All Along the Rooftops (Jahssasyuri)

by **Shai** on November 27th, 2011, 7:52 pm

Timestamp: 74th of Fall, 511 AV

Tonight’s moonlit rooftop had been carefully selected by the little spider. It was one she found herself drawn to her repeatedly; it was sturdy and difficult for humans to get to. Additionally, the roof was peaked with one flat board running the length to get her a small flat surface to stand upon. It had taken her well over half the season to locate this gem and she intended to make it her preferred roof, never mind what the occupants thought.

Standing on the front edge of the roof looking down at the street below, Shai ascertained her relative privacy. As always there were a handful of people going about their dubious business in the shadows provided by the sun’s absence. Dragging a step back, running her bare feet along the board to get a feel for its grain, Shai withdrew a large fan from within her black cloak. She unlatched the catch with a quick slip of her thumb claw and then only a flick of her wrist the fan flew open making an unusually loud clack when it reached full bloom. Shrugging off her cloak she laid it gently down in front of her across the roof’s peak.

The lithe thief allowed herself a shiver as a crisp fall breeze swept by; tussling small wisps of hair free from her long charcoal braid. Placing her feet toe to heel with microscopic hooks tentatively extended for balance she began to shift through the simplest forms of fan meditation. The movements were jerky, clearly unpracticed and they seemed to follow no definite tempo even though they looked as though they should have. Several times the form involved a closed fan and she would jerk it shut only to clatter it open again in the next step. It wasn’t exceptionally loud, certainly not more so than an average conversation, but in the night it said it an awkward beat. The snickering of the fan would most likely hide the sound of any small creature that decided to slither up on the rogue.

Widening her feet along the plank, Shai clicked the fan shut and gripped it between her teeth; her meditative state wasn’t coming easily so she shifted into pure practice. Bending backwards she fell into a back bend, her balance supplemented by her racial abilities, with hands planted along the wood. After holding it for a few chimes she pushed off with her feet and sent herself into a momentary handstand before falling back into an upright crouch. It was a sloppy landing, her feet should have been close but instead she was in a low crouch. No matter she would work on her landings more later, on a better surface. Taking her fan again she tapped it open and stood upright in her low crouch, one hand foreword in a rigid upright angle and her back hand held the fan in an opposite angle pointed downwards. She held the position and intended to continue doing so until her muscled complained.

by **Jahssasyuri** on November 29th, 2011, 1:17 am

The night wasn't much interesting to the snake-lady, body over the edge of a balcony as she looked down across the city streets with the occasionally straggler snoopin close to the market district. Wanna-be boys who think they can handle the life of a thief, thinking that it was child's play to survive on the streets when there was ruthless cutthroats around every corner who could careless about you. Your married? They find your children and spouse. Child? They'd put you in slavery. Defying them was stupidity and ended in an early ticket to the grave. This type of self-thinking was uncommon for Yuri, simply sighing before turning her head and perking up her ears.

"Noise? On top of the roof?" thought Yuri as she expected some type of assassin or hitman to take her out, but she found it unlikely. Maybe someone was taking a stroll or simply stalking a target? Whatever it was, Yuri slowly crept under the small niche that gave shade if one was standing on the balcony in the heat. The Dhani slowly was thinking of a way to pounce on her target, but ended her self arguing by confronting whatever was on top of the rooftop in a simple manner of fronting it.

Night leather armor covered her body, extremely difficult for anyone to see her in the distance. Even her outline would strain normal eyes to notice, so quickly Yuri grabbed a ledge with both hands, nails grinding against the stone. Began to raise her right leg, slowly but surely trying to get it over the ledge as to pull herself up. Her boot got a somewhat hold of the stone as the snake-lady had both arms and leg helping each other out to get up. Now carefully getting up, balance was the utmost importance. Right below the next ledge above that would be the one that would lead to the roof. It wasn't even far away enough for Yuri to stretch her arm completely, so it was a quick pull and rolling action.

The girl in front of her was in some type of stance, with what it seemed like warfans? Dangerous no doubt.

"May I ask why you are on the rooftops? I am not too fond of finding the sneaky types too close to me," asked Yuri, voice that echoed with authority and soothing seduction. Awkward combination if you think about it.

by **Shai** on November 29th, 2011, 4:44 pm

Dropping her stance at the voice, Shai swept her feet together and spun on her toes. The fan snickering shut in her clawed hand. As she opened her eyes her pupils dilated, shrinking the luminous amethyst bands, to edge out of the darkness. Her night vision scanned in the direction that the voice had come from. “Oddly enough, you seem to be the one sneaking. I have not really made any attempt towards subtlety tonight.” Was the barely loud enough reply in a tone that seemed to imply she knew secrets but might never tell.

Backing up a few pace she picked up her cloak. She was careful not to give her back to this voice, it wasn’t fear but to be anything but wary in Sunberth at night was foolish. The Symenestra pulled her cloak around her but kept her fan in one hand. “It is not truly my concern whether or not you wished not to find me. But it seems you have. If my presence offends; you always have the ability to walk away.” The authority her voice hinted at meant less than nothing to the spider, authority in Sunberth was like owning a deed to a pile of dog shyke. The only people who had true power in Sunberth wouldn’t give two copper mizas to know about her, she was inconsequential in their power games. “And I am on the roof because the ground is dirty. It seems to me that should be obvious if nothing else.”

Black cloak covering her and fan in hand, Shai sinuously stalked towards the voice. Whatever person had found her tonight did not have the accent of her kin and so she would naturally have the advantage of any skirmish that might occur on the roof. This knowledge made her bold. “So what audience has my practices garnered tonight, little shadow? A thief perhaps? Or maybe you really are a shadow." While some might mistake her calling the watcher a shadow as a fit of mental instability the truth was that shadow had another meaning; assassin. The irony of a thief trying to steal from her on a roof tops though was not lost on the Symenestra and managed to elicit an enigmatic simper from her lips.

by **Jahssasyuri** on November 30th, 2011, 12:48 am

Blinked a few times, the moonlight hitting her eyes, as the dark brown almost shined in the darkness, being the background to her slit-shaped pupils. The response wasn't exactly out of the ordinary, but it meant this person was confident in her abilities as a fighter. Not one to exactly start a fight on rooftops or attack someone off the bat, not to be hostile was the best course of action for the snake.

"Don't assume I'm doing any sneaking either. A woman needs the air, I was just resting on the balcony until I heard the little sound you made," stated Yuri, stating what she was doing of course in a clear manner.

"But I don't mind it that much that you are on the rooftops, but I am in no need of combat or thieving without a contract supporting reason," noted Yuri to show she hadn't planned for malcontent at the moment, as she sat down with her legs criss-crossed, staring in the woman's eyes. A smile that wouldn't be noticed without close inspection, Yuri took out her bow and placed it infront of her self as to show her sincerity in a way.

by **Shai** on December 15th, 2011, 5:06 pm

Flicking the fan open and shut a few more times the spidery woman eyed the bow. Perhaps her watcher hadn’t been in Sunberth terribly long. The idea behind placing the weapon before her was obvious but it just made Shai more suspicious. In Sunberth you were paranoid or you were dead, since the Symenestra was still very much alive that left one option. The display of non-combat made the skin between her shoulders twitch, the bow was useless at this range anyways so the speaker really lost nothing by giving it up. What other weapons have you got? And what is your game? The questions stoked Shai’s curiosity but her survival instincts were stronger.

Rested herself in a low crouch, Shai observed the woman from at least four paces away. It was well out of reach of anything but a lunge and the bow as ineffective this close, at least in the spider’s reasoning. Shai continued to fidget with the fan, sliding a thin black claw in between exposed sterling struts at the very base of the fan she gave the instrument a spin. The fan’s gold and crimson set a startling contrast against the almost monochromatic thiefling, her only vibrant color originating from her eyes. It appeared the other woman wasn't going anywhere anytime soon and Shai certainly couldn’t continue practice with a danger so near, on her roof. The only logical way to turn this situation to an advantage, and not a waste of time, was to learn something.

With a sly slip in her voice Shai spoke at the archer, “Someone traversing the rooftops of Sunberth is a rare sight. Does it not make you nervous? Someone might just push you over the edge. Or the timbers might give way to your weight.”

by **Shai** on February 1st, 2012, 1:49 pm

Shai stalled a moment, what was she thinking? Witty Banter? Nonsense. Learning something here wouldn’t aid the spider terribly, but practice would. If practice should allude her though then there was always business. This woman, while a nuisance and certainly traversing where she didn’t belong, was not business. One final clank of her fan closing before it was deposited within her cloak. The spider gave the other woman a once over, “Watch your step on these rooftops, they are not meant for your kind and most who try to navigate them end up dead.” She warned half heartedly. If she caught the woman again unaware Shai would probably push her off herself. The fewer people running across this mottled highway the better off the Symenestra was. Though the spider had no idea of what the woman was the obvious assumption seemed to be a human and that is what she had chosen to believe.

A few quick calculated steps accompanied by a leap and Shai was on the adjacent rooftop. But she didn’t stop there she kept moving between them with careful lunges and hook-enhanced landings. She also made sure to move at awkward angles at random intervals just in case the woman she left behind decided to take up the bow anyways. Before long, she had left the rooftop encounter behind.

by **Archelon** on March 3rd, 2012, 11:59 am

Thread Award

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And the Results!!!!:

Shai :

Would you like some extra turtle sauce ? :