Mage in the open (OPEN TO ALL ESPECALLY MORDECAI)

[Anonymous]

Caldia was as cheerful as she could be. Her latest trip into Reajh had been a success. She had managed to obtain clothes, food and medicine for herself and her mother plus enough spare so she wouldn't have to venture out again. Not that she hated going out into Reajh. On the contrary, she loved the thrill it gave her, the feeling she might get caught or feel the headache that forebode the coming of a Mordecai. However these frequent visits into the depths of Reajh provided nothing but worry for Caldia's mother. She always worried (rightly so) that Caldia might be careless and get herself killed. Caldia hated doing this to her mother and so had made the decision that she would try and stay in the catacombs for as long as possible to avoid worrying her mother.

Her sack was slung over her shoulder and she was beginning to feel the weight of it on her back. Despite this, she still wore a gleeful smile on her face as she staggered back to her home. She was whistling a cheerful tune and even waved at the people waved at the people who passed her by.

She couldn't think of anyway this could go wrong.

[Anonymous]

"Mother, I'm going out for a bit!"
"Alright, be back by dinner, and bring back some groceries while you're at it! We're having stew!"

The little bells attached to the shop door jingled as they closed behind Alex. Back by dinner? She scoffed as she looked both ways, then slipped into the human traffic passing by. Why, you'd think she was still a child, being talked to like that!

"Stupid parents... tempting me with my favorite food..." She didn't have any intent to get back to the bakery anytime soon. She was bored with that place, and there was adventure to be found in the streets! Or, at least she hoped there was. Not much happened when you were the daughter of bakers, who wanted nothing more than for you to settle down in with a nice husband and have kids. That kind of sedentary lifestyle didn't appeal to her... but gods be damned before she joined the military, just so she could be yelled at and humiliated!

Musing to herself, her ponytail braid swishing side to side, she didn't even realize that she was walking towards Caldia...

[OOC: Hope I'm doing this right |<]

[Anonymous]

(OOC Don't worry you're doing great, not that I can talk since this is my first plot)

Caldia suddenly went cold. In her head, a large ache had started to form. This was a warning she had learned all her life to fear. It was her reaction to having her magic blocked. This could only mean one thing. A Mordecai was near!!
   
She knew from the many raids of the catacombs that the Mordecai were powerful and ruthless killers. She expected that this one was probably a trained soldier, hunting the city for rouge mages. LIKE HER!!

She forced herself to remain calm and keep a cheerful expression. She managed to keep a forced whistle and tried to be as normal as possible. If the Mordecai saw that she was acting differently, they might realize she was a mage. If they didn't realize she was a mage, she might still be able to get away.

She was too lost in thought that she managed to crash straight into a small olive skinned girl, scattering her stuff everywhere.

"I'm so sorry, are you alr-?"

She froze. She realized that her head was pounding more strongly than usual. This meant that this girl was the source of the anti-magic field. SHE WAS THE MORDECAI!! She decided that the best bet was to stay cool. Maybe she could get away without arousing suspicion. She put her hands on her daggers (bad day to forget her sword) incase she needed to fight her way out. After all, this small skinny looking girl looked like no match for her. Even so she hoped it wouldn't come to that though and prepared herself to blend in.

[Anonymous]

"Achoo!"

Alex paused a moment to wipe her nose on her sleeve after the sneeze, muttering about allergies or something. Distracted by this, she had no time to react as Caldia came crashing into her, sending her sprawling across the ground!

"HEY, what's your rush anyway?" She growled, patting her pockets down in case she'd had anything stolen. ...no, everything was in place. She looked at the mage in hiding with a frown.

"What's up with you? You look like you just saw a ghost." She put a hand on her hip, looking... well, not very intimidating at all. This couldn't be a 'powerful and ruthless killer'. Right?

[Anonymous]

"OH sorry about that."

Caldia relaxed the grip on her daggers and began to gather up her stuff. This couldn't be a Mordecai. After all EVERYBODY knew Mordecai were ruthless soldiers and this was just some scrawny teenage girl. Still it's better safe than sorry and she ought to get out of here. But this girl seemed nice and she hadn't had a decent chat with someone in a while. Plus if she managed to distract her long enough she might be able to steal some money from her. This girl didn't look rich but even the smallest amount of money could buy food for her mother.

She managed to fill her sack up with the various items before turning to the girl and showing her the sweetest, most charming smile a person could muster when they have had a bad shock

"I'm Caldia. Sorry but sometimes I can get lost in the clouds and forget to look out for people. I hope I didn't hurt you or anything."

[Anonymous]

"Alex." The girl patted herself down, making sure everything was there. "And it looks like I've still got everything, so it's all good. I should probably have been watching myself."

Putting her hands in her pocket, she looked Caldia over. She was smiling, yes, but just moments ago she had been staring like she'd just seen a... mage. The thought sickened her.

"Shopping, I suppose?" Her eyes fell to the bag of things.

[Anonymous]

Caldia quickly began to think of reasons for the huge amount of stuff. She couldn't say she bought it, she was too ragged looking to look like she owned much money (which in fairness was true). She doubted that telling her that it was stolen would endear her much to Alex. Think, think, THINK.

"I er am delivering this for um the shop i work for. Yeah, i deliver various goods to rich people who can't be bothered leaving the house."

That was a poor lie. She almost cringed when she said it. There was no way Alex would believe that one. After all, she was hardly dressed for a job delivering for nobles. Infact she was barely dressed just to shop and walk around town, let alone work.
Suddenly Caldia noticed a small flash of disdain come across Alex's face, as if she had thought of something truly horrible. It was probably nothing. She might have even made it up as it only appeared for a brief moment.

[Anonymous]

Alex listened, nodding slightly as Caldia wove her tale. To the young woman it was quickly apparent it was a lie, that she'd been stealing. The tattered clothing and quick words were enough to make it obvious.

The corners of her mouth quirked upwards, in a small smile. "Oh, really?" Her very tone was disbelieving... but on the other hand, it seemed like she was playing along with it. And why not, Alex was guilty of snatching a few things herself.

Besides, she was feeling charitable to the less fortunate today, and there was something odd feeling about this girl. She seemed nice enough, though.

"Well, I'm sure the upper crust can wait a bit for their stuff..." She sneezed into her elbow, and grimaced a bit. "You look a bit hungry. I'm sure my parents won't mind me grabbing some day-olds for you."

[Anonymous]

Wow, did she actually believe that crap i told her about the the nobles, thought Caldia. Just call me master of lies

The mention of food made her mouth water. Although she had already stolen some food, there was always room for more and nothing she had compared to bakers bread, even day olds. Plus she could steal some of the fresh stuff while Alex's back was turned. Also the mind-numbing headache of the Mordicai was atarting to annoy her and maybe this bakery would put her out of it's range.

"Well, I'm sure that i could spare some time for some free food. How far away is this bakery then?"

(OOC: Sorry for the wait, i was on hoiday. and sorry for my short post, my muse is slightly off)

[Anonymous]

Alex nodded. "Just a few ticks in the direction I was walking in. My parents will probably be busy up front so they won't notice if I nick some rolls or loaves."

She turned around and beckoned for Caldia to follow, before starting off at a leisurely pace, her braid swinging behind her as she walked... and conveniently making it very difficult to attempt to pick the girl's pockets.

[OOC: It's okay, welcome back. :>]

[Anonymous]

Caldia followed close behind Alex. However, no matter how close she got to Alex, she found it impossible to slip her hand into her pockets and steal some money. Alex always had either a hand pressed to her pocket or she was staring in Caldia' direction. It was almost as if Alex had anticipated that Caldia might try and pick her pockets.
But despite this, Caldia was still in a great mood. Great steal, escape a near capture by a Mordicai and make a friend who happened to own a bakery (and seemed to share her kleptomaniacal tendencies) and was willing to give her free food. Her face was spread out in a huge grin and her actions reflected those of someone who was on top of the world.

Eventually the warm smell of freshly baked bread drifted into Caldia's nostrils. It was so overwhelming that she almost drooled at the mouth.

"Is that your bakery I can smell? It smells delicious. I've never smelt anything so good. It must be great to live here."

[Anonymous]

[OOC: asdfjlasdjfala. sorry for vanishing like that... I got so wrapped up in other things I forgot about the forum :<]

Alex smirked. "Yeah, that's the place! My parents are excellent bakers, loads of people come to buy stuff from them so we have enough money to get by." She began picking through the crowd, towards the building, waving to the occasional regular.

"We even get commissions from important people sometimes... and plenty of soldiers when they've got some time off." She winked at Caldia; was that a threat?

[Anonymous]

(OOC Don't worry about it. I'm just glad that I can continue with Caldia.)

Soldiers!! That might complicate things. If one of them discovered who she was then it would be off to the nearest dungeon for her and a quick execution...or not if the guards were in a foul enough mood. The worst thing about all this was that her headaches were still there, making it impossible to sense if there was a Mordicai in the bakery. Still that wasn't going to stop her. Freshly baked bread was too much of a luxury to give up so easily.

"Well that must make you a pretty important and well off bakery. I might come here with my family when we get some money."

That was a lie. Her mother was too ill to leave her bed in the catacombs at the moment and, even if she were well, she wouldn't dare enter the city. She was too well known and would be killed on the spot.

"Anyway, shall we go in?"

[Anonymous]

Alex nodded, opening the door. Some small bells on the door jingled as she did so, and she held it open for Caldia to enter as well. "Come on in!"

The bakery was rather small, but there were people in there, and it was impossible to escape the fact that... well, that it was a place where bread was baked. Behind the glass counter were various kinds of pastries and loaves.

Alex waved to some of the people, who were regulars, and apparently spotted a parent beyond the crowd. "I'm just coming in for a snack, mother, and then I'll be off again!"

[Anonymous]

(OOC sorry for the late reply. i realised that i had a two week holiday with my parents and didn't have time to post a warning to people.)

Caldia quickly followed Alex through the open door and eyed up the shop for any easy pickings. However at first glance, Caldia knew that this would be a VERY bad place to rob. The small atmosphere, the glass counters and the amount of people meant that the food could only be stolen by force or extreme stealth. And stealth would be impossible because every eye was on this scruffy little urchin making sure she didn't steal anything. Drat. Well maybe she could distract them.

"Hey Alex, arre there any soldiers here at the moment?"

It would be a extremely bad idea to attempt anything if there were soldiers around.

[Anonymous]

"Don't know. I don't exactly recognize them on sight. You can normally tell because they're yammering on about their jobs. Be back in a bit." She made her way to the counter, opening a small door and paused by her mom, who was taking money from someone who had just bought a loaf. She whispered something to her, gesturing towards Caldia, and then disappeared through a curtain.

It was a chance for Caldia to snoop around without a tourguide. Although Alex's mother seems to be glancing at her a bit more often than before...

[Anonymous]

Yes, this was her opening. Without Alex constantly watching over her shoulder, Caldia could cause enough of a distraction to steal something more than yesterday's stale old rolls. Slowly shifting towards the door, Caldia slipped a couple of small rocks out of her pocket. Making sure no one was watching her, she threw the stone in the direction of one of the members of the crowd outside. The result was total chaos. The man retaliated by punching the nearest person. The resulting fistfight was so large that all the members of the surrounding public rushed up to see what was going on only to be dragged into the brunt of the fight.
This all had the desired effect of making everyone in the shop go out and watch and join in the fight. Usually Caldia would have loved to join in too, but she had better things to do.
Dashing behind the counter, Caldia began to snatch as many loaves of bread as she could and stuffed them into the sack. Hopefully Alex would be a long time behind that curtain or better still would have joined in the fight. Either would allow her to escape with her stolen goods.
Grabbing her sack tightly to herself, Caldia ran out of the building. It was a pity that she couldn't have made friends with that Alex girl. She seemed nice but Caldia needed the food and didn't want to wait for stale loaves. Quickly dashing through the streets, Caldia ran towards the home she knew since she was a child and the sick mother who waited there. She ran to the Catacombs.