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Post by Stacey on Feb 2, 2009 21:28:11 GMT -5
The room was silent, the many boxes absorbing any soft sounds of mice or other rodents. Boxes were everywhere; in stacks, in rows, making a maze-like structure through a rather empty warehouse. As few people would know, there were only two living things in the warehouse besides any unicellular particles; a teenage girl, and her cat.
The cat was resting on a box, calculating eyes examining the girl. The feline`s coat was rather odd, having the same look and design of a snow leopard, but the size and shape of a skinny housecat.
Standing almost motionless in the middle of the warehouse was the girl. The boxes were pushed out of the way to make a twenty-foot circle around her, giving the impression of a completely closed area. She was invisable to any windows or doors the warehouse had, being near the center of the room and surrounded by the labrith of hundreds of boxes.
In one swift movement, the girl was suddenly holding a metal sword that was obviously heavy. She held it almost gracefully, but if one looked closely, you could see the strain in her wrist.
She held it up, looking as if she were to strike somone wiht the side of it. In the next second, she twitched it, and twisted it, a move that could disable another person. Within the next seconds, Stacey began a series of dance-like movements, moving around the cleared area as if she were in the middle of a fight.
After a few minutes of the quick and skilled movements, she gasped and dropped the metal sword. It fell to the concrete floor with a loud clack-ing noise. Stacey gripped her wrist tightly and gently massaged it.
Then she sensed it. She wasn`t sure what it was, but there was something else in the warehouse, and it had definatly heard the loud noise of metal against concrete.
She mumbled something under her breath and started to massage her wrist, stayign as silent as she could. So far, she hadn`t detected anyone yet, mabey no one had heard her. She thought it would be nice to have an oponet for once, but she could make do with what she had.
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Post by Grim on Feb 22, 2009 1:03:29 GMT -5
There would be no discernable noise from his footsteps, or any other of his movements but Grim Gordon, the king of thieves climbed over the boxes in the warehouse with all the stealth that became of him through his time in his trade. Jumping from atop the boxes, still with no noise as he leapt through the air over the girl’s head from where he had appeared behind her Grim landed ahead of the girl with one foot atop her fallen sword. That would be the first audible noise he’d made to any human.
His own sword was sheathed firmly on his back, but Grim was not going to need it here. Even should the young girl put up a fuss, his strength and experience in melee combat would surely suppress the little thing’s aggression. He saw no reason even for that though, as he didn’t expect this girl to attack him.
“What is a pretty young girl doing in a place like this?” he asked, looking up from the ground but down still at the girl’s face. He was far taller and larger in every way than her. He was after all, a fairly hulking man compared to most. The warehouse was a vast one, but seldom used. He himself was there to search the contents while the owners were still at sea. “This is a shady area,” he said quietly, “and I don’t think you’re supposed to be here. This is private property.”
He wondered who the girl was, and truly did wonder what she was doing there. He had never seen her before, and a young person seeming to act in a shady manner was of every interest to him. Could she be an aspiring assassin? He was none too fond of that idea, but perhaps she could be pulled into his guild instead. She could also be a riff raff, already infringing on his turf. This possibility too, he was none too fond of. If that was the case though, he could always pressure her into conforming. Though weak looking, she seemed dedicated enough to grow in the field. Grim could always use a new thief with potential. This one seemed to move well enough and by the look of her practice, could be developed into a deceiving enforcer of his iron fist. Certainly he did well enough at carrying out his threats on his own, and through his thugs as unreliable as they often were, but he could use a better agent than any he had at the time.
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Post by Stacey on Mar 1, 2009 0:52:42 GMT -5
As the man suddenyl appeared in front of her, Stacey instinctively slid back into a fighting position. Her right arm was crossed over her chest, and easy start for numerous hits, and ehr left hand flickered to her waist where she could easily reach a number a knives.
"Pretty young girls don`t know how to use a sword." She replied easily, tilting her head up as she sensed no attack. "And property is only private if the person who owns the property wishes it to be. And as far as I am aware, this warehouse is owned by the docks to keep incoming or outsoming goods." She raised an eyebrow as if to question him.
"May I have my sword back, please?" She asked. Her eyes flashed grey. The man`s size surprised her slightly, but she didn`t show it. Her parents` work had a variety of sized people, men and women. And even though she looked skinny and her clothing hid most of her bulk, her muscles were strong and well-used.
She took another measured step back so she wasn`t so close to the man. It was obvious that he was either an assassin or a theif, but she was well aware of their work, having been raised by both. Her work was secure; she would carry on ehr family`s work with the Crown. Her current act as a spy wasn`t going as well as she had planned, but she could always find a way.
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Post by Grim on Mar 2, 2009 22:17:13 GMT -5
"I don't think you're a sea merchant, little girl." Grim chuckled, though it wouldn't be a joyous sound; his laughter never was a pleasant thing to hear even though it was not so contrived. "Pretty little girls struggle to hold big swords." He then replied with a wink as he slid his foot backwards off her sword and rolled it up onto his boot. The girl did carry herself well, and most people wouldn't have noticed her strain but the king of thieves was more perceptive than most people; a whole lot more. The man didn't get to where he was with average skills. The man who ruled all thieves in the greatest city in the world had to have spectacular sences. He had to be able to sneak about better than the best of them and he had to notice all the little details in everything he ever saw. any corner or any moveable or imoveable object could be a key, just as every nuance of a person's manner could. A person's breathing patterns could be important to him, or the rate they bat their eyes. the way a person steps could be key, or how they move their arms, just as any and every other minor detail. This man noticed them all, along with everything in his surroundings.
With a swift lift of his leg, Grim launched the girl's sword upwards and caught it in his own hand while lunging that arm forward. The blow was not aimed at the girl precisely, and if she was as perceptive as he hoped, she would notice. The way Grim thrust it, the sword should stretch directly beside the girl's neck, only an inch above her left shoulder, should she not move. If she dodged or if she waited could stand to tell the man a lot about the girl, and if she tried to take the sword, he had a stronger grip that she surely could force away. the man was no stranger to the use of steel.
"People who hide are not usually legit." The thief king stated pointedly. "Much less, in a part of town like this."
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Post by Stacey on Mar 3, 2009 19:00:46 GMT -5
Stacey merely tilted her head to the side as the man lunged toward her. She had not been raised to hide anything when she was in a situation where she would need the skills she had been taught. She had been raised by an assassin and a theif, she could easily tell that so far the man meant her no harm.
"Pretty little girls don`t sprain their wrists by trying to use the oppostire hand as they practice rather complex sword movements." She smirked. "May I have my sword back, please?" She asked again, her eyes flickering bright red for a split second, but she was sure he would notice.
The man had to be an assassin or a theif, Stacey had always looked for key element in someone to make sure that her position would remain where she needed it, but she couldn`t figure out which he was. The man was large, so he would obviously be strong. He most likely underestimated Stacey`s strenght, too; another thing she had been taught was to never underestimate an opponet.
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Post by Grim on Mar 3, 2009 20:23:58 GMT -5
"Are you insisting that you're not pretty?" Grim asked, sarcastically pensive. "Or that you aren't a girl? I was certain of both and I can't be wrong that you're little."
Grim noticed the child's eyes changing colors of course, as he had noticed everything about her. It wasn't that he was under estimating the girl that had him so arrogantly overshadowing her; he was just like that, and had the utmost confidence in his own strength. After kidding with the stubborn girl's unwillingness to be called a pretty young girl, the thief king drew his own sword from his back with the hand that did not hold hers. He wasn't about to challenge her, but he wasn't one to trust. It would be terribly naive of him to hand the girl her sword and open the floor to him being held in the manner he currently held her, despite the lack of intent.
"Here it is." Grim said simply as he lowered the flat of the girl's blade agsint her shoulder and let the handle fall to where she would innevitably catch it with ease. "But don't be dumb with me." he added; a stern warning to the young girl. No matter how much training the girl could have had, the length of her life could not accomodate as much experience as Grim himself had had in fighting with or without a weapon. She was seeming to be a strong candidate for potential and he was growing more hope that she could be bent to his ways, though she seemed more assassin than thief. This was troublesome, but the girl was still young and Grim had time to mend the little thing's ways.
"I still need to know what you're doing in such a shady part of town. This is kind of my turf."
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Post by Stacey on Mar 3, 2009 20:42:12 GMT -5
"I`m not saying that I`m not pretty; and anyone would seem small to you." Stacey pointed out as she easily caught the sword. She easily twirled it around she she was holding it correctly. She held it there for a moment, then flipped it into the air again. She stepped to the side and caught it again, not pausing a fraction of a second before sliding it into its sheath.
"And you can put yours away, too. I will not attack someone that doesn`t exactly pose a threat." She said plainly as she eyes the sword in front of her.
"And you`ve already seen why I am in this area. It would be a little obvious to the wrong people that a small girl such as myself could easily use a sword that looks as if would be half of my weight." She said in an obvious tone.
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Post by Grim on Mar 8, 2009 18:51:23 GMT -5
Grim put his sword away just as soon as the girl sheathed her own. He was content so long as he wasn’t naively giving anyone the upper hand. “Yes I’ve seen that you were here to practice your weapon technique.” Grim began tiredly. “That’s redundant. What I want to know is why. Any person can practice with swords; that’s the age we live in. Secrecy implies insecurity, so I’ll obviously have to assume you’re an aspiring assassin or aspiring thief. The question is which.”
The king of thieves looked the girl up and down. “I think you’re more assassin than thief.” He said plainly. “Though I would prefer the other way around.” He added, figuring she should catch the clue to who he was.
The girl was obviously young, and seemed insecure in what she was aspiring to be. Perhaps she was an orphan or a runaway. It was too early in the conversation for Grim to know too much about the girl, but she seemed to have both obvious potential and subtle insecurity. Grim was growing to reckon that the girl was new to the area, and imagined she may not be familiar with either local guild. Perhaps he was getting his chance at her since he may have been the first guild leader to try indoctrination.
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Post by Stacey on Mar 11, 2009 20:00:49 GMT -5
Stacey smiled sweetly. "What must using a sword with such technique imply anything?" She asked, tilting her head to the side, understanding immediatly that he was a thief. "If you think I`m an assassin, you`re wrong. If you think I`m a thief, try harder. Test me in either and you`ll have your simple answer." She said in the more complicated verses a person would normaly use in conversation.
"Stacey Black, sixteen." She said, holding out her hand. "I assume ny age mught have made some questions come up." She didn`t say anything else that would identify as favoring the assassin or thief work, but she also didn`t mention where she came from or who she worked for.
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Post by Grim on Mar 12, 2009 2:10:47 GMT -5
“It isn’t what you were doing that tipped me off kid, it’s where you were doing it. Who else has to hide their skills?” Grim answered, though he did so tiredly. He hated to explain himself.
“Black.” The thief king repeated, mainly to himself. “I’ve known a family, Black, from a neighbor city state.” Grim stated as he started to put two and two together. “They’re swine.” He added, his eyes starting to narrow. “That knave cohorts with assassins, shames both guilds by their unison, and worst of all, leagues with government.” As king of thieves in the great city Celesta, Grim knew the leaders of all relevant and nearby guilds.
Grim looked the girl over again. If it had been just her name, he would not have given her that little speech, but her little riddle was almost a giveaway. Nowhere else would anyone profess to be both assassin and thief. “I smell a rat.” He said while looking the girl over again. He didn’t bother giving his name in return; he wasn’t so sure of the girl anymore, but if she was who he thought she was, she could probably guess his name by then.
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Post by Stacey on Mar 13, 2009 20:22:10 GMT -5
Stacey smiled sweetly, the smile of a teenager. "Yes, Black." She dropped her hand and instead pulled a ring off of her right hand. She tilted it out towards the man so he would be able to see the inside of it. Engraved there was the Crown`s symbol, and not the Crown from where her parents lived, the local Crown.
"Do you honestly think I would have told you who I was if I knew that you would make the connection?" She asked, sliding the ring back onto her hand. "I would have thought you would put the obvious together. Yes, I am an assassin and thief, but I am still a teenager who doesn`t mind her parents. Can`t I venture out past the borders that were so carefully drwan for me?" Her question was not meant to be replied to, so she didn`t wait for an answer.
"And as for basically insulting my family`s large network of workers, they just have a very different way of working, and I assure you that it works for the better in the long run." She said simply with a smug smile. "Additionally, I already know who you are."
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Post by Grim on Mar 14, 2009 21:45:50 GMT -5
“Of course you know who I am.” Grim spat. “You’re a spawn of the Black knaves. If you had been born with half the brain of a retarded canine runt, you would know who I am.” It was obvious of course. Grim ruled the greatest thieves guild in the kingdom Celesta, the continent, even likely in the world. The capitol city Celesta was so enormous and so crime ridden its thief king would be known to all others.
“The differences between thieves and assassins are not to be mended by mutual benefit. Principles of life are at steak between the two, and the abomination of what your father calls a guild is a disgrace to thieves and assassins alike. If your family was in any other city, even the scum of the backwash alleys would spit in your faces.”
Grim spat again, this time aiming it directly at the girl’s face. “Cooperation with the crown is as shameful as selling out your guild. It is beneath even the common crook and it is beyond heathenism and blasphemy. It is mighty hypocracy. The fact that you portray such filth sickens me, and if I didn’t hope that you could yet mend your shameful ways, I would put you down right now like the fucking mutt you’ve been raised to be.” Grim could have too, regardless the training this girl had had. In no way could her sixteen year old self have been even near as adept as he was with all his strength and experience. Really, the girl was lucky that Grim was feeling hopeful that day. Even he felt a little ashamed of the mercy he was giving that filthy young scum.
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Post by Stacey on Mar 17, 2009 19:52:13 GMT -5
Stacey narrowed her eyes, not caring that her irises were now vibrant red. "Do you honestly think we work with the stupid people who call themselves royalty?" She growled, stepping to the side as to avoid the spit.
"How do you think we get the places we do, the things we get. We may not be as mighty as your group you have here, but we have a strong party that could easily take down the Crown." She took a step towards him, making no move for a weapon, and not planning on it; she wasn`t stupid, although she was surely more flewible and limber than him.
"The people you are calling scum have taken other three cities in a matter of eight years. Our branches have over four-hundred of the best trained." She closed ehr mouth before she said somthing stupid.
She and her mother had been known for their tempers.
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Post by Grim on Mar 19, 2009 0:03:59 GMT -5
Grim laughed a deep and mirthful laugh. This girl was ridiculous; he knew she’d be shameful but he hadn’t imagined that. “Are you stupid girl? Or just plain retarded?” the thief king questioned in shock. “I can’t believe even your worthless parents would raise a child so ignorant and naïve as what you just said. Even the mighty assassins guild of the city Celesta knows its own limits, I’m shocked that you’re so high on your daddy’s smoke that you think your guild amounts to anything of relevance.” Grim shook his head in honest dismay, as he looked the girl over in disgust.
“Growth does not dignify vermin any more than mass dignifies shit.” Grim truly was astonished at the outrageous claims the young girl was making. He couldn’t believe she would think him so naïve to believe them, so she must truly have been that dumb.
Grim had a terrible temper, but he didn’t consider it a problem; any trouble that came of it had always been trouble for someone else. “You disgust me, scum, but I’ll let you run away.”
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Post by Stacey on Mar 19, 2009 20:58:28 GMT -5
Stacey crossed her arms defiantly. "I`m not going to run. You may think that`s stupid, but that`s also just your opinion." She replied, tilted her head away from him. "You would most likely outrun me anyway; I`m not stupid in that manner." She had long decided to ignore te man`s rude opionion on her family.
"And in some ways, yes, I am stupid. But so are you. You can`t just know everything like an omnicient dog. You just happen to be what, thirty years older than me? "He words hung in the otherwise silent air.
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