Valusia V
When Lily awoke she saw Da'Karis in a chair looking out the window over the city, no doubt even resting he could react quickly to any danger. His bed was firm and the covers comfortable, even laying there she could hear the hustle and bustle outside in the street and down to the kitchens. It sounded like home almost, but without the little ones running about and hollering. The sun was barely up over the eastern wall and the room outside the bed was cool. The fireplace was nothing but red coals and therefore the room was somewhat dark as well.
"I am sorry I slept so late. I should go and get your breakfast ready what would you like I'll bring it up for you before I start working. When did you think we could work on helping me blend in better around here? You know not stick out so much? You did say you would help and since you still need a day of rest we might as well work on that unless you think it would be too taxing and then you just rest and I will try to think of a way myself. But really anything you could do to help would make me feel so much better Kar." Lily said getting up out of the bed and washing her hands and face in the washbasin, she missed her daily baths but this was okay for now. She continued to talk even as she dried off some and undid her hair from its braided bun. It hung to her knees now, not much longer then when she left home though, she unbraided it and carefully sectioned it back out and re braided the long golden colored hair. She then carefully tucked it up into it's bun and pinned it in place. Once she was happy with it she turned to look at Kar with a happy little smile on her face.
Da'Karis had heard every word Lily had said, but did not open his eyes until she had turned to regard him. "My first suggestion would be shortening your hair and working on adopting a more Valusian accent and mannerisms. In most of society Valusians rarely look down except when dealing with guardsmen or someone of much higher status, slaves and servants look down or avoid eye contact." He stood and approached Lily and began to correct her posture, his hand grasped her left wrist and set it upon her hip while with the right he pushed her hip out a little. "Correct posture is for nobles, and if you want to hide your noble house than do not stand and act like one Lily Ravenwood, you may also wish to adopt a new identity while here." he said holding her eyes with his.
"But I didn't tell you my last name! How did you figure it out! I thought I was hiding it! What kind of identity could I have? Why cut my hair? Hey wait how will you teach me all this stuff? The accent and posture and stuff? I've always been a noble and my mother was very er I mean... How can... But you won't turn me in to the Soths or the circle or anything will you? Please say you won't! That creepy old guy you saved me from said there was a huge bidding war or something and that the circle won. not that I know who they are, and my uncle of the leader of the Sothites so Please please don't leave me with either of them!" Lily said going from surprised to curious then to scared he would turn her in and leave her here.
Da'Karis took her hand and placed something metal in it, her family crest ring Gerard had taken it when he betrayed her. "I knew you were Andorian and a noble, but before that I knew you had ties to the Ravenwood household." He let go of her hands, and she remembered he was the one who not only killed Gregor, but Gerard as well. He placed his hands upon her shoulders, "I would not have released and brought you here if I was going to leave you to them. Everything else about acting more Valusian will be about training, a lot."
"oh... okay thank you for giving this back. It is very important I will keep it safe, and when does the training start because I mean I am sure you are probably hungry and I should go get breakfast for us. Um... You don't mind hiding me here? I mean a lot of people could get hurt... you could get killed in hiding me here with you Kar... and you are really okay with that?" Lily asked softly, she glanced down at the ring in her hands and then back up at Da'Karis and blushed softly and continued to look at him through her eyelashes. If she didn't know any better she'd think she was starting to get very attached to Da'Karis, he seemed so nice to her but then of course there was always the fact he probably wanted something and needed her help to get it. Or something along those lines.
"Go and get breakfast for us and when you return we will begin your training." he said letting her go. Then he crossed and washed his face in the basin before she left. She thought he could get killed for hiding her here with him. The idea was almost laughable, he had been Da'Karis for so long that the thought of his death was almost an impossibility. He had been injured and returned here to heal, sometimes taking days, once taking a month before he was back to fighting shape. If Lily Ravenwood brought him to the Circle so he could complete that contract then so be it.
"I am back!" Lily said coming back into the room with a tray laden with food for them both. She had also changed apparently into work clothes already and yet it had only taken her a few moments. Not only that but since he was trained for it he could tell she was wearing the dagger he had given her for protection, she apparently wasn't feeling comfortable now that she realized there were people actively looking for her and they weren't far from finding her.
He pulled back her chair, but before she sat down he relieved her of the dagger. Putting it beside the plate, "you are safe here in my home, this will not be needed now." His voice was the same as the first night, almost cold, with confidence and knowledge. He sat across from her and they began to eat, "We should consider cutting your hair and coloring it, unless you can find enough money to by a hat of disguise. Magic will not always work to disguise you, but passing rank and file soldiers it will hide you very well."
"Oh... alright how do we change the color? I don't think I could save up that much I mean I do have a little saved up now from tips. But I was hoping to buy some throwing daggers. They are the weapon I'm best at. I'm not very good at magic anyways so I don't think spending my money on magic that needs constant focus would be worth the money for someone like me to be using it. I'm sorry about bringing the dagger in I just feel more comfortable armed. I know that probably sounds silly for a noblewoman to say but I've had a dagger ever since I was considered a young woman." Lily prattled on at the table while she ate, it was obvious this wasn't going to be a very easy task for him to change her.
Da'Karis proved to be a somewhat patient teacher spending the morning until lunch correcting her posture and mannerisms. However it seemed much harder getting Lily to adopt the speech of a Valusian and limit her speech. "Lily, this may be the only way to truly help you, believe that everyone you speak with may turn you into your uncle. Give them limited information and nothing truly about yourself." he instructed over their meal. When Rosi arrived in the room he left her to discuss with Lily how to cut her hair and what color they should turn it into.
"But I just can't get some of this down! You really think I'm gonna learn everythin you got to teach me in one Day Kar? I mean really who can learn all this stuff AND remember it in a day! I've always talked as much as I've talked and I don't think that's ever going to change in the near future! Besides why can't I use all my knowledge on speech to my advantage I mean sure most people don't know what I'm saying but that doesn't matter as long as my point gets across to them right? I thought I was doin good on not telling people who I am." Lily pouted though she was trying hard to adopt the Valusian way of speaking, it was hard for her and she would slip up often. It was clearly going to be up to practice, but if she continued to speak at the lengths she did then she would be fine in no time. As for hair and things Lily offered up that Rosi could do anything she liked to it. Color or style it was all up to Rosi, Lily was content to grow it out once she got home again... if she got home again.
Da'Karis took the time while Rosi worked to step outside for some air. Protecting Lily Ravenwood while hunting the Circle would be problematic at best. He could not place why something about her made him give her more room around him than anyone else. His Mentor said once the right person could strip bare the walls they must build around themselves, but Da'karis refused that idea, it had killed his master,
she had killed him. While the assassin was outside Rosi cut Lily's hair to just past her shoulder blades and mixed a light red color that would make Lily less blonde. "You must forgive him for being a bit rough in his teaching Lily, it is the way he was taught and how his Master before him was taught." she said beginning to apply the mixture to her hair.
"Oh that's okay he's a lot like someone I know back home. He's actually not so bad. It could be a lot worse I know that I'm just trying to do everything I can to help out in return ya know?" Lily said trying her best to stay using the new valusian vocabulary and accent she was taught.
Valusia VII
Stumble!