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Post by Bee on Dec 4, 2010 0:35:52 GMT -5
Ananta felt a small spark of irritation as she surveyed the spot where, some fifteen minutes ago, the coyote had been sleeping. Her things were still there; Dev’s were not. The tracks in the dirt pointed to town. The small area reeked offensively of abandonment. She had stepped out to chase something down for breakfast and this is what she came back to. She let the dead cat hit the ground.
Her annoyance gave way to slight bewilderment, which in turn gave way to indifference. There was no sense dwelling on a petty slight when there were things to do. She headed toward the town. The way things had progressed with Dev thus far, she stood a moderate to high chance of both assisting him out of danger and perhaps hearing a few scattered words as to why he was on this quest of his in the first place.
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Dark
Five of Diamonds
Bladed Hare
You are not prepared.
Posts: 2,105
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Post by Dark on Dec 4, 2010 0:37:53 GMT -5
Dev gave the town a wide berth, entering through the gate farthest from where he’d camped; he’d have to circle around after to pick up his gear, and he didn’t want to make it easy for anyone who might decide to pursue him.
He arrived just in time for the morning bustle of activity in the market, which suited him just fine: it was easier to slip in unnoticed. He wandered the stalls for some time--if he had thought to bring his pack, it would have been a good place to stock-up on a few things--to get a feel for the place, all the while keeping an ear to the ground for any gossip that would point him in the right direction.
At the end of the hour he knew what he needed. It was unfortunate he’d drawn some attention; there was suspicion in the gazes burning into his back, and he didn’t trust their intentions. He made a meandering path through the market before slipping between two booths and into an alley.
He waited with baited breath to make sure they hadn’t followed, and then turned to make his way towards the bar.
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Post by Bee on Dec 4, 2010 0:38:16 GMT -5
Ananta followed Dev at a respectable distance, winding along behind him, blending into the crowd. She was tiny and exceptionally quiet; it wasn’t a challenge to vanish. People seemed to avoid bumping into her on instinct. The very few vendors who tried to catch her attention were swiftly dismissed by a pointedly disinterested frown. Street merchants always seemed concerned with seeing her smile. She thought they had bigger things to worry about.
Dev, too, was apprehensive. Being watched, by more and more conspicuous people than Ananta. None seemed truly interested in giving him pursuit, but it never hurt to be cautious. She was ready to summon and maim, but the need hadn’t arose.
She slipped into the pub after him, pensively. This must be where his business was. At least it was easy for her to hide. She ordinarily disliked sneaking about like some thief, but Dev’s behavior had made it the most logical action.
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Dark
Five of Diamonds
Bladed Hare
You are not prepared.
Posts: 2,105
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Post by Dark on Dec 4, 2010 0:38:20 GMT -5
Dev ordered some sort of fruity concoction he had no intention of drinking, and inquired quietly of the bartender if Kavi was holding court--which, from talk in the market, Dev knew he was--claiming they had business. Kavi had, apparently, carved himself quite a nitch here in Dubhan.
He was lead up the stairs to the second level, where he was frisked by a burly looking wolverine--one to watch out for, when he made his retreat--before being bodily presented to the man he’d come to kill.
Kavi was a small, toothy weasel, with a sly smile, “Wha’dya want, eh?” The man was relaxed, confident; Dev would enjoy changing that. “Don think I believe that rot about business. Come for revenge? Cut ya family out of a deal, did I? Killed someone, maybeh?” He gestured leisurely, smugly, and Dev’s eye was caught by the gesture. The man liked jewelry, to be sure--his fingers were bedecked with rings--and the bastard was wearing his mother’s.
Any sort of plan was drowned out by the sudden roaring in his ears, and there was blood on him before he even realized he’d summoned his blades. The bastard would pay. He was getting his mother’s ring back.
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Post by Bee on Dec 4, 2010 0:38:39 GMT -5
The second level of the pub had a completely open view to the floor. It seemed a bad spot to be conducting business. But the layout worked to Ananta’s advantage. She could position herself on the stairs not far under and hear most of what was going on. A surly wolverine glared suspiciously down at her. Ananta reclined as casually as she could force herself against the railing, and returned his glower with an innocuously blank stare.
“Crowds,” she said, simply, and tuned him out. For all the world she was staring vacantly into space, perhaps trying to quell some people-induced panic. She didn’t care what she was projecting as long as the beast at the door didn’t bother her. She didn’t want to have to incapacitate him. She focused her attention on the little balcony.
Conversation began immediately. Some thuggish accent and smug confidence. She disliked it intently. She listened, carefully.
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Dark
Five of Diamonds
Bladed Hare
You are not prepared.
Posts: 2,105
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Post by Dark on Dec 4, 2010 0:38:44 GMT -5
Were these people really so firm, so blindingly confident in their group-mentality to think themselves untouchable? There was surprise when the twin blades materialized in his hands; disbelief when the first one of the lot was cut down easily; fear when the second, third, and forth, were dispatched just as easily.
There was no satisfaction in it, what he did, cutting them down and smothering their pitiful attempts to fight back and save their miserable lives. There was only the goal, the blood-debt. Regret might come later, for those who had not been directly involved yet paid the same price as the dead-men, but having allied themselves with butchers made them little better, regardless of circumstance. As Hisstors, they should have never allowed someone like Kavy and his ilk to pervert and manipulate their traditional values: there was nothing more important than family.
He danced away from sharp claws, pulled back to a safe distance. The wolverine was giving him problems.
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Post by Bee on Dec 4, 2010 0:38:59 GMT -5
The wolverine didn’t keep his attention focused on her for long. He turned and barged through the door in a surprisingly fast burst. Ananta whirled around with him, and caught him as he lunged for Dev. She slammed her weight into his shoulder. She was hardly a big girl. But the surprise charge from behind was enough to knock him to the floor. She landed squarely on top of him, and had him in a chokehold before he could get halfway through a thrash.
Dev was slaughtering the weasel in front of them. The way he spun his blades seemed designed to inflict maximum bloodshed. There would be no hope for him even if Ananta stepped in, and Dev’s ferocity was so intense that she merely held the wolverine out of combat as he completed his bloody task. She didn’t like it. But she waited it out.
He plucked a piece of jewelry, a ring, off the weasel. The rodent expired. She was suddenly aware that she had choked the wolverine into unconsciousness.
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Dark
Five of Diamonds
Bladed Hare
You are not prepared.
Posts: 2,105
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Post by Dark on Dec 4, 2010 0:39:02 GMT -5
Dev examined the ring. At some point he was aware Ananta had entered the fray—he hadn’t found himself particularly surprised at this development, though he hadn’t been exactly thrilled either—and he had been peripherally aware that the wolverine was no longer a problem. All that had mattered, though, was getting back the ring.
Oblivious to Ananta’s heavy gaze, and the dire necessity of vacating the premises before whatever passed for local law authority—ironic, in a supposedly lawless town—arrived at the scene, he took care to wipe the blood and grime from the thin band of metal. It was hard to forget the past, with such a thing in his paw.
“This was mothers,” he heard himself say, distantly. He had never expected to find the ring—precious, worthless--and the repossession of it made him feel—strange.
He came back to himself, aware finally of Ananta’s stare and the pressing matter of time. He shook off the past for a time, and pocketed the ring.
“We should go.”
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Post by Bee on Dec 4, 2010 0:39:20 GMT -5
Ananta narrowed her eyes and remained unmoving, her silent notice that this bore explanation, and soon. She dropped the wolverine, slowly, and rose. She slipped past Dev, automatically taking point, and moved as quickly and stealthily as was possible. There were shouts going up behind them. This was unsurprising. The murder took place in a visible area. Dev had been seen. She probably looked highly suspicious by association. The thought of being an accessory to murder made her skin crawl.
Most patrons stepped aside confusedly when she plowed through them. She shoved others aside, smacked arms away. They were still being tailed. She ran faster. They needed to get out before anyone had time to piece anything together.
They cleared the pub, but by then more people had been alerted to their—mischief. The main exits were clogged with people. She wanted to avoid more violence.
“Rope ladders,” she said, and pivoted toward the wall.
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Dark
Five of Diamonds
Bladed Hare
You are not prepared.
Posts: 2,105
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Post by Dark on Dec 4, 2010 0:39:23 GMT -5
Rope ladders: handy, unofficial ways in and out of the city. Considering the situation—it was times like this that he regretted his recklessness; when would he learn not to attack in public spaces?--these convenient access points were the easiest way out of the town, the main gates sure to have posted guards by now. He followed Ananta up the nearest one, several bounds ahead of the closest pursuer. They hit the ground on the opposite side running.
There was the unfortunate business of having to retrieve his pack, but circling back around the town and not in the initially assumed direction helped shake off some of their pursuers. The more persistent, however, dodged their steps for several hours as they fled deeper into desert. Dev came back to himself during this flight, and came to the slow conclusion that he probably owed Ananta some sort of explanation—no matter how uninvited she had been in instigating herself in the entire affair. And the glances she kept shooting him suggested that he wouldn’t get away with anything less.
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