In your Face [Open]

[Grant]

The moon was out and bright and it hadn’t rain for quite some time. Aubrey could see these things from the window. This was the perfect time for Aubrey to do as he did best, parkour. The streets were free of people for the moment, a large ship had just landed at the port and everyone was there seeing what was on the ship and who survived the trip through the seas. Not Aubrey though, he knew when a ship that was of any importance to him comes in and tonight wasn’t that night. The streets were his and he would take them.

He hadn’t even gone home since he arrived in Fossgate. He was staying in a hotel for the time being. He just couldn’t muster the courage to see what sort of mess had been made while he was gone. He guessed tonight was the night best suited for him to make his appearance at The Menagerie and he would run the whole way there. Leeping over guard rails, climbing over walls, and leaping from cargo crate to cargo crate the only real way to travel.

With a swivel of his pen Aubrey signed for his room under his alias. The teller would see to it that the bank covered the fee and he didn’t need to worry about money anymore then a simple sign of his signature. With a firm nod at his dog and a shrug of his shoulder to let the bird know what was happening Aubrey made a few quick steps to the lobby door.

The door was like the gate at a horse race for him. One of those big doors that is actually like six doors that spins around like a carousel. Once his face met that polluted and dingy air of Fossgate Aubrey would hit the streets like a bat out of hell with fire burning through his backside. Slowly Aubrey pushed forward and his heart started to pump, he could really hype himself up with little effort. Just as his feet touched the front step Hoan knocked him aside and took off down the road. It was always a race with that dog.

Avoiding the stairs entirely Aubrey side hopped over the stoop of the hotel and darted off after the hound. With a two handed jump over a small sales cart that had been broken down for the night Aubrey was starring right at the beasts back side. Four legs isn’t fair in a race against two, but it never stopped Aubrey from trying. He kept running as fast as his long muscular legs could take him and it never seemed enough.

Hoan darted past an alley way, but Aubrey never avoided an alley. Garbage cans, dumpsters, fire escapes, and homeless people were far to much fun to avoid. With a keen right turn he lost site of his dog, but knew inside it would turn back to follow him. With a big smile Aubrey lid slid over a closed dumpster, stepped off the top of a trashcan and used the bottom of fire escape like monkey bars before swinging himself right over a wall to the other half of the alley.

He quickly froze and shaded his eyes from the glare of the moon. Seems he had lost his touch on his travels. He was facing the port and the backs of the large crowd of people awaiting to see the large ship and what it contained inside. He swayed a bit as he felt something hard nudge against his thigh. He looked down and smiled at Hoan before giving him a firm pat on his head. He had managed to catch up, how he got over the wall Aubrey would never know. Sometimes he couldn’t help but think the real expert was his four legged friend, without thumbs and all those fancy things that helped a Human climb, slide, jump, and flip.

To Aubrey this was just another social setting he buttoned up his frilly travelers shirt and stepped toward the crowd, not yet leaving the alley. Risky business could be had at these ports especially for a witch like himself. His heavy breathing and sweat might draw more attention to him then he pleased to have right now. “Stay to the edge of the wall and do your best to make it home. he said to himself as he turned out of the alley and headed south toward the slums. He couldn’t help but wonder what kind of company he would meet with every single resident of Fossgate swarming to the port like this. Seemed like everyone would be out tonight. So many possibilities.

[Lady]

I'll reply tomorrow. Looks like Karson and Gus will be making a little field trip to Fossgate.

[Bloody]

(Hope you don't mind me posting before you Lady...if you want, I can delete this and let you post first, just ask lol)

Riley had arrived in Fossgate a few hours ago. There was some resupplying that needed to be done, her ship needed to be refueled and her food supply restocked. This would generally be a very simple task, in and out in an hour. Yet she'd be damned before she left town without a stiff drink. A stiff drink quickly escalated into several stiff drinks, then into her getting completely smashed.

Riley getting completely smashed only meant one thing.

There was a good reason why the docks were all a-bustle. You see, something very expensive had vanished off that recently arrived cargo ship. That very expensive something was currently shoved under the baggy shirt of a certain fairy. Riley had strolled right onto that ship, well, less strolled than stumbled. Half-climbing, half-falling down the stairs into the hold, quick expert yellow eyes made an accurate appraisal of the ships goods. She peered around eyeing each item in quick succession - too bulky, too worthless, too hard, too large, too gaudy, too easy...Perfect. Her thieving eyes had fallen on an gilded gold statue. It was a simple elegant thing, but it would fetch a good price on the market. Deft hands snatched it up, shoved it under her shirt, and stumbled off the ship.

She walked right past the merchant who owned it, giving him a small disinterested nod as she passed. When she hit the main body crowd she heard him howling in outrage, drawing the attention of everyone in the port. She slipped down an alleyway, making her way to the seedier part of town where the docking station she parked her ship at was located. Drunkenly slurring out the lyrics of a sea shanty; "waaaayy heeyy blow the man doown-" she elongated the syllables ridiculously but sung in a rather pretty if gruff alto. She continued to sing the song, quietly, her hips swaying in rhythm even as she stalked through side streets and quiet slums.

“A pretty young damsel I chanced for to meet. Give me some time to blow the man down!”[/i]

A movement caught her eye, and she turned her head sluggishly to look said movement right in the face. A dark-haired man, moving shadily with a dog trotting at his heels. Riley stopped directly in his path, sobering herself slightly so as to make a “good” impression, shifting her weight to one hip and smirking broadly. "What's someone like you doin' round here?" The outline of the stolen statuette bulged against the fabric of her shirt, distorting her outline and pulling the fabric in awkward shapes around her body. At least one breast was hanging halfway out, tousled coppery hair giving her the distinct impression of a strange cross between ruffian and prostitute. Her natural wing buzzed mildly, the cybernetic one silent and motionless. Yellow eyes surveyed him appraisingly, picking him apart invasively. She wanted to see how this stranger would react to someone like her in a dark alleyway. If he were wise, he’d get the fuck out of there, yet she hoped he wasn’t. His clean tailored clothes marked him as someone with money, his reaction would determine whether or not he was worthy to keep that money. She generally wasn’t one for petty muggings, yet sometimes some poor sod deserved it. If they begged for example, or if they tried to pull a weapon on her. She eyed the dog carefully, she wouldn’t hesitate should it attack her. Riley had a bullet with the mutt’s name on it, and wasn’t at all opposed to pumping his skull full of lead. A faint warning pinged in the back of her head, careful…it seemed to say careful he’s more than he seems… The fairy eyed the man carefully, there was something off about him, she could taste it.

Or maybe she was just about to puke…

[Lady]

//It's fine, Bloody\\


"For the love of Freya, Gus! Please stay here!" A fervent whisper cut through the still darkness of the port city as Karson pleaded with her Folk horse. He was adamant that he come with her to the newly arrived ship to get the supplies she needed for her store; exotic herbs, metal powders, bones, and various types of fungi. It was a lot of stuff, but she was sure she could carry it all in her large bag. She was trying not to call attention to herself, and a talking, white horse was not the way to do that.

"You're going to lose half of your order if you try to carry it all," he said, pinning his ears back at the fairy, "That'll waste money, and you hate that, right?"

"Yes!" Karson hissed, "But we aren't supposed to be in this kingdom, much less its biggest port city." Instead of going the slow way of getting clearance to travel in Sideris from Caedere, the pair and just smuggle themselves across the border. But hey, if they'd waited for clearance the ship would have arrived with them absent and their cargo probably would have been stolen.

"I know!" he said, "I just don't want you going there alone. What if I hide in an alley and you bring the stuff back to me?" Karson stood back and crossed her arms, contemplating the idea.

"Fine," she said after several silent moments, "But stay hidden or I'll rip you a new one." Gus smiled as much as a horse could smile at her consent and ignored the empty threat, taking a step forward.

"I'll take the alley up there to the left, but if you don't meet me in fifteen minutes I'm coming to get you." He walked off with a swish of his tri-colored tail and Karson frowned, feeling uneasy about the situation. Nevertheless, she walked off up another alley, coming out into the throng of the crowd watching the ship. She pulled the hood of her plain, gray cloak over her head and gently shouldering her way through the crowd until she reached the ship. The hulking mass loomed over her head as she walked to the end of the long dock to the back of the ship; she didn't even bother trying to think of the technical sailing term for it. She looked around the area, searching for the too familiar man who would give her the goods, but he was nowhere in sight.

"Blain," she whispered as loud as she dared, "Blain!" Not two seconds after her last call, a shape from above slid flamboyantly down a rope from the ship to land in front of her, smiling cockily.

"Did ya miss me, sweetheart?" Blain Aderio asked, pecking her on the cheek. Karson pulled back sharply and frowned.

"Hardly," she said flatly, annoyed at Blain's normal attitude, "Do you have my order ready?" Blain nodded, pointing a finger at a box to her right. She moved over to it and removed the lid, smiling as she felt all the magic waves breathing off the objects. Yes, these would make some pretty powerful potions.

"Half off our normal price if you give me a kiss, darlin," he said as usual. He always offered half price for something like that and she always declined. She handed him the full price of twelve silver coins without a word. She wasn't too fond of Blain as a person, but he always got her shipments to her at a cheap price, and she couldn't risk losing a loyal source.

With a nod of her head Karson walked off down the dock, slipping through the crowd with her arms full. She reached the entrance to the alley she was supposed to meet Gus in and stopped dead; they were too people in the alley and one of them was facing in her direction. The other was facing away, and a fairy like herself. She had a strange mechanical wing though, but Karson brushed it off. What she needed to worry about was not getting caught, not strangers with a prosthetic wing. If the man saw her walk off after being seen with an armful of goods, he might get suspicious and tell a soldier of something, which she did not want. So with a small intake of air, Karson walked down the alley, excusing herself as she passed through the two of them and headed toward Gus, who was hiding behind a building at the end of the alley. But she neglected to notice the dog that was standing beside the man. With a curse, she tripped over it and sprawled onto the hard ground, her items flying over all over the place. She heard hooves and Gus was suddenly with her, nudging her up with his nose.

She quickly got to her feet and faced the two, straightening her clothes. "Well," she said as smoothly as she could while Gus gathered some of her stuff around her feet with his nose, "That was quite a show wasn't it?"

//ugh, crap\\

[Grant]

Aubrey was a bit taken back by how forward the nasty creature with the wings was acting. Obviously drunk as well. Why would someone be out in the middle of the day drunk off their ass starting fights with people? What a life to live. Aubrey couldn’t help but feel pitty for the faerie. Aubrey raised his chin and looked firmly at the creature as it began to question him.

Someone like me? What about me makes me any less welcome down here then anyone else? Questions were running through Aubrey’s mind. How much could he care about what this faerie had to say? He didn’t care to be honest. With a firm shake of his head he looked the faerie in the eyes and faked half a smile.

”Down here? I assume you mean the alley leading to the slums?” Aubrey said in a firm non threatening tone. He wasn’t trying to get smart, but depending on what the man was asking Aubrey might have a different answer. If he was wondering why Aubrey was in Fossgate then that is a much different reason then why he is heading toward the slums.

”If that’s the case then I’m headed home.” With a wink of his eye Aubrey smiled a more full smile this time. Surprise to the faerie no doubt Aubrey lives in the slums.

Before the faerie could respond Aubrey heard a small crash next to him and watched Hoan dart off down the alley a bit, being taken by surprise of the calamity. Aubrey hadn’t seen what happened, but when he turned his head to see what it was he noticed the small female on the ground and a large horse racing over to help her. She has an animal companion just like himself. Interesting, he doesn’t often see someone else keeping such company. Just as that thought passed his mind he felt the firm nudge of Hoan muzzle on his side. Reassuring the old hound of his safety Aubrey patted him hard on the head. With this motion Aubrey’s bird flew down from a nearby rooftop and rested on his master’s shoulder. There were far more animals in this area now then there were humanoids.

Looking away from his bird and canine to the small female Aubrey extended a hand to help her up. He was blatantly outdone by the assistance offered by the horse. It was just a nice gesture he was trying to make after all, he didn’t really care weather or not she needed his help off the ground. Retracting his offering Aubrey shoved a hand in his pocket slowly to rub a small bone. He didn’t see this situation getting any cleaner any time soon so he was preparing any sort of curse he might need to do to get out of this without a scratch.

The contact with an object of something once living was all Aubrey needed to cast a small spell. He would need no more then a small spell to pull the wool over the eyes of a drunk and handicapped faerie. He didn’t care what the girl saw, she didn’t seem the type to stay in a town long enough to alert the authorities of a witch any how.