Unexpected Refuge
Darius' Story: Chapter 3
Darius ducked behind a barrel just in time as a soldier Looked down the ally he was hiding in, the shadows offering little concealment against the Nocturnian soldiers' eyes.
"Looks clear, sir!" the soldier called out.
"You call that searching?" another voice called out. "Go down there and make sure! Check everything!"
"Yes sir," the soldier shouted back, not sounded very enthusiastic. Still, he followed the orders and began to search the crates and barrels in the ally. It was only a matter of time before he found Darius.
This ally was a dead end, and even if he could slip past or defeat the soldier, he knew from that exchange there was at least one more waiting. Still, he knew he couldn't go back. Darius frantically looked around for some way out of this situation. Then he noticed it, a boarded up window half hidden behind a crate next to his hiding spot. It was this or nothing. As quietly as he could, Darius tugged at the boards. to his surprise, the nails easily pulled out. he peered through the crack, revealing a dark basement. He slipped through the narrow window feet first, a very tight fit, but he managed to make it. He pulled the board back in place as best he could just in time.
"Nothing here at all!" the soldier called out. "We must have lost him!" Darius couldn't hear the response from the other soldier. Still, he heard the footsteps of the one searching as he walked away.
Darius gave a sigh of relief. He might not have lost them permanently, but for now he was safe. Of course, even with that, he had no where to go at the moment. Going back to Lurellin was out of the question. Even if he managed to get on a ship without getting caught, after killing Genshi, there was no way he could face her family. Deciding what to do next would have to wait though. The adrenaline that had been keeping him going for the past 2 days while he was on the run was starting to wear off. Though he couldn't see much in the dark, he could tell this basement was likely just used for storage, so he shouldn't be discovered for a while. A little nap couldn't hurt. After that he'd be able to think clearer and come up with a plan for what to do next. Making she he was concealed behind some boxes just in case someone did come down, Darius allowed himself to doze off.
The bright morning sun rose Darius from his sleep. He sat up groggily and looked around. Clearly he was no longer in the basement. Instead, he found himself in a bedroom that looked to be decorated for a young child. Darius wasn't familiar enough with Nocturnian culture to tell if it was for sure, or even if there was any difference. the walls and furniture was mostly white, with a soft green trim. The rug was also green, giving the impression of grass. He noticed a chair by a desk and saw his pants and shirt folded over the back. Apparently, whoever lived here had indeed discovered him in the basement and carried him up to the room. The fact that he woke up here in a soft bed and not being kicked by a pissed off soldier indicates they probably weren't going to turn him over to the authorities, whoever they are. Figuring he was safe for now, Darius laid back down and dozed off again.
Sometime later, while he was half dozing, Darius heard the door open. He turned his head to look and saw someone standing in the doorway. The figure seemed to be holding something.
"Oh my, did I wake you?" a woman's voice asked.
"Not really," Darius said. "Who are you and where am I?"
"My so many questions from my uninvited guest," the woman said as she stepped into the room. Now that she had stepped out of the darkness in the hallway, Darius could see her in better detail. She was Nocturnian with light brown hair she wore in a long braid. She looked to be in her mid thirties, and was wearing a light blue short sleeved blouse with a matching skirt. However, she seemed to be wearing indoor slippers rather than shoes. She was carrying a tray with a glass dome covering what appeared to be a plate of food. "And after I made you some food too." She walked over towards a desk of some sort and put the tray down there. "My name is Kleva Nezar, and you're in my house. Now then, I think the more important question is who are you and why did you break in to my basement. Though from the uniform," she glanced over to the chair, "I can guess you ran away from the Military Academy. Am I right?"
"Yeah..." Darius replied. "I'm Darius Lilesh. I didn't want to join the Nocturnian military! I just want to..."
"It's ok, you don't have to explain to me," Kleva interrupted. "I'm sure you have your reasons, and you can tell me after you've rested if you still want to. I won't turn you in either. That doesn't do anyone any good. You should rest some more and eat. But don't eat in bed, young man." She smiled, then turned and walked out of the room, closing the door behind her.
Darius got up and walked over to the tray Kleva had left. He lifted the cover and saw a bowl of porriage with bits of fruit mixed in and a glass of water. Hungry from having not eaten in nearly a day, sat down on the chair in front of the desk, then picked up the spoon and dug in. The porriage was rather bland, but the fruit helped sweeten it. He then washed it down with the water. He put the cover back on the tray and got up. He then looked around the room again.
The desk he had just eaten at had a mirror on it and several drawers in it. Like most of the furniture, it was white. Around the mirror there were little flowers carved into the wood, the stems painted green, but the petals on them pink and light blue. Next to it was a large dresser. It too was white the handles painted green. Darius thought about looking in the drawers, but decided not to intrude. There was a chest on the far wall along with the closet. it too matched the dresser and desk. The bed was against the wall with the window, the head board and foot board were stained wood, not the white and soft green of the rest of the room, making it seem out of place. However, the sheets were the same color green, though faded, and it had a white blanket folded over the foot board, so some effort had been given to making it match. He shrugged his shoulders at this. Then he glanced back over to the tray.
He had been told to rest, but he didn't feel right leaving it up to his mysterious hostess to clean up. He went to put his pants back on, noticing they were clean and pressed. This was obviously his hostess' work, as they should have been filthy after his escape. He put his pants on, then picked up the tray and headed out of the room . In the hallway he saw 4 doors, including the one leading to the room he had been in. The walls had red wallpaper with a gold pattern on it, the floor hard wood with no rug. To his left at the far end of the hall was a window covered by heavy red curtains. There was a small table under it with an empty vase on it. To his right was a staircase leading down. He figured that was the most likely place for the kitchen, so he headed down stairs.
The downstairs was carpeted with a light unlike the upstairs. The red wallpaper was replaced by a white wallpaper with a pink rose pattern. There were two doorways at the foot of the stairs. Beyond the one to the right was a living room. Two couches were placed on either side of a coffee table, that seemed to have some books neatly stacked on top of it. The left had a dining room, with a large laquered table with eight chairs. As this was likely closer to the kitchen, Darius decided to go left. Sure enough, beyond the dining room was a kitchen. He headed in and brought the dished over to the sink. Just then the back door opened.
"I thought I told you to rest," kelva said, as she walked in.
"I didn't want to take advantage of your hospitality," Darius replied.
Kelva shut the door. "And in your uniform too. The neighbors might have seen you through the window. And what would you have done if I were a soldier," she scolded.
"Well, I didn't really think of that," Darius admitted.
"Obviously. You're technically a fugitive, and someone they really want to get back. I was talking to a neighbor. It seems the military is even doing house to house searches for you," Kelva explained. "Seems odd for just a deserter. But I can't imagine someone like you committing a crime. I know I said you didn't have to explain, but I think the situation has changed somewhat."
"They want me for my power," Darius explained. "I was at some old ruins with a friend of mine, when this light hit me. Some Nocturnian soldiers came up to us and Then I blacked out. When I came too I was in really heavy chains and the Nocturnian soldiers were with me. They said I destroyed the ruins and killed my friend..." Darius looked down sadly.
"And you believed them?" Kelva asked.
"Not at first," Darius replied. "But I did gain a power from those ruins. I've learned to control it somewhat and not black out. It fits what they said. Well, at least I won't kill anyone else close to me."
"I see," Kelva replied. "And you ran away because you didn't want to be used as a weapon?"
"Partly," Darius admitted.
"Well, I think I can help you for now," Kelva said. "The trouble is what to do when the military comes here looking for you."
"I'll run, you can say I forced you to hide me," Darius said.
"You're in enough trouble as it is," Kelva said. "I've got an idea, so come with me."
Kelva lead Darius upstairs, then down the hallway to her room. Kelva opened the door and went in. Darius followed and looked around. The walls were painted peach, with the corners and edges trimmed with white. The windows had white curtains. The floor was hard wood, but covered with a peach throw rug. A larger four posted canopy bed sat in the middle of the room with white linen on a dark wood frame. On the far wall was a matching dresser with a large mirror on top. Next to the door was a vanity with a mirror and a chair in front of it. Kelva walked over to the dresser, opened a drawer on the lower left corner and pulled out a dark metal box. She brought it over and handed it to Darius. He took and and was somewhat surprised by how heavy it was.
"What's this made out of, lead?" Darius asked.
"You guessed it," Kelva replied. "There's something special inside that will help make a very effective disguise. You just need to put it on."
Puzzled, Darius opened the box, and found a choker necklace with a thick metal band and a what looked like a large green gem shaped like a tear drop. On closer inspection though, it appeared to be green glass filled with a liquid. He looked up at Kelva skeptically. Kelva gave him a reassuring look. Darius took the necklace out of the box, not noticing the small key in it, handing it back to Kelva who palmed the key and placed the box on the bed.
"Let me do the clasp in the back," Kelva said.
Darius obliged and turned around. Kelva then snapped the clasp closed, put the key in a small hole, turning it to lock the necklace in place.
"It's pretty tight," Darius said uncomfortably.
"Don't worry, it won't be for long," Kelva replied. "Now then for the next part of the disguise, take off your uniform."
Darius complied and removed his uniform, folding it, then handing it to Kelva. "My body feels numb," he said.
"Don't worry about that, it'll pass soon enough. Oh and how's that necklace feel?" Kelva replied.
Darius felt his neck. "Funny it doesn't feel as tight now," he commented, then noticed his voice sounded higher. "Wait, what's wrong with my voice?"
"Just relax, it's the necklace doing it's work. Don't worry, it won't do anything permanent, you'll be back to normal after you take it off," Kelva said reassuringly.
"What's it doing?" Darius asked.
"Well, have you ever heard of an island in the south called Ruuj?" Kelva asked.
"No, I haven't," Darius replied. "The numbness is getting worse..."
"Oh then this will be a pretty interesting surprise," Kelva said playfully. "Here, lay down on my bed and keep your eyes closed until the numbness goes away."
"Are you sure this is safe," Darius asked as he sat on Kelva's bed, his feet firmly on the floor.
"Perfectly, now just lay down, close your eyes, and relax," Kelva replied.
Darius laid down and shut his eyes. By now the numbness had reached a point where he couldn't even feel the bed he was laying on. "So about the next part of the disguise?" Darius asked.
"Yes, this should work out well," Kelva said. "I'll get the rest now, so just remember to keep your eyes closed until the numbness goes away." She left the room.
Darius laid there for a few minutes, as feeling began to return, then sat up, feet hanging in the air off the bed. Surprised, Darius eyes opened and looked down. Two perky round objects on her chest immediately caught her attention. She reached up and confirmed their presence. "I HAVE BREASTS!" Darius exclaimed.
With that Kelva walked back into the room. "Indeed you do," she said.
"But why, how?" Darius stammered in shock.
"They're looking for a human male, right? Well, now they won't find one here," Kelva said. "But like I said before, as soon as you take that necklace off, you'll turn back to normal. Now then, let's get you dressed. Stand up."
Darius did as she was told.
"First off, a bra," Kelva said, holding a pink one up for Darius. "Put your arms through the straps, hook it in the back, adjust your breasts, and then tighten the straps."
Darius followed the instructions, fumbling a bit with her first bra, but eventually getting it on. "This feels weird," Darius said. "And a little lose."
"Oh I'm sure it does. I remember my first bra," Kelva replied. "Sorry, I don't have your exact size but I didn't get a chance to measure, obviously. Next comes these." She held up a pair of panties that matched the bra. "I'm sure you can figure them out."
Darius took the panties, slipped off her male underwear and began to put the panties on. She stopped as she caught sight of her new equipment."
"If you're curious how it feels I can let you borrow some toys," Kelva said. "I won't stop you if you want to go out and find a guy to experiment with either, but one warning, if you get pregnant you won't be able to turn back into a guy."
"I'm not going to do that!" Darius exclaimed, as she quickly pulled up her panties.
"Who knows, you might like it," kelva said giggling. "Now for the next part." She held up a pair of white stockings. "These can be a bit tricky to put on. First you need to roll them up like this." She began rolling one to demonstrate.
"Then carefully slip it on and unroll it up your leg." She handed the rolled up stocking to Darius.
Darius took it and sat down on Kelva's bed. Following the instructions, she successfully put it on. She then took the other stocking and rolled it up like Kelva showed her, slipping it on as before. She then stood back up.
"You look really pretty," Kelva said.
"Can we just get this over with?" Darius replied, blushing.
"Oh, but I'm enjoying myself," Kelva said teasing. "And that's not how a girl should respond to a compliment. You should say 'thank you.' Now lets try this again, you look pretty."
"...thank you..." Darius said uncomfortably, blushing even more.
"Well, that will do for now, on to the next part," Kelva held up a dark blue maid uniform with white frills and handed it to Darius. "Unzip the back, step into it, and put your arms through the sleeves. Then I'll zip you up."
Darius took the outfit and followed the instructions yet again. After she got the maid outfit on, Kelva zipped her up in the back.
"Almost done," Kelva said. "Now for some shoes." Kelva handed Darius a pair of black mary janes with a slight heel. "These shouldn't be too bad for you to walk in."
Darius sat down on the bed and slipped the shoes on one at a time. She then stood back up and almost lost her balance but quickly caught herself.
"Shouldn't be too bad?" She asked.
"Would you like to try a bigger heel?" Kelva replied.
"No thanks," Darius quickly responded.
"I didn't think so," Kelva said, as she walked over to the vanity. Now we just need to do your hair and we're done. Come sit over here."
Darius carefully walked over and sar down. Kelva stood behind her and began braiding her hair.
"Good thing your hair is long, it really helps the disguise." Kelva said as she continued her work. Before long Darius was sporting twin braids. "I think we're done. I'm going to have to call you by another name though. How about Lusadi?"
"That's ok," Darius replied.
"Very well Lusadi," Kelva said. "Remember, you're a human girl from Tophiopolis. I brought you back after it fell to train you as my maid. Now then, pretend I'm a person you just met and introduce yourself."
"I'm umm... Lusadi," Darius said. "I'm ahh from Tophiopolis. Kelva brought me back to train as her maid."
"Doesn't sound very natural," Kelva said. "Also since you're my maid you should call me mistress and speak more politely. Try it again,"
"Err yes... Ke... m-mistress," Darius replied, embarrassed. "H-How do you do. My name is L-Lusadi. I'm from Tophiopolis. My m-mistress brought me back to train as her maid."
"Better, but you still need practice. Ok, now I want you to look around the house and get familiar with the lay out. This will also help you get used to those shoes," Kelva said. "And keep working on your greeting, Lusadi. I'll make sure Darius' uniform is well hidden."
"Y-yes mistress," Darius replied. She left the room and began checking the house.
About an hour later, there was a firm knock on the door. Darius froze. Kelva came up beside her and put her arm on her shoulder. "Don't worry, it'll be fine. Just remember, you're Lusadi, a young girl from Tophiopolis and my trainee maid. Now get the door and no matter, show them into the living room and come to get me. There's no chance you'll be recognized. Just ignore it if you hear the name Darius."
"I'll try my best, mistress," Darius said. She then went to answer the front door. The expected Nocturnian soldiers where there, two male and one female. Darius gulped, but quickly went into the maid act. "Yes, may I help you?" she said.
"I'm Torga Ithra," the largest soldier said. "We're looking for a recruit who deserted the Nocturnia Military Academy, a human male, 12 years old. His name is Darius Lilesh."
Darius tried his best not to react. "Please come in," she said. "I shall inform my mistress you're here." She led them to the living room, then went up stairs to get Kelva.
"I was watching," Kelva said as Darius got to the top of the stairs. "You did well. Now just stay by me, and try not to act nervous." the two of them went downstairs and entered the living room. "I am Kelva Nezar, owner of this house. My maid has told me you're looking for someone?"
"Yes ma'am," Torga said. "A deserter from the military academy. Human male, 12, same hair color as your cute little maid, in fact." He walked over to Darius and examined her. "So what's your name?"
"M-my name i-is Lusadi," Darius said nervously.
Torga reached down and grabbed her breast.
"AAAHHH!" Darius shrieked and jumped back, falling to the ground.
"I would ask you to kindly refrain from harassing my maid," Kelva stated firmly.
"Ha ha Just making sure they were real," Torga said turning to her. Same hair color as the guy we're looking for, so you can't be to careful. Though she's shorter too."
Darius scowled at Torga and wanted to attack, but thought better of it, as she was still unfamiliar with her current body. She instead stopped scowling, got up and walked over next to Kelva without saying a word.
"Cute and submissive, that's the way I like them. Anyway, we have orders to search house to house for the fugitive. Is there anyone else in this house?" Torga said.
"No, just Lusadi and myself," Kelva said.
"Ok, then if you and your maid will remain here, my soldiers will search though house," Torga said.
"Very well," Kelva replied.
"Hugo, Taina, get to it," Torga ordered.
"Yes sir! If that wicked deserter is in this house, I'll find him!" She headed upstairs.
"I'll take the basement then," Hugo said.
"Well then, it looks like it's just the three of us," Torga said. "Unless you'd like to give me some alone time with your cute little maid there."
"She's only 11," Kelva said lying about Darius' age to avoid any more suspicion.
"If she's old enough to bleed, she's old enough to breed, and judging by that rack of hers she's old enough," Torga said. "But hey, if you're jealous of your maid, I'll let you have a ride too. I like 'em young, but I ain't picky."
"Who is your superior officer?" Kelva demanded. "I'll be filling a complaint about your behavior."
"General Raej Larentine, for now, but I hear he's getting a promotion soon, and I wish you would. Maybe then I'll get assigned to a combat unit for a change," Torga replied. "My talents are wasted looking for run away kids. Even strong ones."
"Strong ones?" Kelva asked
"Yeah, this kid's only 12 but he's got potential sage powers or something, I don't know the details, all I know is he could become one of the strongest people in the army."
"I see, but that seems like a lot to ask of a 12 year old," Kelva said.
Darius shifted uncomfortably hearing the two of them talk about her.
"No one up stairs, Sir!" Taina said, as she returned to the living room. "I checked for hidden passages, no sign of any."
"Get started on this floor then," Torga said.
"Yes sir! I'll find that fiend yet," Taina said
Darius looked at the ground. "Fiend, huh?" she thought.
Hugo came upstairs from the basement. "No sign of anyone down there now, but it looks like one of the windows was forced open from the outside recently and it leads to the ally a patrol reported hearing a noise but finding nothing. I'll bet he was hiding down there until he was able to slip away."
"So he was here," Torga said. He turned to Kelva. "Did you hear anything strange last night?"
"Well, Lusadi told me she heard what sounded like someone in the basement, but when I went to check, I didn't find anything," Kelva said.
"Is this true," Torga asked the young maid. Darius nodded her head yes.
"Well, if he was here before, he might come back," Torga said. He reached into his pocket and pulled out too small beads. He handed one to Kelva and one to Darius. "These are comm beads. If you break it, you can send a message to me instantly. If you hear anything strange from the basement use it to call me. I'll also stop buy to check on things for the next few days in case you can't use the beads."
"This floor's clear," Taina said, reporting in.
"Ok, it's clear he isn't here now, but we do have a lead," Torga said. "Let's go to the next house. and check back later."
"Yes sir," Hugo and Taina said together.
"Lusadi, please show our guests out," Kelva said.
"Yes mistress," Darius replied. "This way please," she said, leading them to the door. She opened it and stood to the side. Hugo and Taina went right outside.
"I'll be seeing you next time, cutie," Torga said, before following his subordinates outside.
Darius closed the door and gave a sigh of relief as Kelva walked up to her.
"See, they didn't recognize you at all. That one was suspicious but I think it was just an excuse to feel you up," Kelva explained. "Although I guess this could have gone better for you, Lusadi."
"Why are you sti..." Darius started to say, but Kelva put her finger to Darius' lips leaned over and whispered. "They're going to keep the house under surveillance, I'm sorry but you're going to have to be Lusadi for a bit longer. Unless you changed your mind and want to go back."
"I... I can't," Darius said.
"Well it seems there's still more to this story than you're telling me, but that's ok," Kelva said. "I'm not going to kick you out." She stood up. "Now then, Lusadi, lets go see how much of a mess they left us."
"Yes, mistress."
