Disappearing Act [Open]

[Lysander]

Elizabeth stifled a yawn, waving goodbye to the fellow attendees of mass as she shuffled her way out of the church amid a throng of others. After a few minutes of absent-minded walking, Elizabeth took a look around, and sighed. She had taken a wrong turn somewhere, that much was obvious. Reajh's architecture was not only beautiful, but also served as distinctive landmarks from country bumpkins like herself. And the landmarks that were currently around her, she did not recognise.

An initial attempt to retrace her footsteps soon proved to be futile. Elizabeth took one last look around, and moved onto the next course of action - asking for directions. The people of Reajh had always been rather helpful, though whether it be due to their actual nature or because of her white-lily'd tabard she did not know. She was about to find out now; Elizabeth typically disliked wearing Mordecain attire unless required to.

Picking a person at random, Elizabeth stepped forward to approach the stranger. One who was moving away from her, unfortunately. With a smile full of cheer she picked up her pace and rounded the corner, calling out.

"Hullo! Can - huh?"

The side-street was empty, and what looked to be solid walls lining either side of it. Elizabeth rubbed her eyes, frowning as she continued to stand at the junction without further movement.

[Rhindeer]

Elizabeth wasn't the only one lost.

Faolán had never been good with cities; trees and rocks he could recognize, but to him, the streets and buildings all looked the same even when they didn't. Of course, things would have probably been different if he'd had some time to familiarize himself with the place first, but he was on his own now because, well, how hard could navigating the city be?

A lot harder than he'd reckoned.

For a while, he was too proud to ask for help or directions.

But once an hour (or more, he had no idea anymore) rolled by, well...pride be damned!

Of course, the moment he was willing to ask for directions was the precise moment there was suddenly no one around anywhere.

With a sigh, Faolán kicked a loose pebble and leaned against a wall, belly growling something fierce and his own exasperation rising. Really, how hard was it to just go north? Not hard at all, except the streets made no bloody sense with all their twists and turns and side streets and--oh, hey!

He caught sight of a girl then, heading away from him, and he pushed off the wall and started after her. She rounded a corner, calling out to someone, and he rounded that same corner--

And hadn't expected her to stop.

"Wah!"

With a cry, he barreled into her, sending them both to the ground.

[Lysander]

Elizabeth crashed onto the pavement with little resistance, too preoccupied with what she had (not) seen. Transitioning from a stumble into a fall, Elizabeth brought both arms up to protect her face, closing her eyes as she did so. Just in time too, for the next moment she felt a sharp pain throbbing on all the points of impact.

"Urgh..."

She lay on the ground, willing the pain to go away. It didn't. So she twisted her body so that she was facing away from the ground, to look at whatever mysterious force it was that had decided to crash into her.

Well, older than she had expected, but not by much. Elizabeth looked around -- there were no pursuers. Freeing her legs from the tangle they had ended up in, she pulled them towards herself, assuming a sitting position. Reaching out, she flicked the blond's head. With the other, she checked for her purse.

Yep, still there. As heavy as she'd remembered it to be, too.

"Well, hullo to you too I suppose!"

[Winters-Feather]

I should have known to keep my mouth shut, Ash thought as he hastingly made his way through the streets.
Out of all the places to ask about vampires, Reajh was one of the most dangerous cities. He had asked one too many discreet questions in the pubs, and Ash knew that somebody was following him. A tall and beefy man with a sour disposition, probably because of his unfortunate baldness, which did nothing to enhance his features. However, there were chores to be done, and Ash did not want the agent to think he was too suspicious. In any case, he was ready to fight if he had to, though Ash much preferred that he did not. It would leave him and TRS with a bad name. Besides, he rather liked to live! With a bundle full of new letters, Ash quickly left the office and made his way down the street. Suddenly, as if by fate, a gust of wind carried an envelope out of his hands and down the street.
"Crap!" he cursed.

Ash quickly shoved the other envelopes into his bag before chasing the rogue letter. He chased it until it landed on a strange girl who was lying on the ground. There was a man on top of her. Ash could have blushed.
"Oi!" Ash hissed, throwing a head over his shoulder.
He really didn't have time for this...
"Hey! You two! Don't you have any shame?!"

[Rhindeer]

"Ow...ow!" One groan for landing all bad, another for getting flicked. Disoriented, Faolán started to sit up, horrified at what he'd done--barreling into a woman like that!--but then it took on an extra degree of horror when a male voice called out.

Faolán froze, looked down at the woman, and then let out a little yelp and scrambled free of the pile as though he'd been burned, flopping onto his bottom and scooting back a safe distance away from her. His face was burning, red spreading down his neck and over his ears, and he shot a desperate look toward the man that had happened upon them.

Throwing his hands up, he shook his head vigorously. "N-no, sir! It's not like that! Right?" He looked to the woman as though seeking validation. "Not like that at all!"

[Lysander]

Elizabeth was well-acquainted with being caught in all sorts of compromising situations, just with silverware and not people. False accusations she was well-accustomed to as well. She grinned cheekily at the flustered protest from the boy. Elizabeth got up to her feet, picking up a cream-coloured missive that stood out against the dark pavement as she did so.

Where did that come from..?

Studying the envelope, she retorted. "Don't ask me, I'm still trying to figure out what happened. Say, does Connlaoth have a habit of making people disappear the moment they turn around the corner? I swear I saw someone here just a moment ago -- was following them in fact."

[Winters-Feather]

Ash blinked. Oh, so that's what it was. The youth was embarrassed by his err, though he brushed it off as a resolt of his uneasiness. He bowed his head as he bent to pick the envelope.
"I'm sorry," the runner said, bowing in apology. Ash was about to  say his goodbyes when the girl caught his attention.
"Eh? Following somebody?" he asked. For a moment, he wondered if she was a crazy stalker like the man following him, but Ash resolved not to make the worse of accusations. That's when he realized the two people before him were most likely foreigners, like himself.

[Rhindeer]

"Huh?" The woman's statement shocked the embarrassment right out of him. A chill went down his spine and he quickly picked himself up off the ground.

"Um...whaddya mean disappear? he said, and stared around the street. "Like, I mean, you sure they didn't just run really fast or something?"

Then, giving an uneasy laugh, he added, "'Cause that's impossible. Unless they're a ghost." Or there was magic involved.

[Lysander]

Ghosts?

Elizabeth looked at the stranger with an expression of disbelief, then shivered. She looked furtively about, double-checking the side-street once more. One would have to run very fast to get to the end of the side-street in the time she had taken to round the corner. The letter in her hand was all but forgotten as she habitually folded it in half and stuffed it in a pocket.

"Well, I wanted to ask for directions... I don't know, are Reajhians generally good runners? He didn't look at that athletic to me..." She moved to the side of the alley and ran a hand along the sturdy wall, frowning.

[Winters-Feather]

Ash narrowed his eyes. This all sounded highly unusual. Though he was interested, he didn't want to get caught up in something he didn't understand, especially if it was magical. Especially if it was this place. The young man tossed his head over his shoulder and he thought he could see a shadow move.
"We shouldn't stay here," he said, urging the other two to move. "It's not safe."
He paused before continuing. These people obviously didn't know their way around.
"I can lead you to wherever you need to go,"he added with a hint of pride. "I know the city better than most who live here."
That was a Runner for you!

[Rhindeer]

Faolán's ghost comment had been a throwaway one, a joke, but the way the other two were acting was making him nervous. Maybe there was something to that train of thought, but he'd always figured the big cities were safe. His hometown had a lot of legends about a witch that lived in the woods nearby and all, but...maybe there were witches here, too?

He shuddered.

"Um, I'd just like to get back to a main road or something," Faolán said, shifting uneasily from foot  to foot as though eager to get moving. "So if ya know how to get there, that'd be fantastic."

[Lysander]

Elizabeth broke into a smile at the man's offer, ignoring the almost imperceptible weight she felt on her back. She remembered the words of her grandmother; don't look back, and don't be alone. Investigation could wait, she supposed. Preferably after she got herself a meal and got a fellow Mordecai to come poke around with her.

"Oh thank you so much! I'm not all that worried for my own safety, but directions to the nearest bathhouse and then the garrison for the Mordecai after that would be great!" She stepped up to the helpful stranger, introducing herself. "I'm Elizabeth. And the two of you are?"

[Winters-Feather]

OOC: sorry to keep y'all waiting
IC:

Mordecai? Ash was rather surprised by this. He hadn't expect the woman to be one of their numbers, but he didn't really care, either way. He neither love nor hated mages, though he had a general distaste for magic in general. Still, for a Mordecai, he would have thoguht she'd have a better sense of direction.
"I can lead you there, Miss Elizabeth," he agreed, nodding to the both of them.
Perhaps her company was what he needed to shake off whoever or whatever was following him.
Then he could drop off the letters. The envelope that flew away was to be delivered to someone within the city walls, not too far away from the bath house he had in mind.

He hesitated before giving his name.
"I'm Ash," he said, preferring  to give the nickname rather than his native one to foreigners. They always found it so tricky to say, though Ash never understood why. He quietly directed walked with the both of them to the main road, when he saw the man out of the corner of his eye, hiding.
Damn, he thought.
"Somebody is following us," he muttered.

[Rhindeer]

ooc: Dittooooo. Damn cold virus. ):


"I'm Faolán," he introduced, and stared in wonder at Elizabeth. A Mordecai, huh? But before he could say anything on that matter, Ash made a chilling comment.

He turned to look, forgetting the rule of "don't be obvious", but whatever Ash had seen, it was no longer there. Faolán shivered and rubbed at his arms where gooseflesh had risen, and he desperately wished he had his sword. But he hadn't thought he'd need it, since he was just exploring town and it was extra weight at his hip.

Now he knew to never assume.

"Ah...let's just get going," he said uneasily, shoulders hunched. "I'm gettin' bad vibes here, guys." He paused and looked over at Elizabeth, eyes widening. "Er. Sorry. M'lady, sir."

[Brisinger987]

Torak's day hadn't been much better than the people he was now observing. While he had the ability to disappear like the person had, he left a minute trace, and he disappeared into a cloud of smoke. He had never just vanished. He crouched in the shadows of a window. Connlaothian architecture usually gave him the best perches, usually overshadowed by gothic style arches and windows on heights no one could reach to look out of. The people he was observing were an odd bunch, but he felt they did no crime. Yet. They showed no weakness, but he found amusement in watching them. He was however, curious as to the lack of people.

Making a final decision, he dropped the ledge, landing perfectly, the few seconds in the air just enough to avoid breaking his legs. He could have teleported, but that was no fun. He walked up to the group, about to introduce himself, when he saw a person round a corner again. He stopped and watched. A powerful illusion perhaps? He shook his head clear, as this felt like some tormenting nightmare.

"Hello." He was stood right behind one of the people, and his cloak was especially enchanted to hide his armour. He wouldn't appear to be threatening, and he wasn't. In some respect, he hoped they had not seen him approach, and also hoped to see drawn weapons any second now.

[Lysander]

In the end, Elizabeth's curiosity got the better of her and turned upon hearing another voice come from behind her. Well, she was neither met with some ghastly visage covered in entrails nor was she turned into stone. The newcomer looked relatively normal, perhaps a bit on the scruffy and shady side if she wanted to be judgmental about it, but very this-worldly. No blood gushing out from empty eye-sockets, and both feet were in place facing the right direction.

Smiling to show she didn't mind Faolán's word-choice, she asked, "This your 'bad vibes' and 'somebody'? If not, welcome stranger! We are the merry Connlaothian city-tour, proudly presented and directed by our lovely guide here. Well, maybe not merry, it's been a long day."

[Winters-Feather]

Ash nodded at Faolán's greeting.
"Ash Snowborn," he replied, refraining from using his full first name. The youth also had to agree with Faolán on the account of 'bad vibes'. Something about this alley way felt wrong.
"Yes," he responded as he opened his bag to look at the letters, once more. "I have..."
The youth paused, his face pale. One of them was missing. He looked up at the two and was about to say something when a stranger popped up, as if out of no where.

Ash immediately drew a dagger, startled. However, Elizabeth's reaction caught him completely off guard. He stared at her as if she had turned into a poka dotted dragon. Just what game was the Mordecai woman playing at?
"I'm missing a letter," he found himself saying.

[Rhindeer]

Faolán jumped at the sound of a new voice and turned around to see a stranger standing behind them. The initial surprise quickly faded; it was just some guy, nothing strange about it, and he felt a little silly for getting so wound up as to jump at a simple "hello".

At Elizabeth's question, Faolán barked a sheepish laugh and rubbed the back of his neck. "Er...maybe?" he admitted with a blush. He was going to feel really stupid--but really relieved--if this whole thing did turn out to be nothing after all.

But that was when Ash spoke up.

"Huh? Didja drop it?" Faolán asked, and began to look about the area. He couldn't see any letters lying on the ground, though, so it must have happened before Ash got there. "Er...how important are these letters, exactly?"