The World of Rhune

“I can’t decide whether to be happy you gave me this, or annoyed,” Raven fingered the collar that now hung around her neck, sliding her pale fingers over the top of it. Sharely smiled with his hand in his pocket as they walked through the storm of people, and it occurred to him that if the girl had tracked him from a distance, she could access his crew. “I think you should be happy I like you that much,” he responded quickly, keeping up his smile. Raven rolled her eyes and they looked at Murphy silently thinking over whether he should or should not give Amber the collar. “Is it annual thinking day or something? Because you two seem to be thinking a lot, lately,” Murphy’s head snapped up, took in what had happened, and smiled at the Sharely and Raven in a way only he could muster. “Well, I think it’ll make things awkward to give this to Amber, as much as I want to,” his hand slipped into his pocket where the blue and white collar now sat. “Buddy, you’re a guy living in Xirra, it’s nothing new. Heck, I’ve seen guys who carry one on them to give to a girl who they’ve only known for ten minutes.” Sharely kicked a pebble at it hit some mule grazing. It looked up angrily at the crowd, but then turned back to it’s eating. Raven rolled her eyes again, “Don’t worry, Murphy. Amber will love it, though not because it’s anything normal or protocol.” She fake-glared at Sharely who pretended not to notice. “Sure, sure.” Murphy muttered to their advice and he looked straight ahead again. “You guys suck at giving advice. Murphy, Amber’s not free-minded like Raven but she’s not someone who whistles Dixie when she’s harassed. If Sharely gave it to her, she’d probably be okay with it, a little annoyed maybe, but she’d get the point. If it came from you, she’d love it, as long as you didn’t rub it in her face or demand anything back for it. But then again, you’re Murphy who barely talks as it is, so she’ll like it,” Kat playfully rammed her shoulder into Murphy, shoving him over a bit before he rammed her back softer, but it still made the same impact to Kat. “Well then, Mother Hen, we’ll just wait for you to speak up next time,” Sharley grinned again but swept the area quickly, and saw Raven casually flip her hair back, but look back behind them quickly before looking straight again. He figured it would be as good as any to warn them. “Hey, by the way, met this weird foreigner today with just under the knee boots and pink hair. Stay away from her, she’s the perfect picture of danger and knows how to use blades well.” He paused, making sure he’d caught everyone’s attention. “And I think she may want to follow me cause I was playing around with her after she’d beat up a couple of guys for trying to use her…” he looked up to three shocked eyes, Kat’s especially. “Well, yeah, that’s what drew my attention and then I said next time she should look for people like me, but she got the wrong idea and I don’t want her following me, and endangering you guys.” His voice had dropped considerably, and Kat smiled, Murphy grinning at her and Raven instantly picked up the natural charade and elbowed Sharely. He raised his eyebrows in at the bunch and they all mimicked laughing as easily as if they were actually. The small bunch kept going, and they brought up little tid bits of random things. “I still like your collar, it makes your eyes shine and your skin prettier.” He whispered in her ear, and he knew Raven was suppressing shivers as his breath tickled her ear. “Oh gee, thanks, that just makes me feel so much better.” Sharely rolled his eyes and Kat smiled at Raven’s attitude. “Don’t worry, you’ll soon just think of it as a necklace, be happy Sharley managed to pay for something like that.” Kat skipped a little in her step, and Murphy managed a small smile in response to her ever-lasting sisterly love. “That makes me feel so much better too, because I just love jewelry.” Normally Raven’s tone would have been dry, but today it seemed light. “What’d you swallow today? Happy pills or something? Cause you are freaking me out with all this niceness.” Raven looked at him in disbelief and jabbed at his stomach. He caught her wrist and quickly bound it to her waist with his own hand, and did he same for the other. She tried to kick him but he blocked it and they started creating a slight roadblock. Murphy and Kat met eyes and Sharley caught wind of their thoughts. He jerked his head towards the direction of their home and he dragged Raven behind the vender’s carts and stalls, them both laughing as Raven tried to free herself and Sharely evading all her blows. “Uncle, uncle! I give up, I give up!” Raven laughed but tried to tug her wrists from their binding. Sharely smiled and started walking her down the side, knowing it was a parallel path to the street. “Uh, why cant you let me go?” she complained good-naturedly as she was hustled, much to the disapproving looks of the merchants. “Because I want to,” he kept on pushing Raven along the stalls, wishing he could stop and pay for the appetizing food, but withstood the temptation and was happy to. He’d rather be a tramp than a prince. “Ever heard of ‘if you love something, let it go, and if it comes back it’s yours forever?’” Raven tried to twist and got one wrist free before it was caught again, she groaned. “I’m not going to take the chance of letting you go, though that would be interesting,” he mused, pretending to actually think about it. “I think it’d be interesting when I win, that would be the day,” “You betcha, but why don’t you try against Chachi first? And if you win against Fritz then I’ll race you,” he Raven blanched for a second, “Hey! So not fair, Sharely, he’s faster than all of us!” He let her turn and bang one wrist against his chest while he smiled. “Ever heard that life’s not fair?” Raven’s irritated face showed through, “Yeah, I do believe I have,”