Post by Joliette Thorne on Aug 16, 2008 8:59:56 GMT -5
-- Den of Thieves--
Tenebrae entered the room in a hurry, her back pressed to the door when it was closed behind her securely. A long breath was inhaled, her eyes rolling ceilingward, and she breathed it out loudly. "What did I do? Huh?" She was appealing to some god she didn't believe in, or maybe the ever-vengeful Fate. Whatever it was, she didn't look happy; all that was missing was a shaken fist. "Just tell me what grievous sin I committed, that all this should fall to me." Her eyes lowered to the room's main part, and she muttered, as a grin slid across her lips, erasing the worry, "On second thoughts, don't answer that..."
Leoxander looked up from his work, which consisted a short hand scrawl no one wandering by would ever be able to read. One candle illuminated his eyes in that burning ember way as he looked up toward the opening door, brow furrowed in some agitation at being interrupted for a second time. But this was a better interruption, and he leaned back with an inked arm slung over his chair to watch her talk to the ceiling. That hand lifted and he started to count off the sins on his fingers... "Kidnappin'... wrath... murder. Oh, my favorite, adul-..." He was proud of that last one, too, but she cut him off with her better judgment and he fell quiet with a smirk. "One of those days? I'm tellin' you, that island was at least deserted. An' peaceful..."
He'd recieve a brow arced higher than usual for that half-spoken word, though the tick of heels across the stone floor as she approached the desk, eyes set on his relaxed form, then the desktop, might drown out any low mutter she gave by way of reply to it. Louder was her response to the last. "Sooner the better, love, if y'ask me. Trouble's afoot, and I'd rather be away from it. Day or two, though. Got some business..." Her lips paled, pressed together to stop herself spilling the beans on everything. She was so used to speaking her plans and worries around the Cap'n, but this was something she needed to approach with caution. The dangers presented to them all just might push him over some edge she only just got him back from, after all. "... just things to see to. Madeline, for one." She's speak the next carefully, casually. "And seems a few among us aren't sleepin' all that well of late." She tried to glimpse the papers, making it obvious she was doing so. "What you working on?"
Leoxander said, "Business." He'd reply to the last, making it a little obvious he could be as mysterious as she, but he didn't entirely hold it against her. They lived dark lives and played their parts and that's one of many reasons the rogue kept her closer than all the rest. "Isen will help us sail. We'll go for just a day or two, look for Jack, come back and tend to the rest." A motion toward those papers she looked at, and he didn't try to stop her from touching them, but there was already a knife mark at one corner from when he'd pinned them securely, earlier. The notes concerned seven members and what he needed to teach each of them. Some inartistic, chicken scratch of symbols and icons to represent them. Madeline's name was there, in a prospective list... After a long stretch of silence he'd ask in a low mumble, without lifting his eyes: "What do you mean... 'not sleepin' well'?"
Tenebrae's eyes remained on the mostly cryptic markings a while, though she made out enough to make plain what he had been working on. No need for more; and it was comforting to her that some semblance of normalcy - for them, at least - was continuing. The necromancer nodded her agreement to his plans for the island, "I'll see whether Red and Maddie can come along, too." And though his mismatched gaze was on those papers when she looked back to them, she observed him while he spoke the question, and frowned inwardly. Outwardly she shrugged. "Few of us havin' dreams." her turn to look away, toward the window, as though the dark peeking through the slats had suddenly caught her attention. "Bad ones. And all alike." She slid her gaze back Leo's way, to watch his response.
Leoxander didn't give her one. He stared at the same spot and moved his fingers in a slow drumming motion, patterned like he rolled them when playing with coins and knives. A slight squint of his eyes to take the information in, and he looked to shrug it off as nothing, lifting his heterochromatic (since that's our new word) gaze to hers from behind the hair usually concealing it, without moving his head. Leo asked, calm, composed, and quiet, "Are you?"
Tenebrae nodded again, hardly meeting that odd-coloured stare. "Yeah. Red too, and Creature." She wanted to tell him everything, all of it. But instead, she shifted a few steps, and if his parchments didn't cover the whole desk she'd find a corner to sit on. "Someone messin' with us. Aim to show him a thing or two." If he'd followed her with his blond-obscured eyes, she look into them more directly now. "So... how are you sleeping?" A quill was taken up, twirled idly in her fingers. A little ink would stain pale skin in the process.
Leoxander stayed seated around her, feeling no need to be eye level or above to be comfortable. There was room in his lap if she needed a seat but his arm draped on the edge of the desk and he stayed fairly upright to watch her, boldly meeting those arctic-green eyes. "Well as ever..." He'd answer gruffly, but that wasn't saying much. Leo had always had nightmares, even before being bitten by a werewolf, and as someone who frequently shared a space for rest, Tenebrae would know that. His free hand reached to swipe some of the ink off her fingers with two of his own, but instead of helping her keep clean, he took the opportunity to swipe a mark like a tattoo over her forearm, two dark lines, his ruined fingerprints hidden somewhere on them. A faint smirk revealed that this was a poor attempt at being playful. Then he'd lift the rum bottle for a drink, and as always, it would be offered next to her. She might think this a very un-gentlemanly habit, but truth be known, Leo wouldn't let her drink anything until he was certain there was nothing in it that might poison an immortal. A russian roulette version of his affection and care.
Tenebrae was always aware, as much as she could be, anyway, of the Cap'n's preference for space and privacy, but she was in need of a little comforting right now, and while she had the wandering rogue sat in one place and looking like he might stay there a while, she took advantage of it to slide off the desk's edge and into his lap. She smiled, when he "inked' her, and might add to whatever accumulation of grime he'd accrued since his bath by poking the tip of nose gently with a likewise inky finger. His answer wasn't a great relief, but he hadn't mentioned scary human puppets or the like, so she thought perhaps he hadn't shared that same, terrible nightmare and it cheered her. "I'm in a mood..." The bottle was taken, and if he didn't stop her she'd likely chug the whole of whatever was left. Tenebrae was in dire need of a little relaxation, and was going to take it where she could find it.
Leoxander sat back in his chair, never denying nor confirming that he'd had the terrifying dream. Not much scared the pirate... he'd seen a lot in his mere twenty-four years, but he'd woke up from that vision in a cold sweat and his heart beating like a rabbit's. Looking up into her eyes casually, Leo never gave her the reason to believe he was another linked to this trick. He'd never give the one doing it the satisfaction of seeing a reaction from him. "Does that mean I should be worried?" Even if the smirk wasn't entirely developed at the corner of his mouth, it was in his dark eyes, as he wiped his arm across his nose to smear the ink spot. He spared a mournful glance at the empty bottle, but there was always more where that came from. The opposite arm rested around her to keep her fairly close, until she decided to get up and get them into trouble.
Tenebrae swirled the last drops around the bottom of the vessel, and set it down in a space between ledgers and notes. "Well... that depends on you, really." Green eyes slid shiftily to meet his own, and her voice held that dangerously innocent tone he'd know too well. "I could either demonstrate my idea for helping you shift more easily, or..." She smiled, shifting so as to face him more fully, obviously needing to wiggle a fair amount in order to achieve this goal. "There's a fat imp I know, needs to lose a little weight. I aim to help him do that." She toyed with a blond strand, pushing it aside she she could see him better. "Think we could do with a spot of redemption, community service and all."
Leoxander would debate the options. She was tempting in her ways... he offered a grin as his eyes rolled up to look at her, then he gave her thigh a light grope through clothing and used the hold to encourage her up off his lap. As restful as he might appear, Leo never sat still for long. "Let's save it for when we need it..." Anticipation might only ruin a well planned surprise, right? Who knew what another unplanned robbery might bring? "I've been meanin' to have a chat with that thing..." For a 'chat', he suspected there wouldn't be many words involved. Maybe some frantic yelling, so this time, he'd start searching through his pack and through that room for supplies. He had plenty of herbs and poisons stocked for some irritating pygmies... a handful of paralyzing powder might do the trick for a demon so that was... quite literally stuffed into his pants. Leo had pockets down there - trust him. A knife was recovered from under the desk and sheathed just above his boot, which he took the time to tie before they left.
Tenebrae's disappointment was mild; maybe their "good deed" for the day might even necessitate both? With that thought, she was on her feet and the weight of her pack to her shoulders. She'd watch Leo prepare, with a lustful eye. For gold, of course. "I think you could talk him into givin' us a good deal on a few things." The vampiress made an exaggerated sway toward the door, mimicking a goodly number of the women regularly seen in the bar below. "He's small, and fat. Don't think he'll need any ... extra... motivation." With that, she'd slipped the lock and was on her way to the stairwell.
-- Starry heavens--
Tenebrae eyed the rogue when they at least stood at the foot of the last ascent they needed to make. "Need a cloak?" She shivered, and drew a bunched wad of slickly midnight cloth from her pack, shook it loose to swing it about her own shoulders, where it settled disquietly. A similar, if slightly thicker stretch of fabric was offered Leo. "Got our portraits up in enough places. Besides, it's kinda chilly up here."
Leoxander shrugged out of his jacket an arm at a time, stashing it someplace he would retrieve it later, or on the way out. Reaching out toward the Necromancer, he'd give her a grateful nod of agreement and drag the cloak over his shoulders and head, hiding his face in the shadows it created. A snap of buckles and either hilt at his hips were undone for easy grasp of the twin blades held there. He took a breath that fogged in the air to prove her point, but his body temperature was always high when his heart raced with lycan blood.
Tenebrae didn't need to speak the plan out loud, the cant of her sleek head aimed toward the rise to the imp's odd shop would suffice to tell him she was ready, and they'd been through this routine enough not to need anything else for now. A moment spent watching him don the shadow-cloak she'd made, a slight smile shortly afterward hidden behind the wrap of fabric that would hide her lower face, and she stepped away, to lead them to where the treasure lay.
Leoxander pulled his collar high at either side of his face, and like her, he wrapped the cloak around the lower half as though prepared to tread into a blizzard. A glance of her eyes, a calming sigh, and he fell into step as her familiar shadow, close enough and mimicking her movements precisely that he could break off and surprise their victim when necessary.
-- The Traveling Imp--
Tenebrae entered the magic-imbued and cloud-misted area on catfeet, her silence aided by the odd softness of the ground. She wouldn't glance back to check whether Leo was behind, that was a given, and so when she spied the object of thier operation the vampiress only hooded herself more closely, pulling a little dagger out from the folds of her cloak. Jeweled and sharp, the knife was hefted in her palm. The imp was, conveniently enough, counting the day's tally, and she could not help but pause mid-step to stare at the figure for a second. Which gave the flighty creature a chance to spy her, and start on his annoying high-pitched spiel. Once his wares were displayed, she nodded. "Oh yeah, I pay shiny...." And before he could finish babbling about immortals and swords, she'd flicked the knife his way, not to kill-- one never knew what such magical being were capable of, when shed of a body -- but merely lifting him by the outlandishly large collar of the suit he wore, carrying him back a pace to pin him to that enchanted tree. Amid his irate howls, the necromancer darted forward to snatch up a few trinkets... there wasn't much here to her liking. Her eyes shifted upward to the steps she lost no time in running for, no look given to check whether the imp was to remain pinned like a prize bug to the treetrunk.
Leoxander was brave enough to try his luck with an Imp. While Tenebrae distracted Pey and managed to upset him into angry yells, as expected, Leo snuck up behind the creature low to the ground, drawing a curved blade to each hand. One went 'round to the front of his throat, the other against his ribs with the business end ready to tear open a small, frankly... impish body, and with extra emphasis to the growl in his voice, he took a breath and roared in a whisper near his big, trinket displaying ear. "Shut up and point out the enchanted armor, or I'll dip into your earnings, G'imp." There was only one thing the rogue wanted. His mask back. The shadow woven material had somehow ended up back in Pey's grubby little hands...
Tenebrae was about to ascend the stairs when the shrilly yawping of the diminutive shopkeep had her turn, a grin shifting the darkness swathed across her features as she sighted his predicament. She'd emit a low whistle, to get the rogue's attention-- Tene knew where the armour was, having done her homework in scoping the place a while ago, and canted her head upward again to let him know so. Leo'd probably find the time to cuss her out later, when his glance up gave Pey the time he needed to rub his impy little hands together, and made the lycan also miss spotting the purple and green sparks that flew from those miniature, greedy palms. Tene didn't have time to voice the warning that rose in her throat, though her lips would part unseen behind the wrap of her cloak. The imp clapped his hands, seeming to throw something backward into Leo's face, with a puff of luminescent smoke to cloud his vision. When it cleared, only the suit was pinned to the tree, and.... well, Tene might evade a bawling-out, as long as Leo didn't find a mirror any time soon, or raise his hand to his brow. Where had sprouted a rather neatly-placed and sharp-looking set of horns. Not too large. She'd only waste three seconds gawping at them. That imp was on the loose, and no doubt pretty angry. "Hurry..." she hissed, her boots still making no sound on the stairs.
Leoxander would have swiveled his ears if he had them. He turned his head, look toward the direction she motioned, and then abruptly stumbled forward into a cloud of smoke with a hoarse cough, waving it away as he lost grasp on the imp, and collected the fabric of a well worn salesman suit in his hands. Angry, he threw it down and looked around in time to see Pey seek his revenge on Tenebrae next, appearing impishly suitless behind her for a crack of bony knuckles, before claws would be thrown forward in a gesture. That sleek black hair that gave her such a distinguished look, suddenly red as the blood she should drink, a bright signal flaring for notice in her dark world. Leo's eyes widened and caught enough light to shine, then he suddenly turned and headed toward Pey's belongings, digging through troves in search of the shadows that sometimes called to him. This mask was -made- for him, and in time he closed his hand around the cool silk like texture, pulling it free. Finally he could comply to Tene's encouragement's, and he ran passed her hiding his amusement into his sleeve, making his escape hasty unless Pey decided to get his revenge in something worse than appearance. "Go!" He laughed out, fleeing with a stolen reward. 1 assassins-shadowed-face cover.
Tene was jiggling on the balls of her feet for the rogue to hurry, when she was herself abruptly engulfed in a cloud of scintillating smoke that had her coughing purple. "Ugh!" Fortunately, the bulk of her hair was hidden enough beneath the cowl of her cloak to allow Leo a glimpse of added scarlet but no stray strands to tip the vampiress off about her sudden new hairdo. She turned toward the imp, flinging some trinket from her pocket to make him cringe away, which he did in an oddly compliant manner, and a moment later Leo bolted past her. She wondered what he was laughing at... Mentally shrugging, Tene made haste to follow the Cap'n, leaving the maniacally chuckling imp behind.
Pey is chasing after you is here.
Pey Still Chasing After You is here.
Tenebrae stopped at the peak of that cloudy mountain, toes perched precariously at the edge of what looked like a deadly precipice. Not far behind, the speedy --and magically gifted -- angry imp could be heard, cusing his way after the pair. "Hand me your cloak." It was a hurried gasp.
Leoxander never argued in moments like those. He unraveled the fiendish cloak from his face and neck and parted with it reluctantly, looking toward Tenebrae in a calm manner that showed he wasn't due to change into an enraged beast, anytime soon. Nor would he tie the face cover over his features, because he wanted to make certain not to lose it. His brow furrowed at her words. "I was more hopin' you'd sprout wings and surprise me, now."
Leoxander looked down.
She glanced at the twin bulges on his brow, and smirked. "I think there's been enough sprouting going on for one day..." And with that cryptic comment, Tene unslung her own cloak from pale shoulders, holding the two pieces of fabric together. A muttered word later and they'd merged to one large piece. "You hold those two corners... I'll hold the other two." Pey's fat little body was heard before it was seen, moving faster than an obese imp should, his hands already sparking together as he eyed the pair. "Got it?" She leaned in for a brief kiss given through shadow-silk... you know, just in case they didn't make it. "Now... jump!" A sudden gust of air rising from above blew her uncovered and garishly-recoloured hair across her face.
Leoxander had time to remind her of one thing as he grabbed hold on his end of the infused cloak. A shake of his head and he reached out to grab hold of her as he whispered. "You're insane. This isn't goin-..." But he didn't have time to go into all that. A rope would have been more reasonable, though likely cut before they made it down. So they were forfeit to the wind, and this time, he had enough of a gap to respond and bring them into a safer tumbled landing.
Once they'd untangled the knot of cloth, limbs, torsos and ..red... hair they'd become on thier untidy if not-too-hard landing, Tene would give the rogue a sweet smile. The cloak-stuff was scrunched into her pack, and she'd watch him rise, in case he'd hurt himself. "Where to now?" And then she glimpsed again the crimson swathe trailing down, over like-coloured leather. "Oh, gods, Leo. My hair!"
Leoxander said, "Your hair? What about my head?! What the f-..." Some words are just better left censored. But basically, as he felt around these strange, pointed lumps on his skull, he wanted to know what they were all about, and was cursing up a storm in the time between. Trying to pry them off was useless, and he grimaced, baring teeth that barely started to sharpen from his anger. Calm down, Leo... "Let's get out of here before someone starts looking for us."