The Key Mystery (Wrenmae, Modded)

[Ana Sol Starris]

Winter 83rd, 511AV Sunberth, morning It started three days ago, a gnawing need to know feeling that had risen up inside Ana's conscience. A key she had pilfered off a man, the very same day she had met Kreig Messer the so called 'Educated Brawler', it had a vice like grip on her, this key. It was a metal, she knew that by looking at it and by how cold it was, but what kind was a mystery to her. The key appeared to be rather aged also, but by how far she could only ponder. Holding it in the dark of the room, tracing its curves and smoothened edges while huddled in the corner of Wrenmaes apartment Ana began to wonder, once again, where this key could fit in. Perhaps a chest full of mizas? Jewels? A room locked with exotic items worth alot of mizas? Or even some abandoned house she could live in? The possibilities were endless, and she wanted to know what this key would unlock for her. Glancing over at the cot where 'he' slept, or perhaps he was not sleeping. Either way it did not matter, she watched him for a moment before her eyes glanced at the mind teasing device. Rubbing her eyes and letting her head fall against the back of the wall with a very light 'thump' Ana sighed quietly. Tired. Sleep wanted at her and yet she remained awake, why waste her time in a room with no entertainment? No matter how amusing it was to watch her companion shift about. With little light to go by, she could not read her book again for what could have been the millionth time, she almost had it committed to memory. Ana felt it under her buttocks, in the folds of the clothing she had made a sort of nest from along with the coin purse that had once held the key now in her hands. Bending her head inwardly, she began to move it to the sides, the familliar yet pleasurable sound and feeling came about as Ana cracked her neck. She hefted herself up carefully, slowly, and stretched with arms to the ceiling, the key gripped tightly in her right hand. Moving her legs, she put her foot out in front of her and stood on the other for a moment to stretch the cramped apendages. Repeating this, but on the other foot. Ana looked down at the nest, her book would be safe there, however she crouched and dug. Pulling out the coin purse carefully and taking 5 of the gold rimmed mizas out and hiding them in the folds of the cloth, Ana placed the coin purse along with the key not in the clothy-goodness into her left pocket, the one with out a hole in it. Remaining crouched, and then turning slowly while watching her foot placement as to not make a sound. Ana herself only heard a very light scuff from her fraying, falling apart sandals. It was good enough for her, her companion was most likely still very well asleep. Moving towards the door tediously, she tiptoed towards its rickety door knob. Holding her breath as she turned it slowly, but surely, she opened the door with as much caution. Ana was use to this, sneaking out before he could wake up, she didn't sleep often after all so it was easy to take note of his sleeping patterns. Leaving always when she saw the very soft ray of sunlight hide under the doors cracks, it was the little thiefs indicator that it was a safer time to leave the premises. Once Ana was out the door, having of shut it as quickly and gently as she could. Not wanting it to squeek on its hinges as it did so, she then pulled the rag tag cloak closer around her for what warmth she could get from it. Ana was heading back to The Pigs Foot tavern again to resituate herself in another hiding spot nearby the establishment, Kreig had so far appeared to return to its confines everyday or so it seemed to Ana. Then a thought crossed her mind, she had created a loop hole without knowing it, she had not stated how long of a time it would be before they had met again. Albeit in Ana's mind she had set it at three days, but did she really want to spy on a brawlers return to some silly tavern? No, she did not, he could wait. This key could not. A loud noise resounded from her stomach, grumbling, gurgling dangerously with a sharp hunger pang inside it. Okay, maybe this key can wait for a few moments, food first, mystery second.. She thought loathesomely. Ana had the money and the castle commons were close by, she had the freedom and the time to figure out this mystery, to be more specific Ana had till the sun began to set. No way was she going to figure out this mystery in the dark with potential cut throats, thugs, mad men and sociopaths lurking around every corner waiting to pounce on their prey. If only she had some form of night vision, she would probably find it easier to maneuver the streets at night but she did not have any of the kind. Beginning to walk across the bridge, Ana made her way towards the Castle Commons.

[Wrenmae]

It was only when one strained to be silent, unseen, unheard, that they accrued the most ill-timed attention. Shroud awoke to the sound of Ana leaving, her young body going through the painstaking lengths of solitude and silence…no doubt to not alert him her presence. Laying beneath the furs, the killer opened his eyes in time to see the door swing silently back into place, gently pushed back into the catch with scarcely more than a creak. Exhaling, he waited a moment, then two, before swinging out of bed and hurling on the clothes of the day before. They might have begun to smell, but time was of the essence. Taking his dagger, he clipped it to his belt before pushing open the door and stepping into the street. Morning in Sunberth was the worst sort of state. Sunberth was a city that lived better in the evening, when darkness could hide the filth around the feet of every lumbering oath in the city. In the broad daylight, the old city looked tired, sagging sideways and drunk on the blood and offal left behind from criminals of ancient and present persuasion. Ana bobbed at the corner of an alley, enticing Shroud to follow, albeit at a hesitant pace. Normally the child wasn’t so exuberantly secretive, the sort of thief that stumbled into her riches rather than through any stroke of skill. Honestly, it made no sense to him why Wrenmae kept her around. She was more effort than she was worth, a glorified distraction at best…a liability at worst. Even then, the boy got frenzied whenever Shroud had an inkling to do away with her and so…thus far, he had held back his hand. She scuttled through the streets like an unkempt mouse, hither and tither with her small feet and gangly appearance, her hair bobbing like rickety waves. Shroud followed with all the practiced calculation of a slightly irate spider, slinking only when necessary and mostly staying well in her wake. She paused and he watched, tapping a finger against the pommel of his dagger…almost bored. Had he followed her for nothing? Was this all that his early morning had accomplished? Wrenmae was a fool…she really was better off dead in an alley.

[Ana Sol Starris]

After she had gotten a small loaf of bread from the bakery, she felt a rush of excitement at the thought of being able to finally pay for something. Though however, before she left the doors she plopped the purse into her blouse. The belt held the purse securely from falling through as it was tightly bound around her waist, despite the fraying, falling apartness it seemed to potrude. Then she was off, munching on the bread as she walked through the commons, one hand in her pocket holding onto the mind teasing key as she chewed, and savored the buttery flaky goodness of the bread product. Stall keepers eyed her with aprhension, they had good reason for doing so also. Her rag tag cloak was the most prominent feature they most likely remembered running off through the crowds. However, it seemed like today was laxed.. The morning was the reasoning to this for the most part, eyeing everything around her, especially doors; things with locks she could try to open the key with. Finishing off the delictable morsel with a satsifyed stomach, she went into uber sneak mode, first by a stall, next she moved past a crowd of walking people, then weaved around a few straglers, letting her hands roam towards loose pockets as she did so in the process. Sliding up to a buildings wall, her eyes looking back and forth; she exuberated an aura of secrecy and mystery. So far none of the dredging locals seemed to want to deal with a silly girl trying to stealth about the streets, either that, or they were too depressed about the cold and wishing that spring would come soon. Walking casually up to a door, she looked to see if it had a lock and when she saw it did she smiled. Taking the key out she tryed to insert it in yet it would not do so, nor would it turn. Flustered she took the key away while placing it back into her pocket and moved about her buisness, looking around for more locks to find. Though this was not the only reason she had scurried away, a man had shooed her away with threats of death, a dagger shining in the morning light and just like that she was gone. If the key didn't fit in a common Sunberth building, then it probably didn't fit in many others either. With a stubbornly set mouth, Ana slinked more about, scampering here and there between boxes or barrels or shadowy walls. Maybe it would open an establishment? But they were most likely open at this time of day, so the key would probably not work then.. Taking it out to stare at it, gripping it tightly in her grubby palm, as if maybe she could gain knowledge by just looking at it, more intently so at this thought, the attempt was hilarious- as if anything would actually happen by just staring at an inanimate object. Sighing as she wondered what glamours this key held behind its destined lock. Actually, Ana had no idea where to start with this key and she had tried with the lock of a door, maybe, just maybe there was a vault, or a chest.. Oh who was she kidding, Ana sighed once more dissapointed. Once again she was on the move, not once in her scannings of the area around her had she thought to look behind herself. If she had she would have most likely seen Wrenmae tailing after her. oocHaha I wrote this half asleep, if theres spelling errors or something doesn't make sense.. x_x I'll check later.

[Ink]

A rugged urchin, surely no taller than five feet, crouched upon an old barrel in an alleyway. The boy was good at being quiet, that’s how he got each and every meal of his miserable life. It was only natural Ana hadn’t seen the boy, but he had seen Ana; particularly her attempt to open the door. Shifty eyes had caught a glimpse of the key though, and that’s all an opportunist needed. Slinking off the crate the flee-ridden child approached Ana, though his roved over Wrenmae once, his attention was for the young woman and her key. Even though he had stopped well out of arm’s reach, the stench the little creature emitted was still potent. “Lose yer house didja Miss?” Of course the question was rhetorical, only the drunk or insane lost whole buildings, but anyone familiar with Sunberth would recognize that any door worthy of a lock was worthy of breaking into. “Mayhaps I could find it fer ya? If’n ya got the rims for it.” As most interactions in Sunberth were, this was a gamble on the part of both parties. The boy gambled that the couple didn’t gut him right there for speaking to them. He gambled that they would be mentally deficient enough to fall into one of his scams. On the other hand, something tickled the young man’s memory, something about the key had gotten him off his perch but even the urchin couldn’t place quite what it was. For Wrenmae and Ana, the gamble was vastly different and certainly safer… for now.

[Ana Sol Starris]

Ana clutched the bit of metal in the form of a key tightly to herself, flinching and scrambling to back away from the urchin surprisedly, paranoidly. Giving him dirty looks for having of caught her off gaurd, before quickly shoving the key into the inside of her dirty sleeve. She wasn't about to lose her key to a greater treasure, and perhaps a better purpose than being an urchin on the streets, a simple ward, to an abusive psychotic man she found hard to just.. Up and leave him. Breathing in, she had meant to take a calming breath, and instead wrinkled her nose at the grimy boys own stench wafting about him. Of course, she said nothing about it, this was Sunberth after all- hygeine definitely wasn't in the 'berthian's interests. "Maybe I did lose my house" She spoke cautiously, eyeing the boy carefully for any tricks, or for if he had any weapons about him. Ana didn't know what to say after that, the boy was offering to help her find her 'house' for a price, but the problem was- could she even trust for a moment to be led around by some urchin possibly on a wild goose chase? The gears and cogs worked in her mind slowly, obviously she had no wheres really to start, and if there was treasure to be found- then what was currently just a few simple mizas to pass on into the hands of another? There were so many possibilities, so many pathes, which one would she tread on? What did she have to do all day, anyways? It was an adventure! But she didn't know how to barter very well, so.. she was somewhat twitchy as she considered his offer "well.. I.. I will give you one gold rim, for helping.. and.. maybe more.. If you're quick about it," she fished the key out and held it out for him better to see, but still far out of his reach "the lock has to fit this key, or no deal." That was reasonable, right? Ana thought it was, but who was she kidding- she could have filched that key off some poor mug (and which she did) and was just attempting to find the treasure herself. The small thief hid the key once more in the folds of her clothes, right within her shirts sleeve where she could feel its heavy weight presence.

[Wrenmae]

"Give the boy a coin or he'll run off with the key." Shroud muttered, stepping up behind Ana and putting a hand on her shoulder. Regardless of how comforting it looked, the hand was a warning to the girl that the mage had involved himself in her little adventure, and she carried the responsibility of seeing it through to a thorough completion.

"Besides," Shroud said, transfixing the boy with his cold brown eyes, "The lad is going to be helpful, better that than to cross strangers, eh?" Subtly, Wrenmae took a strand of fear, spun it thin enough to be considered caution, and wrapped it with another strand of greed. Greed for the gold rimmed mizas, for more pay than the child would garner from a successful day robbing. Pushing the strands together in his mind, Wren spun a hypnotic web with it, pushing the thoughts into the boy's head.

Greed and fear would motivate the wretch, as it had for his entire life.

Meanwhile, Shroud surveyed their area with calculated indifference. It was not a matter of great importance, this key, and if it was, he would show no sign of it. The child would smell desperation and interest and seek the easiest route to take advantage of it. In Sunberth he couldn't afford to use his magic, not risk the noose.

So for now, this manipulation was his card.

And he would see how the boy would play it.