Lost on the Streets of Alvadas (Syndela)

[Rafaelle]

The offer was worth considering and despite the cold and spiteful demeanour, it was still welcoming amidst the turmoil of Alvadas. As a petty thief, however, he did not feel like parting with any of his prized jink. His fingers clasped and unclasped to rub and warm the ionite jewel as he approached the dancer. The subtle magical properties stirred somewhere deep within the stone. The young wizard knew that should she come to suspect of any treason, he would be abandoned to find his own way out of the trap or simply lie and wait in hopes that another passage will open. Taking risks was his way of life, however.

The stone had a subtle influence upon the minds of those that Rafaelle addressed when he tapped into its mysteries. It only seemed to work in social situations when one was not affected by some strong undiluted emotion or perhaps that is as much use of it as he could make out of his heirloom for now.The magical trinket glinted despite the lack of strong sources of light and he spoke: "Surely we could come to more amicable terms? Would you truly leave a man out here to his fate? I am convinced that every race has compassion and consciousness. Or perhaps it is that blind hatred of other races that makes you shiver in glee at the sight of a human suffering? Such a sadistic trait is rather common among my own kind. By lowering yourself to that level, you only become more like them. Other humans."

He stood only six feet appart from her now, his features veiled by shadows, concealed from a human eye. Whether her kind saw in the dark he did not know but it would certainly help him if she did for he needed the Symenesta to distinguish his face in order for the magic to work properly. "Besides... it would be a shame to lose a potential customer, wouldn't it? After seeing what you are capable of, I am determined to set aside a required sum for another show of talent." He beamed a reassuring smile at her, concentrating upon his charms and divesting himself of all fear and doubt for just a minute to seem as convincing as possible without any tinges of madness.

[Syndela]

Attention shifted from income and nightfall to the sparkling necklace that chained neatly to his neck. Strange, how it was seeable even with the concealing shadows now bestowing and stretching over the courtyard. Like it held flame, stored away in some hidden chamber. Was it fire? Or was it something else? ...Was it magic?
His words brought her eyes to meet his, locking their gazes together. Was this human daring to question her motives? He had come to her, he had dug himself into this mess of a concundrum. Was it not his burden to bare to find his own way out?

" Fate? The streets channnnge, human. Daily, nightly, by the chimes and bells. There is no fate here, unless you are not able to handle the cold for maybe one night or les-. " Words stopped, hitting an invisble wall and shattering in her mind. Humans were cruel, he was correct. But it was not a well kept secret. Every man and woman and child and their dog and everyone else knew! Why was he trying to say this in a way that made it seem like it was fresh news? Netherless, she pondered. Was this what she was becoming? Yes, she ate humans but only when she craved for their taste or had no other dietery choices. Otherwise, her main diet consisted of fruits, vegetables and animals. Why was this suggestion playing out? She needed the money and if he was using magic, didn't this mean he was more threatening than first thought?

A human...a male...and not only that...but magical?...

White canine teeth, the epitome of a carnivore began to slither out from under her lips, growing in a slow progressive string. The look in his eyes. The way he spoke, playing her words against her. The black irises widenned dramatically, intaking all the surrounding light and converging the area into darkless grey.
" You are...tricking...me! " Syndela fought for her words, husky and forced between the fangs. Feminine features dwindled behind the predatorial transformation, angered that he attempted to influence her.

" I have eaten and killed your kind human, as yours have slayed mine. We are not much different. I like to see people like you in pain...in confusion...to see it effects me with exultant emotion. " Red hues blended with the dark, sparking out like hot embers against coal. " Why you do this? If you do not have ten copper then perhaps I should just eat you instead. How about this. You give me seven copper and I'll get the clothes for you. Better than the ten, mmm? What do you think of that, piglet? " Anger melted to calm. Syndela felt insulted, having her thoughts and mind invaded with such suggestion and charm. Experiences were learnt through with trial and error, and though she felt compelled to suggest something in his favour, the curiousity of such techniques pushed her to almost go along with the intruging game the man played.
" And if you're willing to pay for a private dance, then so be it. " Extending her arm out, the pale hand sheathed by black robe tugged out from the darkness, turning her palm toward him.
" What will it be? "

[Rafaelle]

Just like the Symenesta, he did not believe in fate and his manner of speech was simply misunderstood by her. No matter. Seeing that his magic had failed him this time, he slowly let his hand drape down his tunic until it was hung loosely next to him as though in defeat. Perhaps the cover of the night obstructed his hypnotism more than he had at first anticipated or the woman simply possessed more will than usual.

The mention of devouring humans as her meal struck him like lightning. His eyes widened at first, and his heart jumped to thump heavily against his sternum like a rabid dog would thrash itself against a cage. The initial fear and dread was quickly replaced by a fiery spark of anger, however. Was she threatening him or letting him know she could have an easy breakfast but spared him out of pity? Whatever it was, the vehement anger spurred the inner voices to take action. He could almost feel the Res oozing out of his fingertips and stinging his calloused skin with fire, fingertips which felt the immeasurable pain before. The Symenesta looked rather petite even in comparison to himself, how much effort would it take to simply burn her down to ashes? Did he even need to resort to magic?

The wizard turned his face away and clenched his fingers to restrain himself. The rage was fuelled by his own demons was peripheral compared to the predicament he brought upon himself and would certainly not help the case. Having suppressed his urges with another drawn-out sigh, he reached into his vest. Reluctantly, he counted the right amount of coin in his palm before handing the sum to her. That sum which served as a ticket out of here. A ticket to survive another day.

With a sullen frown, he parted with his coins and hid the leather satchel containing his savings back neatly into the hidden compartment of his dark clothing. "Very well... seven coppers is more than fair, I suppose. Now, if you would be so kind and fulfill my request, please." His voice was never tinctured with any hint of demand. The man spoke rather gently despite the vehement emotions that flooded him. His eyes flicked to the clothes above them, the tools of his salvation... and an opportunity to change his style. No, that was out of the question right now.

He crossed his arms to protect himself from the chill of the night. It began to girdle around like a leech of warmth, and there was little comfort to be found. Stealing another shirt did not seem like a bad idea at all.

[Syndela]

Pecular. How his vibe went from curious to fear and then to anger until it rested on calm demand. All within a second of eachother. Was this man truly mad? A bipolar maniac unable to control his emotions and rather wrestle with them? White canines held fast over her lips, tipped in the deadly poison that would paralyse any being into a comatised sleep. If he thought of attacking her, she would be sure to make use of the practice learned over the past years. He seemed unpredictable, and worse, uncontrollable. A human indeed.

Chinking of coin on coin echoed into the courtyard as the young man filled her palm with the agreed amount. Trusty slightly warm copper. It sung to her promisingly. It was to be used on spices and maybe lentils. A new stew to feed her for a week. Yes, this would come in handy indeed. The coinage once thoroughly browsed found a new home in the pack, landing in a sleeve sown to the inside and concealed away. Fangs pulled back, reaching back into the pink gums and red lips. The motion allowed Syndela to clear her throat, thinking more carefully on how to respond in the basic common known to herself. " Thankyou for the agreement, piglet. Would you rather stockings or lingurie? "

A hint or derision crossed her features, envoking a smirk at the pink skinned man. It could have held a thousand tales, the lips twisting in such a way that no matter how you perceived it, you could not guess what emotion it belonged to. Athletic thighs firmed as she tensed, aiming upward toward the delicate ropes binding between the buidlings. Pounding lightly and soundless against the cobblestone, the robed figure soared into the air. Gravity and time seemed to have stopped, allowing the female to gently aim her feet and land on all fours upon the thin rope. Additional weight though slim sagged the rope ever slightly, bending it just enough and wriggling with her movements. Syndela wished she would walk on two feet like she had witnessed her towns matrons do between the cacoon houses of her former home. Nimble people, the Symenestrians. Able to cross thin bridges of silk on two feet or more. Albeit her aerobics were not perfect - far away from the goal she ensured to reach. But at least she could balance, right?

Curtains of clothes began to fly toward Rafaelle, some with the pegs still attached, some without. Syndela crawled down the lines and plucked each segment off, tossing it toward the human or at his general direction. Some landed in his arms perfectly. The others landed on the path. One unfortunate pair of underwear fell down the dair as the spider-like humanioid circled the buildings, eventually emptying all the clothes onto the ground. If the male wasn't to use it, the slight vandalism would had satisfired her enough. Any excuse to make humans life more difficult, even such things as misplaced dirty laundry stirred the inner child of Syndela, even for just briefly.

[Rafaelle]

The young lad watched her play with the coins, now hers, with a longing stare as though he was being separated from a dear friend. Her taunts frustrated him but with no other options, he had to tolerate them. In fact, there was something... charming about them. Perhaps his magic worked after all. Rafaelle watched her escalate the smooth buildings with enviable ease, like a squirrel would climb a tree with the help of its small sharp claws. Such grace and skill was beyond even the finest of human acrobats hailing from eastern provinces where he believed the roots of his heritage lied.

Brushing aside a quantity of hair from his face, the rogue prepared to catch whatever she flung at him. And they started flowing down in abundance. He ran for the first few pieces, catching the first almost effortlessly, while the second garment made him lean forward onto a single knee in an overly dramatic pose. Deciding it would be wiser to just stand still and wait for her to finish her little endeavour he stood there, still like a statue.

In his arms were piled blankets blouses and other wear. About him lay even more. Losing no time, he began to scour through all the findings to find suitable pieces for a rope. Many clothes seemed to have been sewed together from makeshift materials. It was all cheap and expendable wool or other materials that could be found in abundance at every market. No piece alone could support him. But when tied together, they should be able to do so, he thought.

Having picked out things he deemed most durable, his hands began to wove them together. He furrowed his brows and referred to his capacious memory. At times, the rogue had to voyage upon many restless waters in the company of sailors. Hardy wolves of the sea, masters of tying all kinds of different knots suitable for any situation. What did that even mean? Wouldn't one tie fit all situations? He was no seaman himself, and could not understand the intricate details of the trade. Despite his fondness of the sea he was still a landlubber.

And still, he desperately strained to remember how the deft fingers of those men on ships moved. He was a good learner but even to him it was hardly fathomable how it all worked. That did not stop him from trying to mimic the little he could recall, however. For many minutes he struggled with failures, his poorly spun knots coming undone with ease at the slightest tug. The fact that he could not rely on his eyes in this was not helping either.

Finally, success dawned. The lad managed to come up with his own flimsy tie that held the blankets together. Enough to hold his light weight, he was assured. Having completed his 'masterpiece' of a climbing rope that could commensurate the height of the buildings around, he knew he had to ask the Symenestra for another favour. "Err, could you catch hold onto one end once I fling it over the edge of a roof? That would be greatly appreciated as well." The thief cried, having let her out of his sight. He searched for her among the dark rooftops, hoping to note the outlines of her admirable silhouette against the dark blue sky.

[Syndela]

Once the all the clothes had been dispatched away from the line and onto a ground a breeze had picked up. Leaves from an unknown location drizzled over the courtyard, painting the ground with bright orange and red splotches. Breeze caught against her hair as her white figure appeared from the depths of dark, the ropes not making a sound. Creaking, wailing, howling...the town got creepier as time passed by, the light now almost completely gone from the sky except for the stars that now hung against the heavens like tiny lanterns. It was like a scene in one of those children's books, the moment of haunting before a monster struck out from the dark, only alarming those around it with it's presence from sound.

Syndela yearned to not be whipped by the lashes of sharp leaves, lest have her hair tangled. Escorting herself to the newly constructed 'rope' a small almost silent snort bursted from her nose. This was a joke, right? Symenestra conceived wonderful fabric and silk. Rafaelle however seemed to be tampering with a source he knew little about. Was he sure this lazy and unattractive device could suspend his weight?
As he had inclined for her to perform, she found herself grasping the edge of the woven hand-made rope, the texture of the slightly soggy material to her disapproval.

In silent agreement the being once more leapt, finding footing against the wall of the terrace closest to the male and scaling its elevation effortlessly. The tight soggy rope dragged behind as she crawled up the second story and fitted herself to the sloping roof. Tiles both cracked and worn met her heels and though it felt sharp, Syndela took care to gently creep over the broken fragment sections and prize over the fenceline on the roof. Why would humans need fences on the roof anyway? Maybe it was to prevent burgulars from attaching to the surface of the structure or add visual appeal.
Crawling over the worn metal fence, the rope was pulled through. She then scaled down the other side of the building, pulling the rope through until the other side had almost met the ground.
" It's fixed. " She shouted over the house and fastening herself to the other side. What was she doing? Normally any help from a- no, wait. He had paid her. Yes, a meal for a few days was truly worth helping this piglet out of his pen...wasn't it?

The scene behind the terrace was a street, curving up a hill with street lanterns on both sides of the road. Terraces equal to those in the courtyard sparced down both sides, the bottom of the street concealing behind a tight corner. The top of the hill however fanned out, revealing a large dark open area dotted with candlelight. Temple of Ionu. At least the landmark was seeable in the eyes of the Symenestra. Towering stone gently curved to make the large building conceive an imposing yet respectable figure. That means there were guards around here. If they spotted her fooling around at night, surely it would not end well. Questioning? Imprisonment for a night? A week?

With all her strength she pulled on the end of the makeshift climbing device, fastening her claws to the ground and hoping the leverage of the fence atop the roof would aid in supporting the man. Syndela hoped he would hurry, for the coming of night meant the increase of patrols. To anyone else's eye this would look alike to a thieving devious situation.

It was only a matter of time.

[Rafaelle]

The diminution of little light that there was still left worried him greatly. She held the rope and there was little time to waste. In the dark, he stumbled upon a few pieces of cloth left unused in the making of the makeshift contraption. The thief kicked them away and rolled his sleeves back, preparing for a climb. Rafaelle was not the strongest of men, having always weaseled out of situations that required toiling and such, both in his childhood and early adulthood. He did not weight much though and was endowed with an agile body.

Having spat in his palms to make them somewhat stickier he finally clutched at the soggy cloth. the task was harder than it had seemed at first, but he no longer wished to remain detained in this prison. The soles of his leather boots thumped the wall softly, and with a grunt he began straining his back muscles to pull himself up. As an adventurous child, he used to climb many trees but had not done anything of the sort for a long while. The rope stretched and made a sound similiar to a bowstring being pulled. The fear that it might rip or come undone never left him. Ascending proved to be quite a a struggle and his movements were not as sinuous and effortless as he had thought they would be. The heavy swollen waterskin dangling by his side did little to help his journey to the roof.

His eyes perceived the dark starlit sky to keep him going and with sheer willpower, he mustered the strength to reach the top and throw himself languidly over the metal fence. His muscles were going to be sore tomorrow for sure. In fact, it must have been tomorrow already. The rogue was convinced, by looking up at the equidistant moon which sailed among dark clouds, that optimum darkness would occur in no more than an hour, meaning it must have been well past midnight. In his weariness, the skies appeared almost somnolent.

No time to lay about and fall asleep though. The cold environed him like an accursed mantle and he could see the warm vapour leaving him with every exhale. The rogue helped himself back to his feet and searched for his little helper but his eyes fell to the distant candlelight of the temple instead. "Well, that does not bode welll..." He muttered. "So, err... care to point out a shortcut? Never been on this floor before." The rest of the town was hard to distinguish albeit there were torches alight somewhere in the distance. The roofs seemed to meld together in the dark, like an oddly shaped black landscape.

[Syndela]

Syndela awaited and held, the added weight on the end proved to be quite an amount. A full grown human male was heavy but she could sustain it. Biceps hunched and tightened as his figure neared the roof, spotting his hair coming just below the fenceline. Success, the male had made it onto the roof and over the fence. She agreed to help him up but whoever said about coming back down?

Tearing her gaze from the human she asserted the darkness. The Temple of Ionu was indeed up the hill, and it wasn't empty. Figures were spotted ushering about in the windows and outside corridors. Monks or guards? The Symenestra knew the humans at the temple wouldn't see this, especially because of the slope of the hill.
There was no need to worry about that, at least for now. Releasing the makeshift rope the robed figure moved out onto the street, discovering the tight corner headed in the direction of the dockyards. Many sparce ships could be seen tied up against the docks whilist the workers went about shifting back and forth with cargo. Beyond the men however she could not see, it was too far away. " The shipyard is down the hill and the temple is up. There isn't any other corridors or roads. Not that I need them. "

Sneering at the human on the roof, she taunted with him. But the gesture ran short as movement at the top of the hill caught her eye. Two, four...six? Six shaded figures shuffled toward the road at a hurried pace. Wanting to get away from the suspisous rope as far as possible in a short amount of time, Syndela crawled across the ground on all fours until her body met bush. A planter convinently placed between her and the incoming sentries. Silk blended with the shadows as she huddled underneath the window, curling up to appear as small as possible while retaining a position she could flee in.

Humans aged between their late twenties to mid fourties paced down the hill. Adorned in lavish gowns and dramatic make-up they conversed with eachother in a flamboyant fashion. One of the females waved a fan back and forth to fan her face as they walked down the hill, long dresses sweeping the roads. Nobles, by the looks of it. Even the men seemed too well maintained with their sharp pointy moustaches and goatees. They chuckled together at jokes and whispers, battering eyelashes feverishly and in general making themselves appear as overly staged as possible.

Possessing a resentful glare, the veiled lady watched from the shadows as the group converged down the street. One of the men on the end wobbled and fell to one knee, ensuring the laughter of those around him. So these were drunk nobles then? A fair night spending their earnings on entertainment and nightly feasts no doubt.

[Rafaelle]

The boisterous troupe of nobles caught his eye as well. It was unpredictable how would they react if he had descended to meet them or if they discovered him standing up there, above. His dressing was certainly not as flamboyant and expensive so mockery was to be expected of the drunken gentry. That is what the rogue, constantly struggling with pauperism, had to endure during his travels.

After a quick repose, he dropped down prone onto gritty surface of the roof to remain hidden from the eyes of the others. For a meagre moment his cheek touched the stone as well but it was unpleasantly cold so he left his head hanging just above.

The nobles were certainly in no hurry, carried away by their own little games and jokes that were funny only to themselves. The men desired to touch the women and although Rafaelle could not see what exactly occurred down below, he could guess what was going on by the playful screams and yelps as though pleading the few daring men to stop their advances. Whenever something like that happened, the group stopped again before venturing forth and Rafaelle's patience was wearing thin. "Won't they just be on their way already?" he thought.

Finally, the voices subsided somewhere in the distance and the lad stood up to ascertain where could they have gone. A strange curiousity sparked within him. It impelled him to follow the nobles. An impetuous arrangement, perhaps, but as a thief, the opportunity was too much for him to miss.

The woman that aided him was too hard to keep track of in the dark. He heard her rustle leaves somewhere but he could no longer tell where she is. Perhaps gone. He would thank her, but kept silent. There was no telling who else might be in vicinity. Having determined a vague path upon the terrace, he stepped forth to hear crispy leaves crunch under his feet. The rogue had to stop to ponder over for a moment. If he was to follow the group he had to be extra careful and delicate.

Vague moonlight allowed him to perceive far enough ahead to jump from house to house and so he embarked on his journey, his soft footsteps making not a hint of a sound except for the occasional crunch of a dried leaf that he could not possibly conceive in the dark.

[Syndela]

Baffled by her partners lack of eloquence the female with the pink wig blushed away, facing another female as she whispered devilishly into her ear. The other woman wore a velvety yellow corset with black stripes and flower decor covering over her chest. The outfit was accompanied by frilling black skirt that reached her ankles. Pointed boots poked out underneath, giving the impression she looked like some bumblebee misplaced from spring.
Each slow step took them further and further away, eventually giving Syndela a breath of fresh air. The perfume was strong, surely the men wouldn't be able to handle it that close range.

Peeking out of the bushes, she proceeded to crawl and unravage the leaves that had stuck into her robes, making small huffing sounds as she went about it. " Messy smelly humans making so much noi- " Red irises danced and traced over the roof top. Where did the human go? Leaning out beyond the corner, Syndela spotted him through the darkness, making haste to keep up with the troubleseeker. His nature perplexed her. Such a strange young boy.

Inquistively and unable to shy away to leave him to his own endeavors, the spider woman also took to the rooves. Scaling the wall and rushing over the slanted tiles, the distance was made up quickly and stopped near the dockyards - robes fluttering against the night.

Syncronised they burst into raffish laughter, the group huddling together in their drunken haze. One of the suited men stepped out and wobbled for a moment. " I need to do something, mind if you wait h-hic! ... Here? " A smug grin tugged at his lips, the coat covered in wet stains from spilled alcohol. " Suuuurre! " Said the woman in the yellow and black outfit, swatting the man away playfully.
Barely making away back up the hill, his feet wiggled and swayed, thighs wobbling like frail twigs while he walked towards a dark corner near the terraces. Fumbling with his pants with one hand, the other reached out and gripped onto the wall, though miscalculated the distance. He fell forward a bit too far and stumbled, hitting against the wall with solemn chuckles. Hiding behind one of the communial bins did the noble enoty his bladder. The stentch of stinky piss filled the air, collecting in the corner where he only just managed to keep himself from falling into it.

Syndela peeked between the larger mass and the single man and then turned her gaze to the human. She sat behind the roof, ensconced by the brick of chimney. The single target was seperated and vulnerable although it made little difference. If something was to happen it's not like their senses were full.
What did Rafaelle plan to do exactly?