Murder is an art~ (open)

[Lyth]

The moon's silver light streaked eerie patterns through the sparse cloud cover, bathing the city of Sunberth in a patchwork of light and shadow, ever changing as the clouds moved on the night's breeze. A lone figure sat perched on the edge on the tavern roof, waiting with infinite patience for his prey to appear. The cold didn't bother the man so much, welcoming the way it numbed his body to the pain of sitting so still. To move now would draw attention to himself. He would only move when the moon's light was once again blocked by the devious clouds, or if his prey were to show himself. Lyth loved his work, but sometimes the wait to find his kills in a vulnerable position was...aggravating, to say the least. He was restless, his fingers gently running over the handle of the dagger that was belted to his hip. He found himself nearly willing the man to stumble out in his drunken state, so he could finally move. Even with the cold numbing the pain, he could still feel the burning in his legs as the muscles strained to keep their position. Most would move, or at least stretch. But Lyth had been waiting three days for a chance like this. He'd be damned if he lost his prey because he couldn't sit still. The tavern doors opened, and the young man focused his attention on his target. The man was hanging off of another man, babbling incoherent sentences in his drunken state. Counting to a practiced thirty seconds, Lyth began to follow the two men as they made their way down the mud covered streets, scattering rats in their wake. He was glad for the noise the two men made; it masked his steps and drew any wandering eyes to their boisterous laughing. It made his job so much easier. The two men took a turn down a narrow ally, and Lyth saw his opportunity present itself. Creeping in closer, he was almost right on top of the two men. Which was just what he wanted. Taking a quick moment to judge the distance, his smile pulled wider on his lips, and he stepped off the roof, dropping down on to the man below. His knees pressed down on the man's shoulders, forcing him to fall face first into the street. His friend fell back, taken off guard by the sudden attack, and was too slow to stop the dagger from plunging into the man's neck, essentially decapitating the man. Almost as soon as it had started, it was over. The friend had taken off running, screaming out unintelligible words of terror. Lyth grinned. "Let him make scene, bring in the crowds of mice and men to see my newest masterpiece." He picked himself up off the man before the blood could soak into his clothes, wiping the dagger on the dead man's shirt before sheathing it again. A shuddery sigh of ecstasy left his lips, his eyes turning a shade of deep blue. Restless nature satisfied, Lyth decided to head to The Pig's foot for a quick drink before returning home. He stepped over the man, heading on his way without a look back at the bloody painting he had left on the street.

[Darik]

oocYou killed a man with your character’s first Ic post? Awesome.

Murder isn’t uncommon in Sunberth. That’s why it didn’t surprise Darik when a man’s scream pierced the air. He wondered if he should investigate the mystery of the screaming man(Hmmm, that could be a title in a play). In Sunberth, ignorance is a good thing. But then again, when had that ever stopped Darik before? With that does of logic Darik set out to figure out this mystery once and for all! It was odd walking so late at night. Odd is a much to ambiguous word in this situation when dangerous gives you so much more perspective. You never know when a figure that embodies death itself would leap from the shadows and grab you. His nerves started to tingle with apprehension as he thought of this. He had walked the streets before late at night, but this was different. It was darker and much more menacing. For safety measures he withdrew his dagger and griped it tighter in his hand. If anything appeared, he would be ready for it. He ended up finding the screaming man ranting to another person. The second person was much bulkier but he seemed to be putting up with the man’s pestering. The bigger man kind of looked like a big teddy bear. Except he seemed to about to strike the man. Darik, knowing he had only a few seconds to act, grabbed the ranting man by the arm. “There you are dad, I have been looking for you for awhile now. How many drinks did you have today?” The man, thinking he was actually the man’s kid spoke. ”More than a few, trust me I know. Next time make sure he keeps himself in check though. I am a healer of Rakellia and listening to this man is worse than some of the trials the god put me through." The nutcase who believed in gods walked away. The man lost his audience but he had found a new one, Darik. Insteadof a good ole story though, it was a lecture. “I didn’t drink, and you aren’t my son!” “I know that, but tell me what were you saying. I can maybe help.”How can a scrawny kid with no muscles help someone? Darik didn’t even know, but it should dawn on him sooner or later. ”I was walking with my friend when…” The man took a big gulps and went into tears. Talking to him wasn’t going to yield more information so Darik moved on. Maybe he should give up on this. The only witnesses couldn’t even speak cleary. But sometimes the dead speak louder than the alive. A corpse soaked with fresh blood came into Darik’s view. He didn’t need to be a rocket scientist to know that this was the man’s friend. Now how did he die? Blood seemed to be originating from somewhere in the back of the head, so it must have a surprise attack. The killer was either skilled or got lucky. I sure hope he got lucky. The thing was there was no tracks around the body, at least to the naked eye. Darik started to search the area looking for anything suspicious. His eye was drawn to a little splotch of red. Blood perhaps? Every foot or so there was a another piece of dirt tainted with the vile red substance. The assassin must have not been a professional after all. He had let a tiny bit of blood soak into his shoes. That may be his downfall…. Darik followed the trail of blood as long as he could. After a while though it started to hurt his spine, your head had to almost be touching the ground to see the spot. Finally his journey came to the end when the trail went cold at the Pig’s Foot Tavern. His whole search had been in vain. First of all there was blood splattered on the floor there. And second of all, he couldn’t go in there and look on every shoe a splotch of blood! That’s was just asking to get knifed in the heart. Ohh well, at least he could get a drink. Darik opened the door and surveyed the tavern. A white haired stranger, maybe a few years older than him, sat at a counter with an almost a fake smile. He looked the least harmless so Darik slid into the seat next to his. “Hay dude, want to go get me a drink?” Why would he say no? Ale is pretty cheap and it’s a great way to start a conversation with a stranger. Darik just had to make sure the conversation didn’t end with him getting put in a shallow grave. If he would get a grave at all…

[Lyth]

OOCReally? I thought it might have been a bit much, what with the lack of response ^^;; Was almost ready to make this a solo thread.. The usual scum had seemed to settle into the Pig's foot for the night, broken up into the little piles of filth, scattered amongst the tables. The loud buzz of the meaningless chatter flitted around him, putting him at a familiar ease. This was how things were normally, Sunberth at it's most peaceful. The thought nearly made the young man break out into a small fit. Rarely would you ever hear 'Sunberth' and 'peaceful' in the same sentence. Not wanting to draw any unwanted attention to himself by standing in the doorway, the white haired male drifted over to a random counter, sitting down and ordering himself an ale. He swore they watered the brew down, which suited him just fine. It didn't take much to make him to get drunk, so the lower the alcohol content, the better. He didn't give the wench, who was trying too hard to earn an extra miza, a second look, eyes drifting over the others who had decided to haunt the tavern that night. He enjoyed people watching, so much so that it distracted him from the man the was making his way towards him, until he was pulling up a seat. Amethyst eyes flicked over to the youngling, keeping his friendly smile in place. Well, this was rare~ It wasn't usual that he had company so soon after finishing a job. An amused brow lifted as the boy, because he truly was young, asked to be bought a drink. "I suppose I could spare the coin for a drink." He agreed, hailing the wench back. "And a drink for my.."He flicked his eyes over to the boy, feeling his smile stretching slightly wider. "..new friend." And with the order in, he waved the girl away, snickering at the grumble she gave as she sauntered off. With the distraction gone, his attention focused on to the man, "So, to what do I owe the pleasure of your company?"Lyth asked the young male, a curious light in his eyes.

[Darik]

oocThere is never “too much” in Sunberth.

The man seemed courteous, but then again most appearances in Sunberth are ploys. Never missing a chance to inspect someone, he took a quick look at the man’s equipment when he was ordering Darik a drink. Nothing out of the ordinary, just regular old clothes. Yuck. Two things seemed out of the ordinary though. One made a faint indent of a circle, and the other was much more prominent, that looked like a rectangle. A knife and a money bag? Perhaps, or it could be a brick and a cotton ball, you never know in Sunberth. If the man got knocked out for the night, he would check, but unless the opportunity presented itself, he would keep his hands to himself. Darik may have stared a tad too long but the man didn’t let it register on his face. Maybe he didn’t see him? Shifting in his seat he tried to figure out a suitable answer for the young man. How much is enough in a place like Sunberth? “A human.” Blunt right? Well if you listened to the man’s grammar he didn’t exactly specify what he wanted. Trying not to be rude he partly amended his statement. ”In Sunberth, names are on a need to know business. Not trying to be unfriendly,” He truly wasn’t, he just didn’t want to get stabbed in the dark by a man who knew his name. Much better to get stabbed by a man that doesn’t know his name! ”but in a place like this certain precautions are necessary. However, even strangers can still converse on a few things.” He was talking about gossip. Whether you believe it or not, men actually gossip more than women. The drink for Darik arrived, but he didn’t take a sip. Alcohol made him less quick and in Sunberth that’s all that separates the living form the dead. So why did he ask the man for a drink? So he could stick one of his fingers in it and twirl it around. Pointless yes, but alcohol was just that, pointless. “Someone was… “disposed” of pretty close to here recently.” Darik looked straight at him, seeing what kind of reaction he would give him. Maybe there was more than witness to this case then the unresponsive one. ”They were stabbed in the back. Whoever did it is a bloody coward. Attacking from the back with a knife is only a women’s strategy. That is, if it was a knife. The wound was hard to truly decipher the cause of death. Much to blood, and I wasn’t sure how big the corpse was. They say they are looking for the killer. Which I call a lie, no one cares in Sunberth.” Except Darik, except Darik. ”It happened a while ago so you’ve probably heard something about it too.” He was bluntly hinting the guy to provide all information he had about the case. Why was he being so straightforward? Because he was a realist, he didn’t waste his time on impossible things. So he was just trying to start some conversation with this white haired wonder.

[Lyth]

Well, that was fairly blunt, though he hadn't really asked the man for an introduction. It did give him some insight to the man's character. He was quick, though rather cautious. And the way he had caught him staring earlier most likely meant that he was either him checking for weapons; should they fight, or he was a thief looking for valuables to steal. Either way, this man would get a lot more than he asked for if he were to pick a fight with him. Just thinking about the rush of adrenalin, the sight of that bright red staining the ground (preferably not his own), had him growing in excitement. Of course he didn't let it show on his face, keeping the same small smile on his lips. "Alright than~" He accepted, voice light. "Since you refuse to lend me your name, I'll call you what I like." A thoughtful expression crossed his features, though he already had a title in mind. "Rat would be too demeaning, so 'Mouse' will do; you seem like a mouse to me." His smile slid easily back into place, though there was curious amusement in his eyes, wondering how the man would react to that statement. "I hope that's ok with you?" The mention of conversation gave Lyth the feeling that this man had certain topics he wanted to discuss. The white haired male raised an eyebrow. Perhaps he was a client sent by Talcum? Though that seemed unlikely, as Talcum didn't know where he was at the moment. So then what would he want to talk to him about? Even though he was always smiling, Lyth wasn't the most approachable fellow. Most people couldn't get past the fact that he was half Symestra. The fact that this man was still talking to him both intrigued and worried Lyth, being careful to keep his emotional mas in place. The momentary annoyance he felt when he realized that the man wasn't going to drink what he had bought for him passed into a look of mild shock when he began to describe the murder that he had just committed. He made sure to keep his expression one of interest, hiding his worries behind his smile. This was Sunberth, why would This man care about some random murder? He hadn't taken a contract on someone important to one of the syndicates, had he? No, the job had been too easy for him to have been important to them. Perhaps he had been a friend of this man than? It was hard to keep his mask in place when the man called his attack cowardly, though he was sure his changing eye color would betray his conflicting emotions. Technically he hadn't attacked from behind; it had been from above. And that took considerably more tact and skill than simply walking up behind someone and stabbing them in the back. Anyone could pull that off. He sorely wished he could voice these thoughts, however he still wasn't sure why the man insisted on knowing about the murder. "Well sure I've heard about it." He offered, hands folded on the table. He wasn't going to touch his ale tonight. Not with his new guest here anyway. "But there are so many murders in Sunberth that they all seem to lose their meaning." It hurt him to say that, feeling his stomach tie in a knot. His work was art! But to be able to continue his work unhindered, he had to criticize and talk down it's beauty. And even if he didn't, someone would eventually move the body, and the artwork would disappear. Ah, such was the life of an artist~ Nothing lasted forever. Especially not these quiet kills. Next time, he'd make sure to make something more extravagant. Maybe a few limbs missing and found on the other side of the city. That might get people talking. Thinking on his work had erased the earlier sourness that ruined his mood, his smile easier to keep. "Why do you seem so interested in this one murder, Mouse?" He asked, his head tilting to one side to give him a quizzical look.

[Darik]

The man seemed rather at ease taking liberties with a complete stranger. He didn’t think twice of testing Darik’s self esteem. ”A mouse? Really, a mouse? That’s the cleverest name you could think of? Come on man, you seem like the witty type, I expected more of you! But very well mouse it is. But,” There it is again, the infamous “but”. Darik, would be a perfectly pleasant fellow if he always didn’t try to shove his opinion down other people’s throats. ” I think of myself more as a wolf, predator of the night.” The howl he gave was completely cheesy and obviously performed by a amateur. “HOOOAAAWWW—“ In the middle he started to “choke.” He fell of the chair and after a few moments regained his regular breathing patterns. ”Okay, maybe I am not cut out to be a wolf.” He went back to sit down on the chair. On purpose, his hand gently brushed the man’s cloak. It parted slightly, and Darik took a quick peak. There was a blade, a dagger. Not odd, but the stain on the metal was. It was red. It didn’t look like the color of strawberries, more like the stuff that squirts out of humans. So the man was a killer, Darik’s guess was right. But then again, who isn’t in Sunberth? When Darik spoke the man’s eye fluttered color to color. It was unnatural. Eyes don’t change colors, he knew that from firsthand experience. ”Umm dude, something’s happening up there.” He pointed straight to the man’s right eye. “I don’t know what’s happening but its being quite odd. Know why?” He was a curious fella, the more knowledge the more prepared he would be in the future. With that question out of the way, Darik listened to the rest of Lyth’s words. He found them to be unsupported by logic. “I disagree. I find that murder is special everywhere, no matter how often it happens. Whenever someone dies it helps someone else. Either by their money, clothes, or their flesh.” He gave a visible shudder, myrains scared him. “Plus, every murder is executed in a different way. I mean some…” Darik realized what a awkward topic this was. He was attacking a complete stranger’s view! Also it was about murder, a taboo subject in polite conversations. Umm… sorry.” He gave a polite cough and let Lyth finish speaking. Lyth asked him his motives. How much should he tell? None of course, he was going to do complete improve on this one. “This man had a special job. A very special job. He was delivering something very valuable to a person, a very powerful person. He carried this object on his pinkie, why not his thumb, I don’t know. But I do know that the body was found with a pinkie. Coincidence? I think not. But then again these could all be rumors. Or not.”

oocI am just messing with your character at the end.

[Lyth]

Lyth feigned interest as the man disputed the name he had given to him. He wasn't really interested in what 'Mouse' was babbling about, but more so his reactions. It seemed he enjoyed playing the fool: loud, bordering on flamboyant, and uncaring of how the world viewed him. But something told him that that wasn't all that made this man. For now, he wouldn't dig deeper into the man's character, but the curiosity still sat heavy in his mind. His eyes widened slightly as the man suddenly broke out into a howl, glancing around the room to see who all the noise had got the attention of. A few of the tavern personnel were staring at them, but most of the customers were ignoring the pair. Well, at that wasn't so terrible than. Had more people been staring, he most likely would have politely excused himself an left the man's company. Lyth couldn't help but laugh as the man choked mid howl, smothering it with his hand. Well, if nothing else, 'Mouse' was entertaining. Lyth wasn't numb the the feel of the man moving his cloak, glancing down to watch those hands. Would 'Mouse' give him a reason to draw out his blade? He was slightly disappointed when the man just sat back, bringing his gaze back up. This was about the time he must have noticed his fluctuating eye color, the looks that crossed his face actually rather amusing to watch. ”Umm dude, something’s happening up there.” He pointed straight to the man’s right eye. “I don’t know what’s happening but its being quite odd. Know why?” The white haired male sighed, thinking on how he would explain this. "My changing eye color is part of my heritage." He began, smiling in a friendly manner. "I'm half Vantha, who all have eyes that change color. My eyes aren't really that impressive though. Pure Vanthas have brighter, more vivid colors, and a wider range of what they can change to." He didn't mention why they changed. That would raise a great many questions that he truly didn't want to answer. "It's quite natural so please, try to ignore it." He finished, waving his hand as if to wave away the topic. And again the man surprised him with his views, albeit the topic was truly morbid. 'Mouse' thought along the lines of logic and practicality when it came to murder. Lyth understood his point of view, though it wasn't necessarily shared by the man. Murder was an art to him, and to think of it in such logical terms put a strain on his creative mind. He didn't care who benefitted from his work; he created art because he loved what he did. He didn't badger the man when he dropped the subject. The rambling of the man convinced Lyth that he was trying to hide his motives, though that might have been his paranoia talking. Still, if he was trying to hide his motives, that made him all the more interesting. Lyth turned in his seat, facing the man fully, moving his position to one of complete ease, not hiding the calculating thoughts from his facial expression. "...You know what? I think I like you. At the very least, you're interesting to be around." A smirk touched the corners of his smile.

[Darik]

oocHay dude, want to let you know “agility” isn’t a skill. How about Larceny instead? Larceny is like thievery and stuff like that. Or Subterfuge. That’s like lying and hiding things. Or camouflage, which is blending in. But we do not have an agility skill here. The man’s answer was… satisfactory. The puzzle wasn’t completely filled in but at least he had enough pieces to get an idea of the picture. And unaware to the man, he had given more information than he intended. Darik knew he wasn’t a pure blood so some other race contributed to his features. If he knew what races he was, he could evaluate his weaknesses. Problem was, he didn’t know how to figure out the man’s other parent. Wait a second. He could figure this out. He had white hair and pale skin. He had seen this before, but where? Dammit, if only Darik continued his education in Sylrias before leaving his home. Even though the man had given him a answer, Darik still stared at the man’s eye. He was trying to figure out if they held any hidden meaning. Did they show if he lied? Did they show his emotions? Did they get whiter when they are closer to money? Darik didn’t know if any of them were true but the third one would be pretty petchin awesome if it was. The man would probably find it odd Darik stared at him, but then again he liked attention. Why else would he wear white? Unless he had no fashion sense what so ever… “So what’s your name? I told you mine.” He did? Ohh ya that’s right he did! He told him his name was wolf, but he didn’t believe him. His loss. “Unlike me, even if people don’t know you, they will know your face. You don’t blend in with people. Probably should change that.” He waved his hands towards his bleached white clothes. “Unless you don’t care, which in case you should have no problem telling me your name.” Darik got him cornered. Whatever he said would be to his advantage. In the background men were doing what they always do, gambling. One of them must have been losing because his face was going completely red. He most have lost another hand because he roared.”CHHHEEAAATER!!!” He almost flipped the table but thought better of it. Merv would have probably kicked him out if he did so. No, instead he did a much more aggressive action. He punched one of the fellow gamblers in the face. The man fell backwards and the other man jumped onto him pummeling him with his fists. The man’s ally, or maybe a complete stranger, pulled the guy on top off and lifted up. Then he punched him. Soon a brawl of at least four participants formed. It was chaos in its simplest form, yet they didn’t use any of the tavern’s applications as weapons. Merv truly must be feared for men like these to stay away from his chairs. Darik took a quick glance at the fight. It was pointless, nothing would get accomplished from it. Unless… “Hay dude, I bet you’re too chicken to join in there.” Before the man could even give his response Darik taunted him more. “BWACK, BWACK, He made of his elbows triangles and flapped them like he was a chicken trying to fly.” too chicken to fight, BWACK.” If he was a man, and he looked like one, he would have to join.

oocAlso sorry I was dominating the conversation. :/ And yeah… I didn’t know what to post, so yay NPCS!

[Lyth]

OOCAh, really? ^^;; Alright, its been edited.

Well, the man had pointedly ignored his request to ignore his changing eye color, staring for a long time at his one eye. Lyth folded his hands in front of him, focusing on bridging his emotion back under his control. The more neutral he felt, the less his eyes would change. Hopefully 'Mouse' would lose interest in that aspect of himself. He thought back on his earlier murder, the sight of the blood pooled around his victim's head, the lifelessness in his eyes. His emotions found a steady rhythm again, settling into his chair. Lyth gave a light laugh when the man asked him for his name, stating that he had already told him his name. That earned an amused look. "Did you? I'm sorry, it must have slipped my mind; I don't remember ever hearing it." He leaned forward, arms resting on the table, shrinking the distance between the two of them. It was a tactic that worked particularly well with men, as it made them very uncomfortable, having their space encroached on by another male...And if it happened to backfire, it was more information on the man. "I don't particularly attract attention to myself. If someone wants to stare, than that's their own issue." He began, keeping his voice light, trying to keep his emotions stable. He was still staring, which unnerved him. Even all clad in white, he didn't pull in this much attention. "As you can see, I'm not really the focal point of anyone's worries. I don't blend in, which means I don't seem dangerous." He shrugged his shoulders. "I'm harmless. People don't care about me." Just then, a nearby table erupted into a fight, pulling both of their attentions away. Seems a gambling game had gone horribly wrong, bringing about a fist fight between two men. Lyth had the mind to sit back and enjoy the show, before his friend tried to get him to join in the fight. The half-blood's eyes widened considerably, turning towards the other man. "Excuse me?" He began to ask why, but was cut off by 'Mouse's' chicken impression. He controlled himself from giving in to the desire to join in the fight, but he couldn't keep his emotions stable. His eyes flashed jade with his wounded pride, and the anger that he knew he wasn't able to jump up and prove the man wrong. The join into a fight like that would draw a lot of attention to him, which he couldn't have. Which the man's chicken noises were doing a pretty good job of on their own. Lyth was up on his feet, pushing 'Mouse' back into the counter, a hand placed firmly in the center o the man's chest. All the while his smile stayed plastered on his face. "You have no idea how ridiculous you look, flapping your arms like that." He removed his hand from the man's chest, leaning back against the counter, taking a breath to calm down. "If you're so interested in a fight, why don't you join in?"

[Darik]

oocI took a little liberty with your pc, so I can change my post if needed too.

The man had no problem being close and personal with Darik. He didn’t mind it, he wouldn’t be intimated by any man. But then again this was a complete stranger so he might be meaning something else. He pushed the man’s face away, not unkindly but quickly. ”Woh dude. It’s our first time meeting. And already you’re making your move!” He had tried to use his humor to voice the reasons, but the man may take it as a sign of weakness. The man didn’t take kindly to getting taunted. He pushed Darik to one of the walls and held him there. He must have been more robust than he looked because a man of his size couldn’t lift a lad like Darik. Darik wanted to lash out at the half blood like he had done with an ape a season ago, but he held his temper. It wasn’t time to ruin their relationship…yet. The man even insulted his chicken imitation. How dare he! Darik gets revenge, and he always serves it hot. Then he suggested he should join the fight. Maybe he would, just to show how uncowardly he was. But wait, there was a much better option that would show Darik gets his way one way or the other. When the man walked back to sit down Darik followed him. When they were close together again, Darik reached his hand under the man’s cloak. Before the man could react he withdrew the bloodstained dagger. Its weight was odd, he was accustomed to a much heavier shaft, but it would serve its purpose. He flicked it towards one of the brawling men’s foot aiming to make it useless. Because of the weight difference it went much higher than expected. It grazed his thigh causing the man in question to look at Darik and Lyth. ”Who did that?” His voice thick with anger.”It was him.” He pointed directly at Lyth. As the man lumbered towards Lyth, Darik withdrew his dagger. He handed it to one of Lyth’s hands and made his palm grip it. “You may need this.” The weight difference may throw Lyth off but it was better than nothing. Darik isn’t totally heartless. Darik pulled up a chair and tipped it in a corner. He would enjoy watching this brawl. He was even betting fifteen gold mizas on Lyth! Why fifteen? Because they were all in his dagger, and if Lyth died the man would loot Lyth’s body. Darik did not want to try to interfere with a man like that. Of course Lyth could disregard the man and attack Darik, but then he would leave his back exposed. Which was more deadly, Darik or the giant of a man? The man was close enough to Lyth that he could see all of his features. If his mind was quick he would see he was unarmed and carried no armor. Yet his fists were huge and he had a height advantage. He was going to be a tough foe to beat. ”Your gonna pay for that whelp” He looked ready to kill and Lyth was his target. Darik doubted Lyth could talk a man like this out of his rage. But then again, people in Sunberth always surprise you.