Closed.

She followed a narrow winding street past shops and stalls. It was still early and the shops were not open yet, but there were stirrings from within the houses as the daily activities begun. A face appeared at one of the windows, seemingly watching them pass, although the creature's eyes were closed and Dhea could not be sure if the creature actually noticed them.

- Wave at it.
- Call out.
- Walk on.
 
Upon seeing the face, Dhea’s reaction was rather of the curious and freaked out kind. The hair on the nape of her neck stood on and and she pushed forward. She shook her head, muttering the word no multiple times. She didn’t want to deal with whatever that thing was.
 
They walked on. Another similar creature stood in a doorway across the street, washing her body from a bucket. This one was a mixed breed female, although very gaunt and spindly with an elongated face - not exactly human, but not an Elvin either. Her eyes were closed.

"Strange." Ruven whispered, scooting closer to Dhea.

- Greet her.
- Ignore her.
 
Dhea stood even closer to Ruven, her fingers hooking in his belt as she looked over the odd woman. She didn’t like the way she felt. The little coil of nausea that rested low in her stomach, her intuition’s way of telling her to run and get away.
She pushed it aside for a moment, before raising her voice.
“H-Hello?”
 
But even as she spoke the woman turned around to soap her hair. Perhaps it kept her eyes closed because it did not want soap to sting. That must have been it.

At the end of the road, under a low arch, a group of kids and teenagers were loitering, talking and kicking stones into the gutter. They noticed Dhea and Ruven and begun to point and talk amongst themselves. They also have their eyes closed, although it seemed that they have seen the pair. Or perhaps they have only heard them?

- Approach them.
- Take a side street to avoid them.
 
These creatures, whatever they were, were unnerving. Dhea had never seen such creatures before, and she was curious as to what they were, but again...they made her feel wrong.
She pulled her companion along with her, taking a side street to avoid the group.
 
She saw an opening to one side and nipped it down. As soon as they turned toward the streets, the crowd of youths rushed after them!

They were very quick runners and Dhea and Ruven would need to move fast in order to lose them. But, the alleyways were tight and they could not see what was around each corner as they approached.

- Run!
- Stand and face them!
 
Instinct kicked in and Dhea grabbed Ruven, just to make sure he caught up with her as she started sprinting. There was no way she was letting herself be caught by these things, children or not.
 
"Why are we running?" Ruven protested, but he was hauled off by Dhea around a corner.

The kids were still behind them, very close. They raced forward toward the crossroads, but the way was blocked by a crumbing building. Ruven turned around, wanting to face the pursuit, but Dhea ducked behind a corner continuing the escape. The kids are now coaling to each other, signalling. They were almost onto Ruven, one reaching to grab for him.

The alley turned to the left again, emerging on the bigger street just a little way out of the arch where the youths were in the first place. One of them was waiting on the same spot. His lips curled into a twisted smile as Dhea approached.

- Attack!
- Cast a spell!
 
Dhea cast a spell, without a thought. They were children. Distorted, twisted things, but still children.
She decided to try and confuse the creature, to make something of a swift getaway. She wouldn’t cause harm unless she had to.
 
She cast a spell of confusion. But this spell is based on illusions, images created to startle and disrupt the opponent, and every kid and teen that pursued them had their eyes closed. Ruven had spun around, swinging his sword at the nearest pursuer, a gangly teenager with a malicious grin. He opened his eyes and Elvin's wrist had a red fresh red gash on it. Ruven hissed, dropping his sword to the ground.

One smaller kid approached Dhea, smiling. "Don't struggle. Or you'll make all of us look at you."

The kids had surrounded them already, reaching out with their hands. Ruven cradled his injured arm, stepping backwards up to Dhea.

- Try to run.
- Try to fight.
- Surrender.
 
Dhea was already holding onto Ruven, her eyes going over his injury. She inhaled softly, before looking at the one that had spoken.
“Fine. We’re not struggling.”
She kept her guard up. For both her and her Elvin companion.
 
"Great." The kid nodded. Then he opened his eyes and Dhea lost consciousness.

--

She was dragged through the alleys, half conscious, unable to struggle, dragging her legs weekly. A couple of older kids boys were carrying her to a building surrounded by a high wall. It look suspiciously like a prison.

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She was hauled across the yard and into an underground corridor. A cell doors was opened and she was thrown inside, landing squarely on top of another person.

"Ow." An unfamiliar male voice sounded beneath her. There was no sign of Ruven.

- Greet the person.
- Run for the doors.
 
“Shit. Sorry.”
Dhea pushed herself off the person. She was now realising her mistake of even going near this part of Khare. Whatever the creatures were that had dragged her down here, she wanted to know everything about them. In a rather morbid way.

“Hi, by the way.”
 
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"Greetings." The person greeted. He was an Elf, by the looks of him, with long blonde hair and a sour expression. He was ghostly pale under the torchlight and looked like he had spent too much time in that cell. "Welcome to my little world." He replied in a voice that was the epitome of exhaustion.

- Ask who is he.
- Ask about the prison.
- Cast a spell.
- Wait.
 
“Who are you?”
Dhea shifted her stance, almost like that of a curious cat. While she’d heard of elves, she’d never seen one up close. The Elf in front of her was ethereal, beautiful. She found herself wanting to play with his hair.
More out of curiosity than anything.

“I’m Athdhea, by the way. If you wanted my name.”
 
"My name on the outside hardly seems to matter." The Elf replied with a sad smile. "My name here is number Six and that'll be your name too." He pointed one elegant finger. "It is written on the doors, see."

From the sounds that came through the walls, the cell Dhea was in was one of the many set side by side. She could hear snores, shouts and screams coming through the stonework. Perhaps Ruven was somewhere out there in a similar cell.

The whole cell was empty, except a small straw cot on the side and flaming torch on the wall. One part of it was divided by a wooden wall. Noticing her look, the Elf explained. "That's the toilet."

- Ask about the prison.
- Ask something else.
- Try the doors.
- Wait.
 
“Well...Six...”
Dhea stood, looking the doors over for a moment. She could try them as a last resort. She crossed her arms, thinking for a moment.
“What can you tell me about this place?”
 
"This is the jail of the Red-eyes." The Elf answered. "There's one outside." He pointed at the doors again, at the guard whose face - with eyes closed - filled the tiny porthole. "I think the Red-eyes are not happy until they have someone locked away." He smiled thinly. "Maybe now that you are here, they'll let me go." The prisoner's spirit seemed quite broken.

- Talk to the Elf more.
- Talk to the guard.
- Try to escape.
- Sit down and wait.
 
“Tell me something.”
Dhea turned her face from the porthole, to face the Elf. At least she had a name for the creatures.
“Is there anything else you can tell me?”
 
"If I knew anything more, I would have been out of here before you arrived." The prisoner answered. "The Red-eyes are cruel for no specific reason. Thus they are unpredictable. Be careful around them, you never know what might agitate them." He sighed, his head bobbing slowly with the rhythm of his tired breathing. "What are you? A warrior? A sorcerer?" He asked her then, though his tone did not betray any expectations. "Or a merchant or a thief? Do you have any useful skills?"

- Answer.
- Check the doors.
- Call out to the guard.
 
Dhea moved to crouch in front of him, her eyes slightly concerned. The Elf wasn’t faring well, that much as certain.
“I’m a sorcerer.”
She inhaled, before chuckling to herself.
“At least, that’s what everybody focuses on.”
 
"Truly?" The Elf looked up at her, the irises of his pale grey eyes slightly widening. "I am as well. O-Or at least I was. At some point. Now, I'm not sure I have the strength for it." He raised an arm slowly, placing his hand on top of Dhea's own. "I'm assuming you don't want to stay here for the rest of your life. Perhaps if we joined out strengths, we could get out of this... death."

- Work with him.
- Try to get out on your own.
 
Dhea didn’t want to leave this Elf in this wretched place, nor did she think that she would be able to get out of the prison alone. She smiled at him, before placing her other hand over his.
“Alright. And after we’re out...”
Her smile grew and there was a glimmer of cheekiness in her eyes.
“You tell me your name.”
 
"I promise." The prisoner nodded, lips curving into a gentle smile. There was a sound of footsteps in front of the cell doors and he squeezed on her hand, gesturing toward the sound. "Here they come."

There was a creak and the heavy wooden doors opened to reveal three Red-eye guards standing on the doorway, their eyes closed. They held a bowl of some kind of slop, which was either used for washing the floor, or it was supposed to be their food.

- Rush them.
- Cast a spell.
- Wait for them to leave and then try your escape.
 
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