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 Posted: Thu May 07, 2009 8:28 pm
Phraktos was elated. The job had been fulfilled, and he had made a new acquaintance. A quite lovely new acquaintance at that. Phraktos shoved his hands into the loop of his belt and strode down the nearly empty streets of Undrek'Thoz with a goofy grin plastered on his face whistling merrily on his way back home.
Ah..Izzayne..the dear lovely Izz had stolen his heart. And despite any misgivings he had had when he first met her were now gone. She seemed rather inexperienced but almost nearly as intrigued by the connection that the two of them had with each other. Phraktos was certain..without any doubts of any kind that he had just met his soul mate. Now there was just convincing her of this..slowly of course. Over a long drawn out courtship.
Ah..the things he could teach her and show her! That would be the most fun. She seemed to like his destructive side and actually seemed rather amused by him. Phraktos figured this was a good thing for him. He felt like shouting out at the top of his lungs about his good fortune..but wisely kept to the whistling.
He was going through a back alley to cut his journey in half when all of the sudden he collided with a body that darted into the alleyway from another street. Phraktos cursed as he fell backwards, grasping at the other's cloak and took the offending figure down with him as he went. The other frame was a bit slighter and not as muscular, but almost nearly as tall as he was albeit about eight inches shorter.
"Watch where you're going fellow." Tos muttered, getting back to his feet and began to wipe the dust off his clothing..only to find that his cloak and armor was now splattered with blood.
"Blood? Where did that...come from." Tos started to say, looking down over at the other fellow only to see quite plainly that he was bleeding from his cheek and out of his nose quite heavily.
"Are you okay? What happened to you?" Tos asked offering a hand up to the other.
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Posted: Thu May 07, 2009 9:31 pm
Solmur'ss was making his way through the back streets of Undrek'thoz. He normally had a very good sense of direction. The bounty hunter trusted his memory and instinct highly. But right now he was sorely distracted. As hard as he tried to not think about his brother, the wretched warrior's anger would not let him go in peace. Chasz was still a drow afterall! There was no way the chance for revenge was likely to be ignored. Would he go so far as to send someone after him? That would be quite ironic. Terribly so.
Somehow his rattled thoughts and adrenaline had made him forget all about the wounds on his face. Tomorrow he was going to wake up in quite a sorry state! He had made it through incredibly worse fights than that semi-fake one, but following it up with the exertion of travel was going to feel far from pleasant. The poor bounty hunter was making a good pace through the alleyways when all of a sudden he hit head on with another drow. One second he thought he would remain on his feet and the next the other, larger, drow was tugging him downward with him as he fell.
Sol's first thought was Chasz, no matter how unlikely that was. Solmur'ss felt foolish for being so jumpy already. He grimaced before reaching up to take the other's hand. The sudden jostle was making him feel some of the soreness he had been ignoring. That tumble into the crowd must have been a bad one too, though he could hardly remember exactly what happened.
He nodded in his form of thanks as he got to his feet. "My brother, you will be surprised to know.." Solmur'ss noticed now that he was facing the stranger that he had splattered blood everywhere. He paused to wipe his face off somewhat on his cloak, "..is actually a very good tavern dancer. He took some.. persuasion but it's a shame I'll never be back home to see his new career."
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Posted: Fri May 08, 2009 11:10 am
Phraktos grimaces slightly at the other's words and replied with a dry tone.
"ahh brothers..they can be a pain I hear. Thankfully I'm the sole male left..unless you count my cousin who's gone quite mad so he's not really involved in house politics anymore. Of course..I was the one who had a hand in that." Phraktos chuckled slightly remembering how he had dealt with his overbearing cousin.
"I could see where he might be a bit angry at you for getting him a job dancing. Some males are real pricks when it comes to jobs that cater to a mass crowd of females." He commented off handed and started to continue his walk then stopped and eyed the other male not missing that he was obviously off kilter from the some sort of tussle. It almost looked like he had been trampled by a mass of riding lizards.
"Here now..you look like you could us some cleaning up and a safe place to hide out. My House isn't very far and big enough that I could easily hid you away for awhile. I'll be leaving for Guallidurth tomorrow..perhaps you'd like to join me, seeing as your brother might attempt to send professionals after you and all." Phraktos offered.
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Posted: Fri May 08, 2009 3:25 pm
"Well he didn't find out about it until he was thrown on stage, that may have had something to do with it." He chuckled, "The crowd wasn't too happy with me either."
Sol eyed the stranger carefully after his offer. What was this drow up to? He would almost say he was being too kind, but Sol assumed instead that he had some scheme in mind. Perhaps he was going to recruit him for some job. A male who was out of reach of the Matron's thumb could be a good asset for certain kinds of work. Solmur'ss knew that very well.
"You're right. I don't have anywhere to go now, but I'm curious.. why are you so quick to make all of these offers?"
Despite his reservations, Solmur'ss was very much considering the offer. Being stuck hiding out in a House did not appeal to his restlessness. He sort of wondered if a change might do him well, lay low instead of his usual wandering. That idea was quickly dismissed! It had been quite a while since he had gone to Guallidurth. No need to stick with this stranger but a traveling companion could be handy if his brother did think to send someone after him.
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Posted: Fri May 08, 2009 3:51 pm
Phraktos laughed..picturing the expression that the unfortunate male must have made upon being thrust into such strangeness. "Now that would have been priceless to witness." He commented with a mischievous gleam in his eyes.
Phraktos caught the wary glance the other shot him after he offered to help him out. Ah..smart one. He knew better than to just take an off handed offer right at it's word. He was a fellow after Tos' own heart. Never..ever accept an offer unless all terms have been completely disclosed..Tos had learned that the hard way.
He shrugged his shoulders slightly, and replied simply. "I'm in one of my rare good moods, and you look as though you could use a hand. If you'd rather not accept it..that's perfectly fine with me. I don't really care for anything in return..save maybe sharing more exploits. I'm a bit of a prankster myself and anyone who has the gall to pull what you did on your brother is a fellow after my own heart."
Phraktos scratched his arm, as it was rather itchy and then added.
"Besides..I'm rather hyped up and ready for a bit of fun. If you're up for it..we could work on constructing some smoke bombs and exploding ones. I use them on unsuspecting crowds just for the fun of it. If you decide to accept my offer..I'll show you the time of your life in Guallidurth. It's such a fulfilling experience once you wreck havoc on others."
The devilish grin that lite up Phraktos' face was enough to cause most drow to be cautious around him. Some were smart enough to turn tail and run..fully expecting him to enact destruction and horrors on them.
He rather looked as though he became possessed by a demon when he got into his destructive mood, which was quite often.
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Posted: Fri May 08, 2009 7:05 pm
Solmur'ss couldn't hold back laughter at the memory of Chasz's reaction. It had been priceless alright! He clutched his stomach for a second, the laughter had ended up a little painful. This trip to Guallidurth was sounding promising! It wasn't hiding out or running away, not at all. He would just have to keep telling himself that.
He thought about the drow's reply. Plausible enough. No restrictions on him. Just the offer to assist in some mayhem if he so desired. What was wrong with that? His fellow prankster seemed to be very ambitious. Sol felt a flicker of caution and mistrust that accompanied any kind of agreement with another drow, no matter how casual. One prankster always took great pride in tricking another. But no rewards came by playing it safe! Smoke bombs weren't his style, but one could improvise.
"My brother, the warrior, having to strip out of his armor was worth the fact that he still had his weapons," He grimaced and stepped forward to join the other drow, giving a quip about his brother instead of directly answering the offer. Of course he was up for some destruction! "I am a bounty hunter though, so I'd like to find at least a little work in Guallidurth."
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Posted: Fri May 08, 2009 7:15 pm
Phraktos laughed hard at the imagery the other described. That would indeed have been priceless to behold! His laughter trailed off into a low chuckle deep in his throat. He would definitely have fun with this fellow. Perhaps...Phraktos would be able to get some other ideas for pranks from the fellow for future use.
"Definitely priceless. You could hold that over his head for a very long time!" Tos said with a deep sigh of amusement.
He couldn't help but notice that the other grimaced from the laughter, he probably had hurt his ribs in the fall he had described. Phraktos clapped a hand on the other's shoulder lighter than normal..so not to throw the other off his balance.
"Oh that shouldn't be a problem. I have plenty of contacts that would be willing to use your services. I'm Phraktos iv'Ress by the way, Master Lock Picker in all of Undrek'thoz and Guallidurth!" Phraktos said with a very dramatic sweep of his cloak as he thrust his right hand out to the other in greeting.
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Posted: Sat May 09, 2009 2:28 pm
"Glad to hear there will be some contacts in place. I might still know a few in Guallidurth, but I've been working out of Undrek for a long time." Solmur'ss huffed, "Too long if you ask me."
He had nearly wanted to cringe when Phraktos raised his hand but luckily the touch was light. It reminded him that he would have to take things a little slower for the next day until he was back to feeling like his normal self. Borrowing some salves or something else to speed healing would help.
"Solmur'ss de'Virr. Well met, Phraktos." Sol didn't share the thief's dramatic attitude and ignored the flair of his cape. He shook the offered hand however, nodding and then gesturing out towards the street which Phraktos had been crossing. "So, which way were you headed?"
Solmur'ss was already thinking ahead to what would lie in store in for him the other city. A lot of possibility and a new crowd to meet. He wouldn't have any trouble finding work now either. The memories of his brother and the tavern were dimming slowly but surely.
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Posted: Tue May 12, 2009 10:28 am
Phraktos nodded in agreement with Sol, and said. "That's one of the reasons why I ended up moving to Guallidurth..gods..the Matron of the House was prime evil. Not to mention her son had it out for me..I took care of him though. She's pretty much hated me ever since. But..at least it allowed me to move my work out from under her watchful gaze."
He noticed Sol's unease when he raised his hand to pat his shoulder..and was glad that he hadn't clapped the fellow as hard as he usually did. He might have broken something if he hadn't been so careful.
"Nice to meet you Solmur'ss," Phraktos replied with a genuine smile. "I was going the back way to the iv'Ress House, it's only a few more blocks from here. I normally go in the servants' entrance as I go practically unnoticed that way, which with the Matron I have its always a good idea."
This being said, he moved forward once more at a leisurely pace not really in too much of a hurry. It wasn't as if one had to get to their destination any time soon..plus perhaps it would give them a little longer to speak with one another. Solmur'ss seemed to be an interesting fellow, especially since he had had the gall to pull such a prank on an older brother. If Phraktos had ever had more siblings he would have done so himself in a heartbeat, though his type of pranks would obviously be much more sadistic and painful as was his normal signature.
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Posted: Wed May 13, 2009 8:35 pm
"I spent too many years in the slums. But somehow the Matron welcomed me back." He grinned, "I'm gone from my house on business most of the time now, I just have to make sure I have profit to show when I return." Everyone had to pay their dues to the Matron in some way it seemed.
"Servant entrances are a blessing from the Goddess.. Guess I'll have to make good use of that if I ever sneak back home."
Solmur'ss did not recognize the area of Undrek Thoz which they were walking deeper into very well. Since this was the back way to approach a noble district then that would probably explain it. None of his clients often met him near the noble residential sections of the city anyways and besides his own House he didn't make any habits of visiting other nobles. Who would want to? Aside from Phraktos, most drow from a noble House did not share Sol's pastimes.
"I'm sure I'll be feeling like a new drow tomorrow in time to travel but right now I'm starting to doubt my choice of.. hobbies." Their slow progress was starting to wear on Solmur'ss. He still felt the adrenaline and anxiety rush from fleeing from his brother. Once that wore off, he knew he'd be singing a different tune and find himself gloriously relieved at the chance to sit down.
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Posted: Thu May 14, 2009 1:11 pm
Phraktos nodded at the other's words. He rather knew what that was like. When he had been unceremoniously kicked out of his House several years earlier it had taken him a lot of hard work to get firmly established in his line of work in a new city. He had at first stuck around Undrek'thoz at a loss at what to do with himself and wondering how he would survive without his House backing him. It had been Iztheri that had pushed him out of the city telling him that a new change of scenery and the lure of Guallidurth would be good for him. She had been right in every aspect. Though at the beginning he had had to make due with living in the slums and trying not to draw the wrong type of attention.
"I know how that is. Only..My Matron was rather aghast at how well I did on my own, and with the coffers of the House dwindling..though she didn't care to admit it outright..she needed me to take up where I had left." Phraktos told the other male. "I was rather reluctant at first, since it had been her that had kicked me out in the first place, but I'd do anything for my sister Iztheri. She's the one I owe for everything I've accomplished." He added with a fond grin on his face.
"That they are. I mainly use them just to rile my aunt up. She likes it when people come and go where she can have an update on it. It riles her a lot that I disregard her on that matter. Iztheri doesn't really give a care at all..she'll do great as a Matron once it's her time." Phraktos replied.
Phraktos noticed tha the other was getting rather pale in the face, perhaps from the loss of blood, or perhaps getting throttled and from the fall earlier? Whatever the cause Phraktos knew that the other would never get to the House unless he increased the pace a bit or aided him in some way.
"How are you holding up? We're about fifty yards from the House, do you think you can make it that far on your own?" Phraktos asked as he began to scale a wood fence and then dropped to the other side.
Perhaps he shouldn't have taken the back way.
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Posted: Thu May 14, 2009 3:40 pm
"Good that you've got a sister on your side." Solmur'ss had emphasized the word sister because he knew, given the kind of power a skillful female could gain in her house, that a good relationship like that would be a valuable influence. All the brothers in the world would not amount to nearly as much. "I just stopped bothering about nearly anything except my work. No house politics for me." He kept his words short, not to be rude or blunt, but to keep his breathing steady.
Solmur'ss was pleased to hear the way this male talked about his House. He was far from one of those altogether ungrateful and blasphemous wretches whom Sol was often sent out to hunt down. Phraktos might have problems with his Matron but he sounded smart about it. That was a good sign. Solmur'ss was being cautious this time. He didn't want an adventure in a new city to end up with him in an even worse situation than his present one. And it could get much worse.
The weakened bounty hunter huffed at the sight of the fence. "Oh, I'll make it just fine I bet! I won't enjoy the beating later but I'm running on adrenaline right now!" After the other drow made it over the fence, Solmur'ss took a quick pause before he started climbing. It took him more effort than it should have, but he made it over the top and dropped down to meet Phraktos on the other side. Solmur'ss reached out to catch himself a little less than gracefully against the fence.
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Posted: Thu May 14, 2009 5:04 pm
"Yes it is," Phraktos agreed. "I imagine though that once she gains headship over the House that I will have to be more careful in how I address her and all. Matrons hate to appear weak in the sight of those under them."
"You're the smart one," Phraktos observed, turning to glance over at the slightly shorter Sol. "I've tried to stay out of the House's politics but kept getting drawn into them. Hopefully one of these days that will change."
Phraktos could tell that the other was taking stock of him and trying to figure him out, not that he really cared. Most times he never had any problems with other males..unless he had lifted a purse from them and they were giving chase. Or one of his pranks was done on an individual who wasn't about to let it go unpunished. Phraktos couldn't help but grin remembering those few drow that had tried to locate him and deal out punishment on him. Thankfully none of them had succeeded and he was still whole and intact and able to enact yet more pranks on other unsuspecting drow.
Phraktos waited on the other side of the fence, rather impressed by the other's words. He knew Solmur'ss was hurting and hurting rather badly, but he kept pressing on and ignoring it. Now that was a very determined and disciplined individual. He was rather alarmed when Sol had to catch himself and brace himself against the fence in order to steady himself. Phraktos figured it was time to stop jawing and get moving so that Sol wouldn't have to focus on the intricacies of conversation and motion.
"Best get moving again," Phraktos said gently looking away from Sol so to give him a bit of privacy and to not let on that he knew how bad off he was physically.
"Probably should save our energy and focus on getting there, so talk can wait until later. Is there anything that you can think that you might need once we get there?"
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Posted: Fri May 15, 2009 9:15 pm
Solmur'ss could bet that Phraktos had seem him off-balance, but he hated to admit it. It showed weakness. Maybe it was a good thing! If the other drow had wanted Sol for an easy target, he had an excellent opportunity that he just passed up. And Phraktos hadn't moved a muscle. It wasn't as if Phraktos was being unusually helpful either or doing anything strange in giving Solmur'ss some assistance.. so there was no alternative motive that Sol could fish out. The lockpick seemed to genuinely want to keep Solmur'ss along to at least make it to Guallidurth. From their exchange so far, Solmur'ss felt he could (cautiously) put his apprehensions about his fellow drow to rest for right now. He was certain Phraktos did not mean him any immediate harm. The realization was a relief. There might actually be a clean place to rest in his future!
"Hmph." Solmur'ss nodded in agreement. Less talking was an amazing idea! "Salves! Definitely." That was the only thing he could think of to ask for. He'd borrowed more than his share of healing supplies and salves were always reliable.
This mystery House better be very close! Solmur'ss could only imagine the simple things. Sitting down. Laying down. Not moving. Water. Salves. Meditation. The bounty hunter did not meditate extremely often to be fair but he could use it to his advantage well enough. It was a good thing to have some practice in for, as he had come to realize, meditation could also help you manage your pain.
'I've been in plenty of fights before.. but Goddess, tonight was just one unlucky turn after another. Nothing's broken as far as I can tell. One way or another, I will get myself out of this city. I can't wait, however I feel in the morning is going to be good enough.' Solmur'ss was not optimistic, but he was stubbornly determined to always avoid the easy way.
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Posted: Wed May 20, 2009 6:52 pm
Phraktos eyed Solmur'ss as the other male's mind seemed to race in front of him for a moment. He couldn't help but scrutinize the other as he waited for a response of some kind.
The bounty hunter was on the large size, as was Phraktos..but he seemed much more compact and better put together. Where Phraktos was all height and thick muscles..Sol was sleeker looking and much more cat like looking. Phraktos imagined that the other was quite deadly and accurate at his job...the gods knew one had to be in the Underdark. Especially when one was hunting down rogues and drow that had turned from following Lloth. Phraktos immediately whispered a short prayer to the spider queen to appease her and keep her from striking out at him for his mind having even turned to consider such blasphemy.
Phraktos was brought out of his own wonderings when Sol grunted, and then actually replied to the question. Phraktos looked up and grinned slightly at him.
"That should be no problem, Sol. Iztheri has quite the collection of salves."
Then after replying to Sol, Phraktos went silent as he lead the other male through alleyways and back streets for a few more yards until he came to a stop at the back end of a stone wall.
"Here we are. Hold on, I'll go first and put the wards down so you can enter without getting hurt. Before that, you must first swear on Lloth that you will not harm anyone belonging to the House iv'Ress. I must insist..as if anything were to happen it would be my hid that gets tanned."
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