The Game

[Lavinian Ambition]

(Open only to Kyo)

This was a test, he had to succeed. It was that simple. If he failed, it meant a bit more training and enduring a braining or two more from the teachers again, if he passed, he was a thief. At least, thats what he was told, Darith seemed to be hiding something with the way he smirked before he gave Jared the Ticket to the ship he would sail from. Then again, he was keen on success, especially with the way the older guys encouraged him. Jared was no ordinary man, he was a Lavinian, and that meant he was the best. No competition there.

So when his employer picked him up at the port and briefed him on the job. Who was he to say he couldn't do it? It didn't matter if he was fresh off the training, it didn't matter if there was hundreds of guards waiting on his screw up. He merely smiled, nodded and said it'd be done. Now that he was here, sitting on the wall in the shadows, he finally spoke the truth about the situation, "I'm boned..."

His grey eyes scanned over the men as they patrolled, he had been watching them for a good hour or two. His eyes never stopping as he took in the information before him. The house had a few windows that he could pry open with on the bottom floor, might have to force it if latched, but he had daggers for that. As he sighed he hunched forward, his Lavinian clothes just weren't cutting it on the port, the winds cut through the fabric too easily causing a minor shiver. At least he knew he wouldn't have to worry about fatigue, with a chill like this, who needed ice?

The belt on his hips told the tale as his two solitary daggers lay there, waiting a chance to strike. He had been given on loan, told that if he proved himself, they were his. So far he had lived up to expectations, but that was a different matter entirely. To own them would mean he had graduated after a few hard years of study and training. It meant he could finally go hunt down what those damn dreams he kept having meant. It meant he could protect himself, and he was ready for the world. Finally he decided to do a once over of the estate again, looking for a fresher perspective.

The estate before him was elaborate, guards patrolling with dogs, oh how he hated dogs, he merely had to figure a way between the Patrols. The shadows of the estate were only afforded by the fact that it was still early in the night, the moon not having risen to its apex, he would have maybe an hour or two before everything would be exposed. Far different than anything he had encountered before.

The house was a standard three story estate. That was not the problem, the problem came when the house was surrounded by rolling grass fields, with only the occasional tree for safety. There was the problem, compounded by the fact there was guards with dogs, who would pick up his scent in no time. As he grumbled more canine hate-laced words he slipped off the wall as he began to rush towards the house, having seen one of the patrols lazily go around the corner.

It was time to prove his worth...

[Kyo]

She’d been still for hours now. Barely moving a single muscle, keeping her body restricted and coiled like a snake as she watched and waited. Watched and waited. Her task had seemed simple to start off with. All she had to do was steal a certain item from a certain house and not get caught by a certain number of guards patrolling the area. How quaint and lovely. Sneaking into the home would probably not be the hard part to Kyo. As a trained ninja and assassin this was what she did for a living, it was the item that was bothering her. She didn’t know where it was and neither did the man who hired her. He had guessed it would be on the top floor somewhere. Guessed. Like this was some kind of game. It made her fingers tighten their hold on the branch she held on to.

The mansion was three stories. There were a few windows on the ground level and of course the front door, plus she was rather certain a pair of servant doors on the other side. But none of them were appealing to her. The second and third floor boasted windows and balconies, any of which would make a good entrance point for her. Almost all the windows were dark too, except a few that she couldn’t really see into. Curtains blocked her view and she saw no shadows moving within.

Moving her eyes from the house to the guards once again, Kyo set her mind to getting past them. She had easily counted seven of them, three of which had dogs. She hated dogs. They always made things that much more difficult. But there was a certain thing about dogs she had learned over her course of missions. They may have a good sense of smell, but it really only worked if you were upwind of them. Feeling the wind snake through the twisting branches of the tree and rustling its leaves, the ninja knew that she was currently downwind. The dogs didn’t have a chance of smelling her. Not unless they walked directly across the path she took to the mansion. Of course, by the time they did that she was rather certain she’d already be inside. Now, if only she could time this correctly.

Reaching up, Kyo grabbed at the black material hanging rather loosely around her neck. With a quick tug she pulled it up and over her face, covering it from the bridge of her nose down, leaving her nearly unmistakable eyes as the only thing to be seen. But even then she hair did a good job of hiding those too, for now it hung loosely around her. Shifting muscles that protested from having to sit still for so long, the ninja slipped down from her perch. With barely a noise made, she landed upon the soft ground in a crouching position, the long grass keeping her hidden from the nearest guard, who was roughly twenty-five feet away from her. But the darkness also helped conceal her. She still had a few hours until the moon lit this entire field as if it were set alit with a blue flame. In that small window of time, she planned on getting in, grabbing that stupid box and getting the fuck out of there before anyone even realized her presence. Of course, if they did she always came prepared. Be that as it may, Kyo was trained to leave no trace of herself and killing someone would definitely leave a trace.

As she watched, Kyo saw her brief moment of opportunity. One of the guards had stopped to talk to another. Not wasting a second of time, the ninja tensed the muscles in her legs and sprinted towards the house. Her body she kept low to the ground, as low as possible without slowing her down too much. To stand and run would be suicidal. Even though it was dark and she wore all black, an idiot could see a running shadow coming towards them. But if she kept to the grass and used it as a cover, she’d be more likely to succeed.

She was nearly half way there when she noticed one of the men turn in her direction. Immediately, Kyo stopped and kept her body as still as she possibly could. Though she could not see the detail in his face from here, she knew he was scanning the area for any intruders, but apparently she had gone without notice. Once his face had turned back towards the other man, she covered the remaining distance as fast as she could. Once she reached the manor walls, she pressed her back tightly up against the brick and mortar, counting on the darkness to help her blend in.

Stealing a glance towards the two men and noting that their conversation was coming to a close, the ninja acted fast. Looking around, she spotted a stone balcony a few feet to her left. Using a potted plant to get a bit more height, she jumped up and grabbed a hold of one of the railings then hefted her body up and onto the landing. Glancing over the edge she watched as the guard passed by without even sparing a glance up, his eyes rooted to the area in front of him. The dog walking by his side seemed to pick up her odd scent on the air though. Taking that as her cue, Kyo unlatched the balcony door and slipped into the dark room, closing it with the tiniest of clicks behind her.

[Lavinian Ambition]

A quick sprint got him to the side of the house. As he tried window after window he could feel the frustration getting to him, all latched. What was worse, was he couldn't force a dagger between pane and sill, he was stuck with being outside for the moment. As he moved about the side of the house towards the back he steadied his breathing, while keeping to the shadows. He didn't want to be seen now of all times.

As he heard a guard coming around the corner he moved deeper into the shadows before he threw a bit of jerky out past his location. As the guard and dog came around the corner the dog sniffed the air around him before it shined and pulled against the leash. The guard frowned before he said, "Whats the matter boy?"

As the guard was pulled by the dog towards the Jerky, Jared took the opportunity to sneak around the corner and past them, reaching the back portion of the house. There was no guard thankfully, but he had little time before the dog would get done with the jerky. Moving to the door he deftly pulled a dagger as he forced it near where the door latch was. Pushing the tip inside the door frame he felt and heard the small scrape of metal on metal. Steadying the dagger he reversed his grip on the dagger before his other hand sharply tapped against the butt of the dagger. As the door popped open without resistance he slid inside and closed the door.

He was in a servant area, probably for laundry. Assorted baskets hung about the area, and it was easy to see the wash basins probably taken outside with their boards to clean the clothing. As he moved about he looked for something specific. He knew many houses of nobles had them installed and it was just a matter of time before he found one for this place. Finding none here in the laundry room he moved faster, the dog would only be distracted so long before the guards would be alerted.

Moving on into the kitchen he finally spied it. A small door barely about to fit a man stuck in the wall. As he moved over he opened the door quickly and spied a box with two ropes hanging in front of it. Hoping the ropes were fresh, he carefully climbed into the box before he closed the hatch. Not a moment later he heard the guard.

"Boy, this is no time to be stealing a snack, now lets get back to work." As Jared froze not wishing to move the dumbwaiter he remained still before he heard the clack of the dog's claws and the click of the door. He then began to pull on one fo the ropes, slowly cinching his way up to the top floor. He would scour from the top down to find his prize and when it was over he could probably just run downstairs and out the door he came in.

[Kyo]

It was pitch black in the room. The curtains from the large balcony doors muffled any kind of light that may spill through and onto the floor. In fact, the only light that came through was a tiny bit she could see streaming from underneath what must be the door. Still, she didn’t move for a few seconds. Her body remained as still as a coiled snake as she tried to discern any kind of sound from within the chamber and give her eyes time to adjust. She didn’t even know where she was and for all she knew someone could be sleeping in here. But no, after a few minutes of hearing not even the slightest breath, the assassin knew she was alone.

Being able to discern slight shapes of a few pieces of furniture throughout the room, Kyo began to quietly tip toe her way to the door. She avoided a table and a few chairs scattered around as the sole of her tabi allowed her to manoeuvre without making the slightest of sounds. Once she was at the door, she placed her ear against it and listened for any sounds in what was most likely a hallway, but nothing greeted her ears. Grabbing the handle, she gave it a turn, paused for a second and then opened the door just enough to allow her to look into the hallway.

Light greeted her eyes, temporarily blinding her as she adjusted to the newfound brightness. In the few seconds it took for her to become accustomed to it, she spotted a number of lamps hung upon ornately painted walls all lit and blazing throughout the night. Tapestries hung along the walls, depicting groups of men and women in scandalous positions that would make the God of Lust blush. Ignoring them, the ninja slipped out the door and closed it behind her then hurried off down the hallway. There were no shadows here that she could hide in and few places she could run to should there be any internal guards, which knowing her luck there probably were.

Knowing she needed to find a staircase to the second floor, Kyo began frantically looking around for one. She kept coming across door after door after door and no stairwell though. Hearing the footsteps and heavy talking of approaching guards, the ninja tried to calm the sudden flutter of her heart as she looked around for a place, any place she could hide. The first door she tried was locked, as was the second. Hearing their voices growing louder, the ninja was just about to pull her weapon from it’s sheath when she spotted a not so convenient but usable hiding place.

Only a few seconds later, the two guards walked down the hallway. Their voices filled with laughter as one joked about the latest thing his wife had tried to feed him. Apparently he had to bluff his way through the whole thing and pretend that it tasted amazing while trying not to empty the contents of his stomach upon the table. Once they had rounded the corner, Kyo dropped down from the ceiling, landing with a soft thud as her legs bent to absorb the fall. Stealing one more glance behind her to make sure they were gone, she quickly hurried on her way. Around the next corner she spotted what she wanted, a staircase that appeared to lead both down and up. Good, if she needed it she could use it to escape this place should anything go awry.

Moving quickly, she slipped up to the third floor where the item was supposed to be. There were few if any lit lanterns along the walls up here and shadows were prominent as they grew across the lush carpeting. Once again she paused, listening for any sounds but hears nothing.

If I were an ornately carved box, where would I be hiding?

She could either go right or she could go ahead. Neither seemed to have any reason above the other to take that route. Perhaps the only reason that she went straight instead of right was a bit of a hunch and well, a large set of double doors ornately carved with trees and vines that just seemed a little more appealing to her. Kyo was no thief and she was more used to sneaking into places to slit a throat than steal an item, but she had learned to trust her gut in the end. And if something said to go straight, she went straight. Hearing nothing from the other side of the doors, she turned the handle peered in and then slipped inside.

Immediately she found herself standing within the confines of a library. Two solitary lamps left upon two separate tables lit the room in a gentle glow, illuminating everything to her eyes. Shelves on all sides of the room were piled high with books, some easily seeming older than Althanas itself as their covers threatened to fall apart with the slightest of touches. Even the room itself smelled old and musty as if the things in here had been festering for quite some time. Ignoring the books, the ninja quickly scanned the different tables and shelves until they came to rest on what was most likely the item she was looking for. It was an ornately carved box that was merely the size of her palm, covered in what looked like Akashiman dragons and clouds.

Smirking beneath the black material that covered her face, Kyo moved towards the object, wishing to end this quickly and be rid of such a trivial mission.

[Lavinian Ambition]

Now, the dumb waiter is one of the thief's greatest tools. Being a smallish elevator designed to carry materials and food to many of the houses occupants quickly, it can be a powerful tool in the hands of the correct thief. However, to maximize the potential of this wonderful device, one must first have the upper body strength to pull one's self up. This was what possessed many thieves to make use of these devices, and hence tell the younger ones where they often were located, and

Jared, ever one for agility over strength, had royally screwed up his calculations in figuring he could simply pull himself up. So what would have been a mere five minute job for most thieves who had spent even a moderate amount of time training in strength, became a ten minute effort as he exhausted his arms rather quickly. Grumbling as he pulled himself finally as high as the dumb waiter went, he carefully opened the hatch and crawled out trying to avoid making too much noise.

The room before him had to be the room of a child. Toy's littered the floor as he looked about. A dresser possibly filled with clothes stood opposite him in the room, and there upon the bed was a small child hugging his pillow as he slept serenely. In the day he could have probably made it out of the room without a problem, making no noise. However, in the moonlight it became hard to see all the toys, and if he kicked a particularly hardy one, the racket could awake even the heaviest of sleepers. Not that he was averse to waking the kid, just that he didn't want to have to play parent to a kid, before he had gone through the tribulations of courting the ever dangerous beauty he always dreamed of landing.

Finally hazarding a few steps he began to move about the area, avoiding the middle of the room. As he did so he would stop every once in awhile to adjust to the new lighting before he made it to the door. A quick glance at the child in the bed told him all he needed to know, at worst, tomorrow there would be stories of the "boogey man" coming out of the dumb waiter. As he slipped into the hallway he made extra care to hold the door knob as he went through and closed the door without so much as a latch click.

Turning down the hallway he frowned as he saw the door before him closing. Thinking it could be a guard he moved silently down the hallway, stepping on the carpet as much as possible before he reached the door. Leaning against it he listened carefully before he carefully turned the knob and pushed it open. Sliding into the room he left it ajar before he saw the last thing in the world he wanted to see. A rather dark clothed person was walking towards the prize, a small box intricately carved out of what looked like ivory. Making no effort to hide the noise he pulled a dagger from its sheath as he spoke, his voice carrying to the figure before him, "Sorry buddy, I call dibs. I need that a bit more than you could ever fathom. Now, nice and easy, step away form the box, and I'll be on my way..."

[Kyo]

To say that her instincts kicked in would be a lie. They weren’t instincts. They were actions and reactions honed, ingrained and hammer into her subconscious over years of training so that when the time came for it, they acted like nothing more than pure, base instinct. In the silence that surrounded her and the room, the sudden presence of a voice was almost startling. It set her heart racing and made the blood pumping through her body redouble its effort to push the sudden influx of adrenaline through her. She had been so close too. Just a few more steps and the box would have been in her possession. This mission would have almost been over and she would have been on her way out of here. But nothing ever went as planned. Then again, Kyo was at her best when things didn’t go as planned. Her reactions as sharp as some of the most well trained in her clan.

It took her only a second to calm the sudden tense feeling in her muscles and for her to begin moving. While he was still rambling words she barely caught and didn’t care to follow, the ninja was reacting in the only way she knew how. Eliminating the threat. Her body turned around to face him as her knees bent, placing her in a crouching position. While she was doing that, her fingers were fast at work. They removed two of the shuriken hiding within the underside of her armguards. The black-coated ninja stars were great for a few things and this being one of them, a surprise attack. Her aim was not perfect, but she was not aiming to kill him. With a quick outstretched motion of her hand and flick of her wrist, the shuriken we sent sailing through the air towards her next victim.

One was aimed towards his upper chest and the other his stomach. Neither of the attacks would be fatal. She aimed for no vital organs and did not have the strength to throw them with that kind of force. But they could be incapacitating and the edge of each shuriken was covered in a hallucinogenic. Once in the bloodstream, it would take no more than a minute for the effects to take place and they would last no more than five minutes. It was just enough time for her to escape with the little toy she’d come here to snatch. Unless of course he was nimble on his feet and avoided them, then she may have to get a little serious.

[Lavinian Ambition]

As he finished his sentance he saw the figure crouch into a squat before he reacted with the finesse given to him by his teachers. Pulling the other dagger from its holster he turned to the side as he felt something move across his stomach, while he was lucky enough to avoid one star, the second pricked the skin just at his shoulder. As he frowned and looked at the blackened star he tore it out as he growled lowly, "Sorry, don't think throwing your little toys is going to make it any easier on you..."

Moving forward he felt his heart racing as he once again took up the stance of his training as he felt his head become very light. The increased blood flow from his racing heart had helped accelerate the drug as it even then began to move slowly through his system. As he shook his head he tried to focus on his opponent, who seemed to be fluid, like water. Bending and contorting in ways that a human shouldn't contort.

He could feel something wasn't right as the room began to pulsate, pounding in rhythm with the headache that was splitting his head as he winced and managed through slurred lips, "What, what was on those...things..."

Something wasn't right, he had dropped in on something, and now it felt like he was going to die. The world was twisting and contorting, this wasn't natural. No magic could have done this, at least he didn't think it was magical. The headache continued as he leaned against a table and clutched his head. He vaguely remembered the shuriken, and the figure that had launched it as he snapped his head and looked for the figure.

As he rubbed his eyes and clutched his head, the pain swelling with the sudden movement, he grunted softly in pain. What the hell had been on that shuriken?

[Kyo]

She couldn’t help but form a small smirk as the hallucinogenic quickly worked its way through the bloodstream of the boy. He was young, perhaps only a few years younger than her and a little less experienced, but she could tell he was no assassin. He was most likely just another common thief. It was in the way he dressed and carried himself. Not to mention he wasn’t Akashiman and he had announced his position rather than sneak up on her and eliminate her from the equation. Almost any trained ninja would have avoided those shuriken, knowing an attack would be quite imminent. But he didn’t even try. His only instinct was to reach for another dagger and it was only pure luck that the first shuriken missed him.

Standing straight, Kyo watched the boy for a few more seconds as he tried to get his bearings but found himself unable to. There was a small amount of sympathy within her, but nothing she would elaborate on. This was just business. She was hired to complete a task and the fact that someone else showed up to do the same thing was only slightly complicated. Especially now that he was currently rather incapacitated. At least he would be for the next few minutes. The effects came and went rather quickly, giving her the window of opportunity that she needed. The real question was whether or not she would just leave him here for the guards to find and do as they wished. She may come off as cold and callous when the mask was covering her face, but on the inside she wasn’t truly like that. Yes, there was a necessity for it. It came with the territory of being a hired assassin, but she wasn’t always able to completely turn off her emotions. Something that plagued her often on missions.

Turning her back on him, Kyo quickly grabbed the ivory box and set it within a hidden compartment on the inside her ninja-gi. Then her eyes were once again on the young man as he tried to steady himself with a table. If he wasn’t careful he was going to make enough noise to wake up the entire estate. Walking passed him, the ninja reached up to the wall and removed the shuriken embedded in the wood panelling, then retrieved the other one laying just a foot or two away from the strange. These she placed back within their hiding place on her armguard. Not only would it be a pain to replace them right now, but also it was ingrained in her to leave no traces of herself. No weapons, no blood, nothing or as little as she physically could.

Moving towards the door, the ninja noticed he left it slightly ajar and peered out into the dim lit hallway. Nothing greeted her eyes but the stillness of the night. Glancing back to the young man, she cursed the weakness within her that wouldn’t just leave him there. Taking the few silent steps over to him, she grabbed him by the cuff of his shirt and began leading him towards the door. She’d take him as far as the exit to this estate and then he was on his own. By then the effects of the drug should have worn off too and he’d be thinking straight.

[Lavinian Ambition]

He closed his eyes as he tried to find the center within himself. He needed to work slowly, but if he did, he could possibly wear away the effect. His sense were haywire, the feelings of heat and cold throwing him off as he fought to regain control of his body. As he struggled he felt a hand roughly grab his collar before jerking him towards the door. He thought he heard the sigh of a woman as he leaned against the doorway, looking at his would be savior.

He thought he could at least make out the eyes, the softness conveyed by them told him enough. As callous as she was, she wasn't stupid, a body would leave a trace. The library however, remained dismally silent as he fought to keep the bookcases from collapsing on him. He knew it was fake, but dispelling the myth his eyes were telling him was one thing. He could see those bookcases moving, he could feel the air about him. As he leaned against the cool wood of the wall he felt a bead of sweat pour down his forehead as he looked at her, a bit of an angry look on his face, "Should have known it was a girl, only a woman could give me this big a headache..."

As he shook his head trying to clear the drug from his head he groaned softly as the headache only increased with the abrupt movement. Waiting for her to continue to move him along he realized he was somewhat in debt to her, she was after all pulling him out of the fire, granted she put him there, but she didn't have to pull him back out. As he remained there he continued to fight the poison. Right now she had the box, and he would need to be able to catch up to her if he wanted to grab it and take it back to his employer.

As he waited he knew of nothing else to do so he hissed, "I will want that box, don't think I'll give up on it just because you decided to fix our mistake..."

[Kyo]

Her ice coloured eyes glared through the veil of her hair at him. He may want the box, but she wasn’t willing to give it to him so easily. Especially considering how little it had taken for her to gain the upper hand on him. There was no way he would be able to take this from her forcefully and she couldn’t see herself giving it up, not willingly anyway. Which meant that in her mind the box was hers and he might as well give up on acquiring it. Besides, she’d beat him there rather soundly and if she wasn’t mistaken, thieves had a bit of a ‘finder’s keepers’ set of rules. Under those circumstances he had lost this mission the moment she had stepped into the library ahead of him. The fact that he was currently under the influence of her drugs only compounded that. He should be grateful she was willing to help him escape rather than just leave him up there to be caught and most likely killed.

Yet all of this was never spoken aloud. Unlike him, Kyo kept herself quiet as she moved through the estate. Pulling open the door to the library she slipped out into the dim hallway, pulling him along to follow her. Her steps were silent and precise as she moved along the plush carpets that coloured the wooden floors. They were shined to perfection and she bet she could see her reflection in them if she truly wanted to, but her proprieties were elsewhere. There had been no guards upon the third floor; none that she had heard or seen but her previous experience hold her there were two on the floor below. Though she was trained to kill and kill well, their lives were not what she was after. She was cold when she needed to be, but lives were precious things and she would rather not snuff them out simply to make her escape. If they somehow heard her or saw her, it would be a different story. But until that moment, they were safe from her blades just as long as she moved as quietly as she could.

At the top of the staircase she released her hold on his collar. Her body pressed against the hard wall and her head poking out the side as her ears strained to listen for any sounds below. Nothing greeted her, not even the sound of approaching footsteps. Thinking it safe, she began her descent, slowly. At the bottom of the stairs her eyes were met with bright lanterns once more. The light a nuisance to her eyes as they once again struggled to quickly adjust. Glancing back up to the top of the stairs, the ninja motioned for the young man to follow after her. Her dark form was still and silent as she waited for him to greet her upon the landing.

[Lavinian Ambition]

Jared was roughly pulled along as could feel the drug beginning to wear off as she lead him about. He could have laughed at the comical situation had it not been so dire. As he shook his head he felt the headache weakening as he finally saw the world begin to solidify. He was getting close to reprieve from the drug and he continued to fight it as he waited for her. As she gave him the signal he moved slowly down the stairs his hand resting on the wall lightly as he did so. A wave of light headed euphoria passed through him as he leaned heavily against the wall.

He could have sworn he heard her sigh as an arm roughly slung under his left arm and over his right shoulder. Helping him down the stairs he felt the pain intensify as he was moved rather quickly into the light. Rubbing his eyes to clear the pain he felt the arm release him before he shook his head again. She seemed to be moving towards a door, and he quickly followed as he felt the effects once again slip off. The drug was fast losing its effects as they entered the empty bedroom.

As the door closed behind him he saw that it was pitch black. Her callousness in moving through the room only confirmed what the little light form the door had said, they were alone. As she moved to the curtain he felt the last effects of the drug fading before he grabbed her by the arm and roughly pulled her back into the room. He then hissed rather savagely, "I don't think you understand what I said upstairs, so let me repeat it very slowly, so you don't miss a word."

"Lord Roland wants that box, he's paying me a pretty penny to get that damn thing, and I'm going to tear you apart if I have to to get it. So, you can either hand it over nice and easy, or I will start grabbing things until I find it...you pick..." He finished as he growled menacingly. Now, had this been any of Jared's friends, they probably would have laughed at his aggressive display. He was a partial pacifist, he hated the idea of killing someone. But she didn't know that, and he was banking on her perhaps not liking the idea of him roughing her up to take it.

[Kyo]

She ripped her arm from his grasp, fighting back to urge to remove it from his body. Just because the effects of the drug were beginning to wear off did not mean he had the upper hand on her. No, he could stand there and threaten her until he was blue in the fact but it wouldn’t change anything but her demeanour. Which was precisely what was happening now. As her eyes regarded him they turned to that bitter, ice, cold blue colour that many of her fellow assassins said marked her transition from being just another average person to a cold, blooded killer.

She didn’t want to kill him though. Not after having gone through the trouble to get him out of harms way. Despite the fact that she was extremely tempted at the moment, she fought back the base urge within her to end his life. Instead, she grabbed the handle of the door and slowly turned it as quietly as she could. Without having said a single word to him, she took a hurried step back and out into the night. Cool air blasted against her skin, causing a slight shiver to snake its way along her spine as it brushed against her. Through the trees, she could just make out the moon beginning it’s ascent into the sky and knew that soon this entire field would be bathed in a gentle, blue light from it. Her time to escape was short and so was his. Below her, she could hear the guards and their dogs as they moved through the long grass, never bothering to hide their steps. In fact, it always seemed like they wanted to make as much noise as possible.

Blowing him a kiss, she felt her legs hit the railing of the balcony. With a simple motion, she turned around and jumped over it, landing softly in the grass below and only creating the dullest of thuds. A slight stinging pain radiating up from one of her ankles, having landed on it at just the wrong angle, but she ignored it. With luck on her side and a slight break in the patrolling guards, the ninja rushed at the crouching sprint she had used to get to the estate. Her body a blur of black material as she sifted through the long grass and towards the shadows of the nearest tree, roughly twenty feet away. From there she stopped and glanced behind her. Her eyes did not wander to the balcony and the occupant that may still be on the other side of it. Instead they watched the guards. One was quickly coming around the corner and the dog that patrolled at his side would easily be able to smell the trail she had left.

Knowing she only had a few more seconds, Kyo turned and ran towards the wall as fast as she could. Her body tearing through the grass and not even slowing the slightest bit as the wall began to get closer and closer. Once she reached it, she placed her foot upon its rough surface, vaulted herself up and grabbed the edge with her hands. Then using the momentum she flipped herself over and landed upon the ground a little roughly, rolling off to the side to help soften the impact. Quickly coming to her feet, Kyo headed off towards the forest at a slight jog. There was an abandoned building not too far into it that she left her belongings in. She’d need to retrieve them and change before she could re-enter the city.

[Lavinian Ambition]

"Son of a..." Grumbling he moved to the bed grabbing a bed sheet. Quickly twirling one of the ends he moved to the balcony as he began to quickly tie it on the banister of the railing. Flipping his knot over the bedding trailed to the ground before he was over the edge and sliding down the blanket like a rope. She may have been agile enough to avoid the damage of such a fall, but Jared was still just a young thief, and wanted to become an old thief. As he slid down the rope he felt his hands heat up from the friction but ignored it, a minor rug burn was a small price to pay for walking away from this. As the fabric tore it sped his descent but not enough to make his landing hurt. As he grunted softly on landing he saw her making a run for it.

Lucky for him the garden was a small one, a few rose bushes that were losing their bloom to the winter's chill. A small set of tables and chairs was set amongst them, as if to taunt the visitors with the rose's beauty, so that the nobles would have a fine conversation over refreshments. Had he time, he might have actually flipped the table to spite the nobles, but his job was far from over, he ahd to hunt down that damn woman. As the last effects of the drug wore off he was scanning the wall for her visage to impose upon it.

Sprinting after the girl he heard the shouts of guards as the dogs were released. Oh how he hated dogs. The barks coming ever closer and he pushed himself to the limits. As he saw her scramble up the wall he was only maybe ten feet from the wall. Her effortless leap over the wall spurred him on as he jumped using the wall as a rudimentary springboard to push himself higher. Grabbing the top he heard the dogs dangerously close as he pulled himself up, and could feel teeth closing on a patch of his pants. As he sat on the wall he kicked the dog hard in the nose, causing it to open its mouth and give a yelp of pain before he grumbled, "Damn dogs..."

Jumping down on the other side he spotted her as he ran after her, moving silently as possible as he attempted to chase down the thief who had stolen, what was rightfully his mark.

[Kyo]

It was hard for a thief to be as silent as a trained ninja, especially when moving through a forest at night. Every step that he took after her nearly echoed throughout the entire place. His feet were crunching down upon dead leaves and sticks and twigs. She barely faired any better herself, being accustomed to traversing quietly through houses more so than forests, but she had the advantage of being in front of him. The close growing trees before her provided cover in the darkness and the canopy high above hid the stars and the moon from ever penetrating. She could barely see her own hand in front of her face. Needless to say, running through it was not easy and she found herself tripping on an exposed root or a rock a number of times. She nearly sprained her ankle twice losing her footing on a sunken area of dirt.

Knowing she had a good lead on him, Kyo stopped and grabbed a low-lying branch from one of the trees, then hoisted herself up. Moving quickly, she kept going farther and farther into the height of the tree, using her clothing and the shadow of the leaves to hide her person. If she were lucky he’d run straight underneath her. If not, she could always get the drop on him and perhaps knock him unconscious. Her previous statement had still not changed. For the time being, she would not take his life. But if he kept pursuing her, she would not be able to promise herself that he would come out of this alive.

Hearing the sounds of snapping twigs growing closer, Kyo calmed the rhythmic beating of her heart as she watched the young man emerge from the darkness of the trees. From here she took the time to watch him as he scanned the area trying to gauge what direction she went in and which way he should turn. He wasn’t that bad looking when she bothered to take the time to look, red was not a very common hair colour in Akashima, but then again neither was ice blue eyes. Hearing the sound of an animal not far from here, her pursuer quickly left heading towards its general area, most likely thinking it was her. Smirking, she climbed down from the tree as quickly as possible and began heading in the general direction of east. When she hit a familiar landmark she would adjust her direction, but for now she had a rough idea as to where she was going.

Within ten minutes, Kyo found herself standing outside the ruins of a very old and very abandoned building. Windows that had once been filled with glass now stared back at her broken and dark, like a mouth open in a perpetual scream that never seemed to cease. The red bricks looked like they were stained by blood in the darkness as their surface slowly succumbed to the elements. Cracks were forming, pieces had fallen off and not too high up on the third floor she could see a gaping hole that allowed the wind to whistle through.

Heading around to the front of the building, the ninja grabbed a hold of the old and warped wooden doors, shoving her body against them in hopes of opening them just enough for her to slip through. The wood grinded against the stone floors, creating a horrible squeaking sound that was almost enough to make her cover her ears, but it quickly ended. Slipping her body through the small opening, she quickly headed towards the top left corner of the empty room. Dust rose from the ground with every step she took and her footprints left a clear trail in the debris of broken wood and crumbling foundation.

[Lavinian Ambition]

He moved through the woods, but as he moved he realized moving silently wasn't going to work. As he gave up silence for speed, he went after her, barely managing to keep her in sight before he stumbled a bit and as he quickly recovered came to a halt, she was no where to be found. Cursing his bad luck he looked about the area, before he heard the snap of a twig. Moving after it he stopped as he heard another sound. Frowning he moved towards the other one, before the sounds of twigs resounded through the area.

Tree roots and broken branches littered the ground, the falls leaves making a rather loud crunch as he moved over them. Stealth was impossible in a setting like this, unless one took to the spartan trees, who had shed their leaves in prepare for natures embrace. As he moved through the woods he though he was almost devoured by the loam of the rotting piles of debris, as the trees pruned themselves to survive the winter.

Looking he saw a blackened figure moving through the woods. Frowning he waited until she was barely noticeable before he ran after her. She moved through the woods with a grace that left little to be desired as he chased after her, determined to catch her. He still needed that damn box, though he was beginning to question his sanity. The trials of Thievery could be attempted normally, did he really need to risk his life against a woman who had drugged him already?

Yes.

That was the only answer he could think of as he followed her to the ruined building. Following her footsteps he moved silently into the abandoned building before he moved to where she had grabbed what appeared to be a traveling sack. He then cleared his throat as he said, "I told you, I need that box. Its kinda important, how about handing it over, so I can be on my way, I'd like to not have to rough you up to get at it..."

[Kyo]

Her heart leapt into the confines of her throat, beating wildly against the walls as it threatened to choke the very air from her lungs. She hadn’t expected him to be able to follow her. She’d thought she had lost him within the confines of the woods and like before he had snuck up on her once again. His steps were light and barely audible to her ears as he moved into the building. She didn’t even know of his presence until he announced himself with words, just like the last time. With her rucksack still in her hands, the ninja turned around to face him. She didn’t attack him like before. There were no shuriken hidden in her hands ready to whistle through the air towards him. She faced him just as she was, tired from running and feeling the adrenaline in her blood beginning to wear off. The light coming in from the broken windows was just barely enough to give his body any kind of illumination. She was surprised he could have even spotted her in the darkness.

Her voice remained silent even now as he stood. His presence was like a menacing force ready to battle with her for nothing more than a box. The contents of which were not known to her or most likely him either. But even though his voice was serious, his eyes said otherwise. There was something about them that said he would never actually hurt a person, let alone kill them. Not like she would. That was a dividing line between her and him. Though he was clearly trained as a thief, she was an assassin and did not usually hesitate to kill. She had just seen no reason in killing him before, or leaving him to die.

Keeping a tight hold on the strap of her rucksack, Kyo began heading towards her pursuer. The box was still within the confines of her Gi as he had interrupted her getting changed and placing it within her bag.

“I suggest you be on your way without it…” Her voice was cold and muffled by the black material covering her mouth. It was a great contrast to the way she normally sounded. But she survived by keeping her identity a secret and if that meant altering the sound of her voice slightly, than she would.

She moved to walk passed him, leaving only a foot or two of distance between them.

[Lavinian Ambition]

His hand slammed against the wall as he cut her off. His eyes growing harder as he spoke, "Perhaps I should say it again, slowly, let the words pickle themselves in your mind, Box, Mine, Now." He was getting more aggressive, and even now he was contemplating what he would do to get the box. It wasn't like he couldn't rough her up for it. While he had compunctions about killing, fighting was a different matter. As he remained in her path he waited for any reply she could give.

However, that was the problem. Roughing up another thief, went against everything he stood for. He was a Lavinian thief, and that meant that he owed it to other thieves to enjoy the fruits of their labor. Hell he was even supposed to help them escape if at all possible. The problem was, he felt so desperate to prove himself, to live up to his name. As he stood in her way though, he brushed aside those values, he had to do this. It was the only way.

Then he remembered the three golden rules of thievery. Ingrained into him from the beginning, you never stole form a thief. Thieves worked hard for the fruits of their labors, and he was taking that from them. It was a professional courtesy. You just didn't do it. If all thieves broke this rule, very little thieving could get done, for fear of becoming the hunted. You also weren't supposed to assault another thief, and you had to help them in the escape. If they managed to get what they wanted, you were obligated to ensure they kept it. If these rules weren't in place, the Lavinian thieves guild would have been a handful of people, not the family it had grown to.

As he looked upon her his eyes softened ever so slightly before he steeled his will. He had to succeed Darith was counting on him, and he had to come through. This was his Trial of Thieves, to get that damn box, to Lord Roland, and get the hell outta Radasanth, and if she was between him and it, so be it.

[Kyo]

His confidence falter. She could read it on his face. Even though his words were spoken harshly and in a tone that would make most pause to consider their situation, Kyo could see the slight change in his eyes. Just like before, it was there, hiding the depths of those stormy irises. But she was done playing this little game with him. The mission was becoming a burden more than anything else. All she was supposed to do was sneak in, grab this stupid little box and then get the hell out of there. Then he’d shown up and all her plans had dissolved into the air, like wind blow powder. Just what was so important about this little trinket that he would continue to come after her even though she had outmatched him several times already? Was he a glutton for punishment? Did he like it when she got the upper hand on him or perhaps there was just something so important to him about it that he wouldn’t leave without it?

Now it was time for her confidence to shake a little. Was it worth the trouble of continually fighting him off for another job, another mission? Gold was easy to come by; she didn’t need to have a stand off with a thief in order to acquire more of it. Yet gold wasn’t the only thing on the line. If that were all then she probably would have just handed over the damn box to him. No, she also had her pride and her honour as a ninja on the stake in this. If she came back empty handed to the man who’d hired her only to have been shown-up by some young thief who’s skills left much to be desired, she wouldn’t be able to live with herself. She had been given a job and she had never failed before, she didn’t plan on starting now.

With a quick motion, she kicked out at his legs, sweeping them out from underneath him. His body fell to the ground on a rather awkward position and with a sound thump. A small cloud of dust rose up around his body as he disturbed countless years of dirt and debris better left not described.

“Sorry…”

Unconscious, the ninja reached up and pulled at the mask covering her face, making sure that it was still hidden from his view. Then she quickly began jogging towards the exit of the building. The set of large double doors were still open a slight bit. By now the moon was filling the night sky and a gentle, blue luminescence was filtering in through broken and grimy windows, casting slight shadows wherever she went. If she could make it to a safe place in the woods and change he wouldn’t be able to recognize her and she would be able to get away with the goods. But she probably only had seconds until he recovered from his little fall. Perhaps she should have used some of her paralysis powder on him. The thought didn’t sit well with her though. She’d already drugged him once before and there was no reason in using such a tactic when her skills could clearly give her the upper hand against him.


((I edited all my posts, you might want to do the same since I spotted a few mistakes in there myself. And throw in some setting while you're at it! :p Your setting is horrible.))

[Lavinian Ambition]

Son of a bitch!

The words crossed his mind as he fell to the ground rather soundly. The trip knocking him for a loop. As he hit the ground he felt pain shoot through his hips, as he was already turning, landing on his side, he only rolled slightly to be on his stomach before he charged ignoring the shooting pain in his side. He had to stop her now, before she did something worse to him. This was literally his last shot at not coming away empty handed.

As he closed the gap between them he wrapped arms around her waste as he leapt tackling her from behind. They began to struggle on the ground as he heard her gasp at the sheer audacity of the attack. Moving and using his greater weight against her, one of the few times he could actually do so, he tried to pin her to the ground as one of his slim arms wrapped about her throat coming back at to his shoulder. His other arm then snaked in behind her head forcing her throat forward as he roughly tried to choke her out.

She was a fighter at least, as she continued to lash out and struggle during the fight, using precious oxygen to batter away at his arms, even attempting to break the hold at her neck, and give her some clearance to breathe. As he growled lowly trying to pin her on the ground with his legs he spat, "Just be a good girl and go to sleep! I won't hurt you, I just want the damn box!"

While he was more than accustomed to wrestling with the other thieves in fun, this was a bit more brutal. He was trying to choke her with a rather rudimentary hold. He wasn't even sure if he had cinched in properly, and probably would leave a nasty bruise on her following this. As he continued to hold it he knew one thing, he was locked into this fight now, if he let go, she would not hesitate to kill him, despite his obvious nonlethal tactics. This game of cat and mouse was coming to a close, and while he was the mouse, this was his final gambit to get the cat off guard.

[Kyo]

Panic was setting in. Panic and fear. Two base emotions that she couldn’t seem to fight against. As her lungs burned and screamed for oxygen she continued to uselessly fight him. Her body bucked beneath his, trying to throw him off her any way she could. But his weight and his position kept her from getting the advantage as he merely kept his hold on her throat. Her assessment of him had been wrong and she couldn’t believe the words that were coming out of his mouth. He was trying to kill her and he was succeeding.

Even as she felt herself growing weaker and her vision filling with dark spots, she fought against him. Her eyes were filling with unshed tears as she watched him and a series of words she would never get the chance to utter filling her throat. In her distress, she had forgotten about all the weapons that covered her body. Reaching for her belt, she slid her fingers into a small leather pouch and produced one of her shuriken. It was not poisoned, or dipped in any kind of drug, but if she were lucky it would be enough to distract him and get him to let go of her. Clutching it in her fingers and caring little for the blade slicing through her own skin, the ninja slashed the throwing star towards his open side. Instead of the attack connecting, the thief rolled the two of them over, slamming her hand against the hard, stone floor. Dust rose, filling her eyes and nose and the sharpened edges of her shuriken dug into her palm, goring it open rather deeply as her blood began to mix with the dirt on the ground.

“Oh, no you don’t! Fool me once…”

Dropping the blade, Kyo balled her other hand into a fist and sent it sailing towards his face. The punch connected with less than startling results. He merely grunted, never letting up his chokehold upon her throat.

“That’s right, just calm down… I’m not gonna kill ya.”

She wasn’t calm and she didn’t believe him! The unshed tears in her eyes trailed down the sides of her face as her fist beat against his arm. Her head was starting to swim and the pressure in her lungs was building beyond a place of tolerance. God, he was killing her! She wasn’t supposed to die like this, she wasn’t. This was only supposed to be a simple mission. All she had to do was retrieve an item from inside the estate and get it back to her employer. There wasn’t supposed to be another thief there and he wasn’t supposed to follow her and choke her to death. How had she let him get the drop on her like this?

The grip her fingers had on his arm slackened, her nails no longer biting into his skin as she felt the last of her strength waning away. Her arm fell to her side seconds before her vision failed her and everything went black.

[Lavinian Ambition]

As he felt her relax and loosen her claws from his skin he sighed relief. Holding the choke for a few more seconds before he let her go. She would be out for a few seconds at most, and he was more than certain she would be pissed if he was still in view when she awoke. As he quickly frisked her body he produced the Ivory Box, intricately carved before he grunted softly, "Sorry, I lied, I'm going to have to tie you up, for my own safety..."

Moving to her sack he found a long belt that would do the job nicely. Rolling her onto her stomach he quickly tied the arms at the elbows behind her back, giving her little flexibility, but enough to get free, if she truly wished to. At the very least he was still being polite about choking her out. As he moved from her he looked down upon her, and perhaps got his first good look at her.

The grimy windows did nothing to stop the moonlight from lighting her face, the tanned skin not uncommon to him, told him a life spent hard at work. The face however, made the growing sense of guilt in his stomach grow. During the skirmish he had managed to pull the cloth form her face, and he could only sigh as he saw the beauty contained therein. He had just beaten up a good looking, rather exotic woman, for an ivory box?

Boy had his standards dropped. He was more than certain Darith would brain him for this one, and he almost wanted to call it off then and there. As she stirred however, he panicked. She had the capability of killing him, perhaps a million different ways, and he was holding her meal ticket. Rather than face her, alone, in the abandoned warehouse, where the dirt and grime had covered them both, he bolted slamming the twin doors shut on his way out. He had to get into the more public sector of town, and fast, at the very least, she wouldn't kill him, he hoped.

As he sprinted through the alleyways he made his way through town before he stayed on the public streets. Using an extra shirt he carried in his bag he wiped his face clean of the rather putrid combination of blood, sweat, and dirt. He was heading back for his tavern before he woudl go the Lord roland, and get this wild goose chase over with. He did however feel the guilt welling u in the pit of his stomach, he had beaten up the girl, not just roughed her up, he ahd physically beaten the spirit out of her.

This was no longer about thievery, had it been thievery, he woudl have given up when she evaded him in the woods. Had it been thievery he might have offered to buy it off her, to rightfully earn its place in his satchel. Had it been thievery he would be feeling like he had killed her, because he certainly damn well tried with that last stunt. As he entered the inn he motioned to a waitress as he took a table near the crowd.

"What can I get you?" She asked as she looked at him worriedly.

"What do you have in Ale?" Jared asked. He needed a drink, thats what he needed.

"I got, Coronian, Radasanthian, Alerian..."

"Anything harder?"

"Whiskey," She replied hopefully.

"Still in ale preferably," He replied.

"Lavinian-"

"I'll take a cup, make it a large one, I got a headache..." Jared said as he dropped a gold on the tray for his drink. She nodded as she moved off to fill the order, leaving Jared alone to stew in his guilt. It was then he buried his face in his hands before he spoke candidly to no one, "I hope to the gods she doesn't find me, I'd don't even want to think about what she'll do to me when she gets her hands on me..."

[Kyo]

“I wouldn’t want to think about it either…”

Kyo slid her right hand along the shoulder of the young man as she sat down next to him. There were a myriad of emotions boiling up within her, but none of them were visible from the outside. In fact, she looked rather calm and composed on the outside and completely different than she had the last time Jared had seen her. Her long, black and wild hair was pulled back into a thong away from her face and her Ninja-Gi was replaced with a more comfortable and less likely to draw attention to her, set of clothing. She wore a sleeveless Kimono made of a thin black and dark purple material that hugged her body rather tightly, leaving half her back bare before wrapping around and covering it. The material flowed down passed her hips and stopping just above her knees where one could see a pair of tight black pants and knee high black leather boots. There was no reason for her to hide her face from him. When she’d come to in the building she had quickly noticed the absence of her mask as well as the bindings tying her arms rather awkwardly and painfully together. Lucky for her she was good with the blade, sadly not good enough when tied.

Though her bonds had been broken, the sharpened edge of her Ninja-To had pierced into the flesh of her back and sliced into her upper arms a few times as well. The wounds were clearly visible in the clothing she now wore and were still bleeding as well. But her rush of adrenaline had yet to wear off and she barely felt them anymore. She also barely felt the bruise that was slowly beginning to form across her neck, but her head was still rather dizzy from it and every now and again her stomach revolted against her fro some reason. Kyo never had been knocked unconscious before and it was definitely an experience she didn’t want to repeat. It had been one of the scariest moments of her life and if she thought about it enough, she could still feel his arm choking the life from her.

As the waitress came by and set a drink down in front of the young, red-hair man, she turned her eyes to Kyo. “Oh, a Lavinian Ale, please… on him.”

She smirked as the woman quickly walked off to get her order, returning only a few seconds later with the large mug filled to the brim with the strong brew. After a mission like that, the ninja needed some kind of release to wash through her system and a drink sounded like exactly the thing. Grabbing mug, she brought it to her lips and took a long drink of the contents as she mused over what exactly she should do next. Attacking him in such a public place did not seem like a smart thing to do. Guards would be called and she would most likely be arrested, but she wasn’t about to let that incident pass by without punishment. Even if she had attacked him first, she had not threatened to kill him. In fact she had gone out of her way to keep him alive.

“You certainly have an odd way of showing a lady your appreciation. I could have easily killed you back there, but I chose not to. Instead I actually helped you get out of that place and what did I get for my trouble?”

Her hand reflexively came up to her throat, touching the sore skin there. When she pulled it away though, she noticed the blood that was beginning to flow from the gash on her palm once again. The crimson liquid was dripping from the side of her palm and flowing rather easily down her fingers. Her shuriken had done quite a number on her left hand, good thing she was actually right handed. But this was definitely going to be a nuisance for a time and would leave a nasty scar when it healed.

[Lavinian Ambition]

As he looked down not even meeting her gaze he saw the last nail in the coffin of his tell tale heart. Sitting before him on a chain, hanging loosely in front of his chest, was the ring. This ring was no ordinary ring, no, this ring belonged to his sister. It was one of the few gifts he had managed to legally scrounge money for, and had given to her on her birthday, many years ago. He had given it to her as a gift and a reminder of how much he cared for his sister, and how that would never change.

She had given it back to him, when she had heard he was going to be a thief. He had questioned her at the time about it, and the only reply he got was, "You have someone rooting for you, no matter what. That ring is a reminder, don't get yourself killed stupidly Jared. I want my children to know their uncle."

Oh how stupid he felt, his face was burning a crimson that rivaled his hair as he finally lowered his hands from his face. Ignoring her comment he sipped the ale before he looked at the trickle of blood. If ever there was a cruel bone in Jared's body, it certainly had been removed at an early age, his heart skipped a beat, as he saw just what this fight had done to her.

"I could apologize for what I've done, but that would be an insult at this point. Are you okay?" Was all he could manage. His hands went to his bag as he pulled out his shirt, and absently began ripping it up for bandages. He had no care for himself anymore, only a whole desire to right his wrongs, starting with the wounds. Maybe she'd attack him, maybe she'd call him weak. In the end, he knew the truth, if he turned that damn box into Lord Roland, he would be living the largest lie he had ever concocted, and couldn't live with himself.

The group around him was loud and rowdy, easily concealing their words as he looked at her, truly guilt ridden. He had dragged her through hell, and now he could only hope he could pull her out of the fires he had been savagely tormenting her with. As he offered the bandages to her he spoke softly, "I-" The words caught in his throat, sorry was no apology for the behavior he had participated in tonight.

Oh, how horrid he felt...if the drug was dying, he wasn't sure what he was feeling now.

[Kyo]

The offering of bandages was the last thing she expected from him. A quick exit and a run for his life, maybe. Perhaps even him trying to talk his way out of it, but not an offering to help her, not after what he’d done. It nearly surprised her as much as his initial appearance in this whole mess. But then her mind began to wonder to what he might be planning by being nice to her. No one was nice to the person they just choked into submission for no reason. Perhaps he was trying to get on her good side so she wouldn’t sneak after him and try to slit his throat in a dark alley not far from here.

Looking at him rather oddly, she accepted the torn pieces of cloth and quickly wound them along her left hand. The material quickly absorbed the blood that was already there, staining itself a deep crimson that was slowly beginning to spread more and more. There was a chance she’d need to properly treat the wound later on in the evening, maybe even add a few stitches to be sure it would close and heal the way it should. As long as her hand was functional she didn’t care what it really looked like though. Scars were just stories of a hard life and that was nothing new to her. But if the wounds healed the wrong way and her hand became hard to use, she would be in trouble. The weapons she had trained a quarter of her life using were dual wielding and she needed both her hands in order to properly complete her missions. Crippled ninja’s didn’t live long.

“Thanks…” She said in a small voice.

Using her teeth and her right hand, she tied the material off as tightly as she could, feeling a fresh jolt of pain shoot up her arm in the process. The wounds on the back of her arms and the one on her back she could do nothing about. They would have to heal on their own, but a bath would probably help clean the dirt and the grit from them.

She didn’t know what to say to him next. Her bitter words hadn’t been met with the caustic remark she was sure he was going to throw at her, or even the actions she was positive he might give. Back there he had almost seemed like a completely different person than he was now. Similar to how her personality changed when she placed that mask over her face. Luckily, she didn’t have to say anything. The waitress quickly returned with her drink. Setting it on the counter, she waited for the man to pay, but when he didn’t move, Kyo nudged him and nodded towards her. He quickly fished around for a gold coin that he placed upon her tray. Picking up the glass, the ninja took a long series of mouthfuls, feeling the strong alcohol sooth the parched feeling in the back of her throat. Swallowing hurt a little more than she expected though.

After having drunk down half the glass in a single go, she placed it upon the counter and leaned back against her chair. That turned out to be a not so good idea as the wound on her back protested, but she ignored it anyway.

[Lavinian Ambition]

"You'll have to, excuse my odd behavior. I realized just how low I had sunk trying to get the box from you. Where I come from, thieves have a right to the fruits of their labor, and I, broke two of the three basic tenants of being a thief, only to pass a stupid test. Had it been any other night, you would have never seen me, unless I was distracting the guards for your escape..." The words poured out of him, the heavy feeling of his heart continuing to drag his guilt deeper, and show just how stupid he had become.

"This inn is a good place to lay low from the guards, they'll probably be out looking for us soon. I'll pay for your room tonight, you can sleep off the effects of the night, and recover. Tomorrow, you can do what you wish with me, I don't give a damn anymore, tonight has become too, costly an endeavor, and its no longer what it began as..." With those words he reached into his bag and produced the box before he shoved it into her hands.

The bar was still alive with barflies and drunks. Shouting toasts at each other as the laughed boldly. Stories were being exchanged of various deeds, from wooing of wenches to the fields of battle. The bartender took his spot at the bar, cleaning a glass with a rag before he tossed it upon a pile and pulled a clean one, to continue the cleaning of his establishment. Life continued on, as Jared's storm of guilt was unleashed upon the world.

He was about to get up before he spotted movement at the door, two guards had come into the tavern and were talking to the barkeeper. Realizing he needed to do something quick, and desperately he roughly grabbed her by the back of her head before he whispered, "Don't resist!"

He then kissed her firmly, not the light kiss of two lovers, but a deep passionate kiss that spoke of more intimacy than he had been willing to show this particular beauty. He kept his eyes locked on the guards as they moved about the tavern, only delving into the kiss to hide his eyes from them as they made their round, as he saw them move outside the door he finally broke the kiss, before he muttered, "I'm sorry, I'm not usually so bold."

[Kyo]

It was hard to fight the urge to resist him, even when he told her not to. One minute she was staring ahead at a myriad of bottles filled with liquor and the next his hand was on the back of her head and he was kissing her. Her first reaction was to pull away from him, but when she placed one of her hands on his chest to do just that, she found herself returning the kiss instead. He may just be doing it to distract the guards, but at this point she wasn’t entirely thinking straight and didn’t care to try to. Despite the fact that he had nearly killed her tonight and that he had stolen something she had worked hard to acquire, she found herself kissing him back.

Then he pulled away from her. Just as easily as he had done it, he stopped and Kyo found she could barely find the air she needed to draw in. Her heart was beating against the cage of her chest, but it wasn’t from fear or from adrenaline. It was from a far more base need, the kind of which she couldn’t believe she was feeling for him. She didn’t know him, other than the fact that he was a thief. Even if he was showing a sudden influx of honour by returning the box to her. Wait a minute…he returned the box to her?

Looking down, Kyo couldn’t believe that within her bloody and bandaged hand was the carved box that he had worked so hard to steal from her. After all of that he was going to kindly hand it over as if it meant nothing to him? She couldn’t fathom why. He had won it off her, albeit by hurting his conscience in the process apparently, but the prize was still his. He was so confusing! Why couldn’t e ever act like she expected him to? It was infuriating, he was infuriating! He threw her completely off balance which nearly every other word out of his mouth and every action he took. When she thought she had some aspect of him figured out, he went and did something that turned the entire equation in and upon itself, destroying whatever she thought she knew about him.

“Maybe you should be…”

Realizing her hand was still on his chest, the ninja grabbed a fistful of his shirt and yanked him closer to her, kissing him just as deeply as he had her. She had no idea what she was doing and doubted it was a good idea but she didn’t care. Though she was enjoying it far more than she would admit, she also used it to distract him as she slipped the box into a pocket on the inside of his jacket. It was his, she didn’t want it anymore. Well, that wasn’t entirely true. She did want it but she had lost it fair and square to him in her books. She didn’t care about his code or whatever he lived by. She had pride and honour all her own and she wasn’t about to accept something from him that he had soundly taken from her. It was disgraceful.

[Lavinian Ambition]

While he had expected her to resist, he was genuinely surprised when she had grabbed him by the front of his shirt and pulled him into a lust laced kiss. Her hand sliding inside his jacket as he returned the kiss, he felt something kindle in his chest. When she pulled back he grinned as he said softly, "Perhaps we could pursue it a bit later? As much as the drunks make for good back ground noise, I hardly wish to give them much to cheer about..."

The people were thinning out as the night grew older. The lamps int he in beginning to dim as a softer hue of light showed people about. It was a rather romantic setting this late at night, but he hardly wanted to bed the girl. They had after all been fighting rather brutally, and he still wanted to make sure things were set right. As he rose he offered her his hand as he said, "Now, about that room I owe you. As lavish as you want, the least I can do for you, since I genuinely ruined your night..."

She was so beautiful to him, perhaps it was the fact she was from lands he had never traveled, but she held a grace and beauty that captivated him, almost as much as the weight on his chest. As he remained neutral he grinned as he helped her up and to the bar, with him behind her. Gently patting the pockets of his jacket he found it, stuffed neatly on the inside. Clever gal...

Paying for two rooms he said softly to her ear, "Enjoy the room, I need to finish my drink before bed. I'll go explain to my employer about my empty hands, hope your employer is satisfied." He then moved behind her an gave a soft kiss her her cheek before he carefully put the box in her ruck sack. Planting the box on him had won quite a few points with the thief, but he wasn't going to betray his code for the matter of pride he had forced upon her.

As he moved back to his table he picked up his cup and gave it a deep drink. Waiting for her to go upstairs before he would finish up, this horrible night.

[Kyo]

She was a little disappointed when he rather soundly refused the advance she’d made on him. Then again, it was probably for the better. This whole night had started off wrong and the last thing she wanted to do was end it wrong. Despite the fact that kissing him had sent a series of shivers down her body and made her heart skip a beat; it just couldn’t be a good idea. Not after what they had done to each other and, not after what he had done to her and not when they were still technically rivals. Though the box was now securely in the pocket of his jacket and he had completed the mission that he seemed so desperate to do in the first place. Desperate enough to attack her when she had even seen it against his better nature. The boy was a thief, not a killer and not even a particularly skilled fighter from what she saw. He had merely gotten lucky, which still pissed her off.

Taking the key to her room, Kyo turned and headed up the stairs without saying another word to him. She was not used to people buying her a room after being in a race with them and she definitely didn’t know if she should be accepting it. But she was starting to feel rather tired. The adrenaline had worn off some time before in the tavern and all the sore muscles and aching wounds were beginning to make themselves known. Perhaps a nice hot bath and a good sleep would help her see things more clearly. Maybe then she’d pay him back for the marks on her neck, or maybe she’d just turn and walk away. She still had to report to her employer though and inform him that she had failed, beaten to the object by a young man with red hair.

Reading the number on the key, the ninja walked off the staircase on the third floor and quickly moved to the right. Watching the numbers grow, she eventually came upon 32 and slipping the key into the lock, she opened the door. A blast of cool air hit her from an open window, one that was sending sheer white curtains fluttering around like a confused bird. In the light of the moon she moved to the small bed in the corner and sat down upon it, then reached for the box of matches on the nightstand. Striking one, she lit the lamp and watched as a gentle glow filled the room. It enveloped everything, showing her the darkened shadows in the corners and the wooden desk by the window empty and waiting for someone to sit in it. A cold fireplace was directly opposite her bed and other than two chairs the room was quite bare. There was however another door that most likely lead off to her bathing room.

Grabbing the straps of her rucksack, she pulled the flap open and went to reach inside. Her hand stilled halfway there. Sitting on top of her Ninja-Gi, as if nicely placed there was the ivory box that she had slipped into the man’s jacket pocket. Cursing in three different languages, Kyo jumped to her feet, quickly closed her rucksack and rushed out of her room, slamming the door shut behind her. She was going to kill him when she caught up to him.

[Lavinian Ambition]

As soon as she had begun her ascent he was out the door. She would never have figured it out, but it was only a matter of time. As he moved through the streets he came to the agreed house, and knocked on the door. A servant answered as he looked upon the young man before he said, "Your name?"

"Tell him, Darith's friend is here," Jared replied stiffly. The man nodded as he moved inside the house after inviting Jared in. Jared was tired of the night, just wanted it over with his report in, and perhaps a nice boat back to Lavinya. He figured if he managed to get back in one piece he was safe. Not that he much cared about his condition, he had after all, brought it on himself. Soon the servant brought him into the parlor, where he spied two ornate chairs. A fire was roaring to life in the fire place as he entered, casting a bright light upon the room.

"I heard that there was some commotion at the old estate, problems?" The old man said. He held a bit of a military air about him. His hair neatly trimmed, his posture impeccable. Exactly the kind of guy Jared hated, everything prim and proper in its place.

"Yeah, a girl in dark clothes managed to get in the Library first, she got the box. Pretty damn good too, didn't come in the same route I did, and made her escape off a second floor balcony. I was outclassed to be honest, she made it in the room about a minute before I got there," He said bluntly.

"A girl? And you didn't try to stop her? You didn't try to take the prize form her? I must say, you Lavinians are a rather defeatist lot..." His boss replied.

Jared felt a heat rise off his chest at the tort thrown his way. He had done more than insulted him, he had insulted Darith's way of doing things. As he tried to keep his anger in check he spat, "Excuse me? At least I saw who took it. You didn't exactly ask for a Garret Brown or Seth Dahlios here, you asked for someone who-"

"And got exactly what I paid for. Thank you, your Guild Master will be paid all the same," He said with a dismissive wave of his hand.

[Kyo]

“Aww, no need for the disappointment, Roland. After all, you can’t expect much when you pin two thieves against one another, then again I’m not exactly a thief and he’s not exactly that experienced. You’re lucky I didn’t kill him.”

The words had started off rather sarcastic and in the end turned to downright condescending and scathing. This may be the man who hired her but that didn’t mean she had to play nice with him. Unlike her odd little opponent, or pursuer or however they wanted to work it out, Kyo had no difficulties in straightening her backbone in front of him.

“I’m sorry, sir. She wouldn’t listen to me when I told her you were already seeing someone.” She glanced back at the voice of one of his little lackeys. A young man whom she’d probably scared the shit out of and would go home tonight, telling mommy all about the crazy bitch he’d met at work today. If only he knew how lucky he’d come off. But it was not for her to take out her anger and frustration on him, not when the real person she wanted to unleash it on was currently sitting in a nice, plush chair looking quite surprised, for all of three seconds. Before the young man left, he quickly set down a glass of light brown liquid upon the table beside Roland’s chair.

Kyo couldn’t believe that he had hired both the boy and her to do the same job. It was disgusting. Throwing two on the same item and seeing who came out on top was not a way to do business, it was a way to make enemies and get people caught and killed. If only she’d realized it sooner she would have stopped that ridiculous fight with him and they both could have just been on their way. She wouldn’t be covered in a myriad of wounds and he, well, she suppose his conscious wouldn’t be weighing heavily on him right now. Personally, she thought he got off rather lightly considering she was the more skilled of the two and had somehow been the one on the ground fighting for her life.

“Ahhh… Kyosku, not entirely surprising that a well trained ninja would come out on top of this whole mess.”

Dropping her rucksack from her shoulder, the ninja reached inside and fished the ivory box out. Funny to think that such a small object could have started this whole mess. Wrapping her fingers around it so tightly that her knuckle turned white, Kyo let her anger get the better of her. Instead of handing the item over to Roland, she whipped it against the wall. The small box crashed next to a highly decorative and piece of crap painting, shattering on the hard surface and falling to the ground in fragments of what it had been. She didn’t even bother to look and see what might have been inside of her, her eyes firmly watching Roland as his face flushed and his own dead, grey eyes narrowed upon her. The greedy bastard played with lives for fun and she didn’t operate that way.

He didn’t say anything to her. Instead he reached for the glass of what was most likely alcohol, bringing it to his lips and greedily drinking down half the contents.

“I don’t know who you thin—” He paused for a moment as a slight tremble went through his arm, then continued. “I paid you to…”

Once again his words were cut off as the glass slipped from his fingers, spilling the contents all over his impeccable pants before falling to the carpet at his feet. He appeared to tried to move a couple of times yet seemed unable to as his eyes went wide with shock, staring at her. Smirking, Kyosku reached behind her and pulled one of her Ninja-To from its sheath and calmly walked over to him. As much as she wanted to kill him, she didn’t. Instead she thrust the blade right into the chair beside his head and leaned in close to him.

“Next time you want to play with people’s lives, remember that yours could easily be thrown into the equation. I am, as you said, well trained but not just as a ninja but also an assassin.” Smiling, she pulled her face away from his. “Thanks, I knew that if I just talked to you, you’d understand.”

“You…bitch!” He managed.

Not moving away yet, the ninja reached into the man’s jacket and starting fishing around. Finding what she was looking for she pulled out two bags of gold, neither of which she even bothered checking the amount of. Pulling the blade from the chair, she quickly sheathed it and tossed one of the bags at Jared. Then without another word she turned and left the room.

[Lavinian Ambition]

As she tossed him his money he caught casually before he threw the pouch into his pack. He was sure it was the negotiated amount, if not, he was certain that Darith wouldn't mind one way or another. Roland was about to get a crash course in underworld politics. As the girl spoke, he had to smile rather predatory as she poisoned the old duff, before she left the room in an act of anger he could only understand, it matched the raging temper that lurked behind those gray eyes of his.

Jared walked up casually to the Lord as he looked at Jared and spat, "Do...something!"

"No," Jared replied rather jovially. He dragged the other chair closer before he sat in it and spoke up, "I'm going to explain something very clearly to you, then give you a dose of what you put my ever lovely companion through. You see, in the underworld of this wonderful world, you have three basic tenants. You don't fuck with others, you don't play god, and you don't throw money around and expect loyalty."

"You...bastard! Help me!" He spat as he tried again to move.

"Funny thing, my parents aren't married, you know how it goes, peasants can't afford it, so they just live together. But you see, a bastard isn't supposed to know his own father, and I think I could tell you who he is quite clearly. However, you do raise the question of my honor and loyalty..." He then threw a punch that connected squarely with the lord's nose. He felt the cartilage bend and break and blood poured down his face, causing him to groan in pain as he couldn't move.

"You played God with me and her tonight. You pitted us against each other. You fucked with us in ways you shouldn't have, so now comes your punishment. See, down here, its dog eat dog, and if you fuck with someone, they fuck with you right back..." He then got up and shoved hard against the back of the man's chair. Lord Roland groaned as the chair fell back with a thud, sending the blood down his wind pipe and began to gurgle choking on it. Jared then chuckled softly as he said, "Might want to concentrate on swallowing, I heard choking to death on your own blood can be quite a bad way to go..."

As he left the room he shook his hand, which stung with the injury he had inflicted. He was surprised it had worked at all, but then again, there was no way that Lord Roland could have stopped it, she had after all done something to the lord. As he moved to leave the house he muttered, "Serves the bastard right, he'll be lucky if any thief's guild responds to his summons anymore..."

[Kyo]

Whatever her fellow thief did at this point in time she didn’t care. The mission was over, they both got paid and she could sleep the whole thing off and forget it ever happened. That’s all she wanted to do right now. Return to the tavern, have a few glasses of ale then a nice long bath and of course sleep. Then again, she was growing increasingly more tired so she might bypass the drinks and just have a bath and go to sleep. Bypassing the bath didn’t sound very appealing though, she needed to clean out those wounds and there was a chance she didn’t smell too good at the moment. Plus there was probably leaves and sticks embedded somewhere in her mess of pure black hair from her jaunt in the woods.

In the hall, Kyo was greeted by the worried expression of that same kid lackey she had met earlier. His feet kept bouncing back and forth on the plush carpeting and his hands were fidgeting with one another as if he didn’t know what to do with them. When he saw her, he opened his mouth to say something but must have abruptly changed his mind, because he quickly closed it again. She probably had a rather murderous and cold expression covering her face at the moment. For though watching Roland completely helpless and unable to protect himself had been pleasurable it wasn’t enough. Not for what he had done.

Walking down the lamp lit hall, she barely paid any attention to the décor, noticing things only if she had to avoid them. Which was pretty much never. After what seemed like too long she found herself back out in the cool Radasanthian night, a night that didn’t compare to those in her hidden home. It never seemed to grow truly dark in Radasanth, there were always lamps burning brightly into the night in an attempt to ward of the darkness and whatever monsters were dwelling within it. Oddly enough, Radasanth had more monsters than any other place she’d ever been in before, but these ones wore the skin of man and hunted their own kind.

She couldn’t take a short cut because she didn’t know one. And it was probably for the better because any female walking alone at night was an easy target for muggings, not that she wouldn’t love to split open any would-be attackers face at the moment. Still, she kept to the main roads and quickly passed by houses closed to the night. Their windows were dark and their occupants silent. It didn’t take her long to find the tavern once more. Without realizing it, she found herself back in the bar, which had emptied a bit in the time she had left. The night was growing thin and most of the rowdy and rambunctious people were gone, leaving small groups of friends and those that found it pleasing to waste their lives away in a never-ending bottle.

Grabbing a booth and leaning against the worn but still comfortable leather backing, Kyo took a few deep breaths and closed her eyes. A serving wench interrupted her a few minutes later as she cleared her throat, looking for her order.

“Lavinian Ale, please…” She said without even opening her eyes.

[Lavinian Ambition]

Jared left the house as the servant watched him in shock. He guessed the girl had given him a rather good scare, and so he was more than scared to approach him as well. Moving out into the night he sighed as he pondered how best to get to the inn. Finally figuring it out he moved through the city, as the moon began to reach the apex of its motion. It was hard to believe that the entire nights events had encompassed maybe three or four hours, but it was fast seeming that way as the moon illuminated the streets, and changed the lighting of everything.

He continued through the streets shouldering his pack as he sighed. Tonight was a comedy of errors, and he had nearly done the largest one. Served Lord Roland right that at the end of the night, he was down two employees and the very object he had wanted. Perhaps that would have been punishment enough, but it felt too light. Then he hit the guy for calling him a bastard, and pretty much guaranteed that unless the rather shy boy had rushed into the room to check on his boss, he was dead.

He hated killing, he really did.

He understood it was all part of the job, but he only did it when absolutely necessary. In the end, he had agreed to only two reasons he would ever kill someone. Either they had to threaten so many people, it was not only worth it, but necessary, much like Lord Roland, or they had to threaten the ones he loved dearly. So, he wasn't particularly feeling guilty about the whole murder scenario he had left.

Entering the tavern the lights were still at that low light level. He could see her there, sitting and sipping an ale. Part of him wanted to join her, talk, maybe explore some of the things that had happened that night. He however, felt guilty about the whole situation, despite the fact that they were working for the same guy. He wanted so badly to set it right, but with the situation as it was, that would be impossible.

He did however know a good way to start. Fishing into his own personal coin purse he produced a few gold. Moving over to the table he tossed the gold on the table before he spoke candidly, "On me tonight. I figure that will put us about even, I took my payment out of him. If you're ever looking for someone to help you, rather than, be a nuisance, just head to Lavinya and ask for Jared Cesarino, chances are I'll get in touch with you..."

Moving to the stairs he sighed as he moved up finally looking at his room key. He had gotten room 31, up on the third floor. Moving up to the floor he casually trailed a hand along the wall before he found the door. Inserting the key he sighed as he pushed it open, looking into the world beyond. The bed lay there inviting, and with the wash basin he sighed as he poured a bit of water and cleaned his hands and face. Closing the door for the night he locked it before he collapsed on the bed, not even bothering with a lamp and closed his eyes. Tonight was over, and he wanted to forget it ever existed.

[Kyo]

Jared…

It was an odd name, or perhaps not odd but normal where he came from. A place called Lavinya. She’d heard of it before. Kyo may live in a small and secluded village hidden rather well in the mountains, but with all the ninja’s constantly out on missions, news was not hard to come by. And a name like Lavinya stuck out with them.

So he’s one of them…

No wonder he was good at what he did, even if he was quite inexperienced. He would probably turn into a fine thief in the end, as long as he didn’t get himself killed. She watched him as he rounded a corner and left her sight, but she didn’t go after him. There was no reason to and truly she didn’t have the energy to do so at the moment. Part of her was still angry and frustrated with him anyway and another part didn’t care. It was just wondering why she sitting here instead of going up to bed as well. She didn’t have an answer though. Maybe it was finding the energy to climb that last flight of stairs. She didn’t know.

Sighing, she watched as the wench came by and scooped up the gold coins Jared had left on the table. It was nice of him to pay for her drink…again. After all, she’d made him pay for the previous one too, not that they’d actually finished those ones.

The ninja finished her ale rather quickly, leaving a slight buzz to flow throughout her head and body and then left the tavern. She’d had enough of the boisterous voices that occasionally rent the air and the smell of ale, sweat and other things she’d rather not mention. She wanted a bath and sleep. Or sleep and maybe a bath in the morning. At this point in time she didn’t really care what order it came in, but she felt like she just might fall asleep in the tub if she wasn’t careful.

Slipping her key into the lock of room 32, Kyosku slipped inside and found the lamp she’d lit still burning. It had only been a little while ago that she’d last been in here, probably just over an hour. Funny how the night had seemed to drag on and take forever yet in reality, it was only half over. Stripping out of her clothes, the ninja forewent the bath and crawled straight into the small, and even slightly lumpy bed. The sheets were cold against her skin, but she didn’t care. She was so exhausted that a few minutes after her head hit the pillow she passed into that wonderful and oblivious place of sleep.


(([Spoils: Both characters are to receive a GP spoil of roughly 500 GP or whatever the Judge thinks is appropriate, please and thank you.))

[Karuka]

Not bad for an introductory quest for your characters. It was actually pretty good. Now for the numbers.

Continuity: 5

I know why the two of you are where you are, and I even got some deeper backstory from Jared, but next to none from Kyo. I also don't really know what's likely to happen next for either of them.

Pacing: 7

The bar scene could have been shortened a bit, as could the chase scene, but overall it wasn't bad.

Setting: 7

I had enough here to get the gist of the area at almost all points, but the only real use of the setting as a player in the thread were Jared's use of the dumbell and Kyo climbing the tree.

Persona: 7.5

This was a really strong part of this quest. Jared came off as both determined to do his job and prove himself, and determined not to sell his soul while doing so. I also didn't get why he didn't go straight on to Lord Roland after securing his prize, since it was so close, and then getting an ale.

Kyo has all the makings of a good persona, between her conflicting desires to be good at what she does and not be a wanton killer in the meantime, but I don't see her as the type to go out in public bleeding while people might ask questions, rather than waiting in the shadows and slitting his throat.

Action: 7

I kind of liked the cat and mouse "narrow escape" and then almost random "gotcha!" but I kind of felt it was over-done. Nevertheless, it did give the action a nice series of peaks and troughs, so it didn't really get boring. You guys do need to work on your suspense, though. I had it figured that the same guy had hired both of them.

I do have one question, though... How did Kyo get the poison or paralyzing agent into Roland's drink? That seemed random. And how much blood did she lose cutting herself free? More blood runs through your arms than you think, so maybe she shouldn't have caught up to Jared in town so quickly...

Dialogue: 6.5

There wasn't anything really striking here, but it all stayed within character. The internal monologues were better. I liked Kyo's confusion and anger as Jared was constantly turning her estimate of what he could do and she could take upside down, and I liked how Jared was beating himself up over his breach of honor - although that does seem to be a hallmark of your characters.

Mechanics: 6

You both have a lot of fragments, typos, and dropped words, with Jared slightly worse on this. My recommendation: write each post in Word and then do a spelling/grammar check. Then have each other read through it carefully and pick out any mistakes. Remember: better by far to have your writing beat into shape by your partner than by the judge.

PS. Kyo - sometimes you use "passed" for "past." I know they sound the same, but you should watch out for that.

Techinque: 6

There wasn't really too much of this. I noticed some, but it wasn't obtrusive. I also noted the use of suspense throughout, as you never knew what was going to happen next, but I mentioned under Action that it does need work.

Clarity: 8

I had a few problems understanding things in the case of dropped words or things forgotten, and there were a couple of times that it didn't seem like you'd read each others' previous posts thoroughly before writing up your next post. It's worth the time and effort, believe me.

Wild Card: 7

I liked this quest. It was fun and does a notably good job of setting up a good foundation for your characters. Good luck in the future!

Total: 67! Congratulations!

Rewards:
Lavinian Ambition receives: 1015 EXP and 500 GP
Kyo receives: 1015 EXP and 500 GP. The shuriken that got lodged into the wood when she threw it at Jared is also bent, and she might want to look at getting her ninja gi repaired, since she sliced through it and into her back and arms.

EXP/GP added!