The town bustled around Kiera, each civilian going about their daily tasks. It was the peak hours of the day and business was booming in the market district. Vendors shouted at passersby about their wares and deals, the dull roar of a crowd of conversation filled the air with white noise, and the angry shouts of heated haggling cut through the commotion. Yet all of this was easily ignored by the elf. A benefit of her impaired social skills was a lack of interest in others. It made it easy for her to drown out the bullshit and focus on the task at hand.
And today's task was one of these merchants.
Known for illegally dealing in various drugs, he had garnered quite a reputation for himself in the criminal world. He was no mastermind but he knew how to keep out of the eye of the public, most civilians knowing him as little more than the humble albeit pushy merchant. Unfortunately for him, he had made an enemy with a rather emotional individual. A mother of one of his customers, to be exact. The boy had recently over-dosed after a repeated life of crime and drugs. Looking for any source of release in her grief, the mother had hired an assassin to take the life of the merchant as penance. While Kiera didn't entirely agree with her plight as the blame couldn't be shifted to the merchant, money was money and it did her good to put a woman to ease.
Her eyes remained focused on her prey like a hawk, watching from a considerable and safe distance. The merchant waded through the crowd, shopping for himself for his stall was not located here. With his bags filled, he saddled them to his horse and hopped atop the beast, heading off for home. Keeping back, Kiera took to on foot, sticking to the trees. She kept pace with the horse with ease, though the animal could probably best her in a lengthy sprint.
As he stopped outside his cottage, the rogue descended from her perch, taking on the form of a crimson fox. As an animal, she casually trotted into the vicinity of his home sniffing the ground in search for food. Her head snapped up and her ears perked at the sight of the merchant, playing the part of a timid creature. The fox backed up, the merchant eyeing it briefly before returning his attention to the keys in his hand.