Fantasy BOUND

[Ranguva]

Ran shrugged, "Well, yes." He did not understand why Amir looked so frustrated to have been stolen by someone like him. What person in Egypt, or in the world for that matter, would give up a precious ring housing a magical djinn? Amir's ring was probably eyed by thousands of thieves, Ran knew that he probably would not have the first to consider stealing it.

"If it makes you feel less like trash, you weren't being sold at a common stall. It was one of the biggest in the market," Ran scowled back. This was true. After years of living on the streets and thievery throughout the city, he had only stolen goods of a certain quality. Even if he was a thief, he had some standards of what he stole and where he stole from. If he was going to thieve, he was going to thieve well. "You cost me half a day of running and five guards plus the shopkeeper after my head." He remembered the wild chase throughout the market the other day and the near capture that he had almost faced. "Horus himself must have sped my feet along just to get away from them." Ran hoped that the shopkeeper had suffered multiple losses from his stall after abandoning it just to chase him.

 

[Dover]

“And yet the fact remains that I was sold at a marketplace.” Ran’s platitudes did nothing to ease Amir’s frustration. He didn’t even know why he was frustrated. It didn’t matter, he supposed, how his ring was found or purchased or traded. Wasn’t it all the same? In the end, he was just a commodity. A thing moved this way or that based on some human’s whims.

The frown dropped from his face and Amir stopped his pacing so he could sit back on the rug. He drew his legs up to his chest and moped. “You got lucky. If those guards and that shopkeeper had any true sense of what my ring is, there would have been a lot more people after you.” He scoffed at what Ran attributed his escape to. “You got away because you were quick and the guards failed to catch you. The gods don’t care about beings like us.”

Amir studied Ran and wondered what a human like him would wish for. It didn’t make any sense to Amir. He’d been with nobility for so long, and they always wished for wealth despite having plenty of it. Then there was this human, who clearly had nothing, and yet wished for a bed first before anything else. “You’re going to need to hide that ring if you intend to keep me around while you go do… whatever it is you do. Put it in your pocket or wear it on a cord around your neck, hidden beneath your shirt. I’ve seen people kill for that thing, and not everyone will be so ignorant as the shopkeeper.”

 

[Ranguva]

Ran swallowed a sarcastic retort, acknowledging of true Amir's statement was. If that shopkeeper really knew that he had been in possession of a djinn, Ran would have been captured and quartered before the next day. Even if Amir didn't believe, maybe the gods fated this meeting. How should Amir know that they didn't care?

First things first, he had to agree with Amir. The ring needed to stay hidden, magical or not. Usually, he only had to carry a small knife that he kept in a slit of the hem of his pants. After thinking for a moment, Ran grabbed the rug that Amir was currently sitting on. "Move for a moment," Ran said impatiently, nudging Amir over. He used his knife to slit a corner of the rug and pulled out one of the loosening fibers. He slid the ring carefully off his slim finger and looped it into the string. He cut it to length and made a small noose, tying it loosely around his tanned neck. Lifting the ragged collar of his worn shirt, he dropped the ring under it. A shiver ran through his chest as the cold gem of the ring landed on his bare skin. "There, hidden."

 

[Dover]

For a moment, Amir considering disobeying just to be belligerent. Not that he had any reason to be. Ran wasn’t awful, he supposed. Strange maybe. And a thief. But not awful. Heaving an overdramatic sigh, Amir scooted off the rug and watched as Ran took a knife to the rug.

“You know, you could have just asked me for a cord,” Amir scoffed. Though, he would admit that there was a part of him that appreciated Ran’s self-sufficiency. He’d had one master, about a century or so go, that would do almost nothing without wishing for it first. “I guess that’ll do. Just don’t lose it. I can’t bring that ring back to you, and wherever it goes, I go.”

Amir placed his hands behind him on the floor and leaned back a bit. “So now what? While being in your home has been quite the change in scenery for me, I can’t say it’s been a particularly entertaining one. Surely a thief must have something interesting to do with their days.”

 

[Ranguva]

"Of course, the most interesting thing in the world," Ran spread his arms wide and paused dramatically. "Survival, let's go get some food." He went towards the entrance and moved the cloth of the entrance to the side, just enough to peek out to check for guards. Satisfied with the emptiness, Ran bounded outside, Stretching his cramped legs, he looked to his hideout, waiting for Amir to come and follow him. "Hurry up! I want to go scout out the area for easy targets."

 

[Dover]

As someone whose survival was constantly in the hands of other people, Amir disagreed vehemently that survival was the most interesting thing in the world was survival. Though he didn’t voice that, and followed Ran to the door, where he paused a moment. While he knew nothing of thieving, Amir felt it was a safe assumption to suppose that stealth would be an aspect. Which wasn’t exactly his strong suit.

Amir looked down at himself, at the way he rattled slightly from every movement due to his weakness for jewellery, and snapped his fingers. All the metal bracelets and beaded necklaces disappeared, but the brass shackle, just barely visible below the pant of his left leg, remained. He felt strangely naked despite still being fully clothed.

After Ran left ahead of him, Amir cautiously peered out the door. Well, entrance. It was less of a door and more of a scrap of fabric that shifted momentarily in the wind created by their movement. It seemed desolate outside. “You live in a miserable place,” Amir commented, but he followed as instructed.

He walked down the empty path, and in the distance, he could hear the hum of many voices. They were on some abandoned side road, Amir assumed. Somewhere that Ran could safely hide when he took off with stolen merchandise. He glanced back at Ran. “Lead on, then. I suppose if this is to be my new life, I best learn what an easy target looks like if I want to eat.”

 

[Ranguva]

"Well, this miserable place is your home too," Ran said in a matter-of-fact tone. He started to climb the ragged stone wall, clutching pieces of stone that jutted out of the wall to haul himself up. "I'll leave it to you to catch up. You can materialize, yes?" After reaching the top of the wall, he leaped onto the roof of a small hut and started to nimbly bound back his way over the rooftops and walls towards the alleyway that he had escaped from the other day. Though dark, dank and infested with vermin, it was the perfect place to scout from and to hide away in.

Cautiously, Ran climbed down onto a pile of rotting boxes, cringing as the wood let out a huge groan from his slight weight. He jumped the rest of the way down in order to not risk the noise of the crumbling wood. "Amir?" he whispered into the dark of the alley. The marketplace from his view was already starting to bustle. Disappointment covered Ran's face as he realized that he had missed the prime picking time. As the day in the market wore on, guards had started their patrols with new vigor and the shopkeepers had started placing their best wares in more secure spots as other more inexperienced thieves had tried to nab them. "Amir? Where are you?" Ran suddenly had an idea, but it would involve Amir's help.

 

[Dover]

“Temporary home,” Amir corrected. “You humans always manage to lose me or die sooner or later.” Or get mad and toss him away. He still felt wounded by being thrown out the window. He wasn’t sure his pride would ever recover from that. Or that it would ever recover from Ran just assuming that Amir couldn’t climb the wall and would have to materialize.

“Of course I can. Not that I would need to, because I don’t,” Amir argued even as Ran reached the top of the wall. That was a blatant lie. He’d never climbed a wall in his life. Pride won out over his sense of shame, and Amir put his hands on the wall, trying to figure out how Ran had so easily found foot and handholds to leverage himself up. But before he could even begin to try, Amir felt a familiar, sickening pull and he was ripped out of existence.

Through the cloud of nothingness, Amir felt movement and then a sudden stop. Immediately, Amir rematerialized next to Ran in the alley, huffing as he did so. “Give a bit of warning next time you take off, would you?” he whispered. Carefully, Amir peered from the alleyway. “Is this a good idea? Returning to the marketplace so soon after you made off with my ring?” Amir could see guards milling about. His stomach rumbled. “Nevermind, what’s the plan? And if you intend to seek my help, remember that I can’t alter the will of another living being.”

 

[Ranguva]

Ran ignored Amir's complaints. In a matter of life and death, it was usually the fastest runner who survived. Besides, didn't Amir just materialize where he wanted to be? Unlike himself who had to climb, run and exert physical energy. Ran rolled his eyes, "I remember your rules. I was just wondering if you could make me unnoticeable. Could you make me invisible? Or maybe transform me into a different person? That way, I'll can steal from under their noses or at least they would not recognize me as I ran away."

As Ran conveyed his request to Amir, he scanned the market for some easily acquirable targets. He spotted a stall where a seedy looking man was setting out some questionable looking loaves. Since the guards seemed to skip that area, it would be the best place to steal from, but he did not want to get sick from tainted food. He looked at another stall where a few young workers were passing fish and packs of meats to a muscled guard who tossed them on a loading cart. Risky, but they wouldn't miss a few if he took them.

 

[Dover]

Amir shook his head. “My limitations include your free will, even if you’re willing.” Once, he may have been able to do that, but that was long ago. Before he’d been bound to the ring. He wondered sometimes how powerful he’d be if he’d been allowed to develop normally.

“You’re really overcomplicating things.” Amir pressed his back up against the wall and smirked at Ran. “What’re you eyeing there?” Amir studied the market once again at tried to follow Ran’s gaze. Not those horrifying loaves of bread, he hoped. But a little further, he could see some people putting various meats into a cart.

“Two options, really. I could cause a distraction and let you sneak by and grab something or…” He let the final word hang in the air and held out his hands. A quick snap of his fingers and a fish vanished unnoticed from the cart, appearing in his hands instead. “In the mood for fish?” A self-important smile was on his face as he tossed the fish over to Ran. “Or maybe red meat?” Another snap, and this time a packet of meat disappeared straight from one of the workers’ hands. Amir peered inside his newly acquired package as alarmed yells began in the marketplace.

“You were right. This is more interesting.”

 

[Ranguva]

At first, Ran was extremely impressed. He smiled at the pile of meat and fish that Amir had conjured up. However, as cries of alarm began to spread throughout the market, Ran realized what Amir had done. "AMIR!" Ran yelled before remembering to lower his voice, he pulled him over to a hidden niche of a cracked stone wall. "If you were going to teleport the food over to us, why didn't you do the ones that were in the pile, not directly from the worker's hands?" Ran cringed as guards were called over. He hurriedly stuffed the packet of meat in his shirt and threw the fish into Amir's hands. "We have to hurry. Soon, the market will be overrun with guards." Ran pulled Amir along with him as he ran back towards the boxes. Who knows what the guards would do if they caught him. Not only would they execute him, he would be branded for witchcraft and tortured too! Everyone knew that magic only existed within the court magicians and the Pharaoh.

 

[Dover]

Before Amir had the chance to enjoy the fruits of his labour, he was being dragged into some hidden crack in the wall. He stumbled in, scowling when Ran questioned his methods. “What does it matter? They don’t have a clue what happened. Maybe you shouldn’t yell, and then there would be not problem.” The fish was shoved into his hands and he held it grudgingly.

He took a bit of pleasure in how distressed Ran seemed to be as they hurried back to the cover of the boxes. Served him right after threatening his ring with a knife last night. But he supposed it wouldn’t do any good to be captured. And despite his small resentment for how Ran had treated him earlier, he was appreciative of that first wish. With a sigh, Amir glanced around the boxes. “I’ll take care of it.”

The market was in a state of upheaval. There were a few cries of ‘dark magic’ which was ridiculous. Even if he wanted to, Amir couldn’t perform dark magic. Some of the other shopkeepers had come to the cart and the guards already present were searching about. A mischievous smile crossed his lips and he focused just beyond the crowd. One of the stall’s legs snapped, and while the yelling increased in volume, all attention was diverted to the broken stall and the fruit now rolling about on the ground.

“Come on, then. While they’re distracted.” He tucked the fish under one arm and casually strolled in the opposite direction of the chaos.

 

[Ranguva]

Ran stared wide-eyed at the mayhem that the broken fruit stall had caused. It was almost as if the incident with the disappearing meat and fish had never existed. He followed Amir in a daze for a few seconds, listening to the screams of people tripping over the rolling produce. Shaking off the surprise, he caught up to Amir, "I know you're a djinn with magical powers, but you shouldn't make such a scene." Ran whispered as they nonchalantly passed several alleyways and a couple of guards who were hurrying towards the chaos. "What if someone accuses you or me of witchcraft? You said you couldn't bend the will of others and people here can spread rumors faster than Ra travels the sky."

 

[Dover]

Amir examined the fish under his arm. It was a nice size. Fresh. But he wished he’d snagged some vegetables instead. “Why not? The people here are too unused to magic. They’re clueless. I simply…” He gestured vaguely with his free hand. “Gave them some excitement.”

Guards ran past the alleyways, ignorant that those they were searching for were only a few feet away. Amir gave Ran a placating smile. “See? Ignorant.” Though Ran’s implication that they’d be accused of witchcraft wiped the smile off his lips. “Nonsense. Some witch isn’t capable of anything close to what I can do.” It was insulting to have his innate abilities compared to the hack and slash magic that humans managed to conjure up. He’d never stoop to such grotesque magic.

“Why are you so upset? We weren’t caught, and I did what you wanted.” Though they were getting further away now, he could still hear the chaos of the market. “You humans are never happy with anything,” Amir grumbled.

 

[Ranguva]

Ran sighed. To be fair to Amir, he had gotten them enough food to last them the rest of the day. He weighed the packet of meat in his hands. What a feast they would have tonight! "Look. I'm grateful that you got us the food, but I'm not used to these kind of tactics. If you're going to follow me around, you should at least respect how I do things."

He looked again at the food. Usually, he would only grab enough for a few mouthfuls. Now that he had all this food, he didn't know what to do for the rest of the day. "Well, I guess we could go back and rest up. I don't have anything to sell today, so there's no need to visit the black market." Ran fell back into thought. He never had this much time on his hands or this little danger or panic that he usually felt as he stole. It never really came to mind that all he usually did was survive day after day.

 

[Dover]

“If I’m going to follow you around?” Amir scoffed loudly. “I don’t have a choice in the matter, sweetheart. That thing is a leash.” His voice was snide and sarcastic as he pointed to Ran’s chest where the ring made only a faint bump beneath the shirt. “But fine. We’ll do it your way.”

Every bit of him wanted to rebel, especially as Ran suggested going back. Much of his life had been spent cooped up; the only difference was that this time, it was in a dingy hovel instead of some nobility’s chambers. Amir was about to voice his displeasure when another guard ran past the alleyway. That one was a bit different than the others. Dressed slightly finer, with bronze cuffs around his biceps and wrists to show his status. A royal guard? What was a royal guard doing here? Amir felt his blood run cold.

“You know, maybe relaxing is a good idea. I’m sure this is a lot for you to take in, and today was already so exciting. We should definitely rest and not leave your home again until things cool down,” Amir rambled. He took Ran’s arm with his free hand and tried to pull him along a little faster.

 

[Ranguva]

Ran stumbled as Amir suddenly pulled him along, almost losing his grip on the packet of meat safely stored inside his baggy shirt. "What the.. !" Ran saw the glint of the bronze cuffs. Royal guards. Had the news of the magic disappearances spread already? He had not time to even utter a slight curse before being pulled away by Amir.

"Stop, this way." He pulled his arm out from Amir's nervous grasp and jerked his head towards a gap between two stalls that led to the outer walls of the city. "There's a shortcut, but we have to be quick." Ran murmured into Amir's ear as he brushed past him into the other direction. The situation was dire, laying low for a while was the best choice. Besides, they had enough food for a while. No need to go out for more until later.

 

[Dover]

Amir skidded to a halt. Every instinct in his body was screaming at him to keep running the way he was, but he really had no choice in the matter. And maybe Ran knew this area better than Amir did, which was not at all. He chewed on his lower lip and then darted after Ran.

“A shortcut to where?” Amir kept pace behind Ran and kept looking out behind them to see if they had a tail. “Not that it matters, as long as it’s not here, I suppose.” Nervously, he checked over his shoulder again. “I wasn’t going to bother telling you, didn’t really see the point, but my last master was a noble.” The last several, really, but that was irrelevant for the time being. “And I’m starting to wonder if perhaps I wasn’t kept in my ring for as long as I thought I was. Unless royal guards make a habit of scouring the marketplaces now? There’s not a chance they heard about magic there so quickly otherwise.” Not unless they were already there looking for signs of magic.

 

[Ranguva]

"This w..." Ran halted and pulled Amir into another alleyway. It was almost as dank and dirty as the one that they had appeared from, but at least some people had cleared away some of the rubble from the ground. Not that it helped their situation, there were barely many boxes to climb from. Thank Ra for the cracks and notches in the nearby wall. Reaching for a few handholds, Ran looked at Amir and motioned to his hands. "Just put your hands and feet in the same notches that I do. Your limbs are longer, so this should be easy for you."
"Umphh... N-noble?" Ran muttered as he reflected back on the words that Amir had spoken just moments ago. What was he talking about? Never mind for the moment though. If royal guards were involved, it would be best to run as far away as possible.

 

[Dover]

No answer came to his question, but as long as they got out from where they were, Amir couldn’t bring himself to care much. He squeezes through the cramped areas Ran dragged him through and dusted off his clothing as they passed through. A frown twisted his expression as Ran gestured to him. Sure, he had the height and reach for climbing, but that didn’t mean he was capable of it. Not in the conventional way. And Amir still remembered his failed attempt as they climbed over walls to the market. Amir checked around to make sure nobody was around, vanished, and reappeared sitting atop the wall.

“You were right. Easy enough.” Amir smirked and waited for Ran to catch up to him. “Yes, a noble. He lived in the palace. I think he was an advisor or maybe a priest? I didn’t bother to find out.” Amir flicked his wrist absently and hopped down from the wall, wincing a bit as his feet hit the ground. One of his sandals had half slipped off and he bent to fix it. “I thought that maybe it had been years, but perhaps only a few days.” He shrugged his shoulders. “It’s difficult to judge the passing of time when I’m in the ring.”

 

[Ranguva]

Ran blinked in surprise before shaking his head in exasperation. Of course. Amir was able to teleport. Ran mentally smacked himself on the head for forgetting such an obvious aspect of the djinn's power. Grunting with effort, he lifted himself bodily over the crumbling wall and threw his legs over to prepare himself for the landing. Jumping purposefully next to Amir, a large cloud of dust billowed up, scattering bits of sand and wood chips all over their legs. Not bothering to brush the splinters from his calloused feet, he tilted his head in confusion. "Why would a noble want to sell you? Any one of those greedy bastards would want an all-powerful djinn at their beck and call." To be fair, Amir didn't seem to be a traditional servant who would respectfully obey. He led the way to another wall. Not bothering to wait for Amir, he began to climb again while waiting for the answer.

 

[Dover]

Sand and a few fragments of wood chips decorated the bottoms of Amir’s loose-fitting trousers. With an exaggerated huff, he dusted himself off and got back to his feet. Though, his annoyance was tempered a bit by Ran calling him an all-powerful djinn. It wasn’t true, but Amir preened under the compliment all the same.

He treated the next wall much the same as the first, and once again, waited at the top of it. “The man was a fool, but not that much of a fool,” Amir explained. “I made him angry and he threw my ring from the ramparts of the palace. Someone else must have found it and sold it to the merchant you stole me from.” This time, Amir did not jump from the wall and reappeared on the ground. “It was really quite rude.” Amir didn’t even know what his last master was so upset about. He’d been tuning the man out frequently. Which, in hindsight, maybe have been the reason he was tossed aside like so much trash.

Nah, that couldn’t be it.

Amir tapped his foot on the ground impatiently. “You still haven’t told me where we’re going. I appreciate the urgency, but I’m rather lost. I’ve been cooped up in the palace for some time.”

 

[Ranguva]

Ran panted as he scaled the wall before sitting next to Amir for a short break. "If you haven't guessed, we're going back to my hideout." He pointed in a northeast direction. "See, we just made a roundabout trail from the market. Usually, I take a shortcut there, "Ran flicked his finger at a mass of tents that blossomed from the mundane colors of the city, "but I didn't want to take the chances of being seen by any guards." Having caught his breath, Ran jumped onto the taut fabric of a sturdy tent before quickly flinging himself onto a nearby roof. He clung to the dusty bricks and hauled himself up onto the hot surface. "We're almost there. Though I bet you can just teleport there when you see it." Ran couldn't help but take a jab at Amir's impatience. Might as well. He was the one who was climbing walls and jumping from roof to roof.

 

[Dover]

Amir craned his neck around as he tried to follow the directions Ran was explaining. It was actually a bit easier, atop the wall, to get a handle on his surroundings. He had a vague map of the city in his mind, created by many long hours staring wistfully out the palace’s windows and wishing he was anywhere but there.

He followed Ran over the roofs and walls through various teleports, though with how quickly Ran was moving, he still had some difficulty. He had to get his bearings each time, focus on where he felt his ring, and drag his form back towards it. He supposed he shouldn’t complain. At least he wasn’t being ripped towards it.

Eventually, they found their way to Ran’s home, and Amir pushed aside the scrap of fabric that made up the hut’s door. “Finally!” Amir huffed. “I’m starving.” With a snap of his fingers, Amir conjured a wooden platter to lay the fish he’d stolen on, and placed the fish atop it. He put his hands on his hips. “Theft was oddly… invigorating.” He felt he should be concerned by that.

 

[Ranguva]

Ran chuckled as he fell back on the soft cotton pallet. Ahhh home. He relaxed his tense muscles before tossing out the packet of meat that had been resting inside his shirt onto the rug. A small indent had formed on his skin where the meat had pressed the ring against his chest. "I would agree with you if I didn't have to go through that every day. Though, we did get a lot, so we should be fine for a few days." A worried look passed across his face as he thought of the royal guards that had been rushing to the scene at the market. "Hey Amir," Ran said, trying to keep his tone nonchalant, "you said something about a noble. Any chance of him trying to find you?"