First Night Out

by **Zukai** on February 18th, 2018, 3:20 am

2nd of Winter 517 A.V.

Zukai walked to the training area with Corine. They had a lot of work to do before going to the Silver Tongue. The teen wanted to get in some more training with larger weapons. She hoped the pair would have time to work out. It was not long before they made it back to where the dummies stood. The girl was glad to see that most of the others raisers were either gone or had not gotten up yet.

Corine and Zukai had been startled awake much earlier than most of the others. The girl groaned as her head pulsed. She and her partner were both exhausted and in pain from the part the night before. After staying up late then being yelled at that and hit in the legs with a wood sword; neither was in a focused state of mind. Rubbing her temples some, the girl grabbed a wooden long sword.

Grunting a little, she held the hilt with both hands and moved them into position. Corine grabbed his blade as well and took his stance across from her. Forcing power into her arms, the girl grunted a little lifting the blade into place. The man moved over and showed her how to use the muscles in her back to take some of the strain off her arms. Making a face, she knew using that set of muscles would take some getting used to. Zukai preferred to rely on the strength in her arms alone, but that would have to change if she wanted to get better. Corine chuckled some at the face Zukai made while concentrating.

The girl was so glad that they would have time. They did not have to be at the Silver Tongue till around two bells before Syna left the sky. It would give them plenty of time to set up, and get any extra information from the owner. Taking a deep breath, she raised the blade above her head. The girl jerked her arms down which caused the blade to speed towards the dummy. The weapon became embedded within the wooden man.

She went to pull the blade out only to find it stuck. Making a face, Zukai put her foot on its chest and tried to pull it free. A yelp left her lips as her grip gave way, and she landed on her butt. Corine fell over laughing at her rather pathetic attempt to free the weapon. The girl growled and stood up before trying once more. With a grunt the blade finally pulled free. Stumbling some, she managed to keep herself up right that time.

by **Zukai** on February 18th, 2018, 4:03 am

Stepping up she began to work on getting used to the weight. Once she got that, Zukai was almost certain the actual positions and strikes would come naturally. Corine swore there was more to it, but the girl was confident in her ability to pick up quickly. The pair trained for several more bells, then went to eat and pack. Corine made sure to remind Zukai that her sleeping bag would be necessary; seeing as they would be spending the night in the business.

“Ready to go?” Corine asked looking over at her.

“Yes, I believe so. I have packed everything I can think of needing,” Zukai responded looking at him.

“Good let's grab a bite and head that way,” Corine said as they closed the door behind them.

The pair stopped off at the mess hall and sat down to eat. They discussed who would take which shift watching over the business. The two kept their voices low in order to keep prying ears from hearing. The last thing they wanted to deal with was someone being a spy. Soon enough the pair was out the door. Zukai kept a straight face for most of the trip, but Corine could tell that she was nervous.

She was known to clench and unclench her fists. He decided to wait till they were alone to speak with her about it. The girl was not one who liked to look weak. He knew she would talk to him freely after everyone else was gone. The man had spoke to her several times in the past. Stretching the girl let out a sigh trying to work out the nervousness that was still building.

She had more confidence in a surprise brawl than being sent to watch over a business. As the pair walked, Zukai tried to get more information on the location they were headed to. She was glad he had shadowed one of the older guardians before being paired with the young girl. The man often spoke of different jobs he went on. Most of his was patrolling during the day. So the night mission seemed to be new to both raiders.

“What is the Silver Tongue exactly?” Zukai asked.

“It is a jewelry store. They sell expensive stuff, and from what I have heard in the past all their stuff is discounted from what other cities have been known to charge,” Corine explained.

“I can understand why. There are not many “rich” people here in Sunberth,” Zukai stated as they pass an old blind beggar.

“True, very true. Hopefully if out gang can grow this city will prosper once again,” Corine said in a wishful tone.

Shaking his head some the man looked ahead of them, “let us hurry and get to the Silver Tongue before we are late.”

Zukai nodded, and they picked up the pace. The city drifted by them as the two jogged through the main streets. The girl watched around them for any other gang members. There had been drunken talk of a new gang showing up. But the Myrian put no stock in such conversation. Non-gang members seemed to enjoy the territorial brawls that took place on a nearly daily basis. It was like a sport for them; it took their minds away from their own problems for a while.

by **Zukai** on April 12th, 2018, 4:12 pm

Yawning some all the girl wanted to do was go back to bed and sleep. Unfortunately that did not look like a real possibility at the moment. There was still things that needed to be done. She popped her neck while looking ahead of them. The expected them to see their destination at any moment. Corine was the one to spot the Silver Tongue. He pointed ahead of them getting Zukai's attention at last.

“Finally it feels like we have been walking for days,” the Myrian complained.

The male dragoon just laughed and shook his head. He had more fun working when Zukai was with him. The girls always had something snarky to say no matter how serious the situation. The myrian let Corine enter first while she stopped for a moment. It did not take long before the woman stepped inside as well. Zukai was not always entering behind another dragoon, but some thing seemed very wrong.

“Everything okay?” Corine asked.

It was not hard to tell when something was bothering the girl. She was not one to bother hiding her emotions. Of course the only two he had ever seen was anger or disgust. The male had never seen her smile or show fear. It was as if she had no fear within her. Zukai looked over at the man before noticing there were several customers around them. She shook her head staying silent moving further inside. Corine looked around and understood her reservations to speak openly. The pair walked into the office area and closed the door. Once everything was muffled the young man spoke again.

“Now tell me,” Corine stated.

“I felt like we had been followed for the last ten chimes or so,” Zukai explained keeping her voice low.

“I though I was the only one sensing that,” Corine confirmed her suspicion.

“Let us get these packs off and start watching people,” Corine spoke looking at her.

“You go watch if you wish. I want to speak to her and get more information,” Zukai stated leaving no room to argue.

“As you wish,” Corine said with a shrug.

The pair put their things behind where the door would open up against the wall. It would help to keep everything hidden for the most part. Shortly after both of them emerged from the back room. Corine took up his position in the back corner hidden within the shadows. Dark eyes watched everyone while looking for Cosette Demoya. A young woman stepped in front of Zukai and began asking her questions just assuming; that the teen would know about whatever piece of jewelry she had picked up. With a growl, she meant to go around her till the woman grabbed her arm forcefully stopping her. The Myrian jerked her arm close to her as she spotted the top of the daggerhand tattoo on her neck. A wicked smile appeared on her face, the Sun Birth member got close to her ear whispering so that no one would hear.

“So the daggercocks finally got a daggertit too,” Zukai said with a growl. “good thing we Sun Birth's are here to put you in your place. Now leave before my blade finds your throat.”

by **Zukai** on April 12th, 2018, 4:15 pm

The woman instantly dropped the jewelry and left quickly. Corine saw the exchange and took out a tiny book making one mark before hiding it away again. Moving on with her self imposed mission, she walked over to Cosette and allowed her to finish speaking with the many different customers. The Myrian did not see how one could enjoy hearing so many complaints and questions. It caused her all kinds of anxiety hearing that many voice at one time. Shaking her head, she stepped back and listened carefully trying to hear anything but the constant female laughing. Sneering, the dark skinned woman rolled her eyes as they finally finished and left.

“I do not see how you put up with constant questions,” Zukai said getting the woman's attention.

A soft chuckle left her mouth, Cosette looked at her before responding, “you do not understand because you are taught not to question your leaders. I am the leader here, everyone comes to me with questions. In time you will learn this trait as well. Now did you come looking for me for a reason?”

“Two things now, I would like more information number one. And secondly I encountered a daggerhand as I walked over,” Zukai explained.

“I see. I told you they are growing more bold,” the woman stated quietly while glancing around them.

“So I see now. What was the largest amount that has been in the business or in front of it at one time?” Zukai asked.

“The most inside? Two at a time, and outside is anywhere between three and five,” Cosette explained.

“Any one get inside before?” Zukai asked looking her straight in the eyes.

“Once, took off with around one hundred gold mizas worth of stuff,” Cosette acknowledged looking at the girl.

“I see thank you. We will do all we can to prevent this from happening again,” Zukai assured the woman.

“That is good to hear,” Cosette replied and went back to helping customers.

It was not long and the lights were out and the front door locked. Zukai caught Corine up on the information gained from the woman. The two instantly started to strap on any weapons that had been in their packs and took up positions around the business. The Myrian stayed back within the shadows watching for any kind of movement outside of the windows. Anyone approaching would need to have a torch or lantern lit in order to see where they were walking. Popping her neck, the girl sat down and propped her morningstar against her left shoulder going still. Several bells passed as everything seemed to stay very quiet. The woman was just about to stand up and go find Corine when a soft light passed the window directly in front of her.

by **Zukai** on April 12th, 2018, 4:16 pm

Zukai held the weapon close to her as she moved to where she was out of the light. She kept her movements slow and steady not wanting to alert whoever was outside. Her heart pounded against her chest. The girl took several deep calming breaths while watching as the outsider turned the corner. She stopped as the light shown from the front windows to the tip of her boot. Cursing in her head, the young dragoon stayed very still and continued to watch. By that time, Zukai was sure that her partner had seen the light as well. Moving to the middle of the room while gently feeling ahead of herself, the woman spotted that it had stopped in front of the door. Corine had moved forward some to get closer.

The last thing the pair wanted was to brawl in the store and break everything. They could easily fix the door but there was no way the Sun's Birth could afford to replace all the jewelry if it gets trashed. The young woman stood off to the side while watching as the door handles were rattled. She instantly moved to where she could grab her kopis. Putting the morningstar back on her hip, the girl knew that there was far too much inside that could be hit or knocked over. Loud banging caused both to duck behind a couple of the middle displays. The loud banging stopped sounding, but the light did not move anywhere. Zukai stayed low crawling forward slowly listening for any kind of noises. She put her ear up to the door, voices could be heard on the other side several people trying to decide what to do about the door. It seemed they did not want to make it obvious that they “broke” in and took off with a bunch of stuff when Cosette arrived the next morning.

“Who is out there?” Corine whispered when the girl came back.

“It is at least two daggercocks. They are trying to figure out how else to get the door open without breaking it open,” Zukai whispered back.

She followed her partner when he motioned for her to follow him upstairs. He grabbed a couple of buckets fills with cut off metal pieces and handed her one. Zukai held one bucket as the man opened the windows silently and nodded. The pair dumped the buckets out and started laughing when the intruders screamed as metal cut them on the way down and got in the eyes. The pair ran off swearing to come back later on in the season. Zukai and Corine both fell over laughing loudly. The two went back downstairs and relaxed while waiting. Come morning the man stepped up and explained what happened to Cosette while the young Myrian stepped out and swept up what was left and moved it all back to the buckets.

“That is a little unorthodox, but if my items are safe then do so. Thank you for cleaning it up Zukai,” Cosette stated and dismissed the pair.