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[Vari]

"Valerre, take Vari down this alley, out of the slums, then mingle with the crowd until I join up with you. I'll wait here, and make sure they don't follow you. Valerre, take Vari down this alley, out of the slums, then mingle with the crowd until I join up with you."

Vari froze. Leave him? With Valerre? In an alley? Did she want to get him killed?

"...and a mere prostitute will be much less of a target..."

Vari absorbed the rest of the information slowly and automatically, with very little thought going into it beyond mild surprise at Daphne's occupation. Valerre turned and headed down the alley, forcing Vari to run to keep up. If it was at all possible, he kept his zinc and staff even more readied, and he continually reached to riot his confidence, impossible though it was.
Vari picked up speed as the searching moved into the alley they had just left. Apparently his little stunt with the crewleader had angered more than just one gang. Judging by the sounds, he had at least ten brutes in the immediate area, and probably a whole lot more on the way.
I did not plan this very well...

Edited by Vari, 04 November 2012 - 03:16 PM.

[Valerre]

Vari, if that was his real name, followed close behind, much to Valerre's disappointment. He'd half-hoped the stupid man would take a hint and leave him and Daphne alone. Couldn't he see that he was stepping into matters he had no business with?

Sounds of pursuit echoed behind them, and Valerre silently thanked the Lord Ruler for making his city so densely populated that it had isolated alleys like this one. As long as the thugs didn't get into this particular alley, he and Vari would be safe until they exited the slums. Daphne guards the only other exit he reminded himself. If there were any signs of pursuit, he had much more to worry about than his own safety. I should be there protecting her, not babysitting this useless imbecile! Valerre threw a glare over his shoulder at Vari for good measure, and kept on walking.

[Daphne]

Daphne slung her bag casually over one shoulder, doing her best to conceal it's contents from view. She didn't want to tempt any thieves after all. As she lingered near the alley's entrance, she did her best not to seem like she was watching or guarding it. Instead, she forced herself to relax and take up the posture of the working girl waiting to be propositioned. She pulled back her head scarf and let her hair fall loosely down her back and posed herself to display her figure. Luckily for her she was wearing a plain dress, since one of her standard gowns would have been out of place within a slum. Her brothel catered to nobles, and thus she was used to working corners in less rough areas. Taking some ash from the ground, she rubbed it onto her dress, hoping to seem more impoverished. She'd known many prostitutes who had worked in skaa-only brothels, and from their accounts it wasn't that different when one got passed the clothing and make-up. Skaa or noble, men were men. The only real difference was one had more money to spend.

And death. Daphne told herself, touching her abdomen where the faint scar from her surgery lay. Sleeping with a noble man always meant death, whether for the skaa girl or bedded, or for the child they made together if the girl was lucky. Sometimes she felt as if her old wound still pained her, even though she knew she had made a full recovery. It's my price she told herself. The price she payed for all the children she had doomed to unbirth. The children she would never hold in her arms. The children she had failed to protect.

Daphne pushed the troubling thoughts aside lest they ruin her expression. Any children she had concieved during her career were long gone, as were all of those she might have concieved after her surgery. The skaa of Luthadel were the ones who needed her now, and right now Vari needed her especially. She couldn't afford to let him, or anyone else down because of her weaknesses.

One of the thugs came bolting around the corner, looking carefully in both directions. Daphne shot him a sly smile and a wink, but he ignored her, remaining intent on his search. Seconds passed and more men gathered, smashing the fragments of old crates and barrels that littered the side street. The frustration of men. Daphne was used to such displays of idle destruction, but they still intrigued her. Did they really think kicking a pile of rubbish would help them find their quarry? Only two of them spared Daphne a passing glance before they bolted down one of the other alleys, ignoring her alley in their efforts to ignore her. Their boss must keep them on a tight leash she realized.

A straggler came around the corner. Daphne gave him the same sly wink she had the others, but instead of trying his best to ignore her he stopped. He must feel less accountable, with the others so far ahead of him.

"Hey there little miss, you didn't happen to see a mangy skaa rascal stop by here, did you?" His attempt to appear casual and nonchalant was undermined by frequent downward shifts in his gaze.

Daphne tried her best to quiet her quickly beating heart and smiled as she shook her head. "No, I'm sorry. But you can bet that if I had I'd be showing him a good time right now." Daphne winked and lowered her voice to a conspirational tone. "Mangy rascals are always my favorites."

The man leered and rested his hand against the wall, making the first move to pin Daphne in. "Well I'm glad he didn't find you then. Would have been a shame to interrupt a classy lady like yourself while she's working." Daphne successfully suppressed a shiver as he licked his lips. "I don't suppose you might have a little time to breathe some vigour into a weary working man? The boss works us like dogs y'know, and it's not often we have any time for ourselves."

Daphne hesitated. The man's tone and body language implied he would take what he wanted, whether she consented or not. Dealing mostly with nobles, she had not found herself in these situations often, and when she did the only choice was often to run. But if she ran now, he would follow her, and hindered as she was with her dress and groceries, he would likely catch her too. Besides, if she ran, she risked him losing interest in her and following Valerre and Vari. "I'm happy to help any reckless man," she said finally, trying to remain jovial. "As long as he can pay my fare."

Her hesitation must have spoken some of her insecurity for her. "Come now lass, I ain't that bad on the eyes am I? And it would only be a quick one, wouldn't it? I'd be gentle too, no need to charge a fee, is there?"

Daphne hesitated again. If she wanted Valerre and Vari to escape, she wasn't sure she had a choice. She never seemed to have a choice. Why couldn't this man have moved on with the others? This is your life, she told herself. Remember, there is more to people than what they do to survive. For all she knew, this man's life was even more difficult than her own, and perhaps she could help bring him a little comfort to ease his pain. As ludicrous as the notion was, Daphne clung to it as she prepared to accept his proposition.

"Oafie, what are you doing? That little runt is getting away from us, and you are sitting her chatting up some backstreet whore? Get your head in the game man, or I'll report you to the boss."

'Oafie' scowled and shook his head. "Looks like we'll need to take a rain check darling," he said with a wink. "I trust you'll save a little spot in your heart for me?"

Daphne giggled, "I'll not hold spots for anyone. Handsome or not. You'll have to take your chances with the rest of them. If someone takes your spot, that's your loss."

'Oafie' seemed like he had a witty retort prepared, but his companion interrupted. "Now Oafie, don't make me come get you." With an apologetic shrug, Oafie rejoined his companion, and the two set off down another alley way.

Once they were out of sight, Daphne gave a sigh of relief, and set off after Valerre and Vari.

[Vari]

Vari assessed Valerre as he recieved a decidedly hostile glare. He appeared unarmed, though that meant little. A weapon could be hidden on his person with ease, and allomancy would more than make up for the difference. If he was a thug, he wouldn't need a knife. There was also steel allomancy, whatever that did. Vari broke into a run as the shouting reached its peak. They had reached where they had left Daphne, and would probably be coming soon. He silently prayed they were the dumber kind of toughs and not the smarter kinds of assassins usually sent after people like him.

Up ahead the alley opened into an open street, busy enough to hide in. Skaa and the occasional unfortunate nobleman moved up and down, too far from the action to have bothered to watch or learn. Safety, just a few yards away. If Valerre intended betrayal of some form, this would be the time.
But then again, Daphne was a rioter wasn't she? What if his suspicion wasn't actually his own? Maybe this was all a trap...
It doesn't matter, just keep moving, stay in the present. Everything will be fine.

[Valerre]

Valerre entered the rush of the crowd, and felt his shoulders relax a little bit. Moving a little ways away frsom the mouth of the alley, he took up position where he could watch for Daphne, and waited for Vari to do the same. She'd come out soon, wouldn't she? Whatever the case, they should be safe now. The thugs wouldn't be able to cause a fuss with nobles about, even if they were lowly ranked. Now if only Daphne would come around that corner and set him and ease. Where was she?

Valerre continued to do his best to stare at the alley while remaining non-chalant. Vari, he pointedly ignored. He didn't want to deal with the man any more than he had to, and if he was content to remain silent, Valerre would be as well.

[Vari]

Vari felt himself relax a little as he took up his position beside Valerre. He wasn't dead, usually a good sign. Now all they had to do was wait for Daphne, which gave Vari plenty of time to...
...be ignored by Valerre.
I wonder if I could make him a little bit nicer. Vari wondered, but he quickly dismissed the idea. Rioting was for enhancing emotions that were already there, not creating new ones. You could enrage the angered all you liked, but making the angry skaa next to you friendly was beyond its abilities.

But he could make him more talkative, even if that just involved listening to hateful rants.
Unfortunately, he wasn't out of range of the obligators. Any attempts at manipulation would just call the Inquisitors. It was like being an ordinary skaa. What's the point of having allomancy if you can't ever use it? Vari thought to himself, frustrated. Clearly, The Lord Ruler had done his job well. The only real remaining options were to simply sit, wait, and try to get information.

"So...how exactly do you two know each other?" Vari asked, opening the one route of conversation he could think of.

Edited by Vari, 06 November 2012 - 12:45 AM.

[Valerre]

Valerre scowled. Honestly, couldn't Vari see his face? He thought he was clearly wearing his 'I don't want to talk' face, and yet the little urchin still insisted on plagueing him with inane attempts at conversation.

His question was troubling. How did Valerre say he knew Daphne without giving too much away? It was not as if he was going to just start discussing the most important of his relationships. Besides, how did one going about describing Daphne in the first place. She was the root of all goodness in the world, the one person who Valerre could always count on to be there. She was his mother, his sister, and his friend all in one person. How could he explain that.

"We go pretty far back," he said, shrugging casually. The shrug revealed some tension in his shoulders, likely brought on by the excitement. Wanting to be ready in case there was trouble, Valerre moved smoothly into a stretch, attempting to remove any stiffness or fatigue.

[Daphne]

Daphne picked up her skirts a bit and ran as best she could with her stachel of groceries. Lord Ruler only knew how awefully Valerre had been treating Vari, or what kind of aweful situation the two had gotten themselves into. Besides, knowing Valerre, he had likely forgotten all about Vari's wound and was doing nothing to help him. I've babied him too much, Daphne realized. She'd focused so much on making sure Valerre was cared for, she hadn't devoted any time to teaching him to care for other people. Concern for the plight of others came so easily to her it was easy to forget that for some it was difficult to see past the suffering of their own existence into the hardships in the lives of others.

Finally, Daphne reached the street without too much trouble. She stopped and scanned the moving crowds for a moment before picking out Valerre and Vari. She was about to move towards them when a slight movement in her peripheral vision caught her attention. Turning, she spotted Oafie and his companion exiting the same alley she had just vacated. Apparently she had not fooled them as soundly as she had hoped, and they had followed her. They must have taken notice of us fleeing the fight, and realized we werer helping Vari. Not wanting to lead the thugs right to their quarry, Daphne plunged into the crowd and started walking in the other direction. Please Valerre, she pleaded silently, Stay hidden and don't follow me.

[Vari]

Vari frowned. Valerre had simply danced around the question, not really in his typical rude way, but more in an evasive way. There was probably something to learn there, but this wasn't the time. Scanning the crowd, Vari picked out Daphne, hurrying down the opposite direction. Vari scanned the crowd for any familiar faces, but didn't recognize anyone. Either Bedan decided to pass the hunt for him down to other crews, or the street was clear. Vari hope dit was the latter, and pointed out Daphne to Valerre with a nudge and a gesture.

[Valerre]

Valerre cursed violently under his breath as he noticed the bulky men following Daphne through the crowd. "She's being followed," he said, "And she knows it. She's trying to lead them away from us." It was a typical Daphne move, putting herself before them, and Valerre hated it. Didn't she see the risk she was putting herself in. Of course she sees it Valerre realized. Daphne was a prostitute, and not a stupid one. She knew the threat men like the ones following her posed to a beautiful woman alone. And yet, she still attempted to lead them away, knowing the consequences. The sheer idiocy of it enraged Valerre. Who did she think she was, to put herself at risk for the likes of him and some stranger? Vari was nothing to them, some nobody of the streets, and Valerre was useless as a human being. Didn't Daphne realize how incredible she was, and how ridiculous it was to risk her life for a worthless human being like Valerre.

"Come on," he said, cracking his neck to get rid of a kink. "We have to help her."

[Vari]

Vari followed Valerre's gaze and spotted the unfamiliar musclemen in semi-conspicuous pursuit of Daphne. They werne't familiar to him, which went the hunt had indeed been passed on to other crews and mercenaries. That takes the number of searchers up from ten to anywhere around twenty! I won't be able to show my face on the streets for months!

"Come on, we have to help her." Valerre said.

Vari held back a laugh. Help her? What did Valerre think Vari was, a thug?
Then again, maybe Valerre was a thug. Either way it would show Vari the extent of the two allomancer's abilities, though how exactly they would do it was beyond him. That was his surface excuse of course, but underneath was the caring. He cared about her safety, even if he'd only known she existed for less than a few minutes. As always he was presented with the will and only half a way.

"How? The advantage we got from being on the streets just turned on us. I can mess with their emotions and fight a little, but all that will do is attract attention and alert the seekers. Lord Ruler, I probably can't even do that considering how much zinc I have left in me. If we want to help her, we'll need an alley ambush or something."

Vari realized his mistake too late. It was likely very few skaa knew about their abilities and how they worked, and revealing the information to Valerre of all people was probably a bad idea. It was too late to take it back, but he could at least try to cover it up.

"But to do that we would have to know where she's running to. Maybe I could riot the crowd and get them riled up long enough for her to lose herself in them?" It was as good a suggestion as anything he could come up with, but somehow he got the feeling Valerre would just antagonize it somehow. Vari was tempted to nudge him a little, but decided against it. He wasn't nearly subtle enough for that.

Edited by Vari, 08 November 2012 - 12:30 AM.

[Valerre]

Valerre rolled his eyes. If he wanted the crowd rioted up, he could do it himself. Part of him realized that Vari couldn't possibly know for certain he was the rioter who had touched his emotions, but it still seemed obvious to him. Who else could have been the rioter?

"Just follow my lead," he said. "And try not to get in the way." He cracked his neck one more time, gave his arms one last stretch, and took off after Daphne, completely forgetting the covered basket of bread he had set down when he and Vari arrived. He had only noticed two men following her, but that didn't mean there were not more hidden in the crowd.

As he ran, Valerre focused on his suspicion, both of the situation and of Var, and began burning Zinc, spreading his feelings to the people around him. People should already be on edge, this was Luthadel they were walking in after all, and they were directly next door to the slums, but Valerre wanted them to be more nervous. Hoping, to refine his allomancy, Valerre began to let himself become nervous as well as suspicious, focusing on his worry for Daphne, and his concern for his own neck, letting the complex mix of emotions he was feeling spread, through his allomancy, out to the crowd around him. People began to grow more tense. As he brushed past them, they stiffened instead of ignoring him, some began to edge away in advance, clearing a path for him.

As intended, some also began to edge away from the bulky men who were following Daphne. The were huge, after all, and were obviously from the slums. A few other questionable looking characters also began to be isolated from the crowd, but none of them looked like they were following Daphne. Valerre hoped that meant there were only two, and that these two koloss didn't have a more comely companion who had the sense the try and stay in the crowd helping them.

The nearest street tough spun as Valerre dashed up to him, responding to the rioting with jumpiness, like the rest of the crowd. As the man brandished a cane, Valerre jumped forward, stretching out his body like a pouncing cat, adjusting his angle in the air to avoid the cane. As he collided with the man, he gripped him by the shoulders, then tightened his abdominal muscles, swinging his legs around and pushing off with his arms, effectively vaulting over his opponent. Valerre landed in a crouch, removing the knife from his side as he did so.

Pushing off again, he rolled backwards over his should to his feet, twisting as he did so to face the thug, how was just regaining his balance after Valerre had destablized him. As the man turned to face his attacker, he found Valerre had already closed the distance and placed a knife at his throat.
"Hand over the staff," Valerre said, hoping his voice was steely enough. He really didn't want to use the knife. Though he'd never admit it, Valerre hated the sight of blood, and the thought of slitting a throat or gutting someone completely repulsed him. He was a gymnast, a performer, and perhaps even a con artist, but he was definitely not a killer. Besides, the blood would get all over his clothing, and the stains would be impossible to get out.

Not wanting to take any chances, Valerre focused on his fear for Daphne's safety and of having to use the knife in his hand and shared his anxiety and fear with the man he was threatening. After a brief moment of hesitation, the man acquiesed, putting the staff into Valerre's hand.

"Thank-you," Valerre said. Then, as he moved to step away, he pivoted rapidly, using the momentum of his spin to slam the staff into his opponent's side. Unfortunately, this time his own allomancy worked against him, and the anxious man was ready, catching the staff and stopping it before it could knock him out.

Now, Valerre found himself in a predicament. Any minute now, the man's companion would realize his ally was being attacked, and would turn around to help. While Valerre was confident he could escape from both of them, he knew he couldn't take them in a true fight, especially not both as much. These were likely both trained fighters and killers, and while Valerre knew something of how to use use acrobatic skills to his advantage, he had no true experience with combat. How was he supposed to save Daphne now?

Uh-oh.

[Vari]

Valerre took off, charging after Daphne and at the mercenaries.
The idiot is going to get himself killed! Vari thought to himself, taking off after him. Vari's arm throbbed and bled, but he pushed it all aside. Things were going to go very badly, and it seemed increasingly likely that there were more than just two followers in the crowd. Valerre grabbed a staff, a move Vari approved of, and moved to smash the second thug.

He caught it.

Valerre was in trouble now, stuck between two stronger men and who knows what else was in the crowd. He needed help.
Decisions decisions. Vari acted on instinct and desperately hoped he wouldn't regret it.

Standing behind the unfortunately quick-minded thug, Vari swung with every bit of strength he could put behind a one-handed strike. It connected with a crack, jarring Vari's arm and sending the man sprawling sideways. The remaining thug turned in surprise, stepping backwards and pulling a knife from somewhere on his person. He looked at Vari, then at Valerre, and then at the alley where his companions would be searching. Skaa on the streets backed away, happy to leave the fight alone until someone showed up to stop it, which would be soon. Vari glanced in Daphne's direction and then back again. The man could not be allowed to leave alive now that he'd seen Valerre and Daphne, but attacking him would be foolish. There was nothing left to do but wait.

Edited by Vari, 09 November 2012 - 11:54 AM.

[Daphne]

Daphne turned as the sounds of commotion erupted behind her. No Valerre, you were supposed to get yourself and Vari to safety! By the time she turned and focused on what was going on, she saw Vari strike at the thug who was menacing Valerre. As she watched, Valerre wrenched his newly acquired staff from the hand of his reeling opponent and gave him another sharp crack on the skull, dropping him.

As soon as the first man, who Daphne dimly realized was actually 'Oafie', hit the ground, her gaze immediately shifted to the other man, who had pulled a knife and was menacing Vari with it. Why did Valerre have to be so rash? She could have handled herself. Now, if they didn't end this soon, the other thugs would be drawn to them like moths to a flame.

Before her eyes, Valerre's form blurred into motion as he dashed at the man. She had to restrain herself from calling out in alarm as the man moved to gut Valerre with his knife. She knew Valerre was no fighter, no matter what fighting shape Trev tried to get him into. Thus far, only his acrobatic talents had kept him alive in situations like these.

At the last possible moment, Valerre shoved his staff into the ground, and used it to vault over the man. The man's knife passed through the air where Valerre had been moments before and struck the staff, knocking it to the ground. Valerre landed safely on his feet behind the man. Now, he and Vari had him surrounded, but Valerre was unarmed.

Not sure what she could do to help, Daphne continued to watch helplessly, hating herself for it.

[Vari]

Vari stepped forward, looking more menacing than he felt. On any other day a man with a knife woul dnever have been able to frighten him. Even unarmed he could probably take one. But with only a few bursts of zinc and a bad arm, things were a little bit riskier. Speaking of arms, it was going numb. The blood had stopped seeping, but general sensitivity was gone, leaving the arm as good as useless. Vari glanced back at Daphne, who didn't look very confident about the fight, which meant that Valerre was not in all likelyhood a thug. Wonderful, of all the allomantic powers to be rescued by, I get landed with the two non-combatants. Greeeeat.

Taking a gambit, Vari rushed forward and feinted at the man's head clumsily. He moved to reverse directions, but the enemy just stepped out of reach, keeping himself facing both directions. Again Vari advanced, swinging the staff to its full extent towards the thug's manhood and giving a solid burst of fear for good measure. Once more the man jumped out of reach, fear enhancing his reflexes rather than detracting. It was literally a worst-case scenario, and soldiers were likely minutes away. Vari sidestepped, and unconsicously the man did so too, repositioning himself with his back away from the nearest alley. If he was going to run for help, he'd have to go through Vari or run through the crowd. It was the only thing left that Vari could do. Go get him Valerre...

[Valerre]

As Vari distracted the assailant, Valerre shoulder-rolled to the side, trying his best to keep himself at his opponents back while he faced Vari. He had hoped the knife would stick in the wood of his staff, but evidently the wood was too tough or the blade too dull. It was a shame because he had hoped to sacrifice his weapon in order to disarm his opponent, but now he had only disarmed himself.

How do I get myself into these situations? Not knowing what else to do, Valerre ran at his opponent while Vari distracted him and leaped on to his back, trying his best to immobilize the man's weapon hand while avoiding getting stabbed.

"Get him," he managed to spit out one of the few moments he was able to fill his lungs with air. He didn't know how long he could hold on.

[Trev]

The afternoon was stretching on into evening and with the failing light, skaa workers were beginning to spill out into the streets and the slums came to life. It was not pitch dark yet, but dark enough that many industries could not operate even on forced labor; no amount of whips would make a skaa able to see without tin. Now was the time they conducted their own business, selling food and other necessities in raggedy impromptu markets in the more open streets. Trev already had a full satchel over his shoulder, and with his business done for the day he was heading back to the brothel.

He kept to himself, one more uninteresting figure in the crowd of skaa workers, though perhaps more alert and with a little more assurance than most. That attention to his surroundings was what first gave him a clue that something unusual was going on. There was anxiety and suspicion on too many faces, bordering on fear, to the point where Trev could almost feel the spreading tension himself. He could see a general direction to the emotion of the crowd, most of them seemed to be going in one direction. They were trying to get away from something. Not running, not panicked, but something was off.

Trev needed to know what it was. He went in the opposite direction, against the flow, and came out on the other side into a space that had mostly cleared, though not entirely. Nothing seemed to be happening there, no explanation for the behavior of the crowd...but someone else was hunting, too. Trev spotted two skaa men moving purposefully towards an alleyway, and headed in that direction on a casual tangent. He wasn't planning to get involved, but it was a good idea to just take a look at whatever was happening.

His plans changed as soon as he glanced down that alley. Valerre and Daphne were there, Daphne backed well away but Valerre was wrestling with a knife-wielding man, attacking in concert with a boy Trev didn't know. They'd put down another thug, but that one was dazedly getting to his feet again, and these other two were not friends. Trev sped up into a run, using his satchel full of groceries - and the stoneware jar of canned food inside - as an impromptu blunt instrument to swing into the unprotected back of the nearest new assailant and knock the wind out of him as he darted around them.

Valerre and the boy had the other man at least under a semblance of control. Trev went for the other one first, the one they must have knocked down earlier; he had been heading for Daphne, but turned to defend himself. Counting on Daphne to cover him with her coppercloud, Trev burned pewter at the last instant, pivoting to deliver a roundhouse kick to the man's midsection. The pewter-fueled strike connected and the force sent the man flying through the air to land with a thump on the ground a few feet back. He would not be getting up again for a while.

Trev didn't bother to watch him fall; he spun to deal with the other two, putting himself between his compatriots and their attackers. He was forced to leave Valerre and the unknown teenager to handle their man behind him, but with two on one they had the odds on their side now.

The two thugs were approaching much more cautiously now, but they hadn't been frightened off. Whatever their business was, they were serious about it. Or maybe they just thought they could handle Trev.

[Vari]

Vari moved himself into place, getting ready to attack, and the froze. Out of the crowd came another skaa, one who put Vari and Valerre to shame, quickly taking out three thugs in quick succession. The one Valerre had a hold of apparently didn't notice, too busy trying to get his knife moving. Vari stood and waited for an opening, feinting upward and then delivering a skyward smack to the man's groin. For added effect Vari threw in a jab to the gut, which connected beautifully now that the hands and eyes were otherwise occupied. Something was going on farther down the mass of skaa, moving a lot of people aside. Either it was a noble carriage throwing coins out the window or some soldiers had finally arrived. Took them a while this time. I really need to stop depending on that...

"Time to go." Vari muttered, turning sideways and glancing at the newcomer before searching for Daphne. He'd forgotten about her for the most part in the fight, and for all he knew she'd been hit while they'd been busy. Just one more person to worry about.
Huh. From that perspective, Valerre's behavior might even be excuseable. Shocking how many things make sense when you think like a pessemist.

[Valerre]

As Vari attacked a second time, Valerre launched himself backwards off of the mans back, landing in a crouch a few feet away. That cane looked nasty and he had no desire to earn bruises for Vari's sake. Protecting Daphne was one thing, but the same privileges did not extend to this nobody.

The thug had dropped his knife and was now gasping for breath while writhing in pain. Valerre felt a twinge of male sympathy for the man's injury. Vari certainly knew how to fight dirty. Moving quickly, Valerre scooped up the knife before the man could reclaim and flicked it up to his hand the way the sword eater in the circus had taught him once. They couldn't exactly leave the man alive to accost them again from behind, and Vari seemed reluctant to kill him.

"Sorry friend," Valerre said softly. "Today was not your day." As he moved the slit the mans throat, he twisted trying to escape the knife and Valerre cut into his shoulder instead. Blood gushed from the wound, and Valerre narrowly avoided getting any on his clothing.

That's what I get for being nice, he thought angrily. Valerre gave the man a quick kick to his injured arm to incapacitate him again then plunged the knife into his gut and left it there. Hopefully that would suffice to finish him.

Valerre followed Vari's gaze and fixated first on Trev and then on the approaching soldiers. Time to go indeed. "Let's get out of here," he agreed. Without looking to see if Vari was keeping up, Valerre ran for where he had last seen Daphne. With the arrival of the soldiers, the already thinning crowd was quickly disappearing. Valerre nodded to Trev as he passed, hoping to impart in the gesture that he had dealt with his and Vari's thug, and that they should meet up and regroup once the soldiers were given the slip. Whether or not his nod transferred all that meaning, he didn't care. Trev was a smart man, he'd figure it out eventually.

After a few moments of searching, he spotted Daphne near the mouth of another alleyway. When she saw him coming, she gave a small wave to make sure he had seen her then vanished into the shadows. As Valerre neared the alley, he leaped forward into a handspring, landing on his feet with a smile in front of Daphne.

She rolled her eyes. "Stop fooling around Valerre. You could get us all killed!" Valerre only smirked. The move hadn't save him much time, but it hadn't cost him any, and he liked showing off in front of Daphne when he got the chance.

[Vari]

Vari ran.

It wasn't the first time in the day, and with his luck it wouldn't be the last. The running was partially to keep pace with Valerre, but also a way to keep his mind off the death. Yes, the thug had attacked them, but how was he supposed to know what he was up against? In his own story, he was the hero, working towards a heroic goal. Maybe feeding a family, maybe spying on the guards, anything. Now he was dead, his story ended abrupty because he was in the wrong place at the wrong time. It felt wrong.

Vari shook his head, trying to keep himself out of the darker thoughts. He'd dug too deep once and had almost killed himself as a result. No sense doing that again.
The run ended fairly quickly, marked by a rather showy acrobatic move likely meant to impress Daphne. Vari's mind wandered back to the dodged question. So...how exactly do you two know each other? He had asked, but the answer told him little. There were quite a few possibilities that could use looking into, but more of that later.

"We need to hide somewhere for the night. Losing a little hired muscle isn't going to call off the hunt just yet." Vari said, glancing around the alley. It was empty, and quite likely to stay that way for hours before other searches finally were updated, but it paid to be careful. With a little luck they'd lead Vari to one of their safehouses, and then there would be plenty of time to talk. With luck.
The thought almost made Vari sigh. Luck was one thing he didn't have.