I walked back into my room from the connected bathroom, raising a brow as I noticed how he seemed to keep his back away from me. It was an interesting combination, but I knew better than to question it and osberve it aloud; he would surely snap or something, maybe even finally deciding to drag his blade across my throat. I nodded briefly before I led the way outside of my room, holding the door open a little longer than usual out of simple courtesy; he could probably phase through it or something shadowy shit, but I wanted to be a little nice.. emphasis on a little. My strides were not rushed or long as I guided him down the winding staircases and serpentine halls. I had no idea who made the plans for this tower, but they would have heard an earful from me if they were still alive.

``Good morning, Lady Polaris,`` one of the guards in the halls greeted me, bowing further than was necessary and meeting my gaze. I raised a curious brow and narrowed my eyes, recollecting how such gestures usually came from those that were not entirely here to protect the tower, but to also gain the attention of the high-ranking individuals from within. I had to bite back a scoff as I gave his armored shoudler a pat, watching as he straightened and gave me a concerningly large smile. ``Where are you off to, my Lady?``

``A walk,`` I replied bluntly, giving him a sheepish smile that was the exact opposite of my harsh tone. With a small, nervous laugh, I turned and resumed walking; I hated how awkward I was with everyone or, if I wasn`t awkward, incredibly impulsive with my words. It wasn`t long before we made it outside the tower, which was where I paused and looked around. The city of Astral looked very high-end and luxurious, but I knew better than everyone else how corrupted it was. Every sewer and basement within the city was filled with orphans, the unwanted, and other types of individuals that could not fend for themselves. My purpose was to protect and help them, something I would never stray from or forget. I looked around for a few moments, raising my brow in a silent question. Was he going to appear from his shadowy disguise or was he going to wander off without my knowledge?

I was relieved to observe him emerge from his concealed state, looking him over briefly out of curiosity. A part of me wondered how his powers truly worked, knowing that every individual had their own unique abilities and had different ways of controlling/maintaining them. In my case, my magic powers were incredibly strong, something I was both scared and proud of, and I knew what could happen if I wasn`t careful. A sigh escaped as I processed his words, speaking beneath my breath before I complied, ``I`ll be back then.``

I turned with a rather dramatic shift of my heels, glancing back at him once before continuing towards the stables. Although I had my own horse, I rarely rode him since my father had decided to give me a beast of a horse; I swear to god the animal truly enjoyed trying to kill me every millisecond. When I reached the stables, I asked one of the servants to fetch him for me since I wanted to spend the least amount of time possible with him. Eventually, the servant returned and handed me the reins of the looming stallion before me, his flanks heaving and nostrils flaring. I could tell that this was going to be a pain in the ass. Without assistance, I hoisted myself into the saddle and guided him towards where I knew he was waiting. My horse was on the larger side, his spotted coat free of blemishes and muscles incredibly defined. Even thouh I barely rode him, it would seem he was still in top-notch shape.

``Try not to kill me for once,`` I mumbled beneath my breath to the horse I was currently seated on, earning myself a neigh that I considered to be mocking. I rolled my eyes as I pulled him into a halt, my gaze flitting here and there since I was back at the spot I had departed from the man that seemed so insistent on keeping me in view. I held the reins rather tightly, a habit I had since I did not want to get killed by him.

``No,`` I mumbled beneath my breath while my hands instinctively tightened on the reins within my grip, causing the stallion to seemingly off in annoyance. It was a rather known fact that riding horses was not my strong suit, these large animals always having a grudge of some kind against me for no apparent reason; animals of any kind, for that matter, terrified me since I was used to seeing little to none of them in Astral. The city`s streets were clean and well-kept unlike most cities of its kind, trading lacking anything involving animals. I figured that was another reason why the city was struck by poverty and could not truly help those that desperately needed it; Astral was surrounded by farms, but within.. there were no sources of food that were obvious. If any of those farms lost their crop or experienced some kind of disaster, every citizen wihin Astral`s walls would be screwed.

My thoughts were interrupted when he started walking away, leading me to urge the stallion onwards with a gentle kick. Fortunately, he listened and walked forward as we headed towards wherever he was going. I presumed he was fetching his own horse since he had told me to grab my own. Truth be told, I would have taken a different horse if I could have, but that would mean taking a horse that either belonged to a guard or my father; both of those were things I didn`t want, especially since mine was calm conpared to theirs. His suggestion was one I agreed with, so I didn`t protest as I halted my horse and observed him retreat towards the Inn. A sigh escaped me as I tried my best to relax yet to no true avail.

I looked around as I waited patiently, tensing whenever an individual stared at me for a little too long. The majority of the public believed me to be as selfish and cruel as my father, which was far from the actual truth; I could only hope that those that personally knew me did not think of me the same way they thought of him. The idea hurt me immensely, the emotions another reminder that I was weak and prone to emotions despite everything. The stallion shifted beneath me and sighed heavily as if he were annoyed, leading me to lift my head. I nearly smiled at the sight of him returning, noting how his horse was smaller than my own; I made no comment about it, however.

``Alright,`` I whispered in response, not needing to hurry after him since my horse instinively set off after him. My hands clutched the reins as we headed towards Altair; I hated how far it was from the tower for once, usually appreciating the distance to avoid suspicion or observant gazes of the hidden guards in the tower`s proximity. A frown was plastered across my face the entire time we rode, showcasing my displeasure the entire time. I would have much preferred to walk on foot, even if it would have taken an additional hour or two to get to our destination. In order to remain somewhat sane, I busied myself with studying the man that rode in front of me. I really was curious about him and where he came from, even if he clearly despsied me with a passion. I was supposed to hate him as well, yet here I was.. interested and almost attracted to him despite it all.

I remained quiet for the entirety of the ride towards Altair, save for the occassional greeting or curse beneath my breath. The sight of the occasional orphan or outcast darting from one side of the incredibly busy street to the other sending a jolt of pain directly into my heart. Even though my father and practically everyone else despised my caring nature, I knew that this was the part of me that I would forever cherish and protect; no one would ever be able to change how much I cared for everyone around me, knowing just how tough life could possibly be. Of course, I did find myself staring at my captor on multiple occassions, occassionally smiling or raising a brow at any and every nuiance that shifted across his face. I froze when his eyes met mine, realization dawning on me that he had caught me staring at him.

``I.. N-No,`` I stammered as I looked elsewhere, pretending to be nonchalant but absolutely failing to do so. God damn it, I was being pathetic right now and I hated it more than anything else. I really couldn`t help myself from being so curious and attracted to him, everything about him seemingly calling out to me. Sure, I had grown up in a relatively protected environment and had been shielded from most of the cruel things out in the world, but there was something about him that made me want to chase after him and learn even more. I had never been more relieved than now when the Altair came into view, my tense form visibly relaxing.

I nodded in silent agreement, urging the stallion I sat upon onwards. My eyes widened when his ears flattened and he endeavored to nip at his horse; I really, really wanted to dismount as soon as possible. With a huff beneath my breath, I eventually managed to get his attention off of the other horse and headed straight for the renowned building. Once I reached it, I gathered the reins in one hand before gracefully hopping off of him and tying him to a nearby fence post. I doubted anyone would want to try and take him away, so I was not too afraid of leaving him here out in the open. I did not dare wait to see if the man had actually followed me, drawing in a deep breath as I entered the one and only Altair. The inside was as luxurious yet foreboding as it always was, women gathering around men here and there as they desperately fought for attention. All of it was annoying, truth be told, but to them.. it was simply their life.

``Is that a Polaris I see?`` a voice- a familiar one- interrupted my quiet observations, causing me to fabricate a smile and light laugh. A rather tall man approached me with an equally false smile, his body muscular and rather heavily scarred. This was none other than the man my captor was looking for: Veron. His black hair was ruffled and his neck was blatantly covered in lipstick, leading to my conclusion that he had been spending time with his lover moments prior. ``I look like a mess, don`t I?``

``Yes.. you certainly do,`` I replied with a raised brow, leaning against the nearby wall. Even though he was a renowned individual, everyone knew better than to approach him directly; one wrong move could be enough to convince him to kill you or even worse.. make you a new toy to torture whenever he was bored or pissed off. I had never seen such thins firsthand, but I had seen the victims of his wrath before. ``I actually wanted to speak to you about something..``

``You have my attention, so enlighten me, Ari, what it is you want to discuss,`` Veron, his voice now serious and laced with unspoken threats, leaned downwards to stare unwaveringly into my soul, making me feel minuscule and lesser in an odd way. I knew he was nothing more than a commoner that had struck gold one day at a guard depot, smuggling a large assimilation of confiscated and illegal weapons to keep for his own use. Had he ever used them out in public for any reason? No, but he had sold quite a few to individuals that were currently rotting away in jail and would be for the rest of their lives. Regardless, it was the fact that he had used one of my familiar nicknames that truly unsettled me; I had learned he reserved its usage for whenever he was in a very.. special mood, one where he threw all respect and understanding out the window due to having a foul mood. He almost reminded me of my captor, but more extreme.

``I need a few orders of your finest wines,`` I spoke calmly and carefully as I met his gaze head-on, not reacting when I saw the familiar form of my captor entering Altair casually; Veron was no fool and his abilities to read people were on the same level as my own. My words caused him to smile- a cruel one- while he hummed beneath his breath, taking the chance to move around me in a single, threatening circle before facing me again. ``I would also prefer to have it as soon as possible.``

``Someone`s desperate, hm?`` Veron commented with a deep chuckle before he gave me a final lookover, seemingly deeming me as someone that wasn`t a threat. This was always the ritual that unfolded whenever I came here, my reference to the wines being a code word for the vault of illegal weapons that were concealed beneath our feet. In response to his words, I simply shrugged and raised an expectant brow. We stared at each other in complete silence for a while before he gestured towards a specific corner of the room with his head; it was a familiar one.. a very familiar one. I followed after him as he turned on his heel and strode forward, using the opportunity to look over at my captor. My eyes widened slightly when our gazes met, frowning briefly in annoyance at the sight of one of the many whores trying to entertain him. I was supposed to not give a shit about who he was with or what he was doing with them, yet I found myself actually caring. I shoved the emotions and thoughts down before giving him a wink, hoping he understood that my plan to get him in close quarters with Veron was underway.

Veron lead me past a room that was being watched by multiple armed men, their appearances not giving anything away except their tense muscles and narrowed eyes as I passed them. I hated coming here by myself, especially since nothing was stopping Veron from killing me or using me as leverage. I could only hope that my captor was going to be using his shadows to sneak into the basement. Veron closed the door behind us before we descended down the small set of stairs, my heart racing when I came face-to-face with the familiar sight of a colossal, brimming armory. It was both impressive and terrifying that he had acquired all of this. He watched as I feigned interest in certain items and weapons, eventually speaking, ``Anything you want specifically, Ari? I heard your encampments have been struggling. Perhaps something more.. powerful would be suitable?``

``The more powerful it is, the more riskier it is. We`ve been over this,`` I replied, biting back the urge to tell him to quit calling me by a nickname he never should have discovered. A sigh left me as I continued to browse, counting down the seconds it took for my captor to get down here. I started to wonder if he ever was going to, my heart racing at the thought of it. I would be fine if I was alone with Veron, yet.. my captor did have an effect on me and, despite everything, it was a welcome one.