see, just for a moment, before placing it down on the table, next to her new tray of food. He didn’t mind letting her have it back – it wasn’t like it would do her any good, stuck in here. As long as he kept it, it was evidence that might be used against him, if anyone discovered Faith’s disappearance.

[LostMisfit]

“I assure you, princess, the pleasure is ours.” he said to her and for a moment she felt rage dripping into her stomach mumbling “But you couldn't bring me a drink.” huffing she crossed her arms. He spoke about her powers and that she had caught on to something? Great now she not only knew nothing but she was grandly being overestimated. Should she just pretend to go along with it? Pretend she meant to do that but it was too late she was smart but she was always honest to a fault “You think I meant to do that? That has always been my worst party trick, maybe one day you can tell me how it happens but I'm sure your busy you know keeping me in a box with nothing to do.”

Man, this morning was already turning into an interesting one and also one that gave her a sense that she wasn't the only one with gifts. Taking that into account she began looking over her captor noting his gloves and the cold ice of his eyes. Then the one by the door seemed so large and brooding, so maybe he was the brawn and she was looking at the brain? But then where did that leave the bartender. She had felt some strange things that night and she was convinced it was the drink from the bartender after all her mother had said flower wine wasn't something she would find here. So she made it on special occasions but these men had it behind the bar? Her head thumping with questions and the lingering feelings of sleep made her headache as she rubbed her hands through her hair one at a time stressing about this unreal situation her mother told her about but never explained.

Pulling herself together she lifts her eyes glaring at the men around her “You could at least bring a girl something to do. You know when you keep pets entertained they destroy fewer things.” she had routed to sarcasm defending herself from panic and waves of things she had not yet figured out and in a moment of weakness a question slipped from her lips “What are we?” her voice was small and her eyes had dropped to her hands. Though uncertain if he would answer her or just shut down her question after all she had greeted him with salt instead of sugar.


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Bast had watched the girl but her last question he almost missed and it threw him for a loop, did she really have no clue who she was? The poor girl, if it wasn't a ruse to get under their skin and plead a freedom case. Then the king was going to enjoy playing with her as he slowly drains the light from her. A saying his mother once told him was that the brightest stars are the ones who don't know they are shining and the night king liked the idea well enough he would pay higher prices for girls innocent of his ways and the ways of fae but it was an unfair ending. He would tell them sunny bits and pieces of fae lore about power and the being forced o be honest and unable to lie, but he wouldn't mention how fae dance around the truth and spin webs that are themselves borderline lies.

For a moment he thought of a tale he heard at the bar one of the men had sold a fae girl and out of curiosity, he kept an eye on the girl wondering what the king did with the fae he had been buying. Most men just walked away not caring bast being one of them but even now it rang in his head. The king would woo the girls make them feel like his love was light itself but they didn't know he was draining the of their life force and the life they could give around them to keep himself young and in power. It had once been a love story with his queen and a lie to replace her but now it was nothing more than a game he played. A game of cat and mouse and the most fun mouse is the one who doesn't know it's a trap. They should probably be placing bets, he would have to mention it to the guys later. This girl wouldn't last three years with the king and he was willing to place money on that one but they had to hold onto her for a month and he had a feeling this girl wasn't about to give up her freedom just yet.

[Namingtoohard]

The idea that Faith hadn’t used her powers to start that bar fight on purpose was enough to make Kana pause. The Winter Fae knew better than to believe anything one of his captives tried to tell him – he knew from personal experience that people who ended up in this cell would say or do anything they could to rattle him, just in case it presented them with an opportunity for escape. Even so, he desperately wanted her claim to be true. If the bar fight had been an accident, that meant he hadn’t slipped up. That he didn’t need to go back and examine their entire plan for flaws, or blame himself for making a stupid mistake. In the small amount of time they’d been talking, Faith hadn’t struck him as the devious type, but….no. She could be trying to make him let his guard down, so that she could use her powers on him more effectively in future. It was just too risky.

Kana did his best to push the thought from his mind, and promptly resumed his cleaning. He moved with ruthless efficiency, gathering up the old plates and cutlery in record time. It wasn’t long before the old tray was stacked high with the waste from her previous meal, ready to be disposed of. For the second time in just a few moments, though, something Faith said made him hesitate. Kana knew, deep down, that the smart thing to do was leave. This girl was nothing more than a commodity for him to sell; interacting with her served no real purpose. He’d never been able to resist a little playful banter, though, and it had been a long time since he’d last encountered a worthy match.

“You admit to being my pet, then?” Kana’s tone was nothing short of smug as he left the tray behind and took a few small steps towards the woman, against his own better judgement. A smile spread across his features, entirely unlike any they had shared at their first meeting. Whilst those smiles had been full of fake politeness, this one danced on the border between friendly playfulness and malicious intent.

Kana never got to have his moment, though. Before he got the chance to continue, Faith lowered her eyes, and spoke again. The words that slipped from her lips this time tugged on heartstrings that the Winter Fae hadn’t known he still possessed. Did she really not know what they were? What she was? That would certainly fit with what she’d told him earlier, about not causing the bar fight intentionally. If so, then he had no real reason to enlighten her – their buyer would pay more if she was ignorant of their ways. What’s more, revealing the truth might encourage her to start experimenting with her magic, which was dangerous for them all. Even so…one of their own kind, ignorant of their heritage? That was a terrible tragedy. The fate they had in store for Faith was already bad enough, without that extra layer of misery heaped on top. The entire situation left a rather bitter taste in Kana’s mouth.

The Winter Fae was silent for a few moments as he mulled their situation over. He weighed the pros and cons against each other, argued both sides against himself, searching for an answer. He knew that, logically, he had no real reason to engage with her any further. And yet…Faith had wanted a source of entertainment, had she not? Maybe he could twist this situation on its head. Bait Faith in with everything she wanted, and then use the results to his advantage. An idea came to him, and his smile returned.

“You want something to do, pet? Very well. I don’t have any books or toys with me right now, but I can bring some with your next meal. Until then, why don’t we play a game to help pass the time? Just you and me.” While Kana spoke, he took a few more steps forward. The Winter Fae even went so far as to kneel down alongside the bed, so that he and Faith could look each other in the eye. This entire affair was a bad idea, he knew. Hell, he could practically feel Bast’s eyes on his back, sharp as knives. Even so, he pressed onwards.

“If you win, then I’ll give you the information that you’re after. I’ll tell you exactly what you are. I’ll tell you what we are, too. I’ll even explain your own little party trick to you. But you’ll need to wager something too, just in case you lose. What do you think?”