Valyrr cocked his head to one side, listening closely. There was a game he played with himself nights when he hadn't anything else to do. It wasn't a safe game, and it would make everyone in the House furious if they knew about it, but it kept his life interesting while he waited for his sister to come home. He would perch on a roof in an unpleasant section of the city frequented by pickpockets and cutthroats, and he would watch for an easy mark. That is, a thief or murderer who looked stupid enough to mistake him for an easy mark. Then he lured them into dark alleys and turned the tables on them.
His gaze came to rest on a large male who looked like he'd had too much to drink. He probably wasn't a professional criminal, but he did look like a mean drunk, which would do in a pinch. The night seemed woefully short on criminals for whatever reason. He supposed that was a good thing, and he should be glad, but he was bored. He hadn't always been a risk-taker. It was a habit he'd developed after graduating from training school. He'd had a daily adrenaline rush for years which came in the form of practice. In the House, things were different. Boring.
Taking advantage of the innate powers of levitation he possessed as a member of a noble House, Val stepped off the roof of the building and lowered himself slowly to the ground. From there he stalked stealthily to the place he'd picked out as a good place to catch the attention of his drunken prey. He didn't possess the stealth skills of a trained assassin, but he was good enough to avoid the notice of a drunk until he wanted to be seen. Once he was in position he called out a few choice insults dealing with the male's sexual preferences and his mother's occupation.
The hapless drow turned toward him and prepared to set upon him and avenge himself. Too easy. Except, why was he stopping, and why were his eyes not focused in a drunken, unfocused manner on Val? Val didn't like this turn of events. Taking a risk, he chanced a glance behind him and saw that there was someone there. He might be able to take on the two of them at once, but he would rather not return to the House with serious bruises or cuts. So his options were to run, employ some of the basic battle magic taught to all warriors, or try to make an ally of one of them. He had no illusions that either one might be friendly.
