When Hell Breaks Loose (Serenity)

[Rivers]

As the tension for the hanging begins to build Rivers walks through the door into Serenity's room, he was wearing a patchy hat and cloths and a thick layer of dirt covered him, but it was definitely Rivers. However his usual joking demeanor was gone, the manhunt that the spider lady was calling on the fated was no laughing matter, he'd run into Shy by accident and spoke to her first, but Serenity was another matter, to his knowledge the girl was neither a soldier nor a mage so if they came for her she was screwed, in probably more ways than one.

"Serenity, are you here there's trouble!" He calls out, as he moves his coat reveals an angular piece of metal that resembled an old style fire arm, and a black stone dangled around his neck. He looked around frantically for the red head showing perhaps the first real distress he'd shown around her.

[Serenity Caine]

Serenity had heard the news, as it spread fast. She had been out by the bar, drinking, but had immediately returned to her room when the rumour was confirmed. Her heart was racing, and her mind was in a flurry. What was she to do- she had no real knowledge of this world yet, not enough to navigate alone, and she had barely any skill in protecting herself. She'd been taught small things by Kuro, but that seemed like a life time ago. The only thing she thought she was good at, was manipulation- she'd murdered three men doing that... She knew that would hardly help her here. If they came for her, she would probably never see the light of day again, and if so, it wouldn't last long.

By the time she'd made it back to her room she was panicked. Who could she turn to for help, when she'd refrained from making any real friends? What a stupid move on her behave. Allies even, would have been wise- but no, she created havoc and hurt feelings wherever she roamed. There was Kail, but she didn't know the first thing about coming in contact with him- they just had a habit of bumping into each other. Her mind scrambled for people she could trust, to run to, but her mind was blank, to focused on the bigger problem- what if they came. Serenity was huddled in a corner, behind her bed, hidden from the door. It was what her father had taught her to do long ago, as a child. He'd been in many the bad situation, and quite a few times, the people he dealt with, came to collect when he was late, and it was always in the house- her father rarely warned her of their arrival, and had instead taught her to hide, and wait for their departure.

---

Her head was between her knees, and her hands over her hair, gripping onto it, tangling her fingers in the now mussed up-do. Her shoulders quivered lightly, as small sobs silently racked through her- she was not cut out for this life, and she never would be. hiding from people who wanted money from her family was one thing- hiding from a mob of people who wanted you dead for merely existing, was another.

---

Serenity flinched violently when the sound of foot steps entered her room. How had she not heard the door?  She held tighter on her hair, pulling harshly against her scalp. She heard the foot steps enter the room further, heavy, a mans. Serenity squeezed her eyes shut, hoping he would turn around and leave- then a voice cut through the tense silence. "Serenity, are you here there's trouble!" Her eyes snapped open but she didn't move. That voice- how did she know it? After a moment a name popped into her head.

Mr. Rivers...? She spoke in the smallest of voices, tone thick with quenched tears. She slowly lifted her head, a sparkle of head hair visible to him now, just above the bed. Her pale face was slightly red, but clearly more pale than usual. Once her vision confirmed her hearing, she pulled herself up slowly, using the bed to help her up. She looked presentable at least, having been in public before this. She dressed herself in small auburn dress, ending below her knees, and complimenting her hair nicely. Long sleeves ended in her palms, and she pulled on them now, hugging herself as though it was a form of protection. She looked vulnerable, weak. her eyes slightly red, and her once nice hair, falling out here and there from where she pulled it.

She looked him over, immediately noticing the difference in his appearance- completely serious. It only worried her more. She now understood how he had entered her room without her hearing the door- he had not used it. She stayed where she was, standing behind the bed, still shaking lightly. Mr. Rivers... I-I don't know what to do... She looked down, ashamed at her weakness, but not wanting to lie. She talked a big game of confidence when things were perfectly fine- but she was the farthest thing from it.

[Rivers]

Rivers sees Serenity crawl out from hiding and breaths a sigh of relieve. Good I'm not too late. He realizes, though his expression remains serious, and he immediately takes a chair from the room and props it to block the doorway. By the time he'd done this she was on her feet and shaking. Another time Rivers might have taken notice of her state and made a flirty comment, but now was not the time and instead he swept forward in a rush, wind that should not exist kicking up behind him.

"Alright listen carefully to me," he says sternly and in a voice that would broach no complaint. As he reaches Serenity he places his gloved hands on either side of her head and forces her head so that she looks him in the eyes. His pale brown eyes, were intense, but they did not shake with fear or waver, they were filled with conviction.

"Listen to me Serenity, I can get you out of here, but I need you to do several things. The first is you need to take a deep breath and calm down. If you start panicking things are going to get worse. Second I need you to collect anything of value or personal worth in this room into a bag, also collect any stray hair or nail clippings. Once you have that all taken care of put it in a bag or wrap it in the bed sheets. We won't be coming back here anytime soon." he warns, and then a wind blows towards them in the room, hair from the corners seems to collect and Rivers takes a rune inscribed stone out of his pocket and places it on the ground then begins to help collect things.

[Serenity Caine]

She looked up, as she was forced to, her hazel eyes wide, looking into his. The gloved hands seemed warm against her heated face, and she kept herself from allowing tears to fall. She looked onto his eyes for reassurance, but found none- how could he reassure her, when this affected him just as much? She blinked and nodded slightly against his hands to let him know she was listening- nothing sarcastic or confidant about her now.

His words pierced through her- he was going to help her. He was going to get her out of here, and potentially safe. She felt her heart begin to race again, but took a deep breath as instructed and made her hands into fists, channeling her emotions. She didn't have anything really personal left, aside from clothing. She'd long ago lost the dainty umbrella that had dropped into this world with her. She did however, still have the small hand fan, and she fully intended to take that- it was all she had left from home. Even her original dress had been torn apart at some point.

Serenity didn't understand why any hair and such need be removed, but now was hardly the time for questions. As soon as he let her go, she gathered her things; just the fan, and another simple comfortable dress, just in case. Nothing else was important, not in this room. The only thing she would be taking with her, aside from those things, was the dress she wore, and the beautiful bone bracelet she kept on her wrist- in fact, Rivers had been there when it was given to her. Serenity pulled down her sleeve slowly, remembering the drama from that day- not that it mattered here.

She shoved those things into a small shoulder bag, and put it by the door, going to work finding any lose hairs and such. There wasn't many, as she cleaned often, but she was grateful for his help, and the focus on cleaning cleared her mind some, and made her less anxious.

I need to thank you, Mr. Rivers. For helping me- for thinking of me at all in this. I'm sure you have many more people that come to mind in this situation. She failed to understand how she appearing in his head in all this chaos, but she wouldn't let go of the opportunity. She needed it to much.

[Rivers]

Rivers released her as soon as she seemed to calm down, in his mind he could hear Aria's progress, at least she was alive. He reminded himself, and it was her choice. As Serenity immediately set to work without question he nodded and placed the payment for her room on the small table in the room before setting about helping her pick things up. As they worked he figured he might as well explain so she understood the importance of this.

"Mages can track or manipulate you using pieces of your body, collection of hairs or clippings are a common component in tracking magic." He explains, as the wind again blew and pulled hair out of the smaller corners. He grabbed her pillow and sheet and tossed it with the pile, no sense in risking missing something on that end. "Fair warning, this is going to look really suspicious, but I'll smooth things over with the owner later."

Then he steps on the stone and suddenly the bag, sheet, and pillow seem to fall into the floor. He begins to scoop any remnants into the area around the stone causing them to disappear as well. "Thank me for this once we're both out of here. I have several more stops to make, but you are the second closest to the mob, and I am trying to evacuate whoever I can find, I'm just glad you were in here. I don't have enough friends to start losing them to random riots." He says, trying to make a joke of the last bit, but it came out forced and unconvincing given the tension in his voice.

"Anything else that could connect to you in the room?" He asks her "I assume you've gotten rid of any of your feminine necessities? If not throw them in to we can dispose of them later, but blood is the best tracking and curse foci there is."

[Serenity Caine]

While she worked, she heard his explanation, and understood. She was still learning about all this world held, but recently she'd learned of mages and general magic. She hadn't been thrilled about it, but over time had decided that could be an interesting route for her - eventually. Once everything was done, she sat on the bed for a brief moment just to catch her breath. From all the movement, her hair had come loose more, curly strands framing her face, and clinging to the back of her neck. It was simply making her itchy, so she pulled out the pins holding it up and shook the heap of hair out, pushing it from her face with her hand when she was done. Serenity then stood, opened the bag with her fan and dress in it, and piled the pins in it as well- might as well take them with her.

She now stood at the wall in front of the door, long red hair messy and wild around her, dress slightly wrinkled and face finally normally coloured again. She watched as the holes appeared in the floor as he worked- more magic she'd need to ask about later, it all stunned her.

Upon hearing his words, her eyes shifted from the holes in the floor, to his face. She didn't know why, but the fact that he considered her a friend was oddly heart warming, and only helped to calm her in this situation. That means more than you know- but I will thank you again later. Her voice was stern again, her old tone coming back slowly as she attempted to act as she normally would.

You needn't worry- Oddly enough, I cleaned such things yesterday. Timing seems to be good lately, for me. Though she spoke calmly a small shade of blush appeared on her face. There is nothing else.

[Rivers]

Rivers as Serenity seemed to calm down Rivers slightly, this whole thing was moving faster than he had expected...Why the hell am I getting involved in the first place? The narrator doesn't save the characters when times are tough. He reproaches himself as he finishes the last of the preparations to remove the traces of the tunnel so a mage couldn't track it.

When she speaks next he gives her a tense smile. "You can thank me again after this all calms down." He says, attempting and failing to add the edge of suggestive humor, but his smile seemed forced and his terse inflection revealed the nerves the joke tried to hide. He examines her features when she mentions she cleans up yesterday, but sees nothing that suggests she was concealing something out of embarrassment.

"Well at least things are working out for one of us." He replies in response to her remark, then he wraps one hand around her waist to help support her when they emerge and makes sure they have the bag. As he does, he kicks the chair away from the door, and jumps through the portal with her bringing the stone with him.