In the end, the half-breed had settled on something considerably simple. The mask she wore was a fox mask of sorts and she’d taken a long dress that was long enough to hide her legs. She had the feeling that her wings might be one of her most noticeable traits so she’d curled them around her body and put on the old black cloak that used to be such a common piece of her ensemble. As one last barrier, she’d also kept her wing armor on. Just in case. Alexander had been convinced to come without a costume as long as he didn’t have to wear his Black Guard armor. He was a relatively unrecognizable man, almost comedically so.
The pair were currently walking that street quietly, trying to figure out how to go about this. They could always go directly to the women in question, but how were they to tell which ones were the women they were supposed to be saving? Of course, it would be preferable to save all of them, but there had to be a little focus on specific aspects and taking out one of the largest ‘enforcers’ was bound to do some damage. “I have no idea what we’re doing,” she admitted quietly as the two walked.
“Neither do I,” Alexander said with a quick grimace. The pair had never done anything similar in their whole lives. They were a little better than they’d been when they’d started this mess, but it still wasn’t a very good situation. Stuck between a rock and a hard place it seemed… At the very least it was starting to get dark which meant their potential squealers were starting to come out to work. Since they’d be working all night it wasn’t hard to assume that they slept during the day. It must be especially rough during Cylus and Saun since it was either always dark or always bright.
Alexander split off slightly as he prowled down a suspicious looking alley. The half-breed kept walking wondering if she could get a good idea. There was a gaggle of particularly beautiful women cooing at the men who walked past. Or at least some of them were. There were two different types of women in the group it seemed. Some of them had red ribbons tied around their throat, little heart lockets dangling from the front. These women looked terrified and were hesitant to act. They didn’t try to get attention, and yet they were the ones that were snapped up more often than the women without the little red bows.
The half-breed strolled up, picking out one of the women without a bow as someone who would potentially talk. “Excuse me miss,” the escort turned to her curiously. Even with the mask, her voice was in nature distinctly feminine. Of course, there were bound to be the odd woman or two who used their services, but it was still strange considering the half-breed was completely covered in cloak and mask. “I’m new to the area and was rather curious about the women with the red bows. They seem so hesitant and unhappy, yet they’re the ones that get picked out the most,” she asked.
The woman flinched. “It’s because who they work for,” she said. Her voice leaked sympathy which was strange. “None of them want to be here, even more so than the rest of us. A lot of us end up doing this because we’re in debt or children to take care of and we can’t get any other work or our husbands don’t provide enough. There are the few who enjoy it but they’re red. The women with the red bows though, a lot of them are the victims of trafficking,” she explained.
“Trafficking?” The half-breed questioned. Her voice leaked dread at what kind of deranged, sick story she was about to hear.
“Human trafficking,” the woman said with a nod. “A lot of them are slaves, kidnapees, or women who were traded as babies to pay off large debts. They’re all terrified. And unfortunately, that little red bow gives away exactly who their employer is. Not much is known other than the fact they’re sworn to total secrecy which is what makes them the most popular choice. If they give away any kind of secrets their reward will be death and they’ll evoke ‘punishment’ for any of the other women. They don’t talk much and they all look terrified. I’ve never seen one with a bow look anything other than scared for their life. Worst of all, a lot of them are beautiful and exotic, making them even more popular. I’d recommend staying far away before you make things worse for yourself and them,” the woman said.
The half-breed was quiet for a moment before she sighed. “Unfortunately, that doesn’t seem to be an option right now. I’ll do whatever I can to make sure they don’t get hurt for it,” she said.
The woman almost laughed. “Then to you, good luck getting one of them to talk.”
Good luck indeed. They all huddled together in a quiet group, some clinging to one another as they shivered. Someone had to have some pretty demented fetishes to take one of these girls. Speaking of demented fetishes, a lot of them bared strange marks and scars and brands. They recoiled whenever someone got near. It was sad and pathetic and enraging all at the same time. The half-breed couldn’t stand it.
“Excuse me, ladies, I was curious about your employer,” the half-breed said as she strode up. They all turned away ignoring her. Expected. In fact, she didn’t expect to get anything form them. At least not at this moment. The bravest of the group pulled the youngest looking one closer, her grasp motherly and comforting to the girl that Nightshade wasn’t even sure was of age yet. They both looked human, but the half-breed couldn’t tell. The older was a beauty with deep caramel colored skin while the other had flesh as white as snow. “I want to help,” the half-breed uttered in a quiet voice. No response.
The eldest let go of the younger girl with a sigh. “I’m going to check on the other group,” she said. Her eyes traced Nightshade for just a moment. There was distrust in her gaze, but also something hopeful.
The woman left and Night continued to try and talk to the rest of the group. After a couple moments, she followed the same path that the eldest did, walking towards an alley. There the older stood, looking at the half-breed with sharp eyes. “Are you actually telling the truth? Or were you trying to get one of us alone so you could play out some sick fantasy,” she hissed. There was something dangerous in her eyes like she actually knew how to fight, but also fearful. If what had been told to the half-breed was true all the girls would be punished if this one fought back. That was likely the only reason she was hesitating now.
“I had no intention of anything malicious, that I promise,” the half-breed said as she pulled off the mask to reveal her face. There was a flash of recognition and a relaxation of the shoulders in the woman as a heavy sigh left her body.
The woman looked conflicted for a moment but sighed heavily. "Give me a map, I'll show you where outside the city the base is. Just... please, don't let any of the girls get hurt? They're all so innocent, they never deserved any of this..."
"Of course not, I swear it on my honor," the half-breed said.
