A Real Fan

"After that, we reconvene at my room, and we try to figure out first who is doing this, exactly. Then, we try to understand their goals."

"From there, we start investigating them. They become the prey. In that, you will need to be instructed how to act, as I will only be allowed to observe."

He didn't address magic, though. Not yet. He didn't want to endanger the girl's life by teaching her blood magic, but it could be needed later.

He could teach her a spell to create light, though. That took minimal blood...

Crow snapped back to reality with a small frown.

"Information is key."
 
Ryn nodded, her face set in serious lines. What they had was the start of a plan, and that was good enough for her at that moment. There was something to do next and that was all that mattered. And she was good with turning the prey role back onto whoever it was that was hunting her. Thought that thought raised a new question.

"How will we figure out who's doing this?"

The question was an obvious one, but Ryn felt that it needed to be asked. Was it the person who paid to have the ring stolen? Was it the people who she stole it from? Those were the two obvious choices. What if it was both people?

Ryn sighed and pushed her plate away from her, signalling that she was done with it and reached for her water. She took a big drink before setting the glass back down on the table.

"How are we going to get all the information we need? I feel like I'm stuck in the dark right now. I don't know what's happening. I don't know anything for sure. I can't even say if I'm doing the right thing."
 
Crow nodded, acknowledging her worries as he brought a hand to his chin to ponder.

"I think we can discuss how to identify them once we are back at my room. I have an idea, but it would be foolish to allow it to be overheard."

A small smile teased at his lips as he pondered his idea.

"I can help with the first part, but will need your assistance on the second."

His idea was a simple one, but simple was often the best. The only problem would be disposal—he did not want to turn Ryn into more of a criminal, after all. That would defeat the purpose of trying to help her get away from thieving.
 
Sucking her bottom lip into her mouth, Ryn worried it between her teeth for a few moments, letting the knowledge that Crow had a plan sink in. She was more than willing to do her part, he was, after all, helping her out. Sitting still was making her antsy though, and it felt as though they were being watched. It was probably just paranoia playing tricks on her, but she was ready to get out of there.

"Are we done here?" she asked, hoping that he was also ready to get going. "There's a few different ways to get to my house from here. The quicker way will have fewer people. It utilizes alleys and side streets. Avoiding crowds is typically what I want, but today I'm not so sure. We can get there staying on main thoroughfares too, but it'll take a while..."

She allowed herself to trail off hoping that he would finish her train of thought himself. She would leave the choice to him, and lead the way whichever direction he decided to go. She felt deferring to him in this was only right since he had promised to protect her.
 
"Let's take the public route." They would pass through enough alleys later, if she accepted his plan. "It's better than being caught before we begin enacting our plans."

A small smile teased at his features.

"In fact," he lowered his voice, "We should avoid anywhere non-public for some time."

A gleam of mischief teased at his dark eyes. "We can cause your pursuers a series of very bad days."
 
"I seriously hope you're right about that." Ryn said grimly as she rose from her seat. "I just want them to leave me alone." And that was the truth of it. She knew that one surefire way to get herself out of this mess would be just to hand over the ring, but something deep down told her that even doing that would likely only result in a reprieve before something else happened.

Smoothing her clothes made her feel a little bit better, but she knew she still probably looked really rough. The lack of sleep from the night before was starting to catch up with her as well. She felt tired all over. Her limbs felt heavy, and ungainly.

A deep sigh left her and she gestured in the direction they were to be heading. "It's this way. The crowds should be pretty steady today."
 
"I'm no simpleton, I assure you this is our best option at the moment."

He nodded, then smirked slightly.

"Besides, no bullet or arrow or spell can hit me, so... if you stay close, you also won't be hit."

He finished the drink served alongside his breakfast, then raised an eyebrow at her as he waved over one of the staff and paid the bill before he looked again at Ryn.

"Lead the way, if you're done eating."
 
Ryn was definitely done. She was more than done. More than ready to head out. So ready in fact that she had completely forgotten about paying. It was lucky one of them was paying attention.

"Yeah, it's just this way," she remarked, heading off down the road.

The crowds were relatively large, and they all seemed to be heading in the same direction. It was a market day, after all. Market days only happened a few days a week, so there was only so much time to get what you needed before the week was out. People had their routines. Most people had their chosen day, and went to market once a week, while others spent every day available at the market and still weren't satisfied. But that was neither here nor there.

As they walked, Ryn talked. She talked about the weather, and the nice blue sky they had that day. She talked about the people they passed and pondered what they were going to buy. Ryn talked about the buildings they passed, giving a brief history of the newer places that had been built in their little, but growing, city. She pointed out the spot where she first met her best friend, and the spot where she almost died-- she had nearly been run over.

She talked and talked. Most of it nonsense, but it was enough to keep her brain occupied and keep her awake. Occasionally she would stop talking long enough to take a breath and give Crow a chance to respond. This continued for most of their walk. But as they neared her home they had to take lesser streets. While there were still a fair amount of people on them, there definitely weren't crowds. And the lack of crowds made Ryn nervous. She fidgeted with her clothes and smoothed her hair as they walked. Her eyes scanning every shadow they passed.

"I don't like feeling like this."
 
Crow followed closely, remaining at her side, but fully aware of the turns she chose to take as she did.

He listened to her, making relevant comments as he did, and even occasionally managing a question about the subjects when she paused for breath.

Her chattering didn't bother him, and when she admitted her feelings, he nodded.

"I'm not accustomed to the role of prey, either. Regardless..."

He rolled his shoulders, as though his pain was nothing, in a show of strength.

"I am here. You're safe."
 
Ryn wanted desperately to believe him, but he was injured and she just wasn't sure. Surely she was more safe with him than without though. And he knew magic, which was something that she doubted their pursuers had ever seen before. It wasn't something she'd ever seen before, at least.

After what felt like forever to Ryn they finally arrived at her house. It wasn't overly large or extremely small. It was clear her family did well enough for itself. The house, more of a cottage, was paneled with teal siding that covered the top half of the house while the bottom half was covered in rocks. The look was quaint, almost sweet looking. But it wasn't the only house on the street with that aesthetic either. Several other houses had the same look about them, right down to the sloped roof and many inviting windows.

"This is it. My parents should be gone right now." She approached the door and pushed it open. "I won't be long, if you want you can wait for me inside in the parlor. There's plenty of seats."

Ryn ducked through the door and hurried down the hallway to her room. It was still a mess. Her belongings strewn everywhere. But it didn't take her long to find some clean clothes. From there she went to the washroom, peeled her dirty clothes off, and gave herself a quick sponge bath before putting the clean clothes on. When all was said and done she felt one hundred times better.

Finding Crow, she offered him a small smile and asked, "Where to now? Back to your room?"
 
Crow nodded, then paused and looked her over. "Do you have your hairbrush?"

He hoped that question would prompt her to get whatever else she might need for washing up and self-care.

"Also, anything you require for periods, since I'm not sure how long you'll be staying."

That he said it with a straight face and without embarrassment showed the truth—such things didn't bother him. Back home, he was surrounded by women, and had been dealing with them for centuries. It was as normal to him as a man having to wash himself to avoid pimples.

"If you lack a bag..."

He winced as he reached into his obi and pulled from it a small suitcase.

"Here."
 
Ryn's eyes went wide and her cheeks turned pink as he mentioned her monthly. How long was this going to take? She took the suitcase, honestly not having one of her own and went back to pack all her toiletries and necessities, including a hairbrush and the unmentionables for her period. She filled the rest of the suitcase with clothes, making sure she had a few outfits. Once the suitcase was full she returned to Crow.

"Now I'm ready. I got everything, I'm pretty sure. How long do you think we'll be staying together?"

She didn't like just leaving the house without saying anything, but the less her parents knew the better it was for them. She was going to protect them by keeping them ignorant of the situation. She was scared to even leave a note for fear that someone would believe she passed them information that way.

She took a few steps toward the door before stopping and turning back to him. "Your arms, are they still hurting really bad? Do you need a longer rest before heading back?" She felt extremely selfish; her attention had been on her problems and her problems alone, and the one person helping her was injured and she'd pretty much ignored that fact since that morning when they left. "I don't want to stay here longer than we have to, but if you need rest I'm okay for a little while."
 
Dark eyes blinked at her before a small smile teased his lips. "It's my arms hurt, not my legs, but," a short pause, "Thank you for your concern."

With that, he took the lead and held the door for her with his shoulder. "I would feel safer resting in my own room, where I will know immediately if something is wrong."

The bell on the doorknob would help with that.

As they began to make their way, he glanced toward her.

"I wonder, are crows demonized here?"

Invisible, his wings flicked at his back, sending a small puff of air out to either side.
 
She couldn't help but smile back at his remark, and she was thankful that he wanted to get out of there. She would also feel more secure once they got back to his room. Nothing had happened the previous night, and he'd used magic to secure it. Perhaps he would do the same again.

She walked a bit behind him and off to the side, walking slower now thanks in part to the suitcase and in part to her exhaustion. His question came out of nowhere. And the puff of air that came from the invisible wings caught her off guard , but Ryn recovered quickly enough and shook her head. "No, not really. Some of the more superstitious folks seem to think that certain birds are omens for good or bad luck, but I've heard anything about the crow. I've heard a lot of stories about owls, and vultures. Crows are pretty common around here though, which is probably why they're not worth noting. If they were less common they'd be more mysterious, and people would wonder what brought them. Like owls. You don't see them too often.

I can't much imagine why one would demonize a bird though. It sounds strange to me." Realizing she was talking too much again Ryn grinned a shy sort of grin and just asked, "Why?"
 
Realizing he was outpacing her, Crow slowed enough to walk beside her as he glanced her way.

"Why?"

It seemed such a silly thing to ask, after she'd seen his other form, but he assumed her head was filled with other things, given her circumstances.

"My name is Crow," he reintroduced, "And I am a Tengu—a crow spirit." His deep voice quiet as he spoke, he watched her out of the corner of his eye.

"I would rather not stir up too many dramatic idiots." For a moment, his smile became a small grin, almost playful. "Then again, it might have been a little fun."
 
"Oh, I'm sure if you revealed yourself there will be at least a few dramatic idiots that manage to get stirred up." Ryn looked over at him and raised her eyebrows. "I probably would have freaked out if I wasn't already freaking out. But it's not because you're a crow spirit... it'll be because, well, you're not human and that's not something you see too often--or ever--around here..."

The last part of her sentence got quieter and quieter as she spoke until eventually it trailed off into nothingness. Ryn cleared her throat and looked away almost shyly as if she was a little embarrassed by what she said. "Are you planning on dropping your illusion?"
 
He could see where the question came from, but he simply shook his head.

"No. Not at the moment, at least. I find humans are more trusting if I look human, because red skin often looks frightening, especially with wings."

He closed his eyes, thoughtful, before he returned his attention to the crowd around. "Life is easier. I tend to drop the illusion only if I must, or earlier, when I went out flying."

His arms throbbed and itched, but he ignored them as best he could.

"You say non-humans are uncommon... so, what of magic? Alchemy? Potion-brewing?"
 
Ryn switched the suitcase from one hand to the other and shrugged her shoulders. "Before you I thought magic was something that was make believe. I don't know if anybody else knows any, but I surely do not. We have reagents and stuff for medicinal potions, but those are based on herbs and require quite a bit of knowledge that most people don't possess."

She switched the suitcase back to her right hand, finding it awkward to carry it with her left. She simply looked like she was fidgeting. "You said you would teach me magic. Can you actually do that? Could I learn?"
 
"As long as you are willing to learn," he assured, "Which means you will have to do painful things."

He tilted his head at her, half-ready to take the bag from her, only to stop himself when he felt a twinge in his arm—the slight movement plenty warning that he should take it easier than he had thus far.

Meditation would help speed the healing, but first, he had a young woman to escort to the safety of his room.

Their arrival came soon enough, and Crow sighed as he entered the room. The door jingled from his bell, and he smiled slightly, thankful he'd decided to continue using that little trick.
 
Ryn tilted her head to the side and hmm'd quietly. "What kind of painful things? Is it worth it? I'm not great with pain, but I am interested in learning..."

As she stepped into the room, she noticed the bell this time, and made a mental note of the sound it made. Moving off to the side she set her suitcase down out of the way.

"We made it back without incident," she signed with relief. "To be honest, I was pretty worried that something would happen. Even in daylight. The man that attacked me yesterday was pretty bold. Like he didn't care if anyone saw." She paused and fidgeted a little bit as standing still was difficult thanks to the exhaustion she was feeling.

"So, what now?" she asked, a yawn escaping her as she finished the question.
 
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