Solo And That's The End Of That

[Brandon Blackwing]

Day 45 of Winter 514AV -Immediately after Midnight
OOCPermission given by Mirage for this one

Now that the windows had been cut through and opened, his primary means of escape should anything go wrong, Brandon decided it was time to enter the Animation Shop -through the door, the kitchen window was a little too high for him to enter through. Not that he'd let that stop him if it were his only means of entrance, but it wasn't and the bat preferred toying with locks anyway. As a result, the thief knelt in front of the back door, fished his lock pick and tension wrench out of one of his belt pouches and got to work.

About eighty percent of the time, Brandon encountered standard -and easily opened- locks on the doors he used to get to the riches, but the other twenty percent they were harder to pick. Most of them were lockboxes, strongboxes or even vaults, and rarely a door too. This lock, much to his disappointment was an ordinary pin-and-tumbler kind of lock, the kind he had encountered thousands of times. It was the most common sort of security applied to chests and doors, but still, one would think that ever since Incognito showed up people would have opted to have their old lock replaced with a newer, more expensive and more challenging one. He knew he would have, but clearly that was not the way the citizens of Lhavit thought. Apparently they believed that Incognito would never pay them a visit, oh no, because he was so predictable and only picked his targets if they fulfilled this and that condition- Bullshyke! Anyone could become a target and anyone could be robbed. Predictable? Ha! Don't make him laugh, Brandon was as unpredictable as Zulrav's winds.

Security systems like this one weren't even good enough to be called that! It didn't even slow him down! If he was entirely focused on the lock and the lock alone he could probably pick it in less than a chime! No, he actually could, there was no doubt about it. And when he kept his attention for the most part focused on his environment and surroundings it took him a bit longer, true, but it still took him no longer than a meager two chimes or so, maybe two and a half. In fact, he wasn't even paying much attention right now! Well, as soon as his mind came to that conclusion it actually did restart focusing on his task rather than how annoying it was to have to deal with this kind of locks. More than half of the pins had been removed already, pick and wrench working in perfect tandem, his hands knowing perfectly well how to deal with them without the head having to give instructions, hell, it wasn't even difficult!

Another pin hit the end of it's housing and the inner cylinder of the locking system kept it there, forced to do so by the tension wrench and the steady amount of torque it applied. More and more pins met with the same fate, their resistance futile before Brandon's capable and skillful hands. He had experienced enough situations where the pegs put up a fight to know exactly what he could do about it, having adapted and changed his approach as soon as he felt he was dealing with a rebellious pin. It took no time at all for the thief to finish this task, wrench turning the cylinder instead of the key, undoing the latch and efficiently unlocking the door. With a displeased “Hmpf” the Kelvic rose to his feet and slipped his tools back in his pouch, using his other hand to slowly and carefully turn the knob and open the door.

It creaked slightly, though not loud. Like a shadow Brandon slipped through the opening he had created and closed the door behind him with as much care he had taken to open it. Somehow he pushed and pulled at the same time, using both hands and closing the portal without a sound. The darkness inside was a bit of a hindrance, but using his skyglass orb was not required just yet. His nocturnal eyes were somewhat better suited for seeing in the dark than a human's, though they were nothing compared to a cat's or a Sym's. Bats did rely a whole lot more on echolocation to find their way than on sight after all -except fruit bats, Bran had heard those giants could not use that trick and had rather good nightvision. Or so the Kelvic had been told anyway, he wasn't one himself so he didn't know.

[Brandon Blackwing]

The one floor house was … homey for some strange reason. The kitchen -where Brandon found himself currently in- could have been neater, but the way pots and cutlery were cluttered all over the place had something... familiar and oddly satisfying. Perhaps it reminded him of his own kitchen in his own house, but that most certainly wasn't the case. No, it reminds me of home, the bat mused for a moment, recalling times long gone, belonging to the past. Mom never really liked doing the dishes... Cooking hadn't been her best ability, but she always seemed to enjoy it. Simple things, slightly complicated dishes, disgusting ones... All had been made with a smile and lots of love, I'd think. But doing the dishes? Ha, hell no! She'd run off or try to pass the task to someone else claiming that she did not have to do it since she cooked. Heh, I always ended up doing it if I was awake...

His mood dropped as he opened one of the drawers and found a brightly colored apron, a pattern of carrots and broccoli sewed on it. Gods know how much I miss home... One day I will return there. One day I'll go back and we'll talk about the past, laughing and joking. Bickering with a smile... His gaze was averted and the apron dropped back in the drawer, which was then closed. I wonder... Would they cry if they saw me again? I can imagine Gallan will, he'd be so happy tears just keep flowing. I don't know about mom, but she'll probably pull me into a bear-hug. A thin smile rippled underneath the mask. Another drawer was opened, a small though sharp knife grabbed, the thief stared at his reflection in the blade, or rather, the mask of Incognito.

Would they judge me if they ever found out? About me being a thief I mean? Mom may not, she'll probably understand, Gallan though... However, if I'd tell them I blew up a house, would they hate me? They'd question my motives for sure, but... Will they accept my actions as right? As just? Or will they frown and kick me out? Is the fact that I'm doing this because of my own believes good enough a motive for them to accept? Is it enough for me to accept? Can I live with myself after doing this? Maeki Cho never wronged me... I heard she's a very sweet person.... I'll ruin her dreams, her goals and her life by burning down her shop, won't I? I'll take away what is most dear to her, won't I? Can I live with that? Can I accept that? Will I ever feel guilty about it? Can I bear feeling the guilt? I have never done anything like this before. I stole, yes, I take away what is not mine, but it's not like it is that important to them. This however, might be different. Is it right for me to destroy this place just because I believe she's wrong in using her magic?

A gloved finger traced the blunt side of the blade, then coming to rest on his mask, covering one side of it. What was this feeling? “It's not like me to be thinking this hard about my actions, about what I am going to do. About what's right and what's wrong...” the bat muttered barely audible. Am I right or am I wrong? Is there a right and a wrong? A good and evil? Does it matter at all what I think? What is my drive for this? Why am I doing this again? Thoughts raced and memories played in his head, showing hims scenes from not too long ago; of that lad Kaik and his doll. Of his madness and rage. Yes, there is no doubt about it. This is foul magic that drives people mad. It gives people what they want most. They are free to play god themselves, creating life on a whim and falling in love with their creations. Their dolls. They turn away from the world, from others and isolate themselves with their dolls. It drives them mad. I've seen what it can do to a man. Is it not right I want to prevent that from happening? Is it not right that I will sacrifice the happiness of one person, someone I don't even know for the greater good? Is it not right that I will rid this world of the abominations that cannot die? That do not truly live? That drive people to insanity? Is it wrong for me to do so in the name of Kihala and Dira? I think not! His free hand clenched into a tight fist, his back straightened and shoulders stopped slumping. I believe in me, I believe in my views and motives! If I question my actions, then what kind of half-baked resolve do I have? What does it matter if others condemn me? So what if they hate me for what I did? It's in their best interest.

Knife in hand, Brandon made his way to the hallway that connected all the rooms together. One held a sleeping Maeki, another the Animation Studio. One of the doors has studied for a tick or two, opened carefully to see whether the animator was sleeping there or not -the latter, fortunately- and closed again silently. With one hand the bat held the note he'd prepared against the wood while stabbing the blade into the wood swiftly. The sound of metal embedding itself in wood could be heard for a moment, and then it was gone. It took a chime or so standing frozen on the spot not daring to breathe before Brandon had assured himself everything was still safe. The note stuck to the door, far enough away from the room used for animations so it wouldn't be burned to a crisp. Not that the fire would be able to spread quickly enough to reach the hallway before the Shinya and the firefighting reimancers arrived , but perhaps it might start burning the door faster than expected, which would mean no-one would find his note if he had stuck it to that door. He didn't know for sure, he had not a clue how strong one philter burned and how hot the flames were. He'd find out soon. Another glance was cast upon the note, the steadfastness of the knife was tested carefully and the thief gave a nod of approval. This would certainly do it.

The magic of Animation is a grave insult to both Kihala and Dira. To pretend to be either is a mistake I pray you'll never make again. To breathe life into something that did not receive life from Kihala is as blasphemous as claiming Rhysol to be the one who founded Lhavit. The use of animation is not something I am willing to forgive, no matter your reasons.

You have been warned,

~ Incognito

[Brandon Blackwing]

Now that the note had been attached to a relatively safe place, a zone that wouldn't be immediately caught up in the fire, -or so Brandon hoped- all that remained was destroying the animation studio entirely, which should be no problem with the philters he carried. A hand on the knob, the bat made an attempt to open it, only to find out it had been locked; be it to prevent unwanted guests from entering or to deny whatever could be found inside exit. The very thought alone made Brandon shiver, that one doll had been creepy enough, he did not even want to know what he would find in the animation room.

Still, in order to burn it down completely, he'd have to open it, would he not? There was no other way he could- Oh, I am such a fool sometimes, Brandon scolded, remembering the window he had opened just a chime or five ago. There was no need for him at all to actually use the door, to be so close to the fire. All he had to do was dump the flammables via the window and run, he'd get away faster, and there was no chance he'd be caught by Maeki when she woke up. Yes, that was a much better idea, an improvement. Why he hadn't thought of it earlier he had no idea, but he knew himself well enough to realize he sometimes overlooked several possibilities and only later noticed them bubble up into his mind. Well, no matter, he was versatile, he could deal with sudden changes in plans.

His hand released the knob of his hold, and instead the thief marched to the front door, scanning the immediate vicinity for a key. None was found, not on the door nor clinging to a wall or lying on a small table or cupboard. Oh well, not having a key had never been a hindrance. Once more the bat knelt and conjured up his lock picking tools, inserting both the pick as the wrench into the keyhole. The whole process of picking locks was about interaction between ones adept and quick fingers, senses and experience. All were necessary ingredients to succeed in the task swiftly; the fingers for manipulating the tools, which in turn swayed the lock's components, the senses to recognize and process the various types of information given by the different sounds and the feel of the lock, and experience to speed things up even more.

It came as no surprise that the bat had managed to unlock the obstacle in just a mere chime of prying and pushing and twisting with his pick and playing with the torque. No strange happenings had occurred, no strange alarm systems one might have believed would suit the house of an animator. It appeared that Maeki was a little naive, just like any other citizen of Lhavit. Honestly, did they really believe that the Shinya did not make mistakes, that they couldn't fail in arresting each and every criminal as soon as they had set a foot within the city's boundaries? Fools, it wasn't a case of “Oh, but that will never happen to me!”, there were no such cases. Anything could happen to anyone, at any time.

Shaking his head ever so slightly, Brandon exited the house, greeted by the silver glow of the moon god and countless twinkling stars, the only witnesses of what was about to happen. Soon, the whole building would be nothing but a pile of smoldering ashes, not just the one room. However, the Animation room would be utterly destroyed, even if the reimancers managed to douse the flames before they reached the rest of the house, or before they could cause a lot of damage to the rest of the building. Hm, maybe I should attach the note to the front door… To be absolutely sure it is found. After all, it’s not like they’ll notice the note before the flames. Certain this was a better option, Brandon went back inside, wriggled the knife out of the wood, collected the note and stabbed the front door instead, the note now hanging in a safer and more obvious place. Right, now back to business.

A couple strides took the thief to the window of the animation room, his hand pushing it open wide and taking a peek inside, hesitantly. Fortunately, on the contrary to his expectations, there were no wooden creatures armed with daggers embedded in their arms jumping at him, nor did he see a legion of moving puppets standing guard. Only a desk and lots and lots of papers, some strange circles, a pile of seemingly unfinished -and inanimate, thank the gods- experiments. Or projects, whatever you want to call it.

Fishing all six vials out of his pouch -and managing to hold them somehow- Brandon walked away from the window, following the street for a bit, though not going too far. Then he stopped, turned around and took a deep breath. His escape plan dictated he should head west as soon as the flames erupted, so that was the direction he was facing right now. Brandon found it a dumb idea not to be running when throwing the philters; he'd be wasting time. By already running his escape would be faster, and he’d be further away when someone noticed the light of the tongues of flame, or the smell or the sound of fire consuming everything on its path Thus, his mind had devised he should throw while dashing, and so it was done, a running pace was entered after a longer while than usual, mainly due to the fact that he did not want to drop his flammable cargo. By the time he had reached the window though, the thief had managed to acquire the speed of a relatively swift jog. Arms swung to the side, releasing the load of vials, all of them headed for the opening he had created, though at the cost of him having to stick close to that side of the street. Immediately after having flung the lot through the window, Brandon accelerated, hoping to reach his full speed before anything hit the ground, so he'd be further away than he'd be otherwise. Arms and legs became a blur, the face underneath the mask twisted in effort and lungs heaving to provide enough fuel for his muscles to burn.

[Brandon Blackwing]

While urging his legs to carry him faster and further, the thief heard the telltale sound of glass breaking, lots of glass to be exact. The vials had shattered upon impact with the ground or whatever it was they’d hit, and an enormous flame had erupted. The heat was overwhelming, even from the distance he had managed to put between himself and the shop, it still felt as if someone was scorching his back. It was a good thing he hadn’t been standing near the window; the fire would have robbed him of his breath, no doubt. Or the flames might have burned him.

From what he could see when glancing over his shoulder, orange tongues had started consuming the small house, not caring if the person who had unleashed them from their glass prison only wanted to destroy one room. They’d burn anything and everything they came across, they would eat until they were satisfied or until they were tamed. If nothing was done, they would spread to other houses, to other streets and consume everything. The city as a whole would be their prey. However, strange as it sounded, Brandon had faith in the Shinya and the mages who were tasked with subduing fires. From what he had experienced, the guards were always alert and always on the lookout for flaming objects or property, which was quite logical with all the reimancers in the city. Fire was a popular element, and more often than not if a mage went into overgiving, something was lit aflame. The Shinya’s reaction would be fast.

However, this was no ordinary fire, it was spreading fast, eating away the studio as if it had been starving for years. Had it something to do with the dose of the flammables? If Brandon wasn’t mistaken, he had thrown about fifty doses of the philters into the room, which he had believed to be enough for the task. Of course, he hadn’t been at the Chalice when that drunk went to fetch him a vial, so he hadn’t received any warnings or explanations or advice. Perhaps he had underestimated the capabilities of the flammable philters a bit… But it mattered not, he had to stick to his plan, his scheme to escape the scene.

West, he needed to head west first, towards Shinyama. The Shinya patrolling that area wouldn't be able to reach the studio as fast as the others. Brandon did not once doubt that the guards had noticed; the roar of the fire itself should have been more than enough to alarm everyone who lived nearby, and if they were deaf, the plume of smoke, or the light of the flames tainting the night sky would tell them exactly what had happened. There was no way they could have missed it, they would come, and fast. Brandon was a bit worried about the way the flames were engulfing most of the studio by now. Surely Maeki would be able to escape, right? Else her fate would be terrible; being burned alive wasn’t the most pleasant way to meet your end… Brandon couldn’t do anything to help her though, nor to aid anyone else than his own person. He had to save his own hide first, he had to get away.

There was no time to worry about anything but his own safety now, he had to stay out of the guards' clutches at all costs, an arrest at this point would be punished with something far worse than a couple days in prison. Perhaps death, perhaps something worse. If he was caught at this point though, he could find consolation in one thing:

The Animation Studio had gone up in flames.

[Brandon Blackwing]

Brandon ran, heart pumping fast, chest heaving in successful attempts to draw in a maximum amount of air, and hands sliced through the air as his boots battered the stones of the streets. While he had been dashing away from the immediate surroundings of the scene, he had noticed that some houses had fallen victim to the hungry tongues of flame already. He'd just wanted to destroy one room, burn down one building, not a whole street, or worse! The rate at which the fire was spreading was worrying, if nothing was done soon, there might not be a Lhavit to protect from Animation anymore. How had he been able to believe that when working with something as fickle and ever-changing such as fire everything would go according to plan? Honestly, he'd thought he had been rid of his naivety by now; after Dimitri, Kriegsfelt and Mifune Iskiraya one would think he'd start seeing the world with a realist's view, not an optimist’s.

How had he ever believed such a large amount of flammables would not cause this much damage? How had he possibly been able to think that? Surely he wasn't stupid! No, he thought not quite enough about the consequences of his deeds. Stab a wooden golem in the head to make the public aware of what it was? Resulted in a fight, a dangerous one at that. If that arrow had hit him he would have been killed by the abomination for sure. Shivers ran down his spine. He should start plan more than just his entry and escape, maybe he'd contemplate doses and alternative options too. Maybe he'd have to think about his plan longer than just doodling on his walls for a chime or five and then set one course of action.

Well, at least he had started planning, that was something, right? Long before he'd ever became decent at his job, he did not bother to plan, he just broke into buildings on a whim. Foolish acts for reasons such as revenge -a legit motive, still, he'd had to plan certain jobs a little bit better. Almost every job he'd messed up, or almost messed up had lacked planning, sometimes because of Kriegsfelt, sometimes just because of his impatience and boredom. You'd think I'd learn from my mistakes, but that only seems to be the case when it comes to combat. I've grown overconfident. Burton Tally, Dimitri; I survived them both. I breached Elysium Hall twice, I managed to get into a secret hidden room filled with traps. I messed up at the end though... That might be the most tangible testimony of my foolishness. I might have to humble down a bit, become a bit more down to earth... Ha! Yeah, like I can manage that! It would be out of character, very much so. This is not like me at all. All I need to do is focus more, make better schemes, maybe meditate to increase the success of my plans.

Meanwhile the thief had reached a landmark he recalled from his make-shift map; this should be an intersection with a route of the Shinya. If he was correct, they should be on their way here right now, ending up taking this route eventually. According to his plan, he had to follow the street he'd been running in for a little longer, then head south. With a nod he set off again, restarting the rhythm of his pace, steady yet fast. Swift, but one he could keep up for a long while, conserving energy in case he'd need to dash. His breath came out controlled, not ragged and not all that desperate for air either. This he could keep up for a long while, and he was used to this pace so he did not involuntarily accelerated or slowed down, which would make it harder to endure. This was his personal rhythm -one of the few, actually, but the one he favored most, the middle ground between the other two. There was a slower one, more a jog really, and a faster one. Those he too could use for extended periods of time, though the middle one was his favorite, and the one he could use the longest.

More alleys and alleyways were passed, until the bat reached another point he had drawn on his walls, one corresponding with the map in his head, labeling this as the point he'd have to start going south. Wasting no time, Brandon entered the very next alley leading in that direction and continued his escape. Good, he was halfway there... Figuratively speaking, if one measured the distance he still had more than seventy-five percent to go.

[Brandon Blackwing]

Endless running, that was how it felt. How long ago had it been since the flammable philters had begun destroying the Animation Studio? Ten chimes at least, ten chimes during which the bat had been running nonstop, having followed his plan to the letter. The feeling that something was about to go wrong hadn't left him ever since he'd headed out to complete this task though, not even when everything had gone according to plan, nor when he had caught no signs of the Shinya. Well, at least the fires seemed to have started diminishing, so they were at the scene already, fighting the flames with water. That should have been a good sign, but well, Brandon found it to be a bad one instead. Strange, it did mean his plan was perfect, yet that couldn't possibly be the case. Maybe it was his experience with schemes for certain situations he'd made, plans that had been foiled by coincidence alone. Maybe it was this he feared, what he expected; a coincidental happening that ruined everything.

Nevertheless, he kept running, sticking to his pace as he traversed streets and alleys, heading south, as instructed by the plan he'd made. He had been heading this way for a couple chimes now, not quite enough to make him feel safe. There was no point in pondering about it, such thoughts could only lead to him making mistakes, because his attention wasn't focused on what was important right now.

A corner was turned, an alley exited and another one entered, still heading south. Bran was planning on going home, though his house was located in the south-east, so he'd need to go east too. That however could come later, first he had to get as far away from the scene as possible, something he had been doing for a while now, but it wasn't enough yet. The pace was kept, the bat remained in motion, his legs steadily eating away the distance he had to travel, carrying him wherever he wanted them to. Everything was still going according to plan, but once again a feeling of discomfort bubbled up into his mind. Truly, he believed something he hadn't expected was about to happen... It wasn't the first time he'd been warned by such feelings... Instinct? Or maybe just plain old paranoia.

Over the annoying alarm bells and nagging little voice in his head, the bat could hear voices. Shinya- that was the very first thing that crossed his mind. The citizens wouldn't come out of their houses, the trust in the guards was great, and many a time something occurred it was left up to the guards to go check it out and solve the problems. Well, in these parts the flames wouldn't have been heard, and the light could only been seen if one looked at the sky in the right direction, so they had no real reason to go find out what had happened. Did they even know what had unfolded chimes ago? Probably not. Shinya however could easily have seen the flash when the flammables had been freed, noticed the flickering light illuminating part of the sky and detected the plume of smoke. Worried, the bat came to a stop, carefully approaching on foot, checking behind every corner before he crossed the streets; he wasn't willing to take risks, he was being really cautious.

Then he was stopped in his tracks when he could finally understand what was being said -or rather what it meant to hear the voices of the Shinya here. They weren't running to the scene, they were not headed for the scene at all! This wasn't a patrol who'd spotted the smoke and was traveling towards the place of the fire. They were waiting for him. Here, at the end of this alley, there was no doubt about it! But how had they managed to find him so quickly? There was just no way they could have been notified of his plans, of the route he was going to take! No one in the Shinya corps knew where he lived, they shouldn't even be aware of Incognito's identity, or of this being the work of Incognito at all! Impossible!

Another way! Change of plans! Losing his calm, Brandon started franticly searching for an alley that would take him to another place, more to the west or east, it did not matter. Eyes scanned swiftly, darting to and fro, seeking for a way out while he retraced his steps, moving away from the Shinya. He found one, multiple in fact, but only one could be entered at a time, so the first to the east was chosen and followed. Fools! It wasn't that easy to catch Brandon Blackwing, the phantom thief Incognito, most wanted criminal in all of Lhavit!

[Brandon Blackwing]

A somewhat nervous, though victorious smile had plastered itself on the bat's face; if the Shinya thought they could catch him, then they were sorely mistaken! However, his triumph was short-lived. After heading east for a bit the thief had once again changed the direction to south, since that was necessary to get home after all, but again he did not make it to the end of the alley, the sound of Shinya voices stopping him. Here too?! No matter, no matter, he could go even further east and head south later, it was not a problem.

Yet, the seeds of uncertainty had been planted and were starting to sprout, slowly but surely erupting from underneath the soil and growing larger and larger. Brandon was starting to get nervous, anxious even. His hands were trembling, his breath came out shaky and his heart pumped faster than usual. The efforts to calm himself with the reassuring thoughts that a change of plans was no real problem all failed miserably. He had no idea what was going on, how did the Shinya find out where he was headed? How come they had stationed themselves on his path twice? Not once but twice? This was no luck! They knew! They petching knew!

Come now, that's impossible! The plan's in my head only, the drawings on my walls have been erased as soon as I could remember everything accurately. No one else but me knew about my plans, about the routes I'd take! It's impossible! The couldn't have found out! Impossible!

And yet; even hen he headed east, he found his route blocked by a band of Shinya standing around, their whispers clearly audible, even though the bat couldn't see them. While it might have been a good idea to prowl a little closer and check if it truly were the guards, Brandon rejected the idea. One never knew if they might spot him too, even if he was hidden in the shadows. Usually he wouldn't have doubted his ability to sneak closer unnoticed, but now, now he was in a state of panic. It wasn't as bad as it could get, but it was bad enough.

This cannot be! This cannot be! Impossible! IMPOSSIBLE! There's no way they could have caught wind of my scheme! I told no one! I did not let anyone in my house, the curtains were closed! No one could have found out, no one! A hand sought support of a nearby wall as he slouched, feeling very much defeated. Is this it? Is this as far as I go? The end of the road? Breath was released in the form of a huge sigh, his head came resting against the wall too, the thief felt like giving up. The energy panic had granted him just moments ago had been drained from his body, his knees felt weak and his shoulders had dropped by an inch; the confidence he usually carried himself with was all but gone. Another sigh and the bat turned around so his back was against the wall and stared up, at the stars and Leth's silver eye. At least it is a beautiful night sky... he pondered, Yshul, is this truly the end of me?

Brandon sighed another time, playing with one end of his scarf, the one his mother had sewed for him over a year ago. It had been her gift to him, a present to remind him of her if he should ever feel alone on his journey, though she had never said as much. Brandon found it symbolized his freedom, his decision to leave Kalinor to travel, to search for something... what was it again? A person? Probably, but he had yet to find said person. He didn't know what they were like, or what they looked like, but he did know he hadn't found them yet. There was no certainty he would ever find them, but he could try. Were they in Lhavit? Perhaps, perhaps not. Well, he would never find out, this was as far as he could go, it seemed.

So you are just going to give up and let them take away your freedom? I thought you were not that kind of person, Brandon.

There's nothing I can do about it.

And how do you know that? You haven't tried yet, have you? Even if you are caught, you should try and get away. Giving up is not like you at all! Struggle and try, who knows, you might just succeed! Why give up if there is a chance -a slim one perhaps, but a chance nonetheless- to succeed? Even if you fail, you did so while trying. That's admirable, people who give up are not. No matter how desperate the situation, keep on struggling, keep on trying!

Yes, you're right.

Did you not say you fought for your beliefs? Don't you want to be free? Don't you want to overcome any obstacle in your way? Don't you take pride in the fact that you cannot be stopped by any obstacle, whether it's a dead end or a locked door? This is the exact same thing. It's a wall to be scaled! A challenge to beat! Don't give up! Fight, fail, but don't you ever give up! I did not raise you to be a wimp!

A chuckle rolled softly off the bat's tongue, followed by a grin on his lips. You are right. There's no mistaking that fact, mother. You are absolutely right!

Hpmf, I always am.

Another chuckle, the thief unhitching himself from the wall. Heh, sure. Now let's see how I can get myself out of this mess.

[Brandon Blackwing]

The first step was always the easiest one, in this case it merely meant finding out what exactly was going on and what he could do about it. Still not really convinced by the successfulness of him hiding in the shadows on ground level -he hadn't forgotten the debacle that had happened a few chimes before he'd reached the Studio, earlier this evening- so the bat decided to go where no one ever bothered to look. Up high, on the roofs of the buildings. Here in the alley it wasn't hard at all to find a part of a wall that was easily scaled. There were windows and windowsills, cracks in the walls and protruding stones every here and there. Getting up there certainly wasn't the problem, but what he'd do after that was.

But that was a problem he'd address later, for now he just stepped up a windowsill, reached up for the one of the window above him -which he couldn't reach- and jumped, carefully making sure he didn't launch himself for- or backwards, since both would be unpleasant. This helped, his fingers grabbed the sill, and feet used the wall to help his body crawl upwards, hauling himself up the small space with a bit of difficulty because of the limited width and length of the place. Yet somehow he had managed to get on his knees, and getting up was only a matter of balance. And that was something Brandon had plenty of, having grown up in Kalinor, the bat had traversed the ropes more than once, however more often than not he had failed in his attempts and lost his equilibrium, falling to the cavern floor. Fortunately for him he had wings and even if he had attempted these stunts by day and clothed, there was a trick to not falling to your doom; opening your legs before you fell, and shifting balance to a side -so it wouldn't be terribly uncomfortable for a couple hours, and the rope hit the thigh instead of manly parts. Once you were falling you brought your feet back together, and swung your arms in the direction of the rope. They would hit it too, which gave you enough time to grab hold of it. It was painful, but it did not end in death.

From the windowsill it was not hard to get on the roof, he only had to do the same, only now he had more space to throw his limbs, so it wasn't as difficult and time consuming. Then came traversing the rooftops to the place where the Shinya were waiting for him, which was done while crouching. Even though it was really uncommon for humans and other races to look up when they were searching for someone or something, unless they knew it was above their heads, Brandon wasn't quite confident they would do as expected. And as such he moved silently, and close to the roof beneath his feet, even crawling on his belly when he had almost reached the end. The lying position was actually splendidly suited for such recon purposes, and it was very unlikely he would be spotted. In theory he should be out of their field of vision, his figure blocked by the walls of the building.

The mystery of the Shinya knowing his exact location was solved with just one glance. It wasn't like they knew where he was, they were just blocking every exit of a street or alley that crossed the one they were standing in. Small groups, probably enclosing the whole scene, it wasn't hard to figure out their tactic; block the streets, and he can't go anywhere. Eventually he'll try to either break through or give up. Clever, by staying in place the bat also did not have a chance to use detours to escape them, seeing as the Shinya were everywhere. If they were to head into the alleys, Brandon could easily go around, take a detour and pass through their blockade without a problem. But by staying stationary...

Still, they had forgotten about one thing: not everyone used the streets. True, using the rooftops would make him easy to spot when chased or just in general when doing criminal stuff, but not if it was for just a short while. All he needed to do was jump across the street. Could he make it? This distance... yes, he could, with enough speed he could. It was a good thing he'd headed east, more south, if the circle had the same radius, the street the Shinya would be guarding was a lot wider. Having seen enough, the bat crawled back, crouching when he deemed the distance great enough.

A dash was started, feet coming down as softly as he could manage while still maintaining his speed. Since he was wearing boots of soft leather and the roofs were stone, it the bat remained almost as quiet as ever, swiftly approaching the edge. This was the hard part, for now he could be spotted, and he'd have to time his jump just right. Too early and he wouldn't make it, too late and well, he'd fall. Three more steps. Brandon analyzed the distance, quickly bridging it, placing his foot on the edge and leapt as high and as far as he could. For a moment he soared through the sky, sailing with legs still running, as in an attempt to carry him farther than if he didn't.

The Shinya had heard the speeding footsteps, however, they had assumed someone was approaching on the ground, and had crept closer to the entrance of the streets they were guarding while Brandon had jumped, failing to notice him as a result. The other end came closer fast, the peak of the parabola-arc the thief's body followed passed and the descent began. He would make it, it seemed, although just barely. For the landing the bat prepared himself as good as he could in this situation, shifting his weight -or trying to- ever so slightly, bringing his chest more forwards, so he would fall forward upon impact.

[Brandon Blackwing]

The descent always felt as if it happened faster than the rest of the leap. The take-off was the start of time slowing down, of adrenaline starting to rush while the bat's body distanced itself from the ground under his feet. At the peak of the parabola, the highest point he could possibly reach, it seemed as if time had stopped for just a moment, and then it slowly accelerated, throwing the floor at him faster than he had been able to escape it. Perception of time was a strange thing. And yet, while time appeared to speed up, so did Brandon's actions; thoughts raced and body reacted to them faster than expected, in comparison to the time spent however, he was just as fast as ever.

Feet touched down on the roof on the other side, just barely having reached the other side, the edge terrifyingly close by, one of his heels only half on the roof. Knees bended to disperse the impact, and the compromised balance due to his chest being angled with the floor was taken advantage of as one shoulder was pushed forwards and closer to the underground, leading the bat in a roll that nullified any negative effects the impact might have caused.

Brandon did not get up as he usually would have, instead opting to stay down for a bit, playing it safe. Human ears might not be as accurate as his, but there was no way they didn't hear his body colliding with the roof. It had been rather loud... or did it just seem so to him? There was no telling, but it was best not to underestimate the guards. Even if they might not know where the sound came from, they would be alarmed and maybe even start a search.... Well, as long as he stayed up here he should be fine, he guessed. Hiding up high had always proved to be advantageous, tonight he'd done quite a lot of that too.

Crawling to the edge to try and see what was going on was not only dangerous, but it was also completely unnecessary; his ears were more than up to the task of keeping him informed. It was night, it was a rest period; there weren't any distractions nearby, so locating the guards by using his accurate and keen hearing was easy. It seemed that two of the Shinya of the group closest to his current position had stayed where they were, while another had ventured into the alley to go check. There was no alley behind them, so it was obvious -to them anyway- that the sound could only have come from there. It was actually a good thing Brandon had been forced up the roofs, otherwise he'd have run into the guards sooner or later -and that was still a possibility. From observations done during his time in the city, and from run-ins with them, the bat was sure that charging into them and try to break through was about the stupidest thing he could do.

Not only did they use some creepy magic that could floor him without even touching his body, they were also quite skilled in combat, something he'd experienced first-hand. Avoiding them was the best strategy, and right now it seemed best to stay up here for a while, until they had calmed down and believed the person that caused the noise was not around anymore. This could take longer than he expected, or maybe not quite as long. It depended on the Shinya entirely. It gave Bran some time to calm down too, and think about his current situation, analyze it and plot a further course of action.

The radius of the area the Shinya had been stationed around was quite large, and the number of guards was limited. Even if all guards with night shifts were to show up, there wouldn't be a lot of them left that could patrol the area left unguarded. That however, was -if he looked at it from the Shinya's point of view- of no importance, since the criminal had been confined to a limited area which exits were guarded by competent guards. In theory, the suspect couldn't escape. True, but the ambush had failed solely due to the fact that Brandon wasn't an ordinary person, but a Kelvic with sensitive hearing abilities. If he hadn't been, the Shinya would have caught him for sure. He wouldn't have heard their whispers from afar, he would have exited the alley and he would have realized his mistake when it was too late.

Because he had heard them though, he had taken the roofs, which was the weak spot in their plan. Since they had stuck close to the walls near the exit of the alleyways, they couldn't keep an eye on the rooftops, which had allowed Brandon's escape. While that was great and all, the problem was how to continue from there. Surely there were a couple patrols left outside this guarded area, but there shouldn't be a lot of them, and the thief could easily avoid them. That wasn't the problem though, but the question when the guards would stop nervously glance around them was -the Kelvic assumed that they were doing so anyway- and when Bran would be able to gather the courage to peek so he could be sure about the guards. Well, he'd just have to wait for a couple of chimes.

* * *

How long had it been? Ten chimes? Fifteen? Longer? Brandon couldn't be sure, he had lost track when he had started staring at the stars and moon to pass time. There hadn't been a lot of movement coming from the Shinya, so he assumed they had regained their calm. The excellent time to sneak closer to the edge and glance... Or he could just go to the other end of the roof and clamber down, it wouldn't make a difference. If that was the case, then why hadn't he made his move earlier? Nerves. Like he had been it was a bad idea to try and get away, it was best to stay calm and focused instead of being paranoid and tense. He'd have jumped and startled by every sound and shadow otherwise, maybe once more succumbing to panic. No, it had been best to hide under the Shinya's noses -where they'd never guess he was hiding- and calm down. And now he had.

As such, the bat was now crawling to the edge of the roof, away from the blockade of guards, slowly letting his legs dangle and lowering his body with great care, a bit tense until he felt the sill he had been aiming for underneath his feet. Descending always had been much more stressful than ascending, he had no idea why. It wasn't like he had more problems with it, demonstrated by the fact that he soon had cobbled stones of the street supporting his feet. A couple glances were sent left and right, a moment was taken to orient himself and plan the route he'd take, the one that would lead him to his house the fastest, and then the thief started moving again, cautiously but quick and quiet. This should be the easy part, his house wasn't that far off anymore.

His shadowy silhouette zigzagged through the streets, weaving through alleys swiftly and silently, stopping at every corner to scout for guard patrols out to catch him. Crossroads and the mouth of other routes were passed as fast as possible so he wouldn't be seen. Shinya patrols were avoided by taking detours, and just for safety the bat chose to traverse only the darkest alleyways if possible. It took him a while, and the rhythm of running, stopping, dashing, running, stopping, … was tiring him out rather quickly, but it mattered not to the thief. From time to time he took a break, walking and catching his breath in dark corners and shady alleys. Incognito's efforts were rewarded however, when he reached his residence without a guard on his heels and no shackles around his wrists.

A tired grin spread over his features as he inserted his key in the keyhole, took the time to make sure there was no one nearby and watching, and entered his safe haven, exhausted. The mask was removed from his sweaty face and hidden in the chest he opened, clothes were dumped on the stool standing near the hearth, and boots found their way to the middle of the room as Brandon dragged himself to his bunk and let his body fall onto the soft mattress. I could sleep for a season right now... his thoughts pondered, being rather accurate since it was winter and his kin were hibernating. And with that, the Kelvic thief closed his eyes and drifted off into a state of slumber.

[Ssezzkero]

Brandon Blackwing

XP:

• Larceny: +1
• Stealth: +3
• Intimidation: +1
• Escape Artist: +2
• Planning: +1
• Running: +1
• Climbing: +1
• Acrobatics: +1

Lores:

• Reminiscing about your family
• Magic: Can lead to overgiving
• Animation is a abomination
• Citizens of Lhavit: Rather naive in the face of crime
• Running from an explosion
• Somehow, The Shinya know your plan
• When searching for something, people forget to look up
• Acrobatics: Leaping between buildings
• You destroyed the Animation studio

Notes: Don't forget to edit your post in the request forum as 'Graded'. PM me if you have any questions or concerns.