A Minute to Midnight

[Lion]

Every city had its darker side, where the smoke of pipes and whispers of deals went on in the privacy of taverns and back alleys went on as clandestinely as possible.  This was an interesting city, and there was so much to explore if you knew just the right way to do it.  Just as there were two sides to every city, like that of a well-traveled coin.  But sometimes, there were those that were capable of seeing to it that the coin stood on its side.

Voices knee deep in bourbon and thick with wine were broiling loudly through the tavern doors.  There was the abrupt sound of glass smashing and more yells.  Some were violent, most were roiling over with laughter and curse words.  It was too easy all of it.  Obviously there were some hard drinkers in here, and it wasn't as quiet an establishment by night as it had been by day.  There were some shrill shrieks within and a rock shattered the window of the bar.  The shrieks turned into women's laughter.  This time of night, he imagined the revelry was only just beginning.  And made for a perfect moment to strike.

He'd cased the place for at least three weeks, observing and learning who the regulars were and where they roomed, what they drank and what they did while they were here.  The two black-haired men that walked out now always arrived at three and left at a quarter to eleven.  The woman with the white scarf always ordered the cherry brandy and roomed at the top, farthest room on the left.  And an older man with a patch on his eye and a pipe in his mouth always entered at around seven thirty in the evening and didn't leave until deep into the morning.

Dram leaned his head to the side and furrowed his brow.  He ruffled back the erect hair of the red stripe on his head and threw back the braid that had been resting on his shoulder.  Now was not the time for distractions.  The target room was just ahead of him and quick run and somersault would have him on the roof of the tavern in no time.  With his kopis sheathed on his back,  Dram took a few steps back from the roof he was currently on before running full force over the ledge and spreading out his limbs and twisting his body in a somersault before landing abruptly on the roof.  His steps were light and his form was quick as he landed in a crouch, holding the ledge just so that he wouldn't slip off.

He grunted softly as he rolled off the roof, with one hand clutching it while his feet propped themselves on the side of the building.  With his free hand, he pulled out a series of picks from his belt, all looped together with a thin string and shoved one in the crevice between the double windows.  He jimmied the pick a bit before sliding it upward and unfashioning the lock.  It was never difficult into breaking into buildings like these for people hardly cared to replace these old rusty locks.

The pick was promptly put away into his utility belt and the window was swung open.  Dram pulled himself just above it before letting his feet hang.  He swung himself gently at first until he had enough momentum to land into the room unhindered.  The curtains parted for him and he landed without so much as a creak in the floor.  Yes, this was the room with the jeweled necklace that he sought.  It was a rubied beauty that couldn't be missed, large and set with diamonds decreasing in size as they went down toward the clasp in the middle.  The rich man to whom it belonged would not miss it for sure.

It was rare to see a moment of enjoyment on his face just as he approached his goal.  With the window open, the jewels glistened in the moonlight.  He approached the corner they were in, on the wooden neck model on the nightstand.  Just as he approached it, with his hand outstretched, a voice gave him pause.  "Well, well, well, what do we have here?" they said.  Dram's brows furrowed and he grunted in annoyance.  Wonderful, just wonderful!

[Anonymous]

When the window opened, Love froze before melting back into shadows. She had been coming for a necklace, an utterly stunning one that would go just smashing with her hair and a few other tidbits to sell off and keep Nell from whining at her about needing new boots.

It had been...sadly easy to sneak into the building actually. Really, these nobles were so cocky with their valuables. A few guards, a sad amount of locks and they just though everything was safe. Please.

Though, she hadn't been expecting someone else to come after the prize. Her green eyes followed the man's movements, lips curled into an amused smile. As he reached for the necklace, she stepped out of the darkness, leaning against a support pillar, hip cocked, "Well, well, well, what do we have here?"

[Rhindeer]

Sachi had had her eyes on that necklace for weeks, at least.

She had spent the better part of that time scoping out the home it was located in, observing the comings and goings of its inhabitants to try and figure out what their schedule was (if there was any) and what kind of security they had. She had traveled about the perimeter, looking for weak spots and blind spots and good entry points. Finally, when she felt confident enough, she had set a date and off she went.

If she did this thing, the prize would feed her for months! Maybe even longer. Honestly, she couldn't even wrap her head around its worth, for there were only so many zeros that she understood.

Creeping through the large home, Sachi had rummaged through several different rooms with no luck, which left only one. That had to be where it was! Had to be, unless the master happened to take it with him when he left or something crazy like that, in which case she might scream. Those locks had been rather difficult to pick! She'd spent at least five hours on one and--

She froze in the doorway, tail stiffening in shock. There was a woman already there--one she hadn't recognized when she was scouting the place!--and a man hovering in front of...were those the jewels? Gods be damned! Had everyone picked this night to throw some sort of bandit party she wasn't privy to?! Those bastards!

No matter! She would not be so easily swayed from her goal! It was all or nothing!

"Hey, guys!" she said, voice a hushed whisper but loud enough to carry. Putting on a bright smile, she strode confidently into the room, tail swaying as she headed toward the jewels. "How's it going? Party at the noble's, huh? Fantastic, great to see y'all, glad ya could make it! Now, if you don't mind, I'll just, ah...go ahead and get those outta your hair, 'kay? Can't stay long, early morning, y'know how that goes."

[Lion]

The annoyance soon passed into frustration and he remained perfectly still.  He didn't know if the voice that had caught him was a fellow patron or someone else entirely.  He didn't care and furthermore it certainly didn't matter.  All that needed his full attention was grabbing the jewels and getting the hell out of there with his life intact and losing these goons that thought it was a good idea to interrupt him.  Dram still had his back to them before he quickly snatched the jewels from the stand it was so ostentatiously displayed on, while his other hand had been digging into one of the pockets of his belt.

In an instant, he whirled about and unleashed a handful of throwing darts from his hand that flew out at the two intruders that dared step in on him.  He'd worked the joint longer than any of them to be sure!  He deserved it more.   That ought to have them running home to mama, nursing their wounds.  He grinned for a second and didn't stick around long enough to see if any of his darts actually hit them.  Immediately he headed for the window and lunged out of it, the jewels in hand.

There was a good chance he would break his neck if he allowed himself to become a concrete sandwich.  Fortunately  he twisted to the balcony of a nearby building and made a rough landing that knocked him momentarily off his feet.  In that, he'd lost a very precious second of escape time, but it didn't matter as long as those two stayed off his back.  He started to scale the windowsills and headed for the roof.  Once he made it, psh, he'd be homefree!

[Anonymous]

When the girl arrived, Love turned her attention from Dram to the silver haired girl that entered. Opening her mouth, she was going to reply when suddenly the man let loose darts at her. Cursing, Love jumped back, eyes narrowing and hissing with surprise and rage.

Luckily the dark just grazed her arm, drawing blood, but nothing serious. "That bastard!" Apparently there was no honor among thieves! He was not about to steal her necklace! Or get away with throwing things at her!

Ignoring the other girl, Love took off after Dram, eyes glowing for a moment as the magic ran through her. Leaping out the window, huge leathery dragon wings appeared on her back, catching enough air to glide her past Dram, landing to block his path and whirling to face him.

"Not so fast! I worked my ass off for that necklace!"

[Rhindeer]

Okay, thaaat was unexpected.

With a yelp, Sachi jumped back and threw up her arms to protect her face, wincing as she felt several of them graze her, tearing skin and clothes. Thankfully, none of them sank home, though a couple got snagged in the cloth of her shirt. With a muttered curse, she yanked them free, tossed them away, and bolted after the two of them. Dammit! Her necklace!

"Hey! Stop! You...you thieves, that's mine!"

They would not be getting away so easily! She'd had her eye on that forever and she wasn't about to be outdone by two half-rate scoundrels!

Racing to the window, she climbed out onto the ledge and jumped.

There wasn't enough time to be really graceful about it. Another time, and she would have had time to strip before she shifted. Now, she shifted in mid-fall, clothes ripping as her body grew and changed, fur and feathers and talons and claws replacing her softer human form. She snapped open her wings, caught the air, and propelled herself forward, a silver gryphon now. Subtlety no longer mattered. He would not be getting away!

With several powerful wing-beats, she sailed over her target and landed heavily on the roof, whirling around to face him and letting out a low hiss, beak clacking. "Stop!"

[Lion]

The darts seemed to have done their job, distracting them or wounding them for at least a fraction of a second and that was enough time for him to scale to the roof, the jewels promptly placed over his arm like a rope and he pulled his kopis from back.  However one of the goons landed in his path and he snarled viciously at her.  When where these fools going to learn?  If they pressed it further, no doubt they were going to be taught a lesson they wouldn't soon forget.

Dram grimaced at these two magical thieves.  Typical, he thought, having to cheat just to earn a living.  And this coming from a two-bit crook himself.  But he was a professional and would do all he could to escape.  He would make it up to the roof, even if it meant one of these two had to lose a head.  Dram sank back on the pipe he'd been climbing, charging the muscles in his legs and pounced up high into the air like a frog making a leap for it.

He twisted in the air, turning so that he faced them by the time he landed, this time prepared to make sure he was still on his feet.  He clutched the sword in hand, ready to strike if they came at them.  His voice was rough and raspy as if from lack of use and he glared at them a hellish glare.  "You two ought to run home to your mothers," he said.  "Finders keepers, I'm afraid.  You know the rules."

[Anonymous]

"Try it and I'll shove that little dagger so far up your ass you'll be able to taste it." Love was not impressed with this guy. Hand on her hip, she narrowed her green eyes, cocky and far more confident than she should be.

"Let's not fight. That bauble is worth plenty. Some bad luck means we all went for it at the same time, but fighting just ends with people dead and/or bleeding. How about we split the shares, by some drinks and laugh about it all."

[Rhindeer]

"Mother's dead," Sachi hissed, and snapped her wings out to the full span, fanning them out to make herself look larger and more ominous than she was. And she was already rather large, the size of a lioness and built like one, too. "'Fraid I don't know the rules, either."

The woman spoke then, though, and she tilted her head to glance at her out of one silver eye. Sachi was fine with splitting the spoils; she'd been part of a gang of thieves in the past and that came with the territory. But these people weren't part of any gang she was part of and she didn't know them and, thus, couldn't trust them. Even assuming the man agreed to something crazy like that, she couldn't trust that they wouldn't go back on their word later.

But they'd also come to an impasse and that wasn't going to change anytime soon at this rate.

She flicked a glance toward the armed man, but didn't relax her stance. "Um...sure! I will if he will!"

[Lion]

Dram could help it.  He laughed at her suggestion and attempt at an insult.  Words...the armor of weaken, fragile souls, he was certain.  And as useless as they always were.  The other, well, she was just as bad as the horned one.  Or at least he would assume as much until proven otherwise.

"Split it?  With you two?  If it hadn't been for your magic tricks, you probably wouldn't even be competent thieves at all."  Dram wasn't afraid of them, but perhaps he should have been.  He didn't like to be threatened, even if he found humor in it all.  And splitting the spoils was not his idea of a good plan.  The jewels were his.  Plain and simple.

"I don't expect a bunch of rookies like you to get the message on the first go around, so let me say it again, meat bags: Go home, you're lives aren't worth the trouble for something like this," Dram was adamant and his tone was dangerous.   His free hand was already loaded with a small, minor explosive that could be useful in shaking them off his tail.  As long as the path behind him was clear, he quickly threw the clay marble-sized ball that exploded in a cloud of dust and fire, either burning them or blinding them, at their feet.  And he made a run for it once again, ready to leap for the next rooftop.

[Anonymous]

Love didn't have a chance to reply before the little ball exploded and she hissed in pain, her arm coming up to shield her eyes. She had been used to the dark, so the sudden light was blinding. That little shit! How dare he do that! She was trying to be nice!

Shaking her head, she tried to clear her vision, searching for where the thief had gone.

[Rhindeer]

Sachi opened her beak to respond, but it was too late. Light and dust exploded in front of her, blinding her, and she screeched in alarm and pain and ducked her head away, rubbing her eyes against her foreleg to try and clear her vision. Dammit! And he accused them of magic tricks! This was no magic! This was what she was supposed to look like. His little fireballs and stuff, that was the magic, the little hypocrite!

"That hurt, ya bastard!" she called and, before her vision had recovered, she leaped into the air and snapped her wings open, circling upward and hoping the clean wind would help clear her fur and feathers and eyes of the dust. She squinted, eyes watering and burning; it was hard to make out much of anything beyond shapes and motion and sound, but she was a hunter and that, in the end, was enough to go on.

A shape on the rooftops caught her notice. It was blurry, but she didn't care. Whirling, and dove down at it, claws extended, ready to pounce and tackle down the figure.

[Lion]

Dram glanced back at them and grinned as they tried to recover from the blast.  He didn't want to kill them if he didn't have to.  He was a thief after all and not a murderer.  But if they continued to get in his way, he knew he would have to take the fight to them.  For now, the way was clear and they were occupied trying to clear their vision or nursing their wounds.  The wimps!

Dram landed on the rooftop in a roll and used the momentum to get him back on his feet once more.  As long as he stayed on his feet, they couldn't catch him.  They wouldn't catch him!  But there was a sudden change in the air and his ears twitched back at the sound of flapping wings.  That goddamned bird thing!

It was now that he'd wished Bane was here.  The giant eagle would swoop down and have her for breakfast!  But alas that stupid bastard as out having other fish to fry.  If he got out of this alive, he'd strangle that useless, no good, two-bit, bird-brained son-of-a-bitch with his bare hands for not being there when he was needed him!

He didn't have time to contemplate the matter further before she swooped down and threw him in a roll.  He tumbled down on the rooftop and dropped the jewels from his arm, sending them sailing several feet away down the clay tiles.  His head hurt from the impact, but he saw them glinting in the moonlight and ignored the pounding headache as he tried to climb to his feet again.

[Anonymous]

Dram didn't have a chance to grab the necklace. By then, Love's eyes were clear and she was pissed. Leaping across the rooftop, wings spread to catch the wind, Love took the opportunity the gryphon girl gave her to snatch up the gems.

If they didn't want to play nice, that was fine by her. She can take it all for herself. No sweat off her back. Blowing a kiss at the two, Love kicked off and took off away from the pair, hoping they would stay tangled together enough that she could get away.

[Rhindeer]

Got 'im!

Sachi felt a thrill of triumph as her blow connected and sent him tumbling, and she pulled up out of her dive and climbed again. She was preparing to dive again, vision still clouded and unaware that he no longer had the jewels, when she saw the other woman swoop down, pick something up, and kick off the roof.

And with how quickly she was high-tailing it away from them, that could only mean...

No way, really?

"Hey! Wait!" she screeched, whirling and taking off after the winged woman. "I said I'd share! Come back!"

[Lion]

Dram shook his head to scare away the dizziness away and snarled menacingly as he watched the other thief take off with HIS prize!  May whatever bastard gods existed drag them all into the abyss!  From one damned soul to another, he guessed.  Dram scrambled to his feet and hated that she was taking off so fast.

The bird-one, whatever the hell she was, she was gonna get away too. Not on his time!  Dram crouched low, charging the muscles in his legs until he was promptly launched high enough into the air and made a grab for one of Sachi's limbs.  Why run when he could hitch a ride?

[Rhindeer]

So close! A little farther and she'd be able to drop down and make a grab for the girl. Stretching her front legs out, Sachi flexed her talons in preparation--

And then gave a surprised squawk when she felt a hand close around her ankle.

She struggled in the air, wings beating hard and straining to keep altitude, but the extra weight was more than she could carry. With another yelp, she dropped down, flailing. "Ack! Let go, oaf! You're too heavy! Leggo!"

Too late. Her wings gave out and she fell, lashing out wildly to try and grab at something, anything to slow the fall, like a building or a roof, or--

A person?

Her talons snagged in something that felt suspiciously like cloth and it was then that she realized it was the other woman. Curling her claws, she held on tightly. If she was going down, so were the other two!

[Anonymous]

Love was sure she was about to get away clean when all of a sudden she felt a sharp pain on her back. With a startled yell, she felt her shirt catch against her, claws ripping through her back and the skirt.

Her wings beat frantically, but two extra people were far, far too much weight for her. With a shriek, Love went down in a tumble with the rest, the necklace falling from her grasp.

[Lion]

He knew he was heavy, but he was only hoping that the gryphon would be strong enough to carry him.  Well, she wasn't a giant eagle that's for sure!  And her wings struggled against the newfound luggage she tried to carry, Dram readjusted his grip on her leg and put his sword back in his sheath.  He was going down with her and soon she invited the other thief to go along.  Already this was a bad party, he could see it coming a mile away.

But his eyes were on the jewels all along as they went down, down.  Circling to their deaths to be sure!  But soon all three of them crashed down through a glass roof.  Dram cursed erratically as gravity claimed them back to the ground and he let go as he crashed to the ground, his head pounding and his skin cut from leaning on the ground.  How he survived, he didn't know.  As he gazed up around him, he saw a rather large and unappealing group of people dressed up in city guard regalia...  This couldn't be good at all.

[Anonymous]

Love landed hard, glass cutting into her skin. The wings quickly vanished, pulled back into her body, the faint blue lines on her body glowing briefly as the magic flared. Hissing, she pushed herself up, her palms getting sliced up the glass, but there was too much to avoid it. None of her cuts were serious, just numerous and small trickles of blood ran down her pale skin.

"Well...shit."