Flashback The Wanderer [Malefic]

[Naevia Crassus]

Season of Fall, Day 54, 511 AV

Naevia Crassus Traveling the world of Mizahar was exhausting, to say the least. Everywhere she went, Naevia was faced with a new set of challenges, which she always met head-on. Sometimes Naevia came out victorious and other time she wound up in serious trouble. She was a pretty thief; stealing things that she figured people wouldn’t miss. However, there were a few different occasions where people did miss their belongings and Naevia was caught and sent to jail. An inmate had once told her to try and escape but she knew better. Just because she was a sly little fox, didn’t mean that she was going to risk getting herself into bigger trouble. Naevia just sat there until her ‘sentence’ was up and she was let go. That’s when she moved onto a new city with new spoils. She arrived just outside the wall of Alvadas and stared up at it. Looking left and right, she saw the wall varied somewhat in height. Was this city protected? Was it restricted to everyone but its residents? She didn’t know and she didn’t care to know. She was a decent climber and that’s exactly what she did- climbing up the wall and quickly hopping over to the other side. It wasn’t an easy journey, being that there were a few times she nearly few and probably would have seriously ignored herself but she made it nonetheless. She looked back at the great wall then turned on her heel and tried to get away from it as quickly as possible. The last thing she wanted to do was cause a scene and expose herself. Naevia held her bag close to her body, not knowing what kind of thieves filled these streets. She was lucky she hadn’t dropped it while going over the wall. Inside her bag was her trusty dagger and if she needed to use it, she wouldn’t hesitate but for now, she just kept walking and looking. It was a possibility that she might try to find a place to stay, for a short while. Naevia wasn’t known to stay in one place too long, even if she didn’t get into any sort of trouble while she was there. The streets were filled with all races and it was a little overwhelming. She had lived in the forest for months after leaving Wind Reach. The solitary life had become so familiar that the thought of living with other beings seemed taboo. Of course, Naevia had lived with others before, even though she was mostly a loner. The only time she hadn’t been a longer was when she was about four months old. She had moved in with a family, only after she had bonded with their son, Tiberius. Other than them, she was on her own- much like she was now. She had no friends, no family, no one to call her own. She was lost in the world and she wondered if she would ever find someone else to fill the void.

[Malefic]

Malefic whistled his usual eerie tune to himself, strolling through the city to see where the labyrinth would take him today. The ever changing streets always pleased him, no matter if they were alight with flames, filled with spikes, or any other of the usual treacherous obstacles that were more than common here in Alvadas. He was looking, more or less, for the library. He wanted to study more about illusions, of magic, and of the information contained in the world. He had to know it. He just had to. And so he continued his search for the library, taking random turns here and there, for there is never a predictable way to get to where you wanted in Alvadas, only luck and instinct. But he had a very sharp instinct, so he had a habit of finding his destination a tad bit easier than others. Ah, I think I see it... Malefic thought. The nuit squinted slightly and proceeded to walk towards what he depicted as the library. Hopefully it was, but if it wasn't...meh. He had no problem guessing the pathways. He had a lot of patience, since he was a nuit. Sure enough, he was right. He smiled and approached ever closer, only to notice something moving in the corner of his eye. He stopped in his tracks, and crouched. Even though he hadn't been in the wild for several years, his instinct and habits from the wilderness prevailed in his mind. This one moved with criminal intent. Malefic checked the possible exits, surveyed his surroundings, counted the amount of movements nearby to estimate the amount of possible opponents, and he checked his hindsight. More than 5 exits. "Plenty. One opponent. Easy enough to escape, or to counter. He checked his surroundings again and strode quickly to the library's wall, pressing himself against the wall, and listening closely.

[Naevia Crassus]

Naevia Crassus A tall woman, who looked to be human, passed by Naevia. She turned her head, watching her, noting the jewels around her neck. Naevia liked shiny things, especially if they were shiny. Maybe they were easy to take off and slip into her bag. Perhaps, she could talk the woman up and use her pickpocketing skills to get whatever she can from the woman and earn a bit of coin. She knew she was running low on funds and she probably wouldn't last much longer in a city that demanded money. Of course, she always had the option of living out her days in the woods as a fox and feeding off the land but something about the different races excited Naevia. She wanted to be around them and learn whatever she can about them. Humans were the most interesting, they were just so ordinary that somehow they were fascinating. She didn't notice anyone else, anyone that might be watching her, as she approached the woman. "Excuse ma'am, can you please help? I'm new here and this city is very confusing. I can't seem to find my way anywhere."That was her typical opener to people. She knew if she could gain their trust quickly, it would be easier to steal from them, due to the fact that they wouldn't expect it. How many people would expect a seemingly sweet and innocent girl to rob them blind? "Why of course, my dear. You see the trick is-" Naevia wasn't paying attention. She may have been looking at her face but her mind was reeling, trying to figure out what to take and how to take it. Her hazel eyes traveled down to the woman's wrist and she saw a very shiny, sparkly bracelet. Naevia took a step closer to her and began to point down the road. A frantic look came over her as she pretended to see something truly horrifying. Naevia screamed in mock terror and grabbed the wrist that held the bracelet. The woman, who was confused and slightly scared, had no idea what was going to happen. Naevia, quickly, took the bracelet off and shoved it into her bag. She shoved her hand into the woman's bag and tried to feel around but time was running out. The only loot she was going to have was the bracelet, at least from this poor victim. Naevia backed off of the woman and ran a hand through her dark hair. She took a few deep breaths and pretended to calm down. If there was one thing she was really good at, besides stealing and hunting, it was acting. "I am so sorry, I just thought- I thought I saw someone who threatened to harm me." "Oh, my dear, will you be all right? Shall I get you some assistance?" Holding up a hand and shaking her head, Naevia said; "No, it's all right. I'm just a little on edge. I doubt he'd have come all the way from Wind Reach to find me." Naevia saw the look of concern on the woman's face and she continued to offer Naevia help but she refused. She began to take her leave, walking down the road at a moderate pace, as to not bring attention to herself. She was close to the corner of a large building, something that looked like a library when she heard the woman shriek. "Thief! Someone help! She's stolen my jewels!" She had no choice but to run and that's exactly what she did.

[Malefic]

Malefic stared at the young woman sprinting along the stone pavement towards him, deciding whether or not to stop her. This was Ionu's city... but... it's just so beautiful, this robbery. He didn't know what to do, and in the end, he thought that Ionu would forgive him, and so he helped her. "Hey! Psst! Over here! To his ally, quick!" He waved over to her in hopes that she would accept his assistance...and pay for it, of course. But that was for a bit later. If she were to heed his call, he would usher her deep down into the back of the alley but remain standing shouting "Thief! Thief!" And pointing down the street away from the young woman. His ghastly pale face and sagging bags beneath his eyes discouraged any challenge the lady would pose to his statement of the her location. Malefic had to try actively to keep himself from bursting out laughing. The woman would get her jewelry back eventually, if Ionu so desired it.

[Naevia Crassus]

Naevia Crassus Her eyes caught sight of a man waving her over. She wasn't sure if it was a good idea to accept his help or not but what choice did she have? If he wanted some of the coin she planned on getting, he was off his rocker. Naevia ran towards him, following him down the alley. The woman screams could still be heard but hopefully the man would find a way to get people away from her. There was no telling if he held any threat or not. Once at the end of the alley, she stopped and took a deep breath. She was used to running, so the short distance wasn't enough to leave her winded. Her eyes glanced at the mysterious man. "Thank you, sir. I shall be on my way now," she said as she turned on her heel. When she had looked at him, she saw the bags under his eyes and the symbol that was drawn from his eye to his cheek. She sniffed at the air and could smell the danger coming off of him in waves. It was ideal for her to get out of there as quickly as she can.

[Malefic]

Malefic smiled gingerly at ther, a horrid smile given from a corpse. He noted a slight flinch as she saw his grisly features. He snickered and it echoed through the alley. "So... why steal?" A simple question asking for a simple question. He leaned against the wall casually, his smile enduring in the darkness. "Ionu wont appreciate too much crime, so at least be decent at it. The key is to get them not to notice you. I'm not sure what you stole or how you stole it, but seeing as how the woman knew you stole from her, she obviously noticed. And if you mess up, you could easily say something along the lines of 'Oh sorry! It was an accident!'" Malefic now took the time to look her up and down, assessing the person in front of him to judge any weaknesses, any flaws, any hidden blades, anything to give him the advantage.

[Naevia Crassus]

Naevia Crassus "It's simple enough. I have no money and no real way of earning it. Besides, it's easier to steal things. I usually only take things that I feel no one will miss but this bracelet was just too tempting." She held the silver band up and watched it sparkle faintly before sticking it into her bag. The old woman had stopped screaming by now but Naevia couldn't help but worry that they would be searching for her all night. This guy was talking of Ionu, someone or something Naevia had no idea about. She figured that this elaborate city would have some kind of strong security force. Naevia had been arrested on a few occasions but they were never for long periods of time. Usually, the victims only requested their items back. Of course, she was always kicked out of whatever city she happened to be in at the time. Naevia had, luckily, never been banned from an area and she hoped it would stay that way. "What can I say? I like shiny things." Her bright green eyes narrowed at the man in the dark, mysterious hood. He had just openly insulted her. No one was perfect, including Naevia. She had many flaws and sometimes she got caught, that was life. This guy probably wouldn't be able to name one person who hasn't been caught at least once in their criminal lives. "Look, I panicked. And why do you ever care? Why did you even help me? Last I checked, nuits weren't the nicest of beings." Oh yes, she knew. She could smell the decay on him. So unless he was rolling around in dead bodies and having tea parties with corpses, he was a nuit. She wondered how long he had been in his current body. He probably was looking for a new one but why in the world would he want to be a female? And a kelvic at that. Regardless of what his purposes were, she didn't want or need any more trouble. All she really wanted to do was take her leave and go onto the next city. Naevia's mind was calling for Riverfall and to her, that's all that matter. Besides the bracelet, that is. The bracelet would go on her journey with her and maybe she'd try to sell it in another city, even though she thought it might look very, very pretty on her tiny wrist.

[Malefic]

A sly snicker echoed through the alley the two figures were residing in. "Why do I care...? Curiosity, and my way of life. I like stealing. Free things, minimal effort. Most people wont even confront me about it if I pick the right victim..." He noted her expression, guessing that she didn't quite like nuits. Heh, nothing new. Malefic rolled his eyes. "Would you mind sharing a piece of that bracelet with me? I'm sure that had I not shown up, you'd, quite frankly, be screwed. He chuckled a little, and stroked his dead chin. "You may come to regret it, should you choose the wrong answer to this question... His face became stern at the end of this sentence, emphasizing the last 5 words. He let his words hang in the air a few moments. The nuit then pulled off a slightly crazy smile to the woman. This was a total bluff. In truth, Malefic actually couldn't do very much to her. Sure, he had a gruesome appearance, but in the end, all that meant was that his body was slow. A corpse, walking. Corpses dont move too fast, and so, neither did he. All he could do was be scary, and maybe pickpocket a little. His only advantage was intelligence. Though, there wasn't much of a body to carry out his intelligent wishes. So he cast the lie out into the air to see if she would catch on. Come to think of it, he didn't really know this woman at all. His curiosity arose once more. "Hmm... so what do they call you? Why are you here?"

[Naevia Crassus]

Naevia Crassus "I guess I could share...you did help me after all..." She didn't like the idea but she felt she had no choice. A nuit was a nasty creature, one capable of stealing your body. Naevia wasn't sure of how the process worked but she had a good feeling he had to kill her first. And if he didn't have to kill her- she didn't even want to think about that. Her emerald eyes fell onto his seemingly dead ones. "I have one request though." Her words hung in the air as she waited for his agreement. Naevia looked around her, trying to think of a quick escape, in case he backed away from the request. If he did, she would take her small prize and leave him in the dust. She was fast enough, she was sure of it. After the incident on the street, she knew she couldn't stay within the city limits. Therefore, a quick getaway would be simple and she wouldn't get caught. She wouldn't let herself.

[Malefic]

It worked. Good. I need more embalming liquid. "Wise choice." He stifled a chuckle at the slightest grimace on her face. She was thinking about him stealing her body. He could tell. Everyone did. Gingerly leaning against the alley wall, Malefic listened to her question. "Request?" The corpse perked up an eyebrow. "What kind of request? I'm not going to give you money, as I don't have any to spare." A total lie. He had a sizeable quantity of money, seeing as how he didn't have to pay any bills. No house. No food. No water. No bills. Well, except embalming liquid and corpses. But he had plenty of money for the embalming liquid, and he was satisfied with stealing corpses from the grave. Her eyes wander a lot. Too much. He guessed she, being a thief, was looking for a way out. The nuit couldn't do much to stop her if she did. Malefic sighed. He needed to get stronger somehow. If I weren't in this damned body of mine...