An Unusual Meeting [Bojovnik]

[Ariadne]

31 Summer, 512AV Only when night settles down; the blanket of silence, And the sole light is gifted by the swollen full moon, The city is calm, a hiatus in the blood and violence, Can one hear the true Ravok and her unadulterated tune. The passage was an excerpt from one of her mother’s numerous poems, untitled – as they all were. Ariadne felt that it was well suited to describe the night right now. Light spilling out from residential homes were mirrored on the canal water, gentle ripples distorting the reflections. The moon was low in the sky, bathing the darker areas of the city in eerie clarity. It was quiet where she was; only the lapping of the water and the occasional cry broke the silence. She crouched in the shadows of a building, no light emerging from it. Like a dark leviathan it sat stoic and cold. No sounds came from it – not a voice came from within, any cupboards closing, not even a floorboard creaking. She was absolutely certain no one was inside the building, and if they were they had turned in early, as the night was still young. Only after waiting outside for half a bell and hearing nothing from inside did Ariadne feel comfortable enough to act. The thief stole out from her shadowed covers, moving low and quick in the moonlight and around to the front door. Once she found the wooden barrier she knelt at the threshold, pushing her small frame deeper into the depression the door frame made. Before she did anything Ariadne attempted to open the door to find it locked. Better to try it at least once than to try picking it and finding out she had locked the damn thing. She withdrew from her mostly emptied backpack a small black roll, equipped with straps for tying it shut. Ariadne gently pulled the loose strap and the tie unwound. The thief unrolled the kit to reveal her needed tools, all carefully set into their own individual slots. Ariadne gently withdrew two slender metal picks from their sheath and gently inserted them into the key hole. She probed the inside of the lock, feeling the metal obstructions as she carefully pushed the pick deeper into the hole. Once she was comfortable with where they were situated she tried turning the lock. Perhaps she had exerted too much pressure on the pick, because after a few heartbeats of trying to unlock the mechanism she felt more than heard the pick break. Ariadne grimaced, silently cursing her rushed attempt. She quickly withdrew the now useless pick and returned it to the kit while grabbing a new one. Again, she repeated the process of inserting the pick until it sat next to its twin. This time she took her time in unlocking the door, ignoring the coiling tension she felt that urged her to move quickly lest someone catch her. Ariadne was not well practiced at breaking locks, and it took her longer then she liked to navigate the inner mechanisms of the lock. She was eventually awarded for her patience when she abruptly heard the tell-tale click. Ariadne smiled faintly in satisfaction and returned the picks to their slot, rolled up the click and gently opened the door. The thief stepped in lightly to the dark interior of the home and gently shut the door behind her. Almost as an afterthought she locked the door. It was dark inside, and she paused where she was to give her eyes time to adjust to the sudden loss of light. Curtains were drawn over the windows, but one set had not been closed completely, letting in a sliver of moonlight. It wasn’t much, but it was enough to offer some light to see by. Ariadne looked around and found herself in the well-furnished and decorated sitting room. Her brown eyes quickly scanned the room, though nothing of great value jumped out at her. There were two candlesticks that appeared to be made of copper which she quickly snatched up and put into her bag, but besides though the sitting room seemed to hold little interest. Ariadne moved silently away from the sitting room and into the kitchen. That is until a floorboard creaked when she put her weight on it, and in the utter quiet of the home it was shockingly loud. The thief stopped dead, her muscles tension up in preparation for an escape, her heart jumping in shock. She sucked breath through a parted mouth, her senses straining for any movement in the house. She waited for a minute or two, and when nothing was forthcoming she moved off the board and grimaced when it returned to its rightful place with a sonorous creak. Really, home owners should have more love for their homes and take care of those kinds of things. How was a respectful thief supposed to move quietly through their residence? In the kitchen there was nothing of great worth, and Ariadne – now convinced that no one was home – was not shy about opening up cupboards and searching through belongings. Again, nothing of worth was to be found in the kitchen. There was a set of stairs in the kitchen leading up. Giving up in the kitchen, Ariadne moved to the stairs and took them up two at a time.

[Bojovnik Vybutit]

Bojovnik looked up from his parchment of paper. "Yup this looks like the place." He thought to himself as he looked over the house. It was a two story house that looked completely vacant. No sign of anything going on inside but that wasn't what he was hear for. His contract stipulated that on the second floor a pink necklace would be kept in a jewelry box in the master bedroom. That was the only other details given to him. Glancing around the house again he noticed the door open and then close, almost making no sound at all. He sighed. He had hopped at least this job could go nicely and have no trouble. Having no other option it seemed he would have to do this the more direct rout it seemed. Walking along the side of the house towards the back he saw no candles or any lights lighting up but figured that maybe the home owner went to bed. He arrived to the back door and looked upon it. A simple wooden door. Nothing special or anything. It didn't show any bit of royalty or higher place in life. It made no sense as to why a person like this would have a valuable necklace and have someone else wanting to steal it. Looking at the house made you think it was large but it was clearly not important in anyway. He checked his body over once again, making sure he had all the things he would need. He axe was were it always needs to be. Longsword in the correct spot armor placed on right it all seemed ready and good. Taking a nice long breath he tried to open the door. The knob wiggled and wouldn't budge. "Of course not that would be just way to easy," Bojovnik thought to himself. He stepped away from the door and looked threw the window on the right side. It was still almost completely darkened inside the house. A few feet up was a split in the house that could be used to pull himself up and possible climb in through a window, but not being an expert jumper or having a partner to throw him up that option was off the table. It was starting to look like crashing in threw the door was the only option. Most likely the worst option would be doing that, its loud lets people know you came in and it makes you look careless. Some employers don't like it when you make a huge problem and become the talk of the town, yet some don't mind it. The man who gave him this job seemed to be more of the professional type. Thinking for a minuet he realized that maybe his employer wanted him to look unprofessional as to throw people off his trail. Being the only possibility that seemed to fit Bojovnik got ready to ram in the door. Stepping back in front of the door he felt the making in it and tried to open it once more. Still nothing. He took a few steps back and readied to run in. The door flew open with a loud "BANG". It took Bojovnik a few seconds to realize what happened and regain his senses. As he tried to stand up streak of pain shot up in his right shoulder, after a few seconds it went away but it defiantly hurt. The door was cracked down the middle, it was obviously poorly built Bojovnik isn't that strong. Wasting no time he decided to try and get out of the house as soon as possible. Standing up he walked in the kitchen and headed upstairs.

[Ariadne]

At the top of the staircase were two rooms located directly across from each other. Ariadne crept quietly to the first one and peered inside. Though the room was not very large it had been decorated comfortably; inviting but not imposing. The home owner utilized the area with little trinkets to fill the empty spaces without overwhelming the room. Despite her - for Ariadne knew it must have been a woman - attempts to make the room feel homey, an air of disuse clung to it as rooms abandoned to other uses were want to have. A guest room, then. Quaint. And utterly worthless to an exploring thief. Most people did not keep their valuables with their guests. Ariadne then turned to the other room, doubtlessly where the owner slept. It was larger and more extravagantly furnished than the guest room, though even the master bedroom’s furnishing spoke of a poorer purse pouch than Ariadne was hoping for. She sighed; evidently she picked the wrong house to rob. It was just her luck that she would pick a house that had less valuables than her own – her internal monologue halted abruptly when she saw the jewelry box. “What this?” The thief thought as she crossed the room quietly – at least until another floorboard creaked when she put her weight on it. Ariadne barely registered the sound now; no one was here and besides, she found something that held the whisper of a promise that her efforts tonight did not go unrewarded. Not just any box, but one of intricately carved designs gilded with something, she couldn’t tell what in the darkness. The box was by far more extravagant than the furniture it was surrounded by. Perhaps a suitor gifted the box to the woman? Ariadne tried the box, more out of ironic hope than anything, and was surprised to find the lid rise without resistance. The thief gently opened the lid all the way and peered inside, her dark eyes hot on what it contained. A long, coiled object lay within. Ariadne plucked it up from its satin bed and held it up to unfurl a necklace with a pendant swinging from it. In the poor light she could discern little about the necklace, but at least it would be worth even a few mizas. The thief returned the jewelry to its place and picked up the jewelry box to put in her pack – the box would doubtlessly be worth something as well. It was then that she heard an abrupt sound that cracked like thunder from downstairs. Ariadne froze, tense as a stray cat that just spotted a hungry dog. Every muscle tensed. She held her breath, senses straining to hear anything. The thief heard heavy footsteps in the kitchen and knew she didn't have much time. No clever escape plan unraveled in her panic-stricken mind, so in desperation she readied herself with the supplies she had. She withdrew both copper candlesticks from downstairs, closed her pack and equipped it in time to hear the footsteps ascending the steps. A man came into sight, and Ariadne had time to see that he was definitely more heavily armed than she was. He was also by far bigger than she was, which meant that he had her on both weapons and size. So she did the only thing she could. She threw the candlestick at his head. And missed. As far as throws go it wasn't a bad, really. It missed his head by a couple inches. Which was not enough to do anything damaging but enough to warrant his attention. And probably make him angry. Ariadne seized the brief moment of confusion and made to run past the man, hoping against hope that his night vision hadn't adjusted fully yet. OOCHope you don't mind the post ^^ and sorry for the delay.

[Bojovnik Vybutit]

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Bojovnik turned the corner of the stairs in a rushed walk. He was trying to keep his cool and still maintain his situational awareness. Taking a steep in what he assumed was the largest bedroom from the details he was given about the house. He looked around the room just in time to see a woman throw a candlestick at his head. He made a quick jerk of his head expecting it to crash into his face if he didn't move. When he looked at were the candle DID his it was clear he wouldn't have to move anyway. Wasting no time he looked up and saw the sillout of what at first he believed the home owner but his eyes began to adjust. She was small and fit the personality of a thief. She didn't look armed which Bojovnik knew he could use to his advantage. It was poss- Suddenly she took off and was trying to get past him. Bojovnik pulled out his longsword and held it out towards her. Knowing she couldn't run anymore or risk loosing a few limbs it was clear she would have to stop. Not being a expert in his weapon didn't matter. She didn't know how skilled or unskilled he was. A person can talk all he wants and that's all that matters sometimes. "Nice try darling." Hoping she didn't take the neckless he needed. Not seeing the box in any relevant area he decided to make a gamble. "Allright were is it?" The only thing that could ruin this anymore would be if she had help. A sharp shiver ran threw his body. If anyone else was in this house he was surely dead but he decided it best to not even think like that. Since she hadn't called out to anyone it obviously meant she was alone. Bojovnik kept his eyes staring intimidatingly right at her waiting for an answer.

OOCYup totally fine as long as you don't mind this being a llitle short.

[Ariadne]

Her makeshift plan was thwarted when the man withdrew his sword and leveled it at her. Ariadne skittered to a halt, lest she be skewered on the wrong end. Her body cried out for action, adrenaline pounding furiously through her limbs. If she were moving she was doing something, but once stilled she felt fear emerging with ever beat of her heart. Ariadne calmed her instincts, instead thinking logically through her options. First, he hadn’t immediately struck her – which meant that he might want to talk. If he was talking, that meant that she could talk, too. This could lead to a number of scenarios, giving her more options. If she didn’t like what he said, she still had the candlestick. “I’ve made better throws blind-folded, but thank you.” She replied, a secretive smile pulling on the corners of her lips. Her voice was a little unsteady, but not so noticeable – it mostly sounded like she was just a little out of breath. An advantage, should he suddenly choose that he didn’t like conversation – he would likely think her winded from her brief neck-break sprint. Any surprise could be an advantage in certain situations, and giving her’s… well even the little things counted. “No hard feelings, love. You just startled me and I reacted badly.” Her smile grew a little, and she looked up at him through black lashes, meeting his eyes. Seduction was a tool that could be used in a lot of places and situations. She was a now defenseless woman, caught red-handed in someone else’s house and definitely doing something wrong. Her mind sought for an escape route. Ariadne study what she could see of the man. He wasn’t much taller than her but he certainly outweighed her. His hair stopped just above his shoulders. It was hard to determine other details in the dark, but she was certain his hair was of a lighter variety. When the man looked around, she felt a small tremble of trepidation go through her. The house was far from wealthy, having very few things of worth. She hadn’t had much time to inspect the master bedroom; she doubted that there was anything else of consequent. Which meant he was probably speaking of the jewelry box and necklace. Ariadne suppressed a grimace before speaking, her voice growing steadier. “The latrine is down the hall and to the left. Please empty it once you’re finished.” She suddenly had a thought. A very wicked thought. “Unless you meant the bed…” Ariadne said, her smile turning flirtatious. Her eyes lowered slowly, resting on the sword leveled at her. Carefully, her movements slow and deliberate, she touched the flat side of his sword. “That’s quite an impressive weapon you have.” She said, running along the length of it slowly, her gaze rising to meet his. “Though it isn’t the one I’m interested in.” Ariadne finished, her eyes dropping to the juncture between the man’s legs, leaving no doubt to what she was indicating. She withdrew her hand and tilted her head towards the bed, the skin of her neck flashing silvery in the moonlight. “I won’t tell if you don’t,” she finished.

[Bojovnik Vybutit]

"Finally someone who doesn't run away." Bojovnik thought to himself as the thief didn't charge out. A broken in house wouldn't draw as much attention if a body was left inside as well. Bojovnik examined her more as she spoke, it was hard to believe she was actually tired from that small sprint in the condition she looked, but it didn't matter he needed something from her and she was going to give it to him. Bojovnik made a chuckle when she tried to seduce him. It was an admirable try but not one he was interested in. If it was any other time he may have excepted the offer. But today it looked like she would only use it as a means of escape. The possibility of having a knife hidden was also increasingly worrying. He moved back as she tried to touch him. "You wont be telling anything, cause nothing going to happen." He stood closer to the door with his sword still in his hand but not pointed at the girl anymore. "Let me make this easy for you okay? Your in a house that was broken into from two ways, I'm guessing you came in threw the front door, and the door in the back is crashed on the floor. That wouldnt look good if I knocked you out and left you to be the scapegoat. So make this easier on yourself and give me what I want." He held out his sword again as he hoped his explanation would work. For all he knew she could be a deadly assassin who could beat him in a brawl no problem. Suddenly a noise echoes threw the house that makes him turn his body to look downstairs. The front door opens and someone was walking in. Bojovnik turns back around and points the sword at the thief. Knowing he cant leave a dead body he curses under his breath and speaks. "Alright I cant kill you right now but," he looks behind her at the window leading down from the house, "you cant run from this room past her or jump out that window at your height your sure to break a leg." the homeowner was complaining about candles missing and then started screaming when she saw the state of the door. " I jump down first and then I catch you breaking your fall...we both walk away, deal?" He held out his hand knowing time was a luxury they did not have. Bojovnik bit his lip hoping this plan would go over smoothly and she would see this is her only way out.

OOCSupper sorry for the long wait had RL stuff going on. Terribly sorry.

[Ariadne]

The chuckle tipped her off. So he wasn't necessarily interested in what she was offering, but if there was one thing she learned is that most men would readily believe two things about a woman; that she found him attractive and that she desired him. It wasn't hard to play up those particular assumptions, but there was also a time and a place to work on those deceptions. She frowned a bit, a small line creasing in her forehead. "You know, that's actually not a half bad plan on your part. Do you think you could knock me out before I could get a bloodcurdling scream out, though? I am a very small woman, friend. I couldn't have possibly smashed through the door" "not subtly at all!" She thought as she spoke. "Someone comes, sees you running away, finds me on the floor with a goose egg on my head. I wake teary-eyed and scare, explain how you accosted me on the streets and dragged me here." She finished, her eyes flashing. "I don't respond well to threats, so find a different approach." She said, crossing her arms and jutting out a shapely hip. She heard the cries coming from downstairs abruptly and her eyes widened. Ariadne took a deep breath - damn this oaf of a man in my way! - before she heard the owner start screaming about the back door. The thief looked at the man and shook her head, conveying how unimpressed she was with his methods. She suddenly perked, her eyes flaring in anger. Can't kill her right now? What the petch was that suppose to mean? Oh no, no way was she taking this guy up on her offer. But that didn't mean he didn't have a half-bad idea. She could deal with a little bit of pain. "I'm not in the habit of agreeing to terms under a death threat, love." She said, backing up across the room and the oncoming hell that was about to be unleashed. "You're weapon is rendered useless by your own admission. And I really can't stick around anymore. You understand?" Ariadne opened the window and held on to the sill, dropping herself along side the building. She counted to three and let go, bracing herself for the fall. Unfortunately, the oaf had been right - the fall was longer than she had thought. The thief landed with her knees bent, attempting to spread the impact throughout her body. Even so, she felt the sudden, sharp and piercing pain shoot up from her foot and had to bite her cheek to keep from crying out loud. But the thief didn't have time for weakness. She suspected a break in one of the small bones of the foot, but she didn't have time to coddle it. Ariadne took off at a run. Well, a half-run/half-hobble as she tried to spare her wounded foot. OOCWow, sorry for the super late response! Same thing over here - RL getting in the way xD

[Bojovnik Vybutit]

It was clear she wasn't taking him up on the offer but he felt bad for her now. It was clear she wasn't the smartest thief in the world, far from it honestly. But this made it hard for him. Killing her was far too messy and would lead to an investigation. She walked back to the window ready to jump. "Damn fool." He thought to himself as he looked at her small body she was sure to hurt something from the fall. When she jumped Bojovnik ran towards the window and saw her trying to run again. He put one foot out the window and then another. crouching down a little smaller so he wouldn't make as much noise he leaped from the ledge. As he came down he rolled as well to help spread the impact out from around him causing him little pain. It may have been uncomfortable in his attire but it worked. Bojovnik stood up and scanned the area for the thief. She was running in a hobble and it clearly hurt her. Shaking his head he ran up to her and shoved her down to the ground. He hoped it wasn't too hard but he had to push her down. They were in an alleyway and the other scattered objects would hide them from view from the window. "Dumb fool, what were you thinking." He looked back towards the house and saw the women looking out from the window and then going back in. The screams seemed to echo threw ought the area and for the first time he heard a mans voice as well. "Great her husbands home...okay one final question for you thief, did you have any idea WHO you were robbing! I would hope being a thief you know about the criminals in this town and would know enough to not steal from one of the crime boss's mother! Do you have a death wish?" He looked back at the house hoping they wouldn't have seen the two yet.

[Ariadne]

Ariadne gasped, her foot giving out as the man shoved her. Rhysol’s sake, but he was persistent! Canal water gently lapped the building platforms near them. The canal was close enough to be heard but not near enough to plunge into the waters to escape. It was dark where she ran, careful to skid around shafts of moonbeams that would expose her to glancing eyes. Unfortunately, her route also ensured that no one would see the man accost her. She could call for help, but unless there was a passing guardsman around it was more likely she would be ignored. He was not easily diverted from his goal, either. Her list of options was shrinking. “Of course I knew who I was robbing.” She stated with every ounce of arrogance mustered into her tone. “Interesting how quick you are to call me a fool, yet were you not likewise in the good mother’s home?” Though her voice was infused with soft scorn and swagger it was shot low, and she spoke quickly and quietly. The whispers of children conspiring to steal from the cookie jar without their mother knowing. This mother would do more than a simple slap on the wrist and scolding, however. “And if you’re not a tad quieter we both get caught.” From where she sat Ariadne could now hear the man’s voice now, joining the woman’s cries with his own. They were very anger by the sounds of it, and Ariadne was never one for accepting punishment when she didn’t have to. [color=#0080FF]“We’re two fully grown adults. We can discuss our predicament as such but first we need to evacuate the scene of the crime.” She paused, her eyes stealing to the invaded home. “Especially since we are the criminals.” She could see the ruins of the back door. ‘Completely unprofessional.’ She nearly tsked. But the distraction was enough to put the man ill at ease with the homeowners. Taking advantage of his momentarily diverted attention, the petite woman threw a punch. Granted, she wasn’t much of a fighter, and was small beside that, but she threw her weight into her fist. It made contact with his face and unbalanced him just enough for her to escape. The thief was resourceful, but she was small. Her punch would only inconvenience him a few moments, but she could work inside a small window of opportunity. Ignoring the smarting pain in her foot and the throbbing ache now in her hand (who knew punching actually hurt? People do it all the time to one another!) Ariadne sprang to her feet and ran. Her improvised flight would have to do, and she gritted her teeth against the pain in her foot as she applied pressure to it. She forced herself to run – actually run, like her damned life depended on it. Snapped bones grated against each other painfully, but she didn’t have to run far. As she approached the canal Ariadne braced herself. Carefully to extend her uninjured foot to the lip of the canal wall, the thief pushed off and launched herself in Lake Ravok’s cool, dark waters. With Rhysol’s intervention, the waters were never shockingly cold. More likely it was just cool enough to refresh without freezing. Now, anyways. And truth is Ariadne wasn’t much of a swimmer. In hindsight that seemed like a rather important skill, especially for one whom spent her entirely life on a city built – literally – in a lake. So going for a dip in the canal, as night, in panic, was probably not the best idea she ever had. But it wasn’t the worse. She could move quickly, especially when motivated by outside sources who liked to threaten people liberally. She hit the cool waters with a splash and her body didn’t go very deep before she felt herself being pulled up again. Her head broke the surface and she gasped in a breath. That was all the time the thief gave herself before she started moving again. Into a rather unimpressive half-dog paddle, half-drowned rat’s pathetic imitation of swimming. At least now her foot didn’t hurt as much. She didn’t need to apply pressure to it and the water helped cushion her movements. Besides, the man had on armour and weapons. She understood those were rather hard to swim in. OOCAgain, really, really, *really* sorry about the delay. Hope the post is alright for you.

[Bojovnik Vybutit]

"Why does it never go smoothly!" He shouted as the thief ran off again. It wasn't the hardest he had ever been punched but she defiantly threw her entire body into it. Seeing her take off he tried to leap and catch her again but her foot got out of his grasp just in time. He cursed under his breath and scrambled to get up. Feeling he would need it later he slid his bow out and continued to run. The foot of this thief hurt but she defiantly knew Bojovnik could kill her if he got close enough. Turning a corner Bojovnik saw her leap into the water. Thinking that if she was a good swimmer this chase would be lost instantly. When he reached the canal in full sprint he had to slide down or risk falling into the water. Getting up he looked at this would be thief trying to swim. Not being a swimmer himself he still found the ordeal funny and began to burst out laughing. "You go girl I cant keep up." Due to her lack of skill Bojovnik only had to make a brisk walk to keep pace. Chuckling he drew his bow and readied an arrow. "Stop" he said calmly and waited for her to look at him, luckily she stopped and waited. "Don't make me kill you and come down their. Come on get out you can hardly swim anyway you look like a moron." He stood their waiting to see what she did all intent on killing her if need be.