Bur Emmie Wite's Story

There was that sweet scent again that she always had about her. He could tell she was near by just simply by the fact that her scent....perfume to better explain it, would give her away, sometimes he pretended to not smell it, but other times he would turn and welcome her, seeing that look of slight disappointment that she couldn't sneak up on him. He let her get the upper hand on him pretending to not notice her, she jumped on his back in a hug, he held himself up only wavering under the little weight she threw against him. Those around him smiling lightly, he just took in the scent as she came around her arms still around his neck, taking her in an embrace.

The day seemed to fly by, dinner, movie; her choice, but it was a good one, and a stroll down the streets, it was dark, but the lights on the streets did a good job at illuminating. The night that she decided to be proper for her to initiate the kiss. The stroll ended at her place, a fairly nice house, only made it inside once before and that was too meet the family. This night was slightly different though, the house was empty; just to them.

The perfect night, at least that is what it seemed, having her so close was more comfort than he was used to, the press of her body against his, her light breath on his neck as she slept, it brought a feeling that he wasn't completely used to, and fear, the fear that he could lose what he had currently. He did his best to picture the look of serenity on her face. He shifted slightly and she smiled obviously awake, her eyes opened lazily, her mouth moved as if to say something but no words came out, just the movements of her lips as if she were saying something without the voice......

He sat up suddenly, heart racing and frantically searching the room, though he knew inside that this wasn't the room that he dreamed of, and that when he looked for her he would not find her next to him. His hand found its way to his face, it covered his right eye, for some reason it was sensitive ever since he tested the nanos on himself, but if it didn't come in contact with a light source it didn't bother him. He fished around his little shack in search for that eye-patch, finding it buried under the sleeping bag he had traded for. After securing the eye-patch he looked about the shack, it really wasn't much but it was enough space for the few things he did grab. There was a bickering close outside over what he didn't care, he grabbed his backpack, the one thing that he packed everything he could into, and stepped outside.

In his era, the year was 2150, and the way that this Cove was built up was nothing in resemblance, how was it that he could live in that era, and then be forced back into the prehistoric ages. The constant calamity of robotics and the hover cars with auto drive, along with the fact that walking was non-existent, only those who were truly bored did menial tasks like that anymore. This no transportation and the fact that there were only people here bothered him. He made sure his Disc was secure and hidden well among his clothing, before setting off on his obligated walk.
The area was something else, if you could think of something closer to Sin City, you would have a better mind than his. Everything seemed to happen here, this is where you would come to get anything you needed, or wanted, though not the greatest place to live per say. He was still tired and the constant yawning didn't help with his sight, someone bumped into him or he into them but the feeling was mutual either way.

"Hey watch where you're going dick." He got a look of the size of the man he was standing behind and instantly wished that he hadn't said that. He then realized that there was a distinct circle around them. The giant man didn't hesitate a moment, it was grab and then airborn, through a crowd of people and a hard landing in the dirt, followed by some laughter and maybe a few sounds of concern, maybe. A moment of laying there, with vague sounds from the two now alone in the circle and he had his wits about him, he got up slowly, not even trying to dust himself off, he would take care of that later. He made the journey to the Court.

He dusted himself off on the walk there wondering what he could possibly do to get a residence for himself somewhere out of Sin City. He scratched the side of his head under a strap of the eye-patch as he walked farther into the Court, or forums as he had heard others say. The people here all having a fair look about them, he probably stood out like a sore thumb, just solely on the fact that he was in his normal attire, and well the eye-patch. He noticed a woman being escorted by a few others, she was definitely a looker, her hair done up and dressed in well something that left little to the imagination, she looked like a model; which in fact would not surprise him in the least. Another yawn forced him to loose sight again.

"Hey Draven? Why haven't you introduced me to your parents yet?" It was a cute look on her face that accompanied the common question that was asked over and over, how was he going to tell her that they were constantly working, barely ever to make a presence in his life. His sister loved her, he always got pulled aside by his sister and was constantly drilled with questions. That and he didn't even know the conversations that his sister had with her.

"I mean they're going to have to meet their future daughter in law at some point or another." Her face was damn red, but he never had the answer for her.

"Hey Kid!" Was all he heard before someone bashed into his back pushing him forward. He didn't see who, but he was lip locked with a pale girl and falling forward, he positioned his arm to hold whoever she was close so that they wouldn't hit the ground hard, and extended his other to stop/cushion the fall as best he could. His hand hit the ground causing him to roll slightly, which broke the kiss, which he hadn't intended to do in the first place. He pulled away far enough where he could get a good look of the girl that he had bumped into, the tension in the air, well lets just say that wasn't to hard to feel, all eyes on him at the moment, and the silence for a moment was deafening literally.

There was a flow of chatter from the crowd even though, all forms of movement had stopped, he could see out of the corner of his left eye that some people were whispering while others didn't hide their shock of what just happened. He saw a few fingers being pointed but not much more than that. He heard a mixture of things that he didn't like from those that weren't to silent about their thoughts.

"I'm sorry-" He was lifted off the girl, not knowing who it was he struggled a little till he saw the crest. The "guards" if you could call them all had the same crests on them, he had seen plenty in the cove. He stopped struggling, knowing that today was going to be a long one, he didn't really listen to the guard spouting off whatever nonsense he was saying, he just gave the girl that he had knocked down and apologetic look and the best bow he could with the guard holding him.

In Delinquent Cove

A significant crowd began to form around the two fighters- those young and old, male and female, could be heard placing bets and giving their own feedback on who might have the upper hand. Chang, the small but toned and nimble man from imperial China, cracked his knuckles and gave a once over of the audience to see if he saw anyone in particular. And there the man was, right in the front next to a young boy, was Toshihiro, the man he had hired and would continue to hire, to build his temple on the potential real estate he was about to win. Or so he thought. And then there was Amun, the massive Egyptian man who once was a slave to the first Pharaoh of Egypt. Building pyramids and surviving in a dessert made the man one gigantic chunk of muscle, ready to do some of his own meat pounding. Amun had a loyal group of supports standing behind him, rooting him on and clinking their glasses of ale together. To all who weren't involved, it was just another wonderful day in their caged paradise. After a brief run in with a random man passing through, and Amun kicking him out of the way, it was game time.

"You ready, short man?" Amun spat, his voice deep and thunderous. And then there was Chang, his voice the exact opposite. It was high pitched and snaky. "I've been ready, fat man," was Chang's response, which immediately caused a reaction out of Amun. He knew he was large but did not want to be called fat. Amun lunged forward, but Chang side-stepped to the right; it was far enough to where the initial impact was directed towards, but close enough to where Amun reached out and grabbed the Chinese man's shoulder. His grip was like a magnet, not letting it go until Chang was picked up and tossed to the other end of the open circle. Chang hit the ground rolling, taking only a brief moment to collect himself as he got back on his toes. That one had hurt but Chang was now able to predict the arm length of Amun, a necessary fact. Amun charged again at Chang, but this time Chang slid between the big man's legs, dodging another stampede and side swiping known human presence points on the body which led to Amun loosing balance and dropping a knee. Chang came at him again, but this time Amun caught his arm in the air and twisted it around with a force that would break any bone... and it did. Chang toppled over, screaming as his left arm bent in an entirely new direction than what was normal. Amun stood up on his feet and approached Chang who was shaking his head rapidly, already calling it quits. He wouldn't be able to focus or fight at the state his arm was in. Amun, having a noble honor, despite being a slave most of his life, spared Chang his life. The battle was quickly over as soon as it started, Amun raising his hands in the air. Those who bet on him to win cheered, while others sighed at the pathetic length of a brawl. With the fight out of the way, it meant people had to get back to work.. doing whatever they were given as tasks to do for Rufus. Fair in square, Amun was awarded the 2 acre property and would soon turn it into the largest hookah bar in Titania. So much for a temple, though in a place like this, it wasn't really necessary. Did gods exist in a dimension of no time or space?

Someone who was there in the crowd from the beginning, refereeing the fight, stood up on a small wooden box. "Break it up, move back to what you were doing!" he shouted as people still booed over the short fight. "Aw, now. If you are that interested in a fight, go to the Coliseum today! The new athletes are going to be competing already!" With that said, people calmed down, moods switching from anger to joy. Half the crowd already started to head off in the direction of the coliseum- it was a decent walk on foor. Others there went to aid Chang's broken arm. At least the land wasn't short on top notch doctors.

_____

Bur had made it half way up the stairs when she heard a commotion beginning to take place. A new face dressed in odd clothing had bumped into Aileen. Bur knew of the girl as a 'living doll' and how particular her 'caretakers' were on her looks and mannerisms. Bur honestly felt sorry for her, constantly being told what to do, how to dress, who to be around. But Bur's sympathy only reached so far for the girl, she was more so known for her apathy. This Roman-dressed doll creation had now fallen over due to the stranger, and by the looks of it, this must have been the most exciting thing that happened in the Court today, so far. Why? Everyone in the area grew silent and played their silly little pointing games. The lazy guards in the Court even hopped at the chance to 'perform their duty' which they rarely ever had to do in the Court of Royals. Bur sighed, deciding maybe she could take a few minutes to watch how this plays out. She sat down on the smooth marble step near the top, flatting out her sheer green throw-over as her jewels jingled against her wrists. Besides the crowd watching the altercation play out, there were indeed eyes on herself. It was hard to be undercover or go unnoticed with a vibrant head of white hair and a father who everyone knew personally. When Bur sat to watch, this seemed to be the go ahead for others to stand, sit, and watch.

It appeared the doll was just as flustered as the stranger was. She couldn't hear what the two were saying but it came off as awkward. Out of the corner of Bur's eye she then spotted none other than Francesca. Francesca had a reputation in the Court, and Bur immediately smirked. She knew that an opportunity for attention would never go pass the eyes of Francesca. Bur started to count down from five to one, and like clockwork, as Bur reached one, Francesca took flight to the two to grab some spotlight. With Bur's guess correct, her face turned smug. At least Francesca could always be counted on to provide Bur with some mild form of entertainment.

After a few minutes of the three interacting, Bur stood up and began to finish her walk up the stairs. She was bored, yet again. Her fingers traced along a tall white column, peering into the grand opening of the marble building. It was an open space with a large atrium in the center. Lounging couches took hold in random places around the floor space. The main counsel that discussed 'laws and such' were gathered in the far back. These people lived inside this building, distant hallways leading to bedrooms.. this meant they were always around and always going to cause drama if they didn't get want they asked for. Bur debated if she even wanted to approach them but she was curious to hear more about the new athletes that had arrived. Giving in, Bur walked down the structured colonnade, keeping to the shaded areas as best she could.

She flinched, an annoyed expression growing on her face as she heard her name being called out by one of the councilmen. Her moment of cover was blown, and Bur waved half-heartedly at the collected group. They knew better than to wait for Bur to approach them so instead the eight or so members came to her. Of course.

The guard had a decent grip on him, and the pain that his arm was sending him said that if he were to resist it would dislocate or worse break, which caused him to just let the event flow out in whatever direction it was going to go. At this point he was ready for the worst, and was a little surprised when he was let go, he was able to cradle the arm that hurt and was able to stand again, the people around still standing and gauking. He wanted to lash out at them, but held it back for the fact that the woman that he had "assaulted" had let him go, he thought that she had offered the guard something and then later said something to a group of women that had wandered off shortly after, but he had missed that, not being so socially aware had its benefits when it came to ignorance. It reminded him of a certain meeting he had in the past, but he dismissed the thought.

"You should avoid such scandals in the Court. My pure image has just been destroyed by you." she laughed. Why she would laugh after saying something like that confused Draven.
He had the decency to look slightly embarrassed at least, it was his fault being lost in thought and running head first into another person, literally. He was trying to think of something to say other than to apologize again but another woman made her entrance shortly.

"You want to be careful Aileen or you'll end up with a reputation like mine."

So the woman he was talking to was named Aileen, a fitting name. he turned his head to the woman who was talking a moment ago, her face showed her to be in good spirits, but the laugh didn't match, it held something much more sinister behind it. It became apparent soon after what she meant though, pressing herself against him and whispering sweet nothings in his ear, he liked it though it was a little to much for him at the time. He enjoyed the offer of help even if what he had in mind was slightly different from what she was offering though, he was a little relieved that she had better things to do and soon left, commenting on something about a league of groomers, .....this place confused him.

He looked about, the scene had stopped and there was minimal interaction from the crowd now that everyone was left to their own devices, though the guards were still eying him, he could feel it more than see it. "Dieser Tag muss enden..yes, I wished this day would end" He stated it softly. He turned to Aileen, as he knew her now. He had met two people alone today that seemed to be interested in helping him out of situations that he found undesirable, for what reason he didn't know but they had stepped in.

"It seems we were headed in the same direction," He motioned to where Aileen's party had wandered off, it was an offering to walk with her, but he wasn't going to offer an arm, he was not courting her. That and he didn't want to be around those that were still eying him, few but still enough to make him want out of there.

"I am Draven by the way, Aileen, its a nice name." He forced a grin as he walked to the forum, looking for those who were dressed for business, though everyone looked the same, he assumed that Aileen would go about her business though was open for conversation if she were to show back up again somewhere down the road.

The forum was the place for business it seems, there were tons of people about all who looked like they could be the person Draven had to talk with to get what he wanted, the surrounding buildings all looked like nobility could live in them, that and the decorations around, they all seemed to be from Ancient Rome. There were groups of people posted everywhere across the forums, he chatted with a few of the groups interrupting their conversations only to be pointed to another group, he did this for five or six groups before he leaned on a nearby pillar thinking to himself a moment. He noticed a woman he had seen earlier, looking as if she wanted to go unnoticed, but was soon called out to by a group of people, and swarmed to shortly after, unlucky for her.

"Hey," It was from his left, a man sitting in the shade of a pillar, "From the look on your face you haven't found what you've been looking for," He looked over at the girl that Draven had seen earlier. "She can get you whatever you want. Her name is Bur." Draven looked at the girl a little more intently, she didn't seem like too much, she was pale with white hair, wearing a green getup, he didn't know much about women's cloths so that was the best word he had for it a getup, though her appearance said that she was there for whatever reason, her face showed otherwise, especially surrounded by the men and women that were there.

"This information doesn't come free I take it?" He looked back at the man, but he was no longer there, just disappeared. Draven looked about, but didn't find anything as to where the man had gone. He prepped himself a little, sighing and getting himself ready, because well this might just turn out like earlier where he made an ass of himself, but it was the best lead he had. He headed over to the group as calm as he could get himself. The people around him seemed to tense as he approached that specific group, the guards in the area seemed to lock on to him, but maybe that was just anxiety? He was coming up from behind the group and behind Bur as the man had called her, he placed a hand on her shoulder, "Its official business, if you don't mind I'll be borrowing this young lady." He moved his arm as to lead her out of the group but had no idea if she was willing to come with or not

Another woman had come up to approach them as she was talking to the man. Francesca... Even Aileen had heard of her in the Court. She had never seen her this close up before and now she could see where her vanity came from. She had to admit that the lady was beautiful. A more mature and sexy beauty compared to a young beauty like herself.

"You want to be careful Aileen or you'll end up with a reputation like mine."

Aileen smiled at her, "Of course. I'll be more careful from now on. It's an honour to get advice from the infamous Francesca herself." Actually the lady wasn't really listening to her. She seemed a lot more interested in the man that had 'assaulted' her. After enduring the obvious flirting going on in front of her Francesca added, "Don't be late sweetie. Or else your league of groomers won't be impressed."

She tried really hard to not roll her eyes but instead keep her smile and wave goodbye to the woman. Aileen watched Francesca confidently walk away, noticing the many eyes that followed her as she took her leave. Hearing the man's voice she turned back to him and smiled.

"Thank you. Draven is an interesting name. It's nice to officially meet you." She nodded at his offering to walk, kind of liking the fact that it was just a walk and nothing more. She walked at a moderate pace, both hands held in front of her. No conversation was initiated, and that was fine with her. It was strange for someone dressed like Draven to be in the Court of Royals; perhaps this would be the only time she'd see him.

Once they reached the the main building she waved and said her goodbyes. "Bye, Draven. Hopefully next time we meet the greeting will be less physical." she said with a laugh. She turned and started up the stairs of the building until she noticed a flash of white hair. Aileen stopped and turned to the girl. Bur probably didn't even notice her, but it was a habit that Aileen had developed growing up in an Asian home. Anybody of power was to be respected. Now that she was in a city full of culture, her old customs weren't so out of place as they were back when she was a celebrity. She slightly bowed in Bur's direction before standing up and continuing up the stairs.

There were sounds of commotion down the steps and she couldn't help but turn back around in curiosity. Draven had his arm around Bur and looked like he was going to pull her out of the group. Did he actually just go up to her and grab her? A look of dismay crossed her face before she chuckled. What an interesting person... first assault and now he goes straight to the person with the second most influence in the city. Her 'groomers', as Francesca put them, were not to far from her. Their husbands were with them and they looked down at Draven with pointed fingers. No doubt wondering what he was going to do with Bur. Curious, she stood and waited to see what would happen next.

It didn't look like Bur wanted to be bothered, and Aileen could care less whether she was or not, but she had enough gawking and wanted to get away from the awkward situation. She turned to the wives and their husbands, calling them down. "Come, let's leave the princess to her business. You are all excited for the games are you not?" she said with a smile. They stared at her and hesitantly nodded, talking amongst themselves before coming down the stairs to Aileen's side. Pleased, Aileen went down the steps to where the officials were. "The group of you as well," she said as she gestured with an inviting hand, "come, join the games." A few parted the group and joined hers, but the rest seemed to want to stay and observe what Draven was going to do with their beloved Bur. Well, it was the best she could do. Hopefully, to the girl she would be more than just a mere citizen of Titania.

She dipped her head lightly in Bur and Draven's direction, indicating a goodbye. With that, she led her group down to the Colosseum. After about five minutes of awkward silence, it was soon broken with the chatter and excitement about the upcoming matches. Aileen wasn't a fan of the Roman gladiator fights due to the blood and deaths, but she was always dragged along by the Royals anyways. As a bonus, when she was there she sat very close to the Emperor's box, where sometimes Rufus himself would come down and watch the games. Whenever she could she would sneak in a hello to the great leader or the Royals themselves would talk about her when they attempted to speak with him. Either way, coming to the Colosseum allowed for many opportunities, including picking up new "groomers". Ha, she was beginning to like the nickname Francesca had given them.

They made their way into the Colosseum through the entrance only permitted to Royals, and took their seats nearby the Emperor's box. Rufus was not present, but Aileen didn't lose all hope as of yet. The games hadn't started. Perhaps he would be down to watch later. After all, these were Olympians he brought. They would definitely provide a good source of entertainment that even Rufus himself would be interested in. The Colosseum had already started to begin filling with the people of Titania. The noise level was already unbearable, and Aileen tried keeping her composure as she continued to smile and act interested in the conversations of the Royals. The wives were bragging about their doll to other Royals, and they had begun to touch her hair and clothing, gossiping about what they should dress her up next in.