The Two Snakes and their Prey (Thaloyss)

[Matthew]

10th of Summer, 515 AV.

Now that he was working as a mercenary, Matthew was trying his best to look the part. It was a bit hard to break old habits, however. He was still dressed somewhat nicely, especially when it came to Sunberth. His shirt was just a bit too clean and fit just a little too well, as did both his britches and boots. While some dirt could be found on the fabric, it was all dirt that Matthew himself had tried to smear on in various locations. He had even smeared a bit onto his cheek for good measure. Hair promade had been removed from the equation, his dark locks now falling freely, bangs hanging just slightly in front of his unblinking blue stare. He was leaning against a nearby tree trunk, strong arms crossed over each other as he waited for the third mercenary to appear. A long dagger with a wicked-looking black blade was held in one hand, the nearby sunset tossing beams of light that made the weapon glitter. It was a warm and humid day, a steady drizzle of rain having already soaked through his clothes to coated his skin. At least the rain wasn't cold. Perhaps it could be used to their advantage? The oncoming darkness mixed with the steady rain would make things hard to see, aiding them in any stealthy maneuvers that they needed to make. Then again, it would also increase the changes of them making a mistake because they couldn't see very well. In the end, Matthew wasn't experienced enough with this business to know if the scenario was a feasible one or not.

Apparently it would be an easy job, but one that was of some important. His employer had thought it might be something good to test Matthew with. A small caravan carrying no more than two slaves was supposed to be traveling through the nearby forest that skirted one of the farms located on the outskirts of Sunberth. Apparently there was a path that was supposed to be a secret, though that information had been sold to Matthew's employer just recently. The caravan wouldn't be heavily guarded, as they were looking to move as quickly and quietly as possible. They were in Night Eyes territory, which had a chance of ending badly if any of the mercenaries were spotted. In any case, once they had killed the guards and secured the caravan, they had instructions to take it to a nearby farmhouse that was out of any gang territory. Their employer would have someone there to pick up the stolen slaves.

It seemed simple enough. He had been given detailed instructions on where to gather, as well as an estimated time that the wagon would be winding through the nearby forest trail. Everything had seemingly been planned quite carefully. The only thing left was to meet the people he was going to be working with.

One of them seemed very unique. The young man had already arrived; spear trapped to his back, backpack slung over a shoulder and cocky smile upon his face. He had been excited about the job, enthusiastically making conversation with Matthew and attempting to get to know him a little better. The interesting moment had been when the other mercenary had told Matthew that he was tired, that he was going to take a nap, and to warn him if any danger approached. With that, the carefree fellow had pulled a straw hat from his pack and put it upon his face. Then, he had laid back and fallen asleep. He was laying right there in front of Matthew now, softly snoring.

Matthew continued to keep an eye out for the third and final mercenary. A plan had occurred to him, spurred by something he had experienced last time he was in Sunberth. He'd have to see if the final partner would be up for a little treachery. This sleeping fellow seemed like he'd be easy to kill.

[Thaloyss]

Thaloyss had caught wind of a quick little mercenary job earlier in the season. It had something to do with retrieving some slaves for someone who wasn't Tavish, and the less slaves Tavish had the better for the rest of Sunberth. It would be a refreshing change of scenery for a person who was used to ghosts and Soulmist. She could only handle so much incorporeality.

Richard could no doubt handle whatever job swung his way; he'd done it long before he'd met her, and he could do it again. She wasn't going to follow him like a lost puppy hoping for scraps and a lap to curl up in. She was her own person, and one that

The Dhani appeared at the set time and place. She had donned her usual garb, the off-white shirt and the slitted skirt. Bare feet weren't the safest things in Sunberth, but she was a tough girl and could handle a bit of glass stuck in her skin. She'd brought her kopis along as well in case things got rough and if her musculature didn't deter any threats.

At the designated meeting area there were already two humans. One happened to be taking a nap while the other stood watch. From a distance it might seem as though they knew each other, though the pretty one looked to be giving the sleeping one the cold shoulder. Sleeping by a total stranger in Sunberth was a dangerous thing, so this person was either vaguely familiar with the pretty one or he was incredibly stupid.

The mercenary stood a few paces from the pretty one, her arms crossed over her chest and her legs akimbo. She nodded at the sleeping man. "Idiot, he iss. If he doess not wake up ssoon, we leave him behind. You are here for the mercenary work, yess?" she asked.

Of course he was. They were at a fairly out-of-the-way place, and it wouldn't make sense for someone to simply stand by a road. The pretty one was far too good-looking to be a mercenary, though. As Thaloyss made her way closer to him she noted the significant lack of dirt in places it should've been on his clothes, despite the setting sun.

He was well-dressed for a mercenary, almost excessively so. His trousers hugged his slim hips and the shirt proved to be just tight enough to show off his toned chest and midriff, his whole outfit damp from the rain and clinging to his skin. The attempts he made to appear tougher were close to laughable, if it weren't for his beauty. The stripe of dirt across his face only enhanced the sharpness of his cheekbones.

Thaloyss felt the need to rip him apart, he was so beautiful. It made her uneasy. Nevertheless, she extended her hand. "My name iss Loyss. Do not sspeak it unlesss you musst," she hissed. She didn't want his pretty tongue soiling her good name.

[Matthew]

Matthew tilted his head and angled it towards the stranger as he noticed their approach, bright blue eyes quickly flitting over them in a quick and calculating sort of way. He assumed it would be best to have a general idea of what one of his companions would be capable of, since they would find themselves fighting alongside one another. She was a bit taller than normal and attractive, nothing in particular standing out to Matthew. There was something that was out of place though, some little detail about her appearance that he had subconsciously noticed but not yet completely absorbed. Or perhaps it was due to his skills in Auristics? He had recently noticed that he had gained the ability to passively sense rather minor details about nearby auras, though he had no idea what the range was. It was annoying and distracting, to say the very least.

Nodding at her first words to him, Matthew briefly took note of the slight accent to her words before moving on. His own voice was soft and polite, each word carefully pronounced as he confirmed his participation in their seemingly shared mission. "I am, yes."

Outstretching his own hand to connect with hers and give a firm shake, Matthew was almost immediately distracted by her next words. Loyss was her name? And she did not wish for him to speak it? "I am Matthew. What should I call you, then? There may be times when we may need to get the attention of another and some sort of title will be useful when doing so. Perhaps I should call you... Karin? Then again, you did say that I could use it if there is an absolute need. Hm." He released her hand, lifting a finger up to his lower lip and tapping it lightly as he thought about her rule. While his odd method of handling it might could have come off as mocking, the utterly stoic look on his face would perhaps prove that he was genuine in his efforts. "In any case, I will do my very best. Normally people see it as a courtesy to have their name remembered and used, so it has become something of a habit for me. However, I am fairly certain I can quickly adjust."

Blue eyes stared into her own, intense and direct, unwavering and straightforward. Loyss was already proving to be one of the more unique individuals he had ever met. There was a lot to learn here. Suddenly recalling the third member of the team, Matthew blinked and looked down at his still-sleeping figure.

"Ah, yes. This is the third member and I agree that he is an idiot. From what I understand about how all of this works, one of our options is to simply kill him. That way we get rid of a potential handicap and also get larger portions of the payment. However, you had suggested we just leave him behind. Is it possible he could be a complication later, or do you think that would serve the same purpose as just killing him?" His eyes turned back to Loyss, the blue hues holding a faint curiosity. He spoke of murder in a casual manner, without anger or glee, without guilt or malice. He had placed a choice in her hands, a choice between killing the weak link or simply discarding him. To him, it was a logical question to ask. He would abide by whatever she decided, even if it was a third option that she came up with on her own. He was fairly sure she had more experience than him when it came to this sort of thing.

[Thaloyss]

Karin? What kind of a pathetic human name was that? It was hardly worthy of a viper, let alone a constrictor such as Thaloyss. And Matthew. Gods, his name was almost as bad as Richard's. At least he was pretty.

There was a brief staredown between the two and the Dhani was appalled by his brazen, almost snarky attitude. Who did he think he was, looking into her eyes like he was her equal? She crossed her arms again and dug her nails into her bicep in an attempt to relieve the itching in her fingers. Insubordinate and male. What a despicable combination.

When the conversation turned to the other snack, she looked down at it. The sleeping creature had failed to wake up when they'd begun talking to each other and he looked as peaceful as ever. Matthew had suggested killing the human, which surprised her. Weren't warmbloods supposed to be empathetic? Weren't they supposed to avoid killing their own kind?

Suspicion arose within the tall woman, uncoiling like a snake in her gut. This male was different, nothing like Richard or the others. Could he possibly be without emotion, without remorse? So many questions that she needed answered, but those answers would only come with time -- and she wanted to spend as little of that as possible with him.

"I do not feel like wassting my energy on ssuch a weak creature. He lookss unappetizing. Too dirty. We could alwayss use him as a disstraction for any problemss we encounter along the way, but... I think leaving him iss the mosst efficient thing to do."

Thaloyss glanced behind her. "Though I could jusst ssit on him until he died," she muttered, though more to herself than to Matthew. When she looked back at him she sighed and let her arms drop to her sides. "Unlesss you feel like disspossing of the body on your own, we leave him."

She was going to have no part in killing something she wasn't planning on eating, no ser. It was a waste of a good meal and she figured she could always munch on Matthew later to satisfy her urge to kill him. That is, once they received their payment. No sense in only getting her share when she could double the money.

The mercenary placed her hands on her hips and glanced behind her again. She didn't enjoy asking questions, but this male seemed relatively resourceful and slightly trustworthy. "I forgot when we are ssuppossed to ssee our targetss. Ssoon, yess? I do not want to wait for long."