New Beginnings (Syndre)

[Nydryn]

60th of Winter 510AV Nydryn’s footsteps were soft as she slowly walked back into Ravok. Just seeing the familiar buildings gave her flashbacks like pictures in her mind. Memories of her mother sweeping her and her siblings into her arms, her mother crying when her father left, her mother leaving without saying goodbye. A small tear crept down her cheek as she thought of her mother as a slave. She quickly wiped it away, glancing around to make sure no one noticed. This was her chance for a new start, and she wasn’t going to dwell on the past. She had her bag with her that had basic items in it, but other than that, and a few paintings, she had nothing. She slowly began walking to her mother’s old apartment. Maybe a sibling of hers or someone who knows something about the location of her family lives here now. She ran a hand through her hair and adjusted the bag on her shoulder. She walked up to the door and knocked, a feeling of dread spread through her. An older woman opened the door and frowned at Nydryn. Nydryn smiled anyway, Hi, I am Nydryn Sangre Nydryn said, My mother and my siblings and I used to live here. Do you happen to know anything about the location of them now? The woman glared at her, and in a strong accent replied, I know nothing of this. Now go and do not come back. We are not looking for trouble. The woman slammed the door in Nydryn’s face. Nydryn turned around, her face portraying the sadness she felt inside.

[Syndre]

A lithe figure moved ever so slowly across the roof top of an

apartment building. Dressed in only clothing dyed a deep black, he looked like a
silhouette in the bright sun.The creeping rogue kept his pace
deliberate not only toward off attention, but for his own safety since
these roofs felt slightly unstable. He carefully worked his way to the
thick base of a chimney and settled his back againstthe cool stone,
practically melting into the shadow it provided.

Syndre remained there for a long moment. Black digits

encased in leather curled around a dark blue triangle at his throat,
a silent prayer of thanks given to Akajia for her shadows.
He took this time to research the cluster of dwellings. Though
he lived in this city for a score of years, there were always
areas to investigate and memorize. Looking a map every time he
needed to escape trouble just didn't cut it, he needed to feel
it out, experience actual locations.

Deciding where to travel next, the rogue slipped forth

from the shadows and came to the edge of apartment. His head tilted
downward and azure orbs scanned the street below. His lips
twisted with unease from beneath a cloth mask and he looked
back up to the next building across the way. He calculated the
distance in feet and decided jumping across wasn't wise. Instead,
he gently removed the coiled whip tied to his sash and gripped
it's handle tightly.

A slender wrist snapped forward and the length of the

black leather struck the air at full reach. The end of the weapon touched the
next roof over with about a foot to spare before it's weight
caused it to slip down into the gap between apartments. Another
snap of the whip sent the tip across once more, that extra foot
of length quickly curling around a wooden board sticking unevenly
out from the rest of the roof. The serpentine grip lasted but a
few seconds before the whip weakly released it's hold and returned
to the space between the ledges.

Determined to succeed, Syndre continued until finally

slithering the leather around the board tightly. He grabbed the
ebon handle with both gloves and positioned himself as if to swing
across. Another swift glance downward was given and he slowly
took in a breath of air to calm his nerves. The muscle of his
forearm twitched beneath a toothed gauntlet. His grip was tight.
He could do this.

"No.... no you cant," the thief told himself

as he relaxed and sent a firm wave down the tenacious
whip. The end uncurled and released the wood it had been choking.
He would climb down. He trusted his ability to scale a wall more
than swinging across the wide alley. He returned the slick leather
coils to his hip and began his descent down the building, using any
and every foothold and protrusion that he could find. These buildings
offered many and he was able to safely climb down from second
story to ledge of a window.

"Pssss.. hey... hey...," his voice was but a whisper but

audible to the person turning around below
him. He had saw the woman during his slow descent, but he was
unsure what she was doing. The door had slammed moments before
and he knew she wasn't welcome here, and that she was probably
going to leave. "Hey...," again he whispered while
taking a peek over his shoulder and into the window behind him. He
needed to get her attention before any residents peered out their
window.

[Nydryn]

Nydryn heard a voice whisper above her. She tried to wipe the sad look from her face, but it did not work very well. She turned around slowly and looked up to see a man. He had a black mask on and her heart leapt in fear. His hair was dark, and his eyes were a deep blue. She frowned, noticing that the man's face seemed familiar but she brushed the feeling off. She wasnt very good at fighting and she feared she would lose if the man attacked her. Searching around in her bag, her hand brushed one of the three daggers she kept on her almost always. Making it look like she was fixing her boots, she stuck the sheathed dagger in her boot. Nydryn then quickly put the bag farther on her shoulder and stepped back in case the man was going to try anything. The sadness that was inside vanished suddenly with the appearance of adrenaline. Her body was tensed, prepared to fight... or run. "Yes?" Her voice was sharp. She didnt trust this man. She glanced around the street to look for the quickest way to escape. She was fast and she knew that even though the theif was fast, she could probably escape if he was to try and take her bag. "What do you want from me?" she continued, her voice still harsh and cold, "If you want my bag, well you arent getting it."

[Syndre]

"I don't want your bag!...," his whisper was a little more

urgent than before. Again he looked back into the window
and saw a flicker of movement within the apartment. He
tried to position himself off to the side of the window,
but the stone ledge was only about the width of the
window's frame. His balance wavered a few times, but his
tensing sinew kept him from falling.

"Bring the hay closer...," he demanded, pointing with

a single black dyed finger in the direction of a wooden
cart filled with golden hay.

He controlled his breathing, remaining calm. He had

climbed buildings before, but he was by far no expert. This is how
he trained himself though, by putting himself into situations
were he was forced to get creative. His left foot worked
slowly upon the ledge as a light gust of wind tried to pull
him off the building. A delicate shower of crumbling stone
and dust spilled downward from the weight of his shifting body.

His thoughts raced within his head. He had two options

here. Either this wary stranger would decide to help him and he
would have to bust thru the window and create a scene inside.
His second choice would no doubt bring more attention to
him than he cared for and maybe even the city authorities.
If there was a struggle in the apartment, he might even be
forced to murder someone to secure his escape. He didn't like
killing if he didn't have to. It could get messy and presented
a likelihood of getting injured himself. His next move
revolved around Nydryn's actions.

[Nydryn]

Her eyes narrowed as he told her to move the cart over. She did not like to be told to do anything… rather she preferred to be asked, politely. Nydryn saw the impatience on the stranger’s face and it left no room for politeness. He urged her to move the hay cart closer, she assumed so that he could jump off of the ledge and into the cart to get down. He had said that he didn’t want her bag, but in the past, she had learned not to trust thieves that easily. People brushed by her on all sides. They didn’t notice the strange man in thief’s clothes on the roof of a house. She felt the seconds tick by like hours as she contemplated moving the cart for the man. What if he had just stolen something and she was helping him get away? Nydryn shook her head and heard a loud clash inside the apartment behind the man. She knew he could see her hesitation and was looking for alternate escape routes. She adjusted her bag, and while keeping an eye on the man, she moved the hay cart closer so that he could jump down. The dagger was still stuck in her boot, and she knew how to use it if need be. Her skirt swung around her legs as she walked, and she took a few steps back to watch what the man would do.

[Syndre]

He didn't look to see what the disruption was in

the apartment, his attention was on the woman as she
pulled the cart closer toward him. A gloved hand faintly
touched the symbol hanging around his neck and
then he jumped. He could have jumped without
the assistance, but from that distance it would have
been easy to break his leg or roll an ankle. The fall
seemed to take minute rather than seconds and he
braced himself for the impact.

There was a loud crash as he forcefully hit the cart.

Straws of hay quickly filled the air with the landing,
sending a cloud of hovering dust upward. The two back
wheels snapped off and rolled, causing the cart to slam
down against the ground at an angle. His body slid
in the direction of the slant and spilled out onto the
rough street. He quietly groaned while rolling over
to a knee, slowly lifting himself up into a shaken
stance.

"Maybe that wasn't such a good idea...," he said with

a brief shake of his head. The twin braids running
down beside his ears whipped gently against his masked
face as he tried to clear the constant ringing in his
head. The brazen maneuver drew many eyes in their
direction and even a few amused laughs. It was time to
go.

"We need to leave... follow me...," again the urgency

was noted by the sound of his voice, and again in a
demanding manner.

The first step he took was off balance, but he quickly

regained his composure. There was an unseen smile
beneath the black fabric of his mask, his azure gaze
casting an investigating stare her way. Did he know this
woman? His memory wasn't what it use to be from the ill
effects his addicting herbs had upon his mind. Surely
he recognized her, yet he couldn't summon a name if his
life depended on it.

[Nydryn]

The man quickly jumped off of the ledge and sent clouds of hay from the cart when he landed. Muttering something about the idea of jumping off the roof hadn’t been a good one, the man regained his composure and demanded her to follow him. It seemed to Nydryn that he constantly talked in that tone and she did not like it. Her father used to talk to her in the same tone, and it gave her unpleasant memories for someone to speak to her like that. Nydryn again frowned at the demanding tone of the man’s voice asking her to follow him. Now that the man on the roof had jumped down, Nydryn could see his face better. Again, she had a feeling that they had met before but she didn’t remember much before the year that her parents went away. More racket was coming from the apartment and Nydryn had no idea what was going on and she didn’t want to stay and find out. She pulled her cloak around her shoulders and quickly followed the strange man. They quickly moved through the streams of people and reached a point. Needing to go left or right to avoid falling into a canal, the man led her left. Nydryn shook her head. This was all so familiar. Raking her brain for memories, it suddenly dawned on her that she had traveled this same path to escape from an old man who wanted to ransom her. She vaguely remembered the boy who helped her, but she had forgotten his name. “Excuse me” Nydryn said, calling to the strange man in front of her, “Where are we going?" The man had turned his face around and Nydryn found herself looking into his deep blue eyes. They were so familiar, but she could not remember who, in her past that had those same eyes. All her siblings had brown eyes and so did her mother. Her father had blue eyes, but this man was too young to be her father.

[Syndre]

"Quick in here... there is an Ebonstryfe just ahead...,"

he was lying of course. He had already scanned the path
in front of them and saw no signs of the deadly group. He
was simply persuading her to follow. A look over a silk
adorned shoulder was given to her before his ebon shrouded
form disappeared within a narrow gap between two buildings.

A swarm of thoughts streamed through his mind as the shadows

engulfed his body. The features of her face relayed over
his network of memories as he tried to match them with a name.
Slightly frustrated, he gave up on the task and instead worked
a quick plan in his head. His daring jump off the second story
window didn't help him formulate due to the multitude of
minor injuries that he acquired from the landing.

Yes, that was it. His tiny scrapes and bruising would provide

the makings of a swiftly manifested plan. All of these thoughts
converged almost simultaneously upon taking those first few
steps into the alley. Even when drug induced, he was able to
figure out situations quickly. He had been trained since a
child to do so and had many experiences to aid him.

The weight of his favorite weapon was felt on outer edge of his

buckle decorated boot. The black sheath was conveniently held
in place by various leather straps that hugged the upper region
of his right boot. This was a good thing. He hadn't checked
his extensive inventory after the fall, but he assumed everything
was still secured and in it's proper place.

[Nydryn]

Nydryn was accustomed to running fast, so she had no trouble keeping up with the stranger. He had called out that there was an Ebonstryfe ahead and not even glancing to see if the man was telling the truth, she followed him into the gap between the buildings and blinked, surprised to see him almost disappear as soon as he reached the shadows. The shadows didn't do the same for her, but they did do enough to hide her frame from the view of most, unless they thoroughly searched the shadows. Her dark brown cloak hid her face from unwanted viewers as she pulled the hood over her head. Nydryn narrowed her eyes as she glanced down at her boots, now covered with mud. The dagger that she had put in her boot was now slipping and she needed to stop running soon or the dagger would slide out of her boot. The bag on her back was beginning to weigh her down, and she moved her shoulders, trying to put the bag in a more comfortable position. Nydryn finally had enough. She was starting to doubt if there even was an Ebonstryfe, for no one had followed them. She needed to be told what was going on and why she must stick with this stranger. She reached out a hand and pulled on the man’s arm, making him stop, her slim, pale fingers attaching to his shirt. Glaring at him, she quickly adjusted her boot, and in the process fixed the dagger’s position. She stood back up, making sure the man hadn’t left. “Now stranger,” she began, intentionally taking her time, seeing the impatience on the man’s face, “Before I go one more step with you, I need to know why I must continue with you. I moved that stupid hay cart for you, but I have no reason for following you now.” Her eyes blazed blue fire as she spoke and she stared at the man’s face, waiting for his response.

[Syndre]

He held honed instincts at bay when she placed her hand

upon his silken shirt. His movements ceased and he used
this to initiate his thought out facade. The arc of his
back settled against the smooth stone of the nearby wall
and he lowered his frame onto his left knee. Knowing she
couldn't see the full extent of his visage due to the
concealing mask he wore, he mustered up a faint groan as
if he was in greater pain than he was. His leather consumed
hands slipped around the front of his right knee, holding
it as if he were injured.

"Surely you do... you are an accomplice to a crime...," he

said in a pain laced tone. The swimming azure of his eyes
became hidden as he faked a wince, grasping his raised knee
a little tighter than before.

"If the Black Sun get a hold of you... what makes you think

that you wouldn't be charged for helping me escape?...," the
lies continued spill forth from his covered lips.

The back of his head touched the shaded stone of the wall, his

short spiked hair offering a soft cushion. The tightly woven
braids on either side of his head slithered downward like
black snakes against the inner curve of his shoulders, and
further down to the middle of his chest. The tilt of his head
exposed the light color of his throat, which had a short thread
encircling his neck and a dark blue triangle resting at the end.

"Help me with my leg... and I will tell you everything...,"

his eyes opened and looked in her direction as he spoke. He
put on an act that came naturally, his radiant pools almost
pleading for her to assist him. To some, this show would be
looked upon as pathetic, but to the right people you could
lure them in with helplessness. It worked very well when he
was a child and he was able to contribute to his family with
copper rimmed Mizas from begging. Syndre believed her to be
the latter. She had followed him this far had she not?

He decided to lay it on thick now to get an immediate response

from her. He squinted in pain again, very quickly retracting
his hands from his right knee. Instead his gloved hands retreated
along his thigh, dark fingertips clenching firmly at the air.
The only space upon his arms where the skin was exposed was from
the crook of his elbows to the top of his biceps. The hard
worked muscles that were shown had clenched with the sudden
movement of his hands, again adding to the overall display of
irritation.