There was, and there is.. (Canali)

[Darian]

Timestamp: 68th of Summer
Location: Castle Commons
Pcs involved: Canali
Purpose: Meet and Greet

Sunberth was as it always was around midday filled with a press of bodies rushing around to go to some bit of random errand they might have, or just to get a quick meal from one of the shops. It was all so not important to him at that moment though as he stood in the waning shadows of an alley way between two such stores, his eyes peering out intently from the shadows. A pain echoed through the whole of his body, thought it did not betray from where it originated. It wasn't an uncommon pain for him now since the battle, and even with the doctor's work on his wounds his body tended to ache in random spots of his body. Shifting to a more comfortable spot, to where he was now leaning his right shoulder against the wall, a shudder ran through him, and he closed his eyes for the moment it took to pass. As always it left him feeling slightly cold despite the heat of the day, and left him with a hint of dread that his dreams usually brought.

In the shadows he remained though, dressed head to toe so that only his eyes were visible between the cloth wrapped around his face, and the hat that adorned his head. His armor seemed to soak in any light that did come into the small alley keeping him within the shadows will and that was how he liked it. A deep breath coursed through him, and he blinked slowly before resuming his study of the people that walked around outside, only allowing him brief glances at their faces before they disappeared out of his vision. His spot was too cramped but it was the best he had, and it allowed a pretty good view from time to time. He wasn't quite sure what he was waiting for, but it didn't seem to concern him. After twenty straight days of being cooped up with that mad man doctor, he was glad to just be out and about on the streets of Sunberth. Taking in another deep breath, he sighed absent mindedly fingering the broach in his pocket.

[Canali]

The commons always had the best food. Biting into a delicious piece of cooked dough, Canali reveled in the salty, buttery taste of bread. The food practically melted in her moist mouth, calling all saliva to gather like a bugle horn in the middle of a camp. Eyes closed in pure ecstasy, she could have groaned aloud it tasted so good. What little liquid there was on the folded pieces of cooked dough, was mostly likely margarine. It gathered on Canali's fingers and licked one off, swirling her tongue around the tip once before retreating. Chewing and swallowing, she glanced down at the makeshift meal. Curved into the shape of a messy heart with an X in the middle, the cooked dough was sprinkled with salt and melted butter. A quick way a heartattack if there ever was one. If this was a way to go, Canali didn't mind as she took another bite.

People jostled by in a hurry, more than once bumping Canali's thin shoulders and practically throwing her to the side. However, even through all of this, a small little smile stayed twisted on her lips. Black cotton pants swishing against the dirty ground, she almost wished she had worn her shoes. At least then the bottoms wouldn't be getting so dirty. When a drop of butter slipped from Canali's mouth and fell against her collar bone, aiming for her blue shirt edge, she easily flicked it away with her fingernail. Today was a very humid day in Sunberth and Canali wore her long hair up in a loose bun; backpack situated easily on her skinny back. Grey eyes wandering over the "guards" of the Castle Commons, Canali nearly shook her head. There was no need for them here, as most of the visitors were so scared out of their wits of the daggerhands, they barely ever stole. If they did, they definitely weren't seen or heard from again.

Shrugging, Canali's grey eyes wandered over the hustle and bustle. An enclosed community; one which was shut up at night and locked tight. Rumors claimed those who left their rooms at night never returned. Even though guarded heavily, this place practically screamed danger. The direction Canali was headed was back towards the gates leaving said commons. After easily searching out a place for a midday meal and to overlook the vendor's supplies of food, Canali had bought her lunch and was now leaving. There was no reason to stick around. Jostled again from her thoughts, Canali looked up in annoyance after the old man who meandered away. Good thing all of her goods were in her backpack, which was securely shut tight. On the way back down to her Salty Bread, Canali's eyes caught a man's in the alleyway. Only his eyes were visible, which was slightly discerning. Shrugging off the creepy feeling which traced her bones, Canali jerked her sight away and kept walking; straight out the gates of the Castle Commons.

[Darian]

A flash of feminine eyes drew his attention, and his ire for reasons he couldn't bother to remember. Searchingly he studied her for the brief moment he had before she disappeared, most likely leaving the area for the day. He was loathe to follow her, but she was the only interesting thing that had crossed his view all day, and he doubted he could do with much more waiting among the stone and pitch, all alone as he was. Almost begrudgingly he left the alley, looking this way and that before passing through the gates, never looking back, and instead keeping his eyes ahead, searching for any sign of the woman that had so caught his eye. It wasn't that he was attracted to her, but simply that he had seen her at the same time she had seen him, leaving a kind of unspoken, unfinished business between them that he aimed to resolve, and at last rid himself of this curious want of obtaining allies.

His eyes peered forth, catching a glimpse of the woman here and there, but she was much to far, and gaining ground on him with every stride. There had to be a quicker way to reach her, than navigating through the muddled, sweaty masses that choked the streets at odd intervals. He scowled as he could think of nothing that wouldn't attract unwanted attention to himself, and cursed the fact that the woman was so fast, and he had no way of being as close as he wanted to be. The distance was such that he couldn't even maintain a proper line of eye contact with her some moments, the woman being consumed by the crowd, and rendering him blind to wherever she might head. He was close enough though that the parting of people could possibly be tracked to lay clear any path that she might have taken, making it a little bit easier on him to continually regain sight of her.

Following one such "path with his eyes, he saw her not that much further up along the street than he was, and an a satisfied grin painted itself across his face as he moved for her, twisting this way and that to weed himself through a particularly thick throng of people. With a gasp of air, he emerged on the other side next to the woman, and looking directly sidelong at her did quite possibly the next to stupidest thing he had done of late. He spoke directly to her. " Eh, what brings you to looking into alleys "

[Canali]

To head home or no, was the question floating through Canali's filled mind. Home. For the first time since she had joined the gang, Canali realized the camp was no longer just a place to live in for a short amount of time until the gang either broke up or moved somewhere else. Funny, how one place filled with pitched tents and scattered with supplies, could be home. When the word crossed her mind, Canali used to think of the overflowing orphanage where she had learned to make a bed; where she had learned to fight back with words instead of weapons. Calyn was a wonderful woman and more motherly than most who had offspring in Sunberth. Generous to a fault, Calyn had taken Canali in after her father had died. Coming back to the original thought of Home, she felt a twinge of acceptance. With a small smile on her face from the accepting of the Crimson Edge Camp, Canali weaved her way through the cramped streets of Sunberth. She had finished her Salty Bread, leaving behind a thirsty throat paired with a salivating mouth. Hair flying, Canali slipped between two people who skedaddled into her path. The lunch hour was one of the worst times to cautiously shuffle through the maze of Sunberth. Pickpockets and thieves were galore, hoping to make their next meal. Legs guiding her, Canali decided upon heading to the establishment, a place where jobs were galore… For the right price. Money was a necessity and Canali had yet to find a job to support herself. Truthfully, she would prefer a job with cooking. Or, ya know… No killing. Feeling eyes resting upon her thin frame, Canali bit her bottom lip and picked up pace. Being spotted, much less watched, was not welcoming. Slipping between a couple other people, Canali tried to get lost in the crowd. One bulky man jostled her, making her fly into the person next to her. With a muttered apology, Canali folded into herself and made herself as small as possible. It wasn't worth the effort, though, because when she was nearest to the wall and away from such a large group, a man intersected her. "Eh, what brings you looking into alleys" made Canali scream with petrified terror. Without missing a beat, Canali's left hand curled around the dagger wrapped to her side, hidden below layers of clothing. During this short amount of time, Canali's weaker right hand was curling into a fist. Thumb on the outside, she pulled her arm backwards at a ninety degree angle before letting it loose towards the man's neck. Having grasped the dagger, Canali held it like a pommel, she smacked the handle against the man's chest with surprising force. The vibrations shifted up her arm, making the poor hold on the handle cramp Canali's clenched fingers. Even when scared out of her wits, Canali wouldn't intentionally hurt another person. "What the petching hell is wrong with you?!" burst from her lungs like her breath a few moments ago. Giving him a shove, Canali settled one hand over her racing heart. "Are you trying to kill me, you sneaky son of a hooker!"

[Darian]

He could've grabbed his dagger, or any of the other weapons on his person that might have proved suitable but he didn't. The woman hadn't seemed like that much of a threat, and even as she whipped out the shining metal of her dagger he didn't blink, instead concentrating on taking a step back, the blunt attack thumping against his leather covered chest, bringing a some pain to flower there to be enhanced by the phantom pain that plagued him, a grimace coming to his face. His hand causally dropped by his side even as she pushed him away, and his thin fingers wrapping around the hilt of his wide bladed dagger, he unsheathed it in a hiss of steel on leather, bringing it up in front of him even as he took a step forward.

"If I was going to kill you, you'd already be dead" Darian said, his voice deep, and chilled at the unwelcome treatment. His knuckles tinted to white as his grip on his dagger increased and he took another step towards the woman, holding his left arm in front of him to ward away any more strikes from the woman's nasty dagger. "Now are you going to drop your toy, or do I have to take it from you"

[Canali]

Fear sparked in Canali's eyes before she quelled it. No, showing she was afraid would only antagonize the creepy man standing before her. Realizing the only way out of this situation was to think rationally, Canali tried to calm her thudding heart which threatened override her hearing. He was bigger than her and seemed used to fighting. She had barely even scrapped. Even if he had winced at her poor excuse of defense, Canali realized it meant nothing. Canali herself was acting, he could be also. The crowd around them gave the pair a wide birth, even though they were already by the wall. Grey eyes warily eyed his own dagger. He seemed very comfortable with it and she didn't want to test his skill. He might even be a trained hit man considering the outfit he wore. Throwing the irrational thought of her head, Canali made her brain admit a trained assassin would not wear stuff to draw attention to himself. Nearly gasping when she realized this was the man who had been hiding in the alleyway, Canali put on a façade of calmness. Slowly sliding the dagger back into the sheath, Canali held up both of her hands. "Alright, alright, no dagger." Glancing around, she realized no one was really even paying attention to the escapade. The bystanders would be of no help if he decided to stab her. In fact, they would probably keep walking on their way to wherever they were going, even if it meant striding over her soon-to-be-dead body. Concealing the shudder as a casual reach up to readjust her backpack, Canali met his eyes. From her viewpoint, they were the eyes of a predator. Her own widened a moment, outlined by girlishly long eyelashes before she caught herself for the slipup. "Sorry," she muttered. Whether it was to him or herself was unknown. Without warning, she kicked at his shin and spun around. Then she began to run.