In Plain Sight (Elf Lady Love/Open)

[Jiaolong]

Daniel marveled at the sights of the capital city of Serendipity. The city itself was beautiful and bursting with color, shops, and sounds. But perhaps what was most interesting was the people—many sported unnatural hair colors, and it seemed billowing clothing was popular.

With his yellow hair, pale skin, and frilly clothing, Daniel almost fit right in. That was a first. Serendipity was no stranger to magic and non-human creatures. As long as Daniel hid his wings and natural glow, he could walk the streets without people paying too much attention to him.

He had come here with his newfound friend to hide from a rather nasty demon, but with the completely new environment, it was hard to worry about that.

[Lowen Thorn]

Epirus did anything but fit in in the colorful nation of Serendipity. With his fading silvery hair, dark skin, near-dead eyes, and dirty old clothes, he considered himself lucky to be in the company of Daniel, who seemed to blend in almost immediately.

He could hear music in the streets, though far different from the melodies and hymns of his flute. It was uplifting, whatever that was, and full of purpose as the townfolk bustled through the busy streets.

His eyes stopped on a particular merchant who was selling clothing, similar to the style most of the people around them adorned.

"What are these rags people wear?" he asked curiously. "Is this something I should be wearing?"

He asked mostly for the good of their "hiding in plain sight," but he felt a slight eagerness to put on something new.

[Jiaolong]

"Rags? These pieces are the latest fashion in Arca—popular amongst even the nobles!" The merchant sniffed. She looked up at the newcomer, stifling a gasp at the stranger's appearance. But no matter—a customer was a customer, after all.

She wasn't so sure about the tall man with his worn-looking clothes, but his companion, the exact opposite of him, looked like he would have some money.

"See this material? It's some of the finest in the land—very soft, but very sturdy." The merchant picked up a shirt with ruffled sleeves. "I'm sure this would look amazing on you," she commented, looking the silvery-haired man up and down.

Daniel studied the goods with interest. He had no need for clothing as he could conjure something to wear with the wave of a hand. However, a sparking blue jewel attached to a bracelet caught his eye. It was a beautiful shade of blue, like the sky...and somehow, there was a sense of familiarity in that color.

[Lowen Thorn]

Epirus eyed the shirt the merchant put on display for him, a small frown on his lips.

"I hate it," he said simply, before tossing a glance over to Daniel. "Something catch your eye?"

[Jiaolong]

The merchant looked quite taken aback before turning her attention to the boy. Perhaps he could be reasoned with.

"The bracelet..." Daniel responded, "the gem on it is quite pretty."

The merchant smiled, picking up the jewelry and holding it to the light. "This is a very nice gemstone—aquamarine, in fact. I sell it for the best price in the market."

Daniel tilted his head, still mesmerized by the bracelet. "Price?"

[Lowen Thorn]

Epirus eyed the bracelet that the woman had in her hands, and back to Daniel as he inquired about the price. That was right, he needed money to buy anything, and he failed to collect on the few souls he took care of back in the Niahi.

Well, it was a little too late for all that. He could just enchant the merchant if he really wanted something, but his desires to try something new were slowly drifting.

Daniel, on the other hand, seemed quite taken with the bracelet, and he found himself shifting his gaze back and forth between his friend and the lady behind the stand.

"Price?" asked Daniel, and then Epirus watched the woman as he waited for her response.

[Jiaolong]

The merchant, believing Daniel was asking for the price of the bracelet, smiled. "Just three silver glints."

"Glints? I'm afraid I do not have any of those," Daniel said, frowning. "How would I get them?"

No money? This pair was certainly the strangest she'd ever met. "How do you get money? You work for it, of course," the merchant explained.

"Where do I find work?" The angel inquired.

"My, you're just full of questions, aren't you? For that, I do not know...perhaps you could look around the marketplace..."

[Lowen Thorn]

Glints? Well, Epirus didn't have any glints either.

He frowned as he watched the interaction, and more so when she suggested they put themselves to work. Work? What kind of work? All Epirus knew how to do was kill or be killed, and that had worked for him just fine until now.  But, that was no longer an option if they were to lay low.

An idea struck through his mind, and he leaned into Daniel's ear.

"Would you like me to enchant her?" he whispered.

[Jiaolong]

Daniel nodded slowly. The idea seemed interesting enough.

The merchant waited, hoping the two were discussing purchasing the bracelet. She hadn't been able to sell it for weeks.

[Lowen Thorn]

Satisfied, Epirus moved away from Daniel and removed his flute from his pocket. "How about a little music in exchange for the bracelet, instead?"

"Music?" the woman asked skeptically. "Look around! There's music everywhere! You will have to do better than-"

"Then it is settled then," Epirus interrupted with a sly smile, placing the mouthpiece to his lips. The woman tried to interject once more, but he began to play, and this time it was not the melancholy hymn of the dead, but a rather uplifting, albeit distracting tune that only lasted for a couple of seconds.

During those couple of seconds, the woman's eyes went dull but returned back to normal promptly after the song was over.

"You know what? Here," she said, placing the bracelet in the Angel's hand. "I haven't had any luck selling it anyway. So, this one's on the house."

[Jiaolong]

Daniel took the bracelet, a little surprised it had been so easy. "Thank you." He slipped the bracelet on his wrist, smiling at the blue gemstone.

"Your flute is very useful," he said, leaning in to whisper to Epirus. "Should we go to the n-"

The angel abruptly stopped as a sudden vision engulfed his mind. No, not a vision...a memory. It was the man with the familiar blue eyes again. He sat at a large desk covered in papers, flipping through them until he stopped at one. The man pulled it out, handing it to Daniel without so much as a glance.

"Your next assignment." He went back to filing papers, but stopped slowly, pausing to look at Daniel in the eyes. "Oh, and be careful. The number of demons has been rising lately. Do not believe anything they say...I would not want you to turn."

The flashback stopped as suddenly as it had come, and Daniel was left silent in surprise.

[Lowen Thorn]

Epirus eyed Daniel has he suddenly stopped mid-sentence, absently standing there in silence.

Weird.

Something clearly happened, but the demon couldn't fathom what exactly.

"Everything okay?" he asked, trying to bring Daniel back to reality. "The enchantment won't be in affect for much longer, we should get going before the woman comes to."

Epirus spoke aloud to where the merchant could hear every word he had said about her, but all she could do was smile and nod in agreement.

[Jiaolong]

Daniel snapped out of his stupor, blinking slowly. "Oh...yes...yes, let's go."

He couldn't help but think about the blue-eyed man's warning. He was sure the man was another angel, certainly someone he'd known before. Warning him to be careful of demons. Daniel glanced up at Epirus. There was no reason to distrust him.

"I was just thinking...demons are often said to be evil, and angels and the like good. But we are all individuals, aren't we? We make our own decisions following our own morals. It's unfair that we are placed under these labels."

Clearly, the blue-eyed angel had not met enough demons to know that those stereotypes were simply stereotypes.
Clearly, the

[Lowen Thorn]

Epirus's eyes furrowed at the question, not exactly sure where it came from.

"Good and evil is a subjective concept," he said finally as the two made their way further into the city. "Take us for example. You are an Angel, so people would be lead to believe that you are inherently good. Though, back in the Niahi, you did not try to stop me when I was stealing souls from the townspeople. And there's me - most would assume, and most do, that because I am a demon that I am inherently bad, yet I had a second judgement back there and released the ones that I thought to be good."

He bit his lip, contemplating more. "The whole conversation is a complicated one," he said with a sigh. "Why do you ask?"



The merchant still had a bright smile on her face long after Epirus and Daniel moved out of the area, but it dimmed as her dazed eyes came back to their normal state of being. Through obvious puzzlement, she jerked her head left and right. "Where did they go?" she asked herself, dumbfounded, before her eyes shot open in fruition.

Where did the bracelet go? She was just talking to that strange pair, but neither of them had any money to buy it! The last thing she remembered was the two whispering something right in front of her. Could they have... ?

At the top of her lungs, the woman yelled. "THIEF!"

[Jiaolong]

"I remembered something back there, from before I lost my memories. Another angel was telling me not to trust demons because I might turn into one. But that's a ridiculous idea."

A commotion from the crowd behind the two made Daniel turn around. There, at the end of the street, was the merchant from earlier. Behind her stood three armed guards. Her face was contorted in anger as she pointed a finger at Daniel and Epirus.

"It's those two!"

The crowd parted ways as the guards dashed forward, the angry merchant at their heels.

"I'm guessing your enchantment didnt last very long," Daniel said, grabbing Epirus's arm and pulling him into a nearby alleyway. "Let's run."

[Lowen Thorn]

'He is not far off,' Epirus managed to say to himself before getting distracted by the noise behind them.

It's those two!

'Let's run.'

Before he knew it, he was running in stride with Daniel through a nearby alleyway, easily outpacing the pursuers. But that did not matter, because they were suppose to be laying low. Surely, his enchantment should have done a better job than that - but perhaps he was still weak from the previous battle, or perhaps he was just plain lazy with it.

They needed to get out of sight quick when-

"Psssh!" the voice of a young woman hissed through an open window just above their heads. "Quick lads! In here!"

[Jiaolong]

Daniel looked up to see a young woman with a wild mane of deep red hair. He was surprised a civilian would help them, considering they were being called thieves.

But no matter. Daniel pushed open a door beneath the woman's window, tugging Epirus along. 

[Lowen Thorn]

The woman watched the two enter the door below, and moved to the stairs to meet them as Epirus closed the door behind him.

"Quite the commotion you boys caused out there," she smirked, moving down the steps almost gracefully as she carried a mug of something that smelt rather potent. "If you are going to steal, at least be good at it."

Epirus' brow furrowed at the woman. "I thought we managed it just fine," he said, motioning to Daniel and his newly acquired bracelet.

"Ha!" she chuckled with an honest smile. "I wouldn't want you in my crew. Here, you look like you could use a drink."

She extended her arm as if to hand the mug over to Daniel.

[Jiaolong]

"Considering we have no money, we'll have to get better at it eventually..." Daniel muttered, once again looking at the bracelet. If only he could remember...

The woman's gesture snapped him out of his thoughts, and he stepped forward, peering into the mug. "What is this?" He inquired.

[Lowen Thorn]

"Just a little ale, silly," she winked. "Strange little fella, aint'cha? Are you even old enough for this?"

Epirus watched the two trade conversation in silence, unsure where they stood with this woman. Though, judging by her behavior, they had nothing to worry about.

"Don't worry," she said reassuringly. "I won't tell."



[OOC: If it's cool with you, I might find a way to write Epirus out of the thread for a few posts so I can play around with Regen's character a bit more.]