Everything narrowed down to the girl that stood amongst high classed folk on the other end of the display glass - her elfish ears sunk, her light pink hair combed to perfection and the white silk dress she wore riddled with intricate patterns that spun around her collar and the tip of the skirt that reached to her ankles. Her dark pupils darted around the room - eventually dead set on the commanders son who had his hair combed back just as flawlessly, the boys expression was stern and awaiting as he opened up the wooden lid of the painted white instrument behind her.
Skye bit her lower lip as she looked down at the two rows of keys the instrument possessed; she could feel the palm of the boy beside her guide him onto the cushioned stool - her own gloved fingers slightly trembling as they rested on the keys, not moving them one inch until told to. Just as she dared glancing up to him over her shoulder - she saw him nod; the feeling her her teeth sinking into the flesh of her lower lip was familiar as she mindlessly copied the movements that were thought to her for multiple days in a row.
The feeling of the rain soaking him was something Midas grew dull to - especially now that the reason he even ended up here was now only a few steps away. Maybe it was the beads of water that ran down the big glass panel or the darkness of the night and the reflection of the rooms amber light that reflected from the glass that came with it, but no one seemed to notice him stand there and stare - perhaps all of them were already used to lower folk like him trying to get a glimpse into their lavish life, their prying eyes something they didnt notice anymore.
Forcing himself from zoning out further, Midas had to act now - the commanders son was careless to him, no guard seemed to be positioned around Skye and once she played on the instrument - the boys attention shifted directly to a group of other nobles, seemingly exchanging with them. It was most likely the sheer tiredness that prevented him from thinking straight, but Midas wasnt scared of simply heading inside at this very moment - he saw the faces of the nobility, their sunken lids and relaxed grins, none of them would most likely even pay attention to him, even if he stood in the dead centre of the room - as they were too occupied with themselves.
Midas slowly opened the door, the jingle of the bell went unnoticed as he was one of many - the tables had four seats each, the ones along the walls and display glass even had wooden separations between them, short walls that transformed the tables into tiny, secure rooms to exchange in. The waiters were too busy to even notice him - after all, the establishment was filled, noble genes produced taller men and women which allowed him to go unnoticed.
Most wore a combination of whites and blue tones, on occasion there were also people dressed in green - after all, the plant kingdom was a vessel of the water kingdom, so it only made sense both exchanged frequently. By the conversations he overheard as he slowly crept closer to Skye bit by bit, it was mostly influential salesmen, noble family members that involved themselves in the politics of their prefecture and military officers that attended.
"Oh, you know how it is... the usual, the dukes of the north eastern territories fight over regions and those in the south of the kingdom complain about the amount of foreigners that get to find a stay in our borders."
"I cant blame them - the reason we have a new head commander now did stem from the fear of the working class losing their jobs and the safety of their neighbourhood to the same foreigners that we let into the kingdom... though not that I like to - I have to admit it was a smart move to bank in on the unrest of the common folk."
"He seems more than competent though - look at his son after all, so young but so eager... oh, and his slave is most definitely mesmerizing today~"
Midas froze, standing directly under the gaze of the three noblemen as they stared at Skye playing the instrument - his sunken gaze staring only forward as he could feel them look right over his head. His hands were stuck in his pockets the moment he entered, mostly to hide the shimmer of his sunshard as he kept flowing mana into it from time to time - just in case he had to bail when it got too risky to stay.
"Oh... oh my..."
Midas iris narrowed as he could feel the breath of one of them hit his neck, freezing up as their thumb caressed the line of his jaw - eventually grasping his chin to make him look up at them. His wide eyes met intrigued and playful grins, all of them humming in thought as they examined his body - the damp, stained clothes, his eyebags and his ruttled hair that flowed back his head.
"Hmph... hes a bit too dirty - even for my liking."
Pulling out a white silk cloth to wipe his hand off, the noble looked down at him for a moment as gaze becoming uninterested as fast as their grins appeared - the three of them returning to their conversation again once Midas became uninteresting to them again. Forcing himself not to riddle the room with stone pillars, he clutched his hand inside his pockets - the possibility of being the servant of one of them to then rob them for all they were worth was crossing his mind, which allowed him to calm down again.
"Trade in the south is profitable nowadays... we can send ships from the eastern gulf directly to the capital now, since the storm finally subsided."
"I wonder... why did the knighthood not tell anyone yet how they managed such a great feat..."
"Its just a rumour - but it is said that the stone kingdom itself sent someone out to deal with it, their handling with those sunshards is much more refined than most of our water benders if you ask me..."
The humming clinks of the instrument hulled through the establishment, the touch of the noble man still lingered on his skin, clinging on him like the dirt on his trousers - something he wanted to scrub away until his skin reddened. There was a bit of a distance between where Skye sat and the clusters of people that chatted with each other - perhaps they knew that the girl playing the instrument was affiliated with someone influential like the head general.
As Midas stared right onto the back of her head, a slouched figure stumbled between the tiny groups of nobles, his hunched back and gaping mouth suggesting that he was more than just drunk. Waddling towards Skye with limply hanging arms to his sides - he leaned down to her, his palm making contact with her hip, making the soothing melody abruptly halt, then immediately continue as she visibly forced herself to keep playing.
Clenching the fabric of his inner pockets, the youth opted to stand there and wait for someone else to finally step in - however, the commanders son seemed to be too occupied in his own chat with the surrounding nobles to notice. Slowly, Midas approached the man from behind - there was an unused table in the corner to his right, the tablecloth put on top of it possibly able to hide his body. The window right next to it was also able to be opened, though - given the mans fat, it would be hard to lift and shove his limp body through the window.
As Midas weighed his options, Skye began to visibly shake - her shoulders risen and her teeth clutched, as the mans hand felt her stomach through the dress, completely unbothered by the many people surrounding him. Acting as if simply strolling around, he activated the sunshard - his fingertips grazing the brick the walls were made of, accumulating a mass of stone in his palm before slowly closing in on the man from behind.
His heavy breathing and drunken giggles were most likely loud enough for him to overhear the steps Midas took, looking around him to see if anyone was currently looking at the three of them. Keeping his hand in his pocket, he formed a thin, sharp stone object out of the rubble he collected from the wall - the procedure almost felt like a surgery as his thumb trailed down the mans neck for the spot where his skull and spine met, his touch on his meaty neck going unnoticed due to his drunken state.
Having found the spot he was looking for, Midas wasted no time pressing the long stone nail directly into the mans flesh - seeing him fall limp to his side once half of it was sunken into his flesh, he decided to simply leave with Skye now anyway as he grew impatient. Seeing the wide and surprised deep brown irises of the girl, he let her up by her palm - vanishing through a backdoor, letting her stumble behind him as he dragged her through the kitchen and out to the back of the building.
In the dark alleyway that reeked of rotting food waste, Midas slowly made his way through the narrow space - his head peeking out between two buildings before eventually dragging her onto the main street, momentarily skipping out on trying to explain his reasoning as the only thing he could think of in the rain that hailed down onto them was how he could get to the pharmacy as quickly as possible.
"Wait..."
Her tone was breathy, perhaps from the stress and the sudden switchup - she was not accustomed to him after all, she lived with the commanders son - she had been for almost half of a Trestempo. Midas reluctantly stopped - his stern eyes met hers under the deep blue shine of one of the streetlights, slowly undoing the clutch he had on her waist.
"Sorry... I didnt mean to drag you like this."
Midas glanced down at her wrist, his tone genuine but halfminded, watching her slowly caress it with her other hand - perhaps his pull hurt her already, something he couldnt afford if he wanted her trust. Skye simply stood there for a moment, her brows softened - the two of them not speaking for a moment, a moment closer to the commanders son catching up to them once he noticed the discarded body of the noble or her absence.
"No - its okay... Thank you, for getting me out of here."
Skye mustve learned to speak the language during her stay at the academy - maybe even sooner during the time she and him fleetingly exchanged in the university. Her hands were now clutching the drenched silk of her dress - still visibly distressed by the sudden change of scenery and the quick events that followed.
"Skye, if you trust me... please let me lead you somewhere safer then this."
Not having the option to risk anything - Midas extended her hand out to her, the scene with her standing beside the boy he deemed as her captivator made him overthink where he stood in this dynamic. He had no right to decide what was best for her after all - yes, she would life freely if she followed, but the safety the wealth of a noble man provided was something he was far away from being able to provide.
"I... I do...!"
Spouting out a still confused but determined enough answer by Midas standarts, he grasped her wrist as gently as he could while the thought of someone following them weighed heavy on the back of his head. With sterned brows, the youth scanned the strip of street they had to pass - each passing carriage, opened window or lounging noble person that enjoyed themselves inside many of the cafes and restaurants they passed.
He already put his blazer around the drenched silk of Skyes robe to at least shield her slightly could the moment come a gust of wind would roll through the streets they passed through with prompt speed. His other hand was glued to the handle of his sickle - his left eye squinting into each alleyway they passed.
Skye had adjusted fast to his speed, she was surprisingly agile in the raised heels of her shoes - perhaps she was used to unimpatient young men she was forced to follow, the thought of it making Midas want to release her - not that she necessarily needed to be grasped by him given she was now walking shoulder on shoulder with him.
Seeing the hanging sign of the pharmacy - Midas wasted no time to open the door, the guiding hand on Skyes back nearly shoving her through the door as he sternly observed the darkened streets of the streets behind them. Shutting the door with a final click Midas took a deep breath - his stern eyes landing on a startled Haya and Inaya who had promptly held her greeting that was almost etched into her, since she was the one serving their customers.
"Midas...! You seem more fine than I thought... and that must be... her. Good to see that at least someone was making progress while we had this setback."
"Setback...? Did someone die?"
The more notable Midas eyebags became, the more muscular Haya had become - resting his palms on his knees, he noticed a sudden blurr in his vision as every minor task grew much more exhausting. Huffing slightly, he managed to straighten up again, Hayas and expression seemed like he was glad to see the two of them suddenly barge in - as he scanned the room to only find empty, polished tables and Inaya that stood awkwardly with a towel in her hand in front of them, he turned back to the counter.
"Qayid isnt here...?"
"He... was caught by the head of the knighthood - the one from back in Cascrender. I nearly escaped with Javelin - luckily he congered a good timed sandblast to block their vision for us to hurdle the girls out of the room... Qayid made sure their focus was on him and the others, they let Foulard go since they thought he was encaptured by them."
As Haya explained the situation, Midas leaned slightly against the wall near the entrance - strolling to sit on one of the bar chairs that were barely used. Inaya slowly got up to Skye in the mean time, her tone was calm and softened as she guided her deeper into the building - mostly to get her into something dry from what he could overhear.
"That leaves Qannas, Patriq and Jakal..."
"Patriq was the only one we dont know anything about - to be honest with you, I dont even know if he attended the meeting to begin with. The other two were captured with Qayid - they must share the same cell... we might be able to get them out since they are confined to transitional cells they keep in the basements for students that become too dangerous to deal with for the disciplinary staff..."
Midas elbows rested on the clothed wooden surface of the bar - his palms on his shoulders, almost hugging himself in a way as his head sloutched down to blankly stare at the fabric. He could go back to the basement if he wanted to - Foulard was there to help him, if he was lucky, maybe even Patriq if he felt like it. The cell itself was the easy part - Gilt could simply form a key from the liquid gold he controlled, no, even he himself could form a key with the sunshard if he really wanted to.
It was mostly the knights that he would have to avoid, all of them were plated in metal, to add to it chainmail shielded the spots between the plating - on top of it came the new equipment that was distributed thanks to the Eau'Trois involvement, which meant potentially having to deal with water stone infused blades. His rambling was cut short by the deeply stretching growl of his stomach - he hadnt eaten in what felt like a day or two after all, no wonder he felt so sluggish.
Haya met the painful growl with a knowing grin, laughing faintly - a sound Midas found familiar, as he turned to the backdoor, returning with some stale bits of bread and leftover stew - roots and boiled meat drifted beneath its cloudy surface. Seeing no reason not to, Midas dove into his serving instantly - only looking at Haya to thank him as he chew with a blank stare forward, practically stunned by having to think of a solution to get themselves out of their trouble.
"Where did you go anyway... you seemingly disappeared the moment the guards came barging in - leaving at an instant with that new girl..."
Holding his chewing, he sensed his interest - as in expecting some thorough plan, but also a bit of caution, given the timing between his disappearance and the arrival of the knights. Telling him of Gilts antics would only make him more weary, plus he had no real way of showing off the skeletons existence to him either - as he still lacked control over the gold.
"She... is no more. That girl was the third of the commanders son underlings - the waterway the hideout once was expanded further and I was lucky to find the ruin it was connected to, that way I was able to hide there for long enough..."
He could sense Hayas softened gaze - Midas couldnt help it, the sheer thought of that moment made goosebumps appear on his forearms, already lost in a distant stare again before he knew it. After a long silence, Inaya reappeared - this time without Skye.
"Make yourself comfortable - there is a guestroom for you two, Haya will give you some clothes to change into."
Biting his cheek at the thought of yet again not sleeping alone - Midas simply nodded as he was just offered a free meal and bed to stay in. Luxury compared to the hay piles or empty stools he napped off on in the hideout - even with someone breathing down his neck.