"AAAAAHHHHH!!!"

In the middle of the night Aureur suddenly screamed, his eyes going wide as he looked around in panic. "No! No don't!"

The boy crawled into a corner, eyes straight ahead as he swatted at something only he could see. "Keep away!" He clawed at the chains, even biting them in his panic. "Let me out! Let me out! Don't leave me here!"

He seemed to be having some sort of waking nightmare. A dream of exceptional violence that had taken control of him.

Rahal stired and awoke from his sleep from the noise and panic of the young half-elf as he seemed to be in some sudden distress. He got up quickly from his place of rest and went to confront the lad to find out what had upset him so much.

"Auruer," he said, as he shook the young man. "Auruer, you are awake. You are safe." he used calming words to try and talk to the boy and bring him abck to his senses.

Aureur frozen, looking around with his eyes still wide with fear. He panted, clearly shaken.

"Just a dream...just a dream..." He repeated, trying to calm himself. "It's no big deal, just a dream I have sometimes." He said before looking down at his fingers, which were scratched and torn from clawing at the chain. He also tasted blood in his mouth from biting the chain.

"Just a dream..."

Rahal let the young man go but get a concerned glare in his eyes.

"This dream... do you want to talk of it?" he asked, offering a listening ear to the younger lad. It was still quite early and they had a few hours before he planned on leaving.

Aureur tried to brush him off, but it was clear that the man only wished to listen.

"Do you promise not to make fun of me?" He asked. "When I was little...the innkeeper Mother and I lived with would lock me in a closet as punishment. It was dark and cramped, and filled with spiders. They would crawl all over me." He shuddered. "Ever since I've been afraid of dark, tight spaces. I dream I'm in a coffin, being eaten alive. It's not always spiders though, sometimes it's flies."

Rahal was a bit surpised by Auruer's treatment, thought it wasn't unheard of cruelty upon the younger half-elf population. Those who lived with people were either treated as rare keeps to be sold and mistreated due to their difference in race.

"There's no spiders, flies or locked cupboard here. Rest assured that nothing like that will happen under my keep," he advised, patting the young man on his head affectionately. "We're awake now," he said as he stood and stretched. "I suggest we get ready to head out before the market sellers start their setup up for the buisness day."

"Fine." Aureur said, still pulling at his shackles. It was clear he still didn't like the idea of being chained up.

"So this guy you're going to take me to, is he a pimp?" The boy asked. "Or even better, a crazy old wizard who needs a half-breed's heart for his latest potion?"

The boy pulled his pants up, but was unable to get a shirt on over his shackles.

Don't be ridiculous lad," Rahal grunted with irration in his voice at such a comment. "I didn't spare youn for that life to then whore you out for my own gain." He was starting to get on his nerves how negative the young half-elf was. One minute yhey would be on agreable terms the next minute he was through wild and ambiguous comments. "He is simply a fellow friend who specializies in demonolgy. Nothing more. "

Aureur paused for a moment. "I...I'm not trying to be ungrateful. I just have a hard time trusting people. You're the only person besides my mother to show any concern for me, and I can't help but expect the trapdoor to fall out from under me at any moment."