That was clever (Xadel)

[Gia]

Gia drew back with a gasp, as she felt her heart jump up into her throat. For a moment, her mind drew a blank, in a blind panic for being caught out sneaking into the tavern through the window. But the acrobatics and the outline of that oh so familiar mask registered in her mind the next moment, and her gasp turned to an exasperated exhale of breath. “Yes!” she hissed, in a whispered reply to his smart aleck remarks. “But what did you expect me to do? It’s freezing out there, and look at me!” She swept a hand down as if displaying her body and the less than adequate covering it sported. “I came back for my cloak.” Her racing pulse was beginning to still, now that she knew she was with a friend and not a foe, so she was able to smile a bit. “And I wasn’t really breaking and entering. The window was open! And besides – it’s my cloak – I just came to get it back.” She held her hands out as if innocent of any wrong doing, before adding, “Mr. Foxy,” with one lifted eyebrow. Then she gave him a bigger smile. “And I thought you were off to attend to your business. You didn’t have to follow after me like I was still a child. I’m not ten, you know.” She stepped closer to him, though and put a hand on his chest. “But, seeing as you’re here – will you help me?”

[Xadel]

Xadel couldn't help but be slightly amused at Gia's gasp when he came rolling through the window. He could see the fear on her face that she had been caught, just one of many signs that she was not familiar with this type of thing. He couldn't recall exactly how many times he had been caught in the past, but at this point if it happened it only made it all the more sporting. Gia was innocent though and trespassing was not her forte. He could see in her body language that she was relaxing a little after realizing it was only him. He smiled slightly and listened to her perturbed answer. She explained away the fact that she had snuck into a place that wouldn't likely not be happy to see her. When she referred to him as Mr Foxy he did a little bow. "Haha and the fact that you had to sneak through a window and you're still whispering now just proves my point, my foxy lady. Dont worry i am well aware of how you look, its hard not too when you look like that. And I was going to go take care of things but then as you said look how you are dressed. You can take care of yourself but its the middle of the night you're half clothed and there are dangerous groups of men running around." She placed a hand on his chest and heat radiated from it. There was something about her touch that always seemed to send shivers down his spine and resonate deep within. He couldn't deny her. He nodded slightly. "Alright. Lets find your stuff and get out, maybe we can find some other things to pilfer as a means of payment while we are at it." He said as he turned and winked at her before starting to look.

[Gia]

”No!” Gia exclaimed, in an urgent whisper. “No stealing! Let’s just get my cloak and get out of here – as quickly as possible!” Her voice, though quiet, was quite emphatic – almost pleading. But she tried to look stern, even though she was helplessly weak when it came to saying no to Xadel. She knew what he was, and she loved him, in her own way, for being the man that was her best friend, and ally, and companion and confidant. He was all those things – as well as stubborn and incorrigible and audacious. Gia would not really have wanted Xadel to change – she only wished that he would be more… safe… as he went about being so reckless and daring – an impossible wish. She took his hand to try to forcibly prevent him from snooping around the dark room. There was enough light coming in through the now open window to see their way clearly to the door. A thin rectangle of light showed about the door’s edges, and Gia held her breath, listening, trying to ascertain if there was anyone in the hall beyond. Of course, the noise from the first floor was audible, filtered as it was through space and walls. It didn’t seem like a full blown brawl was still ongoing, but there was plenty of noise nonetheless, which seemed good. Perhaps they could slip down to the room that should be right next door and grab her cloak and go. If only Xadel would behave himself. She placed her free hand on the door knob and looked at her co-conspirator questioningly, clearly wondering if she should go ahead and open it.

[Xadel]

Gia's response to his suggestion of ripping off as much good stuff as they could was expected. He knew that she really had no stomach for that sort of thing and as such was sure we stomach was already turning from being in their where they weren't supposed to be. He, on the other hand, felt entirely different. Something about being in a place he didn't belong in such peaceful silence overcame his body with a feeling he couldn't quite explain. It was like being completely peaceful but every inch I him tingles with a strange feeling. He felt rather at home. He did not seek to press the matter but never the less Gia took his hand in hers. He felt her soft skin and gave a little squeeze to me her know he was there for her. It was true that he sometimes acted without completely thinking a situation through, but that was only of it was just him that would pay the price. He would make sure that Gia didn't end up on the receiving end of some mans sword, either of them. Sunberth was a harsh place and it was ba enough being caught and punished as a man, he preferred not to think what sins would be perpetrated against a woman caught trespassing by a large group of half drunken men. His blood boiled with just the thought of it. His thoughts were drawn back to the moment though when he noticed his partner looking back for an affirmation of her actions. He placed an ear against the door and after a moment he nodded to let her know the coast was clear. No one was moving in the immediate vicinity and it might just workout that they could get in and out with no serious issues. He could only hope that was the case.

[Gia]

Xadel nodded, and Gia wasted no time in turning the doorknob quickly and quietly, drawing the door open towards them – just a small bit to begin with. She peeked out, and saw no-one. So she pulled it open cautiously, enough to slip through, still holding Xadel’s hand in hers – more for comfort than out of need to make sure he followed her and didn’t turn back to pilfering through the room they were leaving. Stepping silently, she practically tip toed down the short stretch of hall to the next door, looking back once and putting her finger to her lips in a totally unnecessary gesture to Xadel. Reaching the door, she stepped aside slightly, motioning for him to come forward, and to enter the room before she did. Her only thought was that if he could just slip in quickly and grab her cloak and come back out to her, they could return to the other room and exit the tavern the way they had entered, and no-one the wiser. Just as long as no-one came up the stairs at the far end of the hallway, and as long as there was no-one waiting in the room beyond, this should be fast and easy.

[Xadel]

So far so good it seemed. Xadel followed Gia out of the first room and down the empty hallway, still well aware of her hand in his. He smile a little at the contact and continued his path down the hall. No one seemed to be around and the second floor was somewhat lacking in people. When they reached the next door Gia gave him the notion that he should enter first. He nodded and opened the door cautiously to find that the next room was likewise empty. He glanced around quickly, casing the room. He knew where Gia had been getting ready and it wasn't hard to find the place she had left her stuff. He walked over to the place she had left it after motioning with his finger and tugging on her hand gently. He picked up the cloak and anything else that she might have left behind. As they were about to leave though he could hear someone coming up the stairs. He thought quickly and threw the cloak around Gia along with anything else that might have covered her performers clothes and without warning slid his hand around the back of her neck as he pulled her in for a passionate kiss. His left hand went to her hip, pulling her tight against him as he ran them into a wall. The left hand would roam back and around to her taught buttocks and grab a lightly harshly so that he could lift her off the ground. The right sliding from her neck down her chest and under her shirt, cupping her breast. By the time the one that was coming up the stairs made it to their room he would make sure they just looked like a couple that had been seeking a quiet place to take care of their business.

[Gia]

Xadel had moved past her and entered the second room, pulling Gia in behind him. She had really meant to wait in the hall and stand guard, though what she would have done if anyone had showed up, she hadn’t thought through completely. Maybe…whistle like a bird? But she allowed Xadel to tug on her hand thinking that – as he was well used to this stealthy reconnaissance stuff – he should know what he was doing, right? Once inside the room, she breathed a sigh of relief both because it was empty and because they quickly found her cloak – and her pack full of things she used to ready herself for performing. Xadel thoughtfully placed the cloak over her shoulders and she immediately felt warmer. Gia was too preoccupied by gathering her things, though, to hear what Xadel had heard. So the kiss came as a complete surprise! For one moment, all she could do was stand there, feeling his strong, calloused fingers on the back of her neck, and his warm, soft lips pressed to hers. But as the kiss intensified, her brain began to protest – this was no time or place to get frisky! Just as her hands came up to shove him away though, things quickly accelerated and she felt his hands drop, to her hip, pulling her against him, and to her bottom! Gia honestly had a flicker of fear that Xadel had suddenly gone mad and her eyes flew open wide and she struggled against him. He had backed her up against the wall by this point, and was trying to lift her up? And his other hand was being far from quiescent too – sliding down and under her fancy top! She had no idea what was going on and she couldn’t very well ask him as he had his mouth planted over hers and his tongue halfway down her throat. But she did her best, still shoving against his chest and her head waggling back in forth, trying to free her mouth from his. She even managed to get one knee up and though she meant to simply use it to press against him, somehow, he moved at just the wrong moment and it made some substantial contact with that part of his body that it had no business connecting with. Just at that inopportune moment, the door to the room opened and a person, holding a candle, came through the door without pausing on the threshold. Two steps into the room, however, as her candle caught the two in it’s circle of golden illumination, the old woman stopped dead in her tracks. Gia, upon hearing the door open, and what with what she had just inadvertently done, had finally managed to shove Xadel away from her, and then froze in place. It looked, to all intents and purposes, like the old woman had just intruded not upon a lover’s tryst – or a quickie with a whore – but instead that she had stopped an unwanted assault in progress. Well, it had seemed like a good idea at the time….

[Xadel]

The lack of time to warn Gia about the other person approaching meant that Xadel was taking quite the risk with his attempt to throw off any that light come in. He had hoped she would trust him enough to realize he wouldn't just throw himself at her like that in their current situation. It was true that he was a bit less serious than most but when it came to a dangerous situation like this he knew what he was doing. It appeared that she did not have so much faith in him though and panic took over her mind. She raised her knee directly into his most prized possessions and caused him to yell out in pain unexpectedly. The breath expelled from his lungs and his stomach turned, making him nauseated light headed. He reeled back and collapsed to the ground, clutching at his manhood and writhing in pain. He couldn't believe that she would react so badly and just as he was about to explain what he was doing the door creaked open and the candle light bathed them in its yellow light. The old woman look between them for a moment, confusion on her face before it was covered by anger. "What are you doing!? Someone help! There's a prowler up here and he just attacked a young woman!" She cried as she headed back toward the stairs. Xadel quickly rolled back to his feet and jumped in the air one time, locking his knees and landing hard to try and shake the pain off. He used the moment of alone time to warn Gia. "Keep yourself covered. Go back out through the way we came. I'll draw them off." He ordered jut before a brute of a man came through the doorway. Xadel reached inside his sash and grasped one of the knives he carried and tossed it toward the doorway. He did no intend to hit anyone with it, just to make him draw back. The man was forced to jump out of the doorway to avoid the knife and Xadel made sure his cloak covered his face before running out and leaping with a kick aimed directly for the mans chest, throwing him off balance even further and using his weight to break through the railing behind him and down the stairs. Xadel pushed off and grabbed hold of the opposite railing, slowing his descent before dropping to the stairs. The fall was hard enough to have knocked the other unconscious but a quick check of the pulse let Xadel know he was still alive. He didn't have long before another group was coming at him. Fortunately for him they were all drink and his reflexes were reacting much faster than they. He blocked an arm with a dagger before it could plunge into his chest and rolled his back into the attacker to throw him at the next assailant. A few more deft maneuvers and blocked or dodged attacks followed by a counter got him close enough to a window that he could dive out it and into the street. He looked back for a moment, hoping Gia would have already escaped by this point. He couldn't wait long though before he was forced to run and duck into a darkened alley, He took as many alleys as possible, taking the long way back to the alley behind the tavern again. Hoping he could track Gia down.

[Gia]

Gia’s only instinct was to stand there and stare at the old woman with her mouth hanging open, like a dead fish. She wasn’t so used to thinking quickly to get out of a tight situation as Xadel was, and her mind raced frantically as her heart galloped in her chest like a runaway horse. The fact that Xadel had yelped in pain and was now rolling about on the floor – because of her – wasn’t helping her to think clearly, either. The words that came croaking out of the old woman’s wrinkled lips added to the confusion in Gia’s already befuddled brain. What? Xadel hadn’t…he wouldn’t… - and suddenly it hit her, just what he had been trying to do – and how she had so totally screwed it all up! Gia’s hands flew out in protest as words leapt into her mouth, only to tangle together. All she was able to get out was an incoherent, “Wait! What? No! he didn’t…I wasn’t…!” before the old woman had withdrawn hurriedly. Gia turned wide, startled eyes to Xadel, her hand going to her mouth in dismay, and she would have dropped down beside him (stupidly) but lucky for them both Xadel was able to fight past the pain she had wreaked on his gonads and was springing to his feet. He barked some orders to her, and – lucky for him – he was back on his feet, for already a huge guy was standing in the doorway. The decrease in light from hall to room had the intruder hesitating one split second, and that was all Gia needed. Scooting past the man, just as Xadel’s knife came whizzing through the air, Gia ran the short distance to the next room and thence inside. She had no idea what was going to happen to her partner in non-crime (at least, it wasn’t a crime to recover your own cloak, was it?). But she realized that if she stayed he would only have to worry about her as well as himself. Plus she’d probably just get in the way of whatever he had planned – just look how she had botched his attempt to give them a cover! So she went right to the window and did exactly as he had told her. In a trice, she was crouching on the ledge and then reaching for the downspout. With the agility born of a life of dancing and acrobatics, she swung over and shimmied down. Once her feet hit the ground, she was tempted to just run – as fast as she could – back to her slummy apartment-room. But she stopped long enough to think, and listen – her shoulders squinching and her eyes twitching shut as she heard bangs and crashes from inside the tavern. If Xadel was seriously injured in the commotion that she could hear coming through the open window, once they were done with him, what would they likely do? Pitch him out into the street to either bleed to death or make his way home, was her best guess, based on a life spent in this lawless town. So instead of running off, as she would have done to save her own skin, Gia carefully moved into the shadows and skirted about to a place where she could climb up a bit, onto some crates, and reconnoiter the side and back of the tavern. The window that provided Xadel with his escape route ended up not being within her field of vision, so she had to wait a bit. But within about five minutes, she heard someone running ever so lightly, down a side alley. And then she spotted him! Clambering back down from her perch, she ran to him and threw her arms about his neck, whispering in excitement, “Xadel! Oh, I’m so glad you are alright! I’m so sorry I kneed you! I didn’t really mean to!” Pulling him back a bit into a deeper shadow, she put her lips to his and kissed him passionately, murmuring with relief, “I’m so glad you’re safe!”

[Xadel]

When he eventually made his way back to the alley they had originally entered the tavern by Xadel had managed to shake off all remnants of the pain he had experienced inside. His groin no longer throbbed and he was sure that he had suffered bruises from his escape, he could feel blood flowing from small cuts on his arms and shoulders from diving through the window. But he was alive and that's all that mattered. He slowed his run near the window they had entered and to his relief Gia ensconced him in a warm embrace. She whispered about being glad to see him as apologized for kneeing him. He was sure it was merely an accident but that didn't mean he couldn't tease her with it. She kissed him deeply and he returned it in kind before pulling back a little so he could respond. "I have by honest I didn't think you had the will to resist me. Haha. I forgive you though, you can just kiss it better when we go back home." He smiled and winked before pulling her back into another kiss. "Now why don't we get out of here before someone comes investigating."