Silent dedication [Collin]-Finished-

[Aaliyah Juno Ironia]

The coming tournament.. So many things to prepare, so many things to deal with, but Aaliyah kept up with it well enough, she had those who could help, she could delegate responsibilities, perhaps one of her favoured powers as a ruler, she supposed, giving orders.
But still she liked to see where she could supervise or help out, the area being built for the event rested within a Colosseum-like area, much of which was being crafted, or indeed re-crafted, old stones being replaced with new, foundations being secured, the overall structure created to be far more friendly.

However at the moment she was walking past several nearby market stalls. this place was good for business after all, the entire event would be bringing many people, which meant that there was a chance that they could sell their products in bulk to interested lords or traders.
Many people recognized the queen, parting their way for her, flanked by two guards wearing their new signature ebon armour, her own choice, it was more to give an intimidation factor for the more weak-willed.

She froze as something ran headlong into her legs, looking down for a moment, some of the nearby crowd had actually stopped to watch as a number of children that had been running around were lead by one such child who promptly fell back after hitting the lady and looked up at her with some awe, perhaps even fear as she knelt down, grasping him by the shoulder before picking him up and dusting his knees off before patting him on the back to urge him past her.

She did not give off the air of a tyrant, even if her methods or way of acting seemed less friendly than most, no words of encouragement for the boy but at least she hadn't shouted at him either, simply gotten him back to his feet and out of her path as she stood tall once more, shifting her arm so the wrist hung off her sword, quite calm and still silent, eyes drifting along the stalls as the people returned to their business.

[Collin Quin Tyson]

The day was somewhat pleasant so far, other than watching the ‘Queen’ all day. When he had taken the job there were many reason why he did so. One the back story of her killing her family for the throne, destroying the ones that love you for power is one of the lowest things you can do in Collin’s mind. So it was the perfect job for him with what the Rosed Assassins had informed him. Then again it was also the type of job that you had to wait, watch and learn about the target for even some of the Rosed Assassin would have trouble waiting this long, as it would be prolonged from the tournemnts but Quin was ready and more than willing to wait.

At the moment he was watching the queen from hidden position in a market stand of assorted treasures; ranging from gold necklaces to herbs to swords and knives. The stand itself ( the part out of view ) was cluttered and filled with useless junk. Quin had convinced a friend that he would watch it for the day, to let him have off benefitting both his 'friend' as well as the assassin as he watched the Queen from afar going unnoticed by her guards as well as herself.

 He let his eyes wander for a moment watching the small children run and play freely. Had he ever been like this? Had he had a best friend or siblings to play silly games with? He didn't know, but these thoughts occupied his mind long enough for him to miss the small child running into his target. The crowd seemed to hush waiting for the reaction of the Queen. Collin himself jumped to his feet, thy banging against the table causing it to shake. If he gets hurt… he thought fingering the sword laying on the table. The guards would. Easy enough and it would only launch the battle the Queen and assassin were destined to have early. 

 Though she did no such thing, only set the boy back in his feet, brushed him off and sent him on his way. He was rather glad that he didn't have to fight her, even more so that nothing happened to he child. After a moment the crowd shifted back into gear and Collin took a deep breath trying to calm down. It was one of his only weaknesses and he shouldn't have displayed it do easily but somehow he thought that would've the last weakness the queen would use to defend herself.

He sat down in the stall again taking a dagger, one of the best in this market, and started to shine it. He was dresses in commoners clothing for once out of his leather jacket to play the role but it did hang behind him just out of sight of the passing people. As he shined the sun light started to bounce of it and Quin was tempted to have some fun. So he slowly worked the small circle of light over the guards faces causing them to shift uncomfortably. It only grazed the Queens face by accident. One of the guards seemed to notice and started to head over here, Collon kept calm and only went back to shining a small smirk on his face. 

[Aaliyah Juno Ironia]

What was that just now..? It hadn't been the child running into her leg that had caused an odd stir, a pause in her reactions, but she'd felt a strange, sharp upsurge of.. Perhaps protectiveness.. It wasn't her own feeling, she could practically taste it upon the air, some kind of dedicative response to her moment with the child. But the source vanished quickly as the child was let go to play, was some-one worried about the boy? It was too late to pinpoint the source, too many people to focus on, she withdrew her senses a little, but slowly scanned the area in little pieces until she felt something new.

This came just as a light hit her face, her eyes catching the glint of light from the knife and in that very moment she turned he rhea din the direction of the stall, focusing through the crowds of people, feeling the intent, then the slight annoyance of the guard at her side.
Although he started to approach, the hand of the Queen on his shoulder caused him to falter, looking aside at her in some confusion as she instead began to proceed towards the stall, right arm still resting comfortably upon the hilt of her sword as she walked.

She came to a halt near the stall, looking at the young man with some curiosity, eyes focused on him at first, but then to the pieces available, she saw the sword and the knife he'd been working on. Herbs, necklaces and other trinkets, a lot of it typically considered junk but often bought for souvenir purposes.. But she didn't recognize this young man, something about him did not seem local, not that she would judge by appearance.. Perhaps the son of a trader...
She tuned out her empathy as much as she could, it was rude to directly intervene and gauge a person on purpose, although she had admittedly done it on certain occasions..

Her eyes laid upon the dagger in particular, she was familiar with good craftsmanship and it didn't seem to be very shoddy, in fact it looked quite solid, the steel blade gleamed even out of the sunlight, and there were few breaks in the material. The blade itself wasn't even marred or marked up, it looked deadly.
The queen held out her hand to the vendor, palm open to the man,
"May I?" She asked calmly, obviously asking for the dagger, anything of good work like that deserved to be admired.

[Collin Quin Tyson]

He watched with amusement playing on his features as his knife irritated the guard to the point of stepping forward. He almost had to laugh as the Queen stopped him though the feeling quickly faded as she herself came forward hand resting on the hilt of her sword. Any normal person would have been doing one of two things. First, tiding up the stall trying to make a great impression on the Queen or two, being getting all tense and panicky that the queen was coming near them. Quin being skilled and rather well at controlling his emotions so his shoulders relaxed as her steps drew her closer and closer to her assassin.

He watched her eyes glancing over the merchandise already guessing what she was thinking. Yes, must of it was junk but some was rather valuable when push came to shove. The blade itself would be very useful with defending yourself as well as making it your own due to the lack of jewels and markings. There were only a small marks at the bottom of the hilt were the makers signature was held. His brown eyes looked up to her with a small smirk playing along the edges of his lips. “How could I possibly say no to a beautiful woman who is also the queen of this grand land? My answer is of course Your Royal Highness.” He placed the dagger hilt first in her hands.

As she looked over the hilt he gave off some random facts about the maker and design as well as the price, all given to him by the friend he borrowed this stall from. His hands flitted over the other knives picking them up and testing them before placing them down. The dagger in her hand had been the nicest out of all of them. Now in his hands was the second best. He weighed it in each hand tossing it back and forth before beginning to shine it as well. “So, there are some rumors that you have magic. Empathy in fact. Would it be possible for you to tell me if these rumors were true or not?” He only glanced up once dark eyes searching her face before looking back down. He didn’t want to offend the queen in anyway. Well at least not yet, when they were in a public place and her guards close by her side.

[Aaliyah Juno Ironia]

With the dagger in hand, the woman calmly held it up so she could inspect it a little closer, spinning it about into a reverse grip in her palm before popping it up and holding it straight again, she wasn't really displaying any feat of impressive skill, simply feeling the weight of it, it certainly was very comfortably in her hand, although she was more accustomed to swords, still she rather liked the feel of this item.

The question about her empathy would have been a bother, or certainly bothered her internally, but she simply looked at the vendor with a slightly bemused face, head tilting softly to the side as she changed her stance slightly, shifting her weight tot he other leg and gently pressing the tip of the dagger against her gloved finger, turning it ever softly,
"Do you often listen to rumours?" It certainly was not a confirmation or denial, she felt no necessity to tell the truth but she shouldn't outright lie, "And what would it matter if I did? Are you interested in the arcane? Would it make a difference if I said yes or no?" She questioned with an odd, half-smile, a wry look.

Again she spun the dagger in hand, staring at it quietly as it flashed in her hand until she tossed it up in the air and caught it by the blade, offering it back to him,
"Excellent workmanship, I must meet the original craftsman some day.. How much would you ask for it?" She questioned, quite ready to go for her coin-purse, she couldn't deny the usefulness of a dagger, it may even save her life one day if she kept it around.

[Collin Quin Tyson]

Looking up from the small knife he smiled before laughing gently, “Only as often as I spread them, which isn’t very often.” No normal I’m part of the rumors… He thought giving another laugh. Being a Rosed Assassin defiantly had its own share of rumors. He slightly stood from the rest, with his mark and all. “No, no it would make no difference. It’s just… it’s just mere curiosity of a young man from a foreign land. So you aren’t going to answer my question then?” It was rather clever the way she was avoiding the question. Any normal person would have backed off and practically kiss her feet as not to anger her but Collin was just too interested to find out the truth.

“I’m afraid you’re a bit late.” He said as she mentioned the maker, “He passed quite a few decades ago. He handed it down to his son who sold it in this very place. The price is one eight silver pieces.” He added thinking about the few prices the man had told him this piece was one of the few of them. “It’s open to wager.” He said laying his hand on the table ready to flip it over to accept the coins. He watched the dagger and thought it was funny, he’s selling the person he’s going to assassinate a weapon. That wasn’t something you thought or heard of everyday in regular conversation.

He looked at the guards sizing them up, how many would she have in the castle the night he tried?Ah well, I’ll make sure it’s just the two of us. A small smile formed on his face, it wasn’t a smirk or a pretty smile neither was it evil that of a killers. Just a smile of someone who knew what they had to do. “Do you find yourself unsure about your actions? You think you have to but you’re not sure you should?” He asked before he realized what he was saying. He wasn’t looking at her though he was looking at the trees over her head. But I’m not unsure… I wonder if she regrets her past that’s it…

[Aaliyah Juno Ironia]

"No," Aaliyah replied with a curious smile, he was an adamant one, she'd give him that, "No, I do not believe I will.." The woman found this sensation odd, she hadn't smiled like this for some time, but she endeavoured to straighten herself out as best she could, at least she hadn't lied to him about it, "Perhaps another time.. If you are here long enough, I might," she teased ever slightly, folding her arms as she leaned against the stall softly,
"A shame.. Such master-crafts are difficult to acquire."

She pulled up her coin-purse, opening it and emptying a certain amount out, though filed much of it back in before she placed down thirty silvers before the vendor, smiling a little,
"I only ever pay for an item what it is actually worth.." She stated, grasping the dagger and calmly turned it over in her hand, staring at it once more before she slid it beneath the belt of her sheath.

His last question was somewhat confusing, she stared at him for a very long moment, curious.. She'd never heard anything quite like that, but she tightened her jaw and took a slight breath,
"I cant afford to be unsure of myself.. I stay firm to what I do and who I am because I must protect this kingdom. It's all I can do," She replied, shaking her head a little, "And what of you? Are you sure of your path in life?" She asked, but then found an odd question crossing not only her mind but also her lips,
"What is your name..?"

[Collin Quin Tyson]

He frowned then shrugged. He really didn’t think he would get an answer from the Queen or if he did it wouldn’t be clear. Looking at her smile he sort of liked it, it was different from the queen he had seen in pictures and heard about in stories. It made it harder and easier. If he began somewhat liking her would he be able to fulfill his job correctly but on the other side it would be best to know each and every side he could of the queen. Sometimes the situation could dictate which one was better, knowing or not but at the moment he couldn’t quite tell. And that he did not like what so ever but Quin still kept a friendly face looking up at her. “I will look forward to the day.” He said laughing lightly, “Indeed it’s a skill that at times fades into the sands of time. As most skills do…”

He watched quietly as she dumped out the coins, far too many and was rather happy when she put some back. Collin wouldn’t be able to take all of those coins. His hand slid forward and collected the coin, watching her handle the knife. He nodded, “I understand but I can’t accept this. It is too much.” He took about fifteen or so before pushing the rest back towards her. He took a little more to make the Queen happy and it would also help him along the way paying for the inn he was staying and such. “I’m sure Evan would love the extra support though.” He handed with a small smile playing on his features.

“It’s understandable for someone of your stature. For me, well let’s just say I have a duty to fulfill as well. And I will along this path, at least I hope someday…” He said eyes getting cloudy with his own memories. Of the river, the little girl… He had to her help even if she was gone now. For some reason he just had too, his first memory and he just felt protective of her now. It made no sense but it was what it was. Her next question was what brought him out of his thoughts. “A royal wishes to know my name?” He questioned laughing lightly, “Well to answer it is Quin. No last name.” He added thinking of it, he had to give some name but it would be best if she couldn’t trace him.

[Aaliyah Juno Ironia]

"Then give the spare to this Evan, a minor investment for future sales." Aaliyah responded, she knew it wasn't much, at least it wasn't much to some-one like her, but she wasn't about to take any of the coin back, simply folding her arms softly, not too tight, not in a way that showed an aggressive nature, simply as a way to cradle her arms, pacing just ever gently tot he side, still focused on the one named Quin,
"Of course I would like to know, I already know many of my subjects names, you may be foreign to this land but you are here under the protection of our flag, regardless. You are just as any citizen."

She thought back to his talk of duty, though sensed there was more to it, not that she would pry into it entirely, simply smiling instead a small while later,
"Whatever your endeavours, may you succeed at the fullest pursuit of your heart," She half-instructed, it was strange to tell some-one such a thing, at least coming from her, not that she was aware of his intentions, though she gave him another odd glance, it was strange but this fellow was rather striking to her..

"Perhaps.. When your friend returns to this stall, you might permit being of company to me, I would like to know from where you came, what it is like there, I hear much in reports, but little of spoken word." She suggested this calmly, after all it was a wise thing for a leader to do, to be fully aware of the other kingdoms. Numbers and rigid reports only told her the most boring of facts when it was the peoples opinion that mattered more.

[Collin Quin Tyson]

He laughed, “You might just make his heart give out.” As his laugher died out he pulled back the coins and piled them in a small metal box. He wouldn’t take them, at least not yet and not in front of the queen. He wouldn’t want to make a bad impression now would he? The very thought nearly made him laugh again but he settled on a smile stretching wide across his features. As the last click of the coins landed in the box he snapped the lid shut and put it back in its place under the table where no one would be able to see it and steal it. Well at least Evan thought so.


He waited to see if she would ask any further questions, some people would pry other walk away in supposition but no she just… well almost supported him. If only she knew… He thought a smirk playing on his face. He smiled at her glance, perhaps just perhaps that she was as confused and interested as he was in her. Though he somewhat doubted that it was probable just because he wouldn’t kiss the ground she walked on. But some small part of him could tell he was simply trying to create excused for himself. And of course he just slapped that small voice down.


He smiled sweetly up at her, “It would be my honor.” He said while thinking, And just possibly my chance… But as they spoke a short pudgy man came walking down the street a scold on his face. He stopped five feet away from the queen, bowing deeply and for a long while before standing up and pointing at Quin. “Get out, that trader of yours did nothing but try to steal my money and worse.” He said glaring. Raising his hands he came around the booth hands still up, “He works well for me.” Collin laughed. Evan sat down in the chair grumbling about youth and uselessness before he started to count his money losing himself in the silver.


Turning to the queen he bowed before standing at his full height brushing off his shirt. “Seems the time has come, shall we Your Highness?” He asked placing his hand out in front of the Queen, palm open to the sky wondering if she would take it. Or if he would brush him off and lead him away. It wouldn’t surprise him what so ever, but it was the kind of things that made him take the job in the first place. She was such an interesting woman.

[Aaliyah Juno Ironia]

Aaliyah watched with amusement as the actual stall owner returned, bowing deeply to her in a manner that really tempted her to smack him across the back of the head for exaggerating it so heavily. It was a minor pet peeve of hers, although she liked respect, when people practically grovelled she wanted to just crack them upside the head with a swift slap and tell them off, it was absolutely unnerving, but the bit her tongue, watching the portal, dwarfish man overtake the stall and kick Quin off it.

At Quin's full height, Aaliyah found herself shocked to be matching him quite easily, but perhaps it was because of the inch heels in her boots, they looked averagely the same height, so she imagined if she were just an inch shorter she'd be looking up at him a little. Not bad she supposed and seeing him a little closer was actually quite nice, what an odd sensation.. She didn't want to admit it out loud but he really was quite handsome.. She could feel her heart quicken a little in her chest, but she calmly wrapped her hand around his arm, rather than touching his hand directly, placing it on the inside of the elbow pretty much so he'd still have the freedom to use his hand,
"Our time will always come, sooner or later, Quin," She commented with a light smile, "I pray mine may come once I leave a legacy or choose an heir however.."

She looked towards the crowd, a few had caught glimpse of her deferring to this young man with kindness, but she didn't seem too phased by it, hell, she had a handsome young man at her side, perhaps older than herself, she wouldn't deny herself that just because he didn't look entirely like the highest society nobility or even royalty,
"So then, Quin, tell me what you see." She stated, motioning her other hand to the people and the street, "Show me what you think of this city, my kingdom, with your eyes,"

[Collin Quin Tyson]

He turned and waved at Evan who looked tempted to take off his shoe and throw it at Collin. He just gave a wink to his old friend, knowing all too well that the trader could be quite troublesome. And that was just the reason why Collin had sent Evan to him. It would distract him long enough so Quin had a good amount of time at the stand to watch the queen before he had to shift into plan be which was a bit harder and at times looked a bit more stalkerish. Which was act as a commoner and keep to stalls close to her or far enough away were she wouldn’t notice him but he could notice her.

Now looking at the queen he noticed they were standing about the same height. It didn’t bother him one bit as he was used to being surrounded by six foot friends and called the short one as well as having some taller women friends. It would seem the queen as about the same height as a good partner of his Alice. When he was unaffected by the eight he found himself smiling rather warmly at the queen. A bit too warmly for his job… But he couldn’t stop it was as if something came over him, he like standing close to her. What the hell… He thought calmly shaking it off. He had never experienced something like that before. But Quin knew right away that it was no good, at least for him and his job, so he tucked the feeling into the far corner of his mind and soul. Hoping it wouldn’t resurface.

Smiling slightly he nodded, “Wouldn’t it be wise to have an heir now? Haven’t you heard the Rosed Assassins were out for royal blood?” The only reason he questioned this was to find out how much she knew and if she was expecting anything at all. That would be a great advantage in a mission, knowing what the target knows. Turning to his own time he just hoped that he could someday kill those men who destroyed that village, if not them directly the person who ordered it. Taking a breath he shifted out of those memories and focused back on the Queen of Swords who was now closer then he thought he would ever get without a fight involved.

Taking a breath he scanned over crowds in front of him. “It’s beautiful at first glance like so many things but even here there’s darkness.” He looked again this time in depth. “The beauty… Would be the children playing, laughing happily in the street. People being kind to one another at the stalls. Making money so they can take it home to their family for food and clothing. Allowing let the kingdom to continue to thrive. For one the cleanliness of the city is nice compared to others.” He turned back to the queen locking eyes with her. “But there’s darkness in everything. This place, no matter how beautiful is the same.”

[Aaliyah Juno Ironia]

"Why Quin, I don't think you understand how this works." The queen chuckled softly before rolling her eyes as she spoke once more, "Assassins.. The crowning of a new King or Queen is practically a bell toll, a signal to the world that another target has been set up on the archery range. It is as such with new ambassadors too, important figureheads of a community, even a newly knighted man could be a target. I have been aware of the possibility of assassination since before I was even crowned." The Queen patted the man's arm softly, smirking a bit,
"But at least you show concern.. For the fact that I do not have an heir, I suppose, which is odd, I'd think you'd worry for me first, but it's the thought that counts," She teased at him softly with an odd grin, she had found the manner of his question odd, but perhaps he just said it without thinking..Though what made her a little more interested was the fact that this man was so aware of a single assassin group, she didn't say anything to it though, perhaps he'd just heard of them before.

She looked aside at Quin as he spoke once more, surprised at how well he was able to look at the city around him and observe so much, perhaps he had said nothing specific but she could tell something more about him, he wasn't just some simple foreigner or peasant, a stall boy..
"You're very perceptive, Quin." She smirked, "Eyes like that would make you a great hunter, or even an excellent soldier."

[Collin Quin Tyson]

He said nothing at her first comment as he knew exactly how it worked but he kept an innocent face. While she explained how the heirs worked with kings, queens, and all around new people taking high position. It was a job that people often wanted, to be a queen or a high ranking noble. They wanted it for the power, publicity and all around good life. They hardly ever thought about the dangers of being assassinated or all the bickering that goes on during court. You could never ask him to be on that side of a bow, as she had put it, no he was quite happy shooting it.

Now he allowed himself to smile at the queen. “I’ll always worry for you first.” He said softly and met her grin. He thought to his own group for a second, they each had a mark on a King or Queen. It was only a matter of time before the order was given like it had been for Aaliyah. And now knowing that she didn’t have an heir would make the aftermath so much more enjoyable to watch. Now only the rumors would be spread across the town but inside the nobles will hurry to find a suitable heir as quickly and quietly as they could manage.

Darkness and light. Evil and good. It was only a matter of how you looked at things it decipher between the two. It took a bit of darkness clutching part of your soul to see where it truly hid. Not always lurking in the shadows but perhaps standing next to you enjoying the sunshine. Either way Collin believed he could see it and he would try with all his might to kill the scum there. But listening to her he couldn’t help but laugh. “I have no wish to kill defenseless creatures or carry out orders from another. I’m a very free spirit who couldn’t be kept in a single job, no I’ll keep to traveling and meeting,” Maybe killing, “new people.” He answered with a playful smile dancing across his features. It didn’t matter as he already had a path… that wasn’t anything that she would suspect. He was getting more enjoyment out of speaking to her than he should be…

[Aaliyah Juno Ironia]

Honestly she hadn't expected that line from Quin, they'd had a rapport of calm talk and jest, but saying that he would worry for her first felt oddly personal, however she kept a tight lip on it, preferring to try and force down the slight blush on her face, though she kept an open ear for his following words, smiling as he responded to her suggestions of the hunter or the soldier. True, he didn't seem the type to go for either really, nonetheless, his body, now that she was up close and holding his very arm, felt trained, and he was no slouch physically, even if he didn't hunt or fight as a soldier, he was still healthy and strong.

So then what did he really do? It was all so curious, this man, what an enigma, and she herself had been known to be a little enigmatic, it seemed she had competition, though he probably wouldn't admit it out loud. Her mind rewound back to what she'd been thinking a moment ago, however, strong, healthy body.. The feel of his arm in her hand, good grief why was she even thinking on these terms? The thought alone was questionable enough but considering she was clinging to the object of these thoughts she found herself feeling a little more awkward.

While deep down she had always preferred the company of other women, she couldn't deny that some men still had appeal for her, she had wanted desperately to swear them off though knew she couldn't, after all she needed to produce an heir one day, perhaps even with a man like this..
A flash of an image in her mind as she saw for a moment what she imagined his naked form to be like, up close, engulfed in her arms. She shook the thought from her head although she was now blushing a little more profusely than before, not realizing where she was stepping and stumbled, partially losing her grip on Quin, her figure threatening to lose its balance entirely and fall almost ungracefully to the ground.
For but that brief instant in her mind she wanted to cry out to Quin for help, but she didn't have the time to do so realistically.