Closed Bit Of Trouble (Ricky)

[Erekez]

11th Day of Spring, 513 AV Having a bow strung over your back isn't a deterrent to some people. How reassuring. Sitting in the alley, Erekez nursed his forearm. The blood didn't show signs of stopping any time soon and he had already lost enough for it to start becoming a problem. The trails had started to weave into intricate patterns as the blood ran down his arm, finally dripping off at the elbow. Keeping his arm up had reduced the flow enough that the blood on his fingers was beginning to dry. It still wasn't helping. At least he was better off than his assailant. Erekez wasn't sure what the thief had been hoping for, but once a dagger had been pulled, it was life or death. He was lying a few arm lengths away from where Erekez sat, in more blood than Erekez had lost, dead. He must've been desperate for something. It was early morning. A very risky time to try and hold someone at blade point, even if there was relatively few people on the street. Erekez could only sigh as his head fell back against the wall. He didn't care much for the man's reasons. It was him or me. And I'm not about to kneel to a thief's whim because he's got a dagger. His own punch dagger was next to him, covered in blood after a stomach blow. Punch daggers were better for people who had some training with their hands. They made a punch more lethal, but could still be used for slashing. Erekez wasn't keen on killing the thief. In fact, he'd waited for the thief to make the first move. If he cowered away after realising that Erekez wasn't an easy target, he wasn't going to be a problem in the future. When he attacked first, he had sealed his own fate. Leaving him alive would allow him to try for revenge later, and Erekez might not have been lucky that time. Alternatively, he could've tried for somebody different, and killed them instead. That wasn't fair. His shirt was beginning to stain red from the constant dripping. Sprays of blood had already gotten on his cloak as he had fought. Not a lot of people were going to keep quiet about a man holding a bow with blood over his clothing. Whether they'd believe it was his own or not. He needed to stop it now. Lifting the bow over his head and placing it on the ground, Erekez grabbed his dagger again. He'd need to have his movement unimpeded. Something that the string was doing. The cold iron did hold its edge well as it cut through the cloth of the thief's shirt. He wasn't going to need it. After a few strips of fabric later, Erekez began tying the strips around his forearm. Just another scar. He kept the material tight as he tied the knots, keeping the pressure on his wound. It was only a temporary fix, but it would have to do. For now, he needed to get out of the alley, and away from the corpse. A gasp from behind caught his attention. His heart hammered against his chest as he felt like a hand clasped his throat. Looking behind, Erekez saw the young woman, wide-eyed and hand covering her mouth. He doubted he'd be as lucky to try and convince her to keep quiet. Might as well go for the next best thing. Erekez reached for his dagger. "Get away!" He growled. The woman was quick to obey. It was time to take his own advice now. Taking his cloak off, Erekez wiped his dagger in the thief's shirt before replacing it on his belt. Picking up his bow, he wrapped his cloak around his forearm to hide it, letting the cloak hang over the bow. Perhaps the quiver wouldn't draw much attention? Unlikely, but it was the best he could do with the situation for now. Getting up, Erekez began a brisk walk to the other end of the alley, keeping his arm and cloak close to his body. Hopefully, it would hide any blood splatter on his clothes until he had a chance to get them out. He only hoped that the morning light and alley shadows covered enough of his face to be indistinguishable to the woman. After all, two different coloured eyes would narrow down any search considerably. Move quick when nobody is around, walk as normal when in the streets. Follow as many public routes as possible. More people will grow suspicious if they see you ducking in and out of alleys. It wasn't a case of 'if' she would tell. It was 'when'. Erekez needed to get far away for a while. How had he managed to get into such trouble this early in the morning?

[Ricky Maze]

"Guard," A voice had shouted in a horrified manner, "Guard help! Someone's been murdered!" She reached Ricky with a terrified expression, and this guard reacted with no hesitation. Lately a murder here and a murder there was now becoming a little too common in Zeltiva, specifically on the corners of East Street nowadays.

"Where?! Where's the murderer, do you know where he went?" He had no time to waste, he had a villian to catch now; hopefully the one that the Guard has been after.

"He was tall and had messy dark hair, wore a cloak, and had a bloody arm. Oh and a bow! He killed another in the alley back there!" Her information was little, probably too vague for Ricky to find this man, but the keywords he'd need were all there. Ricky looked to the alleyway not too far away, it was possible he could still catch the criminal; if he acted now. He wasted no time in giving chase.

Sure enough the body was there, when he went far back enough. The alley would continue on of course but wherever it was Ricky would walk it. Well, more or so run through it. He put a lot of effort into running, he made sure his feet didn't hit the ground hard. So that each time his foot did make contact with the stone, it would be ready to pick up again. The true thing that would be tested was his stamina, as speed wasn't in his favor due to his size, stamina would serve him well enough to keep the chase going.

He came out onto a street, quickly glanced through the people that passed by. His gaze frisked the people as they came from both left and right, the traffic proved to be a nuisance when searching out the dark headed man. Messy hair and a cloak was the key, so Ricky just had to spot someone like that. He remained vigilant, as his eyes quickly scanned the crowd for the would be murderer.

[Erekez]

Head up, walk with purpose, not haste. You are not trying to hide your face, neither are you looking like you are running away. That was utter horse-crap. That was exactly what he was doing! The trick was to look like you weren't though. Erekez was good with masks. He'd had plenty of practice hiding his true feelings and emotions and putting up a façade. Whether it was lying about some information he didn't want a stranger finding out, or just trying to be polite when he was indifferent. He was two-faced, but it was never with intent to cause harm. It was to protect himself or others. Changing how you spoke was one thing. Changing how you walked was entirely different. You have somewhere to be and don't have time to be stopped by anyone who may have a question. That was true. He needed to get out of Zeltiva for a while. Collect his stuff outside the walls, get Moonraker and probably not draw attention to himself for the night. If the local authority couldn't pin the kill on him within the day, they probably wouldn't be able to. But he couldn't go straight to the Pass just yet. A 'murder' just happens and I just so happen to be leaving the city? There is only so much I can make others believe. No doubt he would be asked to be searched. They'd find blood over his clothes, a bow concealed underneath a cloak, and a fresh wound wrapped in material similar to the thief's shirt. Nothing suspicious at all sir, sorry for troubling you. Not likely! Weaving in and out of the crowd had become a skill that Erekez had learnt in his time within cities. Though it still slowed things down. Fortunately, the sky still hadn't become a complete blue just yet. There were still yellows and oranges on the horizon. It was still early enough that he could walk without anyone getting in his way. Unfortunately, that meant the same for the Wave Guard, and there was less people around to search. Damn, every on thing that worked in his favour seemed to work for two for the people he was running from. You test me at times Eyris. With the Pass out of the question, where could he go first? The Memorial Library was a 'no' also. He may work there and it would provide a reasonable base for an alibi. However, he'd still have blood on his clothes, a wound on his arm, and it wasn't fair on Lisaelis to be put in a position where she needed to decide if she was going to lie for an employee at the cost of her lengthy career. Erekez was unsure if she would be willing to lie for him, but he had enough respect for the elderly woman to not test her like this. Nai'a could heal his wound, but that then put her in a similar situation as Lisaelis. She had already said that she would always be on his side when he needed her. This was pretty desperate. It was also a safe bet that she would lie for him. Problem there: Erekez didn't know if she was working today. Great. Murmurs came from the few people on the street behind him. Others in front of him were pointing and looking at something. Erekez had an idea of what it was. His pursuer. Would it be better to dare a glance back? Surely he'd stand out if everyone was looking and he was determined not to. You'd only not glance back if you already knew who it was. Damned if you do, damned if you don't. What would he be charged with anyway? It was self-defence, which wasn't punishable as far as he knew, but Erekez's equipment probably screamed first or second-degree murder. Which had a difference between a fine and exile, and death. No pressure! Erekez turned slightly, getting a glimpse of the Wave Guard who was looking for the murderer. For him. At least he knew the face of the person he was avoiding now. Curiosity sated, and possible chase commencing, Erekez carried on forwards down the street. Aiming for the next turn off that wasn't an alley.

[Ricky Maze]

Ricky would have to thank Laviku that this was only the early riser traffic, because had it been a few bells later then sure enough he would've lost his criminal by now. By all accounts anyone who stared at him was likely a criminal, but when someone looked at him and then turned away as though he were doing nothing wrong? That was enough to pull Ricky's attention, and it just so happens that his suspect was found. Messy dark hair was worn on the man that had turned to look, and even though Ricky was at to far of a distance to know for sure, he believed he saw the next piece information that was key. The cloak that he wore.

It was definitely a character of suspicion for Ricky, and one that would definitely bring no harm to question. He had to act quickly if he wanted to catch murderer, which means he had no time to waste on any assumptions. Either this man was or wasn't the killer, and if anything he could know something about the suspect. Time was important, and Ricky wasn't going to waste it now. Quickly he darted off in the direction the dark headed man went, and he kept a sharp eye out to seek him when he would come into view. 'C'mon ol' Ricko! Don't stop now, ye gotta keep lookin!' He kept his wits sharp as he took short deep breathes, his stamina soon to be put to the test as he rushed onward. He turned on the street his likeable suspect went on, and pressed forward in haste as he scanned through the small groups of people that he passed. Until his eye spotted the cloak once more, and his mind set a mental target on the man. 'Ye got em Rick, don't let em get away.'

He kept the same pace as he did when he made his approach, he was a little more then several feet away. Enough to where he could charge after the man like a hound dog, should he decide to try and run of course. Ricky did what any city guard would do when approaching a suspect, and he did so with an authoritive voice. "Ye there! Halt! He commanded as he pointed to the cloaked man, several people no doubt looked questionably as he gave the order; but what would the man do? Would he obey the order or would he try and flee? Either way Ricky's instinct told him he was onto something, and he wasn't going to let this fish get away so easily.

[Erekez]

He grit his teeth as he heard the order from behind him. He had been so close to the next alley after breaking line of sight with the guard. He could've been gone and out of trouble if he had. The guard was quick, Erekez had to give him that. Any situation other than this and Erekez would've applauded the man for it. However, this wasn't another situation, and he was the one on the receiving end of this one. He had to stop. Erekez couldn't afford not to. He couldn't run. It would only prove any suspicions that he had at least something to do with the killing. In the middle of the street as well, that would only be met with everyone around seeing him, giving the Wave Guard more eyes and ears around the city. He wasn't about to make it any easier for them than they already had it. Wiping his face of all tension and worry, Erekez turned to the oncoming guard. "Morning. What's the matter?" He was a lot taller closer up, just a bit taller that Erekez was. He didn't like it. Erekez preferred thinking he was shorter. He was built quite well too. Not somebody who Erekez would actively pick a fight with up close. More of someone who was going to get an arrow through the back of the head whilst Erekez sat a safe distance away, preferably with something between the two of them so he had something to hide behind if he missed. A bow requires two hands and one of yours is likely to collapse under the strain if you try it. He couldn't exactly drop his cloak, ready his bow, draw an arrow and release at such a close distance either. This guard was likely punch him or run him through in the time that would take. Besides, that would definitely be first-degree murder. The idea here is to get away without being killed. You might as well save everyone the effort and give yourself to Dira if you killed a Waved Guard in full view of everyone. At least I have a chance at the moment. No, it would be be best to try and find out what he knows first. Maybe even how big your problems actually are at this point. Exile isn't so bad if you're allowed to live. Besides, he's seen your face now. Try anything, and you're instantly labelled a criminal, even if you weren't already. Let's see how lucky I am.

[Ricky Maze]

'Thank Laviku!' He thought to himself, his breath slightly picked up now that he was no longer in motion. He was thankful he still had enough air in him to speak, otherwise he be considerably out of shape. Ricky kept a firm look on the man, his eyes glances down to the cloak and then back to his face. "We'd a murder in the back alley further down East Street not too long ago. Ye wouldn't know anythin' about that now would ya?" Ricky didn't assume anything, instead he tested to see if this man would react differently. Ricky kept mind focused on finding any behavior that would reveal whether or not this man would lie, or if he had anything that he wanted to hide or avoid should Ricky's suspicion be true.

'Keep in mind that he'll likely look away or something like that and the way he speaks too. Anything off then request to see what's under his cloak.' He reminded himself, as he remembered the days when he avoided sharing his issues with his friends. That was an entirely different situation compared to now, but still the methods used to evade unfavorable topics or anything else. Ricky noticed then however that the mans eyes were different, one was green and the other was blue. 'This'd make 'em an interestin criminal, I'll give 'em that.' His curiosity was piqued, and he thought it a shame the woman didn't mention his eye color. Still he kept his wits sharp and his gaze strong, time was of the essence and Ricky had to make due with what he had.

[Erekez]

"A murder?" Erekez didn't need to feign the mild surprise he felt. He hadn't expected the killing to be labelled so quickly as a murder with only one woman's word. News travelled quickly through the University, and the library seemed to be a nice little gossip point from time to time. He had heard that there had been a few murders around recently. Was that why this had been classified as one so soon? Also, was it just coincidence, or were they all done by one person? Not your job to be thinking about murder cases. You're a scribe. Act like one and tell the truth. "How long was 'not too long ago'? I was down there earlier on this morning." Like he was going to give them the entire truth. If he thought he wouldn't be charged by coming clean, he would've sat next to the corpse. Then again, he probably would've despite what the woman had said and wearing what he did. Erekez had probably just gotten himself into trouble for no reason. The thought made him sick. It was better to use half-truths instead of complete lies. Erekez had managed to catch out a few people before, as their stories never matched up with what they had said before. Each new lie was something more to remember and you'd end up contradicting yourself at some point. Lacing your lies with some truth, or working your way around the fact you didn't want to be found out, made telling lies that little bit easier. For now, Erekez was only concerned that he wouldn't let on that he was avoiding something too much.

[Ricky Maze]

'He looks innocent enough, can't let it keep me from doin my job though.' Ricky admitted to himself as his hand rested on the hilt of his blade instinctively, his expression remained unchanged even when he was asked how long ago. The man admitted he was around there earlier, a little bit of information that interested Ricky well enough. "Just earlier actually, a woman happened to see the suspect before he ran." He informed him, eyes still observed the man for any possible signs of deception. 'He has to be the guy, I just know he has to be.' He was pretty determined given the situation, but Ricky's gut couldn't feel more right about his assumption. It was only a matter of bringing the facts to light.

"Would ya mind showin me what's under the cloak sir?" Ricky requested with a glance, his eyes shot at the cloth and back to the face of his likely suspect. He wasn't sure what to expect next, but Ricky prepared for anything at this point. Out of habit he tapped his finger on the hilt as he waited, his firm expression still remained the same.

[Erekez]

Yes. "Not at all." This wasn't going well for him. The guard was thorough, not leaving anything to chance or allow the possibility for something to be missed. Erekez didn't know how fast he was. Chances are he had had practice chasing other criminals through Zeltiva. It made it more likely he was faster than Erekez was, so sprinting now in some delusional hope to get away was pointless. He couldn't refuse either. That would only add to suspicions. Erekez had no choice but to do as asked. His arm felt instantly cooler as he unwrapped the cloak from his arm. The morning air was appreciated by the heating skin under the dark cloth. Erekez placed the cloak over his shoulder as he untangled the material from the string of his bow. The joints in his hand and fingers protested at being stretched out after such a tight grip on the bow. He held the bow in his right hand as he tried to release the tension in his arm. I must've been holding tighter than I realised. It's unlikely my hand would ache after such a short amount of time. "I realise a bow doesn't put me in the best light when searching for a murderer, does it?" He said as he turned back to the guard. It was unsettling seeing him with his hand on his sword, ready, and Erekez couldn't do anything to prepare to defend himself with making things worse. "You can check my cloak yourself, if you believe I've hidden anything in it. What else can I do for you?" Erekez relaxed his posture, not attempting to hide the bloodied-up shirt-bandage around his forearm. Hiding it served no purpose. Moving it would draw attention to it, as well as be asked to show what he was hiding. It was better to hide everything in plain sight, as if you weren't bothered it was noticed or not. The difficulty was hiding that you were.

[Ricky Maze]

'He has a bow, just like the witness claimed.' Ricky kept the small grin that wanted to form from appearing as he already felt the hand of victory, the odds in this man being the suspect we're climbing higher and higher as Ricky tested him further. Still he co-operated for being such the possible suspect, he hardly made any attempts at hiding the truth with lies. 'He has to be feelin guilty 'bout it, or maybe he knows that hidin it will do no good anyway. This guy is definitely keen, I'll give him that.' Ricky admitted to himself silently, as he examined the man up and down. He even gave Ricky the right to check him for the possible murder weapon, even though Ricky wasn't sure what the murder weapon really was.

'The victim wasn't shot with an arrow, unless the suspect removed it before he ran.So it'd have to been a short ranged weapon, concealable too if he wanted to hide it from the public eye.' He reminded himself as he went to Erekez's side, he only lifted the cloak enough to see the bloody cloth, and that was something he thought was obviously connected to the murder. Ricky's hand slid down to the handle instinctively as his suspicion rose even higher, and his eyes gave a serious look at the man. "Mind tellin me 'bout this." He didn't need to look back down or point to his arm, it was after all painfully obvious Ricky caught sight of it.

The Wave Guard would gather soon to do a thorough investigation, hopefully though one wouldn't be needed as Ricky absolutely believed he had found the murderer. If Erekez were to come clean it would be best to do so now, for Ricky was determined to bring this crime to justice.