No matter how busy the Baron's schedule, no matter his plans, if he's in RhyDin at all his feet eventually head to WestEnd." Today it takes until sunset, and the last orange rays are filtering past a hundred bobbing masts in the harbor as he winds his way through the streets. He subtly checks his back every so often, usually when he's crossing a street, or if he finds an excuse to pause by a vendor, inspect something, check a newspaper or a listing." Still, he's been off the 'beat' for a couple of years, and his instincts aren't what they were then. There are some things he's liable to miss.
The two thieves were not behind the Baron. Oh, no." They were taking the" highway, the rooftops, at present." Much easier to follow prey who were canny enough to keep checking their backtrail.?" Most people though, did not think in three-dimensions." Whether Alain would or not was all part of that great game of chance." For now, they slunk along, following, watching, and carefully assessing things from above, and just ahead of him." Sometimes they were behind him, but they were always above."
Gem studied her friend, feeling terrible guilt that wracked her every second. It was very hard to keep that professional edge she needed just now." She never " never - stole from friends." It was her Rule. She never varied from it." Until now." Now, because it meant life or death for her." If she knew Alain better, she would have just gone to him and asked for the damned teacup." But she didn't know him all that well, and so she just could not take the chance." For now, she glanced at Greyson every few minutes, eyes meeting to silently converse." Ever the way of thieves.
Grey had to admit - but not to her face, of course - that he'd had reservations about working with the tiny elf." Of course, he had reservations about working with anyone." He was a loner, through and through, preferring to be in control of every situation." Still, after a long inactive period, it was nice to be back in the game, skulking over rooftops, the thrill of the chase snaking through his veins." He returned Gem's looks with a fierce smile and a thumb's up."
Eventually Alain comes to a warehouse, an old brick building with plenty of activity through the open doors." A crane at a nearby dock is taking cargo off a long wooden ship, and men and some women are moving some of it into this building. There are three women out front, all of them red-eyed and blue-skinned." Two are playing cards, and only the third's really paying attention." She doesn't have a gun, though there's one nearby, resting in a corner just inside. Alain pauses, really freezes, standing still for several seconds, and he looks over his shoulder instinctively." Over and up, at the rooftops, scanning, scanning....nothing." If he had been looking for thieves, for regular tails, then just maybe he would've seen something....But he's scanning for signs of assassins, and finds none." His eyes pass over Gem and her partner without seeing either of them." He heads inside, towards the back of the warehouse.
The elfess studied the scene below as Alain arrived at the building. From having cased the area previously, she knew this is where they would be going inside." This is where it was going to get dicey." As Alain froze in his walk, Gem melted into the surrounding shadows of the rooftop, noting that motion and thinking it might mean he would look up where they were." She trusted that Grey would do the same." As the Baron's eyes passed over them, she gave a sigh of relief. Alain was a very intriguing person, and she had the feeling he could handle a lot of things." That was the main reason why she had asked for help from Greyson." She didn't feel confident of being able to handle Alain alone." He was too canny, for one thing."
She gestured to Grey as she slipped over to the nearest drainpipe." She began to move down it, a silent monkey lost to sight in the shadows." Once on the ground, she made for her assigned spot, the plan being for Gem to knock out the alert watcher, and for Grey to somehow handle the other two women.
Red eyes and blue skin." Huh." Under normal circumstances, Grey's approach would be to charm the pants off the birds and then sap them neatly in the back of the head, effectively dropping them to the ground for a nice, long nap." But that was before he took a look at these two." He shook his head and shimmied down a different drainpipe, as silent as a shadow and about as inconspicuous as one as well.
Alain's visible from some vantage points, not at all from others, but his voice can be heard, talking with someone, though the words are instinct." Nearby conversations, involving the guard-in-disguise and one of the workers, drown them out." This one, though, is fortuitous....
"...can't believe how late they came in." I told them they'd be home by dinner — "
"There's nothing we can do, I've explained this a hundred times, we just — "
" — fifth night like this in a row — "
"...Alright." The blue woman strays near her rifle and fidgets with it." Checking things, idly.
"Seven o'clock." That's two hours — and have them here no later than four tomorrow, okay?" I want these unloaded before sunup."
Very fortuitous." There'll be two more hours of activity, and then....the warehouse empties out, and until four o'clock the next morning, too." A verified clear area for insertion and egress.
It was so very nice when people were helpful with information like this.?" Gem was quite thankful to hear this, as she had been feeling very uncertain about those red eyes." They might have easily been able to see in the infrared spectrum, and that meant the two thieves hide in shadow ability would be negated." Gem hung back, and looked for Greyson. A hand flipped in thieves cant, that handy, silent language." Wait for two hours." Then proceed." She waited for him to answer her back, eyes watching the watchers warily.
He gave her a lopsided smirk and nodded once, sliding into the shadows at his back and falling into a comfortable lean, oak-leaf green eyes moving ceaselessly over the scene before them." He was more than okay with waiting until the place emptied." He was a thief and a grifter, too." He didn't like killing.? He felt it was unnecessary and messy.
Seeing that smirk and nod, Gem settled down, a silent, waiting bird of prey intent on the scene before her, as well as keeping a roving check all about them.
The two thieves were not behind the Baron. Oh, no." They were taking the" highway, the rooftops, at present." Much easier to follow prey who were canny enough to keep checking their backtrail.?" Most people though, did not think in three-dimensions." Whether Alain would or not was all part of that great game of chance." For now, they slunk along, following, watching, and carefully assessing things from above, and just ahead of him." Sometimes they were behind him, but they were always above."
Gem studied her friend, feeling terrible guilt that wracked her every second. It was very hard to keep that professional edge she needed just now." She never " never - stole from friends." It was her Rule. She never varied from it." Until now." Now, because it meant life or death for her." If she knew Alain better, she would have just gone to him and asked for the damned teacup." But she didn't know him all that well, and so she just could not take the chance." For now, she glanced at Greyson every few minutes, eyes meeting to silently converse." Ever the way of thieves.
Grey had to admit - but not to her face, of course - that he'd had reservations about working with the tiny elf." Of course, he had reservations about working with anyone." He was a loner, through and through, preferring to be in control of every situation." Still, after a long inactive period, it was nice to be back in the game, skulking over rooftops, the thrill of the chase snaking through his veins." He returned Gem's looks with a fierce smile and a thumb's up."
Eventually Alain comes to a warehouse, an old brick building with plenty of activity through the open doors." A crane at a nearby dock is taking cargo off a long wooden ship, and men and some women are moving some of it into this building. There are three women out front, all of them red-eyed and blue-skinned." Two are playing cards, and only the third's really paying attention." She doesn't have a gun, though there's one nearby, resting in a corner just inside. Alain pauses, really freezes, standing still for several seconds, and he looks over his shoulder instinctively." Over and up, at the rooftops, scanning, scanning....nothing." If he had been looking for thieves, for regular tails, then just maybe he would've seen something....But he's scanning for signs of assassins, and finds none." His eyes pass over Gem and her partner without seeing either of them." He heads inside, towards the back of the warehouse.
The elfess studied the scene below as Alain arrived at the building. From having cased the area previously, she knew this is where they would be going inside." This is where it was going to get dicey." As Alain froze in his walk, Gem melted into the surrounding shadows of the rooftop, noting that motion and thinking it might mean he would look up where they were." She trusted that Grey would do the same." As the Baron's eyes passed over them, she gave a sigh of relief. Alain was a very intriguing person, and she had the feeling he could handle a lot of things." That was the main reason why she had asked for help from Greyson." She didn't feel confident of being able to handle Alain alone." He was too canny, for one thing."
She gestured to Grey as she slipped over to the nearest drainpipe." She began to move down it, a silent monkey lost to sight in the shadows." Once on the ground, she made for her assigned spot, the plan being for Gem to knock out the alert watcher, and for Grey to somehow handle the other two women.
Red eyes and blue skin." Huh." Under normal circumstances, Grey's approach would be to charm the pants off the birds and then sap them neatly in the back of the head, effectively dropping them to the ground for a nice, long nap." But that was before he took a look at these two." He shook his head and shimmied down a different drainpipe, as silent as a shadow and about as inconspicuous as one as well.
Alain's visible from some vantage points, not at all from others, but his voice can be heard, talking with someone, though the words are instinct." Nearby conversations, involving the guard-in-disguise and one of the workers, drown them out." This one, though, is fortuitous....
"...can't believe how late they came in." I told them they'd be home by dinner — "
"There's nothing we can do, I've explained this a hundred times, we just — "
" — fifth night like this in a row — "
"...Alright." The blue woman strays near her rifle and fidgets with it." Checking things, idly.
"Seven o'clock." That's two hours — and have them here no later than four tomorrow, okay?" I want these unloaded before sunup."
Very fortuitous." There'll be two more hours of activity, and then....the warehouse empties out, and until four o'clock the next morning, too." A verified clear area for insertion and egress.
It was so very nice when people were helpful with information like this.?" Gem was quite thankful to hear this, as she had been feeling very uncertain about those red eyes." They might have easily been able to see in the infrared spectrum, and that meant the two thieves hide in shadow ability would be negated." Gem hung back, and looked for Greyson. A hand flipped in thieves cant, that handy, silent language." Wait for two hours." Then proceed." She waited for him to answer her back, eyes watching the watchers warily.
He gave her a lopsided smirk and nodded once, sliding into the shadows at his back and falling into a comfortable lean, oak-leaf green eyes moving ceaselessly over the scene before them." He was more than okay with waiting until the place emptied." He was a thief and a grifter, too." He didn't like killing.? He felt it was unnecessary and messy.
Seeing that smirk and nod, Gem settled down, a silent, waiting bird of prey intent on the scene before her, as well as keeping a roving check all about them.