Safer waters

[Reine]

((Closed))


Reine carefully stepped down on the wooden floor, her booted feet making only the barest amount of noise. Her heart made up for the rest. It had somehow split itself into many pieces. One lodged itself in her throat and made it difficult to breathe and swallow. The other fluttered around in her chest and the third had settled somewhere in her stomach, flapping desperately like a bird with a broken wing. She was used to these sensations by now and was hoping one day to have them under far more control. But at the same time, she enjoyed them too much to bother. They excited her. The mere thought of what she was doing excited her. The actual action of it, well, she had to focus on the task at hand a lot sometimes.

Taking a deep breath, Reine looked up one end of the modest hall and down the other. At this present moment she stood within the manor of one obnoxious and pompous lord, or someone who merely wished he were a lord. He wasn’t even good looking. He was fat and lazy and couldn’t even take care of himself. Disgusting. She wasn’t here because she disliked him though. No, she had been hired by another noble and steal a certain item from his house, one that may have been difficult for anyone else save her. She didn’t care why. She never asked questions like that and it was exactly that kind of attitude which kept her working in this business. Her clients liked the idea that if she were caught, she knew no information to tell.

Right now, Reine found herself on the second floor of this not so modest, but rather badly decorated, house. Even in the absence of any real light, the thief could see the ugly colours of the rugs and walls and the oddly painted vase. It was all so tacky and did nothing to impress her eyes. The master’s bedroom happened to be a mere floor above this one, and two rooms to the left of her current position, which meant, the item she needed to steal was directly under his sleeping nose.

Making her way down the hall, Reine slipped into the room and closed the door behind her. Inside, she went by feel more than anything until she reached the west window. There, she drew back the curtains the smallest amount she could to allow light to enter the room. Turning away from the window, Reine allowed her eyes times to adjust as she scanned the walls and the floor of the modest sized show room. It was meant to allow guests of the estate to view many of the treasures this man had acquired over the years. Artefacts hundreds of years ago lay snuggled in fabric better than any cloth she wore and encased in glass, protecting them from prying hands. As much as she wanted to play with them, none of those happened to be her target. No, that particular piece was hanging on the wall. A mere piece of decoration, or so it would seem, but it must be worth a fortune to someone to want her to steal it.

Reine moved before the large canvas, much bigger than any thief could ever hope to carry out of here without getting caught. It had to be four feet tall and at least two wide. The fine canvas was covered in an array of paints and colours that blended together to make a beautiful scene. A bridge over a glittering pond covered in lilies and lit by the gentle glow of the moon and a dozen or so fireflies. Truly a wonderful scene.

Slipping her Bag of Infinity from her back, the thief carefully set it on the floor and opened it up as wide as she could. Standing directly in front of the painting, Reine wrapped her gloved fingers around either side of it and carefully lifted it up. The weight surprised her, but she could handle it. Moving it away from the wall, Reine carefully knelt down on one knee and began lowering the painting into her bag. Once the edge of the painting touched the darkness of the bag, the enchantment activated and the bag start absorbing a painting logically too big to fit into it. Once it was done, she tied the bag back up and slipped it onto her shoulders as if it weighed nothing, which it almost did.

Moving towards the window, Reine looked out into the street below. No movement caught her eyes. She never liked leaving through her exit and knew this would be an ideal location. Opening the window, she shivered as she felt the cool night air snake into the room. Her legs broke out in goose pimples. Placing one booted foot on the sill, Reine hefted herself up and then dropped herself straight out the window. She fell feet first the over twenty feet down to the cobbled path below. Less than three feet from the ground, she seemingly pushed off the very air, slow her descent and landed in a crouched position.

By The Thayne, I love these boots.

Standing up, Reine took a deep breath of the night air and slowly relaxed her body. The fun part was over. Now she just needed to get the item to her employer. Straightening her jacket, she turned and began heading down the nearest street. She didn’t make it to the end.

Halfway down, she collapsed. A large, heavy object slammed into the back of her head and sent her sprawling onto the cold ground in a twist of limbs. The world went black, and then slowly came back. It refused to stay focused on her and her eyes could just barely stay open. Pain radiated down her body from the back of her head and somewhere in her mind, she knew she should be moving. A hand roughly grabbed her by the back of her jacket and lifted her up. A face came into view. All she could see were blue eyes and black hair, crooked teeth and smell bad breath.

“This should teach you for poaching on our turf.”

Turf?

She didn’t understand. She opened her mouth to say something, a fist landed in her stomach. Air flew out of her lungs and she fell forward. The person holding her up let her go. There had to be more than just one of them. She had to get up. Groaning, she slowly crawled her way onto her hands and knees.

“Let’s see what you really look like under all that make-up.”

Shit...

A leg slammed into her side and her limp body went rolling across the rough stones of the street.

[Lavinian Ambition]

Radasanth, of all the places in the world that Darith could have sent him to, he had to choose Radasanth. Jared scratched the back of his head while he wandered the back alley's keeping out of sight of the guards. Already he was a wanted man in this small town by its two most prominent groups, each for different reasons. It wasn't that he was a bad guy; just that he had been involved in some bad things.

He also hated the city for another reason, it reminded him of Kyo.

Jared Cesarino was now a complex wreck of a man. He had begun his career as a thief in this very city. He had killed a noble who had crossed Jared, and in turn met the young ninja Kyosku Tetsoma. They had been hired to get the same item, and neither was told the other was on the job as well. The result was Jared had nearly choked the poor woman to death, and she had been rather hostile towards him.

That was, until Roland had sent his thugs after them. When they had arrived almost together to return the item, Kyo had slung it against a wall in anger. Between the two of them, they had bloodied his face, and his pride. The result was Roland sent his minions after them, to teach them a lesson about what it meant to mess with a Radasanthian Noble.

That was the reason the guard wanted him, and the reason he stayed off the main roads.

There was also the rather notorious way the Lavinian Thief's guild, and the Radasanthian Thief's Guild attacked each other. The two groups had fought and killed each other for as long as Lavinya had existed. The result was any Lavinians found in Radasanth were hunted and killed, but that also relied on the Radasanthian thieves figuring out how to corner them.

That was why he was walking the back alleys. He needed a vent.

So it was that when he turned a grungy corner he heard a female cry of alarm, followed by harsh words. The thief didn't even need to figure out what was going on, he merely turned towards the disturbance, figuring it would be a welcome distraction from Kyo and the city he was in. His boots walked steadily over trash and garbage, not wanting to even think about what people had flung out of their windows and into these alleys.

He finally found the disturbance and saw a man viciously beating on a woman, along with some other punks. Jared felt something in him go cold at seeing such treatment. His hand went to a dagger sheathed at the small of his back when his eyes narrowed.

You gonna jump in Jared? Should I help?

No, I need this Seth, just watch and keep me from getting in over my head, Jared replied. Seth Dahlios, the infamous Lavinian thief had somehow formed a link with Jared. At first their conversations had been rather terse and hostile, but with Time Jared had come to see the value of having an experienced thief in his head. It gave him a second opinion of actions he would otherwise have charged ahead in. Still as Jared stood there he finally shouted out, his thick Lavinian accent drifting through the area, "Well, this isn't a surprise, only in Radasanth could you find thieves beating up on poor defenseless girls because they can't do their job."

Immediately the three of them looked up and saw the man who had dared to stand before them. They looked at each other before an assortment of knives and clubs had been pulled. There was a man wielding two daggers who looks slim enough to be a match for Jared. His hands twitched dangerously as if going through the motions of slicing Jared open already. The second was a hulking brute with a rather large piece of wood. It could be called a club, but it looked more like the leg of a chair or table. He seemed to heft it casually, already used to its heft. Finally there was a man with the looks of a shyster. He was the type that would con you out of your money and leave you dead in an alleyway. It was fitting for that’s what he planned on doing to the girl in Jared’s opinion. Perhaps even after doing other things to her.

One of the thugs gently patted his other hand with the club while the leader, a rather skinny man with a tooth missing spoke, "Well, looks like we hit the jackpot today boys, one freelancer and a Lavinian. I think we should welcome our fellow thief here, and perhaps take him back for the Master..."

"Sorry guys, I got to be someplace tonight, so I don't have much time. Why don't you run and leave the girl here before I embarrass you guys even further. To think, you call yourself thieves..." A soft snicker echoed through the alley before the men rushed forward. At least they attempted to coordinate themselves. It was a step up from the first Radasanthians he had encountered, too clumsy to tie their own shoes.

The sounds of metal upon metal could be heard through the alleyway when Jared had pulled his daggers. Bringing them forward he slashed one man neatly across a leg, sending him spilling as he lost the ability to move it without a weal of pain. Dropping one so quickly meant the club that had been meant to knock him down for that man to pounce only brought Jared to a knee, shoulder throbbing from the off target blow.

The man who had talked to Jared, even now was moving to take him. His knives moving with a fluid grace that set of sirens of warning to Jared. He might have stepped in this big time. Not realizing who he had been attacking had nearly cost him, but Jared was used to uphill battles and brought a boot up that winded his charging opponent. His knives then caught a second club blow that would have surely incapacitated the thief.

Metal bit into wood as the coughing leader attempted to regain his breath. Big ragged breathes filled the area as he quickly used his knives grip on the club to yank it from the attacking thief's hand. The wood clattered on the ground as the winded man regained enough breath for a lunge. Jared spun quickly letting the slash pass him by, before bringing a knee up into the man's face sending him sprawling to the dirty ground unconscious.

The club on the ground, the hulking brute of a man who had tried to hit Jared moved only to stop when a knife was held to his throat. Jared's breath came raggedly before he spoke firmly, "Get your friends and go. They're still alive, and if you keep this going, that's only going to look worse on you when you have to explain why someone died."

The man looked Jared over and nodded firmly speaking, "You have to be Firebrand. I guess it could have been worse. I'll give you a day to leave town, then all bets are off."

The hulking man gripped his leader's pants and hauled him over a shoulder, before he grabbed the groaning man and lead him away in a similar fashion. Jared looked down upon the girl he had been sent to rescue before he spoke to the retreating thief, "Thank you. I didn't want to kill you guys..."

"I could tell and that's why I'm giving you a day. Thieves like you are the reason we're still around. I can't guarantee our Master won't want you dead for this. I can however say if you and her left tonight, they won't be able to find you," The thief replied. Jared nodded before he looked at the dirty form of the girl. She looked roughly Jared's age, which was a bonus. It meant she might already be bouncing back from the thrashing they had been giving her.

Dropping to a knee he offered his hand out to her before he said softly, "You okay to walk or should I carry you?"

[Reine]

Get up, get up!! Come on, you have to get up!

Reine groaned and then winced as pain shot through her ribcage. God damn they felt like they were on fire. Her head felt like it was floating around in molasses and her stomach wanted to heave its contents all over the ground. She was a mess. She knew it too. She just couldn’t seem to get the strength up to do anything about it.

Opening her eyes, Reine focused her gaze on the pits and grooves in the rocks right in front of her nose. It made her stomach feel better. Near her, she could hear the telltale signs of a scuffle going on, but she had no idea with whom. No one was trying to beat the very snot out of her, or at least not anymore. Had they fought her fair and out in the open instead of dropping on her like murdering scum, they would have gotten their fill of her spear.

Somehow, she managed to get onto her hands and knees without passing out or throwing up. A miracle that one. Looking around, she noticed that the fight appeared to be over. The men who attacked her took their wounded and fled with a few words and didn’t catch, all of them alive. Oh, if she could just get her hands around their throats... her thought was cut off as someone knelt down next her. Her body tensed, but no blow landed along her slender frame.

“Depends...” She said a little breathlessly, “On where you plan on taking me too, my dashing, redheaded hero.”

She gave him a small smile as she reached out for his hand. At least she still had her charm and her sense of humour after getting the crap kicked out of her. Her clothes were in disarray. Mud and things she better not think about stained her shorts, boots and even her jacket. It was going to take her forever to clean it off. She didn’t even want to know what her hair looked like, nor the make-up that covered her face and hid her identity. The black and purple wings were probably smudged beyond recognition.

The young man didn’t seem to mind, or take notice though. He simply helped her to her feet. She stumbled on her feet, but he helped her stay steady. Waving him away, Reine shook her head and steadied her own body, needing to know she could stand on her own two legs by herself at the present moment.

“I think thanks are in order; however I’m not in the best state to give it right now.”

Her head was beginning to clear, but it still felt like an army was battling between her temples. She had no idea which one was going to win, but she hoped they had pain medication, whichever one it was.

“You’ll have to settle for this, stranger.” Stepping towards him, Reine planted a small kiss on his cheek. As she stepped away from him, her legs betrayed her and she wobbled. Seems she was not as well as she thought. Ah well, slap a bandage on it and it’ll get better. She just needed a few minutes.

[Lavinian Ambition]

Jared raised an eyebrow when the young woman finally rose. She was one of those girls that you could go either way with. The kind that either you thought was really beautiful, or the kind that was good if no one else was available. She just needed to fill out a bit more, and she could have easily been someone Jared would have fallen head over heels for. He decided she was definitely a cute one, and that would provide a needed distraction to his addled mind.

Still the kiss was unexpected, and with it he raised an eyebrow as she woozily stood in place. He then spoke his voice firm and uncompromising, "I don't know if you have someplace to go, and hell I don't care. You're coming with me till you can stand up and not look like a train wreck. I can at least give you a warm bed and a place they won't come again while you're getting better."

Before she could even respond to his words he lifted her up gracefully as he had carried his own sister a few times. Arm snaked under her legs supporting them with another around her waist. When he was older he would do it when he was going to dump her firmly in her bed so she would go to sleep. It reminded him of better times, happier times, and he was at least glad for the distraction the girl was supplying.

"Oh, hey, huh? Ah well, you just better know what you wanna do with me when you get me there. I don't like being disappointed," The words issued from her mouth, and she certainly didn't resist his carrying as they moved through the alleyways. Luckily he was a short distance from the safe house he had been assigned, perhaps that's why he had gone looking for trouble. If things got dicey he could have escaped there and hid out, after losing them of course.

He gave her an amused smirk as he said jokingly, "I said I'd give you a bed, not take you to mine. I hardly know you, and while you certainly aren't hard on the eyes I'm not the kind of guy to take advantage of a poor defenseless lady..." The words dripped with a friendly sarcasm, designed to put a buffer between him and the girl. His words at least said he picked up her meaning, even if he wasn't going to act upon her invitation. Kyo still hurt in his heart, and he felt like he would be betraying her, even though it was her who left.

He really needed to get over her, she was gone, and wasn't coming back.

Shaking his head briefly he chuckled, even as he heard the elder Lavinian in his head, I should have realized why I got stuck with you...

And why's that Seth? Jared replied a hint of humor in his thoughts towards the thief in his head.

You're a hopeless romantic, almost as big as I was, Seth replied firmly. Jared let out a chuckle that escaped his filter. He usually didn't respond in any noticeable way to Seth's comments, to prevent people from thinking him crazy. Today however seemed a day of out of the norm behavior. Today seemed to be a day of exploration.

As he reached the safe house door, he shifted her weight before he opened it. The safe house was actually a small apartment with two beds in the bedroom. It was designed for thieves working together to hide away, with the two of them being able to live somewhat comfortably while waiting for the heat to blow over.

A table had been set with four chairs around it, and a cast iron stove stood in the corner, its pipe chimney going through the ceiling and connecting to the network that would vent the smoke outside. He raised an eyebrow when he saw that a fire had been kindled in the stove, and warmth radiated from it. Setting the girl down in a chair he carefully placed a hand on the hilt of his dagger, long since returned to its sheath.

He moved deliberately before he checked the bedroom and found a bag setting on one of the beds, and not his. His bag was on the rather messy bed that was across the room from it, where he had slept the night before. A look at the bow in the corner told him quickly who his co-habitant would be, and apparently the thief had stepped out for a moment.

A sigh left his lips as he went back into the main room much more relaxed, "We'll probably have company soon. I got a room mate tonight it seems. I'm sure we'll figure something out sleeping arrangement wise."

[Reine]

Reine looked around the sparse conditions. It wasn’t home, but it would have to do. Besides, she wasn’t overly picky. It did have a bed like he’d promised her. Not as big and fluffy looking as the one she’d spent a pretty penny for, but anything was better than the dirty street she had been lying upon not too long ago.

“Not too bad of a place you’ve got going on here. You part of some organization or something? I thought I heard the words Lavinian thrown around back there, but I might be mistaken. After all, I did have my head beat in with a wooden club. Or at least I think it was a club...”

Reine wasn’t one to mumble or talk aimlessly, but it felt better to say something than let the room fill with silence. She only liked silence when she was alone. This man, something felt off about him to her, something that made her feel not as safe as she should be. Well, there was the fact that she knew nothing about him and he could be turning her into the authorities the moment she turned her back. Then again, he already had the chance. She’d been in his arms but a few moments ago, he could have done anything he wanted to her then. Shame.

Sitting up, Reine carefully reached behind her and pulled off the straps of her Bag of Infinity, followed by the sheath that Amalia rested in. She placed Amalia on the ground by her feet. It wasn’t her only weapon, The Iron Shackles, a rather inconspicuous looking pair of boots still lay on her feet should this man try anything she didn’t like.

“I suppose we’ll have to get this over with quickly then, before your company returns.” That sly smile still played at the corners of her lips, even in her condition. At least her ribs were beginning to hurt less and she no longer thought her empty stomach was going to spill upon the floor.

Reaching into her bag, Reine pulled out a large, leather pouch from the blackened confines, something that didn’t even look like it should fit in there. Placing it on the table, she reached up and began unzipping her black jacket, a little slower than was necessary. Not much graced her body underneath it, and by not much, she meant nothing. Sadly, she didn’t get the best reaction from him. His faced turned into a serious frown, more confused than excited by any of her moves. Maybe his tastes fell upon those of his own sex. She had heard of it happening before. A waste if someone asked her though.

Her smile didn’t falter. “Well, I’m not exactly in the best shape to clean myself up. I’m afraid you’ll have to do it.” Her tone gave the implication she’d enjoy it a lot more than he would.

He stared at her as if confused by her words. Maybe she didn’t look as bad as she thought she did.

“Really? I...” He stopped, as if thinking, and then he sighed, resigning himself to his fate. Yep, he definitely leaned towards the same sex. His company must be his partner. “I’ll go get the wash basin...”

He turned and left the bedroom, heading into an adjacent room probably meant as the washing facilities. Reine in the meantime unrolled the pouch on the table before her. Bandages, packed herb remedies and various cutting and stitching utensils lay before her. This was not the first time she’d been injured, though it was the only time she’d never gotten the opportunity to give back worse then she’d gotten.

By the time Jared returned, Reine had dry swallowed a small amount of herbs meant to dull the pain, she’d also set out some bandages and salve meant to reduce swelling and bruising. She could almost see the damage done to her ribs, but seeing as how she was breathing fine, nothing was broken.

“Thanks, stranger.”

The first thing she did though, dip a cloth in the water and begin washing all the make-up off her face. No point hiding behind it now.

If you could bandage up my ribs that would be quite helpful.”

[Lavinian Ambition]

Jared looked at the girl, before he dipped the cloth in the water, and let it soak. Looking at her a sigh left his lips before he picked up the bandages, and carefully felt her ribs. He then spoke calmly, evenly and softly, "Yeah, I'm from Lavinya. We have problems with the local thief's guild all the time, so any chance I get to screw them over I take. I'm Jared by the way, in case you needed a name to go with my handsome face..."

The bandages carefully went about her ribs, and because he was working with flesh he got a good look at her body. Jared probably could have wound this girl so tight, she'd be begging for him to help her get loose. Kyo had taught him more than his fair share of tricks in such a game, and he was certain that he could do it no problem. The girl seemed rather naive about a few things.

"It's always nice to have a name to scream out in the dead of night." She chewed over what name she should give him. In the end, she didn't trust him enough for Faelynn. "I'm known as Reine around these parts. Though your name's not familiar, I've certainly heard about the Lavinian thieves. Seth Dahlios is like... my idol!" She smiled dreamily, then shook her head. Maybe if she was lucky, Jared would have heard of her, after all, she'd been thieving her for over a year now.

Gods was it hard not to laugh when she spoke of Seth. Instead he merely snickered into the place in his head that Seth liked to occupy. The demon seemed to remain silent, probably because of shock, or worse. Still as he finished the bandages, he picked up the towel from the wash basin and rung it out, letting the excess water flow back into the bowl.

He began going to work, washing her body free of the dirt and grime. He could see a few minor lacerations, nothing that the bandages and herbs she had nearby couldn't handle. Still he let a wry smile cross his face as he spoke, "Reine huh? I'd be careful Reine. Having your name known is a big no no around here and Lavinya. We have a saying in Lavinya, if you're known you're caught."

He then moved to the legs and carefully began to wash them clean, working hard and diligently he managed to get some of the dirt off a shin and was moving higher. Her back was facing the door and when it opened, Jared's head snapped up his eyes widening when he saw an older man enter the door.

Brown hair streaked with a gray marked the age and time that had claimed Garret Brown. The Lavinian Enforcer of sorts, his job was to hunt down rogue members of the Guild and to bring them back to the fold. Garret had already collected Jared once, during his aimless wanderings following Kyo's disappearance. He had made it clear that he didn't want to fight Jared, mainly because he was tired of the killing. Still, the way he worked with a bow had reminded everyone why his Thief name, the name chosen to be used when in others company was the Hawk. You were never free of his talons.

"Hello Firebrand, what on earth are you doing?" The voice was warm, and held a hint of formality in it, underlining the question with a reminder about protocol.

"Hawk! Uh, look...this isn't what it looks like I swear! She was getting roughed up in a nearby alley and I decided to help here out! I promise!" Jared replied bolting upright and standing from in front of the girl. The cloth quickly hit the basin to leech out more dirt and refuse while he explained to the man what he was doing here with a girl.

Garret moved forward carefully his steps even before he walked around the table, being sure to move in a non-threatening manner. He then eyed the girl before he pointed at her legs, "Forgot a spot on her inner thigh there buddy..."

Jared turned a bright red at the comment before he opened his mouth to speak before Garret clamped a firm hand on the Lavinian's shoulder, "Look, I don't care about what your excuses are, I figure you know what you're doing. You remind me of Seth in that regard. Just don't let your second head get in the way of your brain Firebrand. Got it?"

Jared was flummoxed when he looked at Garret before the thief sat at the table and said, "Keep going, I'll prepare dinner for three."

"Three? Rac-"

"No, Sparrow isn't with me this time. I should consider you lucky for that. She's waiting back in Lavinya, and I leave tomorrow," Garret replied cutting him off. He then smiled at the young woman before he replied, “So, as you probably heard, I’m Hawk, and what should I call you miss?”

[Reine]

Their conversation amused her and she barely managed to keep a sly smile from spreading from one end of her face to the other. If her eyes sparkled with amusement, she could do nothing of it. The two acted like some awkward family, though Reine could see no resemblance between this man called Hawk and Jared, or Firebrand as his thieving name implied.

Now that’s a name I recognize. So if Firebrand is his codename, for some reason he thought I was trustworthy enough to be given his real one. Hawk does not share this sentiment though, not that I blame him. Then again, it’s a little more difficult for me. Faelynn walks around as Reine’s mediator, none of her clients ever meet Reine, they only see Faelynn and none know that both are the same. It gets confusing from time to time, but I don’t want to associate my family in Underwood with anything negative. It keeps them safe. Sadly, it’s no longer keeping me safe.

Her mind wandered back to the fight and the smile that had touched her face slid away. She remembered a nagging feeling in her stomach when she’d taken that road, the sound of grinding dirt on the street right before the club had hit her head. There were things she could have done. Things she should have done to protect herself. It was odd, she’d been doing this for over a year in Radasanth and longer in Underwood and now was the first time she’d run into trouble, but why? She had no enemies. She could not think of a single person that would want her half beaten or worse, dead. Was she missing something? Perhaps it had been completely random.

She felt uncomfortable suddenly, exposed and not in a physical sense. Unconsciously, she zipped her jacket back up, until she winced from the fabric tightening around her bruised side. Shaking the uncomfortable feeling off, Reine realized that Jared’s company was talking to her.

“Oh, umm... well, Hawk...” Her mind wasn’t catching up as fast as her mouth was moving. She should have some witty comment or cute, flirtatious remark to make but she just couldn’t think of one. Her mind kept wandering back to that moment the club slammed into her skull. She wanted to go home and not her home here in Radasanth, but back to Underwood. She wanted Ferynn.

“Sorry, I just keep thinking about what happened back there. Can’t get it out of my mind and how I could have done things differently, or why it even happened to begin with. But, enough of that, what doesn’t kill you will only make you stronger! So Hawk, it’s a pleasure to meet you. You may call me Reine.”

Garret smiled at her, a rather handsome man for his years. “Yeah, I suppose you could thank Firebrand for that. He’ll take care of you at least. I can make sure you get one good meal tonight before I subject you to his cooking.”

That infamous smile of hers quickly spread across her face as the room filled with the sound of her laughter. It stopped only a few moments in though, as she winced, clutching her side.

“Please, it hurts to laugh. I’m sure whatever culinary skills he lacks, I can make up for.” The grin of humour soon turned to something else though. “Shame you won’t be sticking around, I’d love to get to know you better.” She winked at him. “By the by, Firebrand, I heard you talking to the men before... do you know who they are and why they attacked me?”

Hawk turned his gaze away from her and levelled a rather knowing smirk at Jared. If she didn’t know better, Reine might take a guess that she just got Jared in trouble. Oh well, he was a big boy and could handle it himself. He was the one that wanted to play hero.

“Yes, Firebrand, just who were those mysterious attackers?”

She didn’t miss the dirty look Jared shot back to Hawk either. Perhaps these two were not sexual partners but work partners instead.

“They're Radasanthian thieves. Think of it like a club, if you do any jobs that are supposed to be kept on the down low, it’s supposed to be through them. From what I gathered, they tagged you as a freelancer, probably because you aren't paying dues, and you aren't one of them.”

Reine sighed. “And here I thought being a thief would give me freedom.”

The Radasanthian Thieves” She’d heard of it, everyone had heard of him, but she never thought she’d be stepping on their toes. She did very small jobs, nothing big and nothing that paid her too much. How could the modest amount of work she performed in a year make a dent in anything that the Radasanthian Thieves did? On top of that, the two men here were part of a thieves guild as well, the Lavinian Thieves Guild, what if she’d been poaching on their territory as well? Great, what kind of mess had she gotten in to this time...?

[Lavinian Ambition]

Jared picked up on the epiphany she had experienced upon hearing about the Radasanthian's own dirty dealers. It had been awhile since they had done anything so open, and it concerned Jared quite a bit. A quick glance at Garret revealed much the same, and the situation had to be scaring her a bit. Jared merely gave her a hopeful smile as he offered, "I know it sounds bad, really this is the first time in awhile they've gone after a non-Lavinian in awhile."

Garret seemed to be analyzing the situation before he said, "Yeah, ever since William bit it because of Seth they have been unfocused, hell they were almost wiped out. If nothing else I guess I can't go too hard on you Firebrand, you just made them tip their hand in a big way. A bit more information and I'm sure we could anticipate their next plan of action."

Jared idly scratched behind his head before he looked at Reine, "I guess that settles it, at least I'm not in trouble anymore." A look of brief relief crossed his face before he could see Garret moving about the small kitchen. He began to place water into a copper pot, before moving it to the stove, where it slowly began to warm.

"You know what this means Firebrand?" Garret said firmly. Jared merely shrugged before Garret spoke up, "New Guild Master. They don't have the numbers to patrol their territory, yet they're trying anyways. The last one was smart enough to realize that and let things like Reine's actions slide, the new one..."

Jared picked up the tangent and quickly finished the statement, "Is looking to clean house quick. Probably do some aggressive expansion and hope that those they catch will be forced into the fold..."

"Exactly," Garret said looking at the young girl, "I'm sorry, we're being awfully rude about all this. Reine, I can't just let you go yet, not without asking you a few questions, and I doubt Firebrand will let you out of the safe house in your condition. Don't worry too much about Firebrand, he's rather tame when someone hasn't stoked his temper."

"Thanks Hawk, that's really what I need right now, a reminder," Jared quipped sharply.

Reine blinked stared at the two of them for a moment, then her whole body tensed as Hawk's words sank in. "Wait a minute, what? You plan on keeping me here? Look, while I appreciate your help, I do have a safe home to go back to. No one knows my real name or identity; in fact, you two are the only ones who have seen my face."

"It's not going to be forever, merely long enough to ask a few questions, then you can argue with Jared about going back to your own safe house..." Garret offered as he began to add a few vegetables to the water as it began to boil. His tone wasn't a threatening one, merely a firm one, allowing for little to no rebuttal.

"A few questions?" She narrowed her eyes on Hawk. "And then what, stamp my ass with the Lavinian seal of approval, force me into your ranks like that group wanted and control and monitor my every move? Yeah, I don't think so." The sound of scraping wood cut through the room as Reine push her chair back and stood. She felt much steadier than before, not perfect, but she did a good job of keeping the appearance of being so.

"Is that what you want?" Garret asked, "You definitely have some pride in you if you think I'd want you as a Lavinian thief..." A hint of a smile crossed his face, and then was buried beneath his serious demeanor.

She smirked, more than aware of the game of words he'd just tried to lead her into. "Perfect, then we're both in agreement over the fact that I'm not joining the Lavinian Thieves Guild." Hiding her discomfort, Reine reached down and grabbed both her bag and Amalia then turned towards the door.

"At least stay for dinner Reine. With your ribs like that it wouldn't take me long to track you down. It would also be rude to walk out on the people that are keeping your rather beautiful ass out of the fire..."

Her hand tightened around the sheathed form of her spear, hidden in the folds of leather. She hated being threatened, even as subtly as Hawk did it. In the end though, she knew he could track her down if he really wanted to. She'd never make it home before he found her. Sighing in resignation, Reine turned back towards the table and sat down, resting Amalia against her thigh. "Fine..."

"This isn't a recruitment drive or anything, merely some basic information about how you operate. From there, we can make our own assumptions as to how far they're stretched. The Radasanth Guild has caused no end of problems, and any chance we get to nip them in the bud is helpful. I assure you after you give me your answers you could walk out of here, and I wouldn't do a damn thing. Jared however, he's worried..."

[Reine]

God damn it she felt so helpless in this situation! She’d never had to deal with anything like this. A few scraps with some guards, some tussles in the back alleys with men who thought themselves tougher and stronger than anything out there, but that was it. She’d never had to worry about the Radasanthian Thieves and where their boundaries were and what she could or couldn’t do. She didn’t have to watch her every step as she slipped down a darkened street, fleeing from the last house she’d just robbed and changing clothes in the process so as not to get caught. That was the excitement in her life, a few times a week, maybe less. She felt thrill of stealing something course through her blood as she jumped out the window at the top story of a house, the fall far enough to kill anyone else. But now... now things had changed. Maybe she should think about leaving town.

Her hands lay in her lap, tightly balled into fists. Her fingernails dug into the calloused skin of her palms as they shook...from what? Was this fear she felt, or something else? Adrenaline maybe?

Fuck! Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, FUCK!

Reine squeezed her eyes shut; she wasn’t used to feeling this way. Nothing scared her, nothing. And these thieves were not about to be the first ones. She opened her eyes and stared down at her hands. They were strong, capable hands and would defend her no matter what. If these thieves couldn’t play fair and attack her head on then she’d just grow a pair of eyes in the back of her head. If they were stronger than her, she’d train harder.

She glanced over at Jared, he was watching her for something; she didn’t know what. She couldn’t read his expression right now. Feeling that serene mask begin to cover her features again, Reine gave him a small smile.

“Ah, well, he can worry about himself. I know how to defend myself. Though, it is rather nice to have a handsome hero dash in for the rescue. Next time, if he doesn’t wait until my ribs are almost broken, I’m sure I’d be inclined to pay him back to the best of my skills.” She was speaking to Hawk, but looking directly at Jared the whole time.

Jared smirked before he retorted, “Still not too late to pay me back... I think I could do with a good repayment.” Hawk glanced over at the two of them and shook his head, muttering something Reine barely caught, something about ‘kids these days’.

“Aww, don’t get jealous now, Hawk. It’s not becoming of you. Besides Jared, I did offer to pay you back, though it became quite obvious to me your tastes fell on different...sorts.”

Jared quickly opened his mouth, but Hawk cut him off first. “Oh trust me; he’s rather good at stealing more than just money. The glances he was giving you told me enough. I’m sure he’s just too scared of his ex to pick another one...”

“Hawk, that was a low blow and you know it!” Jared spat at the man.
Hawk only chuckled in turn and went to the bedroom, returning a moment later with a pouch. He sprinkled something from the bag into the pot and sighed, “Coming along nicely.”

Reine could only smile. “Ah well, at least it’s nice to know you’re not actually gay. I was almost positive I could have pegged you for the type. Let’s not continue this game of words though.” She quickly added at the end, cutting off any remark from Jared. She wanted to get this over with. “Whenever you want to ask me those questions, Hawk.”

[Lavinian Ambition]

Garret nodded before he spoke, "Upfront, I can respect that. I promise to try not to get anything to specific. Really your operation is entirely yours; Lavinya has no claim over here. Radasanth is just too important a port to let the local thieves have total control over. I hope you understand."

She sighed, "I get it. I don't have to like it, but I get it. I tried to remain neutral and let the guilds do their own thing, hoping they'd leave me alone. It's worked for over a year."

"Fair enough, that eliminates most of it. I just need to know if you use a local fence, or have some private arrangement. The only other thing is if you'd been contacted by them before. I'm guessing no from the sounds of it, but it never hurts to know."

Reine looked away from him, staring at some nondescript point in the room. "I use a job finder. She contacts anyone looking to hire me. I never even meet any of my contractors, they like it that way."

"Well, that’s all I need to know," Garret said.

Jared meanwhile raised an eyebrow before he said rather bluntly, "Really? That's all? You threatened to drag the answers out of her just for that?"

"I already figured the rest out, there's no need for me to drill her...if you want Jared, I can ask her another question. Reine, would you like extra spice, or not as much?"

She stared at him a moment, trying to figure out exactly what he had gained from such a simple answer. There was a look of confusion. "Just what did you learn from that?"

"The specifics of your operation don't matter," Garret said ladling the stew into a bowl before he set it upon the table, "All that matters is the kind of operation. If they're hitting people with Fences, it means one of two things, either they're pressuring fences for the information, or they're hunting the freelancers, hoping to force the fences to work them too."

She snorted. "Good luck with that one. I'd just love to see them try to touch my fence." Her face twisted into a satisfied smirk as she seemed to ponder that very thought.

"Its not so much how they did it, as what they did. Just means we can't trust fences too much for a bit, till we slap the Guild's wrist..." Another bowl was ladled and set down before a third quickly joined it. "So, I leave you to beating up Jared, to make your grandiose escape from the evil clutches of the Lavinian Thief's guild. I suggest not in the face, unless he did something particularly spiteful..."

Jared sat heavily in a chair before he said rather defensively, "Look now, the ribbing was okay at first, now you're crossing the line Hawk..."

"Good, then if the jokes are over, let’s eat eh?"

[Reine]

Reine smiled at Hawk. “And here I thought you were going to starve me to death.”

She gladly dug into the bowl of soup before her. It wasn’t the best meal she’d ever had, but she was a lot hungrier than she thought and apparently she stomach didn’t care about the taste of anything, just as long as it filled the empty space growing within it. She didn’t say another word, not until she’d practically inhaled the first, second and finished half of her third bowl.

Rubbing her now full stomach, Reine leaned back in her chair and sighed in relief, then accidentally let a small burp get passed her.

“Ah, excuse me. My compliments to the chef.” A slight blush crept up her cheeks as she giggled softly. Honestly, she was brought up better than that, but didn’t care in the end. Something her mother had gotten angry over a lot during her youth. Ladies did not do things like that, which was probably true. Reine had never classified herself as a lady.

Jared chuckled softly at her, while Hawk clapped encouragingly. “Well done. I can’t stand women who think they can’t have bodily functions. We all do it, might as well get it over with...”

The blush on her cheeks only turned a darker shade if red as she laughed. “What did I say about making me laugh, it hurts.” She gave him a mocking glare. Honestly, the man wasn’t that bad and Reine was beginning to enjoy the fact that she had stayed here. Rather than play the big, prideful woman and walk out. Even Jared had his moments, when he actually opened his mouth and spoke them. “You two aren’t half bad.”

“I’d say thank you, but I have a feeling Garret had more to do with it than I did. I guess being the old geezer of the bunch gave him some experience in cracking jokes.”

They’d both let it slip, first Hawk and now Jared. He had trusted her in the beginning with his own name, but she’d played the game when company had showed up and codenames had been thrown around. Now Reine knew she was sitting at a table, having a meal with the infamous Garret Brown. If she remembered correctly from the old stories, he was Seth Dahlios’s best friend and a rather well known member of The Lavinian Thieves Guild. She might as well be sitting before Seth himself. God, she could cry right now. But she wasn’t going to. She was also not going to jump up and down like a giddy little school girl, nope, not at all. Mainly because if she did, her ribs were going to kill her.

The man she now knew to be Garret Brown snorted at Jared’s comment, not even realizing the young thief had let his real name out of the bag. “I’m not old, just well seasoned...”

“That’s right,” Reine smirked, “experience usually wins over youth in the end anyway.” She winked at Garret. “Before we continue our game of sarcastic and mocking remarks, would either of you gentlemen mind if I had a bath? I feel disgusting in these clothes.”

The two of them might have forgotten—probably because they weren’t wearing them—but Reine’s outfit was covered in filth from the streets.

Garret shrugged and then turned towards Jared, “Horrible kid, if you’re going to flirt and bring a lady into your house, you’re gonna have to pamper her. You should have just drawn the bath and had her take it while I prepared the stew, rather than insist on scrubbing her clean. If you had played your cards right you would have had plenty of time to grope her later.”

Jared face turned beat red before he quickly stood up and said, “I’ll go head up some of the water.”

He quickly disappeared from the kitchen and went into the washing facilities. She heard running water a few moments later and somehow just barely managed to keep her laughter down to a contained giggle. Oh by The Thayne, the two of them were too much for her to handle.

“That poor kid.” Reine said between her giggles. Her right arm was clutching her side, but even though it hurt she couldn’t stop picturing the look on his face. “Let me guess, you’d have had be cleaned and in bed by now?”

“In my youth? You’d have been stripped when I was ‘taking care of you’. People tend to be less prudish when someone’s saving their life, and far more grateful.”

“Hmm... well you still have the chance. I could use some help cleaning rather hard to reach places.”

Garret let out a soft chuckle and leaned over the table as he placed with a conspicuous ring on his hand. “I would, but Sparrow would take everything that’d make me a man in retribution.”

Reine shook her head, she sounded like her kind of woman, someone that definitely knew how to keep Garret Brown in check. Just then, Jared came back into the room. “Great, I’m stuck with a gay guy and a married guy.”

Grabbing her bag, Reine moved passed Jared and slipped into the bathroom, closing the door behind her and leaving the two men alone.

[Lavinian Ambition]

"She's a nice girl," Garret said as he moved back into his bedroom. Returning he placed two glasses upon the table. Jared merely shook his head in disbelief when Garret placed a rather familiar brown bottle upon the table, his knife moving to uncork the Ale that both men had come to enjoy.

"Yeah, unfortunately nice doesn't translate to, 'I get to keep my gold' this time," Jared replied.

"Is that really your excuse? I think you're far worse at this game than you realize. Perhaps you should stop playing," Garret retorted, before he pulled equal portions in both glasses. Jared hunched over his glass of Ale before he sighed deeply.

"No, Kyo is my excuse-"

"-and a damn bad one at that. Look, I get it; you were smitten with the girl. I'd be the same way if, gods forbid, Sparrow suddenly died tomorrow. You however, don't have the same commitment I do. While it was fun for me to fool around with a pretty young thing like that, I have a kid at home and a wife who both are looking forward to seeing daddy for the first time in a month," Garret said firmly.

Jared sighed before he sipped the Ale. He then looked up at the Lavinian Hawk for a bit before he nodded, "You're right, it’s just like Kid too, I get too attached, and then bullshit like this happens-"

"You're like Seth in that regard. He is a horrible person in the relationship department, because of my sister. I don't blame the two of them, really it was neither his nor her fault. What happened as a result destroyed any sense of relationship the guy had. You're heading down the same road Jared, and I'm going to tell you one simple piece of advice," Garret replied before downing the glass and promptly refilling it.

"Whats that Garret?"

"Stop running. I guarantee you women don't give a fuck what is going on within the confines of your head. Its only when they're forced to deal with it they care, obviously you won't go back to Kid, and Kyo hasn't given you any reason to chase her, so pick up a girl, maybe two.”

"Yeah, thanks Garret like I need advice from a lecher like you," Jared replied pointing a finger at the older thief. Garret shook his head slowly and sighed.

"Live your life a little and enjoy the adventuring a bit more. I'm not saying father ten kids, but I am saying stop hiding from flirtatious advances like Reine's. Also, I don't want you going back to Lavinya with me tomorrow..." Garret finally replied before he held up a hand cutting off the objection, "Jared, you need to walk around a bit and figure out what the fuck you're doing. You're playing knight in shining armor to every cute girl you can, and it’s frankly annoying. Even when it was Seth it was annoying."

Like he had a right to talk the bastard... Seth, who had for the most part remained silent finally spoke up, his voice a low growl.

Jared grumpily agreed. He then looked up into Garret's eyes before he said firmly, "So what? I'm supposed to have a girlfriend in every port?"

"I'm saying enjoy your life a bit more. Treat the girl once or twice, decide if you're going to bed her and come to Lavinya after you've had some fun. Not a second sooner, or I will tell Darith how I found out about Radasanth's problems," Garret replied firmly.

Jared looked at him flabbergasted by the sudden frankness of his statement. He seemed to stumble for something to say and took a draught of the ale to hide his surprise. He had never truly gotten a father vibe from garret till then, but really it was something Jared's own father would never have said. Really Jared was in shock as he leaned on a hand.

Finally Jared found the words to speak, "I can't promise anything, if I stay away too long you'll only be forced to drag me back in, and then Rachel would kill me after Darith got through chewing my ass off."

"Just, don't run. Enjoy your time with her, though not tonight, I need sleep and I'm not up to hearing slap and tickle from the other bed. Dealt with that enough in my youth, I'm much more agreeable to silence when we go to sleep," Garret replied giving a conspiratory wink to the younger Lavinian. Both men finished their glasses before the bottle was resealed.

[Reine]

The bathroom was modest, much like the rest of the safe house. It had the amenities and nothing more. Just the stuff you needed to stay alive and feel like a human being when you were running for your life. As she walked by the dirty and tarnished mirror, she stopped and looked at her reflection. Her face was white and drawn looking; her eyes distant and her hair looked like a rats nest. Honestly, she barely recognized herself. There were even still traces of smudged make-up around her eyes, making them looked bruised and tired.

Looking away, Reine stripped out of her clothes and removed Jared’s tension bandages, then slipped into the hot water. It felt good, even on her bruises and scrapes. She could feel the tension in her body slowly begin to melt into the heat of the filled tub. She slipped down passed the water line and stayed below the warm surface for as long as she could, then came up gasping for air. She felt like that. Like she was drowning right now, only she couldn’t see the surface, probably because there wasn’t ones. She was making the situation out to be worse than it really was. All it meant was she’d have to stay away from thieving for a few weeks and when she went back, she’d have to be far more careful. It’s not like she couldn’t trust her fence though.

A drop of water rolled down her cheek and fell from her jaw into the tub below. She watched the ripples travel out across the surface of the water, until they impacted the sides of the tub or disappeared. Then she realized it wasn’t water. She was crying. All she flirtations aside—she only did it to make herself feel more stables, that’s what she’d normally do right now—she felt scared. And she didn’t know what to do about it.

Reine hugged her knees to her chest and rested her cheek along one. She stayed like that until the water went tepid, and then managed to scrub herself clean and wash the tangles out of her hair. Jared had placed a towel on the ground for her and she happily snatched it up as the cool night air touched her damp skin. Drying herself off, she dug around in her Bag of Infinity until pulling out a simple pair of black pants and a dark purple top. The top came up a little high on her stomach but the bandages she wrapped around the nasty looking bruise hid most of her skin from view. Slipping The Iron Shackles back on her feet, Reine sighed in relief. She felt more secure with them on. Brushing her hair, she separated it into the two pigtails she liked wearing so much and then took a look at herself in the mirror. She eyes were a little puffy and red, hopefully neither Garret nor Jared would notice. The last thing she needed was to be babied. She was a grown woman and she’d already made her decision about Radasanth.

Slipping out of the bathroom, Reine smiled at the two men. It appeared they had some serious conversation while she was gone, or at least that’s what she guessed from the bottle of alcohol on the table. She’d done some serious thinking as well.

“Well, at least I feel human again.” She said to the two of them.

She felt more than human, her side actually felt better for the time it had spent in the warm water.

“So how are the sleeping arrangements supposed to work?”

“Well, I get my own bed, you two can fight for the other one, share or something. I just want it quiet tonight. So if you’re going to romp get it over with now so I can sleep. Early boat tomorrow.” Garret replied.

“Wait, you’re leaving tomorrow?” It was hard to hide her disappointment. She had just met Garret Brown and was hoping to learn a thing or two from the man. He had after all been in this business longer than she had been alive.

“Don’t act too sad there, kid. If Jared likes you enough he might take you into Lavinya with him. Course, if you get there on your own I’m sure Father’d be willing to put some time into you.”

Reine blushed slightly. She didn’t know who father was, but she didn’t think Garret would see right through her that easily.

“Right, well... Jared, you can have the bed. I doubt I’ll be able to sleep much tonight anyway. I feel too wired.” She quickly changed the subject, even though Garret had just thrown her a curve she hadn’t expected. He just gave her the opportunity to go to Lavinya and train with the thieves there. She had already made up her mind on what to do after she was healed, but now she had a new option.

"This place have a balcony where a girl can get some fresh air?"

[Lavinian Ambition]

Jared finally felt like he had some form of control in the situation. The problem with having a more experienced thief around was they tended to do things their way, and Jared felt he didn't have a right to say otherwise. I mean, could you really fault a way that had kept someone alive for as long as Garret? He'd been thieving when Jared wasn't even a twinkle in his mother's eyes.

But the sleeping situation, that he alone had some control over. He shook his head when he said, "Nah Reine, I promised you a warm bed, I'd be screwing up if I didn't provide. Though I doubt there's a balcony here, if you need some fresh air you could go outside a bit. I just don't recommend running too far, they're probably out looking for us now."

The smile she had faltered a bit. While the thought of fresh air seemed to be tempting to her, she didn't like the idea of wandering around alone and hated that fact. She'd feel better in the morning after she had a night to rest. "No, don't worry about it. Have anything I can keep my hands busy with?"

"You good with locks?" Jared asked casually.

She blushed slightly. "Never tried..." She replied a bit sheepishly.

"Good," He then moved into his room, grabbing his picks he also grabbed a lock from its place on the side. He then tossed the lock onto the table, then placed the picks beside it almost reverently, "If you're going to be a thief, you need to diversify your talents. If they decide to lock it behind something, you'd be in real trouble, especially if its one of those."

Reine looked at the set on the table, and then sat down, picking up the lock and the tiny little steel implements meant to open it. She had no idea what she was doing honestly. She'd never needed to open a lock in her life, especially since she tended to slip in the second or third story where no one bothered to lock the doors or windows. "Umm... how do I use this?"

Jared smirked before he hunched behind her and whispered softly in her ear, "First, let’s look at the keyhole. You'll never pick a lock by staring at it." His arms came about either side of her slowly before he asked, "You don't mind if I help you right?"

She smiled softly as she felt his fingers wrap around her hands and his warm breath tickle the side of her neck. "Not at all."

Jared smirked before he continued, keeping his voice soft and calm, "At least you got the right tool, the other's are far too fat to get into the hole." He then carefully lead her hand into the lock, "Think of the pick here as your finger, you're searching for something that can obviously move, and offers some stiff resistance to doing so. You're job is to push it in the direction it doesn't want to go."

Reine used Jared's directions and began feeling around inside of the lock. The tiny end of the lock pick moved, but all she felt was it scraping against the inside walls of the lock, nothing more. Maybe she wasn't sensitive enough to feel around inside one of these. "I don't really feel anything special... I don't know if I can do this without seeing it. I mean, how do I know when I've hit this resistant...thing? It all feels resistant in there..."

He carefully guided her hand to where he knew the latch was. Letting her gently scrape it he chuckled, "You may take awhile, but you learn when something is resistant or just not budging. This is a master crafted lock, so I don't blame you for not feeling it. It's meant to give me troubles picking it."

She turned her head slightly so she could just barely see him. "And what are you, Mr. Master lock pick?" She twisted the lock pick in her hand and felt something shift rather reluctantly within the inner workings of the lock, then a resounding click. Jared let a small victory smile cross his face.

"I can pick most locks, there’s a few that require more specialized tools than I can get in a bazaar. I'm not anywhere near fast enough to be called a master. Just well versed."

"Jared's leading you on; he's plenty good when he needs to be. He's just not confident, and I just can't beat that into his head enough," Garret replied. He then left for the room with a goodbye wave and managed, "I'm getting some rest, don't stay up too late Kids."

"Sure thing, Daddy!" Reine said in a rather child-like sounding voice.

"Don't stroke his ego," Jared warned before he turned to look at the cute girl. He had not been this close to her in some time, not since he had been cleaning her off and Garret had walked in. It was intoxicating to say the least, and he wished he had gotten some time to be alone with her, rather than deal with Garret and his humor. Not that he minded the lecher; just that he minded the pervert when Jared was the butt of the jokes.

She really was a cute one, and Garret's words filtered through his head again. He wasn't sure what Seth cared about in this arrangement, because Seth was remaining respectfully quiet. Not that Jared minded, it was his decision ultimately, not anyone's. Finally realizing he was staring he casually moved into speech once more, "So, shall we try again?"

[Reine]

“Sure thing, teach.” Reine said to him cheerfully.

Jared continued to help Reine with the lock picking. His sure hands guided hers through the tumblers and latched the pick in just the right place each time, not only telling her the motions of it by showing her as well. She learned much faster than she could have on her own with his help. Towards the end of it, she needed less and less of his guidance, though it still took her far longer than she would like to find the notch and release the lock. She was unsure how much time had passed since they began, but when she caught him yawning out of the corner of her eye she lowered her hands, resigning the training to be over with for the night.

“Something wrong?” He asked.

“Nope, just getting rather tired. Hard to keep my eyes open is all.”

He chuckled light and stood straight, stretching out the kinks in his back and shoulders. Immediately, she missed the feel of his warmth against her. Of course, she wasn’t really tired at all, in fact she usually slept during the day, but she could see it in his eyes. He needed rest.

She slipped the lock and the tools into her pocket then turned the lamp on the table down, blanketing the room in a comforting darkness. Standing and stretching out her sore legs, Reine used her memory and what she could see to her way into the next room. Jared followed behind her, though instead of doing anything untoward, he merely laid down on the hard, wooden floor. He didn’t even seem to mind. In the end, she felt kind of bad though, she’d kicked him out of his bed... as messy as it was. Grabbing the top blanket off, she threw it on Jared and then crawled in before he could protest. Besides, he wouldn’t want to argue with her and wake up Garret.

Turning her back on him, Reine pulled the lock and tools back out and continued to practice on her own. At some point during the night, she fell asleep with the lock beside her and the tools held loosely between her fingers.

-----------------

Morning came too quickly. Light streamed into the room, happy and cheerful and golden and making her groan and roll over. Sadly, she ended up rolling onto the lock she’d been working on last night. It dug into her stomach until she was forced to open her eyes and actually face the fact that she was awake and needed to move. Rubbing her eyes, Reine slowly sat up and looked over at...where Garret had been. Apparently he had left while she’d been asleep. Maybe she’d see him again one day. Instead, she found Jared fast asleep in the bed.

Rubbing the dust from her eyes, Reine quietly slipped from her bed and moved to Jared, gently sitting on the edge of it. He looked rather cute when he slept, especially since his hair turned into a wild mess of red that framed his face and spread out along the pillow like fire.

Leaning over him, Reine slowly began to run her hand down his chest. “Wake up, hero... it’s morning.”

He shifted and groaned, then buried his face deeper into the pillow making his next words almost inaudible. “It’s too early...”

She sighed and stopped her hand right around his stomach. “All right, you can sleep longer then, but I’m leaving.”

Standing, Reine turned and headed out of the bedroom and into the kitchen, where she could gather her stuff. She’d made up her mind last night and wanted to leave before it became too late in the day.

[Lavinian Ambition]

"Jared Cesarino, you really are a big pussy."

The words were muttered into the pillow that covered the face of the red headed thief. He had just turned down another advance under the pretense of being too tired. Really what was he afraid of? Was it Kyo's non-existent retribution for cheating on her? Which in and of itself was ridiculous. Kyo had told him no attachments, and that she could disappear any second. He just liked to believe it was something he could avoid by endearing himself to her.

Sitting up on the bed he heard Reine moving about in the main sitting area of the shelter. She seemed to be gathering her things, and Jared frankly couldn't blame her. Moving to his bag he frowned when he saw the lock and the picks littering the bed he had let her borrow that night. Carefully putting the picks back in place he muttered, "Was I really so tired she got them from me? Bad form Jared..."

Cleaning up the beds marginally he shouldered his pack and moved to the main room dumping his bag on the table. Idly he rubbed the sleep from his eyes before he stretched grunting softly with the exertion before he looked about the room for Reine. Finally spotting her he spoke, "Sleep well?"

She smiled lightly at him. "Well enough in that cold bed all by myself. You seem like you could have used some more."

"If you want next time I'll help you get it warm," He offered a hint of amusement in his voice. Sure, he talked a big game, but really he knew he was hiding any intimate contact with the girl. Other than the kiss and the lessons, he had done nothing truly, intimate. Still he could talk a good game, and maybe shed force him to keep his promise.

"You'll have to work up to it now." Reine said, winking at him. "Besides, I'm not sticking around to give you the chance. Unless you plan on stalking me to my next destination."

"Going somewhere to lay low? Well, I'm not expected back soon, Hawk said he'd give my report to Father on my behalf this morning. If you need the help I'm game," He said smiling back and he shook his head.

"I'm going to head off to Dheathain. I've never been there before and I hear that's a rather interesting shop in the region. You're welcome to come, if you think you can keep up with me?"

"D-d-deathain? What do you want there? Its mostly marsh and the people hate humans. That's not exactly an exaggeration either..." Jared knew this damn well. Having been a member of the briefly resurrected Bandit Brotherhood had been nothing but a series of tough decisions. One of which caused him to live in Dheathain for a few months. The place was rather hostile to the unprepared.

Reine blinked at him, curiosity blooming on her face. "Well, it's currently not being invaded by zombies or destroying itself over a stupid civil war. Plus, no one can hate me, human or otherwise. Seems like the best place for me to relax for a little while, and like I said, they have some interesting shop there... a Synthesizing shop or something."

"Yeah, she's a bit of a crazy that one; at least she's nice enough. She’s one of the few Fae that seems to get along with anyone who enters her store. Then again like I said, she's a bit crazy. I haven't seen her in ages...been what? Six months since I was there?" He had been in that very shop once or twice. They had never exactly done anything beyond cordial; then again he was merely wondering the kinds of items for a few things.

"You've been to Dheathain before!?" Reine exclaimed in excitement. "Oh, what's it like? What does a Draconian look like? Are the Fae really as pretty as they say they are? And you know the owner of the Synthesizing shop, that's so cool!"

He smiled softly as he looked at her, "You're just starting your journey aren't you?" He sighed before he nodded softly, "Makes sense, anyways Draconians are like us, just weird eyes and scales in places. Some Fae are that pretty, a few pass off as young girls, so I don't comment on them for fear of my sanity, even if they are four times my age. And yes I've seen Lasair once or twice; no I'm not exactly on a first name basis with her."

"Ohh, this is going to be so much fun!" She was practically jumping up and down with excitement. "Now you definitely have to come with me, you can show me around after all and you'll know the ins and outs of the place."

"At least in Talmhaidh, though again, be careful. These people opened up the border only recently, so they aren't used to Humans or Elves. Think of it like a more open Fallien."

"Oh, I love Fallien! I vacation there all the time. Okay, umm... ummm... I need to go to my fence and drop off the item I stole last night, then we can meet back at the docks and we'll catch the next ship to Dheathain!"

Who was the inexperienced one now? Jared felt trumped and he had never set foot in Fallien. When did this become a dick measuring contest? What was worse, he felt like he was losing to a chick. My how his ego fell at that thought. "Well, so long as we're on the same page, just be careful out there. You're too cute for me to give up on just yet..."

"I'm not too worried, your handsome face would show up to rescue me if I got in any trouble." She giggled and winked at him.

"Maybe this time I won't have an old man watching me and we can get to your gratitude..." He let the implied drift between them; he doubted she could have missed the hint.

Reine raised a single brow as she slowly walked over to him. "Really?" She placed her hand on his chest and lightly began tracing down his stomach. "And here I thought I had offered before he'd shown up, only to be turned down."

[Reine]

He stiffened beneath her touch. She could feel it through the muscles of his stomach as they bunched and hardened under the light caressing touch of her finger. Sighing, Reine dropped her hand from the stomach of Jared and took a step back from him. Whoever had been with him before must have done a number on the man. Perhaps it would be best if she didn’t make any more advances on the poor man, at least for a little while. Give him time to collect his thoughts. But they were just about to spend quite a bit of time together if he really did plan on following her all the way to Dheathain. Perhaps that’s where he met his girl, after all, he seemed quite surprised and not at all in a good way when she mentioned it.

“It’s still early...” Reine said as she grabbed her bag and Amalia from the table. “I’ll need some time to prepare, go back to my house and get ready, not to mention meet up with my fence. I’ll meet you at the docks a little after the sun passes mid day.”

Giving him a soft smile, Reine turned and left the small safe house, entering the bright and busy streets of Radasanth. She had a lot to do and not a lot of time to do it.



Spoils: 450 GP for the stolen item and very, basic lock picking skills, allowing her to pick only the simplest of locks right now and with some difficulty.

[Taskmienster]

Since this has been waiting for a while and the mod that called it is no longer active I’m taking it to get it out of the way. Comments were asked to be minimal, with the necessity of them in sections that I see that stand out. I’m going to be doing that. If you have questions feel free to catch me sometime.

Continuity 7

Setting 6

Pacing 7

Dialogue 9
This thread had the dialogue spot on, the best exchanges and most well written I’ve seen in a long time. I liked the way it was done too, allowing each other to bunny the characters in order to make it flow better.

Action 6

Persona 7

Technique 7

Reine: You have a lot of short sentences that make each post feel so sudden. You could draw them out a bit, or perhaps combine a couple. All in all I can see that it’s a technique that you seem to be using, a way of writing that actually helps bring a feel for the character with it (if that makes sense). However, it’s also a little overused, hence the note.

Mechanics 7

Reine: There are a couple places where it seems that you go into a more present tense form of writing, such as at the end of the 3rd post. Again, I feel it’s a literary technique… as if writing the narrative from the character’s point of view. But it could have been better expressed through dialogue perhaps, instead of writing something that seemed like a personification technique gone wrong.

You did this a couple times; put end quotes but didn’t put the beginning of quotes. Just make sure you remember the little things.

LA: There were a few times I caught word usage issues, not problems mind you but a little pet peeve of mine. You use the same words in the same meaning either in the same sentence or in back to back sentences. It’s not generally bad, but it makes the reader look twice when they are looking over the writing.

Clarity 8

Wild Card 7

“what doesn’t kill you will only make you stronger!” ~ So the saying of Nietzsche goes… hah.

Score: 71

Rewards

Reine: 1295 exp | 550 gold
(gp added above, lockpick skill approved)

Lavinian Ambition: 1630 exp | 300 gold

[Taskmienster]

Exp and GP added!

Reine is now level 2!