Sky paused for a moment and pulled her curtains shut before flicking the dark hood of her cloak back, revealing bright, silvery blonde hair that hung in long, flowing tresses down to her hips. Unlike most of the ladies on Cain's court, she very rarely pulled her hair back. She preferred to keep it free as she enjoyed the feel of it on her arms, and the looseness of it as it bounced around her.
Quickly, Sky whipped off her cloak in a swift spinning motion of her arms and folded it gently, returning it to it's place in her dresser. After this, she made her way into her bathroom to wash her feet off gently, effectively destroying the evidence of her midnight outing. Not only had she been out later than Cain would approve of, but she'd been meeting with a man known to hate him. She got on Cain's bad side often, but she didn't want to give him a reason to lock her away for good.
After cleaning herself, a knock sounded at her door and Skyleigh smiled slightly. She loved being pampered. Morning was her favorite part of the day. "Come in!" She called lightly and two of her serving girls stepped in sheepishly. Minnie and Molly. The girls were twins and quite young, but Sky liked them.
She sat at her vanity so that Molly could brush out her long flaxen hair while Minnie picked a gown for her to wear. "Miss?" Molly said sheepishly from behind her as she brushed through her hair. "You... You have leaves in your hair.."
Sky flicked a wrist gently, dismissing the comment. "Midnight stroll in the garden." She said with a mischievous grin. Her opalescent eyes locked on the small girl's in the mirror as she raised a slim finger to her lips as though gesturing that it was their little secret.
Once her hair had been fully brushed out and Minnie had pinned little purple orchids throughout it, Sky dressed in a lavender gown and gestured for the girls to leave her as she gazed at herself in the mirror. She was a true work of art. Not stunning, like some of the women on Cain's court, but surely an eye-catcher. She had a way of making others nervous and twitchy with just a glance. Something in her eyes. Maybe that touch of madness you could see to them, despite the cool and collected exterior. Or maybe it was just the fact that she was on Cain's court, and highly privileged. One of the few residents of the castle that was not a High Elf.
"They'll worship me mother." She whispered to the mirror, no longer seeing her own face, but her mother's eyes staring back at her, cruel, condescending, and filled with a wild madness. Sky had to blink her eyes tightly and wipe away the illusion to keep from screaming at the top of her lungs and tearing the mirror off the wall.
Composing herself, Sky turned away from the mirror in a swirl of lilac and silver, and left her room, stepping lightly down the castle halls.
Once she'd managed to steady her hammering heart and regulate her quick, short breathing, she rolled back over and sat with her back to the brick wall, looking around the vicinity. She was in her "home" under one of Home's many bridges. Tucked away, hidden from the world. Safe. Well, not exactly safe. She was still wanted. Still banished and living like an animal. However, at the moment, she was not in any danger.
Kali smiled at the thought and stood, gazing around at the many paintings that covered the underside of the bridge. Everyday she woke up alive, she added to the collage of little pictures that stretched all the way across the bridge. Some were happy depictions, others scenes from a nightmare, but all were personal to her.
Stretching out her muscles luxuriously, Kali daintily picked up her brush and hopped gracefully up onto the low ledge that she slept on, adding a picture of a raven between a picture of a flaming scarecrow and a picture of a moonlit sky.
Satisfied, Raven leaned back to inspect her work and smiled. Painting reminded her of her mother. The fluid motions of the brush, the way a flick of the wrist could turn a thought into a reality. Just the very smell of the paints brought her back to when she would sit with her mother in her studio and watch the Adept woman create.
A low rumbling sound from her stomach shook Rae from her daydream and she hopped gently down from the wall again, bare feet hardly making a sound against the concrete as she returned her brush back to it's resting place and grabbed the pale blue hooded cloak from her small pile of things.
Time for some breakfast. She thought to herself as she slipped on her cloak and pulled up the hood to hide her long black hair and shadow her facial features. She had two cloaks. A deep, heavy purple one for the night, and a lighter, sky blue one for the daytime. Both, she'd taken a knife to along the bottom so that they only hung down to her knees to allow her the freedom of movement without tripping, just as she'd done to all her dresses.
With quick, smooth steps, she left the safety and cover of the bridge and stepped out into the sunlight. She wrapped around, up the hill to the road, and crossed the bridge into the city.
As she passed through the city, she made sure to keep her eyes alert and her ears open. Breakfast... She thought as she made her way into the market, passing, and ignoring Cain's long list of silly rules in the center. Sights, smells and sounds overwhelmed her as she glided in and out of people, generally unnoticed, something she knew how to do well as a Shade. Raven lifted her head as the smell of freshly baked bread drifted towards her and she smiled, spotting the vendor a little ways down.
Unfortunately, there was a soldier standing nearby, but Raven liked a challenge. She was a swift thief and was rarely caught. When she was, she typically managed to slip away before they could nab her, and she was so hungry, and the bread smelled so good.
So, with the bread vendor as her target, Raven slipped thought the crowd just as she had been before and, just as she was passing a man bringing out a tray of steaming rolls, her hand swiftly nabbed one and tucked it away in her cloak before anyone could see.
Quick. Easy. Just like that.
But... Who'd grabbed her? Rae turned her head to look into the eyes of whoever had thought it a good idea to grab her wrist. As usual, for she was small, she had to look up. Way up. The very tall, very strong soldier she'd seen earlier had a firm grip on her wrist.
Shit. She cursed in her head as he yanked on her arm, causing her hood to fall and her body to crush against his chest as he reached for her other hand.
But she was quick, and she tucked the roll she was holding in her other hand into a hidden pocket in her cloak just a milisecond before he yanked her hand forward and looked, perplexed, at it's emptiness.
Raven shot the man her best innocent look with her doe-eyes and tried to wriggle her tiny wrists free from his huge hands, but it was no use. He merely yanked her closer and squeezed her wrists tighter. If Raven could have cried out, she would have, for the pain was excruciating. She could practically feel the bones in her wrist bending, almost to their breaking points.
"Please." She mouthed, though no sound came out as she twisted her wrists back and forth in his grip and struggled frantically to pull away. She couldn't be taken to Cain's dungeon. He wouldn't let her through again. She had to get away. There was no way she would go to prison over a stupid roll.
"You're a thief." The man growled, spitting in her face, and Rae had to resist the urge to roll her eyes and nod, making it clear that he'd pointed out the obvious.
Instead she just shot him her best frightened look and shook her head frantically. "Then how'd you get these?" He asked and flicked her ears, gesturing to the ruby, the turquoise, and the silver hoops she kept in them.
She couldn't tell him they were her mothers. She had no way of doing so unless she sent it to him telepathically, and she was far too worked up to concentrate on a message. "Please." She merely mouthed again, to which he responded by squeezing her wrists, just about making her fall to her knees as he dragged her through the streets towards Cain's castle.