The hit-list

[Ycharley]

Lumina waited until Alistair was out of the house before she let herself relax. Her cold outer shell falling away as she was left alone, but she knew he would still be keeping an eye on her. Lumina walked unto the room in silence, a dark, gloomy look on her face. She looked the room over in silence for a while, leaning against the doorway. She wished the man had just left, instead of giving her a reason to kill him. Now she had to turn on her soft heart, and be ruthless. She walked to the bed, sitting on the edge, putting her head in her hands, not crying, but deep down, she wanted to.

[Benobi]

Alistair listened as the shadows whispered of pain, despair and sorrow coming from the woman in his house. He gently told the shadows to leave her be in her dilemma and purposefully turned his mind away from her so as not to intrude. He opened that barn to the muffled sounds of the horses sleeping and the warm smell of hay. He went over to Shadows stall and layed down next to the big horse. Shadow woke up for a minute and snuffled at Alistair's neck until he got a pat on the head. Then both master and horse slowly faded into the peaceful sleep of two close companions.

[Ycharley]

Lumina found it hard to fall asleep, she was after all in the house of an assassin, but at some point the drowsiness took over and drug her into unconsciousness.

Lumina woke up before the sun rose. Walking down the steps heavily, her eyes dull from exhaustion. That was the worst nights sleep she could remember having, not because the accommodations were bad, because they weren't. She looked through the kitchen for anything but tea, the stronger the better. She would need something the could take the edge off that day. She needed something that would make it hurt less. She was once told that drinking wasn't the answer to her problems, she would quickly disagree with that statement.

[Benobi]

Alistiar slept soundly and contentedly lying on Shadows warm side. The rise and fall of the horses breathing was like a lullaby that kept him dee in sleep until his internal alarm clock went off.

Aistair opened his eyes a few hours before dawn to begin his daily routine. He'd have to hurry since he had two horses to take care of but that just meant he would be able to stay moving in the pre-dawn chill. He woke Hsadow up and gave him a bucket of oats as he brushed all the any off him and made his white coat glow. He left his horse snoozing up against the side of the stall as he repeats the process with Midnight. After that he went for a small run and practiced some sword drills to warm up his muscles. Aistair was breathing heavily when he got back to the barn. He went straight to the water trough, and submerged his head in the cold water. Alistair grabbed for a nearby rag and use it and the water to clean himself. Finally, a little wet still but very much alert he took the horses out and walked them in back of his property to wake them up for the day.

The sun was just a few minutes from rising when he put them away in the barn and went to see if Lumina was awake. As he neared the house, he heard some noise from upstairs and feet on the stairs as he opened the door.

"Good morning, mi'lady! Are we ready for the day yet?" Aistiar called out as he rummaged in the closet to get some supplies ready.

[Ycharley]

"What's the strongest liquor you have, please tell me you have something stronger than ale," Lumina said, her voice surprisingly hoarse. She turned to him, with a look somewhere between hopeful and pleading.

Lumina began to lean heavily against the wall with a deep sigh. She was already for the day to be over so she could get completely wasted and move on with her life. She then let her mind wonder to how exactly she wanted to kill Joseph, because she had decided the night before she wanted to be the one to do it. She knew she wanted to make it slow, wanted to make him suffer until the very end. Most people think that light is good and pure, but she was going to show Joseph how painful it could be.

[Benobi]

Alistair slowly set down the bundles of blankets and clothes he had in his arms and stood straight. He personally never drank anything but tea or water. Spirits clouded the mind and dulled the reflexes, which is precisely why he didnt mind if others drank them. He walked into the small kitchen area, opened the cabinet in the farthest corner and reached all the way in the back. Alistair pulled out a small decanter with a dark brown liquid and he hooked a finger into a glass. He said nothing as he poured two fingers into the bottom of the glass and replaced the decanter at the back. As he handed the glass to Lumina he spoke.

"You may have this one drink this morning. However, if I am going to allow you to accompany me, it will be the last one you have until the job is complete. I do not drink and do not allow my accomplices on contracts to either. Spirits make one an easy target and threaten the outcome of a successful mission. I am always successful. I tolerate nothing that will impede such a record. Do you understand and agree, mi'lady?"

[Ycharley]

Lumina chuckled, "You clearly haven't seen me drink, but sure, as long as I can have this one drink, I won't have another until the job is done," she said with a slight bow. She reached out and took the drink, downing it quickly and easily with her eyes closed. Lumina basked in the burn that ran down her throat and settle in her belly. When Lumina opened her eyes, they glowed, an almost eerie sight.

Lumina shivered as she felt heat from a different source spread through her body and over her skin. Her power making the hairs on the back of her neck stand up, feeling like small electrical charges run over her skin. The room itself seemed to grow slightly brighter. Lumina popped her neck.

"Okay, I'm ready, is Midnight ready?" She asked, her voice no longer hoarse.

[Benobi]

Alistair picked up the bundles and opened the door.

"Indeed. He has been walked, groomed and fed. However, since I dnt know how you like to ride, I have no saddled him. The barn is out back if you'd follow me."

He walked out the door and headed to the barn. He got Shadow to stand still and saddled him, out the rolls of clothes and bedding on the back of it and strung the bags of food to either side, trying to evenly distribute the weight. Alistair rested his head against Shadows and mumbled a few words of encouragement and love as he waited for Lumina to prepare her horse.

[Ycharley]

Lumina followed Alistair, her stride both graceful and confident. She looked around locating her sattles and blankets. Lumina then proceeded to sattle her horse quickly, with practiced ease. Lumina looked up at the hazy sky with a frown.

"It's going to get really cold," she stated, but it seemed she said it more to her horse then to Alistair. Lumina ran her hand over Midnight lovingly, then walked infront of her horse. She placed her forehead against the large animal as if mentally cominicating some how. Finally Lumina looked to Alistair, "Is there anything you wish us to pack?"

[Benobi]

Alistair lifted his head slowly from his silent communion with his beloved horse and gently patted Shadows cheek. He walked a little i front of Shadow and snapped his fingers twice, the command for the bridle less horse to follow. Alistair walked to the doors of the barn indicating Lumina and her horse should follow as he answered her.

"Well, seeing as you said the target wasn't far from here, I believe I have everything we need. I have tinder for fire, blankets, a change of clothes for myself but unfortunately I do not have any for your gender, and a small amount of food and water. However, we can get food and water from the forest as we go so best not to burden the horses too much. That just leaves, do you require any other items that we need to stop and buy before we depart?"

By this time Aistair and Shadow had exited the barn and with a simple flick of his fingers, Shadow went to the hitching post in front of the house to wait for his master.

[Ycharley]

Lumina and her horse followed in silence, Lumina clearly thinking. She had her dagger, but she rarely used it, her light was plenty weapon enough. "Well, a change of cloths would be nice, but as it seems you're not willing to let me borrow some of yours, I will be fine, and I'm ready to go. I require nothing else for this trip," Lumina stated after a brief moment of silence. She then turned to Midnight, stroking the horses cheek before whispering something to it. She whispered lyrics of an old elvish song her mother once sang to her, a song that spoke of bravery, hope, and forgiveness.

Lumina sighed, giving Midnight a sad smile, the horse responded by bowing its head slightly, as if it somehow understood and felt was Lumina was feeling. Lumina then quickly bridled her horse before gracefully jumping on its back.

"I suppose I'll be leading the way," Lumina said as she guided Midnight to face him.

[Benobi]

"You can by all means use any spare clothes i have brought, however im afraid they may swallow you whole and we'd never be able to find you again!" Alistair said this with a small smile and a wink. After Lumina had mounted and indicated she was ready, Alistiar finished his final piece of business.

He walked to the front door of his house, placed both palms flat on the surface, leaned in forward until his forehead was lightly pressed against the wood and spoke in a language he had known from birth, the language of shadows. The words slipped and feel like the darkest night from his tongue and just as silently. As he spoke, he pulled the shadows from his soul into the world and showed the shadows of the world how he wanted them to be. As the final syllable fell from his lips, there was a slightly visible tremor from every shadow that touched his property. For a moment, a dark sigil flashed on the door. It was a shield of blackest night, crowned with a black sun rising, and a sword and hammer crossed over it. Just as quickly as it appeared, it sank back into non existence into the wooden door.

Alistair smiled as he left his front door and breathed a small sigh when he leaped onto Shadows back and patted his muscled shoulder.

"Yes, it would probably be best if you led since i have no idea where we are going!"

[Ycharley]

Lumina nodded and gently nudged Midnight into a soft canter. She found a sort of piece in the rhythmic pounding of the hooves, the sharp cold sting of the cool air against her face. She basked in the silence, her body relaxed in the rhythmic motion of her horses canter. Lumina only slowed down once she got into the thicker brush, letting her horse choose its footing more wisely.

[Benobi]

Alistair let Lumina and Midnight get a bit ahead then gently tapped Shadows shoulder and felt the horse leap into the journey. As Shadow stretched his legs again and acted like a young colt first seeing the world, Alistair centered himself in his heart and opened his mind to the shadows around them. He was officially on a contract now, and he tried to never let himself be caught by surprise. In his experience, anything that could go wrong, usually did.

[Ycharley]

Lumina held herself anderiously close to the edge of her power, she use to always say go big or go home. She could feel Alistair and the shadows, which put her even more on edge, what if he was planning on double crossing her. Lumina was sure her ex-lover couldn't pay as much as she could . But he had proven himself a master of deception. Lumina looked back e en though she could sense them, a new fear growing inside her.

[Benobi]

Alistair sat tried his horse, entertaining myself by playing witht e shadows. Making them into different shapes, using them to cut things, or push things over. It was how he kept fit and comfortable in his own skin. When he was younger, Alistair had tried to deny his unique abilities and the shadows had almost literally ripped him apart in outrage. He had learned from tht point on, denying the shadows was like denying himself air.

When Alistair finally remembered himself, where he was and what he was doing, was when he noticed Lumina looking back at him occasionally.

"Feel free to stop whenever oh need to. Or we can travel through the night. Yu are in charge until we reach the edge of the property we are heading to, at that point i must respectfully take over."

[Ycharley]

"Well there is several things a need to know. First off, do you want to attack during the day or night. Second, how much sleep do you want?" Lumina said over her shoulder, watching him  closer. The more time she had to think about it the worse the paranoia grew. Plus add in the fact that she was craving a stiff drink didn't help the fact much either.

Soon she decided to stop, so at least they could plan a little, discuss how things were going to happen. She figured he would use his abilities to find out more about the lay out of the house then she could provide him. The more she thought about his gift the more she felt uneasy. She didn't know if it was because how it clashed with her own abilities or if it was just the thought of his gift.

[Benobi]

She seemed tense for some reason but Alistair couldn't figure out why. She hadn't been this way when they first met and he thought that after a day together shed be used to him. But she kept glancing back at him nervously, her pulse was quicker, all unusual. However, Alistair decided to shrug it off. H was used to getting weird reactions from people.

"Day or night makes no difference to me. I will determine when I see the property and decide each approach will be best. Sleep is always a good thing but I can understand how you want your item back. Thus, I require only 4 hours of sleep and can take it at any time. Have you found a spot you wish to stop for the day at then?"

[Ycharley]

"You indecisiveness is refreshing," Lumina said sarcastically. Really his aversion to answering questions were getting on her nerves. She quickly found a spot, deciding that it would do. Lumina jumped off Midnight's back and started unsaddling her. She was very quick and efficient at her task, her hands seeming to work on autopilot.

For a while Lumina was silent, even to the point of ignoring Alistair. She started to brush down Midnight, paying careful attention to detail, making Midnight's coat shine. She wasn't talking to him to be mean, but because she simply didn't know what to say. She was rarely around people, and when she was she was drunk, which made it easier for her.

[Benobi]

Alistair heard the sharp ring of sarcasm in his voice and smiled. He appreciated someone with a sharp wit and an even sharper tongue. Most times, those were the deadliest weapons a person could hold. He sat on Shadow for a bit, the stallion a little miffed at being told to stop, and surveyed the spot Lumina had chosen for a camp. He mentally marked access and escape points, places that would offer a good vantage point for watch, and finally a good place for Shadow and himself to bed down.

Alistair dismounted and led Shadow over to the spot. He pulled the saddle of the horses back and dropped it with the saddle bags on the ground. Alistair pulled a brush out and enjoying the silence of the spot, put some real effort into brushing his horse out. He checked his legs and tendons for swelling and his hooves for any rocks or any other problems. Having finished, he patted the horses shoulder as a silent command to explore as he wanted but not tot wander too far.

"So, do you want to make dinner or do you trust me with the task, mi'lady?"