Late Night Depressing Fluff

Disclaimer: Mishran is property of Rathera. Corryn is mine. This is pretty much just a what if type story based on one of my other what if type stories and is not really meant to be part of any existing rp or fic-verse.

Note: Yes, I know the name of Corryn's mom is different in the bio and in my early stories, but I decided I didn't like it, so she's got a new name in this story. And because it was taking me so long to get this done, I decided to divide it into parts to make it feel like I'm making progress.

Scars Prequel Part 1 - A New Friend

Mishran stared out across the desert at a village. 'So, this is Salda,' he thought to himself. 'What a tiny, insignificant name fitting for this tiny, insignificant town.' Mishran knew that he was here by choice, and deciding that this place would prove rather boring, he considered heading back to the Council. Unfortunately, if he did that, he would have to face Ao's displeasure because he'd volunteered to scout out several villages for slave prospects. With a long suffering sigh, Mishran started down the worn track towards Salda, his light robes billowing around him in an errant breeze.

As Mishran got closer to the village, he could see a chase going on. It appeared that several grimy children were after one of their own as they raced up a small escarpment. He thought it strange that none of the few adults around were doing nothing to stop this, especially when a young boy snatched up a particularly hefty rock and lobbed it at the prey, missing his target by inches.

The little one being chased glanced fearfully back over her shoulder. Not watching where she was going, her foot caught in a hole and she stumbled. Mishran swore at this minor drama unfolding. If the child was killed and there was an investigation into her death, it was possible that someone could finger him as a witness. He could end up stuck in this town for months. It would never do to be away from the Council for that long. With an angry shout, Mishran rushed the children and barely managed to hide a smile as they all scattered before him. Perhaps before he left town, he would be able to steal away a couple of them to send back to the Council for proper training as slaves.

Mishran glanced over at the little girl to make certain she was unhurt and swallowed hard. Whatever she was, up close he could see that she wasn't human, at least, not entirely. She stared right back up at Mishran with eyes that seemed almost too big for her face as she rubbed her ankle. Her gaze was filled with a combination of fear and suspicion tinged with curiosity. Small wings quivered as she scooted back away from Mishran. Mishran guessed her age at no more than six.

Kneeling down, Mishran extended a hand out to the strange child much as one would do with an animal, his own curiosity curbing his more anti-social instincts. "Its all right now, little one," he murmured soothingly and felt quite pleased when she crept closer. He brushed his fingers along her cheek, suppressing his disgust at touching such a dirty little creature, more to verify the girl's reality than to offer any real comfort.

The next thing Mishran knew, the little girl had lunged forward and wrapped her thin arms around his neck. Mishran started to push her away, but something, perhaps the child's trembling, made him hesitate. Instead of following through with his intended actions, Mishran picked the child up, surprised at his own gentleness. The girl curled up into a tight ball and buried her face in Mishran's robes, ignoring his inquiries as to her name and home. Mishran began to wonder whether she might be a mute.

Seeing that he wasn't going to get any answers from the child, Mishran stopped a woman doing her shopping to inquire where the little one belonged. She regarded him with the same suspicion that the child had, though without the fear. Mishran guessed that Salda saw few visitors. Finally, the woman just motioned vaguely down the street. Mishran thanked her and headed off in the indicated direction. Before he was out of earshot, Mishran thought he heard the woman mutter something about those who consort with monsters. "Charming people," Mishran said under his breath. Picking up on his sarcasm, the child started giggling.

The sound won a smile from Mishran. It appeared the child had something of a brain in her head after all. "You could just save me some time and tell me where your home is, little one," Mishran told her. With the contrariness that would characterize her for the rest of her life, the little girl just looked up at Mishran and, keeping silent, grinned. Mishran had no clue what to make of the child. If they'd been back among the Council, her insolence would no doubt have gotten her punished, perhaps even killed. Strangely enough, Mishran didn't want to see that happen. Some part of him, the part that hadn't pushed the girl away when she'd first grabbed onto him, found her to be amusing.

Now that the girl was looking up at him, Mishran began to more closely scrutinize her features. She was a thin child, but not starving. Salda was not exactly a rich town, and Mishran figured that it must be difficult for any family to get enough to eat. Her face still retained a bit of baby fat making her seem deceptively soft, though a hardness along her jawline belied that softness. Her green eyes, unusual in a place where brown eyes were the norm, were bright and intelligent. Strangely, he just now noticed that her hair was also green, though darker than her eyes.

With a bit of a shock, Mishran realized that the child was studying him just as closely as he was her. He tried to guess at what she was seeing. Mishran was a handsome man, of that there was no doubt. His delicate, almost feminine, features mixed well with his short dark hair. He appeared to be in his late twenties, though in reality he was quite a bit older than that. Mishran knew that his own eyes were just as startling as the child's, being golden in color as a sign of his immortality. Having been on the road for several days, Mishran knew that he was a bit travel worn. He would have liked to have traveled by magic, but there were too many people who could detect such strong spells being cast.

Mishran ended up asking twice more before he found someone who would tell him where the child lived. He wondered whether people's reticence came from the fact that they didn't know him or whether they were uncomfortable around the child. What Mishran did notice was that whenever anyone got close, the little one would bury her face against his chest. The fact that the child thought that he would protect her entered slowly into his mind. 'What a ludicrous notion!' Mishran believed. And yet, hadn't he protected her?

The Council was an institution founded on and maintained by cruelty and chaos. Mishran could not even begin to guess what it was in this one child that inspired him to acts of kindness. He knew that he should just drop her off on the street and leave her. He tried telling himself that it was only curiosity that impelled his actions, and paid no attention to the faint twinge of worry he felt when he thought about what might happen to the child if he just set her down and walked away.

Before he knew it, Mishran found himself standing before the mud brick home he had been directed to. He peered into the open doorway, wondering what oddities he would behold inside. The child started squirming in his arms, wriggling until he set her down. Once her bare feet lighted on the baked street, she dashed inside.

Mishran didn't think twice as he followed her inside. Once his eyes adjusted to the dimmer light, Mishran realized that he was in a typical front room. A small pen stood off to his left, empty at the moment of the family's livestock. Across the room, by an opening which no doubt led to the family rooms was a small shrine. The little girl stood in the middle of the room, looking for all the world like the house's mistress. "You did not wait to be invited," the child chided, speaking up for the first time in a piping little voice.

Mishran thought the child's seriousness humorous, though he did not betray his amusement. "My apologies, little one." He bowed extravagantly as he spoke, making his travel robes swirl about him. The child bit her lower lip between her teeth and stared up at Mishran, trying to decide whether or not he was making fun of her. Mishran took a few steps backwards out into the hot desert sun and waited.

When that little piping voice called for Mishran to come back inside, he did as she bade. She still tried to maintain that serious little look when she saw him, but it lost out to a smile. "You're silly!" the child accused, and Mishran did not deny this. She took his hand in her small hand and led him to the shrine. "Wait here," she commanded. Mishran was so overcome by the thought of this ragged little creature ordering a member of the Council to do anything that he couldn't help but to laugh. He regretted his laughter the moment he saw a look of hurt flash across her face, and sitting down, assured the child that he would not move from this spot. The clouds fled her face in an instant, and she embraced him. "I'll be back as soon as I get Chuka," she promised.

Mishran watched as she dashed back outside, almost beginning to doubt her reality once she was gone from view. Mishran entertained notions of exploring this quaint dwelling, but, as promised, he did not budge. Instead, he began to study the little shrine. Most homes had these little shrines for praying to household spirits. Mishran started to call upon such a minor diety to keep an eye on the child. The words stuck in his throat, though. He was a follower of Set. No good could ever come from his prayers.

With nothing else to do, Mishran waited until the child returned leading an old cow whom he presumed was Chuka. The child was a bit cleaner now, Mishran noted, but also sopping wet. She would not meet Mishran gaze as she shut the cow in the pen, and her cheeks flamed scarlet. Mishran started to ask what had happened, but didn't get the chance as the child rushed back to the door. "Baretres is a lover of sheep!" she shouted out into the street, surprising Mishran both with her volume and venom.

"Corryn!" a new voice snapped from the family room, The child, who had been taking a deep breath to continue her harangue, turned around, eyes wide and innocent. The woman who came out of the family room, Mishran knew right away, was the child's mother. Unlike her daughter, the woman was completely human, but her face was so similar to Corryn's, especially in the shape of the eyes and nose, that a blood relation between the two was undeniable.

The woman's glance flicked over Mishran in surprise as she strolled over to her daughter. Kneeling down near Corryn, she said, "Now, my dear one, you know that you must not say such things." Corryn started up a protest, but her mother cut her off. "It is an insult to the sheep. Now, go get dried off."

Once her daughter had scampered off, the woman turned her attention to Mishran. Noting the quality of his dress and his superior bearing, the woman knelt, realizing that Mishran must be above her station. She looked up at him through thick dark lashes, a smile curling her lips. "I am sorry that you had to witness such a scene, sir," she apologized. Mishran noted, though, that her voice carried barely suppressed laughter.

Mishran motioned for the woman to stand. "That is quite all right. You have a most amusing daughter, Lady..." He prompted for a name.

"Eideena," the lady answered. "No titles, though. I am not nobility, nor shall I pretend to be." Standing bruskly, Eideena continued to smile. "No doubt you have questions that you would like answered, my lord."

Mishran nodded assent, certain that there must indeed be an interesting story behind the child. He started to follow Eideena into the family room, but paused when he felt a tug on his robes. Glancing down, Mishran had to smile when he saw the little one hold up her arms in a mute appeal to be picked up. Mishran obliged and Corryn snuggled happily in his grip, her eyes filled with such hero worship that Mishran didn't have the heart to tell her what a dreadful scoundrel he was.

A smile flitted across Eideena's face, softening her features when she glanced back over her shoulder at the two. "She doesn't normally take to strangers like this," was all the explanation she gave as she motioned to Mishran to make himself comfortable on one of the reed-stuffed cushions. The cushion shifted beneath Mishran's weight, not uncomfortable, but he was accustomed to greater luxury.

Once settled, Eideena began telling her story, which turned out to be a simple enough tale. Nearly seven years ago, the trickster god, Bes, had come to Salda. He seduced Eideena and got her with child. Having a child out of wedlock displeased Eideena's family greatly, and she'd been disowned. As for the little one, she was just barely tolerated, merely being different but having no talents which benefited the village.

Waggling a finger at Mishran, Eideena let out a throaty laugh. "Don't you go feeling sorry for us, though. We do quite well, just the two of us. Don't we, my little one?"

"Yes, Mother," the child replied from her spot in Mishran's lap. Mishran reached around and gently pulled Corryn's thumb out of her mouth.

Eideena's eyes twinkled merrily. "Perhaps, though, my lord, you can help us out a bit." Interested, Mishran inclined his head slightly in Eideena's direction. "If you would like to save a bit of your money, I can offer you a place to sleep as well as meals. In exchange, all I ask is that you help keep an eye on Corryn."

The little one in question turned those huge green eyes up at Mishran. "I won't be any trouble, my lord." Her thumb went back in her mouth again, and Mishran again eased it out.

Mishran's golden gaze went back and forth between mother and daughter. He knew he should turn the offer down. One of the most important unspoken rules of the Council was, "Never get attached." Yet at the same time, the offer was a good one. Sure, the Council had plenty of money in it's coffers to be drawn upon, but those coffers were not unlimited. Also, since he started this little expedition, Mishran hadn't had much opportunity to bed a woman, and Eideena had an attractive figure. No doubt a chance existed for a bit of fun. Slowly, Mishran nodded. "I'll do it."