Birds of a Feather

[Priestess | Assassin 387]

 

As if it were planned by the gods, a rather dubious looking creature in a black hood straight out of theatre showed up to save this poor unfortunate soul from poverty. The lizard man spoke to Rhyko's ear. Unfortunately, Shina's hearing wasn't nigh flawless, and the clamor of the diner wasn't helping. When the creature walked away, she looked to Rhyko and asked "A friend of yours?"
 

 

[Dmitry 93]

"I don't think so..." He responded, still muffled by the table. "If he is, then the years haven't been kind." Rhyko then pulled his head from the table and looked to his dining partner. "Well, it looks like I have a job at least. You wouldn't be looking for work would you? You helped me out, so I'd be more than happy splitting the pay." He took a drink of water before trailing off a bit, remaining silent for a bit as he thought to himself.

"Can I ask you something?" Again, the silence was broken, the boy still looking off to the side. "Have you ever...been afraid of yourself?" His gaze became glassy and distant as he pondered aloud, almost forgetting where he was for a moment. "I...never mind, I'm rambling." With this he got up from the table and made his way up to the room he paid for earlier, a bit of a slump to his posture. "Goodnight," he said as he left. The room itself was rather simple, a bed, nightstand, and a window, which was currently closed. Pausing for a moment of indecision, Rhyko sighed in defeat before walking over to the window and opening it, the light of a waning moon seeping in. For a moment, he simply stared at the moonlit sky, enraptured. The teenager then yawned, broke from the sight, and climbed into bed.

Edited August 10, 2020 by Dmitry

[Priestess | Assassin 387]

 

"Hmmm?" Shina responded after Rhyko said he didn't think he knew the person. He then said that if he was a friend, then he'd been through quite the troubles in years past. An offer was made to split the pay as a way to repay her for her help, to which Shina responded "Mmmm..." while resting her fork on her lower lip "...I'll think about it."

Rhyko asked if he could as a question. Shina said "Sure." in a curious tone. He seemed to be slightly distracted when he asked his question. It was an odd one that made her think the boy knew her secret. Quickly, he dismissed the inquiry as nothing more than rambling. He got up and went off to his room, bidding Shina a good night. "Night." she replied with a gentle smile.

The next morning, Shina would be outside the inn, leaning against the building. Naturally, she'd be wearing her mask. When Rhyko finally came out, she'd say "Good morning." in a friendly tone. Her words would be partially muffled by her mask.

 

[Dmitry 93]

Rubbing his face and letting out a comically loud yawn, Rhyko pushed open the door to the inn, squinting as the sun hit his tired eyes and jumping at the greeting of his newest associate. "Oh...uh, yeah. Good morning." He mumbled, his hand over his startled heart. After his strange behavior the other night, he wouldn't have been surprised if she had simply left. He wouldn't have blamed her either, his company having been worth little even before his recent troubles. An awkward pause ensued or at least awkward for the young man, having never been socially gifted. A moment later, the boy finally spoke up.

"So...does this mean you wanted to join after all?" Rhyko asked hesitantly. After another pause, he reached into his pocket and retrieved the piece of paper he was given by the strange lizard man the other night. "I have got some instructions from that guy the other night, so I was actually on my way over if you wanted to come." He then shrunk back, as though realizing some transgression he'd unwittingly committed. "That is...if you wanted to come along..." 

Regardless of whether Shina agreed to join him, Rhyko would soon be making his way toward the location indicated in the note. This path led him him well away from the docks and into a warehouse district, seemingly in disuse as of late. With a worried expression painting his features, he reluctantly stepped into the empty back alley as directed.

"I'm sure this is...fine."

Edited August 16, 2020 by Dmitry

[Priestess | Assassin 387]

 

'That is...if you wanted to come along...' Rhyko asked following a somewhat awkward greeting and stating lizard guy gave him some instructions. "Of course I'm coming with you." she replied "I'm not here to give you a wake-up call." Her distorted voice had a slight giggle to it. A mix of humor from the thought of her giving anyone a wake-up call and how awkward Rhyko was.

Shina followed closely behind Rhyko as they moved through the town. Occasionally, she began humming a tune. It wasn't too terribly long before they found themselves in the more dodgy part of town. The structures were built to be functional, and the people didn't look like reading novels were among their list of preferred hobbies.

The two of them entered an alley with nothing going on, the perfect place to set up an ambush, as well as a brief and clandestine meeting. Rhyko commented that they were fine, but it sounded more like he was trying to convince himself of that. "We can still turn back." Shina said, seeing as no one had shown up as of yet.

 

[Dmitry 93]

"Um...no its fine...I'm fine..." Rhyko stuttered, nervously looking about for the supposed contact. "Actually, you know what? Maybe we have the wrong place, I might have read the note wrong or-" Before he could finish, a hooded figure appeared out of the alley, seemingly out of nowhere behind the boy as he turned to Shina. "Are you here about the delivery?" Rhyko jumped at the sound behind him, turning to face the figure and nearly backing into the girl now behind him. "What? Uh, who-" The figure cut in before he could fail to finish his sentence. "The package, for Aelindra? If not then move along, I've got no time for you." 

The black haired teen blinked a few times, still a bit bewildered before step forward again and clearing his throat. "Y-yes, I-we're here for the delivery...I think." The person in the alley, seemingly female from the sound of their voice, cocked her head as though to question the young man. "You? Are you sure? This isn't exactly a normal courier job. You really want in on this kid?"

Rhyko paused for a moment, staring at the ground. This certainly seemed shady, but did he have any choice? It didn't seem like there was any other way to get to Aelindra while maintaining his own survival. He couldn't turn back now. After a moment, he looked back up to the hooded woman, a bit of a firmer look in his eyes. "Yes...I'm okay with that..." From then, a bit of doubt suddenly filtered into his expression as he turned to Shina. 

"That's...that's okay with you, right?" He asked nervously. 

Edited August 17, 2020 by Dmitry

[Priestess | Assassin 387]

 

The initial response was one where Rhyko tried to say everything was okay, which made Shina think of an oil painting she saw in an art gallery where a dog was reading a news paper as the building around it was burning down. Unlike that dog, he quickly changed his mind and decided that he possibly screwed something up. Shina stepped aside to let him walk in front her, but a woman stepped out of the shadows. 'Dodgy cloak, check. Edgy shadow-hiding, check. Sketchy mission, check.' Shina thought while subconsciously having her hand on the grip of her blade out of surprise reaction.

The woman spoke with Rhyko, asking if he was the courier she wanted. Quite rude about it, too. She wasn't really doing much to make herself seem less shady... It would've been nice if she at least told them what they were transporting, but no, dark mysterious lady was dark and mysterious.

Rhyko asked for Shina's approval, not seeming too sure of this. She could tell that he wasn't really used to this sort of stuff. He was hesitant and still cared about the opinions of others. "You're the driver, I'm just here for the ride." she said with her voice slightly muffled and distorted by the mask. He needed to get used to making decisions based on his gut. If things went pear shaped, it would be a good learning experience.

 

[Dmitry 93]

The hooded woman then huffed at the two of them and shoved a satchel into his arms, glaring into his eyes. "You do not open the package," she said sternly. "You do not look inside the package, you do not leave the package untended. You will be met at the gates and you will be compensated for the package; that is all. Do you understand?" Rhyko nodded fearfully, startled by his rather intimidating employer. With that, she took her hands off the 'package' and faded back into the shadows, leaving the two travelers alone at the entrance to the alley.

"Um...Well, shall we?" He asked timidly, pausing a moment before walking back into the streets. After a moment of wandering about and having to ask several passers by for directions, Rhyko and Shina were well on their way to the city gates. Along the way, the boy was mostly silent, aside from a few absent minded acknowledgements. He was too deep in worry over his secret and how he would keep it from Shina, if he even should. She was inadvertently risking a great deal by traveling with him, something he failed to consider at the inn. Still, if he thought about it logically, the odds of them running into significant enough trouble to reveal his...other side were slim at best. The were only traveling a short distance after all, likely a day at the most. Before he could muse any further on his dilemma, the two arrived at the southern exit of the city, the road to Aelindra before them.

"Look..." He abruptly began saying, taking a deep breath and releasing it. "I...really appreciate you coming, even if we are splitting the pay. But if something happens to me..." For a moment, Rhyko struggled with the words. "..You should stay clear of me. Just trust me. You won't wanna be near me if it comes to that." Without any further explanation, the boy began to trek onward, the satchel slung over his shoulder. He had no idea what answers he'd find in Aelindra, but he needed them in order to understand what he could do with...whatever this situation was.

As the boy began to move away from the city, a raven silently landed on the gates. For a moment, the bird only cocked his head and watched, before taking off into the sky in the same direction, an eerie caw creeping out of his beak as he flew.