Elizabeth and Aurora ran in sync with each other as they made their way deeper into the city, with Charles gradually closing the distance between them. Liz looks over her shoulder in time to see her fiancée recklessly turn the corner, nearly knocking over a city guard. Liz can't help but to look amused as the guard now comes to pursue Charles.
"You there!" the guard yells "In the name of the law, I order you to stop!"
"She'll get away!" Charles protests.
"Help me officer!" Liz calls from behind her. "He's trying to kidnap me!" Liz does not pause to look back, but she can hear a scuffle behind her. Aurora, who had been silently keeping up, barely had enough breath to speak up.
"You think that will keep him long enough?" the other girl asks, winded from keeping a pace faster than she was used to. Unlike Liz, who had been living on the run for many years, Aurora was much daintier. She was the city's tailor, and rarely went on long ventures that required much physical stamina. Liz slowed her pace so a steady jog, and Aurora did the same, though neither girl stopped.
"Maybe," Liz snorted. "Until he gets his pocketbook out."
"Hmm. In any case, we'll have a chance to catch up to Bentley before he gets free if we hurry."
"Aye, so let's hurry."
…
"Officer!" Charles gasped, sounding appalled at the accusations that the officer was charging him with. "I would do no such thing to my fiancée. Honestly, tis only a silly little game she plays."
"A game?" the officer, who's plain face remained impassive throughout the entire conversation.
"Yes, a game, you see, my Eliza loves to explore. She loves a chase, the feeling of someone pursuing her. She is adventurous, and always just a little more so once I capture her, if you know what I mean." Charles winks.
The guard raises an eyebrow for a moment, but then a wicked grin crosses his face as the implication of the statement sinks in. "Ah, if only I could find a woman with such vigor."
Charles beams, though more with pride that he had managed to convince the guard of his poorly thought out story. It seemed the rich man had found a kindred spirit in the guard. An unknown male voice nearby scoffs, but when Charles and the guard turned the corner to see who was spying on them, no one was there. They spend only a moment looking down the empty street before looking back at each other.
The guard bows. "Well, Sir Charles, I shall leave you and your fiancée to your game. When you catch her, though, be sure to advise her not to get officers of the law involved in her schemes. Not everyone can understand an adventurous heart like hers."
Charles bows back to the man, "I certainly will. Safe paths to you sir," he says, and then runs off in the direction Elizabeth and Aurora had went. Charles ran hastily until he made his way to an intersection, which was more alive than the rest of the town. Commoners leisurely made their way back and forth as Charles scanned the area for any sign of the woman he was after.
Sure enough, she was there, leaning against a wall in the shadows. He saw just enough of her figure to recognize the woman, though she was now alone. It was a gamble. Just which woman was he looking at? Charles did not think on the thought for too long though, and raced after the woman, who quickly caught sight of him and ran towards the ocean.
The winding streets were difficult to navigate, even though the crowds were thin. The woman, weather it be Liz or Aurora, seemed to know just where all of the hidden side streets were. After turning left, left again, right, left, and right twice, Charles was almost certain they had gone full circle, though the walls of the buildings all looked so familiar that there was no decisive way to tell.
Much to Charles's surprise, the woman quickly led him out to a more open area of city, on a path leading straight for the docs. As Charles realized this was the plan of escape, he sped up. Charles was not particularly a tall man, nor was he particularly fit, so seeing a man of his stature running as fast as he did would have been an interesting sight to see. A few sailors who were lounging around the docs would pause to watch, some getting a kick out of the show and busting into laughter. This seemed to cause Charles to be even more on edge.
"You won't get away this time, Elizabeth!" he shouted as he closed the gap between him and the woman he chased, reaching out to grab her by the long black braid which had become strung behind her.
"Ah!" the woman cries as she is caught.
Charles is instantly stunned at the sound of her voice.
The woman turns, as best she can, and says through her panting "You loose."
Charles takes a step back, almost in shock.
"Do you really think Eliza would have just stopped to wait for you?" Aurora challenges as she regains her composure.
"It's all a game, of course she would know to wait."
"A game?"
Charles grimaces, though turns the expression into a crooked smile soon enough.
Aurora frowns.
"You wouldn't understand. You have never been more than what you are, but if you were nobility, you would understand the true place of a woman."
Aurora scoffs. "Oh? And just what would that be?"
Charles holds his arm out to the side, making a dramatic bowing motion. "On the arm of a man. A woman, especially in noble society, is only born to please the men who serve over her." he grins "I'll admit, the chase has been fun, and I do love being kept on my toes, but I am ready to taste victory now."
Aurora clenches her fists, and glares at the man in front of her. "You are a womanizing pig, but oh well, you are too late." Aurora turned on her heels and started to walk off before elaborating further by calling over her shoulder and calling "Elizabeth will be in a world beyond your reach by sunrise tomorrow. You'll never be able to catch up to her. You'll never see her again."