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SpoilerChapter 2
Dusk had just fallen in Limsa Lominsa, casting dark shadows across the city as street lamps flickered to life. Two Seekers quietly nursed their pints in the Drowning Wench, the male leaning back with one arm resting across the chair languidly and the female sitting prim and proper, fingers curled protectively around her tankard. He leaned forward, not looking directly at her, as he whispered. "S' lookin' like s' jus' gonna be us, 'Narah. Y' sure, uhh... sure y' read the contract right?" Inarah nodded simply as she folded a piece of parchment into one of her many pockets. "A-ah did th'best ah could, Kilid," she whispered back, a hint of defensiveness tingeing her tone. "Ah got faith in y'!" Kilid responded, quickly, and with his most winning smile. "Should we give it a few more, see what 'appens, anyway?"
Inarah nodded again and the two kept their vigil until the stars twinkled brightly in the indigo sky. As if she had been waiting for a cue, the blonde miqo'te abruptly leant back and cracked her knuckles. "Ye...fancy goin' fer a walk then?" Kilid's ears wilted and he cast a longing glance at his mostly untouched pint. "Ah reckon so, aye. So, who we lookin' fer?" Inarah rose to her feet and immediately strode off to the north without so much as a glance over her shoulder. "A-ain't lookin' fer n-nobody. Jus' fancied a walk...round th'city, is all."
He trotted after her and the pair came up to the bridge leading to the Marauders' Guild. Inarah shot him a frown as her ears flattened, and hissed through her teeth, "Ye gotta keep yer voice down if'n we're t'get th'drop on 'im..." Kilid blinked with surprise, seemingly thrown by her change in demeanour. "Wha'? Oh, aye. Ah meant, uhh... yer dream fella! Aye, that." She laughed a light, false laugh and they joked about her finding her soulmate until a roegadyn male hurried by them towards the Bismarck, hefting a large sack over his shoulder.
Inarah continued with her smiles and laughter whilst he passed, but her ears immediately swung back towards the man bustling along. As his footsteps faded, she narrowed her eyes. "Mebbe we should get somethin' t'eat, ye reckon?" Kilid nodded and they set off at a leisurely pace to the restaurant.
Ordering two glasses of water, much to the waitress's annoyance, the pair took up seats near their target. The roegadyn drummed his thick fingers along his table with the sack dumped in the chair next to him. He rudely ordered a meal from the waitress, adding, "An' make it quick," which sent the petite hyur off in a huff. Watching this with some amusement, Kilid rolled his eyes and lowered his voice to avoid carrying too far. "Ah reckon someone's gonna be gettin' somethin' extra added t' their order, straight from the chef." Inarah smiled, nodded and laughed, leaning forward in her chair as if enthralled by whatever her partner was saying. Her flicking ears and swishing tail, however, said otherwise.
Their mark picked up the sack as he waited, rifling through it quickly over and over, until the waitress arrived. He hurriedly tied it shut and slammed a fist down whilst waiting for her to serve the plate of food and tankard of ale. "Enjoy your meal, sir," she snorted and turned on her heel. The miqo'te continued to talk an awful lot about nothing whilst he scoffed his meal and washed it down quickly with ale. With a grunt, he practically threw down a small bag of gil and hefted the sack over his shoulder again, taking off in quick strides.
Kilid and Inarah nodded once to each other and rose to their feet. The male Seeker slipped a pair of fingers into the small pouch at his waist, fishing out a coin and flicking it towards the short-tempered waitress. "Thanks f' the water," he offered with a polite smile as the pair made off to tail the roegadyn to the southern city gate.
They made their way along the crude path leading away from the city without incident. As they approached the bridge to Moraby Drydocks, Inarah narrowed her eyes and sniffed the air. With a swift tug on Kilid's shoulder, she paused. He turned his head back and peered at her questioningly. "'e went round...lost 'is scent an' no way 'e'd get through them Yellabellies wivout 'assle," she whispered through the side of her mouth. The male couldn't deny that. "So, what're we gonna do now?" His partner scanned the bridge and cliffs on either side. "Reckon we should jus' cross th'bridge an' try an' catch 'is scent 'gain..."
Casually walking past the Yellowjackets stationed at numerous points on the bridge with a polite nod, they reached the other side and resumed their chase in earnest. Inarah glanced around and knelt down to touch the dirt, passing her fingers over a faint footprint. "Big foot 'ere...an' ah smell somethin' 'gain." Kilid's attention wandered all about, seemingly quite bored by the proceedings. His tail, however, remained half-raised and semi-bristled, ears pricked high. "There. Let's go," the female grunted as she pointed to a spot in the distance. Their mark was further down the path, sprinting as fast as his burly legs could carry him towards Candlekeep Quay.
Setting up in wait near one of the many enormous boulders dotting the landscape, the pair watched the roegadyn bustle up to the coast, where a small boat guarded by three men was docked a short distance from the Quay proper. The Seekers' target approached the dinghy and, through the gentle haze that had settled in from the sea, it appeared all four of them were talking.
"All me gil t' know what they're sayin'. Well... maybe not all. Or even that much, ah guess," Kilid mused quietly. His partner squinted and raised a finger to point to the men. "Ey, look there...dun look like they're gettin' on..." The roegadyn had begun gesturing angrily; the three others seemed rather amused at first, but soon weapons were drawn. One lunged forward and fists began to fly. "...let's get down there, fast!" Inarah made a move to leap into action but the male's heavy hand pulled down her shoulder. She sat back down, surprised, with no small measure of annoyance written on her features and ears flattening. "We ain't goin' nowhere! S'posed t' tail 'im, not leap t' 'is rescue. 'specially not 'gainst them odds, they look like they know 'ow t' use them swords." The blonde miqo'te just shook her head at Kilid's remark. "Who said anythin' bout rescuin' 'im?" she scoffed and leapt to her feet. Kilid hesitated for a moment before following her down to hide behind a closer boulder.
As they approached, the roegadyn fell face down on the ground. One of the other men seemed injured, limping as he moved to pick up the sack. Some fevered whispering was exchanged as the pair plotted their next move. With a curt nod to Kilid, Inarah stalked through the shadows up behind the injured man. He shortly fell to the ground as well, the tip of a dagger glinting in the dim starlight as it protruded from his chest. She ducked as the other two men shouted and lunged for her, sidestepping out of their way and dancing circles round them.
Kilid bellowed a warcry, perhaps needlessly, but he seemed to enjoy it all the same. He dashed across the short distance at an impressive rate of knots with axe held back behind his body and ready to swing at the first poor sod to get in his way. Whilst he charged in, the men followed Inarah round in a rather comical manner, and she smirked with amusement as she easily twirled and danced out of reach. After some taunting, she wheeled back on one and her blades found their way into his stomach. The other gave up on the whirling dervish and lunged for Kilid.
The male Seeker didn't so much as bat an eyelid, his axe flashing through the air in a silvery arc that, after a brief 'thnk-squelch', turned into a silvery-red arc, and a crimson fountain followed the third man's head through the air. In his enthusiasm, he carried on a bit too far over the coastline and disappeared from sight with a yelp and a loud splash. Inarah wiped her blades quickly on the grass, chuckling at Kilid's dunk in the sea, and immediately rifled through the clothing of the corpses.
She pocketed several bags of coin and turned her attention to the roegadyn's possessions. With a curious tilt of her head, she dug her hand into the large sack and pulled it back out, crystals slipping through her fingers with a merry tinkling sound. Kilid emerged from the water, shivering and dripping but still looking quite unphased by the bloodshed, his attention more on the crystals in his partner's hands. "Ah dunno much bout this...but ain't this odd?..." Inarah looked up to him questioningly. "Ah don't think so, y' listen t' some'ah the merchants in Limsa, they pay gil by the sackload fer precious gems an' stones, eh? Ah reckon we done good, stoppin' a thief. Less competition!" The female didn't seem convinced, narrowing her eyes as she tied the sack shut with swish of her tail. "Aye...mebbe. Let's...let's jus' get this back, s'pose..."
The muscular male Seeker grabbed the neck of the sack in one hand, casually attempting to haul it up over his shoulder in one smooth motion. Upon hefting it less than a fulm from the ground, he listed to one side and staggered off a few paces. With a second attempt, more careful this time, he managed to haul the sack awkwardly over his shoulder. "Ah wish ah were a Roe, round 'bout now." Inarah hid a smirk behind her hand as she looked away from Kilid.
"Let's get goin' then."
Dusk had just fallen in Limsa Lominsa, casting dark shadows across the city as street lamps flickered to life. Two Seekers quietly nursed their pints in the Drowning Wench, the male leaning back with one arm resting across the chair languidly and the female sitting prim and proper, fingers curled protectively around her tankard. He leaned forward, not looking directly at her, as he whispered. "S' lookin' like s' jus' gonna be us, 'Narah. Y' sure, uhh... sure y' read the contract right?" Inarah nodded simply as she folded a piece of parchment into one of her many pockets. "A-ah did th'best ah could, Kilid," she whispered back, a hint of defensiveness tingeing her tone. "Ah got faith in y'!" Kilid responded, quickly, and with his most winning smile. "Should we give it a few more, see what 'appens, anyway?"
Inarah nodded again and the two kept their vigil until the stars twinkled brightly in the indigo sky. As if she had been waiting for a cue, the blonde miqo'te abruptly leant back and cracked her knuckles. "Ye...fancy goin' fer a walk then?" Kilid's ears wilted and he cast a longing glance at his mostly untouched pint. "Ah reckon so, aye. So, who we lookin' fer?" Inarah rose to her feet and immediately strode off to the north without so much as a glance over her shoulder. "A-ain't lookin' fer n-nobody. Jus' fancied a walk...round th'city, is all."
He trotted after her and the pair came up to the bridge leading to the Marauders' Guild. Inarah shot him a frown as her ears flattened, and hissed through her teeth, "Ye gotta keep yer voice down if'n we're t'get th'drop on 'im..." Kilid blinked with surprise, seemingly thrown by her change in demeanour. "Wha'? Oh, aye. Ah meant, uhh... yer dream fella! Aye, that." She laughed a light, false laugh and they joked about her finding her soulmate until a roegadyn male hurried by them towards the Bismarck, hefting a large sack over his shoulder.
Inarah continued with her smiles and laughter whilst he passed, but her ears immediately swung back towards the man bustling along. As his footsteps faded, she narrowed her eyes. "Mebbe we should get somethin' t'eat, ye reckon?" Kilid nodded and they set off at a leisurely pace to the restaurant.
Ordering two glasses of water, much to the waitress's annoyance, the pair took up seats near their target. The roegadyn drummed his thick fingers along his table with the sack dumped in the chair next to him. He rudely ordered a meal from the waitress, adding, "An' make it quick," which sent the petite hyur off in a huff. Watching this with some amusement, Kilid rolled his eyes and lowered his voice to avoid carrying too far. "Ah reckon someone's gonna be gettin' somethin' extra added t' their order, straight from the chef." Inarah smiled, nodded and laughed, leaning forward in her chair as if enthralled by whatever her partner was saying. Her flicking ears and swishing tail, however, said otherwise.
Their mark picked up the sack as he waited, rifling through it quickly over and over, until the waitress arrived. He hurriedly tied it shut and slammed a fist down whilst waiting for her to serve the plate of food and tankard of ale. "Enjoy your meal, sir," she snorted and turned on her heel. The miqo'te continued to talk an awful lot about nothing whilst he scoffed his meal and washed it down quickly with ale. With a grunt, he practically threw down a small bag of gil and hefted the sack over his shoulder again, taking off in quick strides.
Kilid and Inarah nodded once to each other and rose to their feet. The male Seeker slipped a pair of fingers into the small pouch at his waist, fishing out a coin and flicking it towards the short-tempered waitress. "Thanks f' the water," he offered with a polite smile as the pair made off to tail the roegadyn to the southern city gate.
They made their way along the crude path leading away from the city without incident. As they approached the bridge to Moraby Drydocks, Inarah narrowed her eyes and sniffed the air. With a swift tug on Kilid's shoulder, she paused. He turned his head back and peered at her questioningly. "'e went round...lost 'is scent an' no way 'e'd get through them Yellabellies wivout 'assle," she whispered through the side of her mouth. The male couldn't deny that. "So, what're we gonna do now?" His partner scanned the bridge and cliffs on either side. "Reckon we should jus' cross th'bridge an' try an' catch 'is scent 'gain..."
Casually walking past the Yellowjackets stationed at numerous points on the bridge with a polite nod, they reached the other side and resumed their chase in earnest. Inarah glanced around and knelt down to touch the dirt, passing her fingers over a faint footprint. "Big foot 'ere...an' ah smell somethin' 'gain." Kilid's attention wandered all about, seemingly quite bored by the proceedings. His tail, however, remained half-raised and semi-bristled, ears pricked high. "There. Let's go," the female grunted as she pointed to a spot in the distance. Their mark was further down the path, sprinting as fast as his burly legs could carry him towards Candlekeep Quay.
Setting up in wait near one of the many enormous boulders dotting the landscape, the pair watched the roegadyn bustle up to the coast, where a small boat guarded by three men was docked a short distance from the Quay proper. The Seekers' target approached the dinghy and, through the gentle haze that had settled in from the sea, it appeared all four of them were talking.
"All me gil t' know what they're sayin'. Well... maybe not all. Or even that much, ah guess," Kilid mused quietly. His partner squinted and raised a finger to point to the men. "Ey, look there...dun look like they're gettin' on..." The roegadyn had begun gesturing angrily; the three others seemed rather amused at first, but soon weapons were drawn. One lunged forward and fists began to fly. "...let's get down there, fast!" Inarah made a move to leap into action but the male's heavy hand pulled down her shoulder. She sat back down, surprised, with no small measure of annoyance written on her features and ears flattening. "We ain't goin' nowhere! S'posed t' tail 'im, not leap t' 'is rescue. 'specially not 'gainst them odds, they look like they know 'ow t' use them swords." The blonde miqo'te just shook her head at Kilid's remark. "Who said anythin' bout rescuin' 'im?" she scoffed and leapt to her feet. Kilid hesitated for a moment before following her down to hide behind a closer boulder.
As they approached, the roegadyn fell face down on the ground. One of the other men seemed injured, limping as he moved to pick up the sack. Some fevered whispering was exchanged as the pair plotted their next move. With a curt nod to Kilid, Inarah stalked through the shadows up behind the injured man. He shortly fell to the ground as well, the tip of a dagger glinting in the dim starlight as it protruded from his chest. She ducked as the other two men shouted and lunged for her, sidestepping out of their way and dancing circles round them.
Kilid bellowed a warcry, perhaps needlessly, but he seemed to enjoy it all the same. He dashed across the short distance at an impressive rate of knots with axe held back behind his body and ready to swing at the first poor sod to get in his way. Whilst he charged in, the men followed Inarah round in a rather comical manner, and she smirked with amusement as she easily twirled and danced out of reach. After some taunting, she wheeled back on one and her blades found their way into his stomach. The other gave up on the whirling dervish and lunged for Kilid.
The male Seeker didn't so much as bat an eyelid, his axe flashing through the air in a silvery arc that, after a brief 'thnk-squelch', turned into a silvery-red arc, and a crimson fountain followed the third man's head through the air. In his enthusiasm, he carried on a bit too far over the coastline and disappeared from sight with a yelp and a loud splash. Inarah wiped her blades quickly on the grass, chuckling at Kilid's dunk in the sea, and immediately rifled through the clothing of the corpses.
She pocketed several bags of coin and turned her attention to the roegadyn's possessions. With a curious tilt of her head, she dug her hand into the large sack and pulled it back out, crystals slipping through her fingers with a merry tinkling sound. Kilid emerged from the water, shivering and dripping but still looking quite unphased by the bloodshed, his attention more on the crystals in his partner's hands. "Ah dunno much bout this...but ain't this odd?..." Inarah looked up to him questioningly. "Ah don't think so, y' listen t' some'ah the merchants in Limsa, they pay gil by the sackload fer precious gems an' stones, eh? Ah reckon we done good, stoppin' a thief. Less competition!" The female didn't seem convinced, narrowing her eyes as she tied the sack shut with swish of her tail. "Aye...mebbe. Let's...let's jus' get this back, s'pose..."
The muscular male Seeker grabbed the neck of the sack in one hand, casually attempting to haul it up over his shoulder in one smooth motion. Upon hefting it less than a fulm from the ground, he listed to one side and staggered off a few paces. With a second attempt, more careful this time, he managed to haul the sack awkwardly over his shoulder. "Ah wish ah were a Roe, round 'bout now." Inarah hid a smirk behind her hand as she looked away from Kilid.
"Let's get goin' then."
