A Day in the Life of a Killer {Open}

[Leaf]

Leaf was a bit surprised when she took his hand and allowed him to help her up. She was standing within a tight proximity and her voice had gotten soft. Leaf couldn't help but avert his gaze a bit, just like one would turn away slightly to avoid the sun in their eyes. The air around them, he felt ever so slightly, was changing and the humidity was rising. The signs clearly told of a coming storm; one that was going to come down hard and last long. 

From what Tyr said, Leaf knew that she had also seen the coming storm. "Besides the storm," He muttered a bit nervously, "I smell the people on the streets below, the money in their pockets, and the few birds resting across from us." Leaf gulped and continued. "But most of all, I smell you. The blood that has covered you before and the blood that runs in your veins. And of course, every other part of you as well..." Suddenly the wind changed direction and Leaf picked something else up with his delicate nose. "And now I smell gunpowder and it seems to come from below..."

A flash of lightning streaked the skies among the ominous clouds that were approaching. "Tyr, I don't think we should dawdle here any longer." Leaf suggested. "Perhaps we should find another place to continue this conversation?" Being on the roof was a bad idea during a storm with high winds and lightning (which he could sense were both oncoming). Especially lightning as it always struck high points. 

[amaie]

Tyr grinned. He had been led by the nose, (if you'd excuse the pun)exactly where she directed. When he had mentioned that he had enhanced senses, she already knew that if she got close he'd be able to smell her. She did know a little about canines, and that once they had your scent, it was pretty hard to throw them off your trail. She had gotten close for only one reason, so he could find her again if he needed to.Could the puppy thief smell emotions like some wolves could? She would have to assume so. She would also have to assume that he was confusing her insanity for something else, or he'd probably start treating her as if she had rabies. He had responded a bit more intimately than she would have expected from this blushing and shy leaf thief.

Smelling every part of her, did he? That might not be good, not good at all. " Now now, don't go sniffing where your nose doesn't belong, puppy boy." She said with a wink as she stepped slowly back from him, and pulled her hand away. She suppressed a flicker of rage and a thought when she thought of what he said. There may be a great big vial of skunk musk that would be poured into his nose in the future if he was deliberately using his gifts to be smelling things he shouldn't. She supressed that feeling with all her might until it was squashed. Then she held up a finger and made a 'tsk,tsk' sound by clicking her tongue on the roof of her mouth to indicate that he was a bad boy. She was still grinning though as the sound passed her lips and she waggled the finger.

"I can just see where that conversation is headed, if it were continued. And I would much rather strike up a different conversation if it's all the same to you, or are you talking about explaining your gifts more in depth?" She asked with a mischievous twinkle in her eye. She had resisted the urge to peek over the corner of the roof into the alley below. It was either a bounty hunter, contract killer, or a castle guard. Some of them had guns among their gear. That could be bad... Well for him at least. She wasn't the one with wanted posters slathered over every wall in heavy traffic areas of the entire city.

"Whatever we talk about, you are right, here is no longer the place to palaver. But, I'm not inviting you back to my room, I barely know you. Where do you suggest?" A mischievous grin now joined the twinkling of her eyes for a moment, then both were gone, as she started to get a little worried. If she was with him when he was caught, would she be named an accessory to his crimes? She really didn't want to be an outlaw, her business was too good as it was. If she was a wanted woman, then it would be much harder to continue as she was. If that happened, it would be his fault, and he'd have to be hurt. Badly.

[Leaf]

"Of course not. Just because I can doesn't mean I will." Leaf murmured. He had caught himself too off guard. This girl definitely had an ominous presence and the scent revealed several bloodbaths. It was too early to drop his awareness around her. In fact, it was dangerous to do so around anyone else, too. "My deepest apologies, Tyr. I am sorry if my words made you uncomfortable." Leaf managed to say. 

"Meant nothing of the sort!" He said, taking a step back and stretching the distance between them. "Most buildings do not... Let's say, welcome me. I am really not sure of where to go." Leaf chuckled nervously. There seemed to be tension in the air. Of course! To be seen with a wanted criminal was easily understood and had harsh consequences. Leaf realized what may be causing Tyr to give off a troubled aura. By then, the gunpowder smell was really getting to him now and it seemed to be becoming stronger. Choking down a gulp, Leaf said, "Of course, if you wish to part ways here, then I would by no means stop you."

Suddenly, a hopeful look rose upon his face. "Say, Tyr, do you suppose I could pass as a stray if I changed and rolled about in dirt?"     

[amaie]

First one way, then the other, she pulled him. She almost felt a little guilty, then it disappeared in a broad smile. She couldn't feel guilty, it was against her nature. If she started feeling guilty about anything, it may make her feel guilty about everything bad she's ever done... And that would probably make her head explode" Don't worry about it this time, but next time, I'll have to roll up the paper and swat your nose with it" she said with a musical laugh. It was the most sane laugh that she had uttered in the last ten years or so. It was a laugh from the heart and well needed. Laughs like those could keep someone from hating themselves and their life. She had never hated either for even a split second after she had left the boarding school, but it still had been forever since she had laughed like that.

She was sure she knew of quite a few places where they'd not look twice at him if she was around, mostly the bars she frequented. They'd not sell her alcohol, but more than one barkeep had been sent to the healers when they tried to take away what drink she had brought herself. Those places would be keeping their eyes on her, and not in a lewd way that most people did if they didn't know her. It would more be in fear or wariness, which had either been beaten deep into their bones, or something they had seen, that had been engraved into their eyes and brains.

The dog trick might work, but then again it might not, especially if whoever was looking for him was already on their way up here. "Do you have water? Quickly hand it to me and change." She said in a low voice. The clouds and falling rain from them was much to far for her to pull any of it in a speedy manner. The dirt though, wouldn't be all that hard. If the person or people who were looking for him were directly below them, she was sure that they would have surrounded the building on all four sides already. She had a plan that elaborated on his idea.

There was dirt everywhere, not just on the ground. The wind that was kicking up because of the impending doom of the storm, had thrown flurries of dust and grit upward into the air. She held out one hand to him, in her usual way, with her fingers slightly curled, so he'd pony up his water bottle or skin. The other was held out in front of her, the focus of her attention. First it was a single piece of dust that flew toward her, then her eyes scanned the rooftop and air surrounding them. Dirt and dust that had lain in the tiny valleys and crevices of the roof then flew to that single speck of dust that was upon her palm. It grew into a bigger and bigger ball, until the entire roof was spotless. It wasn't enough, just about a baseball sized sphere of dust. Then came the multitude of swirling motes from the dust that was thrown upward because of the storm. That was much faster, and the ball grew to the size of Leaf thief's head. She was ready.

[Leaf]

"Water? Alright." Leaf shoved his water bottle to Tyr, feeling the liquid weight that resided inside. Then, he had to transform. His fur spread from his forehead and soon it coated him. Leaf's ears had slid up his head and pointed and his hands were replaced with paws. His face had jutted out and shaped to be his muzzle and Leaf could feel his teeth stretching and sharpening inside his mouth. His tailbone extended inside of him and forced itself to elongate into a furry tail, which stood up straight, showing Leaf's alertness.

As a wolf, Leaf's senses were brought to the next level. The gunpower scent was almost choking and he could hear more than one person scrambling about at the base of the building. Were they here for him? He turned to look at Tyr, who had this gigantic ball of dust and dirt collected in front of her. What was she going to do with it? And that water, too? Make mud?

The skies above had darkened considerably and the last glare of sunshine was as well as gone. The only light now was the occasional strike of lightning and the weak shimmering of lanterns below inside and outside of houses. Leaf was feeling a bit uneasy now. There was no sign of rain yet but the wind was definitely whipping around quite a bit. He hoped that Tyr would hurry with whatever she was going to do. The voices below were becoming audible but unclear. Something about a target. That sounded incredibly suspicious to Leaf.     

[amaie]

Tyr had curled her fingers around the bottle, barely able to grip it due to the petite size of her hand. She spun the cap with her thumb, which popped off and started to fall. Before it hit the ground, it arced back upward, until it stuck on the bottom of the bottle. The ball of dust and dirt exploded into a cloud, which raced across the air between her hand and leaf's body, sticking to every single inch of him, coating all of him but his useful black nose and golden eyes. She splashed him here and there, turning patches of the dust into mud. When she was working with her power, she could see what she was doing, everything that held her power seemed to glow a vibrant color of a blooming orchid, a bright purple, though it didn't seem to obscure what she was looking at no matter the brightness of the aura.

She was able to pull the water back out of the mud that she had created because it and he were the only things not glowing around him to her. Instead of mud now was dried and matted fur, coated with what appeared to be dirt that had been there for a while. He wasn't a white wolf anymore, he was more like a brown and mangy wolf. That should almost do. She had one more insperation to act on though and stuck one thumb into her mouth and bid down on the pad of it hard, leaving a small puncture wound from her sharp left canine tooth. The blood beaded and seemed to get bigger and bigger as she drew out the blood. It also streaked toward him, splattering along his neck, leaving a matted bloody patch of fur, so it looked like he had been in a fight not too long ago. She released the rest of her power on the dust that was clinging to him, and let what would stick, stick of it's own volition. A big puff of dust was carried away in the wind when she did, but left enough to make his fur still mostly brown with matted patches and the one bloody area on his neck. Ahh her masterpiece was complete.

Now it was time to get out of here, so that the blood had a chance to dry some. She grinned and motioned with her head, to the next building. They should hop a few roofs before climbing down, so they would be a little further away form the people that were after him. Then on the ground they would look somewhat like master and dog, and hopefully not rise any more suspicions. Who ever heard of a dog on a roof, it just didn't ever happen, she once heard that dogs can't look up, and wondered at that moment if it was true. It didn't matter and she made a running leap from the building they were on to the one she was on prior to waking Leaf. She landed lightly on the other roof, making absolutely no sound. She loved the versatility of her power, reducing her weight so that she'd land softly was just one small facet of the whole.

[Leaf]

Leaf shirked a bit when the dirt was scattered all over himself. He could feel the water being sprinkled over him then sucked back. Looking down at his foreleg, Leaf could tell that he was very dirty and that his fur was all mussed up. The final touch of blood was something Leaf wouldn't have thought of. It made his look all the more convincing.

Tyr had jumped to the neighboring building, motioning Leaf to follow. He made his way back from the edge and with a pretty powerful running jump, Leaf found himself on the roof of the other building, his claws scritching the shackles slightly. He couldn't see any people around the other building. Perhaps it was too dark, but maybe they were on the other side. The odor of gunpowder had definitely faded a bit.

Peering off of the opposite edge of the roof, Leaf could tell that the streets had been cleared of pedstrians. It was normal for people to want to stay inside during a storm. Where was Tyr going to take him anyways? Leaf whimpered a bit when the wind brought dust to his eye. He watched Tyr and wondered what her next move was. Lighting shimmered in the air, followed by thunder that shook the earth. At first Leaf only thought that it was just him, but as several more followed, he convinced himself that it was starting to rain, and it would be pouring within minutes.    

[amaie]

Tyr had turned after a few paces past the edge of the new building, so that she could watch the wolf make the same leap. She had always liked wolves. Their grace, power, and undeniable presence of the feral predator was what drew her interest. He hadn't failed to impress, as a good wolf could. The leap was a good one, and she smirked when he had landed. She walked to the edge of the building, very near to the lip of the roof.

Tyr spread her hands to the side, leaning forward, also seeing the lack of population in this particular alleyway. She continued to lean forward until it seemed she had fallen off the edge of the roof. Of course she hadn't, instead, she had slowly cut her ties to the earth and replaced them with ties to the side of the building. Another tease, just in a different area. For some reason around Leaf her insanity switched rage for mischievousness. Like a prank of supposed suicidal tendencies. She turned and grinned up at him from her mind-bending position.

Try motioned to him, still grinning and spoke, just loud enough for him to hear over the cacophony of the predecessor of the storm, the wind. "Follow me. Go slow though, and when you feel a tugging, don't fight against it." She couldn't force her power directly on anyone with an intelligent mind, more like a strong will, if they fought against the twisting of nature that was her fragment. Gan allowed free will when it came to her power. If it was more an elemental power, things would be different. But as it stood, if he fought while she was setting the power he would fall. She could cut her power with no problem even if someone didn't want her to, but creating was a different story.

[Leaf]

 When Tyr seemingly tipped over the edge of the building, Leaf's heart almost skipped a beat. But when he saw Tyr standing on the wall of the structure, he remembered her gift to manipulate gravity. To follow her? Leaf was a bit nervous because if he plunged off the side of the building it would mean injury, but he couldn't stay or he'd be caught; either by the storm or the people after him. Leaf brought himself to trust in Tyr's ability and tentatively shifted himself closer to the edge. A slight tugging was felt and it grew stronger as his weight was poured over the edge. Before he knew it, Leaf was standing on the side of the building. What an interesting view. Leaf grinned a toothy grin at the thought. Seeing everything sideway was quite a new experience.

Facinated by the way he could walk on the side of a a building, Leaf trotted down the side and soon was near the ground. Well now he wanted to be on the stone pavement, right side up. If Tyr had happened to want to release him from her power while he was sort of high up, it would have been quite a fall. Thankfully she didn't. Leaf fought against the tug and when the bond broke, he tumbled onto the street from the excess momentum. Well then, what were they going to do now? Leaf stared at Tyr expectantly, wondering where they would be heading? Did she really know a place where he could go? She wasn't going to turn him in, right? Leaf shook the thought out of his head. Right now he had to depend on Tyr. If he distrusted her and ran, well she could obviously track him again and perhaps kill him. It wasn't only human blood that he could smell off her anyways.

[amaie]

Tyr made her way down the building as well, just taking a hop off the side, that looked like the start of a back flip, so that her feet would be facing the ground when she removed her power. She had impeccable timing in his case, and released him when he was close enough to the ground to land properly as well. She started down the alley headed north. There was a nice bar there, that wouldn't look twice at whoever walks in with her. That place knows better than to even think about messing with her. She's disfigured enough of their roughest customers in front of those who own it.

Tyr made her way to a street that was much more busy, even with the impending storm. There weren't as many people as she'd like though. If there were a few more and the people hunting Leaf had caught up with them there, they would hesitate, unlike herself. "Heel" Tyr said, trailing behind her hand, snapping her thumb and middle finger together. She had to treat him as a dog, her dog right now, or people would look at her funny with a huge dog following her. She hadn't ever owned a living being before. She was more prone to kill anything that followed her around. Now it was as if she owned a guy. That was just... Weird.

Try stopped in front of the establishment, smirking a little as she looked back at Leaf. The place was called 'The Weary Demon'. Apt name if there was ever one. Leaf was still as dirty as sin, but she'd send him outside after the storm broke, and hopefully it would wash off the dust that she had put on him. Shrugging she made her way inside. She found a table in the southeast corner of the bar and sat with her back to the wall, facing the door. Everyone in the bar was all too obviously not looking in her direction, keeping their eyes on their companions and their own drinks."When the storm breaks, go outside and wash up. Then go into the bathroom and change back, and rejoin me."She whispered in a low tone. As if her words were prophecy, the storm broke and rain started coming down in sheets, nearly instantly making mud out of the dirt that was in the unpopulated road outside the bar.

[Leaf]

 Following Tyr as she snapped her fingers at him, Leaf tried to imitate a dog. It was quite weird as dogs always seemed so happy-go-lucky with a dopey smile on their faces. Some people looked at him funny but turned away when he snapped his jaw at them a couple of times. They soon stopped in front of a bar: The Weary Demon. Leaf smirked to himself at that name. As soon as Tyr stepped in, it would be quite hilarious at how every person almost simutaneously turned away if Leaf hadn't known the reason. She was probably capable of sending them all well on their way to the afterlife. 

After Tyr spoke quietly to Leaf, the storm erupted at once outside. The sound of the rain clashed with the clinking of glasses as it thundered upon the roof. Leaf quickly slipped outside into the rain. For a second he did not feel anything, but almost immediately he was soaked. The dry dirt slid off with the blood and Leaf just stood their like a wet furball. He then scampered back inside with people casting disgusted glances at him as the water dripped off of his fur and onto the floor and (to their distaste) other people's shoes. The bartender seemed to want to say something and shoo him out but thought better of it when Leaf showed him a hint of fang. He then tramped into the empty bathroom in the back and shook himself down. The water flew all over the room and soon it seemed like it had just flooded there or something. Leaf was considerably dry and instead of being a wet furball now he was quite a puffy one. But that was taken care of in an instant and a human form soon replaced the canine one. 

Leaf straightened his jacket and made sure his hair wasn't too awful looking before he headed back out to the bar. Everyone was still keeping their eyes on whatever they were doing and avoiding any sight of Tyr, who sat in the corner to the Southeast. "I'm sorry, did I take long?" Leaf whispered as he sat down across from Tyr.

[amaie]

Tyr shook her head slowly and drawled " Not too long." Tyr's words had just a slightly slur to them. While the thief was gone, she had motioned the bartender over and gotten two glasses, and gave him a fat round coin to shut him up. There was a scrap of silk on the table, and a bottle. Both had come from her pack. The bottle already had a good dent in it's contents. She'd drank two big glasses of what was inside. It was a pretty harsh spirit, akin to something between whiskey and vodka. That had been one of the bottles she had picked up earlier. She had thrown all of her new purchases in her pack just before chasing after the thief.

The only reason that her three bottles hadn't broken is she had made them weightless within the pack, and they were wrapped in silk, dulling any blows that had occurred during the jumps from building to building. Tyr motioned to the bottle with a wave of her hand, lacquered fingernails toward him. "Help yourself." she said simply, taking a long swallow from the glass before her. It burned so good. It was like liquid fire, racing down her throat and into her belly. She'd started drinking no less than three years ago, when she was twelve. It seemed to have an adverse effect on her aim when she used her power, but it also dulled the rage that was inside her. Sometimes it helped if she didn't kill someone for being retarded.

Tyr was well on her way to being drunk. It was a perk of being petite. Didn't take much to get her a quite lovely buzz, and that saved quite a bit of money. "You should really lay off being a small time pickpocket. I could help I think. I have wanted to branch out a bit in my business. Make it a little more widespread than just hired murder. We could help each other." She said in a slurred matter of fact. She drained the rest of her glass in a go, and stopped there. She had no illusions as to how much she could drink and still function. If there were trouble she'd still be able to fight, if not use her power as she normally could. She thought the thief wouldn't have a problem working with her, but she had made sure that she drunk just enough so that if he said no, she wouldn't have to kill him just yet, and that was good.

[Leaf]

 Tyr's words were obviously slurred and it seemed that she was getting drunk, but Leaf could still understand what she was saying. When she offered Leaf the drink, he decided that it might've been unwise to refuse. He poured himself a glass and looked at it as he twirled it around in his fingers. He had never drank alcohol before because it would dull his senses and dexerity and those were really important as a thief. Leaf took a small sip and coughed a bit when it burned his throat. That was unexpected. He looked around the room and found it ridiculous to how people actually enjoyed this stuff?

Leaf continues to listen to Tyr. So she was into hired murdering... Leaf clicked his fingers on his glass, making light, tinkling noises, causing some customers to twitch uncomfortably behind him. So Tyr wanted him to join her... Probably so he could loot her victims. Leaf thought a bit, sipping more of the bitter liquid. He was getting used to it and it wasn't as bad as the first try. "That may be a profitable career..." Leaf thought aloud. "I suppose so. Where there's loot, there's me! Count me in!" A grin spread upon Leaf's face as he chugged down the rest of the alcohol. Anyways, it was better to have Tyr as an ally than an enemy.

Being a first time drinker, it didn't take much for Leaf start to feel lightheaded. His thoughts were muddled and he couldn't quite think of what to say or do. Perhaps more drinking. Leaf got himself another glass and by the time he finished that, his face was a red as a cherry. "Mmm... Yes... Definitely *hic* money... I'll be *hic* there while you do your *hic* bloody stuff." Leaf drawled, his words slurred together, as if sticking to each other. 

[amaie]

"There'lll be lute wher I am Leaf thief. I gurrente" She said slowly and with a slurred drawl. Her words were slightly running together, like a dilapidated pack of wolves, but they were still quite understandable, at least to someone else that was slightly sauced." We's gotta puts this way, or wull pass out." She explained, in reverent tones. She had no intention to get that drunk, and she thought it would be a good idea if he didn't either, in case when he was getting to wherever he called home, he was spotted by someone in authority. She'd rather not make a jailbreak sauced as she was.

"I'm sur I cun try just stealin. Wifout killin anyone. If we go together, we's can walk over walls en stuff. Thas gotta help, right? One jump to de roof? I cun do that." Her slurs were even worse than a few seconds ago. The last of the alcohol that she drank had finally hit her bloodstream. She would probably not get any drunker than she3 was now, thinking up crazy ideas, though tomorrow, they wouldn't be gone from her head. She knew better than to drink enough to black out. She reached for the bottle, a grin spreading her lips, and showing none too little teeth. She wrapped the bottle with her other hand and noticed it was mostly empty. She would get around to emptying it in the morning when her headache that was sure to come was the worst it could be.

Tyr would probably not keep to the whole bloodless thieving thing, at least not if they were seen. If they were, either someone's eyes would be taken, or they'd have to die. She really did enjoy to kill people for no reason. It was the ultimate control issue that she had. Nothing in her life from day one to year ten had been in her control, and her insanity and need for control over the situation and others was the product of that lack of control and the incessant teasing from the lordlings that also resided in the boarding school. The thoughts were washed away from her head by the heat of liquor, instead of her having to dash them away herself. Her grin had only slipped slightly, but it was back when she said "Good ta have ya abroad." She misplaced the correct word in the blur of words, but this one was close enough and she just slapped it where 'aboard' was supposed to be, so she didn't have to root around in her slippery vocabulary.