16th of Zi'da 722
Continued from here.
A light flurry was falling on the streets of Almund that morning. The last of the drying lines hung unused in the chill of early winter, while the ramshackle shanties and shelters had been bolstered against the elements, vagrants hunkering down for what promised to be another harsh cold season. It was simple enough, in the lull of early morning traffick to single out the tracks of the woman who'd only just left the Bones a few moments before. And though he couldn't make out where she was, her tracks led the way down the street, in the direction of Bel Alley. Not a good part of town, he couldn't deny, yet she appeared capable of handling herself well enough. She gave the impression, during their session in the Bones of being a scalvorite of Almund, hrough and through. She'd probably made enough connections in her life to get by on those alone. It was the way of the street on Almund. It often was about who you knew, and who knew you.
In Woe's case, he had to make do with the isolation of being an unknown quantity, as he was currently cloaked in anonymity.
He followed the tracks for sometime. She wore soft-sole boots, but their point was easily determined enough that he could follow where she took a turn, where she stopped to linger, and when she made an about face.
The tracking was complicated by the time he arrived at a certain part of the Alley, where she'd entered a establishment. As he followed, trying not to look for all the world like he was sniffing a trail, he saw that she stopped at a food stall for a bite to eat. He walked on past her, unrecognized. He went as far as the corner, and then stopped just beyond the curve. There, he waited a few bits, and when he had a sense that she was on the move again, crossed the alleyway. He glanced subtly with his eyes toward the foodstall, and saw that she was making her way in the opposite direction now. This suited him well enough, he could still make out her tracks, even better now that the snow was beginning to accumulate a slight ground cover.
He headed out from the narrow alleyways where the food stalls were hawking their wares, meats offered straight out of jungle fires. Nobody really bothered with Woe, by dint of his ability to invoke Sombran's sought after isolation. So he was not delayed by any of the street food hawkers.
He stopped short of the path where the alley emptied out into the broader avenue that crossed it, and saw that the tracks of Navnea, recognizable now from others, went left. So he followed that way.
The further he followed, the faster her pace seemed to pick up. In time, Woe had to hasten in order to kee her within sight, lest he lose track. He followed her down darting alleyways, always using the shadow as his cover while she seemed oblivious to his presence and pursuit. He followed all the way down toward the row of houses on the harbor, one of which had belonged to Emelie's mother, from what Woe remembered. Strange, was this Aukari a neighbor of hers?
He did seem to remember that Emelie had a penchant for red heads.
Perhaps this was the one that awakened that interest in her.
He rounded the corner, intent on making up the distance. In his haste, he failed to account for any other motions other than that of his intended target. An arm stuck out from the corner of the building, and leveled him to the ground. He fell, nearly knocking his own head agains the cobbles. As it was, he managed to avoid hitting his head on the ground with a deft curling of his body at the point that his ass hit the street.
But damn did his windpipe feel that clothesline.
He was picked up bodily, as the two red-haired assailants made no effort to hide their faces. "Following someone?" One of them, the meaner looking aukari mongrel asked. Then the other piped in, "Hey, I think he's got some spare change, let's shake him down!"
"Shut it Fenix."
"Oaf, you're not supposed to use my name while we're on a job."
"Oh yeah. Shut it anyway." The mean one glowered at Woe, who decided to display not the slightest bit of intimidation for this young man. Not even feigned. "And you, whatcher want with that one?" The aukari half-breed cocked his head toward Navnea.
Woe said nothing. "We'll just have to figure that out, and whether you're worth keeping alive..." The mean one dragged him along, and Fenix helped him with the dragging.
Woe for the most part allowed them to take him into the second location. He was still qutie confident that whatever situation they were bringing him into, they could not overcome the threat he posed to them.
The two red-haired thugs dragged him into a shabby dwelling. As they did, Woe took further stock of either of them. They couldn't have been much more than youths, teenagers. Certainly not the typical rough and tumble sorts one tries to avoid on the streets. These two by comparison seemed rather clean-limbed.
He doubted he'd much to fear from either of them, had he even the capacity to fear.
A light flurry was falling on the streets of Almund that morning. The last of the drying lines hung unused in the chill of early winter, while the ramshackle shanties and shelters had been bolstered against the elements, vagrants hunkering down for what promised to be another harsh cold season. It was simple enough, in the lull of early morning traffick to single out the tracks of the woman who'd only just left the Bones a few moments before. And though he couldn't make out where she was, her tracks led the way down the street, in the direction of Bel Alley. Not a good part of town, he couldn't deny, yet she appeared capable of handling herself well enough. She gave the impression, during their session in the Bones of being a scalvorite of Almund, hrough and through. She'd probably made enough connections in her life to get by on those alone. It was the way of the street on Almund. It often was about who you knew, and who knew you.
In Woe's case, he had to make do with the isolation of being an unknown quantity, as he was currently cloaked in anonymity.
He followed the tracks for sometime. She wore soft-sole boots, but their point was easily determined enough that he could follow where she took a turn, where she stopped to linger, and when she made an about face.
The tracking was complicated by the time he arrived at a certain part of the Alley, where she'd entered a establishment. As he followed, trying not to look for all the world like he was sniffing a trail, he saw that she stopped at a food stall for a bite to eat. He walked on past her, unrecognized. He went as far as the corner, and then stopped just beyond the curve. There, he waited a few bits, and when he had a sense that she was on the move again, crossed the alleyway. He glanced subtly with his eyes toward the foodstall, and saw that she was making her way in the opposite direction now. This suited him well enough, he could still make out her tracks, even better now that the snow was beginning to accumulate a slight ground cover.
He headed out from the narrow alleyways where the food stalls were hawking their wares, meats offered straight out of jungle fires. Nobody really bothered with Woe, by dint of his ability to invoke Sombran's sought after isolation. So he was not delayed by any of the street food hawkers.
He stopped short of the path where the alley emptied out into the broader avenue that crossed it, and saw that the tracks of Navnea, recognizable now from others, went left. So he followed that way.
The further he followed, the faster her pace seemed to pick up. In time, Woe had to hasten in order to kee her within sight, lest he lose track. He followed her down darting alleyways, always using the shadow as his cover while she seemed oblivious to his presence and pursuit. He followed all the way down toward the row of houses on the harbor, one of which had belonged to Emelie's mother, from what Woe remembered. Strange, was this Aukari a neighbor of hers?
He did seem to remember that Emelie had a penchant for red heads.
Perhaps this was the one that awakened that interest in her.
He rounded the corner, intent on making up the distance. In his haste, he failed to account for any other motions other than that of his intended target. An arm stuck out from the corner of the building, and leveled him to the ground. He fell, nearly knocking his own head agains the cobbles. As it was, he managed to avoid hitting his head on the ground with a deft curling of his body at the point that his ass hit the street.
But damn did his windpipe feel that clothesline.
He was picked up bodily, as the two red-haired assailants made no effort to hide their faces. "Following someone?" One of them, the meaner looking aukari mongrel asked. Then the other piped in, "Hey, I think he's got some spare change, let's shake him down!"
"Shut it Fenix."
"Oaf, you're not supposed to use my name while we're on a job."
"Oh yeah. Shut it anyway." The mean one glowered at Woe, who decided to display not the slightest bit of intimidation for this young man. Not even feigned. "And you, whatcher want with that one?" The aukari half-breed cocked his head toward Navnea.
Woe said nothing. "We'll just have to figure that out, and whether you're worth keeping alive..." The mean one dragged him along, and Fenix helped him with the dragging.
Woe for the most part allowed them to take him into the second location. He was still qutie confident that whatever situation they were bringing him into, they could not overcome the threat he posed to them.
The two red-haired thugs dragged him into a shabby dwelling. As they did, Woe took further stock of either of them. They couldn't have been much more than youths, teenagers. Certainly not the typical rough and tumble sorts one tries to avoid on the streets. These two by comparison seemed rather clean-limbed.
He doubted he'd much to fear from either of them, had he even the capacity to fear.
