A/N heya , its me again, your beloved Taeve . this chapter is written by urs truly, so dont expect it to be great r & r appreciated
Disclaimer: We do not own RO, or any of the RO servers
We only own the soulds of Taeve and Orpheus, bwahahahah =3

Chapter 1

Prontera

His music was, to say the least, enthralling, a clear rhythm gilded in sweet melody. Without hesitation I stepped into the calling tune, slowly, hesitantly, swaying my hips to the powerful song. Arms followed, weaving intricately through the air, then shoulders, legs, head to heels, all merging with the sound. When the tempo increased, my movements grew faster, or in some cases, stronger, softer, more wild or cautious. It wasn't until the final string was plucked that I broke out of my trance.

The clapping of various people echoed through the room, drowning out any remnants of another petty performance. I walked over to the boy's cap I had placed out earlier, frowning as I picked it up. Tips were hard to earn these days. Not that I depended on them. The pay of small tavern performances was enough to supply one with the basic needs. I took the hat over to my partner, Orpheus de Magdan, whom I had known ever since I was knee high, and balanced it upside-down on his head.

He frowned at me, humour tugging at the corner of his lips. I gave him a quick smile before asking, "Where to now?"

He shrugged in reply, pocketed the coins, shouldered his treasured instrument, and walked toward the wooden door of the pub. I sighed quietly, then pranced off to follow the bard, taking another quick look over my shoulder before leaving the old building. Part of the audience was still watching me curiously. I found myself flushing and followed Orpheus out.

"Hey! Wait! Ori!" I shouted, reaching for his sleeve.

"What? What's wrong, Taeve?"

I turned around and looked over my shoulder, trying to see down my back.
"Is there something wrong with the back of my costume?"
"Err, no, why?" he wondered, slightly confused.

"Because those guys back there were staring at me."

The bard let out an exaggerated sigh. "It's fine. C'mon, I have to go do some stuff."

"Go on ahead," I told him, "I want to look around."

Orpheus shrugged again, then walked off down one of the intersecting lanes.

The streets of Prontera were overflowing with business. Even in the lesser parts of the city merchants sat back-to-back, shouting out whichever items they were trying to sell off today. Increasing my pace, I tried to ignore all the jewellery that was being promoted by a female blacksmith, but failed miserably. What can I say? I have an eye for gems. I carefully picked up one of the rings and looked it over. The craftsmanship wasn't particularly remarkable but what caught my attention was the small multi-coloured stone set amidst the metal weaving.

"What's this?" I asked the shopkeeper, pointing to the stone.

"A black opal. A power source for those who rely on magik. You wouldn't need it," she explained, not even looking at me.

I huffed, put the item down, and stalked off. No magik? It was amazing how little people knew about the combat capabilities of a dancer. We aren't just here to look pretty. I thought cynically, Although I don't do a good job of that anyway.

The thought wasn't exactly pleasing, but I considered it the truth. I wasn't of the exotic beauty most dancers and gypsies were. As opposed to them, my features were relatively plain, with a fair complexion, large azure eyes, and a lithe build.

I made my way through the different sections of Prontera, receiving many glances from various people. Some were intrigued, others irritated as they roughly pulled their friends along. I looked myself over again a few times, self-consciously tugging lint and similar off the silky material of my outfit. Once I even stopped in front of a large, oddly shaped mirror to get a better look.

All of a sudden, an icy cold hand grasped my wrist. Startled, I hadn't realized that a different face appeared where my reflection should have been. Angry and contorted, it sent a chill down my spine. Instinctively I thrashed my arm out of its translucent grip and pulled out my whip, jumping back from mirror's reach as it tried to get a hold of me again. I hit it once, pushing it back with the force of my blow. I hit it again, this time only succeeding in chipping off a piece of the frame. That surprised me, since normally the small morning star that hung from the tip dealt heavy damage. Before I could hit it again though, it turned away, then without warning, shattered into several uncountable pieces. I put my arms up, protecting myself from the scattering shards. When the final piece hit the ground, I looked up.

Before me stood a rogue, grinning from ear to ear. Beads of sweat clung to the routes of his spiked red hair.

"Everything alright, miss?" he inquired, steadily holding his gaze.

I squirmed a little under his scrutiny, and without directly looking at him I nodded and thanked him. He shook his head, then added, "Glad t'be of service. That was a dark frame you were wrestling with. They hide themselves as mirrors until they're amidst a crowd. Then they strike! Mostly at images that are pretty."

I nodded again, ignoring his wink, then started to walk off, but his large hand on my shoulder forced me to stop.

"In a hurry? I was hoping we could maybe buy a drink or something. After all, you do owe me for saving your life."

I frowned inwardly, wondering what the point was. Turning back to him I replied shyly, "Um, I'm sorry, but I am in a hurry." With that I stalked off, well aware that his gaze was still locked on me but knowing that going along with him was not something I should do.

I arrived at the familiar inn a few minutes later, thanks to my brisk pace, and made my way over to the bar where we agreed to meet. There, as always, I found Orpheus, this time sitting with a tall, blue-haired huntress. She was pretty in a way, but slightly rugged. Not that that mattered to Orpheus. I placed my hands on my hips and waited for him to look past her and see me. When he finally did, I rolled my eyes at him but he just grinned back and continued with his conversation. Without bothering to interrupt the happy couple, I walked over to the bar and slumped down on one of the seats. I was toying with a lose strand of hair and gazing into nothingness when a familiar voice spoke up.

"Not in much of a hurry any more I see."

I turned to see the rogue again, still grinning, but this time looking where he shouldn't instead of straight into my eyes. Flushing deeply, I turned away, desperately searching for someone familiar I could sit with.

"What's wrong, babe? Not happy to see your hero?"

Luckily, the rogue couldn't see my nauseated expression, otherwise it would have halved the force of his ego. Instead of giving a reply, I just continued to look away, although I already knew I would have to endure this jerk a while longer.

He suddenly changed his tactics. "Can I buy you something?" he inquired.

"It's quite alright." I replied, still not facing him.

I could tell he was losing his patience when he finally asked,
"Is there a reason you're not looking at me, lass?"

Because I have no interest in you whatsoever, I mentally screamed. Shrugging instead, I turned around and forced myself to smile at him, although the effort made my stomach churn.

"Sorry," I told him sweetly.

His expression changed back to the mischievous one he wore earlier. He placed his hand on top of mine and I did my best not to cringe, but I couldn't stop the icy shiver from running up my spine.

"I saw you perform earlier." He continued.
I just nodded, looking down at the beaded sandals I wore.

Noticing my unresponsiveness, he tried a different approach.

"You have a beautiful body."
Shocked, I looked up, and immediately saw the rogue's expression change. A moment later I felt a protective arm about my shoulder and looked up to see Orpheus staring the rogue down.

"Everything OK?" he wondered, looking at the two of us.

"We're fine. Who are you?" the redhead asked rudely.

"He's my–"

"Boyfriend." The bard supplied, "And who are you?"

"None of your business." The rogue told him, realization showing in his features as he got up hurriedly and left the inn.

I jumped up and looked at my best friend, quickly saying, "Thank you! Thank you so much. That jerk was getting on my nerves! I hate it when guys just come over to you and expect you to worship them."

"No kidding." Another voice popped in from beside us. It was the huntress, glaring up at Orpheus. She pursed her lips, adjusted her skirt, then turned and left.

I giggled and poked my partner, then added, "Another one bites the dust."

He rolled his eyes at me, but smiled nevertheless.

"Maybe next time I won't bother saving you." He exclaimed, starting towards the door.

"But-but, wait. You don't really mean that do you?" I asked him, stumbling to catch up.

"Who knows? Maybe I'll be too busy sweet-talking my future wife."

I stopped and let out a short laugh.

"You? Get married?" I laughed again.

"What? Why not?" By the look on his face, I could tell he did not know whether or not to be insulted.

"Because you're ugly and obnoxious, of course. Plus you snore really loud." I stated, bracing myself for the following response.

I was rather surprised when he answered, "Yeah, your probably right."

But before I could disagree, he added, "Then again, if guys go for you, I should have no problem finding someone for myself."

Bah. An insult. Stupid bard …