Day 36 of Winter 514AV
Lhavit was always wonderful by night, so alien and so … different. There could be no greater contrast with the image the city held by day, the whole of Lhavit had undergone a transformation, very much like the Ethaefal, but without the need to return its glory to either Syna or Leth. The Skyglass stopped sparkling when the darkness set in, instead spreading a steady glow that was neither blue nor green, but something in between. One of the stranger things was that it never felt cold, no matter how many layers of snow had been laying on top of it. It was quite nifty of course, since in Winter the temperature dropped like a bird shot down in flight and crash landed somewhere under the minus. However, since Fall had only just passed, those subzero temperatures were not something to worry about. Well, things would get far worse when Winter had truly settled in.
Still, cold gusts of wind did blow through the streets, pushing and pulling at everything that could be played with, be it a muffler or hair, or even open doors. Some people strode by hurried, nose red and dressed as if they were about to take a trip to Morwen's ice castle right then and there, while others -those humans with their colorful eyes- still seemed to think it was Summer and were not bothered at all by the -by Lhavitian standards- quite cold temperatures.
In the midst of it all, positioned casually against a wall was Brandon, dressed for the cold and appearing as if he was searching for something or someone. That was his excuse too when there passed by a soul brave enough to question what he was doing there. The reply they got was just a short “I'm waiting for someone,” and if they should query if he had been waiting for long his answer was a casual shrug. Not that there were exactly a lot of people who noticed him really, most were too busy, and the alley he stood in was not used by the vendors of the Azure Market.
What did made that alley so special was that it was situated just opposite of the Starry Chalice, which made it an excellent spot for reconnaissance. Indeed, it was not without reason Brandon could be found there that night, quite the contrary; in order to prepare for a rather important job -one not ordered by Kriegsfelt for a change- the Kelvic had strategically positioned himself there, on the lookout for the Shinya patrol. Of course, as a successful thief in Lhavit, the Kelvic did know a thing or two about the routes of the different patrols -hence why he had so far managed to stay out of jail. However, this was a little more difficult a job, since it involved breaching the Chalice which was a location the patrol passed by every time.
For that exact reason, the bat wanted to know when they arrived, how long it took them to pass through, and when they were gone. As well, of course, if the Shinya were always the same people or if their schedule wasn't structured like that. In any case, he'd just heard a patrol approaching, and silently compared it to the data he had collected the past few nights, when he had been doing the exact same thing. The time of arrival did match more or less, a couple of chimes margin off, but that was to be expected. The exact times did differ from patrol to patrol, fluctuating slightly. As there were Shinya who walked slower or faster, or just chatted a bit with certain vendors, one could not simply determine when exactly they would arrive and when they would leave. A calculated guess could be made though, and it would be fairly accurate.
However, that was the problem he had discovered during his constructive days of observation and gathering information; the schedule of the patrols during the rest periods and the time of day when the citizens were working did not match. What was the point in standing around in an alley during a period of working bells then? Well, for one it was just to kill time, so he would be near a vantage point when the rest period was upon him. Because he wouldn't have to hurry and make mistakes as a result. This was one of the most important stages in the business. Recon was important.
When there only were a chime or fifteen left before the Midnight Rest began, Brandon unhitched himself from the wall with a motion of his shoulder blades and headed a little deeper into the alley, thus avoiding the glances people could send him by retreating into the darkness. Since most people wanted to be home when the Rest began, Lhavit was already becoming quite deserted, only a few still wandering about, most traveling to their homes too. Brandon obviously did not, but instead scaled the wall with a bit of effort, jumping from one side of the alley to the other as fast as he could, thus gaining height easily and eventually enabling him to grab the edge of the roof and haul himself up. No problem at all.
Once there, the bat laid his body down, stomach facing down and arms crossed under his chin as he positioned himself so he'd get a good view on the Chalice and the street below while he would be concealed by the darkness himself. Now all that was left was to wait for the guards to show up, and once again compare the time to what he had already gathered. He sighed. It was a good thing he'd put on so many layers of clothes, that it wasn't cold yet to walk about did not mean that it wasn't when one was just lying on his stomach on a roof motionless. This would be a rather long and monotonous rest period for him. Again.
Lhavit was always wonderful by night, so alien and so … different. There could be no greater contrast with the image the city held by day, the whole of Lhavit had undergone a transformation, very much like the Ethaefal, but without the need to return its glory to either Syna or Leth. The Skyglass stopped sparkling when the darkness set in, instead spreading a steady glow that was neither blue nor green, but something in between. One of the stranger things was that it never felt cold, no matter how many layers of snow had been laying on top of it. It was quite nifty of course, since in Winter the temperature dropped like a bird shot down in flight and crash landed somewhere under the minus. However, since Fall had only just passed, those subzero temperatures were not something to worry about. Well, things would get far worse when Winter had truly settled in.
Still, cold gusts of wind did blow through the streets, pushing and pulling at everything that could be played with, be it a muffler or hair, or even open doors. Some people strode by hurried, nose red and dressed as if they were about to take a trip to Morwen's ice castle right then and there, while others -those humans with their colorful eyes- still seemed to think it was Summer and were not bothered at all by the -by Lhavitian standards- quite cold temperatures.
In the midst of it all, positioned casually against a wall was Brandon, dressed for the cold and appearing as if he was searching for something or someone. That was his excuse too when there passed by a soul brave enough to question what he was doing there. The reply they got was just a short “I'm waiting for someone,” and if they should query if he had been waiting for long his answer was a casual shrug. Not that there were exactly a lot of people who noticed him really, most were too busy, and the alley he stood in was not used by the vendors of the Azure Market.
What did made that alley so special was that it was situated just opposite of the Starry Chalice, which made it an excellent spot for reconnaissance. Indeed, it was not without reason Brandon could be found there that night, quite the contrary; in order to prepare for a rather important job -one not ordered by Kriegsfelt for a change- the Kelvic had strategically positioned himself there, on the lookout for the Shinya patrol. Of course, as a successful thief in Lhavit, the Kelvic did know a thing or two about the routes of the different patrols -hence why he had so far managed to stay out of jail. However, this was a little more difficult a job, since it involved breaching the Chalice which was a location the patrol passed by every time.
For that exact reason, the bat wanted to know when they arrived, how long it took them to pass through, and when they were gone. As well, of course, if the Shinya were always the same people or if their schedule wasn't structured like that. In any case, he'd just heard a patrol approaching, and silently compared it to the data he had collected the past few nights, when he had been doing the exact same thing. The time of arrival did match more or less, a couple of chimes margin off, but that was to be expected. The exact times did differ from patrol to patrol, fluctuating slightly. As there were Shinya who walked slower or faster, or just chatted a bit with certain vendors, one could not simply determine when exactly they would arrive and when they would leave. A calculated guess could be made though, and it would be fairly accurate.
However, that was the problem he had discovered during his constructive days of observation and gathering information; the schedule of the patrols during the rest periods and the time of day when the citizens were working did not match. What was the point in standing around in an alley during a period of working bells then? Well, for one it was just to kill time, so he would be near a vantage point when the rest period was upon him. Because he wouldn't have to hurry and make mistakes as a result. This was one of the most important stages in the business. Recon was important.
T
When there only were a chime or fifteen left before the Midnight Rest began, Brandon unhitched himself from the wall with a motion of his shoulder blades and headed a little deeper into the alley, thus avoiding the glances people could send him by retreating into the darkness. Since most people wanted to be home when the Rest began, Lhavit was already becoming quite deserted, only a few still wandering about, most traveling to their homes too. Brandon obviously did not, but instead scaled the wall with a bit of effort, jumping from one side of the alley to the other as fast as he could, thus gaining height easily and eventually enabling him to grab the edge of the roof and haul himself up. No problem at all.
Once there, the bat laid his body down, stomach facing down and arms crossed under his chin as he positioned himself so he'd get a good view on the Chalice and the street below while he would be concealed by the darkness himself. Now all that was left was to wait for the guards to show up, and once again compare the time to what he had already gathered. He sighed. It was a good thing he'd put on so many layers of clothes, that it wasn't cold yet to walk about did not mean that it wasn't when one was just lying on his stomach on a roof motionless. This would be a rather long and monotonous rest period for him. Again.
Credit goes to Engghaen
