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| [Graded]You Set Us Up!; Artesia | |
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| Topic Started: Dec 18 2013, 04:04 PM (1,335 Views) | |
| 竜 Mazohyst | Dec 18 2013, 04:04 PM Post #1 |
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Stay the course.
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It had been ages since Artorius had last stepped foot in the civilized world. He had spent a nearly insufferable amount of time in the humid jungles of Lancarri, and what time he spent inside was in either a musty old temple, or in a smoke-choked cave. Though, while he wouldn't admit such a thing in person, he considered those locales now his home. But, Artorius had another home too -- Dandelion Sector. This city and county was where he had grown up. And boy, was it a shit hole to say the least. But, it was his shit hole. Taking a deep breathe of said garbage dump, Artorius felt glad to be home. "Ahh... Dandelion. Sometimes I think this whole city was put here simply because the gods adore crime. Pickpockets rob the common folk, merchants rob anyone they can dupe, and the Duke robs the robbers and the common folk, while the lesser nobles rob nearly everyone," he whispered to himself as he sat above a rooftop, full regalia donned. Oh, of course. Artorius was back in business. He was already suited up and ready to heist, rob, and larc.... Whatever the verb form of larceny is. Artorius was never exactly book smart anyway. Guy couldn't even read til his teens. Though, that hardly mattered to him now. You see, he was tracking someone. A woman with hair the color of blood and fire, with a particularly expensive pair of daggers apparently. Ancient relics? Right up his alley, but only if he could pawn or fence it for a pretty penny. Red haired woman? According to his client and informant, this was just the kind of job he was looking for. Artorius had been out of the business for so long. Being in Lancarri Jungle meant that he had a lot of things to take care of, and one of those things was paying bills. He racked up quite the sum for his rent. It was troublesome, really. Quite the pain, but it was something he had to deal with as getting evicted is never exactly fun. While he had been out of the trade for awhile, as Artorius stood perched on a gargoyle overlooking the dilapidated city of Dandelion, Artorius hardly felt as if his skills had rusted. In fact, they were better than ever. Training with a dragon has its perks, and among those would be his vastly improved physical abilities compared to before. As Artorius jumped from his perch on the corner of a building's roof towards another nearby roof, rolling to soften his landing, he couldn't help but wonder how in the living hell he survived so long while being so weak. Causality is truly a beautiful thing, well only when it's not stabbing you in the metaphorical, or even literal, nutsack. "Now, where in the hell is this chick...?" he whispered to himself faintly, voice slightly muffled by the mask concealing his face. The man's lightweight leather armor served a multi-purpose role here, as it not only kept his identity safe, it also protected him (though he'd prefer to avoid any fights entirely), but lastly it also kept him warm. While Dandelion was towards the southern end of Fiore, a brutal and frigid gale that came down right from Mount Hakobe itself rushed through the country, right down Dandelion's asscrack. Another reason to hate Dandelion. Another reason to love it. |
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| Lightning | Dec 19 2013, 04:05 AM Post #2 |
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Steel your mind. Run on instinct.
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Busy streets might have been something many dreaded to see let alone travel through for the risks and otherwise unpleasant things that went along with their ocean of sometimes smelly bodies, in Dandelion though there was a whole other slew of reasons as to why a busy street would bring dread to those that walked it. Theft; it was far too easy to simply reach over and steal things from pockets and the like when everyone was as close to one another as they were in the small and crowded street of Dandelion that Artesia currently walked through and for many reasons it was why she enjoyed the place like she did. Luckily though for Artesia she was the one doing the thieving and enjoying the fun that came with it. It wouldn't so fun for those that were on the receiving end of it though -when they realised- that was for sure and yet when Artesia imagined their faces as they found out they'd been robbed she couldn't help but smirk. It was a dog eat dog world out there and she had no qualms with teaching those that weren't quite aware of it just how close to home that fact could run. Normally Artesia would have had no qualms about walking around in her normal attire and with all of her weapons showing themselves nicely but on the night in question she'd chosen to wear something extra in order to conceal herself. Not only was there cold winds blowing through the sector but there was someone in particular she wanted to find and sneak up on, a target that she was actually rather excited to be after. According to her client the man had an expensive and sought after dagger in his possession which to be frank was exactly the kind of job the woman enjoyed, until she saw signs of him though there was nothing wrong with making a little extra cash now and enjoying the night now was there? Bills didn't just pay themselves after all. Unfortunately all that Artesia had managed to get from her informant on the man she was after was that he had dark coloured hair and was agile and skilled enough to be a thief of his own accord. Thieving from idiots was one thing but stealing from a thief? Well, such an act held with it another kind of exhilaration. While her hands were busy stealing from those she could in the streets without stopping so much as a single step Artesia was on guard and looking all around for the man she was after, little did she know that she could have let him seek her out. Movement in the corner of her eye caught the woman's attention but as she flickered he gaze to where she had sworn it come from upon a rooftop she was met with nothing but the night sky, had the thief she was after unknowingly chosen a victim from those in the very street she was playing in? What a delightful coincidence. The odds were though that man was still in the process of seeking a target out and knowing how the mind of a thief worked she knew that he'd be after the one that strayed from the herd. She just had to make herself a prime target for him and if he'd noticed her stealing as much as she had been then she knew he'd know she held monetary value, the next step was to make herself the poor lamb he would pounce upon. Artesia lowered the hood of her cloak to her shoulders in order to reveal herself as a woman and therefore in the minds of many men an easier target than her male counterpart and at the next opportunity to duck into an alleyway of substantial size she would turn off and await the arrival of the eyes that had been watching her. |
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| 竜 Mazohyst | Dec 19 2013, 04:26 AM Post #3 |
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Stay the course.
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The least enjoyable part of the job was the stake out. Typically, Artorius robbed from places and less so things. Robberies and pickpocketing was child's play to Artorius. He preferred sneaking in places more than sneaking his fingers into loose pockets. Usually, on a job he would stake out a location and then plan ahead before executing the larceny. But, this job was different obviously. Artorius was tracking a woman, a woman who he had no idea where she was. He had to find her somehow, some way. Though, at least there were a few ways to point her out. The first was her hair color, but that was difficult if she was concealing her identity. The second was that she was like Artorius. She was a woman who had fast hands and enjoyed stealing. If his informants were correct, then Artorius could find her by watching busy streets and observing the tell tale signs of people being swindled and stolen from. More than most, Artorius knew how to find these signs. As Artorius stood perched on his vantage point, generally away from the public eye due to the relative darkness of the night, but also the shadows cast on the rooftops, he watched and observed. People stole in this particularly busy street, known colloquially as the Skid Row, all the time. This is where Artorius honed his skills as a kid. This is where a lot of kids practiced their trade, or at worst, struggled to survive. The streets were busy and the people seemed quite ordinary. People would be bumping into one another all the time, but it wasn't always on accident. A bump into the shoudler and a slip into the pocket, and just as quickly they'd be gone. That was usually how it went. Those were the basics. But, as Artorius sat and watched, he noticed someone pickpocketing with great skill, to the point where even he had failed to notice it the first time. The individual's hands were fast, and the contact with the victim was notably brief. These skills are not only learned, but often people are born thieves, naturals. This one looked to be both -- a natural talent, but one that is also practiced to the point of near perfection, simply because perfection can never be reached. In a moment, the individual turned towards Artorius' location, but just as quickly as she glanced towards him, Artorius was already gone behind the safety of a nearby water tower on another roof top. This one was shifty. Though, she quickly revealed herself to be his target. Quite suspicious, frankly. Perhaps she was playing possum here? Strange indeed, but Artorius wouldn't take the bait. He instead simply observed, shifting his stance forward to get a better view. Then, in an instant, the woman was pounced upon, but not by Artorius, but by another. Well, technically there were two of them. Two men, scrawny and rather scruffy looking, with dirt on their faces, clothed in darkly colored garbs. Quickly, they drew their knives and made a concerted effort to surround the girl as she was now backed up into an alley. "Tch, amateurs," he scoffed as he watched them. These guys clearly didn't know the meaning of subtlety. However, he wasn't complaining too much. They might just make this easier on him, as if Artorius swept in at the right time, he could steal the dagger right from under their noses just as easily, if not easier, than if he were to take it from the red-headed woman. |
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| Lightning | Dec 19 2013, 05:18 AM Post #4 |
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Steel your mind. Run on instinct.
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While her plan to bait in thieves had indeed worked Artesia couldn't say it was a resounding success. She'd managed to lure in some eager people that had been eyeing her but based on the fact that there was two of them she had the feeling that they weren't who she was after. The man she'd been told about was supposedly someone that worked alone and with skill to burn in doing so, just based on the way they were moving and the way they were coming at her was enough to confirm it. They were sloppy and even with their numbers advantage they weren't going about things correctly, they were underestimating their opponent and it would cost them. Why would someone that had no way of defending themselves walk down an alley in the middle of Dandelion Sector alone let alone a woman that had revealed herself to be just that. Whatever, she'd just teach them just how large of a mistake they had made. The prey they thought they had caught would soon turn out to be a wolf in sheep's clothing. As the two figures made themselves known Artesia immediately stopped walking and waited, listening to the footsteps of the one behind her told her all she needed to know about his movements and well the one in front of her was easy enough to read. Both men closed in on the lone female figure and as they did so a smirk graced her features, it was one that only the man in front of her could see but it was enough to throw him off kilter and cause him to cease his advance, too bad it was all too late to matter. In the blink of an eye nine large shuriken shaped blades formed surrounding Artesia, roughly the size of a the average Frisbee and a dark glossy black in colour they flickered in what little moonlight was available to them. The blades sat still for only a moment before hurtling out through the air in straight lines but it would be long enough for the man watching the fight to notice them and their details. Several of the blades struck the walls of the buildings on either side of the alley but those that didn't flew by Artesia's enemies just slicing them on the sides of their abdomens, the cuts were painful and while they were debilitating they were far from what would be fatal. Injured and surprised the men both let out grunts of pain and clutched at their sides but as they realised they weren't quite finished yet they felt the need to say something they would regret, "You should aim better when you have the element of surprise you know, such a waste." Ah, so they thought that was all Artesia had up her sleeve, how short sighted. "Hmm?" The moment that her lips moved the mage beckoned to the blades which still floated in the air behind the men and while they had no idea she'd done so they soon found out as the blades came travelling back to her travelling through the air spinning as if caught in a tornado of kinds. Unprepared and without a defence the men were slashed and cut several times by each blade every time they made a rotation and as they returned to Artesia they disappeared into air but they had done their job. "Please, do tell me again how much I screwed up." On the ground the two men couldn't move for their wounds but they would live, as they groaned in pain and cursed the woman that had made fools of them in silence they could do nothing to stop her as she flipped them over with her foot seemingly searching for something. Edited by Lightning, Dec 19 2013, 12:38 PM.
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| 竜 Mazohyst | Dec 19 2013, 06:54 AM Post #5 |
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Stay the course.
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These men were fools. Sloppy, stupid bastards to boot. Their stances were flimsy, their approach was lousy. They trapped the woman in the alleyway, but this kitty had claws. There's little more terrifying than a feline predator with its back against a wall. These two men didn't seem to be anything more than a pair of common thugs who heard of a bounty on a pair of daggers. They picked the wrong fight it seemed. In a flurry of red hair, black clothes, and steel blades, the woman managed to easily defeat them. Their abdomens were cut, though the wounds weren't deep. But soon, they would be torn to shreds from a near-literal tornado of whirling sinister steel. The thugs would live if they got treatment within the day, provided they were actually smart enough to seek medical attention out. The woman was skilled. Artorius would even go so far as to say she was exceptional in that fanciful display. Though, it was a bit too flashy and rough for his liking. Still, it was quite impressive, a far cry from that sloppy show that the amateurish thugs put on. Still, they did one thing right, and that was to act as useful bait. Artorius didn't plan on them being there, but he figured they were useful in that regard. Besides that, their presence and actions allowed him to size up this woman, but also to see for certain if she was his target. So far, all signs were pointing towards a resolute 'yes.' "Well, at least those assholes were useful for something," Artorius whispered to himself, his voice muffled a bit by the mask covering his face. "Now, time to make an entrance..." he added before standing upright. Quickly, he broke into sudden dash. In an instant, he was just above the alley way. Taking his mask off for a quick moment, nowhere near long enough for his face to be seen, Artorius made his entrance. "Nothing like second-hand smoke. Kemuryū no... Hōkō (Smoke Dragon's Roar)!" He cried out, before suddenly expelling a huge beam of magical smoke. It wasn't aimed directly at the woman, but instead near her feet. Upon contact with the ground, the alleyway would quickly be covered with a thick smoke which made vision and breathing difficult to those caught within it, which included the downed thugs provided that they weren't smart enough to run. After his roar, Artorius quickly covered his face with his mask again. Artorius' goal with that move wasn't to hurt or harm, but instead to drench the area with smoke. Following that, he landed quietly, just behind the woman and quickly rose up in an instant. Reaching for her arms, Artorius attempted to pull her close to him, with her back against his chest. Quite romantic, if not for the fact that he was doing this with the intention of stealing one of those pretty little daggers on her belt. "I'll have to apologize for the smoke, but well... Business is business," he declared as his lips curled into a smirk. Edited by Mazohyst, Dec 19 2013, 06:55 AM.
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| Lightning | Dec 19 2013, 02:10 PM Post #6 |
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Steel your mind. Run on instinct.
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The interaction between the two men that had jumped her in the alley and Artesia herself had proven to be less of a fight and more of one sided ass whooping, "I wish I could say this has been fun boys~" Artesia teased with a smirk as she pushed one of the men over onto his back with her foot, "But I'd be lying." Her words were like salt to an open wound to the men at her feet and cursing at her they tried their best to seem big and tough despite being on the ground and literally under her feet. The more that the woman pushed them around with her shoe the more agitated they became and for good reason, it wasn't like she was being gentle or anything of the sort. "What the hell are you doing you stupid bitch, if you're going to kill us then just do it!" Kill them? Why on earth would she waste energy to do something like that when she could just leave them there to lament on the mistake they made in jumping her. Besides, if her suspicions were correct and neither of them proved to be the man she was after then they would do her no good as corpses that couldn't speak. "Not worth the effort." She scanned the men with her eyes only to find that there was no sign of the daggers she was after on either of them. Sure, they had daggers and the like but any thief would given the way things went down in their line of work, none of them were anything cheap pieces of crap though. Not only were they terrible thieves and idiots to boot but their equipment was utter trash, it was nothing short of disgraceful to say the least. After she gave the man under her foot a rather nasty squeeze against the concrete ground beneath him out of disappointment and frustration Artesia turned to leave the alleyway and continue her search for her target, she didn't get far though before the sound of someone approaching from above drew cause for immediate alarm. She'd been expecting the man she was after to have been around but to think that he was quite this close was exciting. When the man fired out a beam of smoke Artesia instinctively prepared to take a leap backwards in order to dodge it, when it's trajectory seemed aimed just in front of her though the situation changed. So he wasn't trying to hit her with the smoke which meant that he was going to use it for cover, a smoke mage was he? Interesting, she couldn't say she'd ever dealt with one of those before but it didn't mean she was scared, there was a first time for everything. The smoke quickly spread out filling the alleyway and knowing that it would be a risk to breath it in directly Artesia moved fast to bring a scarf she was wearing under her hooded cloak up as a makeshift half mask. Who would have known that the chilly winds would have had her rug up just enough to be useful for what had been to come. An eerie and tense silence took over everything as Artesia stood silent in the smoke waiting for a sign which would tell her where her attacker was and/or what he was doing. He was skilled that much was obvious even as early as it was, perhaps the night had been keeping the best for last. With the smoke hampering her vision Artesia had to rely on her reflexes more than ever, she would only have a moment to react to whatever she heard given how close it would be to be noticed. Have you ever gotten the feeling someone was behind you or was staring at you while you weren't looking? Well that was pretty much what Artesia was feeling as her attacker rose up behind her except on a much larger scale and with a sense of urgency attached to it that couldn't be ignored. As she stepped forwards and put some distance between her and the figure behind her Artesia avoided being grasped but it was only by giving up her outer layer of clothing that she managed to do so. The man would find himself with nothing but the long sleeved jacket/cloak that Artesia had been wearing as the woman spun around on her heels in order to face him, she was a couple of metres away from him but even in the smoke they would be able to make out each others basic features. The man's face was hidden from sight by the hood that covered his head and no other features could really be discerned from his attire, it was obvious he was a professional but anything else was impossible to ascertain. He however would be able to see the various weapons that Artesia carried along with her features in all their glory. "It's not really my taste but I suppose I can see the appeal. After all, the best kinds of fun happen away from prying eyes." She quipped with an added wink all the while being sure to return the man's smirk with her own. There was something about what he'd said that struck her as being of note though; what business was he referring to? She had assumed that she would find him by making herself a target in his sights but what he'd said made it sound like he had specific business with her and her alone. Was he referring to a job? Whatever, she had her own job to do and if the dagger she was after was one on his body then she wasn't letting him go without getting it. Being in his smoke meant that she was somewhat at a disadvantage, this much Artesia knew without even knowing the true extent of the man's magic. If he was a smoke mage of any kind -which having created smoke kind of insinuated- then he would have things up his sleeve and an advantage for as long as she was in it, the question was; should she run and hope he chased her elsewhere or should she just stick it out and see what came of it? Deciding that even if she ran the man would only create more smoke Artesia stood her ground in the smoke, ready and in a cat like state of preparation for whatever came next. She wasn't about to make the next move in this dance of wits, not when she knew she had to play things smart. Edited by Lightning, Dec 19 2013, 02:28 PM.
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| 竜 Mazohyst | Dec 20 2013, 01:09 AM Post #7 |
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Stay the course.
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Artorius found himself with a handful of clothing instead a handful of woman. Pity, as who doesn't love a nice handful of voluptuous woman? Well, I guess I can answer that but it's not like the answer isn't incredibly obvious. Nevertheless, the man held up the jacket and inspected it for a moment. Good quality material, stretchable leather, but also breathable. Likely not mass-produced, but instead custom made and tailored to fit. But, what was most notable was the smell... Ever since Artorius had become the Slayer of Smoke his sense of smell was notably more defined. This was good for certain things, but some scents were quite repugnant. "Good lord, woman. You're supposed to wear perfume to accentuate things, not bathe in it. Keep the jacket. You look good in it anyway," he remarked, tossing it back to her with a quick wink. After the fire-haired woman caught the jacket, Artorius noticed the weapons on her body. She was armed, to the teeth no less. One of the daggers on her waist stood out to him though. A dagger just a quarter beneath a meter in length from tip to tip, double edged design, elegant etchings on the hilt, and slight undulation. It was no bowie-knife, and nothing like a knife he had ever seen. But, even though it was in its sheathe, Artorius knew that was the prize he was looking for. "Typically, I would have stolen that blade from right beneath your nose, but it looks like you're the sort with skills at least near to mine. It's a pity, I hate having to settle things with a fight, but it's looks like that's the way the cookie crumbles," Artorius spoke in jest, finishing with a breathy sigh. Putting his hand on his waist, Artorius slid his fingers towards the handle of his own blade. As he drew it, its design was unmistakable. Just two inches over a foot long from end to end, the silver blade featured a slight curve, with a narrow blade but a sharp tip, capable of inflicting deep stab wounds but also vicious lacerations with the sharp single-edged design. The handle resembled that of a bird's foot, or more specifically a talon, at the pommel to act as a counter balance. Most wouldn't recognize the blade outside of its elegant, but still incredibly functional design. It was an assassin's blade, a true one, one of the 81 custom knives of unnamed assassin of the nigh-mythical Crimson Elite. Those that knew of the story, or at least those that were targeting this blade, would recognize it instantly. "It's honestly quite tragic. Out of one back alley knife fight to the next. What do you say we cut on the formalities and just go straight to dancing? Or, how about a better idea -- you give me the blade and we both go home safe and sound. Or, you give me the blade, and then I buy you a drink, and then go home safe and sound," he finished in a half-sarcastic, half-flirtatious tone of voice. Edited by Mazohyst, Dec 20 2013, 01:10 AM.
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| Lightning | Dec 20 2013, 04:37 AM Post #8 |
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Steel your mind. Run on instinct.
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Artesia prided herself in always smelling nice, be it a nice casual fragrance or a seductive one the woman made sure she had one on and to be insulted regarding that fragrance was something even she couldn't ignore. Who was this guy to talk anyway, going around and throwing people into smoke wasn't exactly without its own smell you know. As her eyes gave a twitch of annoyance Artesia found herself unable to hold back on the snap she felt coming, "Says the man that smells like an ashtray." Hmph, whatever, it wasn't like he or his opinions on the matter were good for anything. Catching the jacket Artesia held it at her side but didn't move to put it back on, she wasn't silly enough to give him an opening like that. The woman felt his gaze staring her over and while she couldn't really see where his eyes were travelling she had a strange feeling that it wasn't to many of the usual places the male sex went on her. She couldn't help but feel as though he was checking her weapons out more than her body and while that was all fine and dandy it did raise an important question; was he trying to steal her equipment or did he just like what he saw? "Take a picture, it'll last longer." Artesia quipped with wit evident as she sought a way to prompt the man into something, anything at all be it a physical action or a verbal clew of words she could possibly gain information from was what she wanted. Luckily, it seemed like it worked, or at least it didn't do any harm. "Oh stop, I'll blush." Artesia said in jest to the compliment being thrown her way. It wasn't like hearing him say she was with skill levels near his own was actually all that flattering nor that she cared about it. Normally she would have been pretty on the ball and put things together based on what the man before her was saying, but as he drew what had to be one of the sexiest pieces of metal she'd seen in a long time the woman found her mind entering a state of tunnel vision. Sure, her job was to get the dagger from him but she wanted it even more now she'd seen it. Something about it was telling her it was of renown, there was an air to it and she had no doubt that if she could see up close and out of the smoke she'd be able to figure out what one it was. Having knowledge on antiques and various other things was useful in her line of work, besides if she didn't know she'd have an informant that would. Giving a whistle to the dagger as he held it Artesia made no effort to hide the look of desire that flickered within her eyes, she'd even have said something about how nice the dagger was if the man hadn't continued on speaking. She faked as if she was actually considering the proposition put forth to her but Artesia hadn't even for a second truly done so, "Hmmm, how about -- you give me that lovely piece of metal you've got there, buy me a drink and we both go home. Doesn't matter whose." Was Artesia seriously propositioning the man such as her words might have suggested? Not a chance. She might have liked to flirt and tease but the woman wasn't a hussy nor was she easy, besides she hadn't even seen what he looked like under his hood and clothing yet. Edited by Lightning, Dec 20 2013, 04:38 AM.
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| 竜 Mazohyst | Dec 20 2013, 05:08 AM Post #9 |
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Stay the course.
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After being snidely insulted as smelling like an ash tray, Artorius couldn't help but sniffle a few times. Not because his tears were hurt or because his butt was mad, but because he generally was curious if he actually smelled that much like smoke. He never smoked in this outfit, and he had only used his smoke magic a record one time (which was when he roared prior) in this suit. Though, perhaps she wasn't being so literal, and instead was simply grasping at something to insult him for. At which point, Artorius could somewhat respect that. It's often pretty boring if he's the only one playing the banter game with witty quips. It takes two to tango, after all. "A tempting offer," Artorius sarcastically boasted towards her quip about taking a picture. He wouldn't actually do that, as in no way did he ever carry a camera on his person. What was he, a teenage girl? Certainly not. Following that, Artorius sort of just took in his surroundings. The alley way was beginning to clear of smoke due to the natural breeze. There weren't any onlookers, besides maybe the semi-conscious men who were lying at the woman's feet. Curiously, Artorius observed the woman's eyes as he drew his blade. He couldn't help but notice she was gazing upon the all-metal blade with a peculiar sense of attachment and obsession. True enough, the dagger was quite valuable. There had only been a small amount of these weapons commissioned, each tailored to perfection and used by a famous anonymous assassin. There were scores of fakes and replicas, but this one, this one was legitimate. Artorius did his research. Besides, he stole it from a museum that had it on exhibit. It wasn't until later when the woman spoke about his dagger than Artorius' brain finally clicked. Perhaps he had been distracted, but that's the way life goes when you're a masked man in front of a certainly fine red-haired woman. It's just the natural course of things, isn't that right, Peter Parker? Nevertheless, Artorius shook his head and then whirled the dagger in his hands in an impressive display, before he finally flipped it into a reverse grip and sheathed it back. "You should see my other dagger," Artorius sneered as the dagger locked into place. "That aside, it looks like we've been put into a rather amusing situations. Meet me on the roof." Shortly after, Artorius generated a platform of smoke just in front of him. Jumping onto it, Artorius used it as a stepping stone to climb onto a fire escape, before he rapidly ascended upward, where he would be meeting her on the roof. Though, the moment he leapt off the platform, it would dissipate into a small puff of smoke. Once the woman joined him, Artorius could be seen leaning against a nearby wall. Here, they would be absolutely safe from prying eyes and overly attentive ears. "So, it would appear that we're after one another's equipment, so to speak," Artorius speak, unintentionally making a sexual innuendo. "I've been hired to retrieve a dagger wielded by a red-haired lady who has been frequenting Dandelion, who has been pickpocketing and stealing as she pleased. Now, if my theory is correct, and it usually is, it looks like you've been hired to steal the dagger of a rather charming man in black with a particularly keen set of skills. Is that right? If so, then it appears that we've been set up. It looks like there's some sort of party who would benefit if we took each other out. Fortunately, I'm not that stupid. Sorry, we're not that stupid... right?" |
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| Lightning | Dec 20 2013, 06:18 AM Post #10 |
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Steel your mind. Run on instinct.
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Other dagger? If he had another one as nice as the one she'd just seen then Artesia was all for getting a look at it, too bad she knew he was only messing around and was likely throwing out an innuendo at the same time. "Tempting." Was all she replied with to the fake offer to see his other dagger, little did she know that if she'd seen the man and what he looked like she'd have been far more eager to play along with any innuendos he was throwing out. For now though she wasn't truly interested, he had something she wanted and she had something he wanted, that was tha~ Wait a minute.... Artesia and the masked man seemed to realise their situation at much the same time however he was first to speak up. So they had been set up by their clients in order to have them take one another out, why was it that she wasn't surprised in the slightest. The men not far from Artesia's feet were practically out cold thanks to their injuries and the smoke they had been unable to get away from and there was no one else around that could be seen or heard, regardless the pair agreed that moving to another location was likely for the best. Showing off his smoke magic once more the man she was to follow leapt up and onto a platform of solidified smoke only to leap off of it once more to the fire escape where he ascended towards the roof. "Hmph, not bad." Artesia mumbled to herself before taking off after him. While she didn't have much in the way of her magic to get her around like her fellow thief Artesia had agility and a physically capable body to do much the same, it just meant she had to put in a little more to get there. Unsheathing a throwing knife from her belt the woman threw it against the wall with as much force as she could muster before running towards the wall itself and using the throwing knife as a platform with which to push herself directly upwards. Easily grasping a hold of the fire escape and pulling herself up she showed why she made for the successful thief. Sure, she would lose that one throwing knife but it wasn't like she didn't have tonnes more of them back at her hideout or that she didn't have twenty three more of them on her at the present time. She scaled the fire escape ladder quickly and arrived on the roof only a moment or two after the man himself, "You're not bad." Artesia smirked while giving him a quick glance over. "I bet you've got quite the body under there, such a shame you hide it so." Now that they were away from the smoke Artesia could see the figure before her clearly and while she couldn't make out his face thanks to the hood, half-mask and the angle he was standing she could see that he had what would have been a nice body underneath his get up. Still with her cloak in her hand the woman gave it a shake before bringing to her nose, "Great, She said with sarcasm lacing her voice and while lowering it, "Now I smell like a smoker." She would give the jacket a shake in the air before putting it back on one arm at a time but all the while she would be listening to what the man would say. It was true, based on everything so far the odds were that they had been set up by their clients as they tried to trick them into taking one another out. "Seems that way." Artesia commented as she made the finishing adjustments to how the cloak was sitting upon her, she left the hood down though for she liked the feel of the breezes through her hair and upon her face. Besides, what was the point in trying to hide her face from someone that had already seen it? As she listened further to what the man had to say Artesia couldn't help but give a single chuckle to it, "Your modesty astounds me." She said with amusement somewhat evident upon her features, "But you aren't entirely wrong." Sure, she could have set him straight but there was no harm in buttering the man up, you would never know how it could prove to be useful later down the track. "While I do want that dagger of yours, Artesia said while glancing to the weapon that was in it's sheath. "I'm not about to ignore the mistake these people have made. What do you say, truce? At least until we teach them who they are messing with." The idea of getting her hands on the dagger or daggers that the man had in his possession was enticing, so enticing that honestly Artesia found herself feeling somewhat strange for posing the idea of a truce in which she wouldn't be after them. With the situation at hand though and people seemingly out to get them working together was likely the best option. Besides, this guy was alright, or at least she didn't hate the idea of working with him for a while. The fact he was skilled made it all the better, banter was one thing but if they were useless then it was nothing but a pain in the ass. Edited by Lightning, Dec 20 2013, 06:22 AM.
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7:38 PM Jul 11









