I am the terror that flaps in the night! [open!]

[Rhindeer]

When it was nearing midnight and the estate was fast asleep, Einin--or Owl, as she would be known tonight--lifted a floorboard beneath her bed, traded her nightgown for breeches, boots, and a tunic, and donned her cloak and mask. She fetched her sword from her wardrobe and buckled her sheath to her belt, and then she was ready. Once she was finished tying her hair back into a messy tail, just one final touch remained.

Glancing in her mirror, she passed her hand over her face and worked her magic, pink hair and eyes darkening to a mousy brown. She smiled at her handiwork and flicked one of the feathered "horns" of her owl mask so it stood up properly.

Ready to go! Oh, just one final final touch.

She stuffed her sheets with pillows until it looked like a proper body that was her shape, more or less. Then, opening her window quietly, she began the process of climbing down.

Good thing her room was only on the second floor, and the building was old and made of stone with plenty of handholds.

As she had done many nights before, she sneaked off her parents' property and into the city proper. Not much was open this time of night, which was a shame, because it was the only time she could get away with something like this. Her parents didn't let her leave the estate without supervision during the day, much less come to the more "colorful" parts of the city. Talking to commoners? Visiting taverns? Utterly absurd and definitely not! And this? Well, they'd likely skin her alive if they knew. And never mind her dreams of acting. That was a definite no.

She wouldn't have time to entertain the notion anyway, they said, once she was married and had an estate of her own to run.

Never mind the children.

Ugh. Well, that was a problem for later.

Empty streets or not, she'd take what she could get. Some taverns were open this late and she'd come to find out she was somewhat decent at games of chance.

But what she was even better at was knocking heads.

She was heading down an alley toward a tavern she'd taken to visiting now and then, a muffled cry rang out, and then the sounds of hushed voices. Hand on her sword, Owl picked up her pace and turned a corner--to find a group of men surrounding a figure she couldn't make out, knives out and postures threatening.

"Aww, for me? How'd ya know I needed the coin?" one man jeered, coin purse in hand. "Now let's see...what else ya give us?"

Owl had seen enough.

She stepped out into the open and drew her sword with a hiss of steel and a dramatic flourish of her cloak.

"Unhand them at once!" she demanded in a strong, booming voice that had taken her much time practicing before a mirror to master. It helped that the alley provided a nice echo effect.

Thank you, alley!

[Aeytrious]

((ooc:  I am the terror that flaps in the night, I am a special news bulletin that interrupts your favorite show. I am Darkwing Duck!))

Rufus, The Red Wolf, leader of this small band calling themselves the Soot Wolves, stopped jostling the coin sack and turned to look at this newcomer. As with all the filthy, unwashed wolves, he wore patchwork leather armor of varying shades of dark brown, grey, and black. Distinct from the others was the red wolf head stamped on the heat pressed leather guard on his chest. His messy dark red hair was clearly covered in soot, and other grime, that concealed the bits of grey slipping in from age. His left eye was covered in a black leather eye patch decorated with a red wolf eye. One hand on the pummel of his long knife the other holding his new sack of coins, he looked over the girl standing before him. A girl it surely was. Sleight build, and though she stood like a man, it was just a bit too feminine for him to miss. And those lips. Those were lips he'd definitely enjoy kissing, not the lips of a man. He let out a raucous laugh.

"Pants don't fool this seasoned rogue, girl," he laughed again. "It seems a little kitten has come to play with the Wolves, boys," he said to his mates. "Dirus, handle the girl, we have a robbery to complete." He turned back to the two that they had thrown to the ground, paying no more attention to the masked crusader.

"Yes Canis Rufus." A large man stepped toward Owl then. He must have been nearly 7' tall, and was built like a bull. Maybe he was part ogre or giant. He cracked the knuckles of his ham fists and then pulled his cudgel from the loop at his waist.

"Little kitty want to play?"

[visualspice]

OOC: Hooray for Darkwing duck XD
Also, it's totally time for Jarrett to stalk this party |8*
---------------

Ah, Arca, city of the nobility and wealth of Serendipity, loaded with a plethora of people just waiting to be killed. It seemed a lot of activity has been going on as of lately, and a few well to do men were rather pissed, willing to pay a lot of coin to find a certain lot of men punished- and to put it simply, punished by death.

The list was ever going, new men's faces and names coming in every week. There was even a certain cloaked figure looming at night- something that resembled an owl. Though the bounty on it wasn't nearly as steep as a few rogues he'd over heard who had been prowling around the city for some time. Either way, the lists were endless and tonight was a night like any other. Jarrett L'isson hadn't really any sort of game plan. He normally never did. He was surprised at how luck seemed to find him, so when he heard a cry for help, he would have simply just ignored it, had he not heard such a ridiculous bellowed call coming out in an echoing shadow of heroism.

Well, he supposed he could at least watch in amusement. He had been roof hopping after all, which was a lot more thrilling than simply prowling the streets at night. Luckily, he had found himself perched just a few roof tops down and was picking at the meat stuck between his teeth when a knife when all of this occurred. Slipping the knife away and running his tongue over his teeth, he smirked, satisfied he got the damn meat out from between his teeth and stood up, stretching out before making his way to where he heard the noise.

Once perched against the chimney of the roof top over looking the alley, Jarret found, with much elation, it sounded like the party was just getting started. Slipping down the side of the roof in silence, he remained perched in the shadow and sat there near the edge of the roof, glancing down to the world below. And who knew, maybe a face or two might be on his list. But at least his blades were freshly sharpened. Tonight felt like a night where he'd finally get to kill.

[Rhindeer]

[ooc: Bahaha! xD He had the best one-liners!]

----

Okay, correction.

She was good at knocking heads when there was like one or two of them.

And when they didn't look like they uprooted trees with their bare hands for fun.

As in, mostly scrawny, petty thieves and drunkards.

She supposed from behind they didn't look quite so large...

Biting back some rather unladylike curses, Owl scrambled backwards, sword held in a defensive stance. "Uh. No?" she said, and winced when her voice came out a squeak. She cleared her throat loudly and tried again, rolling her shoulders and putting some steel back in her spine.

"No! Because I'm not a kitten. See the mask? And the feathers? And the very obvious owl motif I've got going? And if that word's too large for you, it means it's an owl theme. Have you never seen an owl? They hunt filthy rats like you and leave nothing but their fur and bones behind! Which they vomit. They're quite fierce!"

Oh, Kia, she was in way over her head here. But she couldn't keep retreating forever; she'd eventually hit a wall. Besides, she didn't retreat! Or Owl didn't, anyway. She had to be decisive!

Rushing forward, she thrust for the man's middle in a feint, trying to goad him into action first.

[Aeytrious]

He was chosen as Canis Dirus, The Dire Wolf, not for his brains, or his speed, but purely for his size and strength. With no attempt at dodging the feint, the thug brought his rough club down in a fierce overhead swing. The much quicker and smarter Owl wasn't where the behemoth of a man thought she was, and he smashed his cudgel into the stone, pulverizing it into splinters.

"You made me break it! Hold still little bird. PLAY FAIR!" The oaf bellowed out a roar and barreled forward in a clumsy charge.



Rufus returned to the two victims lying on the ground. One was clutching a bloody nose, the other trembled and clutched at cut and torn clothes. Under the garments, Rufus caught sight of a jeweled hilt.

"It seems you've been holding out on me," he said to the trembler, "give me that jeweled blade without a struggle, or I'll strip you naked, beat you, and suspend you from an easily viewed balcony, for all to gawk at when the sun rises."

[visualspice]

Well this was certainly interesting, some masked boy (or perhaps woman), was decked out in cloak and mask, was parading herself as a defiant owl.  It was definitely not an animal Jarrett would have chosen to represent himself, infact, he had more similar interests to the bandits raiding the poor blokes trembling on the ground. After all, they all had some sort of association with the wolf.

It seemed, or so he thought, this owl was attempting to take on this band of bandits all by themself. Naturally, the out come was obvious, but he had to wonder what would happen if another animal came out to play?

There was some broken pieces of shingle he gathered within his hands, clicking them together as the tested their weight by bouncing them idly in the palm of his hand, Jarrett continued to bide his time, contemplating toying with the men below, or simply watching them pulverize this owl person to a pulp. Then again...
He paused tossing the shingle bits in his hand as they clinked together when they settled within his fist.
There was a warrant out for a higher price to bring this owl-cloaked person in... alive.

Though he was a killer by nature, it might be interesting to change his tune. But then again.. as his eyes scanned the bandits...
These men also looked very familiar. He wondered how familiar they might be as corpses if he tried to collect a bounty off of them. No doubt the large fellow and the leader would at least have some sort of price on their head.

[Rhindeer]

The giant of a man swung his cudgel overhead, and Owl ducked down low. The cudgel splintered against the stone, and that was just the spark of confidence she needed. He charged and, with a laugh, Owl slipped nimbly around him and delivered a sharp blow to his left kidney with the pommel of her sword.

"You're not nearly as quick as a rat, though," she pondered with a grin, feeling cocky again. Alright! She could deal with this! This was something she could handle. The fool looked big and scary, but he was an idiot! Excellent! And if this brute was anything to go off of, the other thieves should be easy as pie!

"Wolves, indeed! I'd consider running now, mutts! After I've trussed up this giant, I'm swooping down on you!" she called to the others, keeping just behind the large man. "So give those people back their money so I don't have to!"

[Aeytrious]

The trembling man drew out the blade, which Rufus was pleased to see happened to be a long knife. As he reached for the blade he was knocked aside quite unexpectedly.

The strike to the kidney was quite unpleasant, and the buffoon stumbled as Owl so easily slipped from his grasp. He turned and charged back in the direction he came, not even checking to make sure she was in his path. He tumbled right into the circle of his allies, knocked over the crouching Rufus, and crashed onto the trembling man holding the long knife. There was a collective intake of breathe at the loud crunch the impact created. Canis Dirus flailed for a moment, tried to lift himself, and then slumped dead on top of the man. The other victim began to scream hysterically, and was quickly knocked unconscious by a nearby wolf. With a sigh, Rufus stepped forward and with some effort, rolled the big man over. His blunder had broken the neck of the man under him and both were dead now. He pulled the knife from the big mans throat and wiped it on the smaller mans torn clothes. After inspecting the blade for quality, he drew his own long knife and replaced it with this new jeweled one. He tossed the sack of coins to a little wolf, The Little Wolf, and his old long knife as well.

"Run straight to the den, Canis Lepo. Gold goes in the stash, minus your cut of course. The knife is yours if you want it." He looked at the two dead men and shook his head. "Such a waste," he said, turning to the other wolves, "strip all three of them of anything of value, and toss the two corpses down into the sewers. Drop the other fool in the next district over." He then began to walk away from the group, toward Owl. "It seems I need to clip this birds wings myself."

[Rhindeer]

Owl held her breath, and for a moment she thought her heart actually stopped.

That crunch did...not sound good...

Owl froze and stared, sword still held at the ready. That was a consequence she'd neither anticipated nor intended, and as the leader rolled the big man over and pulled a blade from his throat, her eyes widened. He was really dead? And...the man beneath him, too?

Beneath the mask, her face went ghost white. She hadn't meant anyone to die, not even the big one. She'd been trying to save those people! Did...did this count as her having killed them, since she delivered the blow that sent the large man tumbling? Had she just killed them?

She'd never killed anyone.

For a long moment she could only stare in uncomprehending shock, too stunned to even register to the horror of the situation, but it didn't last long. The red-head was heading toward her.

She raised her blade. "I'd rethink this!" she snapped, and jerked her head toward the dead men. "You saw what I'm capable of! If you value your life, I'd tuck tail and run!"

Kia, but she was proud her voice was steady in a way she didn't feel!

[Aeytrious]

Rufus let out another raucous laugh. This child amused him greatly. He wondered if she was truly ignorant of what she was getting herself into.

"That was blind luck. That huge brute only lasted in his role for a day, and I didn't even know his name yet," Rufus spit at the mention of the deaths. "Such a waste," he said again, shaking his head once more.

"When did you take your first human life," he asked Owl, "I was six. You see, I was born in Zantaric, to a whore mother. She barely cared for me, but the fool pup I was, I loved her. One day I came home to find her pimp leaned over her bloody form, strangling her. I pulled the mans knife from his belt and began stabbing him over and over." His face was smooth as he continued his story, "My mother was screaming madly as I saved her life. And how did she repay me? She hit me and told me that I was worthless. Without her pimp nobody would come to give her money and she was better off dead anyway," at that he grimaced. "I never saw her again after that day."

Without even a pause after his story, he toed a rock into the air at Owl, followed it with a dagger from his sleeve, and was dashing forward as he drew both his new jeweled long knife, and his short sword from their sheaths at his hip.

[Rhindeer]

Owl swallowed hard at his question, and though her voice had been steady, the same couldn't be said for her hands. She didn't want to know the answer to that question, because the possible answer was, "Just now." She took a deep breath and steadied her sword as he spoke, and the horror she'd managed to keep at bay started to creep in around the edges.

Six years old?

She knew bad stuff happened, of course, but she hadn't fully grasped how bad--and what was worse, she didn't know whether to feel sorry for the man for having lived through that, or to feel terrified of him for what he was implying with that story. Either way, she didn't have much time to process it.

Without warning, he sent a rock flying her way and she reacted out of pure reflex, blade flashing as she deflected it.

Unfortunately, she deflected the wrong object.

The dagger hit her bicep, and though it didn't stick in her flesh, it wasn't a shallow graze and blood quickly soaked her sleeve. Owl yelped and turned just in time to parry the next blow, but the force of his blades striking hers sent a powerful shock through her arms that was all the more jarring with her injury, and she had to grit her teeth to keep from crying out--and keep her grip on her weapon.

It was right about then that she realized she was actually, truly in trouble.

[Aeytrious]

Two strikes in and he was surprised he hadn't gutted the girl. She was a bit better than he expected. Despite her bleeding, she would be able to keep up with him for a little while longer, if he fought fair.

A backhand to her mouth, bloodying her lip, combined with a swipe from his leg, taking her feet out from under her, put her on her back quickly. A foot on her wrist and a quick kick sent her sword spinning away. He used the tip of his sword to flip off her mask and looked in her eyes. Those beautiful eyes, that cute nose, and those lips. Lips he still wanted to kiss. He was sure he recognized that face, but he just couldn't place her. And the distraction of her lips was not helping.

"Such a pretty face you have. I don't prefer to mar a pretty face."

He sheathed his weapons, bent and picked her up by her front. The quick hard kiss he planted on her mouth would surely surprise her as well as the fresh cinnamon flavor of his breath. He contemplated pushing his tongue into her mouth, but she would probably bite it. He released her and flashed her a brilliant white smile, made more so by the grime that covered his face. At this range Owl would be able to see that it was actors makeup, and not truly grime at all. A false nose, fake scars, he was wearing a very good disguise.

"Perhaps find smaller prey to start with little bird," he said to her, "my pack will steer clear of you if you steer clear of them." He stepped toward the two wolves that had remained to watch his back. "Shadow her tonight," he told them quietly, "be sure no larger predators take her in her shaken state."

He called back to Owl, "I'll have my eye on you pretty bird. Perhaps when you're a bit more seasoned, our blades will cross again." And he dashed off into the darkness, quickly joined by three wolves that had been hidden in the shadows. They howled as they ran, warning the night of their passing.



A shadowed figure watched from high above. It watched the wolves, it watched the owl, and it even watched the other dark predator that the others did not see as it perched in the shadows like a bat. An intriguing turn of events. Unexpected deaths, unexpected mercy, and the unexpected voyeur, that did not act. Things to consider, but there was much to be done this night, plots to plan and plans to plot. It was best to move on for now. The figure vanished like smoke into the night.

[Rhindeer]

Owl was left standing where he left her, too stiff and shaken to move. She felt like if she tried to walk yet, her knees might buckle, and heroes did not faint. Not that she had been very heroic; she hadn't saved anyone tonight, not even herself, though she was very aware that it could have turned out much worse. When he'd knocked her down and pinned her wrist she had thought, for a terrifying moment and for the first time in her life, that she might die.

Letting out a trembling breath, Owl forced herself to move. Her body ached, most of all her face and her arm, and she had no idea how she was going to explain either injury. She gathered her sword and sheathed it, and collected her mask, which aside from a few bent feathers was no worse for wear. She tied it back on, though she felt silly to be wearing it now with her pride wounded, and then took stock of her injuries.

The gash on her arm was still bleeding, but it was the thicker blood of a clotting wound. Gingerly, she poked her split lip with her tongue, and felt her face heat when she remembered what else had happened to her mouth: his lips on hers, the taste of cinnamon, and that despite his grime, the man smelled far too clean. She hadn't been able to do anything at the time but freeze up completely.

What the...yeah. She absolutely could not wrap her mind around that. Of all the things she'd been expecting (like a knife in the ribs and bloody death in general), getting her first kiss from a dirty thug was nowhere near that list, and it left her feeling vulnerable in a very different, unsettling way.

A noise in the alley made her jump and, looking about, she decided it was time to go, and took off around a corner. There were certain parts of this night she didn't want to think about--like the dead men and what it meant--so instead she latched onto the fact that despite it all, he'd let her live and even issued a challenge. Come to think of it, wasn't that a common trope in the stories?

Her lips twitched into a smile, stretching the cut. Perhaps she'd just made her first rival or arch-nemesis!

[visualspice]

He was a man of stealth, though enjoyed the spectacle the band of 'wolves' had made. Though it was obvious the masked woman was injured, and more in pride than blood, he figured the show was over so there was no reason to remain on the roof top. He had played with the broken shingles for too long, and as he watched the man suddenly kiss the owl girl, he was surprised to  find his fist closing tightly around the pieces, so that when his hand opened, only dust fell into the wind.

His lips twitched. Definitely something clever, and something he certainly wouldn't have entertained, well, at least not in the first meeting (though most marks he had only got one meeting). Kiss and kills were normally reserved for whores and courtesans (though he found too, those types of women tended to use the same tactics towards him).

Though a man in his position had little need for play, today he felt like making an exception. He preferred the silent approach, so when Owl rounded the bend, he remained aloof, perched just at the edge of the rooftop, crouching.
He had since lit up a cigar, using a shard of shingle to cut a finger and call up blood, before conjuring a small flame by simply whispering the words 'flame'. And from the bubbling blood on his thumb came a light, a tiny flame that flickered and danced. Leaning forward, he put the end of his cigar into the flame as he puckered and waited for it to take light, then sat back, extinguishing the flame by pressing his thumb to his hand and took in a long drag from the cigar.
The smoke wafted just above his face, lingering there before fading into nothing at all.

So when she walked by, he simply watched her, one eye hidden behind a long, side bang of black hair while the other simple stared in nonchalance. He took in her outfit now that she was much closer and commented, "Nice feathers," as he flicked some of the collecting cigar ash aside.

[Rhindeer]

Wound up as she was, Owl just about leaped from her skin when a voice spoke from the shadows. With a gasp, she had her sword half out before she'd even finished turning toward that man, though she relaxed when she saw it wasn't one of the thieves. Her hand stayed on her sword, though, just in case.

Though sore and ruffled and eager to get home and nurse her wounds, both physical and not, appearances were everything! Even though her appearance was currently "just got owned", with her sleeve damp with blood, though she hid that beneath the cloak, and her lip puffy and crusted.

With her free hand, she gave her cloak a little flare and snapped off a playful salute. "Good evening to you, too, and thank you very much, good sir! I like them very much my--ehrm--my--"

She cut off with a fit of coughing, having gotten a good whiff of the cigar smoke. Waving her hand through the smoke, she straightened up again and cleared her throat. "Ahem. I like them, too."

[visualspice]

A grin split across Jarrett's lips at her reaction, his eyes glowing with mirth as he took another drag from his cigar, the end of it glowing orange. He then exhaled the smoke towards her face, pursing his lips a bit through a subtle smile.

"Well I would hope someone like yourself would like that sort of get up, you know," he chewed at the end of his cigar. "Since you're the one brave enough to wear it." His eyes took her in with more scrutiny, especially over the details of her wounds, before his green eyes flickered to her mask.

"So you got some hideous scar behind that mask?" he asked without skipping a beat, more smoke puffing in through his lips as he spoke. "Though that other gentleman didn't seem to think so."
He then jumped down from the roof, cigar still pressed between his lips as he shoved his hands into his pockets, studying her more closely now as he dared to land near her, just a few mere feet away. It was then he realized (and confirmed) what the other man saw. Yeah, this little cloaked figure was too pretty to be a boy. Then again, some men could just be... pretty.

Then without so much as another word, he simply turned from her and began to walk away, leaving a trail of smoke in his wake.
"You might want to get that wound looked at," he mentioned. "Before you bleed all over the city. The guards tend to like following trails of blood. They like to think blood means death, and for you.." he paused to peer over at him from over his shoulder. "I'm sure they could find a reason or two for your hanging."

[Aeytrious]

The Shadow Wolves slunk into the darkness around them and followed quietly behind Owl. The two of them watched her as she went around the bend. They saw the man with his cigar, before he spoke to her, and they watched him with keen eyes, hands ready to draw steel should he threaten Owl. If she died tonight, The Red Wolf would surely gut them for their failure. He was quite brutal at times.

This man seemed confident, and the wolves were sure he was dangerous. They paid especially close attention, taking in as many details about him as possible. It would be smart to report this man back to the Gold Jackal. For now, they would simply observe. As the man began to head off, the two Shadow Wolves prepared to split up if necessary. One for Owl, one for this newcomer.

[Rhindeer]

Owl turned her face away and waved at the smoke, trying not to breathe it so she didn't have another embarrassing coughing fit. She wanted to tell him he was being very rude, but a little smoke didn't seem the sort of thing that would bother a masked fighter. So instead she faced him again and weathered it as best she could, clearing her throat to keep from coughing again.

She opened her mouth and raised a finger, about ready to answer him with her usual answer, but then he mentioned the "other gentleman" and she almost choked. Uh. Wow. So he'd seen that...she was certainly glad for the mask.

"Er. Well, that doesn't necessarily mean anything," she said when he hopped down to ground level. She followed after him, adjusting her cloak to better cover her arm, which was really starting to hurt now that the adrenaline had worn off.

"People like different things, after all, and mind some things less than others. So it could be a hideous scar, earned in a tragic sword fight and only serving to make me more dashing. Or perhaps a burn from saving elders from a burning home, or maybe some ugly deformity! If you saw him, you'd see he wasn't much to look at, either, so perhaps he wasn't picky, or perhaps the fight just moved him so," she said, and grinned.

"Or it could be I'm just too damned gorgeous to stand. I would say, but it's more fun to wonder, no?"

She was so wrapped up in her story that it took a moment for the rest of the man's words to sink in. And for another very important chunk of information to click. Like the fact that he'd seen this. Seen the kiss. And if he'd seen that much...

Brow furrowing, she paused. "Wait. What do you mean, about the guards?" she asked, and barked a laugh. "That's ridiculous. They wouldn't hang a hero. I've been helping them an awful lot, you know."

Except for tonight. Her mind flashed to the dead men she'd tried hard to block out, tried hard to deny, and a sickening knot of guilt and panic twisted in her gut. A reason or two, he'd said. Two men dead...

"How much did you see?"

[visualspice]

Jarrett gave a nonchalant shrug before speaking through his cigar, "All of it." Though he was smiling, subtly. Her rambling story amused him greatly, which was why he hadn't tried to shoo her away... well, yet. He wasn't one for companions. One night stands, run ins, and brief rendez-vous fit the bill for him quite nicely. He never was much of a social creature. Again, he honestly just liked to observe.

[Rhindeer]

Owl grimaced, the blood draining from her face. "Everything? Oh. Uh...wow."

Moving her good arm, she rubbed the back of her neck. "That's awkward," she said, and gave a sheepish grin. "I'd hoped my first defeat would go without witness."

On the inside, she was panicking. That had really, actually happened. Two men were actually dead--because of her. She hadn't meant for anyone to die--and that still felt too surreal. She'd never seen anyone die and her mind was only just beginning to process everything that meant, that actual real people with lives and families and friends were now just...

Gone.

Her throat tightened, and she blinked stubbornly against a prickling sensation in her eyes. "I hope it was entertaining, at least!"