"You call this fun?" Surprise made Sorrel's voice higher then it should have been. He tugged again, ignoring the sting of his wrist and the bits of blood welling from the crescent wounds. What was wrong with this fox? Enjoying being captured, having fun? Even if sometimes he said quite otherwise. No wonder the man had gone on a rampage. He was unbalanced!

Sorrel winced and scrunched up his face when sharp nails dug into his ears. He wouldn't give the pale haired man the satisfaction of hearing him make a sound. Instead, Sorrel made his touch turn gentle. Instead of twisting and tugging, it was soft caresses and gentle touches. Maybe that would surprise the fox. Sorrel certainly hoped so.

"I call a lot of things fun." There was a hint of pain in his voice, but he wouldn't let himself whimper or yelp again. His poor ears, they were getting sore already, he was sure it would leave bruises. Naru was pleased when the other winced at having his ears grabbed and the fox tightened his grip a bit. Without warning though, the hands on his soft ears turned gentle, the twisting had tugging had stopped. Gentle caresses had replaced it, Naru's eyes widened slightly with surprise and he let go of the other almost immediately.

Then those eyes closed and Naru made a soft sound, his ears flicking lightly in response to the gentle touches but not trying to twitch away from those hands. "You humans, really don't play fair at all." He said the words with a pout, his eyes opening again to watch the human. It felt so nice, having his ears gently touched like that. Naru wasn't even resisting at all, but why should he? It felt so nice.

Sorrel frowned and watched the fox spirit go from angry to oddly content with the situation. How odd was that? The young man shook his head and snatched his hands away. "Well, pet, playing dirty is about the only thing that's kept us alive for so long." He glanced away from the fox.

"I suppose we could go into the market, to get whatever it is you want so badly. Since you did save my hide..." Reluctant though Sorrel was to show any kind of kindness to his captive. He played with a leather pendant absentmindedly. It was the bit that tied him to the collar. It would be useless to anyone else without quite a bit of preparation, so there was that at least. Sorrel tucked it safely away, and turned on his heel to head towards the market.

Naru shivered slightly, he wasn't quite sure if he enjoyed being called 'pet' or if he hated it. He'd probably figure out eventually which it was. His ears were twitching a bit and he stared at the other warily. Was this a trick? Some other way to torture him? Why would the person that wants revenge against him take him to get his fruit? Though it could be all show, parade him around as if to show off his pride. It wasn't everyday that a human managed to catch a spirit. Naru was still watching the other when he started to move towards the market. Tail twitching and ears flicking, Naru had little choice but to follow the human, so he did.

Naru tucked his hands into the sleeves of his kimono as he caught up quickly to his captor. "I wasn't saving you, that creature threatened me as well. I was saving myself." He spoke the words with an arrogant tone, though perhaps he should have held them back. At least until he had gotten his fruit, in case the human really was taking him to the market so he could get that delicious thing. Naru didn't really care at the moment, he just wanted to be rude. Truthfully he had done it to protect both of them, not just himself, but his captor didn't need to know that. It might interfere with his plans for revenge against Naru, and the spirit wanted the pain. To suffer at the hands of someone he had so dearly wronged, he deserved that more than anything.

Sorrel snorted. "Be that as it may, you're still getting that reward. No matter how much I hate you." He did like the spirit's ears though. Perhaps he wouldn't damage them with piercings after all. What was it now that he'd found? He had so many magicked items that could be used to inconvenience a spirit ...

The young man sidled nearer the fox, and poked him with the dragon scale blade. Blood welled from the collarbone. Sorrel nodded in silent satisfaction. He didn't want his captive getting too comfortable. "Tell me what you want." They were at the edge of the market now, near where Sorrel had first spotted Naru.

"Why?" It was a simple question, filled with only curiosity. Naru certainly wouldn't take someone he hated to get such delicious fruit. His ears twitched a bit and when the young man suddenly poked him with that blade, he winced slightly. His hands came out of the sleeves of his kimono, one to press against the spot and the other hand to make a shooing motion at the human. "That thing is dangerous, stop touching me with it, human." Naru was scowling.

That scowl faded quickly as he caught sight of the fruit vendor that was selling the particular fruit he wanted. Naru smiled softly. "There. That fruit. It's the best fruit." His hands had disappeared in the sleeves of his kimono again, clasped together lightly level with his chest and he was already beginning to head towards that stand. Ready and eager to finally have that fruit.

Maybe the best revenge would be taking the spirit's freedom away. After all, Sorrel didn't want to upset the balance of nature, or anger Gaea. The goddess was notoriously hard to anger, but when she did become upset ... There were worlds to pay.

Sorrel shook his head and slid the knife away. He plucked two of the fruits up, and tossed a few coins down in front of the merchant. "Just take it already." He held the purple fruit out, and remembered too late about his hands, the way they looked. They weren't what they were supposed to be, too delicate despite the calluses and scars, too smooth and dainty, to belong to most men.

The only way the balance of nature could be disrupted, was if Naru died somehow before a replacement for him was made ready, of course such a thing didn't matter, and the chances of Gaea stepping in were extremely low. Unless it became apparent that Naru might actually die. The fox certainly wasn't worried about any of those things though, he would play this game, he would take his punishment because he truly did deserve it. His ears had perked up quite a bit when his captor picked up two fruits and handed him one.

Naru didn't notice anything odd or unusual about the other's hands, he was too focused on the fruit. Though their hands did touch as Naru grasped the fruit. His own fingers felt delicate, but strong and his skin was silky smooth and as soft as the fur on his ears and tail. As if his flesh were covered in a very thin layer of that fur, just a thin dusting of it. The individual hairs far too light to be seen easily by human eyes, or most things eyes for that matter. "I'm not going to thank you." The words were spoken rudely and he was already bringing that delicious fruit to his lips for a lovely bite.

Sorrel scoffed. "I didn't expect you to." The crushing press of others made the young man want to scurry away again. Crowds were both a blessing, and a curse. They could be used to hide, but they could also bear witness. If anyone paid attention, they might just have noticed a flash of longing on the young man's face. It was unusual for him to feel anyone's touch.

He shook his head and took a bite of the fruit. While Sorrel munched on it, he started walking away, deeper into the market and towards some of the brick and mortar shops. The apothecary stood out. This shop, unusual anywhere, held a treasure trove of odments. Jarred things stared out in death. Herbs scented the dim shop, mingling with incense and smoke.

The shopkeeper peered out from behind a shelf full of claws, feathers and bits of animal. She swept out and grabbed Naru's tail. "How much?"

"He's not for sale." Sorrel shoved a pouch into her hands and edged her away from the spirit. "Now, my payment."
The middle aged woman moved away reluctantly and disappeared into the back of the shop.

Naru's ears flicked absently as he happily munched on his fruit and rather blindly followed the other around. For the moment, the spirit was rather content, mostly because he had gotten what he had originally come to this place for. It was a very delicious fruit. At least in his opinion. When they entered the apothecary, Naru tensed slightly. So much odd and unnatural things here. None of it really surprised him, but it was an eerie place in his opinion.

When the woman came and grabbed his tail, Naru turned towards her and blinked. His tail twitched, then it twitched in irritation when she asked 'how much'. "Such a rude lady." He stuck his tongue out at her in a childish manner as his captor edged her away while shoving something into her hands. His tail flicked again, and when she had disappeared into the back of the shop, he rolled his eyes. "She probably couldn't even afford me anyway. I'm a very expensive fox." The words were spoken with a hint of arrogance, and he finished off his fruit.

Sorrel laughed. He couldn't help it! The fox spirit was just so darn odd. So unexpected. "Is that so?" He moved. Thumped his shoulder against the other man's, hard. "I don't need to afford you. You're already mine. And I can do whatever I want with you." He glanced over and actually smiled, smiled! "Isn't that right, pet?" When the woman came back out, he was petting one of the fox spirit's ears rather non-chalantly. She handed Sorrel another bag, and walked away mumbling under her breath.

The contents of the bag smelled. It was rank. Fishy. The mermaids were going to love it! From them Sorrel would be able to get another item that he could trade in for what he really wanted. Though, did he really need those shackles anymore? The fox was already bound to him.

Naru was nodding when the other bumped his shoulder against him, rather hard. The fox frowned slightly. "Only until I become bored with you, human. The moment I get bored of you, you'll never see me again." Naru wasn't being arrogant this time, it was the truth. Well, maybe not entirely the truth, he wasn't sure when he would decide to leave this person, then again. He was considering it right now. No vengeance was being acted out upon him yet and he was getting bored.

Then there was a hand on his ear and he rolled his eyes as a soft sound passed his lips. He couldn't help it. Nice things felt especially nice to his ears, just as painful things felt especially painful. The nerves that ran through those furry appendages were just too sensitive. The woman had returned, and Naru pulled back from her, his captor, and that bag, his nose wrinkling in disdain at the scent of it. "Disgusting." He made a face as if he were gagging, then glared at both of them. As if he thought they had brought that out just to make him sick.

Sorrel lifted the bag with a grin and waved it in front of the fox's nose. "It isn't that bad. Besides, what this'll get me will be well worth it." For him anyway. The fox kept getting on his nerves. He needed to find a way to put the spirit in his place. That was how he found himself dragging the fox along until they stood before the mermaid's cave. Anotherk ind of fishy, seaweedy smell, emanated from within.

Sorrel ignored it and sauntered inside. The trade went well, and he emerged with a tightly sealed box. The clinking of metal echoed with his every step, all the way back to his little hut. "What's your name, pet?" Sorrel looked over his shoulder as he walked through the doorway.

Naru gagged slightly when that bag was waved in front of him. "It's utterly revolting. Though of course you wouldn't think it smells bad. Your senses as a human are fairly inferior." There it was, that bit of arrogance, though it was truthful. Human senses were not quite as strong as other creatures, but Naru had worded it like that just to get on the other's nerves. By nature Naru was a rather rude creature anyway, so being kept in captivity had little to do with his arrogant attitude.

He followed the other along, mostly because he had no choice and he was partly curious. All this trading, what was worth so much trouble and stinky bags? Probably nothing good. Finally his captor had acquired a box, and Naru wondered what was inside it, though mostly he was glad it didn't stink like that other thing had. He was caught off guard when the young man asked for his name, and his attention jumped from that box to the other. For a moment Naru stared at him, then shrugged. "Naru." He supposed it didn't matter, but he didn't think the other really cared what he was called.

He stepped inside the hut behind the other, then promptly moved around to the most comfortable chair he could find in this little hut and plopped down in it, as if he owned the place. "What's in the box, human?"

Naru was an imperious man. Always rude. Always annoying. Sorrel let out a breath as he walked around, the box still in his hands. The shackles felt heavy when he slid them from their wooden container. They weren't really, it was only the illusion of what they meant, pressing down upon his palms as she slid them around the spirit's feet wordlessly. They snapped closed with a finality Sorrel relished. The chain, he moored that into the floor, no more then that, into the earth and solid rock. After seeing Naru's earlier display, he did think the magic inhibiting metal was warranted.

"I'm sure this answers your question, pet." Sorrel stared at his scared hands. "I'm called Sorrel." He'd been a whole other person before the disaster. Naru had taken that all from him. Had taken even his identity, during the calamity. Sorrel could try to do no less. It would be the best of revenges.

Shackles, shackles had been in the box. Naru raised a brow at the other as he approached with the shackles. Eyes widened ever so slightly, all that trading that had gone on for those shackles, it was probably something along the lines of the other things this person already had that could harm Naru and keep him. He began to stand from the chair he had so rudely plopped down in, but there was no where to go. The human was in front of him and the chair was behind him, and Naru did not want to harm the human. Golden eyes blinked as the other snapped those shackles around his ankles.

With a dramatic sigh, Naru fell back into the chair he had just risen from. "These things, they won't keep me when I decide to leave." He ran a hand through his hair, and stared at Sorrel with an almost bored expression. Naru did not like those shackles, they felt heavy. Restricting and finally, for the first time since he had met Sorrel, Naru really, truly felt trapped. He wouldn't admit to that, he wouldn't show it. He was in no real danger, Gaea would save him if he was. At least, he was fairly confident she would.

Naru licked his lips slightly. "I don't really like ankle bracelets. They don't suit my style, and this color is definitely not my color." He gave his foot a little shake to make the chain clink against itself for a moment as he stared down at it with a frown. "It's too bulky, very gaudy." Those golden eyes found Sorrel. "If you're going to give me jewelry, it should be something I like." He was teasing, making fun of Sorrel's attempts to keep him trapped. "I thought you wanted revenge. So far all you've done is buy me delicious fruit and put jewelry on me. If that's your idea of revenge, human, then you are a very confused creature."

Sorrel smiled at the fox's antics. He pulled his dagger from its sheath and thrust it against the other man's throat. "You have no idea what I plan, pet." Red welled slowly after the knife passed. "Do you really believe I would want so simple a revenge as killing you, bringing you only pain? No, that would be too easy. I would have taken much less care planning everything." But he would let Naru wonder and seethe silently as he slowly worked on mind and body both.

He turned away and knelt by his pallet. Sorrel pulled another box from beneath the cloth. This one he had used himself. The glint of silver in his ears proved that. Sorrel pulled needles from their case, and one of many piercings he sometimes wore. The silver hoop would look wonderful against the white of the fox's ear.

He approached Naru with needle in hand, and a smile on his face.

His body tensed when that blade came for him, and he nearly held his breath as it touched against his throat. Naru was quiet for a few moments, even after Sorrel had moved away from him. Only raising a hand to touch the spot where the knife had been, wiping away a bit of the blood. "I told you to stop poking me with that thing. It's dangerous." There was a frown on his lips, and he was looking down at his arm where Sorrel had got him with the knife much earlier. His frown deepened. The wound had healed, and there wasn't even blood on is kimono, but there was a scar on his arm.

Nothing had ever left a scar on him before. No, he certainly did not like that knife. It was far too dangerous, it was a bit frightening really. When he looked up, Sorrel was coming towards him with a needle and a smile. The fox was standing almost instantly, his ears twitching a bit in irritation. There was no where to run though, the collar kept him from getting too far from the human, but at least he still could have maintained some distance. It was the shackles that really kept him from being able to move freely, but that didn't mean he wouldn't try.

Naru deserved whatever punishment this young man wanted to give to him, but poking his ears with needles and shoving jewelry in the holes was not allowed. Those ears twitched and flattened against his head, as if he could hide them with his hair or something. "No no no. I don't like that kind of jewelry either. Painful jewelry is definitely out of the question." He had raised his hands, as if to ward off the young man. If Sorrel got too close, Naru might actually attempt to summon a gust of wind to blow him back.

Sorrel kept moving. His free hand shot out, going straight for one of those ears. "But you'll look even more enchanting by the time I'm done with you, pet." The sudden gust of wind did more then just make him tumble to the ground. A flash of silver was all that could be seen of the needle, before it was lost in one of the cracks. More then that, the wind swept Sorrel's tunic up, and revealed a band of white across his upper chest.

He shoved the cloth down over the bandages and righted himself with a glare. This time, he advanced on Naru with ropes in his hands, and he didn't wait for the spirit to react. Nope, he didn't wait a second before wrapping the rough bindings around the other man's chest, and binding Naru's wrists to the arms of his chair.

The needle was lost in a crack, Sorrel's tunic had flown up. However, Naru couldn't really escape, but that would have been the perfect moment to bolt out the door. His ears were up again, twitching as he frowned. Naru couldn't bolt out the door. The shackles prevented as much, and the collar would have kept him from getting to far anyway. Though he didn't have much time to think of anything else, as Sorrel had more or less, in a way, pounced on him with ropes.

"Hey! Stop that!" His ears were twitching in irritation and he wriggled around, trying to make it extremely difficult for the human to tie him up. "My skin is too delicate for ropes. I'll chafe." A bit of indignation in that voice, as he frowned and wriggled around. He was completely trapped though, and a part of him actually rather liked it. He wriggled a bit more, for a few moments longer, then sighed. His eyes landing on Sorrel and he hoped the young man didn't have any more needles.

Naru eyed Sorrel rather studiously. "Are you injured, there's bandages around your chest. I can heal you if you're hurt, but I won't, actually. I'm just curious." He tone was rude and curiosity mixed into one neat little bundle. Sorrel was either injured, or he was hiding something. Naru thought it was the latter, though he didn't really care, it was a little interesting though. Why should his captor hide something like that though?

He reacted instantly. His hand flew out. A loud smack resounded through the air. Sorrel glanced at his knuckles. "I'm not hurt. I'm perfectly healthy." Those eyes lifted to stare the other man down. Daring Naru to say anything. "Where I ended up, I couldn't have survived if I'd stayed who I was born. So I changed." It was that simple, and that complicated.

Sorrel moved to his makeshift hearth and worked on getting a fire started. The wood was soon crackling, and warming the hut as night fell.

Naru flinched, and met Sorrel's gaze with his own, but he was quiet. At least, he was quiet until Sorrel went to the hearth. "I see. So you're really a girl and not a boy." The words were spoken as if he had just come to such a realization, and he seemed a bit surprised. Then again it was hard to tell. He might have just been teasing Sorrel. "Girls usually wrap up their chests when they want to play at being a boy." Now he was definitely teasing. His eyes were on Sorrel watching for a reaction.

"Well this is going to be very boring. Girls aren't even remotely interesting. I liked you better when I thought you were a boy." Naru was teasing and pouting. He just wanted a reaction, some kind of reaction. "I hope you start entertaining me soon, or I'll just leave. Once I'm gone, you'll never see me again and your chance of revenge will be gone as well. Being tied to a chair is extremely boring, just exactly what kind of revenge is this? Trying to bore me to death? That won't work." His expression had turned to one of extreme boredom.

Sorrel glanced at Naru, before moving to the box he'd pulled from under the mattress. Another needle materialized, and was promptly put into the flames. Sorrel chucked it out, and then moved on Naru. The needle glinted, befoe disappearing into the last place the fox wanted anywhere near. Once the piercing was done, Sorrel cleaned it with gentle hands, and slid a delicate silver hoop into the ear.

"I am just Sorrel. No matter if I'm a man or a woman, I will always be the person who survived the destruction you wrought." Sorrel pulled away with a small smile. "I'm a product of your actions. Remember that."

Another needle had appeared, and his body tensed. Lips parted to protest, but the only thing that left them was a loud yelp as that needle pierced his ear. That yelp was followed by soft whimpers and light whines as Sorrel cleaned it and slid the silver hoop in. Naru bit down on his bottom lip, and there were even tears at the corners of his eyes. He deserved that, gods knew he did, but it had hurt far more than it would have hurt any human getting their ear pierced. It still hurt. It was sore and ached, and the weight of the silver hoop was strange and uncomfortable.

That ear, it was twitching a lot, and each twitch jostled the earring and made Naru whimper softly. He was sure he would get used to the feeling of it, and the soreness would go away eventually. Right now though, he couldn't really stand it. He wriggled and whimpered a bit. A frown on those tightly closed lips, but when Sorrel spoke, he looked at the other. A slight wince, as if the other's words had cut him, and maybe they had. Just a little. "I don't really care what you are, just take this stupid thing out of my ear, now!" Naru was demanding, almost ordering Sorrel. It was very clear that he did not like having his ear pierced at all.

Even though he was a spirit, and most wounds healed quickly, his ears healed slower. They more sensitive to sensations and his natural healing process was always slower when it involved his ears. Once the small needle wound did heal, it would make it hard to remove the silver hoop if Sorrel did decide to take it out, as the flesh would have closed up completely around it. Locking it into place. The weight of it, the feeling of it was still very uncomfortable. And that ear of his was still twitching, and Naru even shook his head a bit. As if he could shake the earring out. "It hurts. Take it out!" He was whining and whimpering and demanding that it be removed.

Sorrel leaned over Naru. She fingered the other ear. "Why should I?" Her hand moved to his head. She pet him. Ran her fingers through his hair. "This is my revenge after all. And I'm sure it's far from boring." She thought of herself only as Sorrel. Not a he, not a she. Just the personality. This fox had made sure of that. Whatever pain she dished out, he deserved. In a way, she enjoyed all his squirming.