Rin was trying to keep pace with Leon as he led the way towards their place of rest but something was troubling her. Ever since they had entered the city it became harder and harder for her to see with her vision.
Everything had become intensely blurred to her senses and could only tell where to go because Leon was still close by. Leon could feel a tug on the back of his shirt as he turned towards Rin.
Noticing she had a look of panic on her face he didn't question it too much as he brought her closer. Rin clutching onto his arm however was definitely an added bonus as he tried to concentrate on walking towards the inn. Rin had a floral scent he had noticed earlier on but it was quite fragrant when he was next to the source. Feeling her body pressed up against him he tried to keep his own heart under control.
Dammit Leon when was the last time you had a woman that you have to react like a child to matters of love. Eventually Leon and Rin made it to an inn with a bear on the sign. Chucking a few silvers the way of the inn keeper they were led up to their room and the key handed over. Rin was led to the bed and sat down as Leon became more concerned. Usually whenever he observed Rin she seemed to be able to see straight through him, her eyes felt as if they piereced straight through him. However Rin contiously could only try to glance around and her gaze seemed completely unfocused.
"Rin" Leon said to get her attention. Rin started for a moment an dlooked in the direction of the sound.
"Leon, I can't see" Rin said in a terrified tone. The sound caused the hairs o his back to stand up.
"But you said before it wasn't normal" Leon said, trying to reassure himself more than her. If that Dryad caught wind who knew how she would string him up if she found out. But Rin shook her head.
"There's something wrong with this place, there's no life to it" Rin said.
"There;s plenty of life in this town" Leon stated confused but Rin shook her head.
"The land is dead, I don't understand but if it was a village it would still be fine" Rin continued.
"If that's the case I'll need to make preperations before we go" Leon said, seems like there was something that wasn;t quite right. Rin panicked as she heared Leon start to walk away raising her hand to grab at him. Leon could clearly see the worry on her face, patting her hand with his own he tried to reassure her.
"I won't be long, for now just stay put you'll be fine here. This inn has a good reputation and the food is good to. They'll bring some up soon and I'll be back before you know it" Leon said in a soft tone. Rin let go of her tight grip on his arm.
"I'll be waiting then" Rin said, her worries had eased but still it was truly frightning for her. Leon gave Rin's shoulder a pat before setting off and closing the door behind him. Rin was left aloine in the room, the silence was barely broken by the noise of people passing by and buying goods from the window but Rin couldn't see any of this. Staring into space she tried to concentrate as much as she could but her sight could not return. Her memories kept thinking back to when she was found, the terror and isolation of being alone. A short knock on the door brought Rin out of her own thoughts.
"Miss, I've brought some food" a young girl's voice sounded out behind the door.
"Come in" Rin said. Rin could hear the door opening and the clattering of the plates being put down.
"If there's anything else please let us know" the young girl said.
"Thanks, that will be all" Rin said with a nod. The little lady stood for a little bit but Rin was unsure what she needed. Thinking for a moment Rin asked the girl.
"Can pass my pack, I might have a little something for you" Rin said. The little girl handed over the pack quickly but stood still in the centre of the room. It seems like this guest didn't understand she should give a small tip when it came to the better inns but she looked on curious at Rin rummaging through her bag. Rin felt around around until she found a small galzed bottle with a stopper in it. Pulling it out she motioned for the girl to come close even though she couldn't see.
"This is a treasure I keep close to you, if you like you are welcome to share it with a couple of others" Rin said with a smile. The young girl was a little confused and took the bottle and looked at it, pulling out the stopper she even smelt a little of the fragrance. The sudden smell caused the little girl's mouth to salivate as she figured out what it was. Honey! And it seemed to be a rare one at that.
"It's excellent with savoury food, you can even added to your main meal but make sure not to put in too much" Rin commented as the young girl stood surprised at the girft.
"Many thanks young miss, if there is any troubles during your stay please let this girl know" the little girl said as she politely left and closed the door. After the door was closed the little girl let the excitement cover her face she stashed away the bottle and hurried to the back to see her parents and show off this rare treasure. Rin was still in the room and got closer to the food she was given, the aroma however instead of making her hunger made her feel sick, the scent of cooked meat turned her stomach and appetite.There was some bread and dried vegetables which Rin ate slowly as she slowly made her way around the room to figure out its size.After a while her boredom begun to settle in. She could hear and smell what was going on but she was terrified to leave her room, she couldn't enjoy the sights when she had none herself. However the sounds of the people outside made iit that Rin coulkdn't help herself to want to go outside. Putting her hands in front of herself she walked towards the door, slowly bumping into it, after feeling around she found the door knob and opened the door. Her ears especially peeled for the sounds of other people. Walking down the steps she could hear laughter and the occasional chatter of people all eating together. Stepping slowly Rin heard a familiar girl's voice.
"Miss, you've left your room?" the young girl said, she had just finished showing her family her gift and they wanted to share it together that night. Rin nodded at the question and continued walking down. The young girl reached an arm out and helped Rin down the flight of stairs.
"Miss, where were you thinking of going?" the young girl said still with a smile on her face as she held Rin's arm tightly. Her father had told her to get closer with the guest as she may spend more with them but personally she wondered if there were any more sweets.
"I wanted to go around the markets, I can smell the food from hear" Rin answered as her stomach rumbled in accompaniment. The young girl let a short laugh as she guided Rin out onto the street. The stream of people walking past caused Rin to be a little dizzy as she tried to focus.
Many people were talking over each other as a laughter would occasionally pierce through the white noise. The young girl led Rin into the street slowly as they walked past several food stalls, the mixture of roasted vegetables and meats gave Rin's stomach mixed feelings but soon she couldn't resist a skewer of sauced mushrooms. Giving some copper coins that she had taken earlier from Leon when he wasn't looking.
The two girls enjoyed the food letting a short squeal of delight as their faces rosed up from the flavour. After the girls threw away their skewers they looked around at some of the stalls, Rin couldn't see too clearly but she could get the general idea of what was going on. As they continued down the markets they felt quite relaxed.
However a hand reached out from the nearby alley and pulled the two girls into the dark, as the young girl leading Rin let out a short yelp but no one paid it any mind as they continued about their day. In the dark the two girls were caught with multiple hands, a couple of men who were leaning on the wall previously eagerly held the girls in their grasp.
"If you give us a little coin, this master won't mind letting the young miss go lightly" the man said with a threatening air, his hand giving a slight stroke on Rin's arm. The feeling of helplessness was only accentuated by that she could barely see. Everything was blurred and made the sense of sounds and touch that much more sensitive. The group of men laughed and snickered as the young girl panicked making them more willing to touch and explore the young girl's body.
The young girl let out a cry as tears started to well up around her eyes. Rin started to tremble, if Leon was around she would feel safe. If Sylas was here she would be arrogant but by herself she couldn't, she couldn't fight and was at the mercy of others. The man grabbing Rin snatched at the small sack of coins from Rin, giving it a small toss in the air as it made a satisfying noise of coins clinking together.
"Looks like it wasn't a total loss" the man said with a grin. Rin was trying hard not to tremble, despite being at the mercy of others she was prideful. And yet that fear was slowly taking root as the voices of the men surrounded her.
"This ones pretty, I didn't realise it before. If it wasn't for those weird eyes of hers she would be a beauty worthy of gold" the man said with a snicker. The rest of the group chuckled evily together. Rin struggled as she could already guess at their intentions, the other young girl was wailing loudly as one of the other men took her to the side. Rin couldn't hold in the fear and she herself turn cold at the rough hands grasping at her body. Somebody she thought, someone come and help.
The men laughing to themselves were cut short as an arrow whistled through the air and buried itself in one of the man's head. Dropping him to the ground it was followed by several more and bodies littered the alley.
"Come out you bastard" the man holding Rin said. The grip he had on the girl had tighetened from the surprise causing Rin to let out a cry of pain.
"I'd advise you to let the girl go. It would make your death a lot less painful" a gruff voice said. Rin felt it was quite familiar but she couldn't tell because of her sight.
"If you want the girl, you can have her after I slice into little bits" the man said the trembling in his voice couldn't be disguised. A moment later the sharp whistle of an arrow hurtled into the man's eye. Crying out in pain he shoved away Rin as he kneeled on the ground clutching his head. The sound of footsteps rung out and came closer as Rin lay on the ground, her fear was getting to her at the myseriousness of her rescuer. Stopping in front of her she felt a gaze looking over causing Rin to let out a little shiver.
"Take this and run home" the gruff voice said throwing over a heavy sack at the other young girl. Still in shock and fear the girl nodded dumbly and ran off leaving Rin behind. Rin felt a small amount of sadness about being left behind but this was pushed to the back fo her mind as she now faced her odd rescuer.
"If I tell you to stay in the room, you must stay. If I tell you to go, you must go. This place is not for people like you to wander around" the gruff voice said. Realisation her like a truck. It was Leon!
"And so what? Is there any place I do not go" Rin said trying to put on an air of stubbornness. It was hard trying to cover up her own frailty, but especially more so in front of Leon.
"Ahaha, young miss. If you truly wish to do as you please you need the action to back up" Leon said with a chuckle. Her getting slightly angry at him was reassuring at least, fearing that it would be worse if he came late.
"Are you willing to leave me down here or do you at least have some balls to lift me up" Rin said venomously eliciting a laugh from Leon. Leon crouched down and lifted Rin into a princess carry, the action surprised Rin as she threw her hands around Leon and grasped his shoulders.
"What do you think you are doing? Rin exclaimed, she looked at Leon furiously.
"Ahaha, oh Rin. I must escort you back personally. Truly I would not feel you are safe unless you are in my arms" Rin blushed at this but tried to keep her face steady and unmoving.
"If my transport could hurry then we can return sooner" Rin replied back albeit a little more friendly. The exhaustion from her fear had already caught up with her as she could smell Leon, a familiar scent of the woodlands and home. Ever so slowly Rin closed her eyes and rested in Leon's hold. Leon had noticed her falling asleep and kept his movements to a moment for fear of disturbing Rin from her sleep.
Coming back to the inn, Leon passed the young girl that was crying to her parents and took Rin to her room. Placing her on the bed, Leon could see she was still fast asleep.
"Rest well" Leon said as he pulled over a stool to sit on, watching the rising and falling of her chest as her rest put him at ease.