Fresh Kill |OPEN|

[Seccom Masada-Sensei]

An assassin panted softly, looking around the rooftops. No one, nothing. Aaah, freedom. His dark hair was slightly damp from sweat, sticking to his moonlight pale skin as his eyes twisted to stare at his money, an emotionless expression on his face as he counted. One hundred, two hundred, three hundred... as promised. He nodded and pocketed the sac of coins and he fell on his back against the rooftop.

His mouth opened and his chest expanded, then compressed and his breath was let out in a sigh. He was cooling off after a kill, it was quite a rush, after the man, a baron who had some powerful enemies, had died. A servant quickly found the corpse, pale and lifeless with blood splashed in a manner that looked like unfurling wings on the floor from the fat man's neck. Damn, that jugular was hard to get through with all that fat in the way...

The assassin sighed as the night breeze cooled his skin. Once he felt cool enough, he sat up and looked around. Still no one. Smiling gently, he yawned and looked up at the night sky and their stars. No one was out in the streets at this hour of the night, and it was simply beautiful, one of the rare moments he felt an inner peace. Amadeus's gloved hand rubbed along his belly, thin and grumbling.

He was hungry... he would have to steal from an orchard nearby. It was no problem really, the fruits were just starting to ripen... it would be easy pickings. In the meantime, he opened a small travelling sac and took out a loaf of bread and a sealed jar of still-hot stew, prepared just for times where he needed a nice pick me up. He popped open the lid and happily used a wooden spoon to sip, enjoying the warmth that travelled down his throat and warmed his insides.

"Haa..." His happy signs and noises of eating were the only sounds that broke the night silence... and even they seemed to be quiet and muted... typical of an assassin.

[guttony]

Feeling the hunger in the young assassin, and smelling the sweet aroma of his food, Gluttony walked toward the building he was sitting atop. He looked up, and although didn't see the person, he "felt" their presence. Gluttony wore a large heavy cloak to keep him warm in the cool night air. Under it he stored food and drink for occasions like this. His heavy feet slammed on the ground as he walked, making an echo that rang through the streets. He found a ladder on the side of the building and crawled up it. The rungs creaked as his weight was forced upon them. As his head popped over the ledge of the roof, he smiled at the assassin. He enjoyed a person with food.

He pulled himself the rest of the way up to the roof and walked closer to the assassin. He opened his cloak and grabbed a bottle of wine that was corked at the end out from a pocket on his shirt. He threw it at the assassin, then grabbed one for himself. He popped the cork and guzzled down most of it. He wiped his mouth with his sleeve, and pulled out a box. He sat down and opened the box, revealing the slices of meat inside. They were still warm, and he grabbed one with his hand, holding it with his thumb and forefinger. He dangled it above his mouth, then comped down on it, taking a large chuck of it off.

He chewed the meat while watching the other person. He liked food, and he liked wine. He thought about using his powers to make the other person want to eat and drink more with him, but he decided to wait a little longer to see his personality.

"I'm gluttony," he finally said in his almost booming voice. "I see you've got some food there. I enjoy a good feast every now and again myself, how about you?"

He was very curious to see if he had finally found the perfect party mate. He doubted it, but it was always worth a try. The whole time, Gluttony didn't really look at his face, but instead looked at his food and hands. He seemed very lithe for someone who might look food as much as Gluttony. Of course, Gluttony had yet to even truly meet the person next to him. He always seemed to get ahead of himself when thinking about the habits of others. Hope seemed to fade from him as he kept himself from thinking more about it. It didn't really matter anyway. He was a mortal and would die soon anyway.

[Seccom Masada-Sensei]

Amadeus flinched and seemed to jump in the air when the stranger climbed on the roof with him. The man didn't seem to want to kill him, but he was cautious anyhow as he caught the wine bottle handed to him. White, vintage... just as he liked it. Where had the man gotten such a bottle? He sniffed it carefully and took a sip, tasting and smelling no poison. His small and lithe body was silent and still as he waited for any poisons to show up in his system... Nothing at all.

The young assassin to another swig to calm his nerves, anxious at the presence of this man. Was he drunk? Stupid? Both? His odd eyes blinked in confused as the man approached to sit by him, open to be killed at any moment if the young assassin simply chose to swipe... but he was much too confused. Food? Did he enjoy food? Was this man trying to make small talk over food?

"S-s-sometimes." He stuttered out, before clearing his throat and calming his high nerves with another sip of wine. "Yes, it is a nice way to relax after my work." His reply was concise and held little emotion- simple small talk after all. He carefully now kept aware of the man's movements, wondering if the man was here to hire him, or was just an idiot, or was trying to rob him. Of course, his sac of money was worth more than a bottle of wine... he would have to be cautious not to lose his cash.

"Normally a large feast is a rarity of someone with my profession and...appearance." He spoke, keeping his head down so that the much taller man would only see his head of hair from this angle, his head low as he quietly enjoyed his soup with obvious nervousness, cautious, his hand ready to go from holding a spoon and holding a knife in the speed of a professional.

[Aria Stone]

A man had been killed; at least that’s what the rumor was going around. Even in the dead of the night, villagers wasted no time in speaking ill of others, and their fate. It was hard to decide if this was a common affair among her kingdom, trouble was never far but a murder? That was another story. Ears had picked up tales of those crossing into Andarial’s borders, but that could not be helped. In times like these everyone rushed to where they could find the best pay, and security for their family.

Their minds must have been scrambled if they were to believe that Andarial could watch over them. Darkness would consume them all, and that was no life to lead. It could even drive a man to insanity, and this she knew of. And darkness had fallen down on this small village tonight, but Aria would have to get to the bottom of it.

The guards and those responsible for watching over the royal family did not know that she was here. She didn’t need lectures on safety and what was to be left alone, it was her job alone to protect her village. One small crime would not sit well with Aria in the least bit, the people looked up to her. So from the castle she ran, but not without her beast at her very heels. He didn’t protest at all, in fact Delmare lived for adventures like these. Together, they fed off of each other’s energy and constantly testing their limits.

But they were never careless, well maybe Delmare was, but not tonight. Aria wore a thick red cloak, with a hood that hid her entire face. Likewise, Delmare wore a thick brown cape to cover up his white fur. There were many villagers who had dogs as their beasts, and sometimes even deer. Delmare’s antlers were thin enough that they could easily be hidden by a small hood of his own.

Many villagers had cloaks and capes similar to the ones they had on, so they would not be so easily spotted under the moonlight. Even so, she stayed in dark corners of the village not daring to wander out in the open. When the time was right she signaled to Delmare, and together they climbed up and onto a far roof. They moved about the village without making a sound, while listening to the few conversations they could pick up on.

From rooftop to rooftop they moved, until Delmare came to a halt. Look there’s people on the roof Aria. Friend or Foe? She bent down next to her friend and tried to make out the shapes in the distance, “I can’t tell from here, we’ll need to get closer.” So they inched their way forwards, and Aria drew out her bow and single arrow. She had it lowered for the time being, and waited patiently.

One seemed unbearably skittish, while the other, well she couldn’t quite get her head around the other man just yet. So Aria kept to the shadows and signaled for Delmare to go around to the other side, “Seems like you have quite the feast going on here.” She didn’t move from the darkness just yet, if Aria needed to disappear it would be simple. And Delmare would easily follow her lead, safety was always key in outings like this one.

[guttony]

Gluttony enjoyed another bite of his meat, listening to the young man talk. The assassin didn't seem too comfortable around Gluttony, which made him a little angry. He liked people who would lighten up and just enjoy company. Someone who was nervous around strangers made things less fun.

"It shouldn't matter about looks or profession or any of that. If you want to have fun, have fun. Partying is what makes life worth living, in my opinion."

Just then, a figure spoke to them from the darkness of another rooftop. It made him even more nagry that someone would sneak up on them. Why couldn't be just be direct about things. Sneaking around wasn't fun. It scared people and ruined fun situations. He put the wine bottle to his lips again, taking a mouthful of the drink, then corked it again. He sloshed it around in his mouth a bit, then swallowed it.

"It is a nice feast. Care to join us? I've got more here, if you're interested," he said, pointing to his cloak.

It seemed very dark at night around this area, and this person didn't seem to belong. Her pet, who Gluttony could also feel, also seemed out of place. It was a powerful creature, with powerful hunger. It made him happy to know that such animals lived in this world. He thought about it gorging itself on a fresh kill. He licked his lips again, and took another bite of his meat. It seemed the others were hear for a reason, so he would let them speak for a bit.

[Seccom Masada-Sensei]

Too many people.

It was the only thoughts traveling through the mind of the young assassin. Quietly, he finished his soup and then placed the rest of the wine in his sac after taking a few more gulps. This all took a few minutes, in which he was completely silent towards the person, as if having not seen her. "Thank you for your time, Now I must.. aahh..." His words were paused as he stood, being careful to avoid anyone seeing his face. Then, a rush of dizziness came to his head and he kneeled.

Amadeus couldn't hold liquor. And it was getting to him.

"G-guess not..." He spoke, obviously feeling a little queasy. Normally he only had a glass at once, obviously he never drank more than that and now he was suffering for it, having forgotten to check on how much he had ingested. Now he was too dizzy to leave. Hopefully it would not get too bad... and allow him to at least sneak away sometime soon.

In the meantime, it seemed he was stuck here. Well then... he pulled out a strip of black cloth from his bags and tied it around his eyes, effectively giving himself a blindfold. Alright then, he wouldn't have to worry about anything while he was wearing this. He looked towards the direction of the stranger... well, the newer stranger.

...Still too many people.

Obviously still nervous, he spoke to her. "Uhm... hi." He wasn't too good socially, his awkwardness was beginning to show and he hung his head in a mixture of his awkwardness and the increasing shame and embarrassment of being so awkward. He was not frustrated with himself- no, that would sink in later, hours after this meet.

Amadeus bit his lip shyly, wondering what to say.

[Aria Stone]

A frowned had crossed her face, but the two before her would be oblivious to this. They were in fact a very small but strange grouping; one had even taken the pains to blindfold himself. Never before had she been graced with such an unusual presence, so one foot moved out and away from the shadows. Aria paused only to make sure that the hood of the cloak was still hanging low to cover her face and other such features.

This wouldn’t be so troubling seeing as how she was only viewable by one person at the moment, unless of course the other decided to remove is blindfold. A was a nervous fellow, and made Aria uneasy in feeling. Holding up a hand, she calmly waved off his offer “thank you for your consideration, but I will have to pass.”

She didn’t move to sit down among them for it was not her place, and remained standing. The red cloak rustled in the wind, but Aria wasn’t cold and rather enjoyed such a breeze. Across from her, Delmare had his nose sniffing the air. She didn’t want him to step out of the place he was hiding just yet, but she could sense his tension. So desperately he wanted to jump out and approach them, the wolf just couldn’t help himself. “Fine.” She only spoke a single word directed at her companion, but Aria was hardly amused. Would it kill Delmare to ever display any form of self control? She wouldn’t answer that, only because it most likely would kill him.

The wolf hidden away by his own makeshift cape emerged, and Aria could almost feel his eyes burning through the material. She imagined them glowing in the darkness, a sparkle of glee inside of them like that of a young child’s. I don’t know if I like them much Aria, they are a tad…strange? Aria nodded her head knowing that he was right. But they couldn’t have been the killers, one was far too skittish and the other well, he was preoccupied with the feast.

Delmare was getting antsy, but it was no time to act like a young pup. He needed to remember his training and focus, he could be a deadly opponent when he was on guard. Aria turned her attention away from the outgoing man to face the quiet one among them, “hello I don’t believe I’ve seen your face around here before.”

He looked frighten, well that was obvious seeing as how the guy was trying to hide behind a piece of cloth. Maybe he was suffering from a kind of insanity not known to these parts, whatever the reason Aria didn’t want to scare him. Then she turned away once more, “I don’t suspect you two would be starting any trouble around here, so perhaps I should take my leave. Unless you’ve heard news of anything going on in the village.” She raised one eyebrow but of course they wouldn’t be able to see. Her voice was soft not hard and suspicious as one might sound when asking questions like these.