Sunberth, Sweat and Brothels (open)

[Florence Lander]

Summer 25, 512 AV

Flo had dismounted Anchor before she reached the city. She may have been safer on his back, but more conspicuous, and the last thing she wanted to do round here was get noticed. The air was hot and humid and a thin layer of sweat glistened on her forehead. The hair hanging round her neck made her skin sticky. At a young age she'd been told stories of Sunberth - the lawless city - and she'd always been afraid of the people rumored to be from here, but life had changed since then. She had changed. And now she'd fit right in.

She led Anchor down the street, wiping the sweat away from her forehead with the back of her hand. There was a brothel to her right. Beautiful girls with makeup and jewelery were hanging round outside, trying to catch the eyes of the men. Flo swallowed, hating just the thought of some man who hadn't washed touching her. She turned away. Not that she was the cleanest person. Anchor nudged her shoulder and she tugged fondly at his mane. "It's alright, boy."

They came here when Flo found she only had a week's supply of food left. She could survive in the wilderness, just, but she couldn't hunt; she was much better at stealing. She glanced over at the girls from the brothel again but turned away when one looked in her direction. I'll find somewhere to camp first, she decided and walked a little faster.

[Chase Hunter]

OOCHey, congratulations on your first thread. You did it perfect, except that you might want to put a time stamp in on it. But other then that, you did great. (Yes, player is a lot nicer then character. But don't spread it around. ) Chase moved down the street, bearing down the street, not stopping for anyone in his way. His heavy leather boots squished various things underfoot, most of which he didn't want to look at. Still angry from losing his memory, he'd decided to make himself reasonably comfortable in the city. And to do that, he needed to known as one who wasn't going to take anything from anyone. Well, that wasn't true. He probably was going to take several things from several people, for various reasons. But only things he wanted. Anything else, he was probably going to beat out of someone. From what little he'd seen, it was a city where doing just what he planned wasn't going to be a problem. His black cloak floated behind him just a little. There was no wind, no rain, just clouds over head, leaving the city in its almost perpetual dimmed light. Chase had just reached an intersection near one of the gates. Most people were either on the sides of the street walking to deal with whatever business they had, or hiding in buildings from everyone else. All except one small human girl leading a horse, just past the gates. A bold act, but perhaps foolish. "You there! What's your name?" Chase refrained from several adjectives running through his mind, mostly degrading titles, from "girl", to "human", to "tiny thing".

[Florence Lander]

Flo was so busy avoiding the gazes of the prostitutes, she didn't immediately notice the man marching towards her, his lips pulled tight and a heavy frown weighing down his eyebrows. He must've been at least a foot taller than her and had sharp, yellow eyes. Flo blinked, determined to prove she wasn't scared. Although she was, just a little. "You there! What's your name?"

She stopped walking as the man approached and Anchor tapped his hoof against the ground - uneasy. She could be anyone she wanted to be here and she most certainly wouldn't start off with people thinking they could walk all over her. "Flo," she said, pleased her voice didn't betray her. "Why do you care?" His yellow eyes were startling and she'd like nothing more than to look away, but she held her ground, staring up as the man looked down on her. Her height was an advantage when it came to stealing, but maybe not in this situation.

[Emery Lowell]

OOCI agree with Chase! Well done and welcome! Emery leant against a building, its roof sagging and nearing collapse, but still in better condition than half the town. She was practically lounging, her legs crossed comfortably, hands in her pockets, chin dropped to her chest, and choppy black hair obscuring her eyes. To those who passed by it would appear that she was simply dozing in the cool shade, taking a break from the heat of the day. In reality she was watching. Carefully. Bright blue eyes darted along as people passed, assessing their size, their gait, but most importantly, their belongings. A small commotion attracted her attention; a man, calling for the attention of a girl. She assessed them silently. The girl was small, and frankly, underwhelming. She carried no weapon with her- a bad choice in Sunberth- and her clothes were simple. She was leading a horse by the rope thingy- Emery didn't know what it was called- and she wondered for a moment how such a small woman could mount such a large horse. Emery stiffened noticeably, eyeing the beast in irritation. She hated horses. Next she moved her gaze to the man. He was tall, with long hair- Emery noted that it was longer than her own and grinned a little bit at the irony- and simple, black clothing. What drew Emery’s attention was the leather gloves he wore on his hands, each studded with iron. Emery admired them, and, straightening from her relaxed position, she wondered if they were expensive. She took a calming breath and tried to appear nonchalant, as if she wasn't plotting to rob as many people pennyless as she could. Settling back against the wall she eyed the pair carefully. Her fingers itched to begin slipping into pockets, none of which would be her own.

[Chase Hunter]

Flo. How human. Chase thought. He was born with a disdain of everything human, trying to prove that he was just as good a hunter as any of the other Zith. He cared little for his human father, where ever he was, thinking that he was the reason for Chase's weaknesses. Now to figure out what exactly this girl thought she was, standing boldly in the middle of the street in a city where apparently no one was safe. Humans were little more then prey, no matter how much they thought they were better. Even prey had the sense to run and hide from the hunter. To bad that humans thought they were the only hunter, and never hunted. Then again, his name was Chase Hunter for a reason. But he digressed in thoughts. "What is a tiny human like you doing here? You have the most reason to cower inside the buildings, and yet here you stand with nothing. Get out of the way and let those that are better than you to own these streets."

[Florence Lander]

OOCThanks for the welcome!

Flo blinked, more than one reply coming to mind; and you think that's you? Better not be too rude; he didn't look to be in a fantastic mood. "I'm not exactly in your way, am I?" She gestured to the rest of the empty street.

There was a girl sat in the shadows. Flo paused on her, trying to tell if she was asleep or not. She couldn't see much of her face, but Flo was sure she could feel more than just the man's eyes watching her. Then again, there weren't many people in the street, so most people's attention would be on them. She turned back to the man in case the girl was watching.

Anchor tossed his head and a droplet of sweat ran down his neck. She rubbed it away. "Like you said, I'm tiny." Her fingers were better suited to slipping food of market tables than trying to do some damage to someone this big and tough. She glanced at the spiked gloves he was wearing. She couldn't hurt him if she wanted to, which of course, she didn't.

[Emery Lowell]

Emery tapped her fingers against the wall, thinking. The man didn't look like a guy one would want to mess with, and the girl was too observant to approach unnoticed. Then there was the problem of getting the gauntlets off. Emery wondered for a moment if it would be wiser to simple slip her fingers in the pairs pockets as she passed and bit her lip, nervously. The horse stirred, throwing its head to the side and Em tensed, glaring at the animal. They were far too perceptive for their own good, making a thief’s job even harder. Returning her eyes to the man and woman she wondered what she should do. Perhaps she could follow him and knock him out in an alley. There was always the chance that he would kill her before she got the chance to rob him, but if Emery spent all her time worrying over that simple risk then she would quickly go hungry. She took a step away from the wall, hands in her pockets and head down, dawdling along and edging closer to the two with each step, listening carefully to their conversation.

[Florence Lander]

Flo glanced down at her feet and then at Anchor. She was sweaty and itching and didn't want to stand out here exposed on the street for much longer. She needed to find somewhere to set up her tent. She'd heard there was a place for that somewhere round here. She bit into the corner of her lip, remembering that she could be brave if she wanted to.

She looked a lot younger than a nineteen year old should, as though her body had stopped aging at fifteen. She was sure if you looked at each of her features individually, there were marks of someone well past childhood there, but you had to look carefully. Her young body made stealing without people noticing a lot easier, but when trying to look fierce, she'd had men laugh at her. She hoped she was being more successful this time. "If you don't mind, I'm just going to keep walking."

[Kon]

Walking slowly through the streets of Sunberth, the young Inarta looks a little more relaxed than usual. No signs of worry adorn his features, and he doesn't look quite as weary as he typically does after earning his keep for the day. Nor does the heat seem to be bothering him much despite wearing a scarf over his shirt. In a nutshell, he simply appears to be in a good mood.

Stopping for a moment and leaning against a building, he reaches into his pocket and glances around, noting the lack of any real crowds. Deciding it's safe enough- and if he were to be honest with himself, he'd probably risk it anyway- he pulls out two silver dice and begins tossing them lightly in his hand. Looks like my good luck charm is working today... Wait a minute.

Kon glances across the street once more and this time notices the rather undersized girl and the large and angry looking man in some sort of confrontation. Dropping his dice in the process, he hurriedly dives to scoop them up and stick them back in his pocket. Glancing around again just to make sure he didn't attract anyone's attention- or to make note if he did- he decides to stick around and watch this little meeting. Wonder how this'll play out. Maybe I should lend a hand? Eh, I'll see. Maybe if I'm really needed.

The young man scratches his red hair and takes a closer look at the larger man. Well, he's a lot bigger than I am, so hopefully I won't have any reason to step in. Wrapping his scarf a little tighter, Kon checks to make sure he has his sword with him- unlikely that he wouldn't, but he'd been known to forget important details before. Probably won't need it anyway, but when dealing with somebody who looks like they woke up with a rat gnawing on their face, doesn't hurt to be careful.

Of course, as usual when Kon directs his attention towards something, it gains all of his focus. He forgets his usual habits of keeping an eye out for pickpockets, and it's obvious to anyone who would look that he's not paying much mind to his surroundings.

[Chase Hunter]

OOCI am Sooooooooo sorry about being so long. I've been having a rough few weeks, and it doesn't look likely to end any time soon. I will be gone the week of the 30th unfortunately, just to let you know. Chase glanced around as he suddenly seemed surrounded by people on what used to be a street that emptied before him, and for him only. However, it was a group of the littlest and weakest of people. A weak human girl with her horse stood up first, and now Chase was getting flanked by yet another human girl. From there, he heard someone else approach him from behind, a red headed human male. There was a fleeting moment of flight overwhelming fight, but it disappeared quickly enough. He was bigger by far than any of them, and most likely stronger. However, if all three were to clamp on him, it might be much more trouble then it was worth. But they seemed timid, weak, and acted like prey. Chases instincts soared to the front of his mind, with pride almost being the top-most on them all. He turned back to the girl who was in front of him. "Scuttle away you worm. You have been chaistised, and humbled. Remember this lesson." Determined not to the be the first to walk away, he stood actively towering over her.