Setting
The crunch of leaves were the first sounds to reach Frost's ears. Blinded and dazed, he stumbled around as the light faded from his eyes before leaning against a tree. The smell of autumn wafted through the air as he slumped to the forest floor and laughed. He laughed and laughed and laughed as he sat against the tree and looked towards the south. He started muttering to himself as he stood up again, his eyes adjusted to the new world before him. "Free at last. Feels like I was running for hours." Looking around he saw no signs of any others like him. Thinking back, he recalled his escape. The Hedge an ever winding labyrinth as he found a single gate after racing through several corridors of brambles and thorns. Racing through the gate, a blinding white light engulfed him and then he found himself amongst the forests of the other side. Glancing around, he thought of hiding out in the forest. Then a bout of paranoia struck him. A thought of his captor raged in his mind. Instinct told him to keep running. Running until the forest itself was but a speck on the horizon. And so he ran, reaching the edge of the forest before stopping at the fence. A low growl escaped and he stared past the fence itself. A small town just beyond a field greeted his gaze with an alluring light. A smile graced his face and he looked around, ignoring the fence and devising a way to climb over without touching it. "Logs? Maybe. Climbing the trees? Could work."
After awhile, she approached one of the men and flirts with him and finally manage to convince him to take her home. Leyla always manage to do that with human males without giving them any favor for the favor. It was just her fae look alone under the mask that "hypnotized" the male to be convinced. This is why she is very social and charismatic person.
Leyla looked outside from the window of the car, they were driving through the forest near the fence that people just thinking they blocking the path to hunting grounds. However, Leyla knew what was beyond that fence, she felt quite strange being near it, however now she noticed that there was a change in the air. Like the fence is bringing something. Suddenly, she noticed something behind the fence, a figure. She told the men who was driving, "Stop the car here....". The man looks confused, "Here?". She nodded, "Yes, I live not far from here....also, I need to walk a bit...". The man nodded, he couldn't much disagree to Leyla, but he looks disappointed a bit. Leyla got out of the car and the man drove away. She walked toward the fence, gazing at the figure behind the fence until it was clearer and clearer to her that it was a person there. She reached a distance that they can hear each other and said, "Hey, you there.....cross over quickly, you don't want to stay there long time....".
He loved new toys though, the best tech on the market, whether it be useful or not he had to have it. Usually stealing from tech stores was enough but when the fun stuff came to town then that’s when he started planning, and with his seeing powers his plans went off without a hitch. Of course he had to find humans that had certain skill but what couldn’t be taught, was hired and he had a lot of money for that. There were the times he had to plan bank robberies, stealing weapons, or importing hard to find things. His business was run clean, no drugs, no smuggling humans, and certain manners with people we had business with.
The protections against his enemies were in levels in his tower, the first floor was where most of the business was done houses, jobs, business permits, and insurance were there for a small fee and a little more money each month, if you want to see the boss you will have to sign a contract with putting whatever happens on the signers head. That’s where they had to go through the metal detectors, and be patted down, that should get rid of most weapons and most hunters should not. The elevator was like a giant tanning bed with four of the six walls with tanning lights, just so the vampires would show their true colors and could be taken care of. When you get to the meeting floor you meet up with his best guards wearing jewelry with cold iron in them, and then one will always go to shake your hand, this is where the werewolves get found out the ring that you hand shake has a small needle that is coated in silver and can only be felt by a werewolf. Finally they get to the room where business is conducted going through a door with chunks of iron nailed into the door frame, a few floors down from the pent house if you tried going through the meeting room up the stairs to the only way into the penthouse. If they want to try the violent way you would have to fight your way up with traps and guard’s shooting you with the best things you can buy or steal.
Not to mention Tyreseus three best men who he gave the ability to see through masks, two with him one on the ground floor. The triplets have been with him from the start, and are his right hand men and his butlers. He has started looking into the generation, but hasn’t found anyone that he would trust yet.
Her lungs burned and her head throbbed as she moved through the forest, never looking behind her once. She couldn't afford to go back, not when she had freedom again, even if it meant using every last bit of her energy to run. She could already feel her legs aching but she had to push harder. She crashed through a bush and saw the large fence, and beyond it, a town, a beacon of hope for her. She looked at the fence and blinked a couple times. It wasn't too tall to climb but she didn't want to take any chances in her escape. A broken anything could result in recapture at his hands. A shudder ran through her body. Never again.
Looking up, she noticed a tree branch that hung just enough away from the trunk to slide off of and land on the other side, with relative ease and safety. But the tree was slick with few strong branches, not good for climbing, even if she had claws. Plus it was a bit odd how it was perfectly tilted, like someone planned it. She walked around tree a couple times, hoping to find some answer in the smooth, paper like bark. Shaking her head, she decided to move further down the fence and maybe find another place to get over at, a hole or something like that.
Finally as he straighten himself, dusting himself from the run and climbing, she nodded. "Well....first, you need some clothes and maybe a good bath.... In our court, the spring court, we have some rooms for new changeling....". She motions him to follow her as she walks towards the town. "I know you have lots of questions, believe me, I was in the same boat as you are now....although, I believe it is not good to hang on the past, you need to live in the present, enjoy the life you have now".
When they reached the town, Leyla leads him to the largest building there. It seems like a city hall, but inside it looks like a court and an hotel combined.
Inside Leyla quickly approached someone, which the man can see under his mask he is a changeling too. Leyla exchanges a few words, got a key and walks back to the new runaway changeling. She handed him a key, "It is the guest room for any new changeling, you will find some clothes and there is a bath there....". She winks, because that was the first thing Leyla did when she returned to the mortal world, soaked in a bath for a few hours. "After you will feel good and ready, you will come down and we will answer your questions but you will answer some questions we have too....". Leyla shows him where the room is and quickly left him alone.
Paddy stayed in the car while the new guy followed, the new guy was impressed where the woman was staying, but he had heard about this place from Paddy, the words to use, some kind of secret code that these people spoke. The only time not to speak in the code was at this place, so he wrote the message on the paper. It said that if you want a taste of the big city he could get him a house and a job within twenty four hours, to call the number on the business card. He followed the guy to his room slipped the letter under the door and walked away.
Back at the car Paddy saw movement in the forest, he got out of the car and yelled “if you’re being hunted then my boss can help you. I have a rope if you need help getting over the fence.” He waited by the car getting the rope out of the trunk. Tonight had been eventful, a member of a rival syndicate and two potential recruits, it was nights like this that he liked the park ranger job.
Sorting through the clothes, a notable look of distaste grew on his face. None of these clothes felt right. He shoved this aside, mumbling to himself as he went into the restroom. "I can buy different clothes. These are just temporary." Looking inside, Frost stared at himself in the mirror. An unkempt man, frozen and numb stared back at him. His skin blue, ice forming at his fingertips. He tried to recognize himself but nothing came to him. He stared at the bathroom mirror for several hours and asking himself who he was before resigning and grabbing the spare set of clothes. Changing out the rags he had he discarded them and stepped outside in a simple white button down shirt and blue jeans with an old pair of sneakers. A sigh escaped and he muttered to himself again. An old tune escaping his throat as quietly sang. His voice, even quieted sounding soothing and calming. "When I think of 'home' I think of cherry pies. When I think of 'home' I think of mulberry trees. When I think of 'home' I think of butterflies. When I think of 'home' I think of bumble bees..."
Suddenly, the new guy came downstairs humming a tune. She smiled and walked to him very calmly and slowly and approached him, "Well, I see you feel good now.... Now, for the question where you are. You are back. You came back from Arcadia, you were captured by the Fae, which are mischief and evil as you might experienced there with your capture. Or as we like to call it 'The Keeper'. We all here around you were once been captive by Them, and we managed to escape just like you. You are now back in the human world, but as you've seen your reflection and ours "true" look, we are not exactly humans either. We call ourselves Changelings, humans who were taken by the creatures of the Fae and escaped but we changed during our captivity, we got as some say 'gifts' or 'curses' as others say".
She always starts like this, and she becomes quiet for a moment to let it sink in for him, and meanwhile thinking what else to say. Than she decided to do it by questions and answers, "Ok, what questions do you have that I didn't answer yet?".
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