Choo Choo

And her words only worsen it. His headache, which was dulling, comes back almost full force as he tries to think. A small groan of both annoyance and pain slips and the blond pinches at the bridge of his nose somewhat.

Syo’s caught a bit off guard when she offers her hand but manages to shake it off quickly enough to lift his free hand and return the gesture, shaking her hand firmly. “Ehh, ‘m Syo. And no, not a thing. Whenever I try to think too much about it I get a killer headache,” he huffs and takes a seat on the ledge as well, brushing bangs from his eyes.

"If it's bad, I think there's a pharmacy around the corner. I can get you something to help that headache of yours, Syo. Taking a nap probably wouldn't help that much considering you just woke up."

The clinic in Sleepy Hollow didn't look like the most reputable place, being such a small area to cover. It didn't look like a hack shop either, so that was good to know. It was right near the general pharmacy, but a headache didn't really count as an emergency as far as Rayne was concerned. She'd heard a little while ago that a lot of the newcomers went there to get checked out just to say that there was nothing wrong with them-- nothing other than being in Sleepy Hollow to begin with, anyway.

Maybe the headache was a fleeting thing. She hadn't reacted that way when she arrived, but then again, she felt like an amnesiac too. So they had that in common. It's like whenever she tried to remember something, the gears in her head just stopped and started reeling backwards.

In the end, the castle was probably his most permanent settlement, but it was the place he struggled to avoid regularly. The forest he didn’t mind as a whole, but it was true that many things resided in it that would wish him harm. Daire didn’t have a great rep amongst fae or humans, apparently, and he didn’t much care.

Figuring he should keep the mention of supernatural beings on the down-low for now, he finally stated, “Rangers and bounty hunters like to stake out in the forest.” Not a lie. “People that have lost their mind often get lost out there, too, living like animals and frightening travelers. It’s simply smarter to keep on the outskirts of it.”

Waving a hand as he spoke, he watched the girl set things down and peeked about. He exhaled slowly, resisting the urge to sneeze. It certainly was dusty; it’d need some cleaning before anything was really torn up. Lungs could collapse in a place like this, it was so hazardous.

"Or maybe you're some kind of serial killer huh," she slipped on that last thought, not noticing she had said anything until after it rolled off of her tongue. Well, it was too late to do anything about it then.

"Ah, just a joke."

Rayne nodded along to his explanation. In the outskirts of Kaiden she'd heard of many groups of rogues and bounty hunters, shady merchants who try to bargain with passing coaches and gullible rich women with no common sense. Outside of Sleepy Hollow, even the regular hunters might be something to fear. With such thick fog lingering around, it wasn't on her list of things to do--getting mistaken for an animal and shot where noone could find her.

Yeah, the woods could wait awhile.

"The competition...whichever can attract the most customers, right?"

So, first a serial killer and now a prostitute. Rayne didn't really think about staying respectful to strangers, that was obvious.

He did manage not to, that just would’ve been embarrassing.

Blue eyes blinked a few times at the question and it caused a sigh, a hand scrubbing over his face somewhat. “Yeah, apparently,” was the sighed response, head tilting as his hand slid back to rub at the back of his neck instead. A headache and feeling a little more than stiff— today was just awful.

"Can’t really remember though," Syo mutters, almost under his breath, "don’t even know how I got here in the first place." He probably should’ve given his words a little more thought in the first place. Who knows what people would think of a story like that.

"You mean you just got here? And you woke up in your own Inn room?" Most people she came across, including herself for that matter, were dropped in this place right outside of town. Seems like somebody smuggled him right into the place without anyone seeing. 

Now that's not right...

"Might sound weird, but that's the story with most people here, well, the not-knowing-how-you-got-here part anyway. I'm starting to think this place is like some kind of prison," the woman grumbled, looking down the street and letting a short sigh escape.

It was all like a bad dream—

Waking up in a cold sweat wasn’t anything serious, he’d had nightmares before, but the fact he didn’t recognize the room he was in at all.. that was definitely worrying. Syo sat up a little quickly, breathing heavy, blue eyes blinking rapidly as he looked around. His hands pressed against the mattress beneath him, glancing down before looking back up, shifting towards the edge of the bed cautiously.

This definitely wasn’t where he remembered being.. he didn’t even know where the hell here even was.

Syo’s eyes narrowed as he tried to think, pinching at the bridge of his nose for a moment before a splitting pain erupted. What a great time for a migraine. Boot-clad feet met with the floor and he stood, snatching up his hat from where it’d been so neatly placed on the bed beside him to set it on his head before padding towards the door carefully.

In the hallway there was no one. He peered around the corner before heading down the corridor, hesitating at (what looked like) the entrance to— wherever he was. A hand lifted to twist the doorknob and tug, thankful that it didn’t happen to be locked or some shit, before stepping outside more cautiously than before.

It looked like something out of an old fairytale, kinda gave him chills. At least there seemed to be people around outside.. asking where he was couldn’t hurt, right? Though every time he thought about it, his head only hurt worse.

For the past few days she'd been working on a remote-control train toy in her spare time, but with little ability they had for anything electronic, the few batteries she found were weak and the makeshift wooden toy would chug along and just die out on the sidewalk every few minutes.

This part of the sidewalk was just wide enough and smooth enough so the thing wouldn't get stuck so often on weeds protruding from out of the ground. She sat along the fence tinkering with the remote she had in her hand and silently cursing at the thing for shorting out again when she felt the bump on her shoulder that sent her forward. When she steadied herself, she scowled a bit thinking she had been out of the way enough. That look disintegrated a tiny bit when she turned to see the guy in question looking pretty weary himself.

Perking a little at her commentary on the forest, he hesitated thoughtfully before shaking his head. “It is still something to be wary of,” he told her with a hint of seriousness. Sparing her a glance, he looked away again and continued, “I can’t say… I personally haven’t been living there for very long. Perhaps I will look into that, hm?”

He quieted after that, mulling over her new opinion of the forest. Hopefully she’d catch on to his statement and continue to view it as a danger. Fae had an easier time navigating its complicated paths and trees, especially since most were native to it. He was not, however being in the king’s favor helped him move about safely.

Trailing after Rayne and observing the building they’d arrived at, he couldn’t help but wrinkle his nose. He was aware of some of the fading shops, but this one was probably one of the worst. It’d be nice if the girl could fix it up some.

What was with this forest that no one wanted to talk about it? The villagers seemed to avert their eyes or change the subject when you asked any questions about the areas surrounding Sleepy Hollow. Sounds like this place had a hell of a lot of questions and not a lot of answers for the "newcomers".

"Well, have you seen anything sketchy out there? Seems like you'd be more of an expert on what to look out for. From the sounds of it the animals aren't the only things to be afraid of." But with any [lack of] luck, Rayne was sure that Daire would be just like the others--being as vague as humanly possible.

Rayne put the box down in a crowded corner of the room, bringing up a cloud of dust that was probably left there for a few years. After coughing a few times and waving her hand around to disperse the particles away from her face, she walked back over to where Daire was standing.

It was amusing. He’d have to play around with her more.

"Well, now you know it for future reference," Daire hummed, nearly cooing as he spoke. "You pronounced it correctly, and that’s always a good start." Daw-ray. People often didn’t think to say it that way if they ever saw it written. Of course, the faerie rarely ever did such a thing… Shaking his head slightly, the blond followed the turn and managed to keep up his step with the young woman’s. 

Perking at her words, Daire couldn’t help but grin to himself and rub at his chin thoughtfully. Ah, so she caught on. She was quite the quick-witted girl, and he admired that.

"I’m quite used to this place," he responded airily, waving a hand flippantly and smiling to himself. "Though I don’t always hover about the village like this. Normally I stay in the forest… I have a cabin there, you see." Not exactly true, but if he asked Caelan for a place of his own, he’d probably wheedle it out of the king. This thought nearly made him smirk, but he refrained. 

Peeking back at the other, he caught the look he was being given and flashed a grin. It was amusing how she seemed bothered by his presence, but that just made him more inclined to stick around. It didn’t bother him, really, he was all too used to it. 

"I didn't know it was safe around the forest. That's good, at least." With that fog hanging around, everything about Sleepy Hollow seemed a little sketchy. "It one of those been-in-the-family-for-ages log cabins? I like those, they're comfy and quiet. Can't really stand being out in the middle of nowhere for too long though. Gets too quiet for me."

Within no time, they had stepped onto the same dirt road where the shop was located. Rayne felt like that was becoming her residence rather than the Inn where she only really showered and slept. She wasn't there for too long, but she kept an attachment to the place the moment she started working there.

Rayne walked up a couple of stone steps next to a faded sign that once listed off toy items sold there and things the owner could fix. It was hanging diagonally now, one side of the chain too long and the other too short.

lemme tweak that pretty little head of yours

They were never that interesting to him; he had to rely on the confused individuals that wound up in Sleepy Hollow instead. Those that already belonged to the town itself were static —characters that never changed or proved to be fascinating. Before people started popping up out of no where, he often kept out of the village due to boredom.

Everyone was the same.

Eyes darting back to the girl, a grin stretched itself upon his lips and he released a low noise similar to a laugh. “I’m sure you do, and I’m even more positive that you’d be happy to lend it to me,” he mused.

Abrupt, curious little human…

When she finally gave her name, he bit back the urge to smirk and nodded sagely, taking this in. ‘Rayne’ was a fitting name for the woman, though he couldn’t quite place its meaning. He didn’t want to assume it meant what it sounded like, after all.

Nah, this guy would more than likely just be subject to her nicknames.

Rayne hiked the box a little farther up her shoulder after it slipped a bit on the road's decline. Even the streets around here needed work. There weren't any vehicles that rich folk used like in the richer countries that Tuhran did business with, but somehow there were still potholes and wear on the pathways here. Rayne turned a corner and Daire still surprisingly kept her pace. It wasn't far at all until they got to the shop.

"So correct me if I'm wrong, but you seem awfully carefree and adapt to this place. Most people that end up here seem to still be freaking about it."

She was strangely adapting too, but maybe that was just because she couldn't remember exactly why she needed to get home so badly. She wouldn't bring that up though. She was getting along just fine and was doing what she did best, so maybe that's why she hadn't made a big deal out of it yet. Yet was the operative word. It would more than likely hit her later.

Rayne took a look over to the cheerful stranger, wincing and staring more out of suspicion than curiosity. Still, it didn't seem to bother him or change his attitude in the slightest. Normally people would be unsettled from getting that kind of look, but this guy seemed to be a totally different breed.

Without even responding, he hummed and trailed after the woman even though she clearly didn’t ask for his company. All the better.

"You’re quite the blunt one, aren’t you?" he commented, keeping a few feet between them as they walked. Truly, he would call her downright rude, but that probably wasn’t appropriate. He hadn’t done anything outrightly awful, but his whole aura was offsetting. Even those attracted to him would know this.

Sighing wistfully, he took longer strides until he was walking alongside the girl, giving her a brief glance. “I’m sure I’ll survive if I break a nail. I’ll let you know otherwise.”

"Yeah, you're not the first one to tell me that." she sighed, keeping her sight on the street in front of her.

This place was getting a little more familiar day by day. That was probably the scariest part. Still, something did strike her as odd when she saw the same villagers tending to the same tasks every time she walked by, like that one old lady that was always hanging her laundry on the line down the street.

"Well when you do, I've got a nail file handy in my pouch if you need it, pretty boy," she snickered. Along with a hammer and nails to patch up my patience when this guy is done following me like a puppy.

She had just about everything in that bottomless thing.

Rayne fell silent for a few moments, then spoke up again. He had a point. She  could vaguely remember that she was always getting nagged as a kid when she didn't greet guests correctly. Unlike her brother, she wasn't really 'Miss Personality'.

"Pity," he hummed softly under his breath, sliding his hands into his trouser pockets and looking elsewhere. Already he was under suspicion, and while this didn’t bother him, it could lose him some entertainment. He wasn’t about to let this opportunity pass him by, especially since it had been some time since he’d met such an… abrasive young woman. 

Catching her motion, he straightened his back once before flashing a cheeky smile. The expression she bore was not flattering in the slightest, and he had half a mind to tell her so.

Rayne batted her eyelids blandly for a few more seconds and walked right past him, heading a few streets down the village to the shop. 

"Sounds like a load of bull to me," she said with her back towards him. He was initially walking the complete opposite direction. That definitely wasn't where he was going. Still, she looked backwards over her free shoulder to see him still staring at her. She stopped walking for a moment.

"But whatever. If you want to come do what you want. Just try not to get in my way in the meantime, alright? I wouldn't want you breaking a nail or anything."

He was already considering if he should pursue her, weighing the pros and cons. On top of that, there was the simple question of: Was he bored enough? That’s usually was got him to go “chasing skirts,” so to speak, but not all the time. He had his own urges, after all… A lot easier to control than those of humans, however.

For now, he would feel her out and get a sense of what kind of person she was. Right now he was simply looking for a bit of entertainment, and she’d probably prove to be just that.

"Oh? Is that how I come across?" he murmured thoughtfully, lifting a hand to tap his cheek absently. Flashing a cheeky grin, he adjusted his arms so that his hands were resting lazily on his hips. "I’m afraid I don’t really pay attention to such things. It’s very bold of you to point out such a thing yourself, though… Very bold indeed!"

Keeping his expression generally amiable, he studied the box she was holding before adding flippantly, “Apology accepted, nonetheless. It is obvious your load was a distraction.”

"Maybe a little," she admitted, slightly scrunching her nose. Her gaze dropped and lingered off to the side. Something about this guy just kinda irritated her from the start. Maybe it was because everything he said seemed so sparkly and ingenuine. Maybe it was because he kinda reminded her of someone she knew from home, whoever that was. She couldn't even remember.

Rayne matched his lean, choosing to mock him rather than flirting back. Her tone was dull, and her eyes fluttered open and closed too quickly to be taken as anything but sarcastic.

He knew that the village was risky.

Daire knew this so, so well, but instincts brought him back every once in awhile, especially when his king had no use for him. (Silly thing to think; the king always demanded him near, but Daire had way about him when it came to handling the domineering faerie lord.) 

Because of this, the gancanagh made it his job to venture into Sleepy Hollow on more than one occasion, especially with the sudden influx of confused humans. He enjoyed seeing them stumble around and try to figure out what was occurring —although he couldn’t quite grasp the town’s oddities, he at least knew more than those that showed up out of no where. It was fun for him and he liked to make a game out of their hazy-eyed fretting.

Waltzing through the village after entering from the nearby forest, the blond dug his fists deep into the pockets of his trousers. As usual, he wasn’t dressed like anyone rich or formidable. Yet that peculiar, impish charm that he exhibited often drew people to him whether they wanted to be near or not. That was what he was good at, after all. How else could he get a man or woman in bed with him?

Or falling over themselves trying to get over that insatiable adoration that festered in their hearts for Daire.

Really, he was quite the gem.

Scoping out people from the crowd, he made sure he was ultra aware of those that could be less than human. With the strange appearances of newcomers, some of the arrivals were of a different sort of species all together. He’d gotten whiffs of demons and various other types, and while he was confident in his ability to stay out of serious danger, Daire was always on alert. He didn’t want to get caught up with someone stronger than himself, and it’d be messy to get the king of the fae involved as well. 

He didn’t like it when others touched his property…

Picking up supplies was a strange job-- It was more like the stuff just appeared out of nowhere. The owner would send her down a specific alley next to some shop and there would just be a couple boxes of things sitting there. They didn't buy it. God knows where it originated from. It was just there.

Rayne would have guessed someone here was able to go outside the town to some scrap yard or mines or whatever, but the old man just refused to tell her.

So Rayne took her giant box that day, heaving it above her shoulder and walked around to get back to the shop to drop it all off. The cardboard made it kind of hard to see in peripheral vision, and daydreaming in the silence, she almost didn't notice the guy stifling a laugh that she nearly side-swiped with her materials.

"Oh crap, sorry!" she moved a few paces to the side and steadied the overflowing container, making sure bags of nuts and bolts and scraps of old tin and iron didn't spill out.

"There are a few of them though. It's not just one building. They're all around the same area though."

Okay. What the hell?

Anyone that stared at Tyki at the moment, even from afar, could probably see how freaking confused he was right now. Standing in the middle of a completely unknown city, with a piece of paper in his hands.

The last thing he could remember was visiting a bookstore somewhere (why did he even, when he doesn’t like to read anyways) and then… Blank. To make things worse, Sleepy Hollow didn’t sound like a familiar name at all. And there was this strange feeling about the apparently small city that he also couldn’t shake off. Perhaps it’s due to the lack of clues of what he’s doing there though.

Oh well. It was nighttime, he had no luggage and no money — so really, what else could the Noah do but follow the instructions given to him (by some kind of device that appeared from nowhere, not suspicious at all)? That is, if he even knew how to get to that Inn or something.

Oh, and there was a new face. Someone that seemed more proper than the few she'd met recently. Hopefully he was the right kind of 'respectable', or noble, if this guy was one, he looked pretty well-kept-- not the irritating stuck-up kind. She couldnt make any judgments from just a bow, but she knew more than enough of both types.

He had a piece of paper, just like she did when she first got here. Man, they really weren't kidding when they said more would be showing up! How the hell did they know that anyway?

"Inn 5, huh? And downstairs too. Looks like we're neighbors, actually. I'm in the first room downstairs, to the left of yours. I'm not busy, so I can take you right now if you want. It's only a few streetways back."

He, however, refuses to be intimidated by a hunch of all things.

Expecting? You mean people actually signed up to get lost here? Nuh uh.

As for right now, she'd just started working in that tinkerer's shop that she was set up with upon arrival, and got off of work for the day. The first guy she saw outside the shop's door looked about as lost as she felt. He was staring a little too intently around the place as if he was trying to figure it out. Well, weren't they all, really.

Levi was at the point where he began thinking up fantasies in his head, explaining the abnormal people who strolled into town occasionally and the odd way in which he arrive in this dank village of Sleepy Hollow. There was nothing better to do than let whoever came to him first, whether a local or someone from off the beaten path, pay him to do some handiwork or heavy lifting. At least his body was in good shape as per usual.

Unfortunate. he was here long enough to be convinced that he was likely comatose. This was just a figment of his imagination. There was no other viable reasoning for this to have occurred to him so suddenly.

What happened was a titan managed to grab his anchoring arrow, whip him around in the air, and then slam him into a tree. That’s it. He was just waiting to wake up.

Yet as the fantasies grew in number, so did that of the obscure arrivals in Sleepy Hollow. People wearing…very odd clothing, fashions that he had never seen before. Some had hair that seemed out of his world all on its own. Sleepy Hollow was foreboding.

Levi was very much a realist, but this was a bit much.

When approached, Levi realized that he had been lost in thought as he strode his way slowly toward his inn. The soldier’s eyelids lowered slightly before raising along with his brows when the brunette began speaking to him. For a moment, he scowled at her, wondering if she were crazy.

One he caught on, he disappointedly realized that he was beginning to act like one of the natives in this place. No shit she was new.

"Don’t know," he grunted shortly. The girl before him was one of those who wore clothing that at least looked sensible. Levi spared her a brief look-over, sneering subtly at the grease stain hiding peacefully under the flap of her collar. Fixing the stranger with a vaguely annoyed stare, Levi spoke with thick sarcasm.

Well, his response did answer one thing. More people than just her had been kidnapped here?...But what in the hell reason did that serve? Rayne didn't know anyone here. Had never even crossed paths with them in her life. This went farther than just some other kingdom's plans for sick revenge.

"That so? And I guess that fog out of town isn't a good idea to investigate either, from the looks of it."

She could have damn well just walked out of this place and tried to walk senselessly through that fog to find the next town. However, some paranoid guy smoking a cigarette near one of the village shops started shouting some crazy stuff about the fog being dangerous, and no one had ever gotten through it without just ending up right back where they started. Right back here in Sleepy Hollow. Perfect.

"Well it looks like I'm stuck here for awhile." she grumbled and scratched at the top of her head.

Maybe the fog would lift and then all of the travelers would be safe? From the way the guy was talking it didn't seem like it ever lifted, but that couldn't be right, could it? Rayne couldn't defend herself from a bunch of sword-wielding goons with just a few wrenches.

"Thanks for your help anyway though. You're the first one I've talked to that doesn't seem bat-shit out of his mind. I thought I'd landed myself in a giant, simulated asylum or something. Anyway, I'm Rayne. Staying there at Inn 5, I guess."