The Choices We Make

[B. B. Wolf]

Devin took a bite from an apple and chewed on it methodically, his face scrunched in a frown as he was deep in thought. A cloth satchel hung at his side, holding a good amount of food.

He was slowly making his way down a street in the place known on this world as The Dark. He had bribed one of the crew of a cargo ship earlier to allow him on board. He'd been down here long enough, it was time to cause some more havok in the "world above".

His head jerked up at the sound of approaching footsteps, and he sidestepped into an alley. The clanging of the guards weapons and armor alerted him that he needed to find a better hiding spot. Another street paralleled the one he'd been traversing, but was barred by an iron gate. He leaned against it, then grinned as the guards came around the corner. His body suddenly turned to mist, and he phased through the gate and onto the other side, leaving the small hallow and continuing on down the street. He dropped the satchel of food in front of one of the workers lodgings, then made his way toward the ship.

He took another bite of his apple and grinned as he chewed it. The transport was in sight and not much else stood in his way at the moment. He sighed and tossed the apple core after finishing it. Victory tasted so sweet.

[Kagome]

Crystal sighed as she tied her bonnet back in place before stepping back out into the sunlight. Another dead end. It was always the same for her on these hunts for information...get in close with the family, then ask her questions, and the normal responses she seemed to recieve were facts she already knew or the family knew nothing to help in her Quest.

"I'm gonna kill Marcus for this..."

She muttered to herself thinking about her informant, a man as close as a brother to her in the guild and a steathly little gnat at that. Almost everyone of her leads came from him and she felt his information gathering skills needed a little practice. As she reached down to pick up her parasel she heard someone shout her name, and glanced up just in time to see Marcus come running down the street at her, a huge grin plastered on his face.

Crystal affected a disgruntled look and crossed her arms over her chest in a defiant manner as the young man came to a stop in front of her gasping for breath, try as she might she couldnt stay angry with the rascal, but he didnt need to know that...

"I'll give you three chances to explain your poor judgement of the truth before I kill you...."

She said in a soft calm voice hiding her amusement at the horrified expression Marcus was sending her way,

"Y-you think my judgement is failing? After all I do for you, I slave to find people for you to question and this is how you repay me? In doubt of my abilities?"

Marcus' voice was full of anger as he spoke but Crystal could see he was faking it as well, and suddenly she burst into laughter as she opened her parasel and cast it over her shoulder then latching onto his arm she began to lead him down the street. Marcus sighed, he knew she was upset at not finding more information but he WAS trying, and as a Man could garner more respect in setting up these little 'interviews' than she could, But it was always her way with words and perhaps her little suggestions that led the victims to open up. He felt bad that he couldnt help her more but after all these years he knew she wouldnt except his offer, so this was all he could do to help her through the pain. Patting her hand on his arm, he turned to her as they headed off toward one of the grander buildings on the walk, and the secret base of the assassin's guild.

"One day soon we shall find her Crystal,"

Crystal sighed at his words, and suddenly all the hate and anger she felt toward the woman came rushing back, along with the memories, she closed her eyes and battled back the pain for the moment and gripping her parasel tightly whispered almost savagely,

"And when we do, retribution will be swift"

The pair then lapsed into a comfortable silence as they continued down the walk, Marcus knew how she came to be with the Assassin's guild and why, and knew it tomented her. Her need for revenge sometimes clouded her senses to other things in life and that's why he helped her, to keep her from losing it completely. hen he suddenly remembered why he was in such a hurry to get to her, smiling he turned to her once again.

"Oh and by the way, I think I know where I can find another person you can interview soon-"

Crystal, who had been off in her own little world, debating about her next course of action, barely heard Marcus as he rambled on about another interview with another person who probably wouldnt know anything about where the bitch was hiding. She shook her slightly she would be glad when the day came for action and not this little run around.

[B. B. Wolf]

Devin walked out of the dark and into the bright city light. He fixed his hat so that his eyes weren't exposed directly and slipped his hunting knife out of its sheath. He pulled an orange out of one pocket and began to methodically peel it as he contemplated his next course of action.

He definately needed to keep a low profile on this city, as the local guardsmen weren't exactly "friendly" these days, especially with two more resistance pockets around. And being a "known agitator" never helps situations.

A grinned and ducked into a side alley. Of course, in a place like this, reputation was everything. There were a few items he had been recruited to retrieve, and a target he felt had outlasted his stay on this world.

For now though, he made his way toward one of the fancier inns, looking for a place to stay for the night.

[Kagome]

Crystal and Marcus continued thier walk chatting about each other's day. Crystal told him how frutile her interview proved and Marcus told her about some of the tasks the guild had sent him on, normal things like death threats, weapons pick-up, that sort of thing. Crystal had this day off from her guild duties and had used it to her advantage, while Marcus had to work, in other words. Now Marcus was in the middle of discribing one of his meetings with a lesser guild's leadership.

"...And then I said, "Well if it'll make you feel better he thinks your mother is a poor excuse for a woman anyway having given birth to you," and then all hell broke loose..."

"You did not!!"

Crystal burst into laughter, she could barely imagine Marcus standing up to anyone, let alone the leader of a guild, ON that guild's territory.

"I did too! As sure as I'm standing here!!"

His comments made her laugh all the more as they finally reached the end of the walk and the center of the city. Marcus led her across this intersection swiftly, and continued on toward the upper part of town keeping her close. Lest any unsavory character tried to grab at her...It had happened before and he didn't particularly feel like lying to the guardsmen and say he killed the poor bastard when he knew good and well it would be his lovely little companion guilty of the deed. He just wanted to get her to the 'spot' quickly.

He knew he would be in trouble if she knew what he was planning, forcing her to meet someone out of the blue like this, but, oh well...And besides he did TRY to tell he about where he was taking her, she just hadn't been paying attention...

Crystal smiled over Marcus' show of protectiveness. Yup just like a brother, an over bearing hawk of one, but a least he cared enough to help. The rest of the guild admired her for her continued vigor toward her goal but some thought her a bit obsessive. Shaking her head she allowed herself to be steered this way and that as they wove through the crowd.

[lonemanslayer]

Phillius sighed to him self as he walked down the streets, the light reflecting off of his dark tinted glasses. Each steeped he took created a slight jingle sound from the metal ring on his boot straps clinking on the side clasps of his boots. He glanced around him from behind the Curtin of his bangs and glasses he wasn’t worried about some one attacking him he was quite confident in his ability to defend him self. It was more to take in the world around him.

A world filled with decay and depravity where the powerful where corrupt and the weak where twisted. The thoughts sickened him how a person can do anything to some one else like that and feel like that can just wash there hands clean with some money.

His eyes narrowed at his dark thoughts, and shake his head slightly to clear them. He noticed the sights around him as people went about there business, he noticed a young couple walking along in the opposite direction he was heading. There where chatting and laughing arm in arm the ladies paracel bouncing on her shoulder as she walked, he didn’t know why he had noticed them they didn’t seem to stick out in any way except for there noisy laughter.

[B. B. Wolf]

Devin opens the door to a popular resturaunt and takes a seat at one of the tables. When the waitress came he ordered a glass of wine.

"Anything else?"

Devin grins and lays his hand ontop of hers.

"Not now, thanks though, I'm waiting for a friend. Perhaps I might come later though," he says with a conspiratorial wink. She blushes furiously and nods before quickly retreating into the kitchens. Devin grins and waits for Phil, sipping from his wine like he actually knows something about it other than that it's alchoholic.

[lonemanslayer]

After walking the streets a little more Phil decided to go find his ‘contact’ although he knew who it was. After a bit of searching he found the contact point, and it didn’t surprise him one bit that it was a restaurant; Phil sighed to him self and stepped on in.

A waitress on the way to the kitchen stopped and asked if he needed a table “no I am looking for someone” she then smiled and nodded and headed back to the kitchen, as Phil walked away he had just realized to the waitress had been blushing he raised an eye brow and then decided no to dwell on it. He then spotted Devin and made his way to the table, his boots clicking along the way. He pulled up the chair opposite him and toke a seat “so you wanted to meet up to have a nice launch?” the light from inside the place reflecting off of his tinted glasses

[B. B. Wolf]

Devin smiles as he sees Phillius enter the resturaunt, talk to the waitress, then take his seat. He raises his glass and motions toward the kitchen.

"Indeed, I thought it might be good to catch up," he says before taking a sip of wine. The waitress returns with the wine bottle and sets out another glass for Phil. Devin takes another sip of his own before allowing his to be refilled. He licks his lips in an almost predatory manner as he smiles at the blushing waitress who quickly disappears.

"Well, I like what's on the dessert menu, but protocol hear dictates that we have a main course before hand, so I suppose I'll have to wait."

He turns his eyes back to Phil and looks him up and down.

"Glad to see the bluthering idiots that pass for nobility around here haven't plumped you up yet."

He grins and starts tapping his fingers on the table.

"It's good to see you again Phil," he says.

[lonemanslayer]

Phil watched as Devin played his usual little game with about every woman he met, and once again it look like his strange charm had won over a new one. It was the one thing he didn’t particularly like about his friend……although this might just stem from his own lack in relationships with the opposite sex.

“Well I for one have never been a fan of just sitting around eating and enjoy the company of people” his reply to his friends first statement was in a jest to his remark…..and to his flirtatious nature

As Phil raised his glass of wine to his lips his eye locked onto his friend’s finger for a second as he taped it on the table although this was hidden by his glasses. After taking a slip form the glass he placed it back on the table and exhaled slowly, then he reached up with his right hand, witch was covered by a fingerless glove that extended past the writs in the back a bit of raping peaking out from the bottom. He griped the side of his glasses and removed them and set them down on the table facing Devin. And looked straight at his friend with his green eyes

“Yes it has been some time it is good to see you too…….I was glad I can make it” when the word glad left Phil’s mouth his eyes narrowed into almost a glare for a second the returned to normal.

[Kagome]

"Marcus what are we doing? We were supposed to return to the guild an hour ago..."

Crystal looked up at her friend with a frown, she always thought she knew how to predict his behavior but something was up and he wasnt telling her, odd for Marcus.

MArcus ignored Crystal's question as he looked around for the 'spot' He knew it was in this general area but couldnt exactly remember which resturant it was...it had something to do with Dragons...There it was! the Lazy Dragon, at least his information was right so far...then feeling Crystal tug on his arm he heard her ask for the second time what they were doing and in answer he began pulling her toward the resturant.

"Arent you hungry? I sure am! Oh look the Lazy Dragon! Let's pop in for a snack hmm?"

Crystal looked up at Marcus like he had lost what little brain she was sure he had left as he half dragged her into the resturant. She forced a smile for the waitress as she adjusted herself from being manhandled as they were rushed to a table. Closing her parasol, she allowed Marcus to help her into a chair then once he was seated she glared at him.

"So NOW are you gonna tell me what's going on?"

[lonemanslayer]

OOC: I whant to get this moving agin.....did your charicters walk into the place where me and devin are or into a diffrent place?

[Kagome]

OOC: Same place it just didnt have a name so i made one for it

[B. B. Wolf]

OOC: sorry this took so long. School, work, and writers block plus a sudden case of insomnia make for a bad mix... for fun times, just add alchohol!

BIC: Devin nods his head and glances up as a young lady being escorted in enters the establishment. He doesn't pay them much mind, preferring to keep his senses trained on the pair standing just outside, and the man sitting behind him. His fingers continue to tap, then stop suddenly as the lady and young man take their seats right next to them.

"It seems to me that your favors, though rare, still bring abundant amounts of money to those in need, I'm glad you still help out when you can."

One last sequence of tapping from his fingers, a slight quirk of the mouth, and an apologetic shrug. Suddenly, in a blur of motion, Devin has left the table and is standing over the table of a man in his mid thirties, his fist raised high in the air. The man that had been occupying the table, a Royal Gredarian Assassin, was in the middle of a beautiful arc, landing rather loudly on the table behind him witch collapsed... rather neatly, despite the shattering glass and wood. In the next few seconds, Devin had already made his way outside and had begun to combat the two "assassins" outside.

[Kagome]

Crystal nearly fell out of her chair as wood flew everywhere from the man seated next to them as he sprung into action, ducking down to dodge any big pieces she looked across the table to see Marcus gone, then suddenly the man next to her was gone and Marcus was pulling her under the table. Looking up into his face as her bonnet fell off she noticed the calm look on his face.

"What in the hell was that about?"

She mumbled to herself, as she caught her wayward bonnet. Marcus wasnt so polite in his reaction, he yelled out "FUCK" as soon as he found his voice again and she wanted to know why he looked like he was expecting this...

Marcus just smiled at his friend and pushed her fallen parasol into her hands and crawling out from under the table and headed toward the door to watch the fight and wait for his chance to reveal his identity to his contact.

Crystal looked confused as she held her parasol to her chest. Marcus never kept secrets from her, he couldn't she always found out what he was up to, always! Grumbling to herself she got out from under the table as well and dusting herself off went to stand beside Marcus as he watched the combatants, and whispering softly she said,

"You WILL tell me what is going on...but ill trust you to do it when the time is right...."

Marcus just smiled again and whispered back his eyes never leaving the group fighting in the street,

"Yes...when the time is right"

[lonemanslayer]

Phil blinked at the sudden blear of movement from his friend. he had to admit that he was stunned at what had just happened as well.

'damn could someone be on to us already?!' he thought to him self.

Phil stood from his seat and placed his gloves back on to his arms and picked up his glasses. as he nonchalantly made his way to the door of the establishment he stopped next to there waitress who was cowering next to the wall, Phil reached into a pocket inside his sure-coat and produced a small bag of coins and and set them on the table beside the scared lady.

"sorry about the mess....."

as he walked to the rem nets of the door and out into the sun light he let out a sigh and thought to him self. 'seems like things are changing rather fast,weather this is good or not I do not know.but I will make shore that justice is done........one way or another'

Phillius un folded his glasses with a flick on his hand and placed them onto his face. the sunlight gleaming off of them making them seem nontransparent. his face set in a stone mask of seriousness. His hands tighted into fists and the metal of the knuckle weapons groaned. he started forward with a gait of someone ready to take a life of another the unmistakable walk of a killer.

he headed right twords Devan