Hyrule Adventures 2

No one paid attention much as a small, fragile figure walked through the courtyard. Many didn't notice the dust that had settled on the old, faded jeans that looked too big for the person in the first place. They didn't even notice that the figure looked more feminine than boyish.

It could be that the figure was a she instead of a he that she was mistaken for a lot. Sometimes it couldn't be helped really. In the past, she knew that people found it odd that her and her twin brother looked so much a like, even though it is known that fraternal twins weren't suppose to look a like.

She wiped her forehead, flinching slightly as she felt the layer of grime smear more over her skin. She knew bitterly that she could no longer go around saying that she had defeated the laws of physics, because of that fire.

It made her flinch as she thought of the fire. The one that burned her home, her farm, and the field near by. Killing her neighbors or not, she did not know. All she knew that it was caused by those men who stopped by her house and were demanding something from her mother, only a few days after her father had disappeared.

It pained her to know that she was the one who detected the fire. The one who woke up and frantically tried to get everyone from their muddled sleep and alert. The memory of it all burned in her memory. Like someone had taken iron from a fire and burned the scene into her mind like how they burned those letters on cows. It could have been yesterday. The taste of ash was still on her tongue and her lips throbbed from the pain of the hot embers. Her hair and clothes still stank of the ashy smoke. The orange red mix still danced before her eyes. The yells of her family to have her run were still ringing in her ears.

Yes, the reason that she was alive instead of her twin, her younger sister, and her mom was because she was fast and that her mother was sure that they wouldn't go looking for her. How her brother thought that dressing like him would draw more attention away.

Her clothes, his scratchy pajamas were starting to make her regret. Make her ever regret having to fight with her brother, just because she didn't want to be mistaken for him again. Regret for yelling at her mother because of the name she gave her. Maybe the one thing she didn't regret was mouthing off to her fifteen year old younger sister. She could still even remember that day in the forest so well.

Her sister threw her head back and laughed mockingly. The blonde curls bounced as she shook her head. She pushed her sister with the staff again. "Face it, big sis', if you ever get into a fight, the only good thing you'll have is your running, but we all know that's because everyone wants to pick on your small, fragile self." She swiped at her head again before turning and leaving.

Lying on the ground, she wiped her mouth that dripped of blood that she spat from her mouth. Her ashy red hair was damp with sweat. The pale green dress was ripped and covered with dirt. Even the pants that she had borrowed from her brother didn't stop the formation of bruises all over her legs tomorrow. Even a few on her cheek and forehead from the head blows. Her sister was good, since she trained with her boyfriend. Never had she thought of training with a weapon. She had her strong legs as a weapon. But whenever she appeared in front of someone for a fight, she would quiver so badly.

Later on though, she had her twin brother next to her, wiping away the dirt carefully and covering up cuts, even the minor ones that she grumbled would heal easily. He would just laugh and still cover them up.

They were almost exactly the same. Their hair was long, ashy red color that was a mix of their father's blossom red hair and their mothers dirty blond hair. They tied it the same with a blue ribbon, even helping one another in the morning if needed to. But her brother would try to get his bangs to stick upward using some kind of fat from one of the animals that was killed the night before, and she would just have her hair lay limp, framing her pale face.

After he was finished, he would always look straight into her pale blue eyes that would shimmer with sadness and defeat. Unlike his that always reflected hope for the future. "Keychain," he would whisper, making her flinch from her horrible name. He would scowl lightly, but continue, "what you are doing is stupid. No, look at me. You were never the one to fight in this family, and neither am I. Annie has a good head on her shoulders and is willing to fight for whatever. Don't keep hurting yourself because you think you can be able to fight as well as her." She would always let her eyes drift on the ground, finding a new interest in watching the cricket stand still on the stones. He would always give her a hug.

They would go in for dinner, close together. Sometimes she would hold on to his shirt like he would disappear any moment if she would let go of him for only point two seconds.

Their mother would always smile at them as they walked into the kitchen. The brass key that hung around her neck was always the reminder of how she got her name. When she was born, all she did was cough madly and open her eyes. Her mother still had the necklace on, since she never took it off, not even when she went to bed. She found interest in it and grabbed it, but it wasn't just the key she was interested in. Oh no, she liked the key and the chain. Thus, giving her the name, Keychain.

Her mother would walk over to them and give them both a kiss on top of their heads. "My little lucky Luis. My little Keychain." Her mother was maybe the only woman who dared to work instead of hiring men to work for her in her town. She would take care of the animals, pick the crops, and was able to fix them all dinner.

She was mostly closest to her twin brother and father. It was always her that he would hug once he got into the door. She would alway sniff his clothing that always smelled like spices from the shop he worked at with his best friend. The booming laugh that he had would always make her smile widely, sometimes showing another missing tooth, making him laugh even more.

"She's got my legs, you know." She would always hear him say to anyone on the streets. "My daughter. I once was the fastest person in this town, and now my daughter has taken my place in my old age."

She wanted to tell him that he wasn't that old. Just because he already had a son that was married and had forgotten about them mostly, that he has two kids who are sprouting to be seventeen.

She shook her head, wondering where the plague of memories had come from. She didn't even realize the tears were coming down her face until she saw the small dots on the ground. How they would suddenly appear, darkening the spot. She had actually looked up at the clear sky, but found out that it was her who was making her own rain.

She just kept on walking. She tried to stop herself from letting the tears rattling her body, making her small shoulders quiver.

The sounds of street gossip buzzed around her. It was different from the familiar sound of birds, crickets, horses as they awoke her in the morning. She tried to let the voices slip past her, let them bounce off her body like she had an invisible shield. But the gossip of two women made her stop and listen.

"Do you see that boy right there? My, he looks too much like a girl!"

"Mm hm, I wonder what is wrong if he looks so fragile like that, and that figure makes him even more girlish."

Well, she thought, I ran out of berries two days ago to munch on to keep my hunger down, does that answer your question?

"But there's something about him that I don't like. Do you think we should do something? He could be one of those wandering assassins."

She refused to listen to more of their conversation. Blindly, she ran as quick as her legs allowed her to. Though not paying attention with her eyes half open and tears springing out of them, she ended up banging into something solid and landing on her back.

Pain throbbed in her nose. She refused to open her eyes. Knowing the attention she was getting just how she was dressed, everyone in the square must be looking at her and her stupid act of running into a building.

OOC: Err...Sorry about all the "he's" and "she's", I didn't really want to use their names until my second post. Is that alright?

"What is that?"

Kon's words echoed throughout the tavern as he stared at the cup that was just handed to him by the bartender. His eyes darted back and forth between the fat, bearded man and the strange substance in the cup. The only way to describe it was odd, and kind of creepy looking.

"It's Goron ale, Zora wine, and Lon Lon milk," he said leaning towards Kon, who leaned away to avoid his strange smell. "And, for your convenience, all in the same cup."

Kon stood up from the stool in the counter. "I'm not drinking that," he said, giving the bartender a look that showed his seriousness. Normally, he would try something like that, but not today. It seemed like something was calling him to the street. It might just be him, or maybe someone actually was calling him. He turned around. No one. He waved to the bartender and ran out the door, his black cloak lifting up slightly, revealing his black pants, but not raising high enough to show if he had a shirt under it.

He looked around to see the girl crash into a building. That wasn't something people normally saw around the castle, but accidents can happen. Kon didn't really care about any of that; he didn't like to think about things very hard, he would just rush into a situation, and usually get stuck in a horrible mess.

He ran towards where she was, shoving away anyone that got in his way. As soon as he got to the spot where the girl was, he squatted down. "Are you alright?" he asked. That was stupid. She had ran into a building. How could she feel alright? Nevertheless, he stayed there, waiting for an answer anyway.

OOC: Welcome to Hyrule! That was an outstanding post. Keep up the good work. Anywho, I hope you don't mind that I'm using an NPC. My main character is Kuro, but I'm choosing to use Kon. I hope this is okay.

"Hmmmm . . . now that there's an odd sight." Denkou said, pointing to a pair of ribs at half-price. "These choises are never on sale. They must be poisoned!" He declared excentricly, pointing at the shopkeeper.

"Sir, are you gonna buy 'em or not? I dun't got all day." The disgruntled-looking meat handler demanded. "If you don't like mah meat, then get out!" He said, as Denkou thought about the purchase. Soon, something hard smacked him in the back, the hand of Aria, who was along for the walk. "Just buy them!" The little Shiekahn girl ordered.

"Oh, okay." The man said, as he handed over the set ammount, and took his ribs. (Dan nan nan naaaaaa! You got RIBS!) The two of them, Denkou and Aria, quickly left the butcher shop and headed towards main street for Aria's personnal favorite food, cotton candy, as Denkou himself was already knawing at the ribs.

On the way there, Aria tugged at Denkou's arm, and the man took the time out of his lunch to glance at what she was pointing at; a person, pretty sure it was Kon, helping out a girl who had, for some reason or another, felt the express need to slam into a wall. Rushing over, Aria and Denkou decided to get a closer look. "Hiya, Kon!" Aria said exitedly. "Who's this?" Denkou in turn asked, pointing at the girl in question. The lightning thief rarely gets to greet newcomers, and he decided he might as well do it now.

OOC: Hiya, there! Awesome post. My name, if you don't know, is Kasei. These two are my NPC's, because, like Mr Kuro, I don't have Kasei Gobi on hand at the moment. (He wouldn't take the time out of his day for this.) Either way, keep up the good work!

PS: Kuro, loved the L avvy.

"Help wanted..... reward..... one hundred rupees.... Missing person.... reward.... five hundred rupees...." The shadow fairy mumbled, his tiny hand scratching his boyish chin as he hovered next to a flier-covered wall. It was hard to believe he was nearing his 60s, but then again, faries (being magical creatures) always appeared young, and Kumori was no exception. At what humans considered an elderly age he still appeared fifteen or sixteen.

Earlier that day, the fairy's companion had sent him to search for jobs and information while she picked pockets, as usual. Kumori was the messenger of the two, his wings giving him a large advantage, the ability to travel over the thick crowds of Castle Town. Being the older and wiser of the two, he sometimes thought is an unfair agreement, but it worked out for the best. There was nothing to argue about, so here he was, reading fliers on a seemingly normal day in Hyrule.

The fairy boy was well into the middle of a particularly interesting flier about a job catching coocoos when- THUD, something hit the wall not too far from him. "What the-!" He exclaimed, whirling around in mid-air to see what was going on. The fairy didn't see anything immediately at eye level, and was a bit puzzled, but once he followed everone else's gaze it became apparent what caused the noise. "Hey, you!" He called, descending to the boy(?)'s eye-level, "Watch where you're going, you could have squashed me!" He bobbed up and down frantically as he spoke, emphisizing the point.

(OOC: I too shall use a secondary character. Nice story, by the way. I wish my entrance here had been that glamourous )

Keychain's eyes snapped open. She had a delayed reaction as she stared up at boy with a black cloak. Then she realized that he had asked her if she was alright. Jumping to her feet, she pressed herself against the wall that she had just stupidly ran into. Her pale blue eyes still shimmered with tears of her haunted past. One of her ghostly white hands was still covered over her nose. The warm liquid of blood was dripping out of her throbbing nose.

She could hear her sister's laughter. "You're too weak!" she would say. Her brother would just try his best to be her doctor. "Key," he would say with a sigh, "you know your body heals slower than other people, please don't hurt yourself so much." Never did she actually hurt herself, she just ended up with bruises and cuts that appeared out of nowhere most of the time.

Keychain could feel her knees start to shake as she saw a girl and a man that she guessed could be her father or someone her father had asked to watch over her. Just these three people made her want to use her flight of the fight or flight method. She could already feel the adrenaline pumping through her veins to her heart and then rushing through her body again.

The voice next to her ear made her head snap to look over at a small fairy. "Ahh!" she gasped out loud. She covered her mouth with the hand that covered her nose and made the bleeding visible. She wanted to inch away from these people. Already she saw many people staring at her, but only the three were "brave" enough to approach her.

She slowly backed away from them. Keychain covered her nose up again and watched them with her blue eyes. But, with her luck, she found herself tripping and falling down on her behind with a small squeak.

This can not be my day, she thought. Truthfully, she knew that without her twin brother next to her she was nothing. The two looked like they were joined together sometimes because they were always together. Without Luis, she just felt lost in this foreign place.

Thinking of her brother made tears leak out of her eyes. She hiccuped once. Drawing her knees to chest, she buried her face to hide from these people. She was too embarrassed to face them right now. Keychain wrapped her arms around her drawn legs. One was damp with blood and tears.

Arrika's hand strayed from the stall she had just been about to steal from, her dark eyes watching a clumsy person crash into a building, only to fall again moments later.

"Clumsy little thing," she muttered, and she realized that she could not tell whether that was a girl or a boy she was watching. People she knew began to crowd around the stranger, and Arrika held back a scoff of impatience. If the kid fell, they had to learn how to pick themselves back up, how to take care of themselves and not rely on the kindness of strangers and- wait, was the kid crying too?

"Hey. Little miss. You want something?" The jewelry merchant she had been ready to steal from asked gruffly.

The Sheikah thief realized her hand was still wavering in the air, inches away from grabbing a gold chain. "Sorry," she said, moving away to a more acceptable distance but still in view of the crying girl. She had decided it was a girl; after all, would a boy just sit in the middle of a market and cry where everyone could see him? Even a less masculine boy would have more pride than that.

If there was something that Arrika hated, it was a weakling like Keychain, who spouted off their every thought and emotion for everyone to see. Emotion was only weakness. You were handing your enemy the easy way of taking control.

"Get up." Before Arrika knew what she was doing, she had walked up to Keychain and was staring at her with her merciless, unfathomable dark eyes. "Well? Do you want someone to step on you?" Not like they haven't already...

What am I doing?! She thought suddenly, but did not let her doubts show on her face. She's just a stranger... Why should I care what happens to her?

Then Arrika remembered herself 5 years ago, just as hurt and weak as the girl sitting in a fetal position on the ground before her... Was this kindness she was showing Keychain? Or was she like Kobas, taking pity yet manipulating minds at the same time?

The voice that had snapped at her made Keychain stiffen. All her muscles constricted underneath her skin as it responded to her tension. Why now? she thought to herself. Never had she gotten attention before. Even if she ran into a building back home(which, she sadly knew happened once before), no one would walk over to her.

But, the new comer coming over to speak to her reminded her of her sister. How she would come up to her and start stabbing her with that staff of hers. "Come on, big sis', I thought that it was you who had to protect me. Not the other way around." Annie's laugh still rang in her ears. "Get up before people start walking all over you."

Keychain peered up at Arrika. The look the Sheikah was giving her made her flinch, but she still continued to stare up at her with her haunting blue eyes. "Do you really have to act like my sister?" she quietly mumbled.

There were too many memories that she remembered in her short seventeen years, but the memories of her family were etched in her mind. Etched more than the charcoal drawings she did of wild flowers, berries, and animals that were hidden in her books of wild fruits.

Making her think of her drawings made her unconsiously reach for the white bag tied to her waist. The stains of purple and red had seeped through from the berries she had picked. The bag was something that she never went without. It was small, and held the tiny book that her father had given to her one day. All her drawings were buried in the pages. Smeared with the black charcoal she used.

She stared at Arrika, then her eyes darted to everyone else. Keychain could feel the sweat falling down her forehead, running through the grime and grit from two whole weeks of running and walking. There was so much caked on her skin that it ran into her eyes. The stinging pain made her yelp and rub her eyes with the back of her hands.

Washing myself with cold water doesn't sound so bad, she mused to herself. Then she noticed how her stomach made loud grumbling noise, making her face turn red. Food doesn't sound bad, either, she added. But...

Looking at everyone that was looking at her made her shoulders start to quiver. She could feel her body beginning to prepare herself to flee. When she started to feel panicky, the voice of Luis rang through her head, "Key, how about you try living your life? I mean, you have enough time to be dead." His voice sounded was so clear that it could have been next to her.

Her brother was the only person who made her feel safe outside of her house besides her mother. Just remembering his voice made her calmer. She squared her shoulders and looked at everyone. Okay, she thought, I'll just ask if there's a place I can stay for free, and where I could find small odd jobs. Opening her mouth, she was determined to ask the question, but all that came out was, "U-u-u-uhh..." And some other muddled together words that didn't even sound English.

OoC: Hylian?

IC: "Didn't catch that," Arrika growled. "Speak up or don't speak at all."

How much have I become like Kobas?

She noticed Keychain straighten up, but the moment was ruined when her stomach growled audibly.

Just like me, the day I found him... Yet through it all, I can't hate him for his reasons. But what will my reason be?

Arrika turned away, jerking her head for Keychain to follow. "Let's get you something to eat. And clean you up too. You're a mess."

Denkou smiled as everyone introduced themselves. "Well, then. I don't think i'll be of any use here anymore. Siya, Aria, everyone!" The Lightning thief said, and was gone, as fast as his namesake.

Aria, however, was far more interested in the new girl. "Hello. Do you have a name? She asked, not sure if she heard it or not. "Arrika, the Cucoo Tavern isn't too far, let's go there!" The girl suggested eagerly, wanting to help.

Keychain watched as Denkou walked away. She felt some tension release from her body. She redirected her gaze back at Arrika. She pondered to herself about the offer she gave Keychain. Should she really say yes to someone who acted so coldly like her sister?

She couldn't make her decision before Aria spoke up to her. She directed her blue eyes away from Arrika and stared at Aria. She didn't say her name instantly, but listened as she offered information to Arrika about a Cucoo Tavern being close by.

Keychain's eyebrows creased together. She knew that she shouldn't be so edgy when it came to people who seemed so nice, but the treatment she got from the kids her age at her isolated village were who triggered it. The boys even continued to pick about her small, frail self. Just a little after she turned seventeen- a few days or weeks before the fire- the main boy who picked on her told her that she should be eleven instead of seventeen.

Keychain winced. Too many memories, she thought to herself, they have to go.

The thought of denying the offer to go to this "Cucoo Tavern" was just on the tip of her tongue. But her aching bones disagreed. Her tired eyes wanted to suddenly shut. She was conscious of all the dust, mud, and grit that covered her body. Her stomach rumbled as it found itself still empty for two days since she couldn't find any edible berries that were in her small handy book.

Keychain stared at Aria. She knew that once she opened her mouth, her voice would come out cracked and high pitched. She was even pondering over if her voice was going to be audible. "Well, if I didn't have a name, then it means I never had a home." The strength of her voice surprised her. Being away from her village buried in the trees for two weeks and not making contact with anyone during that made her think that her voice would be damaged.

She shook her head, making her ash red hair fly around her face. The ribbon in the back of her head was coming loose. Knowing that she was going to have to retie it anyway, she pulled the ribbon out. Maybe she should have been more surprised that the bright blue ribbon had collected dust and dirt, making it almost brown.

Keychain looked back at Aria. "My name is Keychain Innocence." She didn't want to mention that her middle name was Pure. "Um, so what is this Cucoo Tavern?" she questioned.

Sitting on the ground made her start to feel stupid. She unlocked her arms from holding her legs so close to her body and stood up. Only a few seconds of standing and she could already feel her legs start to spas. She cursed herself for getting so sick. Whatever sickness she had so long ago should have killed her, but instead it left her body and left her with trouble with her legs. She couldn't stand still too long before her muscles would start spasming.

OoC: Human.

"Aria," Arrika acknowledged with a nod. So this is the one Seth likes? Did it have to be Kasei's granddaughter? I heard she has a temper, too... Seems happy today though... "Alright, the tavern it is..."

Well, if I didn't have a name, then it means I never had a home.

Well, we're getting somewhere. She's showing some emotion.

And then she heard the girl's name. She raised an eyebrow but did not comment. "Okay, Keychain, the Cucoo Tavern is pretty much a pub. A bar. Lots of alcohol. But it's not a wild party place, unless Kasei and Sovelis are having a drinking contest... it's warm, relaxing, feels like home... understand? And no one will bother us until we figure out what to do with you."

The Sheikah spun on her heel towards the Cucoo Tavern, striding towards it quickly and opening the door. This would be the test; if Miss Keychain Innocence followed, then that meant she was worth something after all. If not... then Arrika decided she would have nothing more to do with someone as weak as her. It would be Aria's responsibility if that happened.

OOC: TWICE, ARRIKA! We only did it twice, and youm do it all the time? you make it sound like we do it all the time. Great.

IC: The little shiekah smiled brightly as she was given a name. But wait. What? Something about this girl wasn't right. First off, she looks half-dead, second, she has the strangest of strange names. EVAR.

"Keychain?" She repeated. "Who would name their kid Keychain? It's so odd. Then, there's Innocence. What? Were you born in a bar? Your parent's had to be drunk when they named you." She stated, showing her malicious side.

"Hmph, this is horrible, today." She said with a slight frown. "Whatever, let's not think of it, to the tavern, then, everyone!" She exlaimed, as if she was, in any way, in charge of the group. Almost emiediately, she ran off towards the pub, weaving her way through the crowd as she went, already thinking about what she was going to order.

Keychain scrunched up her nose at the thought of alcohol and idiots drinking until they can't even tell if the ceiling is up or down. She couldn't possibly think of a pub as home. Home for her would be sitting under a tree, watching her friend as she twirled around in circles, riding on the horses with her brother, and getting lost in the forest.

She didn't follow after Arrika quickly. She just stared with a confused look on her face with her head bent down before she looked up to see Arrika walking away. She felt herself stiffen and she quickly ran after Arrika, finding it with no difficulty.

Every time she ran, she still her heard her father's voice ringing in her head. "She's got my legs! Fastest person you will ever see!" Even when they got home and Key picked on her dad about demons being faster than her, and he would only bellow his booming laugh.

When she heard Aria bash the name that her mother had chosen so well for her, she felt her shoulders stiffen and roll back. She could taste the argument on the tip of her tongue. Even though she wanted to protect her name, she knew that it was useless. Her shoulders sagged and she sighed. Even she knew that her name was odd. She remembered all the fights she had with her mother because of her strange name. But her mother never yelled at her, only quietly muttered the words, "Your name is strange, but you will find the one man who tells you that his heart swells with happiness when he speaks of your name." Her name was special to her mother, and since her mother was now gone from her life, her name was special to herself. But, she didn't need to tell these people that she had only known for a few minutes.

Keychain pushed her bangs behind her ears, finding them framing her face to be too heavy with oil. "I would just like to clean up, eat some food, and get a good rest. Then I'll be off to. . ." Keychain frowned as she realized that she never knew where her older brother lived once he moved out. Not only that, but she had forgotten the face of the man who came to visit only once in a while.

Keychain just shook her head and sighed. If she couldn't find her brother, she could just simply start her life over again. Just because she was a year under adult age, doesn't mean that she can't find a way to build a house and live her life.

Keychain stared at Arrika as she swung the door open. She had to step back to make sure the door didn't hit her. She already had a bloody nose, she didn't need any bruises. Remembering the bloody nose, she lightly touched the bridge of her nose. It stung, but at least she knew that the blood had stopped dripping.

OoC: It feels like you guys do.

IC: "Good. Almost thought you weren't going to come," Arrika said shortly. She's getting better, she's telling us what she wants instead of sitting around earlier waiting for no one.

She took Keychain by the arm firmly, weaving undetected through the waitresses and tavern patrons and past the bartender's wife. No one seemed to take any notice of them; It was as if Keychain had inherited Arrika's innate stealth just by being near her.

"Where'd Aria run off to?" Arrika muttered, having lost track of the other girl. "She's just like Kasei, goes straight for the booze..."

They came to a locked door, but instead of Arrika having to pick the lock open, she simply reached into her pocket for a set of keys and opened the door easily. She jingled the keys playfully before snapping them back into her palm, giving Keychain a sly smile.

The room they entered was a small, dilapidated room that used to be the lounge for the employees a decade ago; the Tavern had renovated long ago and this one had been locked and untouched until Kobas had discovered it and made his own set of keys. Arrika tested the rusty faucet and observed herself in a cracked, dirty mirror before addressing Keychain.

"You can stay here for today... clean yourself up while I get you something to eat. I think there's some towels in the cabinet under the sink... water's kinda cold, and there's no soap... I'll have to find you some clothes too, don't I?" Arrika sighed. "Stay put, don't leave, and don't make too much noise. Understand?" She left, closing the door securely, and if Keychain was paying attention she would have heard the click of the lock.

"Aria," she whispered in the girl's ear when she found her in the pub. "I'm broke. Can you buy something for... Keychain..." Aria's right, that name's absurd... "... to eat?"

"Who now?" A male voice called over Arrika's shoulder. Should she turn around, she'd know full well that Kasei D Gobi was standing over her, grinning. The Rebel Flame looked from Arrika, to his grandaughter. "Who's this Keychain?" He asked earnestly, as his blue hair shook slightly.

Aria looked back. "She's a hobo we found on the street!" She said smiling, as if that was a good thing. "We were gonna treat her to food here, but both Arrika and I are broke. Care to help?" She asked, giving Kasei puppy-eyes.

"You should know that doesn't work with me." He said, but pulled out his wallet anyway, and examined it's contents. "Well, damn." He muttered, tossing the money pouch to Arrika. "Keep it under 400, kay?" He said, and turned around, but was stopped by Aria. "Oh no, you're staying." She said, and pulled him out.