Just a Thought [Open]

[Duci]

The moon was full, the night was bright and perfect. Nobody was huddling up in their cozy little homes. Duci walked briskly through the night, hyper aware of everything around her. In shifter form, Duci played the part of a slave girl hurrying to get home. She had played her part a little too well that night and did not dare show herself as human. Establishing herself as the slave of a noblewoman had not been on her to-do list that night.

Perhaps she was being overly cautious. Who paid attention to the face of a slave? It was likely those merchants would not even remember. Then again, Duci recalled those eyes. They were stupid, but filled with such a contempt and dislike for others that he may be nasty enough to remember. She could not put her identity in jeopardy like that. The idea of going to Spirit was a spontaneous one, but it was also for the best.

Amber Sweet could not thrive here. She would be too paranoid. The shapeshifter drifted through the city to her little hole in the wall; a small bedroom at an old inn. The innkeeper had nearly refused to house her at all. Duci had paid dearly for this. And now all of her money was gone. How was she going to find enough supplies to get her safely to Spirit? Of course. The shifter would either have to find a quick job or resort to stealing.

[Auspice]

Auspice had been looking for something to do, more importantly- a new source of income, for a few days. From the corner of his eye, Auspice noticed a Shifter passing by. Judging by the hurry she was in, he had a good idea as to the next person he'd be speaking to was. After all- she was in the sort of hurry that said she was in trouble. People paid you quite a lot to get them out of trouble in the city.
As convenient as it might have been, Auspice didn't want to shift and risk ruining his chances of actually speaking to her. Most people weren't the least bit interested in talking to naked men who'd randomly showed up in their doorway. Instead, he took the long way, keeping a distance and watching as she made turns and such.

When she got to the Inn, he waited a little while before following. Nobody seemed to be interested enough to stop him, and assuming the Innkeeper didn't attack him in the next few minutes, he'd be good to go.
He knocked on the door, deciding he had no excuse to open it without permission. "You're in trouble. How much are you willing to give to get yourself out of this trouble?" Hey, if he'd made the wrong assumption, at least he'd tried.

[Duci]

In the privacy of her small room, Duci exchanged her slave’s garb for something more suitable for sleep. A thin, pastel pink dress that was made out of some slightly see through fabric. It clung to her body in a sensuous way, as fae fabric tended to do. The point was, it was comfortable. It was also backless, which meant her wings could stretch freely. It was a bit too short on her; the dress was made to fit a fairy.

A sudden knock startled the shifter. Duci froze, wondering who in the world would be calling on her. Curious, the fallen celestial opened the door. Her mental shield was thrown into place. Whoever it was would read no emotion, no thought from her unless she willed it so. A sweet and innocent smile formed on her face the moment she saw the man. Him? Help her?

The celestial leaned against the door in a manner that made her body look…pleasing. Her expression radiated innocence as though she had no idea. “You are looking for a job?” she asked curiously. Duci looked the man up and down thoughtfully. “You may be just what I need,” she decided eventually, “Please come in.” The shifter stood aside to let him through the door.

[Auspice]

Shit. Auspice had either followed a prostitute home, or been mistaken for one himself. He entered anyways (who wouldn't?) and stood rather awkwardly in the middle of the room. "We may not be on quite the same wavelength here..." That dress! He decided it would be best to look at something else before he lost every scrap of professionalism left. "So who, or what, is giving you trouble?" Oh yes, a very nice crack in the wall over there. "I can deal with it. There's a fee with it, of course, but I can pretty much kill or steal just about anything." Now, on the subject of payment- you simply couldn't eat off of, well, non-monetary payment. He could nearly kick himself every time thought of taking any other sort of payment for this. He'd need to make a mental note, remind himself that he oughtn't follow prostitutes home anymore. It was too much trouble.

It didn't help that he couldn't get much of a read on her. Oh sure, she'd played the sex card rather well, but why would she just let him on into the house like that? It could be a trap, assuming she wasn't just some prostitute trying to make a buck off of him. Damn, he'd gone and ruined it for himself. Why get paranoid? Why not simply enjoy the fact that he'd been greeted at the door the sort of way most would enjoy? "Okay, what do you need, exactly?"

[Duci]

He was clearly trying not to look at her. Duci smiled, and it was full of innocence that masked her inner smirk. So he certainly wasn’t into men, was he?

Another thought struck. What, exactly, made him come knocking on her door? She studied him thoughtfully for a few moments, thought her intelligence was one of the things she kept hidden. Duci looked simple when it came to mental prowess. It was always best to be underestimated.

“How did you know I was in trouble?” she asked sincerely, “You must be powerful…”

Duci paused, wondering whether she should seduce him or get what she really needed. He was cute, she supposed, but not cute enough to make her drool. And she did need a way into Spirit. Sounding weak and helpless, Duci spoke again. “I need to get to Spirit. Problem is, I do not have any food, water, transportation, or a map. Can you help me get them?” She was curious to see what sort of price he would name. She did not have any human money and did not wish to part with any of her possessions. But he said he could steal; so could she. Her slender fingers made for some good pick pocketing.

[Auspice]

He really needed to know who exactly was selling their skills right about now. If this woman was actually a prostitute (and it certainly seemed like it), then Auspice didn't have the money to pay her. "No, I'm not at all 'powerful', as if that word meant anything. I'm just observant. You looked upset, I figured I might as well try. It's how I get a lot of my clients." If he had the money, though...

Wait- Food and water were pretty easy to buy. They were cheap. Even if she was completely reliant on the Human monetary system, she should still be able to afford food and water. He snapped himself right back to reality and asked "What are you planning on paying me with if you can't even afford your own food and water? I could escort you to Spirit, but the fact remains that I don't work for free." In order to keep himself focused on the reality of the situation, he was doing an intensive study of the crack in the wall, because otherwise he'd be looking at that dress of her's again. Rather- he'd be looking at what that dress of her's wasn't very good at covering up. "If you have assets in Spirit, or relatives who will cover the price for you, I can work something out."

[Duci]

“Of course, I would not expect you to work for free,” Duci replied. Her mind began to spin, wondering how she could best work this situation to her advantage. The primary thing was to get him working. The rest, she could take care of later. “I will have payment for you once we reach Spirit. I will pay for your service and I will reimburse you for anything you happen to buy.”

Duci walked towards him them, deliberately standing in his line of sight. “I can pay you in any way you wish. Money, treasures, favors…Just name your price. I want out of the City by tonight. Are you capable of helping me?”

The shifter decided his help really would be beneficial to her. Laying low for the night would be the best plan in case those slave traders went looking for her. It would be even worse the next few days if her lie was discovered. She did not doubt her ability to get the job done without him, but his assistance was preferable. If the price was right, she may even pay him honestly.

She had plenty of time to think about the hows and whys of that.

[Auspice]

"Oh yah, sure. I can help you out. You'll be the one who owes me money." That was it! Auspice didn't need to care! He could just get her to Spirit, and if she didn't have any money he'd just kill her. 'I must be sick,' he decided. 'you can't look at something like that and say 'I'll just kill it if it can't pay me back.' He could enjoy the trip, take in the scenery, and apparently he could murder it if it couldn't pay up. Lovely.

So- Spirit? He needed a change of scenery anyways. Why not make Spirit the next stop?
"I suppose we could just collect the stuff left at my place for the trip. I think I'll stick around in Spirit for a while, see what they've got on the market for assassination contracts. There are probably a few interesting people in Spirit worth killing, right?" He nodded to himself, which probably wasn't entirely encouraging to his new client. "Auspice. Avian Werebeast at your command."

[Duci]

Relief washed through he when he said he could help. Thank goodness! It seemed she would not have to steal or risk getting caught. The more the man talked, however, the more fascinated Duci became. Assassin, eh? How interesting! The shapeshifters smirked, only it looked more like a shy smile thanks to the natural innocence of her true form combined with her mental shield.

She nodded her head. “Sounds like a plan. Call me Duci.” Auspice. Assassin and man for her. Possible competition. She would have to watch him. The shifter tilted her head to the side and gave him a curious look. “You are an assassin?” That would make it more difficult to cheat him. He was also an avian werebeast. Difficult indeed.

But not impossible. Duci prided herself on being good at what she did. Cheating an assassin, even one who could shift into a bird, would be easier than fighting the entire human guard. Very well then. Challenge accepted! Unless he requested something fair and plausible. Then she would actually pay up. Duci still maintained some amount of honor, if only a little. It was better for keeping her clientele. Word spread when you were a cheat.

[Auspice]

"Yeah. I'm an assassin, too. Why, is somebody bothering you? I'll take them out, discount since you're already paying me." Had he accidentally said too much out loud? Gods, he had. He'd actually mentioned finding assassination contracts out loud. No matter, Auspice kept his cool. This wasn't any big deal. If she knew he was an assassin, then she'd know not to cheat him.

He thought about it for a minute. She really did seem curious about his status as an assassin. There were quite a few reasons why a pretty girl like her would be interested in an assassin, and most of them involved baggage and past relationships. "If someone's after you, I'll need to know ahead of time. I'm not dragging you along just to be murdered over someone else's grudge against you. It would cost extra for me to get murdered for you. A lot extra."
"I'm only acting as a general bodyguard, and I'm not going to fight off legions of troops or rival assassins just to keep you safe without some good return payment."

He dropped it there, because he honestly didn't care one way or the other. It wasn't his skin getting lost if something dangerous turned up, it was her's. "Are we going out through the main gate or sneaking across the wall? Keep in mind that if you're in trouble with the guard they'll be looking for you."


((o.O; I totally forgot about this thread.))

[Duci]

"Yeah. I'm an assassin, too. Why, is somebody bothering you? I'll take them out, discount since you're already paying me."

Duci smiled at that. Something about his eagerness amused her. Was he desperate? In that case he couldn’t be very good, could he? Or did he simply enjoy killing people? Duci would like to know. There was a very big difference between a sociopath and an imbecile. It was always good to know what you were dealing with. But time, not deep thought, would solve that question. They had an entire journey together!

The shifter listened to him talk with her customary sweet smile. Oh yes, this one amused her. She liked the way he talked. He was so…energetic.

“I would really prefer not to get into a fight or dangerous situation, actually,” she told him, “But if one turns up that happens to be my fault, then you will be paid extra for any danger you are in.”

Duci paused as she thought about the best way to exist the city. Going over the wall could cause unwanted attention, though it would be easier considering both of them can fly. She told him as much and then added that if they used the gate, she could pose as a slave and nobody would even notice her; Duci did not have a preference for how they exited the city.

ooc:: It's all good. xD