Starting To Rain. [Open]

[Esper Kohnen]

The starlight dotted the dark-blue sky like pinpoints of sterling silver. Almost as if the horizon had broken in tiny places and the jewels were what bled from the wounds.
Without light pollution, the stars overhead were clearly visible, and by the light of the lantern in the window of the house across the road, so was the patrol guard strolling nonchalantly down the road. Kestryll withdrew into the darkness of the alleyway until the guard had passed by.

Kess didn't know why she had hidden. There was no imposed curfew and she wasn't a fugitive, but her allegiance lay with the Syndicate, and they were usually kept out of York. But Kestryll... Kestryll was a Freelancer, and it was impossible to tell where her loyalty lay. She was allowed in this city, so there was no need to hide.

Kestryll emerged from the alleyway after the guard had passed, and hurried down the street in the opposite direction, pulling up her hood against the light drizzle that had begun to fall. She followed the street down and turned left. There, she crouched on the pavement, taking from her bag a lantern and her tinderbox. She struggled with the flint in the drizzle, before producing a tiny flame which she lit a candle with, put it in the lantern and held aloft. The clear glass allowed the light to shine brightly, and it cast monster, flickering shadows over the walls behind her.

The only problem was, it made her more visible in the night.

[Svothe Jackson]

Turning slowly I hear the noise of footsteps padding away in the opposite direction. Sliding my baton slowly from its position on my belt I glance around uneasily glaring deep into the shadows for any signs of life. Further down the road I see the flickering of a lantern or light fading out into the darkness and decide to follow it. These are dark times I though to myself, maybe someone had broken inside so I followed swiftly. I broke out into a full run my heavy boots battering the ground beneath me and sending echoes out in all directions. As I start to get closer I slow down and pull myself into the darker shadows of the houses. Creeping along the walls I peer around the corner to witness a dull figure before me with the slowly swinging lantern in its hand.

[Esper Kohnen]

Kess tried to shield the light of the lantern using the sides of her coat. The little light wasn't bright enough to light up the street enough so things could be seen clearly, but it was enough to cast a dim luminance on the walls around her. It wasn't really brightening things up, though, and Kestryll wondered if she might be able to see better if she extinguished the lamp and allowed her natural night vision to kick in.

She reached the corner and paused, hesitant on the pavement beneath her feet. She turned left around the corner of the building, lifted the lantern up to the windows of the store, and pressed her face to the glass. She cupped her free hand around her eyes, blocking out surplus light that showed her only her own reflection in the glass of the window. She had paused for a second to look at her own face, recognising the familiar features and contours of her face, then peered through the window. The store was closed, which she thought was strange. She'd arranged to meet someone here, and they were supposed to be here, at this time, tonight. Maybe something had happened to them.

She heard footsteps echoing down the road behind her, and Kestryll, still jittery with nerves she knew she shouldn't have, opened the lantern door and blew out the light. She darted around the corner of the building, quickly packing her lantern back into her bag. With the zip wiggled over the warm lantern, she slung the bag across her shoulders again, retreated into the shadows around the other side of the building, and stood with her back to the wall, waiting. She listened in silence to she sounds of her follower.


_{((Please write a minimum of ten sentences? It's in the rules...))}

[Svothe Jackson]

Sticking my head out round the corner and peering into the darkness. The light now extinguished left no hint of where it once was. Turning my head slowly trying to take in all that in front of me while also looking for any movement. 'Where had they gone?' steeping out into the centre of the street I spread my legs into a wider, strengthened stance patting my baton against my hand letting the quiet slapping noise creep out into the surrounding streets and alleys. Hearing something to my rear I turn sharply bringing the baton up to the sky as if to defend myself, only to find myself staring into darkness once more. With little indication to where the person had fled to I hunkered down a little bit and spoke strongly. "Come out, come out where ever you are." pausing for a few moments to see if anyone had emerged from the shadows. Angered slightly now and gritting my teeth "If you've got nothing to hide, then you shan't be hiding." With still no movement I stepped backwards, resting my back against the glass of the shop behind me.

Slightly more tamely now I mutter "Come on, I ain't going to 'urt you", sliding my baton back into my waistline and pressing both hands against the glass shop front. As quietly as I can I shuffle along the shop front till I reach the corner and hurriedly stick my head round it looking deep into the darkness of the alleyway a sliver of light illuminating the bins and rubbish littering the alleyway and the faint outline of a person towards the back of the alley. "You There" I call out pulling my baton out from under my belt and waving it menacingly in the air.

"Show yourself to me, or you'll be dealing with a lot more of us around here!" I call out staring at the unmoving outline as I slowly begin to approach it.

[Esper Kohnen]

Come out, come out where ever you are.
Kestryll pressed her head back against the damp alleyway wall, her eyes narrowing into thin slits, so that her pale irises resembled slim silvery daggers. Was this a game of hide and seek to him? Kess actually had business to attend to and she didn’t appreciate those imposing Enforcers sticking their nose into business that wasn’t theirs and telling people how to live their lives. They were like Nazi’s, the Secret Police their Gestapo.

Come on, I ain't going to 'urt you.
Lies. It was all lies. Kestryll knew it, she could sense it, practically smell it. How could he guarantee that he wouldn’t hurt her? If she was an unarmed member of the Syndicate, a spy for their cause, then she’d be dead faster than you could say, ‘oh shit.’ Kess imagined the man arming himself against a potential attack or ambush; everyone these days had trust issues, it took weeks to be sure that you could just turn your back to them without feeling cold steel between your shoulder blades.

By now Kestryll’s eyes had had time to adjust to the darkness, which gave her some sort of advantage, maybe, over the man prowling the streets outside. He moved to the end of the ginnel, saw her silhouette, and called out as he brandished his police baton. When Kess didn’t respond, he approached her into the darkness.

As he advanced towards her, Kestryll’s fingers slid out one of the throwing knives that hung from her belt just behind her right hip. She took the blade into her hand without moving her arm, and pressing the flat, aerodynamic handle into the palm of her hand, she slid the razor-sharp blade carefully into her sleeve and laid it against the inside of her wrist. She nestled the last two fingers of her right hand over the blade handle, holding it in place, and then straightened her elbow to allow the long sleeve of her khaki army jacket to cover most of her right hand. Her weapon was hidden, ready to unleash in the flick of a wrist if he threatened her.

[Svothe Jackson]

Letting out a deep sigh at the unmoving figure, "Look alright, just give me a chance, I just want to talk alright. I think your the first sign of life I've seen around these parts in hours. Just speak or recognize my existence at the very least." I once again slide my baton into my trousers and raise both hands to shoulder level showing that they're empty. "I just want'a talk alright?" this far out I must've known there'd be no back up if there was a 'incident'. I don't even know what im doing out here alone, I'd be surprised if someone doesn't shoot or stab me thinking I'm trying to break into the city. Scrunching my face up at my own idiocy and now trying to work out how I can get out of here alive as I click and rub my fingers together out of both boredom and fear.

Staring back at the figure, awaiting a response I look into the gloomy darkness before me and let out another sigh. "Come on just show yourself mate, I've got no quarrel with you being here. Just want to check that your alright and talk to someone human."

[Esper Kohnen]

Kestryll frowned; her head leaned aside so that her expression was more akin to a curious and confused wolf. How could Kess be the first sign of life he’d seen around here? This was York; it was teeming with life, and especially Enforcers. The way he’d patrolled the streets behind her had given off the air of being an Enforcer himself and the presence of the Police baton at his belt did little to disperse those beliefs. But if he hadn’t seen a lot of life then he was unlikely to be an Enforcer, and that meant that the baton had been stolen from, or given to him by somebody else.

Silent as a ghost, she took a little sidestep out of the shadows and into a shaft of silvery moonlight, so that her face, save for her eyes which were shadowed by her large hood, were cast into fierce relief by the light.

It came as more of a surprise to her that he put the baton away. What was this, a new kind of tactic? The Enforcers she’d run into always tried for the upper hand, but this man was surrendering any chance of that he may have had. Curious...

“Okay,” Kestryll said slowly, not yet ready to surrender her own weapon which was concealed inside her sleeve, “so what you want to talk about? The weather?” She tossed her head back a little like a restless horse, the motion shifting the hood back on her head and revealing her pale, silver-blue eyes. “Perhaps you’d like to tell me why you’re following me, or what your name is?”

[Svothe Jackson]

Watching you as you step from the shadows, your illuminated figure standing in clear view now. I look you up and down taking careful not to pause too long over he more feminine features before looking her in the eyes once more. "The weather ain't quite what I had in mind, no. Names Svothe, and I'm following you because theres shit all to do in this dump now days. Thought Id caught my lucky break and found somebody sneaking in to pick a fight with, but seems I've come to my senses about now." chuckling a little before returning to looking you in the eyes "What are you doing round these parts any way? Don't see no dog getting walked thats for sure." looking around for something to make the conversation a little less awkward I notice two broken up crates laying behind me. Gesturing towards them I mutter "Come on, why not have a sit down. Better than standing around here all bloody night just to have a chat, my legs are bloody killing me" as I ease my self slowly down onto one of the crates still gesturing for you to sit on the other.

Stretching my legs out and yawning slightly as I fidget around trying to make myself comfortable on the stiff wood. Giving it a little bit of a wobble to make sure that it can hold my 'heavier than normal' weight.

[Esper Kohnen]

Kestryll did not sit beside him. That symbolised comradeship, and Kess did not offer that lightly to people she considered the enemies of her allies. Kess aligned herself with the Syndicate, and right now she was considering that the enemy of her friend was her enemy. She was cautious, if not paranoid, that this was some other kind of tactic. However, she did not want to seem standoffish to a potential ally. So she crouched, catlike, at his level.

"I don’t think I understand what you’re getting at," Kestryll said astutely. She squinted at him through those narrowed silvery eyes, titled in the rain, but despite her comment there was great intelligence lurking behind those irises. "You’re an Enforcer, right? That’s why you carry that badge and that’s where you got the baton from. But if you’re an Enforcer, you’re meant to be Enforcing, patrolling the streets to make sure people like the Syndicate don’t invade your territory, not following people because you’ve nothing else to do and you’re lonely. Don’t they train you lot as soldiers? I thought you were following me because I’d broken some York law."

Kess’ eyes searched him thoroughly. "I have to admit, I’m having trouble making sense of you. The name Svothe sounds Swedish, but your accent and the way you miss the 'h's from the beginning of your words... where d’you come from – Barnsley?"

[Svothe Jackson]

At first confused by why she didn't sit but finally realising her obvious lack of trust, wiggling on the stool a little I make it so that I am facing you, "Look alright, I ain't no regular enforcer, they call me 'the bounty hunter' I travel around these parts searching for contracts or 'clients' if you will. People who think themselves have been wronged some how but can't sort the fight out themselves; they come to me, and I sort it out for 'em. you know what I mean?" looking more interestingly now as I play your comment on the syndicate and 'York Law' over in my head trying to figure if you were here illegally or maybe where a syndicate spy. Quickly I try to wipe the notion from my head, this is a potential client and nothing else, ain't gonna matter where she comes from as long as she pays good.

"I have to admit, I’m having trouble making sense of you. The name Svothe sounds Swedish, but your accent and the way you miss the 'h's from the beginning of your words... where d’you come from – Barnsley?"
"Nah Love, I ain't from Barnsley, I was born in Watford but my parents bought me here as a kid, seems they thought it was safer. look 'ow well thats worked out for them eh?" I pull the other crate over in front of me and slide my backpack off of my back. Dipping my hand inside I pull out a axe and quickly smash it down on top of the crate splintering it into hundreds of pieces. I quickly drop the axe back in and then pull out my tinderbox and flint pulling out a bit of tinder and laying it on the crates smashed pieces while sparking the flint against some metal debris laying around. Within moments a small flame starts to flicker and quickly grows until theres a faint glow lighting up myself although not quite reaching you. Leaving you still mostly hidden by the shadows. I hold both hands above the small fire rubbing them together for extra warmth. "Come on, you don't have to trust me to sit next to a fire do ya?"

[Esper Kohnen]

"Right, you’re just mercenary muscle. A hand for hire," Kestryll said, mild distaste in her voice betraying how she felt about that lifestyle. For her, life revolved on loyalty, as that was the currency of her life. You could do a lot more with a few called in favours than with all the bits of stamped alloy in the country. Kestryll had kept her life when she was seven years old when her mortality had hinged on the whim of a few Raiders. It was by giving them her loyalty that she survived, and it was when she gave someone else that loyalty that she made up her mind to murder them as they slept, seven years later. It all boiled down to who you gave your allegiance to. "People don’t wrong me. If they did, I deal with them my own way. It’s not right to have someone else fight your battles for you."

Kess watched the man make a fire. It wasn’t the smartest tactic; should anyone see the light and follow it to the source, they’d find two people in an alleyway looking like they wanted to stay out of sight. Not the best situation to try and explain your way out of. She withdrew to the shadows, preferring it greatly if the man didn’t get the best look at her face. You could always give a fake name when you met someone, affect a different accent, use unfamiliar mannerisms, but you couldn’t change your face. You’d always be recognised. Kess tugged the large hood lower over her face so that her eyes were well hidden, and dipped her head a little as she balanced, catlike, on the pads of her feet in such a way that weight was distributed from the parts of her legs that should have been strained after long periods of time.

Look 'ow well thats worked out for them eh?
"The world’s full of shit, sugar. If you can’t handle it then it’s best to take a knife to your own neck because you’ll end up tearing yourself apart sooner or later anyway," Kess said with a nonchalant shrug. "If you can, then you might as well live." She almost shied away from the flames, as if she was reluctant to be near the light or the warmth. It wasn’t that she was afraid, merely that she held a certain fondness for theatrics and the longer she could remain mysterious, the better.