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 Posted: Sat Nov 29, 2008 6:13 pm
 ((RP Note: Divintra's custom shows him with red runes around his neck. Those are part of his plot development so he doesn't actually have them yet. ^^''))The letter was fairly thick, making Divintra wonder if perhaps there was something else folded within the pages. He had not questioned the drow that had hired him for the delivery. It was one of the things about his service that his temporary employers appreciated. Never was there a question about the contents. All Divintra required was the name or the place of delivery. Give him enough to bring the item where the drow wanted it and that was all. Still, just because he did not ask did not mean Divintra did not wonder. If it were not for his concern about magical wards he would have been tempted to practice his newly budding powers upon the items he had in his care. His curiosity was not strong enough to overturn his determination to remain a undisputable trustworthy source.
It was only his reputation that had gotten him as far as he had. Better jobs with better pay, better arrangements with the caravan masters that he had worked so dilligently to form good connections with. Having worked in the market place as a drudge delivery boy he knew what caravan masters were more fair and which ones to steer clear of. The once he had hitched a ride with to this particular city was neither a good or bad choice...He had allowed Divintra the questionable honor of riding with him in his personal wagon, with the understanding that Divintra would use his 'Magical Powers' to divine a safer route to the city. Divintra was disinclined to correct the rumor being spread that he was a mage with uncanny powers for divination and foresight.
The last thing he wanted was for some priestesses to learn he was in fact granted his powers from a Divine source. At best they would only sacrifice him as a heretic... at worst they would bleed the heresy out of him in a attempt of conversion. As far as he understood, drow who had the ability to forsee the future were exceptionally rare. Every one he'd ever heard of was locked away in some temple and surrounded by over protective Llothites... Divintra could never bare such a life, he valued his freedom too much.
His mind was distracted by these inner thoughts as he walked purposefully down the smooth worn path between some buildings. Somewhere around here was a building with a particular marking on it...He was to hand the letter off to the owner of the building, and then leave. This was one of the few jobs he had been paid in full in advance for. Either the recipiant of the letter was unknowning and hence would be unwilling to pay the rest of his fee... or Divintra's reputation had reaced the point where there were no more concerns of him running off with the pay and leaving the item undelivered. He really liked to think it was the latter.
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Posted: Sat Nov 29, 2008 8:04 pm
Leaving the marketplace, Akorbaste stopped to inspect a display of incense. She rolled a selection aimlessly in her slender hand. Nothing too special here. She would never insult Lolth by burning such waste. The young priestess grit her teeth and continued on her way. Time was tight if they were to successfully intercept the delivery. The thief had agreed to meet with her again, just a few streets out from the main markets of Llurth Dreir. Her plans came down to this. Waiting on a thief. The last few months of having Malune watched intensely had led to this and by Lolth it would not go to waste.
Hatred of her elder sisters had always been a constant, but it was also a hatred carefully controlled by a common desire to advance the House. Even so, Akorbaste tried to stay away from Llurth Dreir as often as possible. It was a foul city for one thing. The last time the priestess had returned, one of her brothers had tipped her off to some unusual behavior of Malune. The assassin was shirking responsibility and training duties. She had failed to pick up a newly ordered set of blades. She was at the House even less than Akorbaste. Something out there mattered to Malune more than her duties. And that was not Lolth's will.
With a smug confident glare, Akorbaste calmed her nerves with the knowledge that this duty of hers was made all the more pleasurable by also providing some personal revenge. A carved spider perched proudly on both her forehead and belt, no one could doubt where Akorbaste's ultimate interests lay. Malune's work as an assassin was beneficial to the House certainly but she would not continue to waste that skill in whatever self-absorbed game she was playing.
Akorbaste slowed her walking. Her long stride had carried her down to a quiet area with narrow streets that saw little but foot traffic. The thief should be along shortly. Hopefully then, they would have at least a few hours to spare before the delivery. The priestess was easily marked, even in the shadows of the buildings, for her pale headpiece stood tall and its smooth material fairly shone as it reflected what light there was to spare.
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Posted: Mon Dec 01, 2008 6:23 am
 The glint of gold was all the appeal the silent thief needed before she dipped her slim delicate fingers into the welcome pouch of some unguarded warrior. Quick than an attacking venomous snake her dark hand moved, in and out, snatch out a modest handful of gold coins without so much a CLINK sound escaping. Cold yellow eyes glinted with haughty arrogance as once again, Zarune effortlessly slunk back into the shadows, out of sight and a few coins more richer. Most low level Shebali like herself wouldn't dare to pickpocket the stocky Sargtlin. A single blow with their hefty swords could cleave through a stone pillar. A damage of that proportion would only end badly for the weak thieves of the underdark.
Or so thieves like Zarune lead the populace to believe. The faster you are and the more intelligent you are, angering a warrior type drow would just be a matter of anticipating an attack, and moving out of the way. Then again Rune, as she was commonly known, opted for the less endangering and less time consuming method: Getting the ******** out before anyone realizes anything.
Slipping her newly ill-gotten gain, the leather-clad fleet footed thief raced upon the roofs of the city, her high heels not even clicking a sound. Thin silky strands of Rune's hair streamed out behind her head, whipping ever so gently by the wind caused by the speed she was leaping at. Leap leap jump. Dash. All the while, the drow woman's intense golden eyes never showed a glint of emotion.
She was heading to business. Nothing more, nothing less. Just another patron that didn't want to get thier hands dirty so they call for Shebali like Rune. A patron, who did not have their information set straight.
Being a thief for hire means that certain research needed to be done before and during operations. Information is power and physically weak thieves like Rune always did their homework to be on top of their game. An on top she certainly was. Sources indicated that The Delivery was being made ahead of schedule. That would have been expected had the patron known that the courier was a well known well liked competent boy. If Rune wanted that hefty reward of numerous healing salves and magical trinkets, she would need to act fast. Find the priestess that hired her and get That Letter!
Her golden eyes, trained well after years of thievery had long since adjusted themselves to see and memorize people, places, and things even while she herself was moving at a blurring speed. For instance, she saw a lithe looking thief boy trying to dip his hand into the robes of a priestess, while said priestess was looking at him through the corner of her eyes. The next scene was a cat rubbing against the leg of a street vender, distracting him to the point that he didn't notice that a beautiful vase was in danger of toppling over. The next scene was...
The patron!
The blurred surroundings suddenly halted as the thief woman gave a final leap to land in a tidy crouch inside a darkened alleyway, her decent more silent than that of a hunting owl. Rune, now cloaked in shadows slowly stood up, behind her priestessly employer.
"You may be early but you are far too late. The delivery boy is enroute. We will seal the deal now or that letter of his will be far out of your reach." the former mute said simply in a soft voice, her lush golden lips glimmering with each word formed.
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Posted: Mon Dec 01, 2008 4:15 pm
Hmm... He...must have taken the wrong street. The landmarks that he had been given were not appearing and Divintra could not help but frown lightly as he crossed his arms over his chest. The letter was safely tucked into the front of his vest. Out of sight and comfortably present with each breath he took. He was rather glad he had left for the delivery earlier then agreed upon. It only seemed prudent to make his deliveries seem to happen as quickly as possible. He really did enjoy getting tips and surprised comments that were almost praise....
Divintra turned and backtracked the way he came. His purple eyes sweeping the streets until he found one of the landmarks. Ah! There! A tailors shop that had a spider holding a gown between it's legs. There! Perhaps he should have taken the next left past the shop... He trotted happily along, his mind wandering through various options that he assumed he'd be able to pursue once this task was completed...
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Posted: Mon Dec 01, 2008 5:58 pm
Akorbaste had taken a seat in the alleyway, sitting appropriately within the shadow of a statue of Lolth. The priestess waited with all the patience she could muster, her thoughts wandering from her foolish sister to the payment she carried concealed on her person. Her diaphonous skirt could not conceal much. A single tiny black bag hung tucked beneath her belt. She had been well prepared to bring gold, but the thief had more specific requests. That was fine with her. The trinkets filled her hidden bag, while another part of the payment remained hidden elsewhere.
Akorbaste clenched her jaw and tensed her muscles slightly as a voice softly reached her ears. The priestess turned her head, tipping a dark ear towards the thief. Excuses were all she heard. She held her anger and nerves in check, admitting that this really wasn't the thief's fault.
Her stony voice sliced back in a whisper, "You will succeed and that is all." With one hand, Akorbaste deftly retrieved the pouch from her belt and pushed it towards the thief across her stone bench. "A small case of salve will await you as well."
Akorbaste emphasized the word 'case', knowing that this was more than their agreement had been for. It wasn't just that she wanted results, but that goods like salve were often very easy to acquire being from a House that worked heavily in trading. That was one of the few good things about being a member of the Oussekt'ar house. Perhaps there was more than that to be proud of, but Akorbaste was not in the mood to think of anything positive.
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Posted: Tue Dec 02, 2008 4:41 am
The stone cold edge of the priestess's tone of voice was not lost on Rune. It was evident by all common sense of body language and phrasing that the Lloth worshipper was displeased with the turn of events and that if the Shebali did not play her cards right, Rune would loose this job. The thought of loosing magical trinkets was bad enough, but loosing the chance to get healing salves would be devastating. Mage's and merchants were quite stingy when it came to selling the good stuff and being the delicate woman she was, her body only took to the good stuff. The fact that her employer took the pains to emphasize the word 'case' only meant that this deal just grew to a higher stakes. Golden eyes glimmered with a hint of greed at the though of having a whole case of healing salve. Rune looked at the offered bag of trinkets before casting a quick glance at the priestesses face.
A pregnant pause filled the air as the thief weighed heavily in the air as Rune went over the situation in her head. The courier had jumped the gun but if Rune took this job, she would be 'rich'. If she however, failed, her repuation would be lost and thus, would need to relocate to another city to start afresh. With time running against her, Rune silently bowed her head in respect to the priestess hastily. Taking the offered down payment she disappeared with a high leap. Back to the roofs she went without so much as an adieu. It wasn't because she was being rude - the thief was just not used to talking. The scenes of the city once again flew past in a hasty blur as intense molten gold eyes scrutinized the roads and pathways.
Cold and calculating, the Sheabli had long since plotted out 3 different routes the courier could take. One took longer but was the safest route filled with pathways and shadows alleys. The second, the fasted but took one through the shadiest, diceyest places of the city. The last route was a more conventional route of a courier, taking one past inns and taverns as well as market stalls. Time was too short for the fleet footed thief, despite her highly unusual speed. Time for some intelligent deductions! The fast route would be unlikely since the messenger was ahead of schedule. No need to be in a rush when your already hours ahead of of schedule.
A grim shadow flashed over the drow woman as she grimaced in disdain. This courier was making this job tremendously painful. There is such a thing as overachieving you son of human b***h! she thought vehemently. No, if the damn messenger boy decided to take off this fast, he would likely be taking the safest route or the normal route. Problem is which.
Rune suddenly came to a stop on top of a flat roof top, her heals clicking against the stone material of the ground. She was at at precisely the 'branching' point of her pre-calculated route. One way for the slow but safe route; the other, the standard route. There was also the possibility that the messenger was taking an altogether different bath but the thief was confident in her research. A cold cocky grin, an uncharacteristic look, splattered across Rune's face. She had him now. There was no way a goody two shoes like this courier would take 'scary' oneway shadowed pathways. He may take that long but safe route since he left early but an over achiever like him would probably take a normal route but still arrive early.
Taking a hard leap to the left, the Shebali began sifting through the crowds, leaping from roof to roof, trying to find a relatively innocent looking courier that fit the descriptions she got from interviewing merchants. Her golden eyes sifted through the crowds, glanced over the front of market stalls. The bazaars were now finished, soon would be the inns and taverns.... and that would not be easy to visually sift through. Being a thief, her eyes were trained too look through and memorize gaudy shiney thinks. Lots of colors and shiney things of bazaars that would normally be hard on the eyes of others were easy for her. Plain drows of inns and taverns however held little glimmer and glint for her eyes to be magnetized to.
This.. was DEFINENTLY going to be a pain in the a** job, all thanks to some goody goody courier can't understand that underachievement could be a bad thing.
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Posted: Tue Dec 02, 2008 10:31 am
The city was one Divintra was unfamilar with. Growing up in Menzo he had plenty of familiarity with those streets. But this particular city was relatively unexplored by him. The albino drow was no less careless here then were he wandering through a unexplored set of tunnels in the underdark. He was not so much a fool as that! Besides... Divintra had a bit of a advantage being a 'Mage' and all. The mere thought of such a title being bestowed upon him made his pale lips turn upwards with secretive mirth. Mage! Ha! His mother surely would have approved, even if she disliked his choice to decline following in her footsteps and becoming a thief.
Oh, he admitted to her honestly enough that being taught how to pick locks or pockets could be useful enough. A gentle touch was a skill he was sure someday he could put to use. But he disliked her coaxings for him to slip into the unwarded houses of other drow, or the silent slipping of a blade into their backs. If he was going to obtain a reputation, Divintra wanted it to be the sort that other drow would consider useful, and hence be disinclined to get rid of him on whim. The useful tended to have far longer and more pleasent lives in Divintra's thoughts.
He passed the tailor's shop, and stopped at a intersection. Here. This was the one that he was supposed to turn down, he was certain. Yet Divintra did not immediatly start down the path. Instead he slipped his hand under the bottom of his jerkin and tugged lightly on a hide pouch looped around his waist on a belt. He opened the top enough that he could wiggle his thumb inside, and immediatly touched the smooth cool surface of the glass ball contained with. Divintra's eyes slipped from street to street. It would be wisest to check them out before he continued on. Divintra worried that he was becoming too paranoid with his spell casting. Still..it -had- served to keep him safe in the past. He had managed to avoid a unpleasent encounter or two simply by checking his choices before he made them.
Divintra was really warming up to being a Seer.
He walked himself to one of the stretch's of shops that had a small overhang and propped his shoulders up against the wall. While keeping his one hand tucked against the bag with his glass ball inside, he reached into the neck of his shirt and gently tugged on a copper chain. Slipping it up, his palm closed over what seemed to be a small copper coin dangling from it's length. Gripping it firmly, Divintra lowered his head and half closed his purple eyes. No...it never hurt to make certain of one's choices. Someday perhaps, in tribute of his mother, he'd use one of his spells and join in a dice game...
"Lord my God, bless me with your favor. Let your servant see the paths that lay before him."
Divintra spoke the words of his prayer so softly he was almost not speaking at all. With his head turned down and his lips as still as possible he banked on no one actually caring enough to wonder what in their gods name he was doing. It mattered little to him really. With the quick prayer murmured and completed Divintra tucked the coin back under his shirt and against his chest. Now he stepped away from the wall and glanced down the three parts of the street. Should he go left? ..
Bad Result
Okay. left was out. Should he go strait?
Bad Result
Well then...should he go right?
Bad Result
What in the name of the abyss!? Divintra stood with a scowl upon his lips as he recieved the same answer for each of his choices. That had not happened before...this was..inconviencet. Well! It seemed he would have no choice...Should he backtrack?
Good Result
Divintra's frown grew darker as he glanced over his shoulder.
Should he take a completely random path?
Both
Oh for the love of Vhaerune!! Divintra fought the urge to throw his hands in the air at the divine messages he was recieving within his head. So..He turned and stalked back down the way he had come. He knew what the building looked like. He knew where on a map it was. He just had not wanted to wander the streets until he managed to find it. What could be down those streets that would have ended up as a bad result? Well..Divintra assumed he would not know now that he had choosen not to go down them.
He walked back three blocks, by this time his spell's limit was over, and he choose not to recast it just yet. He could only do it so many times after all. The house was towards the left side of the city, so he picked a left turning street to walk down. There wasn't much down here, as far as he could tell. By the smell of it there could be some stables nearby. Or maybe some livestock?
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Posted: Tue Dec 02, 2008 8:42 pm
The priestess watched the shebali's face. She could swear the desire and greed were visible. Good. The thief didn't speak, but her obedient nod was more than enough. A drow's words could never be trusted anyways. Her magical trinkets were gone now, being carried at a quick pace over the rooftops of Llurth Dreir. Hopefully something much more important would be returning in their stead.
As the thief headed away, so did Akorbaste. She had no desire to pretend to be capable of following the thief. Indeed, if the priestess could do that then she would have had no business contracting out the job. Instead Akorbaste planned to walk around until time to drop off the salve and, with Lolth's will, pick up the letter.
Now to go back around towards the Oussekt'ar complex and quickly. Her destination wasn't for the Oussekt'ar property, but it was on the way. If you took a shortcut, rather, it would be on your way. Akorbaste knew her native streets well and had decided to meet with the thief in a specific area of Llurth Dreir for a reason. It was close proximity to a favorite spot of hers. In an awkward deadend where a grimy wall met the stone base of a sculpture, Akorbaste knew a small place low to the ground that could easily be concealed with either real rock or a spell. Barely breaking stride, Akorbaste dipped and leaned as her hand reached where she knew the box would be, the spell fading as she did so. Akorbaste grabbed her rectangular case of salves by its strap and continued on a short cut back down to the depths of Llurth Dreir.
Akorbaste asked herself exactly what she hoped the letter to be. Some sign of guilt, a transgression, a secret, maybe blasphemy? What if it was something good for the House? She hadn't really thought that maybe she might want to return the letter. That didn't matter. No matter the content, Malune's behavior and most of all her priorities as of late needed to be addressed. If not by Akorbaste, then one day Lolth herself would. The priestess had unflinching faith that Lolth did not miss a thing.
Valuable case in hand, Akorbaste walked a little more carefully. She strode past several merchants and the tailor's shop, slowing her walk past the row of buildings as to not appear overly hasty. Better to linger and walk than to hurry up and wait anxiously at a drop off point. And a drow could hardly ever tire of the opportunity to stop and admire good weapons work.
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