Not that easy (solo)

[Nyahna Sasin]

Timestamp: Summer 19th, 510 AV

Dusk

One of the hardest parts of the job was getting in. Finding the target was usually easy. Killing was easy. All it took was a bite, or a slash, or a little poison, even. Getting out was easy. Getting in, not so much. Unfortunately, getting in was a big part of assassination and thievery.

Which was why he was sitting in the room he had rented, inspecting a padlock. It wasn't a particularly complicated lock. It was just a normal lock, like one would use to secure a chest. Still, he was going to have to start with this, and work with it until he was comfortable.

Slithering over to the bed (he had shifted into his Dhani form for comfort), he retrieved his thieves tools from his pocket, curled up into a pile, and set to work.

Selecting a lockpick and tension wrench from the kit, he slipped the wrench in, and twisted it slightly, first one way, then the other. He frowned, uncertain, and tried it again. Both sides felt the same to him. Shaking his head, he turned it slowly again, first clockwise, then anti-clockwise. Ah. There. It was ever so easier to turn it anti-clockwise.

Holding the lock in his left hand, he used his thumb to keep pressure on the wrench while he inserted the pin with his right. Keeping the tip pressed again the top of the lock, he found the first pin. This one seemed to go up rather easily, but he resisted the temptation to do this one first. He knew from experience that you should always do the hardest one first, or they would slip back when you tried to adjust it.

Checking each pin in turn, he identified the pin at the back as the trickiest one, and started there. Pushing it up, he scowled as it stuck near the top. He eased the torque, and tried again. This time it worked, and he heard a click as the pin eased into place.

Grinning, he repeated the process again, adjusting the torque as necessary, and no more. He only had one problem, when one pin slipped back as he was adjusting another. Apart from that, it was smooth sailing.

He grinned proudly as the final pin clicked into place, and the lock opened. Ah, the sweet sound of success.

[Nyahna Sasin]

Twilight

After playing with the lock for a while, he set it down, and shifted back into his human form. Grabbing his pants and shirt, he changed into his black outfit, slipped his gloves in his pocket, and walked out the door.

Out on the streets, he headed out of the city. The guards all but ignored him. He was often going in and out to hunt, and they were used to him by now. Once far, far away, he stripped off his pants and shirt, and shifted into his dhani form. Grinning cheerfully, he hid his clothes and weapons, donned his black jacket and gloves, and headed back towards the city gates, stopping quite a distance away. He could see the guards' heat signatures quite clearly from here, but was quite certain they couldn't see him. Still, he stayed low, just to be safe. He spent several chimes like that, staying still, not fidgeting, not poking his head out, keeping his hood flattened. To pass the time, he concentrated on his breathing, trying to keep it as quiet as possible while still getting oxygen into his body.

His patience was rewarded as a young woman carrying a bag emerged. He grinned as he watched her bid the guards farewell. His dinner. He had kept his ear to the ground, and had caught wind of a young woman who was making a big deal of moving to Zeltiva to learn. No one would miss her for quite a while.

Shaking his head, he followed her from a distance, keeping out of sight. She seemed very excited to be starting her new life, and Sasin almost felt sorry he was ending her journey prematurely.

No, not really. He continued to follow her, watching, waiting. She was completely oblivious to his presence. Once they were away from the city, away from any witnesses, he struck, springing out onto the road, before attempting to sink his fangs into her neck. Unfortunately for him, her panic reflexes were good. She shrieked, and swung her bag at his head before attempting to run. He hissed, shaking off the pain, and chased after her. He caught up with her, and bit into her neck, breaking it. He dragged her body off the road, and used his tail to sweep dust over the few drops of blood that had fallen. He slung her body over his shoulder, and disappeared into the forest.

When he finally returned to the spot where he hid his clothes, he let her corpse slip off his shoulder onto the ground. After tugging of his jacket and gloves, he stripped her of her clothes, and put them into a heap. The bag, he placed to the side to root through later. For now, though, dinner.

[Leviathan]

Thread Award! Sasin Exp +1 Larceny, +1 Hunting Lore Human: The Other Other White Meat Additional Comments A little short but pretty cool. Feel free to pm me if you have any concerns, questions, or questions. Keep up the writing!