[The Seaside Market] Market of Lies (Ana, Vuil)

[Daniel Alecson]

It was midday in sunberth and the sky was slightly overcast, although it was still moderately warm out. Some people were skittish about the clouds due to the storm that had wrecked much of the town at the begining of the season, yet the city was still in full swing. The seaside market's were bustling as people slogged from stall to stall, purveying wares and listening to heavily falsified sales pitches on shoddily crafted items. It was a suprise that many of these people could get repeat customers with the blatant lies they were spewing. However some people still snatched up these items either to gulible or to inexperienced to see that they were being sold garbage.

Daniel slogged along with the masses, silently inspecting items while giving harsh glares to anyone who tried to wrangle him in. Daniel wasn't really here to buy, he had his coin purse but that's cause he hardly left his room without the pouch safely secured within his trousers. Daniel was really here looking for a job, hoping the two ever present wakizashi would castch the eye of some merchant who wanted a little extra protection. Sadly nearly every merchant already had a healthy complement of guards who carefully watched anyone who came up to a stall. Daniel would be willing to bet that he'd be able to dispatch at least one of these tropes of guards but had little incentive. Sure it would create a job opening but he'd be little better then the gangs running protection rackets in the warehouse district.

With the ever decreasing odds of Daniel finding a hiring merchant, this forray became less about working and more about passing the time. Daniel was truly hoping that he'd be fully accepted into the Crimson Edge but currently he wasn't getting any work from them. So Daniel spent most of his time wandering around the city just passing time. Wishing for excitment was just asking for trouble, something Daniel knew good and well from travelling caravan routes. Yet Daniel was wishing for almost exactly that, not neccisarily excitment but just something to distract him from his own stagnation.

[Vuil]

The market was always so noisy at this time of day, filled with the shouting of merchants and the bustle of people going about their daily routine of buying meaningless trinkets that weren't worth their mizas. There was no chance she was going to be able to sleep through the heat of the day, as she had intended. Grumbling softly, the woman sat up on the crate she had been using as a nap spot, scaring the merchant beside her half to death with the sudden movement. Vuil gave him a bored look over, getting off of the crate. The two guards that had been protecting the vendor moved in front of her, blocking her from leaving. The merchant came up behind them. "Alright, hand over everything you took, you petching thief!" A brow rose in questioning, staring blandly at the three men. "I didn't take anything. I was sleeping." She answered, moving to walk around the men. One's hand shot out, grabbing her roughly by the arm to halt her movements. Vuil stopped, turning slightly to face him. "We know you took something, girl! Now hand it over or," A wicked smile spread over the face of the merchant, "I'll let my associates search you. As thoroughly as they like." Vuil glowered, not really understanding the threat, but knowing that it would likely end in a situation not favourable to her. The woman tried to pull her arm out of the man's grip, finding it was too strong. With a hiss, her eyes began searching around for a way out. "I told you, I didn't steal anything from your petching stall!" The words were almost growled out, as her flared emotions threatened to have her shift forms. "Why would I waste my time with faulty product!?" The Merchant was livid, pushing past his two guards, the one letting go of her. The man opened his mouth to start his rant of her insolence, and was quickly given a hard hit to the face. Not an open handed slap, but a close fisted punch. The merchant stumbled backwards, giving Vuil the room she needed to break out into the crowds at a swift run. She avoided running into people as best she could, gently shoving them aside if she couldn't slip by. All the while behind her, the two hired guards gave chase.

[Ana Sol Starris]

It was one of those days when for curiousitys sake you went out and followed people around without their knowing, Daniel just so happened to be the target of todays agenda; which included picking up items while no one noticed or having at an unsuspecting persons pockets for money. The trick of it however was remaining unseen and in a comfortable distance of following Dan without losing sight of him; something Ana was having trouble doing so, he was after all a bit crazy in the head despite the righteous act he played and this fact kept her from wanting to get any closer. Ana thought to herself as she followed after the unaware swordsman from a distance, winding herself around stalls with small fingers picking through peoples pockets she got close to. Her mind was focused on a task, it made pilfering people of their coins or hankerchiefs, or whatever happened to be loose in their pockets much easier as it was a skill best made use of when you did not think of it or worry about being caught. Sticky fingers were common in Sunberth, it was a way of survival in the harsh and unpredictable anarchist city. Passing one particular stall, she had lost sight of Dan and now she was frantically trying to keep up without actually running but walking, stepping light footedly around the street as fast as she could, looking high and low, past every stall she could till she finally caught sight of his freakishly tall build; still walking along as usual with his scary swords. Ana was about to sneak to the other side, picking up a trinket as she did so, and freezing when she heard angry shouts behind her. Paling, she glanced behind just as a woman pushed past her at a run, Ana flailed her arms to catch her own balance quickly, Ana was about to yell at the rude person. Stopping however when she heard the stomps of gaurds chasing after the woman that had just ran past, understanding clicked in Anas mind. The woman had probably been caught stealing herself, something that commonly happened in Sunberth to the inexperienced also. Once the gaurds had passed by Ana, without a second thought she followed after the hulking brutes, she did not run because she was still hurting from a few days ago and every time she tried she felt sicker than before, however the trio were running straight towards Dan it seemed to Ana.

[Daniel Alecson]

Daniel had been half tempted to start making his way out of the market when he heard raised voices. Raised voices weren't much reason to be alarmed in a market filled with merchants shouting about the quality of their wares. These voices were different, they were voices of anger and accusation, these kind of voices were the kind that often led to bad situations. Daniel turned back and saw a small gathering a few stalls back, Daniel had remembered the stall slighlty, it had two guards already so he hadn't paid it much mind. Daniel had remembered that the merchant was selling "high-quality" daggers that looked like they were about to fall apart before the first swing.

Daniel saw the girl punch the merchant in the face and nearly smirked, Daniel didn't know what was going on but with the merchant's wares Daniel had no doubt the merchant deserved it. When the girl started running, along with the guards following close behind, Daniel got the feeling this was more then just anger from a disgruntled customer. As the dark-haired girl made her way into the crowds knocking over several people Daniel thought he caught sight of a familiar blonde-haired theif, however she dissapeared as quick as she'd appeared and Daniel couldn't be sure.

Daniel heard a scream and saw as the crowd seemed to split making a path for the girl and the guards, it only took a second before he realized why. One of the guards had raised a crossbow and was taking aim at the dark-haired girl. Daniel half-expected the guard to shout out a warning, when Daniel saw his finger start to tense around the crossbow trigger Dniel sprang into motion without thinking. Daniel tackled the girl to the ground just in time as the bolt shot past them sinking into a wooden post just moments later.

"It seems you made a poor impression with that merchant", Daniel stated simply as he began to lift himself from the ground. Daniel kept a firm, but not painful, grip on the girl with his right hand lifting her to her feet shortly after he'd risen back up himself. Daniel turned to face the guards placing his left hand on the hilt of one of his swords.

"Most people will take a hand from a theif if the theif had snatched enough merchandise. With your employer's wares though I doubt they'd be able to justify taking a finger, let alone a life" Daniel called out to the guards giving them a rather cold look. Daniel had little qualm about fighting the guards, and was prepared should they try to attack. It shouldn't be too hard to end this situation with words however if they couldn't. . . . . then Daniel would be getting some practice in.

[Vuil]

Vuil stole a glance behind her to see if the guards had given up the chase yet, a frown set in her lips. The guards looked as though they were having the time of their lives, chasing after a potential thief. The day to day "excitement" seemed to be insufficient in keeping these two braggarts entertained. It didn't help her situation that the merchant was screaming at the two men to keep chasing her. With a growl, the woman turned back around. She couldn't even properly run from them, not with all these people in the way. If only she could change, that would get people out of her way. Though, it also meant that she lost all her belongings. Petch it all, today was just not her day. The crowd must have finally taken notice of the spectacle that she had caused, as they began to give her more room, moving to the side as she ran forward. Good, maybe she could make some headway now, put some distance between herself and the guardsmen. She heard the scream, but didn't turn to see what was going on. Likely, there was nothing she could do to help, and it would slow her down, make her easier to catch. Honestly, all she had done was take a nap! Was that really ground for all this? She didn't think so. Vuil hadn't noticed the man running up to her until he had tackled her to the ground. There was a short whistling sound, bringing her attention up to the bolt that was now stuck in the post. "It seems you made a poor impression with that merchant" Vuil flicked her eyes back down to the man that was on top of her, taking a moment to realize what had happened. "Yeah, no shit." She muttered, letting the man help her back up to her feet. Her glare was turned on the guards, mouth twisted in a snarl. Whichever one of these men who had shot at her were very close to becoming dead. And his partner wasn't far behind. Vuil glanced over at the man when he spoke up again, giving him a withering look. "I didn't steal anything from him. I'm no thief." She clarified, before her anger was turned back on the men. "So I'd like to know why you're trying to murder me when I'm innocent?" The merchant had caught up, panting and out of breath, his cheek turning a dark purple in the start of a bruise. He'd seen the man save the dark haired woman, and had immediately assumed that he was her partner. He didn't think so rationally when he was angry. "Well? Don't just stand there! Take them both out!" He screeched, pointing a finger towards the two. Vuil sneered, dropping her stance as she waited to see what the two guards would do. After a tense moment, one man raised up his sword, and charged forward, while his friend readied his crossbow for another shot. "You can handle a sword, right?" She asked her new friend, darting forward, past the swordsman and dove straight for the man with the bow. The man lifted his bow up, just as Vuil had reached him, the young woman bringing her fist up into the man's chin. He staggered back, Vuil using this time to yank the crossbow out of the man's hands. Swinging her arm, the woman bought the wooden weapon up to smash into the side of the man's head, but found his arm in the way. The man reached forward, grabbing her by the front of her shirt and throwing her small frame down to the ground. He tried to bring his foot down on her stomach, but his heel met nothing but ground as Vuil rolled out of the way. The kelvic woman's foot shot out, connecting with the man's knee. There was a loud crack as his knee bent backwards, the man crumpling to the ground with a pain filled shout. Vuil huffed, backing off away from the fallen man. She didn't think he'd be mush of a threat with an injured leg, but it was better to be safe than to be reckless. Would save her a bit of trouble along down the way. Standing, she looked to see how her 'friend' had dealt with the other guard, before turning to the merchant. The man had gone pale, staring at the scene before him with mouth agape and eyes wide. "I didn't take anything. Now really, all this could have been avoided if you had just listened."

[Ana Sol Starris]

The crowd had begun to circle around the two, only moving away from the attacking gaurds to avoid getting hit by a crossbolt. They began to jeer at the two, cheering as an entertaining fight began to formulate between the shop keeper, the gaurds, and a supposed thief and a crimson edge member. Ana couldn't see past the people who were gathering, but what an exciting moment this was, people would be too distracted to realize they were being robbed Ana thought to herself confidently. Though her head began to pound and her body begin weighing heavier, she moved with light steps, skirting the circle, she would reach into peoples pockets just slightly before cringing her fingers away as someone turned slightly, she moved on. Now she was half away around the crowd, here she tried another target whos coin purse was tied to their belt. Ana stood behind the person and hoped maybe his attention was solely focused on the crowd, with light hands, Ana untied the purse slowly. Maybe it was the somber, gauntly looking girl behind him that caught his attention, or maybe it was the woman who stated blatantly to the man he was being robbed. Ana snatched the purse and mingled with the crowd, the mans shouts of thief mingled with the jeers as she tried to get within the sight of Dan. Waving at him panickingly to come to her, catching his eyes before she was yanked harshly by the arm of the man who she had filched the purse off. The jingle of mizas graced Anas ears as she glared up at the man who sneered down at her, with a gruff voice and a dagger drawn he said "hand me back my money petching thief or your throats going to be bloody" by then the fight may have been done, but Ana could only hope, her attention wasn't focused on the two in the circle, but the man with the dagger. The blade jabbed at her, she ducked to the side and tried to push the mans hand away. Her mouth moved on its own "you're the one who stole from me!" Ana shouted, turning the mans words on him, struggling to keep the dagger away from her vitality. Eyes widening as he continued to try and stab and cut her, the crowd moved away from the two "I was only taking back what was mine!" She finished off as the blade began to nick her dirt smudged skin. Ana was panicking, it was a lie, if people knew her then they would know she wasn't being honest as her profession was that of a thief. The crowd only grew louder, they were enjoying these brawls of strength and not one citizen was helping. Ana didn't know if any would believe her, but she certainly didn't look a thief with her clothing, yet the man who was attacking her was rough around the edges and smelled really bad from what Ana could tell through her clogged nose. The small girls energy was beginning to give way, before she shot a foot up upon the insistent drill of a screaming voice in her head to fight back, or maybe it was her knee that connected with the mans crotch. He gave a cry of pain as Ana continued to struggle, andrenaline pumping through her body as she crawled away, taking the mans discarded weapon and scrambling up. Breathing hard, sweating from the exhertion she held the dagger at the man shakily, placing her new purse into her pocket. His groans, his profanities began filling the air with the crowds cheers, he held his privates and began to get up slowly with a look of madness filling his eyes, rage, and anger driven pain he lunged at her. Ana side stepped and moved closer to Dan and the supposedly thief of a woman "uhm, nice to see you Dan, funny how we grouped together this way, huh?" Ana laughed nervously then retorted seriously "whos your lady friend Dan?" She said, as she mentioned to Vuil, the supposed thief that had run by her with gaurds chasing earlier before "hey, hey," Ana quipped "whats your name girl?" Glancing from the two of them as best she could and then to the crowds around them, as well as the man that had attacked her.

[Daniel Alecson]

Daniel was quite shocked at the merchant's rash, rather iditotic, behavior. Daniel sighed slightly, this idiot merchant was gonna get someone killed. The guard with the sword charged towards Daniel with a roar, but Daniel's eyes were on the crossbowman. The crossbowman was the bigger threat to Daniel and it was neccesary to take him out first. When the small woman darted past and struck viciously Daniel smirked, today was just full of suprises. with the crossbowman neutralized Daniel focused on the swordsman who was still charging forward mindlessly. The way he held his sword made Daniel think of an untrained child. The guard was weilding his sword like a club, there was just savegery ther no real skill or talent with the blade. Ontop of it all the swordsman was moving rather slowly, weighed down by excess muscle and studded armor.

As the swordsman closed he raised his sword over his head with both hands, stupidly reaching so far back as to put the hilt behind his head. This was when Daniel struck; darting forward and shifting his left hand down to firmly grab the hilt of his wakizashi as he went. Daniel struck for the guards neck, unsheathing the wakizashi and swinging in one fluid motion. Daniel stopped centimeter's from the swordsman's neck. The swordsman stopped dead in his tracks, whimpering slightly. Daniel pressed the edge of the blade gently against the guard's neck, sliding it gently across his neck so as to draw blood without causing any undue harm.

"I suggest you drop your blade, run for your life and find a new job", Daniel stated in a calm, polite manner, as if he were merely giving man directions. "Do it quickly before I get testy", Daniel continued, drawing his other blade with his right hand and poking the guard gently in the back with it for emphasis. With another whimper the guard dropped the blade with a loud clatter. Daniel pulled his blades from the deadly positions and watched as the guard ran off into the crowd. Daniel looked up to see how the young woman was doing just in time to see her start to confront the merchant Daniel smiled and was half tempted to join her when he heard a commotion behind him.

Daniel turned to see what the commotion was about just in time to see the oh so familar golden-haired theif to break away from the crowd a dagger in her hand. Daniel fully turned to face her just when a man with a rather pained look on his face lunge at Ana only for her to sidestep and him to stumble and fall to the ground. The man tried to push himself back up but instead yelled out in pain as he found a foot pinning one of his hands to the ground. Daniel stood with one foot on the man's hand. Between his 6'4" frame and two unsheathed blades, one of which had a small ammount of blood on it's edge, Daniel must've looked rather intimidating. For the man looked truly frightened for his life.

"Yes Ana. We have one woman accused of being a theif and then you pop out being accused of the same thing, how "funny", Daniel remarked, his words insinuating that Ana wasn't quite as inoccent as she was proclaiming. Daniel hardly cared though, she was of the Crimson Edge as was he, and kin looked after each other. Daniel Squatted down and looked the man in the eye, grinding his foot slightly into the mans hand as he did so. "I suggest you cut your losses and follow the lead of that sensible guard I spoke to earlier, Daniel said with a kind smile on his face. Daniel's tone and expression in contrast to the veiled threat he'd just left the man with.

[Vuil]

The merchant looked from Vuil's glaring green eyes to the pair that had been dragged into the middle of the circle. They seems preoccupied, but that still left him with dealing with his little thief. How could such a small girl be such trouble? The merchant pointed a fat finger at Vuil, his face red with anger and embarrassment. "You're lucky your little friends showed up, or you'd be in pieces right now!" His voice had broken half way through his sentence, but he didn't really care about that right at that moment. "One day, you won't have friend's to save you!" With huff, the man turned away, stalking off through the crowd and back to his stall. Which had likely been ransacked by those who took advantage of an unguarded stall. Vuil smirked, straightening her stance, turning around to focus her attention on the two who seemed to be in a heated discussion with another male. She shook her head. What was it with these people and claiming everyone was a thief. Granted, the blonde girl might very well have been. Briefly, her eyes went down to the man she had broken the knee of, giving him a vicious kick to the side, before heading over to the others. "My name?" She echoed the woman's question. "Vuil." Blazing green bore into the man before them, a mean grin spread broad across her lips. "Aww, don't send him running. He looks fun to pick on."

[Ana Sol Starris]

Cringing under Daniels words, she knew that he knew what the real case had been.. Watching her victem run away, a look of revenge ladled within his demeanor. Ana, for some reason felt as if she would meet the man she had pickpocketed from again.. But was glad for the intervention now. With a sigh, she placed the dagger between her belt and hip in hopes of keeping it for later uses "thanks Dan," she replied to him "always the gentleman," cutting off the topic of thievery as she smiled up at him. Stretching, she watched between the woman and the red faced shopkeeper, it seemed the crowd had begun to die down as there was little to no bloodshed and violence to be had. Hopefully the onlookers would cause it elsewhere and not here, letting her eyes go into that familliar somber stare at the fat man who was threatening the woman. Lifting her arms high up and stretching, then keeping them there "people are such grumps, y'know Dan" Ana commented as the shopkeeper turned around and left, she smirked very lightly at the thought of being called a strangers friend. Letting her arms fall to her sides, then a hand to her hip she frowned at the woman named Vuil; her own comments would only get her into further trouble "I'd be careful if I were you, people in Sunberth don't just threaten... They promise." Cocking an eyebrow up and then her gaze over to Dan "you certainly picked a strange one to help.." Looking back over to Vuil and then holding her hand out lightly for a handshake, smiling with a glimmer of mischief coursing through her body "my names Ana, and Mr. Gentleman here is Daniel" whisking her hand away if Vuil extended her own, if she did not go to shake Anas hand, then the small thief would just let her own hand fall to her side.

[Vuil]

OOCDan hasn't posted in over a month, and hasn't answered pm's asking about him. So imma skip over his turn to give some closure to this thread. ._.;;

Vuil gave a sidelong glance to the girl, who had identified herself as Ana, scowling slightly. "And I can take care of myself well enough to handle one man." She answered. "You should be the one worried. You're the one who stole from him." It sounded more biting than she had meant, remnants of her bad mood projecting itself on to the blonde. Not that she'd ever apologize for it. Her eyes drifted to the man, who looked as though he no longer wished to remain in the area. "Thank you, for your help." She nodded, and the man began his walk again. The leopardess watched him until his form had disappeared into the crowd, before turning her attention back to Ana. "Well, I hope that merchant hasn't lumped you in with all this." She spoke, and hopefully her sincerity came through. "Than you'll have two angry men coming after you." Her hand gave a small wave in farewell, the small woman turning from her new acquaintance to go find somewhere quieter for her midday nap. Hopefully her next nap wouldn't be interrupted by angry and stupid men.