A Deal With The Devil (Cards_of_Fate)

[Bubbles]

The heat of the day had died considerably as Luna walked slowly down the street. There were many more people here than there were a few hours before. But it wasn't a normal crowd that one would see in a market. Instead of hagglers and customers and what have you, there were just people moving quickly back and forth. Sellers were closing up their stalls and taking in their wares for the night ahead. Men and women were darting into their homes or down opposite streets, with those left heading to the taverns. Sad, really. The night breeze was a welcome relief. She could smell the salt of the sea, the fragrance of the flowers, and the grease from the food being made in the tavern nearest to her. It was... peaceful.

Luna continued down the street. She was still disguised as a fair elven maiden. Long golden locks and beautiful emerald eyes that twinkled ever so slightly in the dim light. She turned left. Now, where was that little nook she'd managed to rent for a few evenings? she was sure it was around here somewhere...

[Cards of Fate]

The moon had just begun to rise in the night sky when the messengers came to find Vincent Cain in his study. Several large tomes stood stacked ten high and three across as the scholar poured over technical drawings and ancient elven tomes alike. The intrusion was a well needed break from hours of studying, granting the scholar’s sapphire eyes reprieve from straining at faded texts and scribbles.

“Yes?” The words left his lips as he glanced up at the man standing in his doorway.

“Sir, the protective charms we’ve set have been breached…” The man announced warily. “The target has been marked, but none of the proper agents to handle the issue are currently in town…sir!”

Vincent paused for a moment, cracking his neck as he rose from his chair. “I’ll handle it…” he grunted while stretching. “Lord knows it’s been forever and a day since I’ve seen any actual action.”

…

The charm was a simple one really. It had a set parameter of what was allowed into the town, and anything else was marked. It was so simple, and so low in power that even the most experienced of magicians would blunder through it unnoticed. Once activated, the mark would leave a faint magical residue behind the target, allowing anyone who knew what they were looking for to follow it as some sort of snail trail.

Whoever had set off the trap certainly didn’t seem to be in any rush. They seemed to be milling about the town, almost as if they were site seeing. Finally, he seemed to catch the “fresh” trail and followed it deeper into the town towards the residential district. The cool night breeze seemed to blow the city lanterns ever so gently filling the air with a simple clinking noise. After several minutes of following a his trail, Vincent found his mark; a seemingly beautiful elven woman walking down the street towards an apartment of sorts. Confused, the scholar watched closely opting to observe his target before engaging.

[Bubbles]

Luna continued looking for her small apartment. Hmmm... They all looked alike. Blasted mortals and their incessant need for repetitive construction! She gently put a finger to her bottom lip in thought. And then, her ears heard something. Breathing.... She caught the scent of.... A human. She could feel their eyes on her. Now, what would they be doing, following a woman all alone at night? Luna smirked slightly at the possibilities. She maintained the premise that she hadn't noticed however, and kept her back to them.

[Cards of Fate]

Vincent watched as the woman seemingly searched for her residence, unaware that the current block they were in was slotted specifically for dock workers. He raised an eyebrow and began to softly mutter several simple incantations under his breath. While he was not exactly a magician, he knew enough theory to pull off the most minor of spells. Slowly he rattled off several minor detection spells in some attempt to identify exactly what he was dealing with here. After a moment one of the spells seemed to ping, identifying her as not native to the Althanian plane of existence.

“Interesting…” the scholar mused to himself. He took a moment and straightened his posture, slowly approaching the woman, his footsteps echoing in the silence of the night. They were much too far from the taverns and plazas for anyone to hear them, which might have server Vince well If this confrontation were to turn ugly.

“Excuse me miss? Are you lost?” he asked in the most charming voice he could muster.

[Bubbles]

Slowly, Luna turned to look at the human. A male.... And a cute one at that. She smiled a bit.

"Yes, I believe so. I recently rented an apartment somewhere in this general area. But I'm having difficulty remembering exactly where..."

Her voice was soft and light. It sounded as innocent as could be.

[Cards of Fate]

The scholar raised an eyebrow at the woman’s statement. “Oh, so you’re new around here? You must be, you’re in the wrong part of town. Only the dockworkers for the RRC live over here. Do you happen to know what your building number was?” The scholar asked. He closed the gap between them and offered the woman a cheerful smile. “My name’s Vince by the way, might I have the pleasure of knowing yours?” he asked cocking his head slightly to the side.

‘This…is interesting…’ The scholar mused internally. ‘Let’s see where this goes, we may have a false alarm on our hands’

[Bubbles]

Such a darling smile. His eyes even crinkled on the edges. She loved that... Luna smiled a bit more brightly in return.

"It's nice to meet you, Vince. I am Serenae. As for my number I believe I was.... 137?"

[Cards of Fate]

The scholar bowed slightly, “pleasure to meet you ma’am. I do happen to know where that is and it’s just a couple of blocks away. May I have the pleasure of showing you the way?” he asked offering her an arm. Perhaps it was her pretty face, or that…wonderful smell she seemed to have about her, but something had Vincent’s guard down. Maybe it was a lack of sleep, but it seemed fate had drawn him out to do a simple good deed for the night.

After all, it had been a while since he had gone and helped the world with its little problems. Maybe the goddess of fate Jormill had sent the scholar out on an errand to remind him that there are always easier, smaller problems he can address to help make the world a better place…

[Bubbles]

"Really? Are you certain? I don't wish to be a bother..."

Luna gently slid her arm into his. It appeared that her pheromones were beginning to take effect. That was nice. She hadn't eaten in a few weeks. Maybe she could have bit of a snack before going to sleep this evening...

[Cards of Fate]

The scholar bid the woman forward, walking in a bit of a leisurely pace. It was a nice night, and Serenae was quite beautiful. Vince was sure that the gentlemen back at the warehouse wouldn’t need him back soon. Even if they did, they could always reach Vince on their mental communications network. A cool breeze danced down the road, playing with the woman’s golden hair.

“So, are you just returning to Raiaera since the end of the corpse war?” The scholar asked curiously. “From what I gather, a lot of elves fled the land when Xem’zund attacked? Or were you born elsewhere and you’ve decided now would be a good time to visit your ancestral homeland?” The questions were innocent enough, but Vince was trying to get a feel for this woman. If he could get her to slip up, he might figure out her motives for being here.