Welcome to Gaia! ::

Quest Time!

Althalus is a curious little boy - and often too defiant for his own good. One day, against the wishes of his mother, he wanders off in a crowded marketplace and manages to lose his way. But that's doesn't phase him.. when there are so many shinies to be had!

Have Althalus and Stealth scower a crowded marketplace, stealing as much as they can, before they get caught by both the venders and their guardian.

Good luck, young Forgotten!

So, so many people. Tall ones, short ones, skinny ones, eccentric looking ones. With Gaia, you could meet just about anyone walking out your door. And the one Althalus was most interested in right now was that absent looking guy with the glasses and the half open bag being carried by one handle. Duck, weave, dodge.... the boy followed him surreptitiously through the crowd, all his senses keyed in and excited, focused on the game. The man paused, looking sideways at a stall; but before Althalus could make a move, he'd moved on again. Rats.

Few people looked at him; an ordinary boy, moving selfpossessedly enough not to be lost, and not appearing to move very fast. Just... one minute he was there, the next he wasn't, moving like a flitting shadow between the people. Wait, there! He'd paused to talk to someone!

Althalus walked casually past him, side just brushing the distracted victim, small hand dipping neatly into the open bag as he went past, fingers closing around a wrapped tube and removing it neatly without bumping against the side. Would he notice? The package was quickly held in a sleeve, and the swift walk remained just as unassuming as before, but for a moment the boy's shoulders were tense, his heartbeat sounding loud in his ears as he ducked out behind a sign, then put another two gossiping people between him and the man, then turned the corner and leaned in a doorway.

No shouts after him, no heads turning his way.

Success!

What did you expect, idiot? We're good! Stealth's voice sounded impossibly smug as the surge of adrenalin washed over them, a wide grin cracking across the boy's face for a moment before snapping to attention again.
Got plenty more things to do. That was just one guy, he said resolutely, sticking to mental speech so as not to attract attention. With slightly shaky fingers still he pulled the package from his sleeve. To be honest, the contents did not matter to him very much; it was the fact that it was now in his hand, not the other guy's bag, that made the difference.

The ethics of stealing had been explained to Althalus, more than once. In light f his excerpt, he was sure, Kel had sat him down and talked very seriously about how not only was it taking money from other people that they had worked hard to gain, but also it could be precious items that had sentimental value, and people could be terribly upset by it.

Althalus had brooded about this for a few days, an unusual thing for his normally bubbly self, and then had just shrugged. Who cared? It wasn't like he would steal big things, or super expensive things, or steal from really poor people. And it was so much fun! Althalus had yet to discover something that he felt he could test his talents on so encompassingly. He found it easy to charm ad decieve, to hide and escape. Stealth's colourchanging abilities were invaluable, and to Althalus, this meant this was the best game ever. He and his daemon would be the best there was at this game, and never, ever get caught.

Laying the unopened package on the nearby doorstep, he shrugged. It didn't look particularly interesting, so perhaps the absent man would find it later. Onto the next person!

Man that woman looked annoying. He kept walking through the crowd, remembering to always change his circuit, keeping his eyes open for likely people. And this one was certainly it, talking loudly to her friend and waving her arms about as she spoke, often sending people ducking for cover. Hah, would serve her right. Stealth had returned to her post at his shoulder, keeping her eyes half lidded to hide the glitter. She snorted silently as the woman started yapping away again, and Althalus took a slightly different route so he was walking towards her this time, seemingly watching the pavement. As she walked past, the woman threw out her arm extravagently, seeming to catch the small boy around the head. He staggered slightly and stumbled against her, blinking his eyes, as she looked at him with indifferent eyes.
"Careful, kid," she said, and brushed him away slightly, leaving him looking slightly hurt. If there was anything she noticed about him at all it was that, and not the fact that as she walked away again her bag was lighter of her purse.

Looking around slightly, still acting casual even as his slightly trembling fingers worked quickly, Althalus fished the notes out of the purse and then moved away, dropping it behind him. There. If she missed it, she could come back at find it, the b***h. She wasn't even sorry, even though he had set up the collision! Like she even deserved the fact that he'd left the rest of the wallet be, he thought scornfully, the notes folding neatly in his pocket admist the other junk as he moved onto another part of the marketplace. He didn't want to risk being seen there. The rush was just as strong this time, and a bright light was in his brown eyes as he kept walking.

See anyone who looks like an idiot, Stealth?
Everyone?
Hah. Don't be smart.
You always are.
Quick answer.
*grin*

The interplay between boy and daemon was as swift and silent as normal as they strolled around the marketplace a bit more, one hand hitching up his slightly too large sweatshirt to stick in a pocket. The length of the material annoyed him, but it kept the small knife at his belt pretty much out of sight. And how full his pockets seemed, that was hidden too...

He'd have to be a lot more careful now. That man would have seen him, got a description of him...

Crumbs littered around him, the Forgotten yawned and got to his feet,idly picking Stealth to place her back on his shoulder. They hadn't eaten all they had stolen earlier, but he was full now; maybe someone else might like it?

For a moment, as he looked back at the small pile of buns, Althalus had a small twinge of guilt. He knew some people went hungry; he'd passed enough homeless people huddled in blankets, asking for change. Kel had told him that a lot of people would then use any money given on drugs or alcohol; but they couldn't exactly trade away food, could they?

Anyone would think you had a guilty conscience.
Shut up. I'm just... not littering.
Ooooohhh?
Shut up.

The last words were halfhearted, and Althalus' normally cheerful face was transformed in an uneasy scowl for a moment as he scooped the remaining food back up into the crook of one elbow, and pattered away. THe homeless guy would be hungry, and he wasn't. Surely it made sense?

A little while later, hands empty once more, Althalus ghosted around the edge of the marketplace. It would be about 1pm now; Kel would have been looking for them for a few hours already, and it was getting more and more dangerous for him to be loose; it was only -

Stop THINKING so much! Stealth looked stubborn, dropping her head from her place on his bandana to stare fiercely at the surprised boy from in front of his nose. Who CARES how much time we have left? Let's just stop procrastinating and DO something!

Athalus blinked at the little daemon, whose eyes were bright and dark mere inches from his own.
"Wha - well, I suppose," he said, caught slightly off guard and speaking out loud.

That's better. Stealth's tiny face disappeared from view as she faded to dark maroon on his bandana. Now stop talking to the air like an idiot and let's go check out that stall down there.

Althalus smiled suddenly again, and closed his eyes, leaving black-smudged circles in his face for a moment. She was right, of course, as always. Though he was right as well sometimes, he knew...

Less than I am, Stealth said smugly, and Althalus laughed as he darted into the shadow of a street corner again. That stall did look interesting; hadn't they been near there earlier? He watched it out of the corner of his eye as he casually wandered past. It was laden with trinkets; shiny pieces of jewellery, little ornaments, kitschy lampshades and table decorations. Difficult to steal, and not worth much.... but wait, that ornament in the corner. It looked small, and heavy, and gold? Gotta be brass polished up, thought Althalus absently, trying to keep the image in his mind as he walked off in the opposite direction again. A small golden cat...

Hey, wasn't that the kind of thing that mother/Kel liked? If they managed to get back again, and start bewailing how they'd got terribly lost, wouldn't that get them off the hook? He could say he'd been saving for it for her, and give it as a present! That would totally stop them getting in trouble, thought Althalus confidently. So! A plan.

They could just swipe it whilst appearing to examine the merchandise, and the man was distracted. But it was a little stall, and stall owners were more vigilant than shop ones. Then.... perhaps distraction the other way round? It was small enough for Stealth to push to the floor, and being a lone boy rather than one of a group Althalus was -much- less suspicious as a thief. But then they'd have to find something to stop the noise as it dropped to the floor less..

Mind working busily, Althalus reapproached the stall slowly, one hand in his pocket. Unseen his fingers were working busily; he had nothing to cushion the ornament's fall. Hmmm.... Stealth pattered down to his shoulder, and then to his wrist, as the skinny boy reached up to pull the precious bandana off his head, fine ochrebrown hair looking even scruffier underneath it, and folded it in half. There. He squeezed around the back between the two stalls, as if hurrying to get to another place, and brushed his hand idly against the stall edge. In one swift movement Stealth was on the table, and the folded bandana dropped with a soft sound to the floor.

Althalus didn't look back as he went a little furhter on, and started moving in a wider circle, keeping people between himself and the stall; a sick feeling rose in the pit of his stomach the further he was separated from Stealth, but he resolutely ignored it. Coming round to approach from the other side of the stall, Althalus assumed an easy expression.

"Excuse me, mister? I got a message from the lady on the leather stall over there," and the boy grinned slightly at the look of jaded confusion on the man's face. Stealth started pushing at the small cat ornament, nudging it closer to the edge.

"A message?"

"Yeah, she says next time you're on break, you should go visit her. And she'll give you something nice..."

"Do you think I was born yesterday, kid?" The tone in the reply was amused, but the man's attention was focussed fully on Althalus after a quick look around his stall to make sure no other kids were ruffling their hands over his merchandise. Of course, the ornament in the corner moving by itself went completely unnoticed. "I don't know what it is you're trying to pull here..."

"I'm not trying to pull anything!" The hurt in Althalus' face seemed completely real, and he spread his hands beseechingly. "Honest, she said that to me..."
Hurry up!
It's heavier than you think, you know!
Just hurry!

"Oh really? Well look, I have customers. If she wants to speak to me that badly, she can come over later. Yes my love, how can I help you?"
The man turned to the wispy lady hovering at the other side of the stall, and Althalus sighed, looking dejected as he turned away again, circling round again until he was in range of going to run in and pick up Stealth and his new aquisition. He'd have to be faster; he'd be more suspicious now, the distraction hadn't worked...

Nearly there!
Stealth's claws scrabbled slightly to tip the item over the edge, eyes bright in her otherwise camoflaged head. The golden cat tipped, hung, fell....

And missed the folded material on the floor with a loud CLANG.

"s**t!"
Althalus didn't swear much, but that phrase seemed entirely appropriate as he fled past, stooping to pick up both ornament and bandana, and scrabbling a hand on the table for an agitated Stealth as the stall owner's head snapped round.

"Oi, what do you think you're -"

Althalus fled, unsure whether to giggle uncontrollably in terror or not as he folded the items to his chest, Stealth diving into the safety of his collar as the loud shout behind them rang in his ears.

"STOP THIEF!"

Althalus sat on the floor of his room, sprawling slightly as he emptied his pockets. What today... Stealth scurried down into the pile of junk and trinkets that appeared one after another from the torn recesses of her partner's pockets. It was getting better; not so much the shiny cheap things, but proper things, things that were worth the abilities that the pair were honing.

This purse is too recognisable, She grumbled, turning over a bead-decorated wallet with a garish butterfly picked out on the front.
"Maybe, but it was nice and full," said Althalus with a grin, speaking out loud in the confines of his own room. He picked up the small purse and hefted it a few times, before opening it to spill silver and gold into his palm.
"See? Dumb fat lady. She shouldn't have called you vermin," and the boy twisted his face slightly at the recollection. He never tried to be anything less than nice to strangers; he hadn't yet learnt the fact that perhaps being too nice was more suspicous, but he figured there was no harm in being polite even when you were trying to scope out what worth people were.

Althalus and Stealth, without realising it, still had a twisted sense of honour in their stealing; it was an unwritten rule between them that stealing from nice people, or from small traders, wasn't done. But large shops, proud and selfish people? They were fair game. And this woman, despite being one of Kel's work colleagues, had been horrid to them.

Stealth sniffed, or would have if she had been able, and let a shiver run down her skin, colours rippling and fading for a moment before settling to her normal bronzebrown.
Anyway, how much does this make for the fund?

"Gimme a sec." The boy jumped to his feet, going over to his door and peering out into the corridor. Holding his breath, and staying completely still, he listened for a while to the sounds of the house. Hmmm.... Daniel was in, Kel was out, Auriga and Alex were out, Ralph was in but in the garden. Good. Sticking his head back inside, he closed the door and turned the key that was on the inside of the door. Much safer. He threaded the key on the lanyard that was around his waist, under his shirt, and it rested snugly against the other two; he'd need to get a piece of soft cloth or velvet to stop them clinking some time. For the meantime, that was solved by tucking them inside the waistband of his trousers.

Returning to the cleared space on the floor, Althalus tugged at the bottom drawer of his chest of drawers. Underneath it, under a black cloth, was a bag, which clinked slightly as he lifted it out. They'd need a better hiding place than this, he was sure; but he just hadn't thought about it properly yet. But they had thought about what they'd be doing with these 'funds'.

Tipping the bag on the floor, the boy knelt by the pile of coins, and started adding those that Stealth was sorting from the pocket junk. The remaining items were given a cursory look over; that earring was worthless, taken from the ear of the jabbering woman who had been sitting in front of them on the bus. The prize? Worthless. The feeling of achievement? Enormous, and as Althalus turned it through slender fingers, he grinned again before chucking it over at his bin. Another score for them, to make up for being caught the other day at the market...

Stop reminiscing and get on with it!
"Yes, dearling," said Althalus absently.
Don't brush me off like that, huffed his daemon in return, darting forward to climb onto his knee, skin flashing brilliant for a moment to draw attention. The boy obediently set down the handful of coins, and looked directly at her, mollifyingly.
"I do apologise, Stealth. What was it you wished for me to do?"
I said get on with it!
With an annoyed flick of her tail, the gecko-daemon scurried over to their diary, and started tugging it over. Althalus grinned. It was so easy to bait her.... but he should get on, she was right. Rescuing a pencil from under his bed, he fished a key from inside his shirt and unlocked the diary. He loved writing in it; once he'd mastered writing, he'd started developing a 'secret code' of swirling marks to write in. For the moment, it was just letter substitution, but he'd need to make it more secure than that sometime.

Just -another- thing that would be so difficult to develop by himself...

Althalus had come to the conclusion that he needed some lockpicks. It would make life a lot easier, and a lot more fun; finding the money was not a problem, but finding the seller without letting those on the right side of the law (like his mismatched family) find out was going to be difficult. He'd heard some things on the streets, but not enough; now he was old enough to be taken seriously, perhaps it might be easier to find information.

Sighing, he flipped to the back, and found his ledger. Stealth came over, tilting her head to read the numbers as he carefully counted up, recounted, and wrote the new amount, trying to brush hair from his face absently, and failing. After a while Althalus blinked, and looked at his daemon.

"You're staring at me," he said bluntly. Stealth tilted her head with a small smile.

Your hair is getting too long. Either cut it, or tie it back.

"It is?" The boy blinked, and reached up to pull the slightly tattered bandana from his head, tugging his fingers through the curled tangles with a look of surprise. She was right; if he pulled it straight, the fine hair came down to his shoulders almost now. When had that happened?

So, cut or tied? Stealth scampered up to cling to the front of his shirt, and Althalus looked down at her.
"How should I know? It's a girly thing, fussing with your hair," he said, making a face at his soulmate.
I'm a girl. Stealth's expression was completely deadpan.
"Well, I'm not!"
I noticed, idiot. Just... let me tell you to do something with it?
"Aww, I dunno. What... do you think I should do?"
Tie it. Stealth's words were immediate. It looks nice long, but it is getting in the way how you have it now....

Althalus laughed, catching his hair at the nape of his neck and pattering over to a mirror. "Like this?"

Like that! Now, tidy up our money, go and have a bath, and tie it back.

"Yes, Stealth," said Althalus meekly, and then laughed at her silent blistering reply, before going to do as he was told.

He'd go and scout for a seller tomorrow.

"I'm going out, Ke - mother!"

Althalus jammed his small fitted half-boots on, movements swift. A scruffy shoulderbag sat on the doormat beside him, half crumpled over with its lack of contents; however, Althalus was sure of those, really sure, having checked several times over before leaving the safety of his room.

Now you're just being paranoid.
You were just as bad earlier.
I'm fine now though, Stealth replied calmly, slipping her head inside the collar of his shirt, tail latching neatly around the back of his neck. Althalus rolled his eyes as he tugged the laces tight and tucked them inside his boot. Trailing laces were a bad idea.

"Where are you going, Althalus?" Said Kel doubtfully as she came out of the kitchen, drying her hands on a teatowel. It still hurt a bit that he didn't automativally go to call her mother, but at least he tried to remember that. "Not on your own?"

"No, of course not," lied Althalus with a smile, jumping to his feet and hooking the bag across his shoulders. "I'm going to go and meet Walter and his guardian." The excuse came easily to mind, another Forgotten he'd met before, and Kel had too. He doubted she had the other guardian's contact details.

"We're going to go iceskating," he continued animatedly, putting his hand to the door and opening it. "I'll be home before dinner, I promise. Bye!"

And before she could say anything, the boy had disappeared, smiling cheerfully as he waved his goodbye. Kel blinked, and then shrugged slightly uneasily. Well, he had said he was going out to meet a friend. That's a good thing, at least.
Normally her mind would have jumped up and down screaming about how she should never let that troublesome child out of her sight, but for some reason.... it just slipped away, and fell back to the idea of doing dishes.

======

It was cold, and the boy's breath hung in the air as he wandered the afternoon streets. It would have been better to be out here at night, with more shadows to hide in and fewer people around; but for now, people could be used to hide among. He had to find someone this time. He'd managed to get together enough money now, he reckoned; and whoever was selling what he wanted, he'd guess they wouldn't ask complicated questions about where the money came from. But he'd need to find someone to speak to, and he was confident that he could do it.

Hopping up on the cornerstone of a pillar, the Forgotten leant against the cold stone, seemingly idly scanning the crowd to look for a friend. Stealth made an annoyed comment about the heat, but she didn't move from her vantage point at his throat, eyes glittering above the red fabric that her skin perfectly mirrored. One hand on the stone behind him, Althalus looked completely unconcerned even as his fingers traced the small markings carved into the pillar. Two triangle notches, a small cross... he didn't know what it meant, but he'd found markings like them in several of his favourite hiding places around Barton. To a cursory inspection they looked like mere indents weathered in the brick or stone, but a closer look proved to Althalus that they had been cut by human hand. For what reason? He'd written down all the little markings he'd found, wondering if they were a code; but so far he hadn't managed to work it out yet.

After a while, the boy sighed, and dropped down off the short step. He couldn't hang around here forever. He'd do better to try the next place he'd found those signs. Hefting the shoulder bag around in front of him, the boy took a pace forward, and then suddenly stilled.
And swung round, dark-ringed eyes wide and focussed on the lanky man leaning calmly against the pillar he himself had just vacated, arms folded and hat tipped over his eyes.

Althalus stared.
He wasn't there a minute ago, I swear, Stealth confirmed the boy's own thoughts, her own little body tense against the muscles in his neck.
He's been watching us. The uneasiness wound through both their thoughts, before they remembered to stand straight again, the mask of an easy smile reappearing. The man had tipped up the brim of his hat and was watching them with an amused expression. If Althalus had been a cat, he would have ruffed his fur in bridled annoyance, but the boy fought it down well.

"I'm sorry, can I help you?" said Althalus politely, readjusting the strap of his shoulder bag so it crossed more firmly over his shoulder. The man tilted his head slowly.

"Just hanging around this pillar, just like you." His tone was calm and nonchalant, the crowd ebbing and flowing past them.
"And you often do, don't you, kid?"

"I'm sorry?" True, polite confusion seemed to hang in an air around Althalus as he tucked one hand in his pocket, thumb idly going under his shirt to the sheath of his small knife.

The stranger blinked at him, and then laughed, a warm chuckle as he straightened up, his eyes under the hatbrim a shrewd sparkle.
"You look like you're on a mission today, kid. If you follow me, I'm sure you'll find out what it was you wanted to know." He dipped his head. "Otherwise - good day."
And with that he walked off unhurriedly, but purposefully enough.

Althalus bit his lip. Was this someone then? He'd been being watched, obviously; he thought he had been better than that at hiding, at being innocuous! Anger and childish shame flared for a moment; he was good at that kind of thing, how dare someone have been watching him! He was the one who was supposed -
Are we going to follow or not?
Stealth's voice snapped in his mind, and her tailtip flicked once against the hollow of his throat, black eyes glinting as she stared after the retreating stranger. He hadn't turned around once; was he really -
No time to think. Here was an opportunity! Luck might just go his way again, and the lady seemed to smile on him, right? Althalus shook himself awkwardly, and set off at a trotting run to catch up, eyes bright in his face.

"Oi, mister, wait up," he called, grining despite Stealth's caustic reprimand for calling out and thus drawing attention to himself. The man didn't seem to notice, and kept walking; as Althalus caught up, panting slightly and looking up at him, the face seemed impassive under the hatbrim still. After a while, the Forgotten managing to remain silent and slightly chastened, the stranger stopped at a door on the street. A pub? He wasn't old enough -

"Are you coming in, kid?"

"Uh, of course." Implying a cheery confidence that he didn't quite feel, Althalus was torn between apprehension and thrill as he slipped throught the door into the warmly lit interior. The curtains and windows were dim, for the afternoon, and Althalus felt strangely comforted by the lamplight as he perched easily on a stool at the stranger's lazy wave of a hand. No-one had looked up as he came in, the man behind the bar continuing to polish glasses; as the boy looked around, it was as if they had never entered.

"Useful that way, huh?"

Althalus jumped again, blinking back at the man who had folded his arms on the table opposite, still looking amused. Good gods, he wasn't reading their mind -
Idiot. He'll read our body language. Cause you're being foolish and not thinking about it.
Hey, in my defense, he's probably a pro...
You don't even know who he is!
..We'll ask our questions and go, that's all, I promise.
....I know.
Resisting the urge to stroke Stealth's head comfortingly with a finger, allowing her to remain hidden, Althalus copied the stranger's pose, radiating as much confidence as he could.
"I suppose that's true. Will you answer some of my questions?"

"What makes you think I can answer them?"

"You told me I'd find out what I wanted to know."

"How do you know I'm not lying?"

"What other reason would you have to watch me and bring me here?" Althalus' reply was prompt, and he blinked suddenly as the man suddenly laughed.
".... what's so funny?" He said with an edge of suspicion in his voice, composure lost for a moment.

"You're good, kid, but still as innocent as a baby lamb." The smile grew wider as Althalus bristled slightly. The man sighed. "Many reasons. A lot to do with your pretty face. With your hair tied back and that eyeliner, you could pass for a girl...." Althalus' face looked almost horrified for a moment, and the man laughed again.
"Or a raccoon, of course."

Althalus wasn't quite sure what was worse, the former statement, the latter one, or Stealth fighting not to snigger from her place at his neck.

"ANYWAY," and his voice was a bit more forceful than he meant, "you can tell me for a start why you have been watching me."

"Fine, fine." The man leaned further back, and folded his hands behind his head. "It's simple, really. When you see a kid hanging around the usual places, and then actually bothering to notice the thiefsign in the walls, you can see the potential. I saw your nice little performance in the marketplace a month or so back. And I'm interested."

The pride instantly restored, Althalus straightened up a little with a smile. And damn it, he had been right! Thiefsign? He had to be talking about the wallcode, and that word 'thief', it just confirmed it! For once Stealth wasn't there with a snide comment; the daemon was just as prideful as the Forgotten she shared a soul with, and she was fighting to stay as completely still and camoflaged as possible.

"Soooooo," And the boy dragged his words out with a smile, "You'll tell me what I want to know about those signs?"

"Sure."

"Wait, you will?" He'd been expecting more resistance than that...

"For a price, of course."

The boy winced, and the man smiled back.

"You need to fix that, little raccoon. Hide your emotions a little better, even if it's something you really want to hear, okay?"

"I - "

"Come and see me again. Tomorrow evening, at nine. And I'll tell you a little more about the Guild in the darkness hours, when it's fitting."

"Wait, you will? The Guild, what Guild?"

"What's your name, kid?"

"Seven. Seven Robertson...."

The man sighed, and raised an eyebrow.

"Your real name. I can't keep calling you kid. Names are important."

Stealth tensed slightly, and Althalus looked sharply at the other man. That was... right, he was always thinking that. And if... if he was going to use a name, he may as well use his own one...

"..... Althalus." He just managed to stop automatically adding 'and Stealth'.

The stranger flicked his hat brim away from his eyes with a bright expression. "Althalus?! I almost preferred calling you 'raccoon'."

"What does that matter to you?" replied Althalus hotly. "And don't say I'm lying this time..."

"I know you're not." Pushing back his chair, the man got to his feet. "Don't forget to come past tomorrow. And ask for Garrick."

"That's not your true name," said Althalus with angry certainty. "That's the name of a pretend - "

"And that's the breaks, Althalus," the man said, smiling. "See you tomorrow."

And the Forgotten was left staring in disbelief at the man's back.

Excuse me?!?

Althalus sat on the edge of the roof, feet tucked up from the gutters, squinting out through the light rain into the night. The Barton streets below were dark and wet, and few people hurried around, heads down against the weather. No-one looked up to see the thoughtful, bedraggled Forgotten perched above them.

Shouldn't we go home, Althie? We've done our job for tonight...
Stealth wound her tail tighter around his wrist, sounding mournful, clinging close to him for warmth.
"Yeah.... maybe." Althalus uncurled himself slowly, balancing easily on the slick tiles, and then padded carefully up to the ridge. The drizzle was letting up now; he shaded his eyes as he stood in the lee of the chimney stack, and then smiled faintly. He'd been with Master Kieran this evening; the silent distrustful man had been teaching him bladework, and how to use the short knife best as a tool, rather than just a sharp edge to threaten with. In fact, Althalus had come to the conclusion that he needed another blade, one that he could use as a climbing tool, so that he could keep his nice one sharp for cutting edges and rope.

Stop thinking so much, and let's go, repeated Stealth miserably. It's really late.
"Stop complaining." Althalus tugged his bandana on a bit tighter, and then started down the other side of the roof before shimmy down a fragile drainpipe. As he jumped the final few feet and started sauntering northwards, the boy's eyes suddenly darted to a spot of warm light in the entrance of an sidestreet ahead. He tilted his head, and changed his course slightly. The soft, yellowish light seemed to draw him, and even Stealth peeked her head out of the dull brown of his sleeve.
What's that?
Dunno. Want to have a look?

The pair changed direction properly, but as they got to the edge of the street, the light faded, as if whisked out of sight. It had moved on; and Althalus' eyes narrowed suddenly. The light seemed so familiar.... like lamplight, like lantern light.

"Hey, wait...." He said belatedly, and then winced as Stealth scolded him suddenly for speaking aloud to no-one. He didn't mean to draw attention, but...
He picked up his pace, slipping into the shadow by the edge of the houses, and followed the light. There, he wasn't imagining things, was he? A swish of thick material, and a small face looking back over a shoulder.... Althalus turned down into an alley between the high walls of houses, the soft light ahead making the darkness darker around them, but the Forgotten was not looking at his surroundings.

Instead, he was looking at the girl, almost identical in height and age to himself, who turned around startled or scared to look at him, small delicate hands clutching a lantern close to her, throwing dancing shadows and soft light around them. Her hair was the same colour as his, but long and wavy down past her shoulders, and she wore dusty brown trimmed with worn white lace, long skirts and petticoats around her calves. Stealth had frozen against Althalus' wrist, tiny heart racing against his skin, and her voice was curiously silent as he stared at the girl with the lantern.

---What do you want?---

She didn't speak out loud, but she didn't speak in his head, the way Stealth and he communicated. It just.... had been said.

"That.... that's my lantern...."

A winsome smile.

---It is important?---

"My lantern. I mean... my excerpt, my story..." Althalus was still staring a little, eyes round. He wasn't even quite sure what he was saying, or why he was mentioning it. But his voice became stronger, more sure.
"I think I saw you in a dream once."

---Althalus. Stealth... ---

"I did, didn't I? And those, those things...."

---Listen to me. The Light is after you.---

A searing memory of the bright creatures with their cruel, reaching hands and blazing white skin. The boy drew his breath in.
"So... the Shadow... is my friend?"
The laughing shadows in the depths of the House, the hissing voice amusedly declaring his uselessness. He didn't like that idea.

---Balance is important. Walk the line, and you'll be alright. Three years have passed. Change will be soon.... your presence is no longer going unnoticed.---

"What can I do? Those things...."

The girl smiled sadly, and folded the lantern closer to herself, the candle inside flickering as she turned away, straggled fine hair and skirts flaring outward and started walking.

"Hey, wait, give me an answer!" Althalus looked upset, and took a few paces after her, but whispers started in the dark that suddenly grew and swallowed her, blotting the stars and the surroundings, that awful whispering starting once more, or was it only the echo of memory in his ears.... the lizard-daemon at his wrist, instead of being torn away, wriggled under his clothes back closer to his heart, pressing in, as if she was scared, as if the closer they could get, the more they could think as one....


Althalus drew in a tearing gasp, eyes flying open as he sat up suddenly. His heart was pounding, and Stealth fell into his lap with a soft thump on the duvet, skin flowing to change colour to match it.
The Forgotten panted, eyes slowly accustoming to the early morning October light at his curtains. A dream? He didn't remember coming home... his knife and half his clothes were dropped haphazardly on the floor, but he was still wearing his tunic, gold chain glittering at his neck from the charm dangling there.
Althie, I...

Stealth sounded sleepy, struggling to scamper upright, genuinely confused. She didn't remember anything.
Anything about... what?

Althalus put his hand up to his head, wincing, and then looking across to his bedside table. The lantern sat cold and grey, just as it normally did, black cast ironlightly coated in dust. There had been... something about it...

---Three years to the day. Happy birthday, Althalus.---

The Forgotten boy blinked, absently picking his daemon up to cradle her in his hand, the soft voice echoing faintly in his head. His birthday. Oh, yes.... it was his birthday today, wasn't it? He smiled a little more truly, and then pushed back the duvet properly, jumping out of bed. He'd better have some decent stuff this year. Kel and Daniel had promised him something good.

He started to get changed, filled with excitement for his birthday just like any other boy, and the strange half-dream completely forgotten.