Innocent Trip to the Brothel [Ariella/Social]

The Fanalis boy had been wandering through the market district of Remano, trying to learn the streets while browsing the shops along the way when he heard someone call out to him. Diego glanced over to find an odd man wearing a bright purple suit and holding an iron cane with a luxurious purple jewel embedded in the handle. The man gave an odd look as he sized up Diego.


"Hey kid, you lookin' to have some fun?" The man stood in front of a small building near a few rather large men. A sign hung from the rafters above them, 'Classy Hussy'.

Diego's curiosity piqued, the past couple weeks had been pretty quiet and most of it spent in training. He was looking to relax, but he wasn't quite sure what the man had in mind. "Sure!"

The man in the purple suit grinned, somewhat surprised that one so young would have perversions. At the same time, the boy was clearly a beast tamer and if the current King's tastes were any sign, beast tamers were a ravenous bunch. The man mused that it probably was due to spending so much time with beasts. "Splendid, come with me. We shall find you suitable....company. If you would please leave your beasts outside."

Diego clicked his tongue to his companions before following the man. Trixie and Zanizbar curled up at the edge of the building, the tiger keeping a weary eye out. The man in the purple suit wrapped his arm around Diego's shoulder as he led him inside. Diego noticed a sweet smell coming from the man to overpower his musk.

Inside the establishment, several small stages were erected before a seated area and a bar. Upon the platforms were dozens of women of every type dancing to music to a crowd of men. They passed a hallway where a pungent odor wafted out of. Diego blushed as he noticed the women's clothes were either extremely revealing or non-existent. He stammered and tried to excuse himself but the man just chuckled, mistaking it for Diego's excitement.

Diego was pulled into a room that had been painted black and hosted a bench. At one end, curtains had been erected. The man winked at Diego, "Now, what do you like?" He clapped his hands and the curtain was pushed out of the way. A procession of girls, young and old, streamed from behind the curtain to stand in a few rows before Diego, all clad in lacy lingerie.

Diego chuckled nervously as sweat dripped down his brow, uncomfortable with the situation. He started to stand up to leave before his eyes locked onto a familiar face. A young blonde haired girl with blue eyes looked up at him with sad eyes. His jaw dropped as he recognized Ella, the Butcher's daughter from Heliohapt. With his new look, Ella didn't even recognize the Fanalis boy, instead she looked at him timidly, pleading that he wouldn't use her.

The old man saw the reaction, again mistaking Diego's reaction as desire. He pointed to Ella and snapped his fingers for her to follow him, gesturing to Diego as well. They were led to the pugnant smelling hallway and into the first room. The purple-suited man smiled at Diego, "Enjoy~," he said merrily as he closed the door.

Ella's lip began trembling and she started to pull off her top, avoiding Diego's eyes. Diego walked forward and slapped her hand. "Stop that, Ella!" He shook his head, "How did you end up here?"

Ella jumped from his touch and cried out, pulling back from Diego. She gave a look of awe when he said her name and she looked closer at the Fanalis. "Di-Diego? Oh my god! It is you!" She leaped into his arms and began bawling, clinging to him as sobs racked her body.

Diego wrapped his arms around her protectively, "Shhh...it's ok. Calm down. I'm going to get you out of here, alright?" Ella nodded and took her hand. He opened the door a crack and peered around before closing it again. He crossed the room to the bed and grabbed the sheet, draping it over her shoulders. "Ok, hop on my back. On the count of three, we are going."

Ella hopped on his back, wrapping the sheet around her body so he wouldn't trip and clung tightly to him. When she was secure Diego started counting. "One...two....three!" Diego threw open the door and charged out of the hallway. He made it to the exit before he was noticed by the man in the purple suit.

"CRAP! GET HIM! HE'S STEALING ONE OF THE GIRLS!" The man shouted as he started taking off after Diego.

Diego barreled through the doors and met the three large man who stood watch. They had overheard the commotion and were ready for him. Still, they were careless and forgot about the spider and tiger nearby. Trixie heard the shouts, leaped up and was already pouncing onto one of the men as Diego came outside. Her victim went down with a cry as she tore her claws into his back. The two other men pulled out daggers, one headed to Trixie, the other headed towards Diego.

Diego's arms were occupied with holding Ella and he had two men coming after him, an imposing one from the front and the purple-suit from the back. Diego kicked off the ground using his Fanalis strength to jump into the air towards the large guard. Diego used the man's shoulder as a step to kick off again and perform a back flip over him. He landed and started running away, shouting at Trixie and Zanzibar to follow.

Zanzibar skittered up Trixie's back as she dodged a slash from the guard by slipping to his side. With a quick slash of her claws, Trixie discharged a massive shock of bio-electricity with Lightning Fury into the guards legs. The air crackled as the man was electrocuted from Trixie's vicious ability. Hearing Diego's command she started after her master to help him get away.

Diego was looking behind him as he ran to make sure his beasts were alright when Ella shouted, "Look out!" He turned around a second too late and crashed into a stack of barrels next to a fruit stand. Diego angled his fall to protect Ella and hit the ground with enough force to knock the wind out of him.

[130/160]

Spoiler:

Ariella smiled as she read the note from Azix, scribbling out a quick reply.

Azix,
Met with the king, he did not have much to offer but authorized me to investigate the disappearance of my mother and to look into the assassinations. I promise I will be careful. There is a new councilor, Elric Stein. My father said he used to be a teacher in Magnostadt. I am glad the cloak is keeping you warm, though I would prefer to keep you warm myself. Nothing sounds better than wrapping my arms around you and pressing our bodies together to keep warm. Funny you should mention a dungeon, one was discovered here as well. At some point, I will be going in with a boy named Jahan, he is a shop keeper I met while shopping. His girlfriend is a mage I have been trying to help out.

I have made sure to get everything at Kios settled so I am not traveling back and forth during the investigations, I don’t want anyone getting to the Grumptoes.

Naming the stars and wishing you were here,
Ari

Setting the Journey Book back on her nightstand, she grabbed her wand and dagger before going for a walk to clear her mind.

---

She was on the outskirts of the marketplace when she heard the commotion. Ari hurried over to where the sounds were coming from just in time to see a massive tiger slash out at a man with an electrical charge. A boy seemed to be trying to protect a young girl and clumsily ran into a stack of barrels. Without wasting a moment, Ariella pulled her wand free, asking the rukh to cast Electric Cage II around the guards chasing the pair of young people. The crackle of electricity formed a box around the men and she rushed to kneel next to the young girl.

"Are you okay? What on earth is going on here?!?"

She looked around wildly, hoping someone would explain the situation to her.

[Magoi 280/300]

ability used:

Ella sat up and looked up at a beautiful woman with purple hair. The sheet slipped from her shoulders, revealing lacy underthings reserved for women much older than her. Ella blushed and covered herself back up. She pointed to the two men that were trapped in Ariella's spell. "Diego was rescuing me from them. They've been using me to....do things..." The things that she had experienced in the brothel were too painful for Ella to talk about and she broke down into tears.

Diego stood up and held Ella at his side, "Do you have somewhere we can take her? I can explain more along the way, but we should get her clothes." Madam Trixie came up and sniffed Ariella carefully, before deciding that the yellow magician was friendly. She licked Ariella's hand in greeting and Zanzibar provided a friendly warble as he wiggled his mandibles.

Diego placed Ella atop Madam Trixie before hopping on behind her. Zanzibar skittered around Diego to cuddle with the young girl. Ella peeked at the furry spider and giggled as he tickled her nose with his furry legs. Diego smiled and gestured behind him, "If you hop on, we can get there much quicker and ditch those guys. Madam Trixie won't mind."

The man in the purple-suit shouted from within the cage, "Come back with my merchandise! Don't listen to him! The boy is a thief!" He tried to run punch the electric sphere to escape but ended up paralyzing his arm.

Ariella looked from the crying girl to the man in purple, scowling at the man.

"People are not property or merchandise. Jerk!"

She would look over to Diego and then to the man again before getting astride the massive tiger. The tiger reminded her of Lexiara and Leo and just smiled before giving Diego directions to her inn. As the moved, she would take off her cloak and use it to further cover Ella, feeling terrible for the young girl. It was obvious the girl was not here willingly and she looked entirely too young to be working in that type of business.

"Its okay, I will get you someplace safe and I have plenty of clothes. I am sure we can find something that fits while you two kids tell me what on earth is going on."

Her instinctual desire to protect overrode her caution at having strangers at her inn. Whatever these two had gotten caught up in, she would at least hear them out. The spell she had cast would not hurt anybody, just slow them down.

With Ariella upon Trixie's back, Diego clicked his tongue and the tiger took off. He dipped his head in acknowledgment to the directions Ariella had provided him to her Inn. Trixie weaved through the crowded streets guided by Diego's leg applying pressure to her sides. Fanalis and beast had been together long enough to read the subtle clues of the others body language.

When they finally arrived to Ariella's room, Diego had Zanzibar stopped at the door while Trixie and Ella went on inside. "Erm...us boys will wait outside until Ella is dressed..." Diego had seen enough nude women today to last him a long time.

Ella sat down on the bed and Trixie laid down at her feet, protecting the six-year old girl. Ella wrapped her arms tightly around the tiger's neck and waited for Ariella to gather some clothes. "I like your hair, it's 'urple. 'urple is my favorite color!" She gave a small smile towards Ariella that didn't quite reach her eyes.

Once Ella had been dressed, Diego and Zanzibar entered the room and he found a spot on the floor to sit down. "Thank you for helping us. My name is Diego, the tiger is Madam Trixie, and this furry one's name is Zanzibar." Diego ran his fingers down the white spider's back before pointing to the young girl. "Ella was a friend I made while I was in Heliohapt. I didn't expect to find her here."

Ella wore a sad look when he mentioned Heliohapt and she wrapped her arms tighter around Trixie's neck. Trixie tilted her head at Ella, sensing the shift in emotions but unsure of the cause. She gave the girl a low whine and rested her face against Ella's to sooth her.

Diego frowned at Ella's reaction but continued to explain their story to Ariella, after all the magician had helped them. "The man back there led me into a building with lots of....erm...nude women." A rosy tint filled his cheeks at the memory of the brothel. "Anyway, she was there. That's not a place for a young girl. I had to rescue her."

A sigh escaped Diego's lips as he walked over to Ella and knelt down at her side. "Ella, how did you get here to Reim?"

Ella closed her eyes and fought the urge to cry. A rush of memories from the day of the Slave Auction assaulted her already fractured psyche. The warmth of the tiger and Diego's voice kept her steady. She was grateful for the rescue, surely without the others in the room, Ella would have been subjected to far more abuse. With that appreciation came a sudden feeling of obligation to tell Diego what had happened. More than that, she wanted a familiar shoulder to cry on and connect with.

Ella gathered herself up and spoke in a quiet voice. "Me and Mommy were at the Butcher's shop hiding. There were loud s'plosions and people screaming. After a while it got quiet so Mommy went to see if everything was ok. Then...then..." Her voice quivered and her body shook, "I heard a loud boom and the house s'ploded! When I woke up, part of the house was gone and I couldn't find her! I looked all over! Then some mean men found me and..." Ella broke down into a fit of tears.

Diego wrapped his arms around Ella, tears flowing down his face as well. Diego shushed her, rocking his body back and forth to comfort Ella. He thought he knew which day that had been and finally understood what had happened. In a soft voice he asked, "Was that the day of the slave auction?" Ella nodded against his chest and Diego looked up at Ariella.

"That's our story Miss." Diego's eyes burned with a simmering anger, reflecting the rage that he felt for Ella. She was a sweet girl who did not deserve this stroke of fate. He had an urge to go back to the brothel to teach them a lesson, but it wouldn't help Ella.

Ariella listened to the story intently, her heart going out to the little girl. She wanted to wrap the child in an embrace but was afraid it might frighten the girl. Instead, she crouched in front of the tiny blonde and offered a sad smile, wiping the tears away.

"Hey, it'll be okay. I promise. I will figure out how to help you."

She turned to look at the boy and the animals.

"My name is Ari, it is very nice to meet you all."

She offered Zanzibar a friendly skritch before eying the tiger with interest, reminded of Leo again.

"Madame Trixie, did you say? She reminds me of a friend I met not too long ago from Heliohapt named Lexi, she had a big white tiger named Leo. But that name... Trixie... Trixie... is she named after a pirate queen, by chance?"

She finally placed the name as the pirate queen Azix said he had traveled with. Surely it could not be a coincidence. Did this young boy also know the pirate queen? She brushed the question aside in her mind.

"I have a pet too, Nilexa, but she is somewhere else right now. She's a pretty winged serpent. Maybe you can meet her one day."

She turned to look at the girl again, her eyes brightening as she moved over to the massive pile of clothes in the corner, digging around under the clothes before popping up successfully. In her hand was a large teddy bear that she carried over to Ella, offering it to the girl.

"Mr. Bear-bear always makes me feel better, maybe he can help you for a bit."

Diego looked up in surprise, "Lexi? I knew a Lexi with animal ears, but I don't think she had a tiger.

Trixie perked up and licked Ariella's face, thinking the magician was calling her name. Diego smiled and nodded, "Yes! You've heard the campfire tales as well? I haven't seen many people who have heard them." The Fanalis boy still thought she was just another character in Jagang's stories, not realizing that the Pirate Queen did, in fact, exist.

Diego raised a brow, not expecting to learn that Ariella was a beast tamer. "You're a tamer too? There's this Fanalis woman I know, Ayero, she acts like a big sister, which is nice 'cause I never had one before. She has a pet snake named...Zazu? No! Kabu!"

Ella looked up at the teddy bear that Ariella offered her and cracked a smile. Letting go of Trixie's neck, she cuddled Mr. Bear-bear to her chest. "He's a cute bear."

Diego sighed and gave Ella a hug. He turned around to face Ariella and asked if they could talk outside. If she agreed he would signal to Trixie and Zanzibar to watch over Ella while he left. Once they were outside, Diego looked troubled. "I don't know what to do now. I thought I could maybe bring her back to her mother in Heliohapt, but I'm pretty sure she died. I was there at the slave auction and it wasn't pretty." His mind turned to the traumatic lesson he had learned that day. A lesson learned from a flick of Ayero's cold steel through a desperate man's neck, splattering a sea of warm blood to relieve the pain of living.

Diego shook his head and took a deep breath to scatter the memory. "I hate to ask for your help again, but do you know a safe place for her? I have something important to do and as much as it pains me to pass of a friend, I must do it." He hesitated to explain what was so important, but he thought it might help.

"I am after a dangerous magician who murdered my tribe with a plague. His list of evil deeds goes beyond that, I know others harmed by him. A friend of mine is an Imuchakk whose tribe was experimented on by mixing them with animals. Left with the head of a leopard and its intelligence, he needed a magical tool in order to be normal."

Diego pointed in the general direction of the room, "Jagang was responsible in part for Ella's tragedy. He was the man behind the slave auction. Jagang has to pay for all of that. I will make sure of that. But I can't do that while having to worry about Ella."

Diego looked torn between fury at Jagang, blaming the magician for the death of Ella's mother to overshadow his guilt in having been a small part of it, and his desire to protect the girl. He hoped Ariella would be able to assist him.

Ari perked up at the mention of animal ears.

"You know the same Lexi I know! She said she adopted Leo just before leaving Helio. I am not a tamer, I just happen to have a really smart snake... wait, you know Ayero and Kabu? Kabu is the reason Nilexa isn't here right now. He... uh... he made babies with her, so she is guarding her nest. And the Madame Trixie I have heard of is an actual person. A friend of mine sailed with her to the North!"

She would look at Ella, gently petting the girl's hair before following the boy into the hallway. It really was a small world, to think this boy knew Lexi and Ayero. It was astounding how many things were interconnected, and all the people fate brought together. When the boy explained his mission and why he was unable to take care of Ella, she frowned, something catching in the back of her mind.

"I... I think I know a place Ella could stay, but... I cannot take her there. People have been watching me and I don't want to lead those people to the safe place I have in mind."

She hated the idea of exposing the Grumptoes, but she also could not let Ella go without a home. She sighed softly before she realized what was bothering her. The name Jagang rang in her head and she searched through her memories to figure out why. Her mind drifted to the day Azix had left, at the hot spring. He had been talking about training with someone to learn body manipulation. Was it possible it was a different man? Then as Diego continued talking about what Jagang was capable of, her blood ran cold. If it was the same man, the Grumptoes might be in danger. She could not go there herself and risk bringing the trouble from Remano there, but she could not leave the people in Kios defenseless either. Her face was stone-cold serious as she looked at Diego again. The boy was young, but looked like he had seen his share of battle and there was no question that his beasts were trained to fight.

"I have heard that name before, Diego. Jagang? My friend... he trained with a man named Jagang. I do not know it is the same man, but, if it is... he was very close to some people near and dear to me. I... that was where I wanted to send Ella for safekeeping. I cannot go there, not if it means bringing trouble to them. But I cannot leave them defenseless either..."

She did not know how to handle the situation. While the boy looked like he could protect himself, she could not ask him to protect the entire village. Perhaps she could send him and Ella with a letter to Jarl and Viri, they could warn the town, maybe? She was suddenly torn between finding her mother, a part of a life she moved on from, and protecting the family she had created here from an unknown danger.

Diego's eyes went wide, he was in awe that Ariella knew two of his friends. Even more surprising was the fact that Madam Trixie was real. Trixie looked up in utter confusion, tail thumping against the floor, wondering why people were talking about her excitedly. "He knows Madam Trixie? I want to meet her. What is she like? I wonder if she is as cool as she is in the stories."

Diego frowned as Ariella explained that she was being watched and wouldn't be able to take her to a place that she knew. His heart skipped a beat when she further explained that she had heard the name Jagang before. The friend that knew the pirate queen also knew the magician and Diego gave a concerned look to Ariella. His thoughts raced as he considered that he had just opened up to the enemy, panic setting in until he realized she was fearful.

Learning that Jagang was near where Ariella was going to suggest Ella stay, Diego leaned forward excitedly. "Where is he?!" He shouted a bit too loud. Calming himself down, Diego composed himself. It would do no good to rush in headfirst. After a deep breath, Diego tried again. "You said Ella would be safe there? If Jagang wasn't in the picture, of course. I would be willing to take her there and find out if it is the same man. If so, I have a magician-friend who said he would help me deal with Jagang. I would be able to watch over Ella and your friends while searching for clues. That helps both of us."

Diego stared at Ariella with an intensity that showed he would be hard-pressed to be turned away from this course of action. He was confident in not only his beasts and himself, but Yakuroro's power. Between all of them, Jagang should pose little threat. Hopefully, he could enlist Ayero's help as well.

Ari smiled gently at the boy, recognizing the stubborn look in his eye. At the mention of a magician friend, her mind tumbled again. If he knew Ayero, it was possible the magician he spoke of was the blue-haired giant, Yakuroro. Cocking her head to the side, she squinted at him.

"Your magician friend... is he very, very tall with blue hair?"

If he confirmed it was one and the same, she would feel a slight wave of relief wash over her. She would feel much more comfortable leaving the children to not just Diego but also Yakuroro. Azix trusted the magician enough to leave the Workforce program in his hands. She hoped she was making the right decision.

"Very well. If you can assure me that you will be BEYOND careful about traveling there, I will tell you where it is. These people are very important to me and I cannot bear the thought of harm coming to them. I will give you directions, but best if you wait until Ella has had some sleep. She has been through a lot and it would not be good to have her traveling such a distance in her state. You can both stay here for the night, as long as the animals don't destroy anything. There should be plenty of room for them on top of the pyramid of clothes in the corner. Just promise me that you will be careful, both with you and Ella's safety and with the safety of where I am sending you."

Her tone was stern, brooking no room for argument in the slightest.

Ariella's description matched Yakuroro, of course it matched a lot of Imuchakk, but Diego didn't know that. The only other Imuchakk that the Fanalis knew of was Ilirran who had a leopard head. Diego's head bobbed up and down, "Yes, that's Yakuroro! You know him too?"

The yellow magician seemed relieved to find out that Diego knew Yakuroro and finally agreed to trust him. She offered to give directions in the morning, after Ella got some sleep, and even offered her room for the evening. Diego had a solemn look in his eye, "I promise to do my best to keep everyone safe. I'll take extra care getting there as well, you have my word. Trixie and Zanzibar will respect your belongings, they are well trained. Though, Zanzibar might try to cuddle with you in the night."

If all was settled, Diego would follow Ariella back in the room and engage in cheery conversation to try to keep Ella's mind off her painful memories. As the night winded down, Diego told his favorite stories of the Pirate Queen over candlelight. His voice took on the tone of a practiced storyteller, gesturing with his hands to accent parts of his tales. Diego wove the stories so well he could make most people feel as if they had been there and leave them with inspiration to have similar adventures.

The next morning, Diego would get the directions to Kios and thank Ariella profusely for her help. Diego, Ella, Trixie, and Zanzibar departed to weave through the city, taking random twists and turns to lose anyone who might follow them. Once he was sure that he wasn't being followed, Diego led them out of the opposite city gates they needed before taking a long path to Kios. Once they were in the wilderness, Diego was able to use his Ranger experience to guide them quickly through the woods.

-exit-

Ariella nodded and chuckled at the bit about Zanzibar cuddling, not minding in the least. She would follow him back into the room, letting the kids take the bed as she went and plopped onto a pile of clothes in the corner, patting a spot beside her to encourage any animal to join her.

She still worried about letting Diego know where Kios was, but she needed to protect the children and she could not do that herself, not right now.

In the morning, she scrawled out directions to Kios, making sure to pack extra clothes for Ella and plenty of snacks for both of the kids and both animals. She would ruffle the hair of the brave boy that was taking too much on his shoulders before sending him on his way with the precious girl that had seen and been through too much. Looking to the sky, she murmured a prayer of protection for the group, begging the rukh to protect them and all of Kios while she stayed in Remano to handle the other part of her family.

[exit]