by Jaquise Emittere on March 8th, 2010, 10:50 pm
The poster had been right, Jaq had known from the onset who the man he was supposed to meet was. It had caught his eye as he had traveled through the great bazaar. An adventure wasn't exactly what Jaq was looking for, but the fools who thought such things paid good money and he thought of at least hearing the person out before deciding.
The meeting place, Sunset Falls, was an apparent tourist attraction, though what tourists there were probably came from Syliras considering how dangerous travel was. Jaq stood a little off to the side of the falls in the less occupied space between the trees. He currently was leaning against one of them with his black broad rimmed hat tipped down over his face. It was at an angle though to allow him to observe the goings on of those around him. A picnic hear, a family there. He himself had never really had time to come here when he used to live in the city, and now it had lost what little charm it might have held for him back then. From a tactical standpoint such a place offered the person a wide variety of ways to escape, while at the same time remaining public enough to discourage any but the most violent of individuals. Jaq had chosen an oblique point in the crowd that allowed him to view the others that came to see the man. Three had shown up and the mercenary studied each warily with his good eye, careful to keep his fake closed in case a stray thought set it off and he began seeing aura's. Its more annoying then useful for some so ill trained like he is.
The first arrived on horse. Or the horse arrived with him. It was hard to tell who was in charge. He was immediately noticeable for two thing, a lot of black leather and an height that maybe reached Jaq's waist. Turning away to face the fall Jaq observed from the corner of his eye as the newcomer spoke to the man they were both here to see. Over the sound of water Jaq couldn't hear a word of it.
The second man to walk toward the employer was only a head taller then the last and probably reached Jaq's shoulders. He wore leather to, though it looked more like armor, and a set of greaves that reminded Jaq how uncomfortable his own set felt at the moment. The man was toned, and no wonder considering the sword that hung from his back under his quiver. Jaq made a mental note to avoid bothering this one.
The last one to arrive made Jaq, a man of decent height or so he always though, look about as tall as the on in black leather. He wore no armor or weapons, and had a cloak drawn over his head. The giant man was keeping to the shadows so it was only by luck that Jaq saw the color blue. Suddenly the height made sense to Jaq, who had spent some time years ago in Riverfall. It was one of the only places Jaq every really felt comfortable. If he ever chose to settle down it would definitely be there. The man was an Akalak. Not the tallest one Jaq had ever met, but not the shortest either.
Jaq waited a moment or two to see if anyone else would arrive before turning his gaze back to the group that had begun to form. With an effort of willpower Jaq closed his right eye and opened his left eye, allowing himself to take in more then what was already evident. Suddenly the world was full of light. Everything and everyone there had a glow about them that seemed to radiate from within them. For some it was bright, for other it was dark, but it was there for all. Even the falls seemed to have a glow of their own, one that cascaded down the rocks with the water in a turbulent current of light and sound. It was breathtaking. And distracting as hell. Jaq was only able to get a glance at each of the people he noted earlier before he was forced to close his eye. With his eye's closed he took a moment to reflect on what he saw.
The first he noted, the short one wearing all leather, had an odd aura to it. It didn't seem normal. Even now as he thought back on it the nature of the problem he saw continually alluded his attention, slipping away before he could pin down what it was. The second man had been more clear. His aura was dimmer then most, though not darker by much. There was a difference, and the first few times Jaq hadn't been able to tell what it was. He didn't seem like a bad person but something weighed heavily on his soul. The last aura was both vibrant and dark. It worried Jaq the most. The Akalak was one to be wary of, even if he had no weapons.
The employer had, maybe purposefully, masked his own aura with that of the waterfalls. Annoying twit.
With everyone evaluated Jaq chose that moment to reveal himself. He wasn't exactly a hard to miss sight himself, wearing his ostentatious black jacket unbuttoned, hiding his vambracers and hiding all but the hands of his spiked gauntlets. His greaves creaked a little as he walked forward. The only thing that could have kept the others from noticing him earlier was the fact that he had come a great deal earlier and hid on the opposite side where everyone else arrived. There was no telling if someone would come through the woods on his side, but that was a dangerous gamble to make simply for a sneak peek.
Jaq put on his best smile, opened his fake eye, and tilted his broad rimmed hat at a more comfortable position. He walked with the confidence of a man who has a better idea of what he's dealing with the the others, and for the first time in a while it wasn't a complete lie. When he had gotten about ten feet away from the others he spoke loudly enough to be heard over the water. "How are you fine gentleman doing today." and then joined the loosely formed group at its outer edges. "Sorry I'm late fellas. Fell asleep over there in the trees waiting." Jaq made a sweeping gesture in the direction of the group of trees he had just walked out of several paces away. "So what did I miss while I was a nap'pen?"
