Hunting Delilah

[VampiricTouch]

"Delilah struck again..." whispered the people across the cleanly paved streets. They didn't need to hear Master Forbes lament his loss, Delilah's signature blade that pinned a parchment to his door was enough to send the rumors flying.

"Who's next?" Murmured the crowd gathered at the man's door. "Can someone read it...?"

"Hayden." A lad said absently as he pulled the dagger loose. "In a fortnight."

The clamoring commoners were ignored as he fingered the design of the hilt - that of a woman embracing the blade. Delilah was notorious, arrogantly so in the way she left the elegant script that announced the next victim they'd steal from. Yet after so long, she'd yet to be captured... much less seen. The guards were fortunate to have seen even a shadow of this phantom thief!

Being hopeful, he made his way to the Hayden house. The miser might even toss him a few pieces of copper for bringing in the notice and blade.... his family surely needed the money.

The old man took one look at the scripted words signed with flourish, paled and slammed the door shut. The terrified curses at the phantom thief slowly subsided to brooding before the lad turned and trudged back to the forge to work again.

It was that night when he returned home that he found the small pouch of silver nobles beside his mother's sick bed. His hands shook as he counted the silver that was placed in his hand. It contained just enough to cover living expenses, buy the badly needed medicine for his mother and most of all pay off the heavy taxes still hanging over their heads. The letter D he found scrawled across the bottom of the bag spoke volumes of just who his benefactress was....

~~~~****~~~~​

The grappling hook swayed. It's shadow darting to and fro before it was sent hurtling up to the rafters of the house. The cloak parted to reveal a lithe female form as she swung down from a nearby roof to land quietly beside the window sill. Peering in from her perch, she found the Hayden family children sleeping in their beds. The knife wedged between the window slowly pried it open. It was child's play after that.

She waited on the roof beam above the stairwell for her cue, watching from her dark corner the frantic pacing of Master Hayden. The ruckus that flared outside made her smile as it drew the attention of both Master and the guards to the window. It gave her enough time to slip down the stairs into the basement. The two darts from her blowpipe silenced the guards at the door and with her picks, she made short work of the lock.

She was out of the basement in a thrice just as a guard returned to check on those below. Another dart sent him to sleep as she rushed up the stairs. By the time the other guards heard the window crash, she was already on the roof, and was swinging out to a nearby house... blending into the shadows before vanishing into the crowd of spectators that chose to gawk at another's misfortune... The guards rushed to the broken window and found the same dagger pinning another scrap of parchment to the wall signed in the ladylike script that was only Delilah.

She watched the commotion for a few more minutes before turning to leave. The safe house she stepped into was more a tool shed than it was a house, but it was enough for her to hide out till morning.

"So, what'd you bring back this time Tanya?" The lilting voice almost made Tanya jump, almost.

"A few trinkets here and there, I thought that one would suit you, but I'm keeping the ring." Quickly recovering, she tossed a necklace at the silhouette before settling down to lift her hand into the sliver of moonlight that fell through the roof cracks. The light caught on the silver gleam that adorned her finger, making the cut sapphires that much more enticing in it's presentation on her hand.

"Turns out old man Hayden was really a loan shark. His book keeping is pristine... Lord knows how many families have lost everything at his hands cause I know I stopped counting. We'll start distributing the bounty from his list here." Tanya tossed the booklet down, as a puff of dust rose from the impact.

"Tanya Tanya.... learn to take a break for a change..."

The words made Tanya grin as she leaned into the shadows of the shed. Soft lips met as she murmured between kisses, "Then I'll... take my.... break now."

________________________
OOC: Because of having issues with PMs and the like, this thread is closed for Marauder13, DarkEmpress and I

 

[marauder13]

The guards standing at the keep's gate frowned at the sight that was slowly presenting itself. Two men who were barely qualified as being dressed walked up the road. Well, one of them walked, the other was dragged, still struggling weakly on the end of a chain connected to his neck. As they closed, both men were dirty, their hair and beards matted and unkempt. But the man pulling the other along wore a short sword, and his eyes glinted with determination and purpose.

"Halt," the older of the two guardsman. "You'll need to clean yourself up more, peasant, before we can let you enter." The two halberds were lowered to form a cross before them. The black mass of bristling beard hair, sporting some small twigs and leaves, moved about as the man chewed on his lower lip. He raised his chin slightly, looking at both guards in turn. He reached in under his tattered shirt, and pulled out a silver pendant, letting it wave in the air slowly.

Both guardsmen frowned, but the older guardsmen recovered faster. He snapped to attention, the younger man following a moment later, not entirely sure why.

"S-Sorry, Sir Marcus. Many pardons Sir. I - I never thought that it was you, Sir!"

"That's good sergeant," Marcus' voice was a slightly gravely with a deep tone to it. "If you had, then all my hard work would have been for naught." He yanked the chain. The man on the other end found his second wind, fighting back hard, screaming and whimpering. Marcus dropped his pendant outside his clothes, which served him well. Several other guardsmen approached him, only to stop and salute. Marcus ignored them, dragging the increasingly more frantic man behind him.

The headsman looked up from his shaded place, sharpening his axe. The hugely muscular man stood gracefully, letting the haft of axe slip through his meaty hand until the head of the axe rested against his hand. He walked over to the blood stained platform when the small wooden block sat. Marcus literally dragged the man the last few feet, before removing the collar around the man's neck. Marcus slammed his fist into the man's gut, winding him. He pushed him roughly onto the block in the proper position. The headsman moved closer with a practiced movement. The axe slipped into the proper place in his hands as he commenced the swing. It ended as always with the head cleanly removed from criminal's body.

The headsman's job done, he headed back to his shaded spot, cleaning his axe, and checking the edge as a younger man approached with a small cart. He picked up the body, dumping it on the cart and taking it away. Marcus stared at the head peering into the sky before turning to walk away.

A guardsman ran up to him, scrambling to a stop before saluting. "Sir Marcus, the Sheriff wishes to see you immediately."

Marcus turned to face the man, his smile obscured by the beard. He stepped up to the nervous young man. He looked at the young man square in the face, his earthen coloured nose a fraction of an inch from the guardsman's.

"You can tell his Lordship that I will be in my rooms and he can see me there."

Marcus walked off, looking forward to a decent meal and a good drink.

 

[DarkEmpress]

A gorgeous red-haired vision dressed in a barmaid outfit appeared at the top of the street. She donned a black corset that was tightly pulled in around her waist, leaving an ample amount of her bosom to peak from the white shirt that barely contained it. Her dark red skirt fell down to her ankles and almost matched the shimmering mane of red hair that glimmered in the faint light that came from the houses. Her heels clicked on the cobblestone road as she slowly made her meandering way to the Inn at the end of the lane.

She was merrily serenading the houses she passed with a boisterous song about whiskey that was slightly off-key, eliciting a few shouts from disgruntled residents that had their sleep interrupted. She was clearly heavily inebriated as the red-haired woman swayed from side to side in her stride, stumbling over inane objects that would not have affected a fully lucid person.

There were two guards stationed outside a home that appeared quite lavish from the fixtures that adorned the perimeter of the building. Both tried to ignore the loud woman that was steadily making her way towards them. Her features came into view … and both guards found themselves intrigued.

She finally came to a standstill in front of them as she watched a dark figure leap from an adjacent building to land on a windowsill, from the corner of her eye. “You two …” she said, pointing a finger rather disjointedly at them “… do I know you?” she asked, slurring heavily as she collapsed against the one guard. His arms instinctively wrapped around her, suspending her in mid-air as she turned to look up at him, with those heavenly green eyes of hers. “So pretty …” she crooned as she let her fingers trail through his hair and across his face, dragging his lip down as her hand reached his chin.

She abruptly took a step back as if she was moving along. Her arms were flailing to maintain her balance, which sent a flowering pot perched atop a windowsill flying across the cobbled road. The ceramic pot shattered into a million pieces, clanging loudly into the night sky as the debris littered the walkway. “Now look what you have done you stupid wench,” the guard hissed through gritted teeth, as swearing erupted from the house behind them.

The owner’s clear and echoing footsteps clambered towards the door they were guarding. A moment later, Master Hayden yanked the door open and looked with an appalled expression at the scene that greeted him. “I have paid you two hapless guards to secure my home, not to fraternise with every drunken woman that might pass your way!” He screamed as his face turned bright red with fury. “Now get rid of …” he pointed a shaking finger at the red-haired barmaid “… this thing, and get back to work!”

Both guards mumbled something affirmative under their breaths as they shoved the woman across the street. “How rude!” came her complaint as she stopped short from slamming into the opposite wall. They spent a further few minutes yelling and cajoling each other from across the street, Master Hayden watching the raucous with a murderous expression. The guards were shuffling around uncomfortably as they cleaned up the mess the drunken woman had made before re-assuming their duties. They watched the red-haired wench very closely with arched brows, as did Master Hayden through a window just inside the front door.

From the corner of her eye, she could see the dark figure clamber out the same window and disappear into the night. She continued her drunken progress with boisterous serenade to the end of the street before turning a corner, the guards and Master Hayden relaxing as she disappeared from view.

“Stupid idiots,” she said with a triumphant smile as she straightened and ran down the street. She made her way to the safe house and smiled as she found Tanya huddled inside with the spoils of their evening. "So, what'd you bring back this time Tanya?" Lara’s lilting voice rang out as she stood in the doorway, the moonlight illuminating her silhouette against the night sky.

The necklace that Tanya tossed to her was exquisite, the ruby set in the heavy gold casting highlighting her features as it adorned her delicate neck. “Oh it is beautiful,” she said in a soft whispery voice. Tanya’s description of Hayden’s loan shark exploits simply confirmed what they have been guessing at for a while. She picked the booklet up and quickly leaved through it, recognising quite a few names on the list that have been hard done by the current situation … and unjustly so, it will appear.

"Tanya Tanya ... learn to take a break for a change..." Lara said in a soft husky voice as she let her eyes roam across the girl’s gorgeous form. “It is too late in the evening to do anything now, but the wrong will be righted in the morning,” she said as she stepped in through the door and pulled it closed behind her.

Tanya bestowed a sensual gaze on Lara, which made a knowing little smile tug at Lara’s lips. They stepped into each other as their lips touched, smoothing across the soft and supple skin as it slowly deepened. The two girls were locked in a passionate embrace as they celebrated yet another victory against the oppressive practices that were crippling their beloved homeland at the hands of the very people who swore to uphold it.

'Delilah' was slowly settling the score ...

 

[VampiricTouch]

Tanya meandered out from her shed with a yawn. She was grinning ear to ear from the occurrences the night before, the tucked away smile seemed more for the tryst with Lara than with her successful pillaging. She knew full well that Lara would be worn out from their fun that night... hell she was tired herself, but there was work to be done....

After picking up several necessities from her dingy room in the slums, she sauntered through the raucus morning streets with a basket of her concoctions in tow. Her dusty skirts blended her into the dirtier streets of the slums. Quietly, she made a few pointed stops by a few families as she inquired to their health. This mother here was almost due with her 3rd child, that child was caring for the lot of 5 other young ones whilst his father struggled to feed them on the meagre pickings from the wealthy.... the list went on.

Tanya was no doctor, but simple salves for wounds, cough tonics and the like were easily put together and given out as she made her rounds to the people who needed them. It was then that she tucked in the pouch of silver nobles in places each family was sure to find.

As her basket emptied of everything other than the bottom layer of herbs, she made her way to the apothecary and brought in her wares. Jarod was always true to his word about buying any herbs she'd bring in for him... of course she always wondered if that was just so that she'd visit him more often. She always was able to catch him staring when he thought she was looking away...

With the basket cleared and a few silvers for the effort, she brazenly waltzed out of the city gates.
"Ran out of comfrey roots and Mother Marie is quite particular about it..." She spoke with a curt nod to the guards. It was a sufficient pass as she headed for the woods, they knew she left to make a living.

Once she'd ducked behind the treeline and into the shadow of the forest, she followed the faint markings that led her through the trees, far deeper than any civilian would think to go. A stray vine hung low as she pulled down and the tumble of a rope ladder nearly hit her in the head. With an inane grumble about repositioning falling items, she climbed into the canopy of green and rolled the ladder back up into place.

A thick convenient branch led her from one tree to another, slowly following the imperceptible marks as she wound up a taller sturdier tree. When the heavy foliage obscured even the ground from her view, she looked up to see the wooden planking laid across the sturdy trunk. The trap door pushed open as she popped her head in and hauled herself up.

Somehow she wasn't surprised to see Lara there before her. Already the few kids were chasing after her with mischief in their eyes... how they managed to find space to run in the room was beyond her, but somehow Lara avoided getting trampled by the lot of them as laughter rang out.

"And... I'm to remind you to keep the noise to a low key? wouldn't want a passing woodsman to hear the laughter of nymphs in the air now would we..." Tanya chided with mock sternness as the kids suddenly came charging at her and finally running her over. "Get off-er me!! else I'll give the lot o-you latrine duty for the weeek!!" The few mothers peeked in from the side windows before peeling arms and legs off the smothered Tanya, Lara too lost in her peels of laughter to help.

Tanya always did wonder if it was wise to bring in these people, it wasn't easy raising the lot of orphans who'd lost their parents... or even the few mothers that were evicted whilst pregnant with babes. At least with teaching, they were mostly self sufficient during the warmer months, but winter? Tanya and Lara had gotten to smuggling out necessities that would last them through the quickly arriving winter. But would they survive?

The ropes and planking secured small paths to other houses of similar build. All small and contained, but sufficient to hold the few that were there. She swayed with the wind as it breezed through the leaves. Snaking around another tree, she finally got to the smaller house that she shared with Lara. Once there, she returned to her pet project she'd been trying to get working. The platforms from three adjoining trees came together to provide room for a lift with the pulleys and rope they'd had to spare. Lara alerted her to the impending nightfall as the dim flicker of lights were lit and an early supper was brought in.

"So how did you get up so much of a distraction while I was breaking in?"

 

[marauder13]

Marcus' hair was still dripping water when the fist banged on his door. Marcus stood in the centre of the room, his smile a nasty addition to his expression. He waited for a minute, and the banging intensified, threatening to knock the door to the floor. He sauntered over to the door, the soft robe looking out of place on his still scruffy visage.

The door opened quickly and without warning. The well dressed man on the other side almost fell through as he tried to hammer the door once more. Contrary to Marcus' appearance, the visitor was well groomed, his hair cut short, his lightly tanned skin on his face was clean shaven. The blue eyes were sharp, and full of the anger the man felt. His clothing was made of the finest fabrics, and was in keeping with the current courtly trends.

"Sir Marcus, I find that your manners are below one of your station. Need I remind you that I am the Sheriff of this city, and I will be treated with the respect I am due."

Marcus arched an eyebrow, closing the door behind him. He walked past the fuming Sheriff until he reach the table, pouring himself some wine and taking a drink before turning to face the Sheriff.

"My Lord Sheriff, I have been giving you the respect you are due. You seem to forget who I am, Sheriff. I am a Knight Captain of the Order of the Griffin. Which means I answer to only one man, and one man only, Sheriff. And that man is His Majesty. Since you hold no rank as such, Sheriff, I have no need nor desire to stroke your pitiful ego in any manner. I have more important matters to attend to."

"Keep with those words, Sir Marcus, and you'll find how much respect I am due, and why it is so. But I too have more important matters to attend to than instruct a commoner on how to be a nobleman.

"Delilah. This woman needs to be stopped. She is disrupting the order of this city and the lands it commands. In doing so, she is a threat to the King. As such -"

"Sheriff, I am not at your beck and call. And I am not going to waste my time dealing with an irritation to the greedy burghers of this city who can't adequately protect their belongings. If your men, and by default yourself, cannot catch this woman, then you don't belong masquerading as a Sheriff. I am not going to do anything about this Delilah woman until the King himself commands it, or she is foolish enough to try taking what little I possess.

"The woman even tells you where she will strike next, and yet you can't stop her? Then you come to me, and beg me to clean up after you. I suggest, Sheriff, that you put your efforts into rallying your men and inspiring them to a greater effort, rather than wasting time trying to sway me to your pitiful cause."

He took another drink from his goblet, before turning his face to the door. The Sheriff drew himself taller, his face a dark cloud of anger. His eyes narrowed as did his lips before he turned and stormed out of Marcus' room.

"I never thought that man would leave." He cut a piece of meat off the smoking platter, sighing with delight at the taste of warm food. He tore a piece of bread off the loaf, running it through the gravy when a more gentle knocking disturbed his eating.

"Enter." A young lad in a page's uniform walked into the room, handing over the dual sealed scroll. Without waiting for further word or instruction, the page left the room.

Marcus looked down to confirm that the two seals were of the Order of the Griffin and of His Majesty. Marcus waited for his heart to slow down before he broke the seals. Every time the King spoke to him, or wrote to him, was reminder that the man owned Marcus, and could end his life in a moment. All of his loyalty meant nothing to His Majesty. Only the results of his missions. The parchment crackled slightly as he saw the words. He knew immediately that the missive was written in the King's own hand. Again, Marcus waited until his body had calmed before he read his Liege's words and thoughts.

Sir Marcus Torbay
Knight Captain of the Order of the Griffin

Greetings and Salutations Sir,

The incompetent that Earl Dreyford installed as Sheriff has finally displeased Us enough that he will be dealt with. It is Our command, Marcus, that you catch this brigand that is causing such a great loss of money to Our coffers, but more importantly diminishes the respect of Us in the eyes of the commoners. Dissent is growing, and it will be stopped.

Once she is brought to justice, and in a manner befitting her crimes, you will personally remove him from his office, by having his head removed. Then you will instruct Earl Dreyford to select his replacement based on competence rather than blood.

We want this brigand alive, such that she will be punished properly.

He read through the normal flourished signature of his Liege, with all the titles he had claimed. Marcus let the words sink into his mind, knowing that he now once more had another target. This time a woman. He felt a slight unease, but remembered who he was loyal too.

He sighed. "Well, Delilah, time for me to see how good you are. So, you're going to strike Haskin next. I'll be waiting for you."

 

[DarkEmpress]

Lara had a little bakery at the back of the city that filled the streets with the delightful aroma of freshly baked breads. The little shop was very popular and came in exceedingly helpful when there was a family that needed food to survive. Between herself and Tanya, they had managed to construct a ‘support network’ amongst the locals where they tried to help as many people as they could.

Lara had spent a great deal of time constructing a tunnel that opened by means of a carefully concealed trapdoor from the back of her shop and led out into the forest amongst a dense set of trees. It was very well hidden, even when standing right on top of it, no one ever suspected. She used the tunnel on a daily basis to get home. If she needed to stay in the forest for an extended period, she used the main gate with the excuse of buying supplies from one of the neighbouring towns and cities.

She had always been a fun-loving person that focussed on the brighter side of things. It was by pure chance that she ran into Tanya a few years back and discovered their mutual passion for helping their fellow man. They had both witnessed the slow but steady decay of morals and righteousness with the amount of corruption that was eating away at the core of the monarchy, who had no care for their charges.

Tanya was a godsend, as she managed to ground Lara and give her direction while she in turn lightened their spirits with her humour and contagious laughter. Somehow, both managed to keep their businesses afloat and above board. It certainly helped a might to have the charms to convince the authorities otherwise if there was ever any quarrel. With allot of hard work and planning they had managed to build their little haven in the forest, a place where people who had nowhere to go could find a rescue. Life was so much simpler at home, filled with melodic peels of laughter and a warm smile that was waiting to welcome them … something the city had been missing for years now.

Lara had finished her work early and had made her way home long before the sun had settled in the ocean. She was busy telling the children an animated story that had them laughing and squealing with delight as Tanya popped her dark head through the trapdoor. Lara could not help but laugh as the children tackled her, piling onto her with abandon … happy to welcome her home, her threats of latrine duty falling on deaf ears.

She watched as the respective mothers freed Tanya of their young, each child having to be bribed with a stern ‘you’ll get no dinner’ for them to let go. As Tanya went about her tasks, she continued her efforts in one of the neighbouring trees where she had been working on a storage room that would hopefully help them keep an ample supply of food and a small ‘piggy bank’ of funds for the winter months that lay ahead.

Lara lay on her bed, staring out the window at the flickering lights in the treetops. She loved this time of the day, filled with chatter and laughter and so many people sharing their lives and efforts. This was, what made everything worth it … this feel of home.

"So how did you get up so much of a distraction while I was breaking in?" Tanya asked.

With a slight chuckle, Lara gave her a knowing smile. “I used my charms of course,” she said as she playfully smoothed her hands across her bosom to emphasise the point. “The fools were so dumbstruck at having a drunken barmaid falling all over them, that they never even noticed you,” Lara said as she gathered their plates and placed them in a basket to be collected the next morning, long after they had left to start their days.

“We are targeting Haskin next?” Lara asked as she settled down next to Tanya, resting her head on her lap as she stared up into her beautiful eyes, absently running her fingers through Tanya’s dark, silken hair. “I don’t think we could have picked a better target, the man is an absolute tyrant,” Lara said with disgust. He treated the people that worked for him as slaves and had no respect for basic human kindness. Lara had the esteemed pleasure of witnessing his handiwork when they rescued Rebecca, one of the first ladies they offered shelter to. She still shivered involuntarily at the memory.

“Oh he richly deserves what is coming to him,” Lara said with anticipation.

 

[VampiricTouch]

Tanya's movements were silent as she scaled the outer walls of Haskin's estates. With Rebecca's help, they easily got a sketch of the building layouts to accompany their plans. She grinned as she peered through the cracked window. They didn't need a distraction to get in, the servant quarters led directly into the main estate and after wafting the relaxing smell of certain smoked herbs, the servants slowly nodded off at their stations.

With the veil covering her nose and mouth, she cleared the window and sauntered down the corridor. Being cautious, she watched the guards from the roof beams, noting the passing men on patrol even farther in the room. They were too far for her blowpipe and they'd see her if she moved any closer.She silently grumbled about the well placed guards along with the constant patrol. Something seemed different... it wasn't the normal run of loose disorder that allowed her to pick off the guards with little trouble...

The rock thrown against a vase in the adjacent corridor immediately alerted the guards. One of them cautiously left his station to determine the source of the sound. Tanya waited until the man came well within her range before putting him to sleep. The soft groan as he crumpled to the ground did not go unnoticed as the other guard and the patrol rounded the corner.

Using her perch to her advantage, the other three joined the first as she quickly dropped to the floor and rushed through to the main house. She didn't have much time... She didn't know how much time would pass before they noticed the patrol was missing, but she didn't want to wait to find out.

She left the rope and only window open for Lara... The satchels of coin were stacked and laid along with Haskin who'd not trusted any other to guard his gold. Getting this far had exhausted what remained of her darts as she picked up a heavy bag and ran out the door where she came.

The clamor of alerted guards assaulted her ears just as she cleared the door. Immediately the uproar in the house was deafening as she ran, using the chaos of confused servants and frantic guards to her advantage as she dropped down a flight of stairs. The jump jarred her movements but it brought her a little closer to the nearby roof she planned as her escape...

When he blocked her way.

____________________

OOC: Tag M13

 

[marauder13]

Marcus had kept his previous kit, because there were times like this one that made it useful to dust off his old skills as well. He had spent a week scoping out the surrounds of Haskin's estate. He finally found a vantage point that would allow him to watch the best entry point for a thief. Well, if it was him robbing Haskin. He had settled himself in for a long watch, not knowing when Delilah would make her appearance.

He had learned early on how to stay still, and not stiffen up. The lessons of an ill-gotten youth. He ensured that he could move his limbs enough to have different muscles take the strain, but not shift him enough to break cover.

Movement. Slight shift in the shadows. Marcus slowly turned his head enough to get a clearer look. Movement again. Human, not animal. Marcus started to get excited in anticipation of the hunt. He watch her clear the wall, impressed with the technique used. She paused before entering, but he couldn't make out what she had done. He scanned the rooftops to see if she had someone supporting her. Not seeing anything, he took the chance and followed her in.

He nodded to himself as he past the slumbering servants. He shook his head slightly at the four downed guards, his respect for her begrudgingly went up a notch. But then, all hell broke loose within Haskin's household. Marcus wasted little time, and ran towards the source of the commotion. He paused just in time to see Delilah leap down the stairs, almost landing within arm's reach. The two of them, their faces mostly obscured from the other, looked intently into each other's eyes.

Delilah turned and ran for the stairs, Marcus starting a step after her. She ran up four steps before leaping back onto the banister. From there, she launched herself over the top of Marcus, aiming for one of the chest of draws. Marcus saw her move a fraction of a second before she did it, and changed his direction to compensate. As Delilah readied herself to jump of the furniture, Marcus smacked one of her ankles. It was enough to cause her to fall and tumble rather than jump.

He closed the distance quickly, jumping on her, pinning her with his greater size and weight. The few blows she landed on him were ineffective, and his smile would be seen in his eyes.

"My, that was almost too easy," Marcus laughed. Before he could do anymore, one of Haskin's guard grabbed him, and pulled him off Delilah. Marcus swore loudly as Delilah scrambled to her feet and ran down the hall. Marcus thrashed about, freeing himself from the guard's grip long enough to slam his hand in the guard's throat. Marcus left the barely conscious man as he went racing after Delilah.

The smaller woman easily turned the corner of the hallway, though Marcus had to compensate for his greater bulk. He grabbed the corner as he went passed, flinging himself into the opposite wall, bouncing off in a controlled roll, only loosing a small amount of momentum in the process. The route she took brought her back to her original point of entry, which Marcus had closed behind him. She skidded to a halt, turning to see Marcus slowing behind her.

Without a word, nor much theatrical air, he drew his short bladed sword, and started to advance on the troublemaker. She drew a dagger in reply, and crouched in readiness. He saw it was the kind that could be thrown, and he made sure that he was ready against such an attack. He slowly advanced, working her towards a corner. Delilah realized what he was doing, and started to seek ways out of her predicament. She cast her eyes upward as she crouched down lower, preparing to jump. Marcus readied himself for the move, but was caught off guard when she leapt... through his legs. She ran out the door, back into the main part of the house.

"Bitch." Marcus swore under his breath as he took chase once more. It wasn't long before he encountered another of Haskin's guardsmen.

"Sir! We have lost the thief!"

"Gods, man! She is in the house. Close the place up now! Move!!

"Yes, Sir!" The guardsman saluted as he ran off. Marcus let his mind slow enough to think of the options of where he would run to if he was in Delilah's shoes. When the remembered what was above him, Delilah leapt down on him, propelling herself back to her escape route while knocking him to the floor. He lifted himself without a word, or a sound, running after her again.

By the time he got to the servant's room, the window had been opened and she was outside. Marcus went through without waiting, narrowly missing the dagger thrust that would have badly wounded him. He turned to see the female thief run away along the roof top, seeking her escape. Marcus growled and followed her, racing along the Thieves Highway.

They both cleared the fence with ease, scrambling onto other houses in their respective runs. Delilah grabbed handholds, found flat surfaces to leap off and covered gaps in the houses as if she had wings. Marcus kept his pace, using similar techniques, admiring the skills of the woman he was set to catch. He could now see how this woman was able to be so successful in her campaign.

He watched her darkened form clamber up a corner where two buildings joined, noting the ease in which she placed her hands and feet and hauled herself up. Marcus followed her up, but he used a little more momentum in his run up to help him gain the height he needed.

When his head cleared the top, he was able to just dodge a nasty kick to his head. He launched himself up, lunging for the woman's other leg, knocking her over. As he gained his footing, Delilah was back on hers, and planning her getaway. The only option for her was a wide gap, but it was that or capture. She took off at a flat run, heedless of her own safety as she approached the edge.

He watched her again take flight as if she was a bird, leaping from one roof to another with ease. He prepared himself for the leap, but Luck looked after Delilah. As he sprang, the part of the roof his feet were on slipped. He knew the moment he was airborne, the jump would fail. But as Luck favoured her, it favoured him too. His body crashed through the shutters and he rolled on he floor of the room he landed in.

"Damn it!"

He stalked out of the room, oblivious to the young woman staring at him from under her blankets.

 

[DarkEmpress]

Lara was perched behind a chimney on a nearby rooftop watching Tanya’s progress. The plan was for Tanya to create a distraction so that Lara could walk in and relieve Haskin of his precious gold. She was however very surprised to note a shadowy figure following Tanya through the servants window.

Alarm immediately raced through her veins as she stealthily followed in his footsteps. Tanya had no idea he was there and Lara would be damned if she was going to let him get anywhere near her. His movements were precise and measured. It was clear to see that he was not just one of the local brutes that relied on sheer physique to scare an intruder off. Instead, he was a calculating opponent, which was infinitely more dangerous.

Lara sidestepped along the wall following their uninvited guest ahead of her when a commotion rang through the building up ahead. It must have been the distraction Tanya had intended … about to go horribly wrong. She saw Tanya barrel down the corridor … and took the opportunity to finish what they had started before she could focus her attention on their unwanted guest.

Lara could hear the commotion in the house and could pinpoint Tanya’s location, which left their target room conveniently empty. Lara simply walked in and hoisted the heavy bag of coins into her arms. The bag was placed inside a woven basket and covered with a layer of herbs. She then discreetly left the basket at the backdoor for Tanya to collect during her herb run the next morning, which was a daily routine in the Haskin household.

Lara made her way back to the window in the servant’s quarters and was surprised to find it closed. She quickly opened the window and climbed through, checking the rope that was dangling from the roof into a neighbouring courtyard. Tanya came charging through the window the next moment and clambered down the rope. The sound of heavy footsteps echoed on the floor in close pursuit.

Lara took a deep and steadying breath as she drew her dagger. The uninvited guest emerged from the window and she swung the razor sharp edge at him. Lara was quite surprised when he dodged it with lithe agility and was stupefied for a moment before she realised she had to run … and fast as well.

From the corner of her eye, she could see Tanya shrug out of her disguise on the ground and blend into the night as Lara ran along the terracotta roof tiles, the slight clinking sound under her feet echoed a little louder in her pursuer, a scant few steps behind her.

She clambered up and over obstacles as quick as her two feet could carry her trying to get away from him, but he kept up with her … always a few paces off. She had jumped into a corner and scampered up the side of the wall and stood waiting for him … if she could not lose him, then she would attempt to slow him down.

His head appeared over the edge and Lara rammed her leg through the air trying to land a hard kick to his head. The slippery bugger sidestepped her and while she was still trying to right herself managed to pull her supporting leg out from under her. With a curse under her breath, Lara pummelled to the floor and then immediately scampered back to her feet … she had to get away, this was too close for comfort.

The only way out was a large gap onto the next building. Taking a deep breath Lara ran towards the edge of the roof picking up as much speed as she could in the short distance. With a mighty leap, she hurtled herself across the gap … the world passing in slow motion in the abyss beneath her … before her foot touched the edge of the next rooftop. Lara nearly cried out with relief, she was not sure if she would make it.

She kept up the pace and ran stealing a glance across her shoulder in time to see his flailing arms disappear into the abyss. She abruptly stopped and stood staring at the empty skyline. It was quite a pity … he was the first, real challenge they encountered since the two of them embarked on their escapade.

A moment later she heard a crash as he landed on the balcony beneath, followed shortly by an outraged “Damn it!” Lara could not help the satisfied smirk that flitted across her face as she high-tailed out of there.

Ridding herself of the disguise she languidly made her way to the ‘safe house’ where she was meeting Tanya. Lara replayed the events of the evening in her mind as she pushed the door open and found her waiting in the darkened room. She sank down next to Tanya and wrapped her in a warm embrace, their lips touching for a fleeting moment in a tender kiss. She was relieved to find Tanya unharmed. Their cause had been for the greater good but never once had they actually stood the threat of being harmed. It shed a completely different light on everything. It was not a mere game anymore ... tonight was the first time that it had become dangerous.

“We were lucky,” she whispered close to Tanya’s ear with a sombre expression lingering on her features. “We will have to devise a plan to trap him … before he can turn the tables on us. I don’t think he knows there are two of us, which means we still have the element of surprise,” mischief sparkled in her emerald eyes.

"If we could make him see ..."

 

[VampiricTouch]

She had expected pursuit, but not the sort where he was hot on her heels. She dropped to the ground as planned, wondering if her normal disguise could shake her stealthy pursuer. Just as she pulled the rope off and turned into a darker corner in the courtyard, she saw Lara strike against the man giving chase. It was a brief glimpse before the pair scampered across the rooftops into the distance.

Tanya grimaced at the brash Lara and doubled back to check just how much Lara lifted from the Haskin household. She was pleasantly surprised to find the whole lot sitting in the proper basket.

Not taking the chance that the man would return and conduct a thorough enough search, she hoisted the load of coin over a shoulder and quietly left the street. No one noticed the flitting silhouette that padded silently across the cobble stoned road, slinking through back alleys and into their safe house.

It was there she began the nerve wracking wait. She'd not expected to have such fierce opposition, and she was certainly not sure if Lara would make it out unscathed. Should she try to find them? Maybe even the odds?

Tanya paced the small room, the agitation eating away at her as she waited. Finally the door creaked open as Tanya spun towards the sound. Lara's smirk of a job well done caught the moonlight for a brief instant before Tanya smothered her with her relief.

“We were lucky,” Lara whispered close to Tanya’s ear with a sombre expression lingering on her features. “We will have to devise a plan to trap him … before he can turn the tables on us. I don’t think he knows there are two of us, which means we still have the element of surprise,” mischief sparkled in her emerald eyes.

"If we could make him see ... We'll need to change tactics for the next target, Barstow. We should probably take our time this round..." Tanya murmured seriously as she pulled back from her impish partner.

"We can take our time. I didn't get around to leaving our note for the next contributor."

"Thats good, do you think you can get a position in Barstow's household?"

"I could... but doesn't that mean we won't be seeing each other?" Lara settled down, miffed by the lack of playfulness in Tanya's voice.

"It would cut it down some, but it should help us get an idea of who we're up against... We'll leave the note a month after you've settled into the house."

 

[marauder13]

Marcus walked back to the Haskin house, this mind trying to figure out what had happened. Something was not right, but he couldn't place what was wrong. He shook his head in frustration as he entered the outer walls of Haskin's town home.

"My gold! She's taken everything! Not one coin has been left anywhere!" Marcus frowned at the pitiful wailing of the recently robbed merchant. But rather than walking inside, Marcus walked around the outside of the house.

"I chased her across the Thief's Highway, and she was not lumbering anything. Haskin was a rich man, that much was certain. So, she must have dropped the gold somewhere before she ran. It must still be inside somewhere."

He turned and walked inside, immediately being confronted by a short balding man, red faced and with a robe covered paunch. He stared up at Marcus, not letting his lack of relative height work against him.

"You let that THIEF take my entire wealth! You were meant to stop her!"

"Shut up, Burgher! I didn't let her get away. One of your idiot guards pulled me off her and let her get away from me. Have you searched the house yet, Haskin? When she fled this place, she wouldn't had much of your wealth on her. She was moving too well to do that."

"I can tell you we have looked everywhere in this house where that money could be hidden. It is not in here. Which means, Sir Marcus, it has been STOLEN!"

Marcus stood still as the fat man threatened to knock him over as he closed to yell at him. His own eyes hardened as he looked down on the older man. His voice was smooth as silk, calm as flat water and carried more steel than a claymore.

"Haskin... if that is so, then you have someone in your employ that helped Delilah with her theft. She did not carry anything out with her, that much I know. So it stands to reason someone else here helped her. I would suggest most strongly that you find whoever it was, and deal with them as they deserve. If you will excuse me, I have other matters to deal with."

Marcus walked out the door, the sense of something not being right was still eating at him, much harder now.

~||~​

Marcus woke to the loud hammering of a fist on his door. He was on his feet and moving to the door, his short bladed sword in hand, ready for use. He pulled the door without warning.

The Sheriff managed to maintain his footing as he staggered through the door, his face a dark storm of anger. He straightened himself, turning on Marcus viciously as if he was going to strike.

"Go ahead, Sheriff, it will be your last mistake."

"Much like yours, I would say. You had a change of heart I see. It would have served better if you had told me of your intent to aid us with this... irritation as you called her last we spoke."

"It is obvious that you do not read your own correspondence, Sheriff, or if you do, then you don't remember it. You were notified that I was going to be dealing with this problem, as per his Majesty's command."

"Well, it seems that you and I have something in common then. Since Haskin was successfully robbed while under your guard."

"Failing to capture her thus far, of course. If Haskin's guards had been using their minds, I would have caught her. But one of them pulled me off her and allowed her to escape. Anyway, Sheriff, that is the only similar between us. Unlike you, I have learned a lot about our dear Delilah." Marcus walked over to where the Sheriff glowered, tapping the man between his eyes. "Unlike others I could name, she uses her mind. She thinks about what she is doing. She hasn't the man's strength, so she makes up for it. She is not going to be easy to catch either."

"So much for the mighty Sir Marcus. Even with your illustrious backgr-" Marcus slammed the Sheriff into the wall, an arm pressing against his neck. Marcus held him against the wall, watching the struggling man's face turn blue as he fought Marcus for air and freedom. But Marcus released him before he passed out. The knight walked back to the centre of the room while the sheriff coughed and struggled for air.

"Don't speak about things you know nothing about. I am far more capable than you of catching her, but I hold no illusions about how easy it will be, not after experiencing her abilities first hand. I will have her in chains, that I know.

"Now, why don't you run along and do whatever it is that you do to justify being called Sheriff. I have some important people to meet with. Plus I have a brigand to catch. Neither of which I can do while you are panting and gasping in my chambers."

The Sheriff stood up, livid at the words that assailed his ears. He straightened himself, giving his tender neck one smoothing rub before he left Marcus' room, not bothering with the door behind him as he left. Marcus sat on his palette, the sword resting on his lap.

"I wonder how old Gasbon will react to seeing me again. I wonder if the old thief will have forgiven his best student before he was stolen from him by the King."

 

[DarkEmpress]

Lara was idly twirling her fingertips through the coppery strands of her hair, the sun reflecting the fire that glinted there as she stared out the window. Her emerald eyes were fixed on the horizon as she daydreamed about Tanya. She missed her. She missed her cool and calm collectedness … her sense of purpose. She was the one that kept Lara’s feet firmly on the ground and in her absence, she felt as if she was floundering about.

With a sigh, she returned her attention to the room. She had received a position as a governess to Barstow’s four children. Despite herself, she had grown fond of the kids and they served as a soothing replacement for her home in the forest that she missed so dearly. She missed the camaraderie, the feeling of home … the kids that always seemed to lift her spirits … Tanya.

Lara shook her head trying to get her mind to surface as she continued the children’s lesson in maths. She had thrown herself into her work for the day. It was the only thing that passed the time, one excruciating hour at a time. Each day brought her closer to freedom. She had seamlessly worked herself into the Barstow household and had communicated their daily routine through to Tanya by means of carefully concealed notes that she left in the herb basket … it was their only means of communication.

Barstow’s depravity was an almost palpable thing. Lara’s loathing of the man grew exponentially on a daily basis. He deserved everything that was coming his way and Lara often found herself daydreaming about it, trying to imagine the look on his face. It gave her such pleasure.

She hoped Tanya had managed to find information on their mystery guest from the Haskin debacle. There was no doubt in her mind that he would be dispatched to ‘deal with Delilah’ once she left the next note. Nervously worrying her bottom lip, Lara replayed the scene in her head … remembering how he moved, how he anticipated her every action. He was a threat not to be taken lightly, and the next time around they had to be ready for him.

The elongated late afternoon shadows fell across the cobblestones as Lara readied the children for bed. She ensured each finished their supper, including the vegetables they artfully tried to hide beneath the table in hope of the family dog ‘helping them out’.

Once the children were safely tucked into bed, Lara completed her normal routine and climbed into bed, staring at the ceiling with a smile of glee on her face. She impatiently waited until the early hours of the morning and then snuck out of her small room. She had made her way down to the entrance hall and with a smirk of satisfaction pinned the parchment to the wooden door with their trademark dagger. The voluptuous woman embracing the hilt of the dagger smiled down on Lara with triumphant decorum.

The parchment simply read ‘Barstow’ with an elegant scrawl of a ‘D’ beneath it. Every household in the entire city knew exactly what that meant. Delilah would strike in a fortnight…

Two weeks could not come soon enough…

 

[VampiricTouch]

Word about Delilah's near capture spread like wild fire. Heard one of the guards actually saw her face. There was no letter for the next victim. Someone cornered her but she vanished in a poof before the manacles could be placed upon her hands. A shadow. A witch. A sorceress. The authorities secretly caught her but are not revealing any information about who she is... Rumors... She almost lost it when she saw a vendor hold up a black rag, claiming to be torn off of Delilah's cloak. Making a name was nice, but in times like these, it drowned out all information of the one who'd cornered her.

It was as she was flirting with the guards that she picked up the first nugget of information. Marcus Torbay.

A few well placed questions and a small boy led her to the man's house, which certainly surprised her. Unlike the authorities that were sent after the phantom Delilah, this man lived in relative simplicity. When she returned a few days later under a well worn disguise as an aged begger, she found the view she saw into his home simple. There was no pomp, or lavishness, and despite not getting any coin from the servant who'd opened the door for her, she did receive a small bowl of food and a crust of bread.

She did however, catch a glimpse of the sheriff storming out of the man's house. Certainly such timing couldn't be wasted, and the sheriff's penchant for alcohol in times of anger was a good place to start.

Tanya made her way into the bar she'd begun working at to pocket an extra bit of coin. Her entry brought a bout of raucous cheering as the thin fabric clung desperately to her skin. It made her blush furiously the first few times, but there was such a wealth of information festering there that she could not afford to let go. After making a few rounds, and sporting the bright smile despite the few hands that had made sure to get a good grip of her derriere, she took a break beside the sheriff wallowing in anger in his corner..... and as she made sure that his tankard was full.... the words began to flow.

It took a thief to know a thief. She'd certainly been sloppy and it was until the Sheriff had called Marcus a thief that the effect hit home.

It explained why he knew where she'd be getting in... and it took a one time thief to know the rooftops as well as she and Lara. They definitely had their hands full. Her information was passed on to Lara without fail, but even being a former thief, she couldn't justify a reason to harm this man, Marcus.... however to continue, it was necessary to take him out of the picture... somehow and soon.

Plans were laid regardless of opinion. Barstow's coins were waiting and its time for changing hands was rapidly drawing to a close.

 

[marauder13]

Marcus stood outside Barstow's front door, staring at the dagger holding the note to the door.

"Good."

"Good?!? GOOD?!!!?" The middle aged man almost squealed as he looked on the note that every man in the city feared to have pinned to his door. "How do you view this as being good?"

Marcus turned and leveled a cold stare at Barstow, who flinched slightly. "Simple. She placed it on your door, rather than Haskin's." He grinned slightly. "It means that she has been rattled by what has happened. Which means she will be more prone to making errors."

In the month that passed since Haskin's robbery, Marcus had used his old contacts to find out as much as he could about known female thieves. Gasbon had been helpful enough, without compromising his position. Marcus had nothing against the thieves of the city, only one. Delilah. He spent his time watching those Gasbon had named, yet none of them were close to what Marcus had seen.

He was doubly pleased when the next note went up. His inability to find out any more about the rogue thief was frustrating him.

Marcus cleared his thoughts, and led the burgher back into his house. "Tell me, Barstow. Do you have any servants that hate you?"

Barstow flustered slightly, confusion clearly seen on his face. "No. My servants are loyal to me. I look after them well."

"Funny, Haskin said the same thing. But when he was struck, it was clear to me that Delilah had inside help. When I chased the woman, she was carrying the man's fortune with her. And a very thorough search of the man's estate found nothing. Now, if your servants are loyal, in appearance, then you had best make sure that none of them are carrying more coins than they should. Have you got any new servants?"

Barstow's face went white as the news sank in. He looked back at Marcus, his eyes wide with fright. "I... no. No. There have been no new servants come into the household recently. Inside help..."

Marcus let the man walk on, muttering about the potential of loosing his wealth to the unstoppable thief. Marcus worked the inside of his mouth as an idea formed of how he could catch the thief. The more he thought about it, the more the idea looked appealing.

It took Marcus a week to get everything he needed together. During that time, he was constantly visiting Barstow, checking on the efforts of the merchant's guards as well as trying to spot weaknesses that Delilah could exploit. Even when everything was ready, Marcus continued to babysit the Barstow house.

During the day before Delilah would strike, Marcus put his plan into effect and left to prepare for the night's adventure. If all went according to his plan, Delilah would not remain free to cause anyone else to loose sleep, or money, over her actions.

 

[VampiricTouch]

The goal this time wasn't to steal and they both knew it. Both Lara and Tanya came to the same conclusion - Tanya after scouting out his past and Lara after seeing the house hold changes he set into place to thwart them.

Tanya was cautious. Her eyes scanned the foliage for any movements and she found none.... but still she wasn't confident in the success of their encounter. Silent steps took her from shadow to shadow. She followed through with her plans waiting for the moment the clouds obscured the light of the moon. The brief moment of darkness all she needed to lob a stone through the upper windows...

Tanya grinned at the blood curdling scream that resonated the entire house. She could feel the glass windows shudder with the pitch as the entire household rose to the outcry of the glass pane's demise. The sudden uproar sufficient for her to clamber up the roof and enter the house on the opposite side. As guards and family members tried to calm the hysterical woman, Barstow and the others were no doubt checking the nearby rooms to be sure no one had entered.

The commotion was enough to get her into the inner rooms as her darts took care of those that didn't leave their stations. Like Lara had informed her, the gold had been kept under lock and key and Tanya's picks were readied. She realized her time was running out as the noise upstairs was slowly subsiding. She had to hurry.

It took her time. Time which she did not have to work the lock well chosen to slow her down. The pin dropped and the lock opened when yells of her discovered entry rang through the house. She left the lock box slightly ajar to show the shimmer of coin and gems, to spin at the barely perceptible sound of footsteps. It was him again. Marcus Tobay.

Time to run.

 

[marauder13]

Marcus had been careful with the preparations for that night. If he failed in catching Delilah, he knew he would be a great deal closer in dealing with the thief that was raising the King's ire. Marcus had also explored the Barstow house, looking for the best place to take up in preparation for Delilah's arrival.

He shook his head, still finding it hard that a mere woman was causing all this trouble. How she had managed to gain the skills she had, seemingly without training, was beyond him. He pushed those thoughts from his mind, making sure that he was ready to deal with her, rather than be distracted by how she got to be who she was.

While he walked the halls, he kept an eye on the servants and staff. He didn't see any of them behaving differently in his presence, nor taking any more interest in him than was absolutely necessary to fulfill their duties. If she had any inside help, they were being very good at masking their feelings from him.

He found his spot, and waited for there to be no one close when he vanished, taking his place in readiness for Delilah's visit later that night.

~||~​

Barstow wandered his bedroom nervously. "Where in God's name has that man gone to?!?" His voice was dragged back down from being a yell into being a harsh whisper. His fortune was at stake. Sir Marcus hadn't saved Haskin from being completely destitute at her hands. His guards were alert, and everyone had been sent to their rooms with instructions to remain there.


Marcus was in his place, waiting and watching. He fought to control the adrenaline spikes in his body that threatened to give him away. If she was going to strike, he knew that the best time was fast approaching.

He heard the screams of a woman within the house. Marcus almost sprang into action but stopped when he heard the screams coming from the other side of the house. He frowned. The other side was not the best place to enter the house, the side he was watching was. He settled down, and kept a sharper lookout. He felt the rising excitement over the challenge that he was about to undertake.

Sure enough, he saw a slight movement on the roof. Marcus smiled when he realized she had caused a distraction. His respect for her abilities grew a little further as he watched her make her way into the house. One last check of his gear to make sure all was secure, and he was off. Like a shadow, he was upon the outer wall, closing on the very place where Delilah had made her intrusion. It was easy to know which passages she took, as the downed guards helped him follow her trail.

He slowed as he reached the lockroom, seeing the door closed. He quietly drew his sword as he took the last few steps towards the doorway. With his off hand, he prepared the door to be opened. A sharp shove sent the door open for him to find...

... an empty room.

Delilah dropped down from above the door frame, launching herself into the hallway using Marcus' back. Marcus rolled and came to his feet with a snarl. He dashed into the hallway, turning to follow her. He smiled under his darkened hood as he recognized that she was racing back to her original entry point. He wondered how she would react to the fact that the window was now barred.

He found out soon enough as Delilah took a rather unpracticed swing at Marcus. He dodged it easily as she retreated further into the room. But the dusty, empty sack she threw at his head helped her more. While Marcus got the sack off his face, Delilah dived through a small gap into the main part of the house.

"Arrgh!" Marcus took a moment to slam his sword back in the scabbard before taking chase. The inside of the house blurred past him as he focused on the thief before him. He heard the cries of others both close and far as he closed the distance on her. She took a sudden side step into a room with Marcus going past with a loud cursing. He scrambled back in time to see her climbing out the window and racing across the lawns to the estate wall.

Marcus dived and rolled through opened window, rolling to his feet and giving chase. Like Delilah, he used the rough surface of the wall to easily scale it, and followed her up onto the neighbouring roof. While he raced after her, he palmed a few throwing spikes. Of the three he managed to let fly, only one found her, and only lodged in her fabric.

But as they sailed over the alleys between the buildings, and skipped across the tiles roofs, Marcus noticed something odd about her. Her technique was a little different, possibly a little off. But there was something else that wasn't right, but that he couldn't put his finger on.

Delilah slid to a halt. She looked around, finding that she had no safe options left to run, jump or drop to. She turned quickly, halting herself as she clearly saw Marcus close off her only escape route.

Marcus laughed, his hand going to the hilt of his short sword.

"In the Name of the King, yield and prepare to be taken before the Crown for your crimes."

 

[DarkEmpress]

OOC: Done with the help of the talented VT
A special note of thanks to Chronicle Tenko - We couldn't have done it without you!

~~~****~~~​

The goal was not to steal and they both knew it. There was too much at stake and they had to outsmart and outthink Marcus. Instead, Lara stole a handful of coins every day and had sewn it into the seam of her dress. The process had taken much longer, but posed a much lesser risk to both of them. They had stuck to the plan and slowly worked their way up to ‘Delilah Day’.

That night, Lara had followed her usual routine meticulously. She had put the children to bed and made her way to her own small bedroom. She had dressed in her sleepwear and climbed in bed, staring at the ceiling ... grinning from ear to ear.

The wait was excruciating, but so worth it when the rock finally came flying through her window to shatter the almost suffocating silence. Lara screamed, at the top of her lungs ... as if someone was murdering her. Within seconds the entire household came barging through her door as she willed tears to stream from her emerald eyes, her fiery hair flailing around as she screamed hysterically.

What is wrong? Are you hurt? What happened? The questions were flying around. Lara did not allow herself enough respite to answer any of them. A few of the guards quickly scooped up the broken glass to avoid injury and then hanged out the window to see if they can see anything. Another was holding Lara down, trying to calm her ... while all four the children stood in a corner crying, horrified at their governess’ violation. True to form, nothing would work to silence the screaming woman.

“Oh dear lord, the poor child got such a fright,” Mrs Barstow cooed around Lara. She had taken quite a fancy to the redheaded girl. “Please fetch the valium on my bedside table Thomas,” she instructed her eldest son who dutifully obeyed his mother’s wishes. A moment later he appeared with the little glass vial.

“Here child, this will help,” she said as she pulled the stopper from the vial and gave Lara some of the elixir. Lara kept her expression stricken with fear, but she did not swallow a drop. She slowed her cries to a whimper and then eventually feigned falling into a deep sleep. Mrs Barstow covered Lara with a blanket and then shooed the children back to their rooms.

She had barely done so when a raucous echoed from the other side of the house, sending the rest of the guards running. Mrs Barstow patted the ‘sleeping’ girl and then left, closing Lara’s bedroom door behind her.

Lara lay absolutely still for the longest moment, her heart racing in her chest as she wondered if Tanya was okay. When she could not stand it any longer, she threw the bedding from her and jumped to her feet. Haphazardly she pulled the nightgown from her body to reveal her standard black ‘thief uniform’, tying her hair up and tucking it away under the hood. Quickly stashing her clothes in a cupboard, Lara filled her bed with pillows and wrapped them up in bedding, making it appear as if she was sleeping soundly.

Launching herself out the broken window, Lara landed silently on her feet ... standing for a moment to scan the area ... looking for Tanya. As they had planned, she could see Tanya scampering along the rooftop of the neighbouring house. Her heart however skipped a beat when she saw Marcus’ burly figure following in heated pursuit.

“Well done Tanya,” she said under her breath, grinning wickedly as she set off in their direction, silently following behind Marcus. The rest of the Barstow household was thrown into enough chaos that none of them noticed the trio scampering across the rooftops.

Lara kept the distance far enough that he would not notice her making sure her footing was light and soundless. Lara did not want to alert him to her presence at all. He was relentless though, every time it seemed Tanya made some headway, he would double his pace and catch up with her again. It was a ludicrous game of cat and mouse ... except there were two mice ... and one very uninformed cat.

If everything went according to plan - he would soon walk straight into their trap.

They suddenly came to a halt and Lara watched as Tanya turned, giving Marcus no indication that she could see Lara behind him. Tanya’s entire body language played the part of someone trapped with nowhere to go. Lara had to fight down an elated giggle of pleasure at her sterling performance. Marcus radiated with confidence, clearly enjoying Tanya’s predicament.

"In the Name of the King, yield and prepare to be taken before the Crown for your crimes."

His words sounded ridiculous, considering the position he was in, but then again ... that was exactly the plan. All Marcus’ attention was riveted on Tanya and he had no inkling of Lara’s presence as she slowly crept up behind him. In position, Lara gave her a quick nod and watched as Tanya blurred into action, launching herself at Marcus. Lara could see him ready himself for the impact.

His intuition was good, with his sword half-drawn Lara sprang into action. She quickly pulled a hood over his head to render him blind and then tied the ominous straps of leather around his neck restricting his airflow. It all happened in a matter of seconds and as the lock snapped in place Lara stepped back and out of his reach, as did Tanya.

"Let’s not have you hurt yourself." Tanya grinned and pulled the sword away from him as the poor man struggled for the next gasp of air that would not come.

Marcus collapsed, thrashing around wildly trying to undo the locked garrotte about his neck. To stop him from hurting himself, Lara and Tanya quickly restrained both arms behind him. The rope tightened after every loop, leaving him without slack as his body went limp. More ropes were added above and below his kneecap to prevent him from kicking.

Sufficiently restrained, Lara produced the key to unlock the garrotte about his neck, finally giving him a huge gasp of air.

“Oh yeah!! Whoooh!” Lara yelled – ecstatic - half jumping around. It was such a thrill. Lara's excitement was contagious and Tanya could not help but smile and chuckle. Lara finally sat down on top of Marcus as if she had just defeated a big monster. “That was amazing,” she said grinning up at Tanya.

“So how are we going to get you out of here, ey?” Lara asked Marcus’ prone form, slapping her hand down hard on his rump.

Tanya pointed to the cart of hay just under the awning "I was prepared."

”Brilliant!” Lara exclaimed. It was good forward thinking on her part. The two girls quickly rolled Marcus along the rooftop, despite his muffled protestations, and pushed him over the edge to free fall into a bouncy bed of hay. Proud of what they had achieved both stared down at their ‘catch’ for a moment.

The moon was shimmering on the rooftops, the stars twinkling merrily in the velvet sky. Tanya slowly leaned over to kiss Lara, a small little gasp of pleasure escaping her lips. It was a bittersweet show of affection, soft and tender … their hands roaming to touch. “I’ve missed you so much,” Lara breathed against Tanya’s lips, renewing the kiss.

It felt like an eternity before they both surfaced, lost in the moment. "Thanks for coming to my rescue..." Tanya whispered softly before she pushed Lara along, a sad light glinting in her eyes. "Now get back to Barstow's... I don't want you to get caught!"

Lara knew she had to go … she did not want to. With a heavy heart, she stole a final kiss and then slowly made her way back, turning quickly so Tanya would not see the tears burning in her emerald eyes.

 

[VampiricTouch]

Tanya sadly watched as her partner in crime vanish across the rooftops. A soft sigh followed as she dropped down beside the cart, to finish up the plans for their evening. She pulled the hood free and tightened a gag about his mouth in case he woke up too early. A quick check assured her that the man was not unduly injured and the hood was replaced. Carefully, she began to pile more hay on top of the bound man, until most of the hay was on top of him as opposed to below him. Satisfied that he would not fall out from the wagon, or be found, she retreated back to her safe house to change and rest...

The filtering of dawn roused her from her slumber as she stretched. She checked Barstow's gold Lara had left secured under the floorboards with a smile. Lara had been thorough. Over the span of the week, she'd taken the majority of his coin. Tanya took the silver she'd set aside for this occasion, and with the empty herb basket at her hip, she sauntered out the city gates.

The wagon of hay, along with it's owner was waiting for her just out of view from the guards. The pouch of silver purchased not just the man's hay, but also paid for the service of borrowing his cart and donkey. He knew she was up to something, but the continuous business setup they had favored him, so he turned a blind eye and left her to her own plans.

As the road cleared, she led the donkey down the unpaved trail into the woods. A small part of her felt sorry for the man tied up in the cart... he no doubt would feel every bump and rattle of his journey.

~~~~****~~~~​

It was work pulling him off of the cart and onto the lift, but she managed the feat after a good amount of hoisting and pushing. The crank on the side slowly lifted the pair up beyond the leafy foliage that obscured their shelter.

By then one of the boys found her and her prize... and finished hauling Marcus in, removing the hood and gag only after he was secured. Another child was sent off to lead the cart of hay along with the donkey out of the dense line of trees for it's owner.

Tanya left Marcus tied by the door of her own room before vanishing into the fray of daily chores. There was always a flurry of spectators watching him as children peered through the windows and women stole hasty glances his way in passing. Everyone had been briefed about their new 'guest' as well as who he was and what his position meant to their forested shelter. She returned during the hottest hours of the day with bread and water in hand to offer to her prisoner.

"You hungry?" She leaned against the door frame and asked. She didn't wait for him to answer before she sat down in front of him.

"I do apologize for the treatment. You'd best get used to it though. We needed you out of the way for our next haul. I think the sheriff should have plenty to share with us given the taxes he's raised in the mean time. Don't you?" She smiled and took a bite of the fresh rye bread and washed it down with a sip of water. "Don't worry. I didn't drug it. I'm not a murderer."

"Consider it a compliment. We thought you posed a big enough problem that it was necessary to dispose of you personally." Tanya shrugged and brought the water to his mouth, tilting the wooden cup so that the water would wet his lips.

 

[marauder13]

Marcus was surprised when the hood went over his head, even more so when he felt the garrote encircle his throat. Pure instinct took over as he fought for air. He dropped to his knees so he didn't fall from the rooftop in his struggles. All his thoughts were turned to trying to get the garrote off. His hands went for one of his blades, but they were restrained before he could get them. All semblance of control left him, and pure survival took over. But it was in vain as his ability to respond diminished. He was swearing in his mind as he passed out.

~||~​

Marcus came to in a mild panic. He was gagged, the hood over his face and he was securely restrained. He calmed himself, knowing there was little he could do in his current state. He could feel and smell hay, as well as the gentle motion of a cart or wagon.

The last stage of the trip was rather unpleasant, except for the removal of the hood and gag. She took great care in making sure that he was secured before leaving him alone. Well, relatively alone. Other brigands stopped by to look at Delilah's catch, taking great pleasure looking at her vanquished foe.

'I wonder what she is planning on doing to me. Surely, she is going to kill me in some way. I can't be left alive now. Maybe she had cold feet about killing me. Well, Marcus, just remain calm. You'll get your chance soon enough.'

He saw Delilah enter, carrying food and water. He looked at her closely, noticing the clear grace in her movements. Yes, that was the one he chased across the rooftops...

"You hungry?" She didn't even wait for him to reply. walking over to sit before him. The faint aroma of the bread made his stomach clench, reminding him of his hunger.

"I do apologize for the treatment. You'd best get used to it though. We needed you out of the way for our next haul. I think the sheriff should have plenty to share with us given the taxes he's raised in the mean time. Don't you?" He watched her eat and drink in silence.

"Don't worry. I didn't drug it. I'm not a murderer."

'Oh, I gathered that already, Delilah. And that was your biggest mistake. Not killing me. Because I will turn you over to the King, and happily watch as you are made an example of. Maybe, if you're lucky, the rest of your thieves' coterie will be hung after you are executed.'

"Consider it a compliment. We thought you posed a big enough problem that it was necessary to dispose of you personally."

Marcus looked his gaze on Delilah's as she brought the water cup to his lips. He took a small sip, letting his mouth absorb the water before taking another sip to actually drink.

"Thank you. For the water. May I have some bread and more water?

"I suppose I should thank you for the compliment. His Majesty thought you to be a person of note worthy enough of my attention. He has been very interested in your activities.

"When it's time for me to sleep, will I get the chance to actually lie down?"

 

[VampiricTouch]

Tanya fed him pieces of bread as he spoke, alternating between bread and water until everything was consumed.

"That depends." She shrugged and sat back on her heels. "Those who don't work don't eat here. I'm sure you're not full yet, since this was half of my share. This meal was on me. If you're going to choose to not work and starve to death, well then it makes little difference if you sit or lie down to sleep no?" She paused to let him think about his situation before continuing, "One of the boys brought down a deer. Though he needs help hauling his kill back to camp. We'll need to get it cleaned and salted."

"So, you capture me, and make no provisions for my keeping. So rather than kill me swiftly, you're planning on starving me?" He snorted a short laugh. "Or, you're going to turn me into a slave so that I may at least eat while being kept prisoner?"

"So it's a no then?" She rose from her place beside him "There are worse things that could be asked of you if you were to be a slave. Would you prefer that instead? I don't want to kill you. Never intended to. But I can't make food appear out of nowhere, and it's unfair to everyone else, that works hard here to make living a bit more bearable, to offer you food that we never have quite enough of."

"Well, you should have thought of that before you dragged me back here." He snapped angrily at her, "And what makes you think I would even think of helping you? You do remember why I am here?"

"I'll make a mental note of that. Once I get help, I'll drag you farther out into the woods and hang you up on a tree to starve to death far away from here." She smiled, turned and walked out the door. "Of course I remember why you're here. But Rebecca is cooking tonight and her stew is to die for. I figured you wouldn't want to be tied there and smell the food whilst we ate. My apologies for trying to be considerate." With that she walked out the door with a brief flutter of her fingers.

~~~~****~~~~​

True to her word, by dinner time the warm smell of a hearty stew wafted through the treetop accommodations. It was a warmth that permeated everything, even well after the pot had been emptied of it's contents. Tanya made a point to bring him a cup of water along with her bowl of stew. Offering him sips of water between her own bites of dinner.

However her relaxed attitude vanished by bedtime. With no word from Lara, things were amiss in the scheme of her plans.... The single candle illuminated her side of the room as she pulled a clean sheet free to drape from one wall to the opposite one, sectioning the room and obscuring his view of her. This however did not conceal her shadow playing across the white screen as she paced the space of her room.

Tanya undressed there, the silhouette of her blouse and skirt falling loosely aside as her body reclined against a wall to think. The night was cold without Lara to keep her warm.... and as the chill crept in to more than she could bear, she pulled on a night gown before returning to pace the room once more.

"Why the hell isn't she here yet... He would've dismissed her by now."

 

[marauder13]

Barstow couldn't decide between despair and anger. Despair over the loss of his fortune at the hands of the unstoppable thief. He immediately checked his money, hoping that Marcus had stopped her before she had struck. He felt a wave of relief when he saw that the box containing his wealth was not plundered, though Delilah had opened it. He lifted it to the table, and gave the contents a check. His heart fell lower than his stomach when he found that under the layer of coins was nothing but worthless pieces of metal making it look as if it had not been plundered.

Then the anger welled inside of him that the King's man, with all the time to make ready, and she still managed to make off with his hard earned fortune. He had placed his trust in the man sent by the King himself to help deal with the Godforsaken woman. Not even he was able to do what the Sheriff was not capable of doing.

He slammed the lid down, storming off to his bed chambers while his emotions tumbled and boiled within him. Tears started to fill his eyes as he made his way back into his bedroom. He was shaking, the stresses of what happened and what was going to happen struck. He went to one of his wardrobes, opening it to reveal a small collection of flagons and goblets. He pulled one of the ceramic jugs out, and started to pour the contents into the goblet he had grabbed when he saw it.

A sack, laden with unknown contents.

He pulled the heavy bag out, and dropped it on his bed. He opened it, staring in amazement at the riches contained within. He poured out the coins and gemstones and a single piece of parchment.

Barstow,

This is your fortune, safe and sound. I took the liberty to steal it before Delilah did. In it's place, I left her a little gift that will make her life interesting. I couldn't tell you about it in case you gave something away.

Sir Marcus Torbay
Knight Captain of the Order of the Griffin

Barstow started laughing. A deep belly laugh of a man who saw a joke that few others would.

 

[DarkEmpress]

Lara fell into a fitful sleep. Images of Tanya, her beautiful eyes, her lovely soft body wrapped in a warm embrace ... their lips locked in a passionate kiss, plagued her dreams. The great divide between them was almost too much to bare and Lara missed her, with every fibre of her being. She woke the next morning, gasping ... soaked in her bed after spending the entire night chasing after a phantom of Tanya in her dreams, never quite catching her.

The events of the night before screamed into her mind as her eyes found the broken window. Checking the sun, Lara slowly rose from bed and went about her normal routine, trying hard to hold a solemn expression on her face when she wanted to laugh out loud at the sheer genius of their plan.

Something was amiss though. Life in the Barstow household seemed suspiciously normal as if nothing at all had happened the night before. Barstow himself seemed pretty smug ... almost cheery. Lara was waiting to be called aside and informed of her imminent dismissal due to an embarrassing shortage of funds ... but it never happened.

Anxiety was slowly wrapping its cold fingers around her heart as Lara contemplated the situation. Had something happened to Tanya? Had Marcus escaped or have they found their hiding place? By noon that afternoon Lara was distraught with worry. Mrs Barstow, the good soul, interpreted it as anxiety from the attack the previous night and her good-natured mannerism allowed her to give Lara two days of absence from her duties to recover from the ordeal.

Her emerald eyes seemed like saucers as she stepped into the street, listening to what people were saying. According to the tattertale at the Inn, Delilah had been duped with fake coins. Barstow’s fortune was in fact safe and sound. Rumours were flying around about Marcus’ disappearance, some speculating that he had been killed or captured by Delilah and held for ransom to the Sheriff.

Lara paled. Could it be? It would explain why the Barstow household was right as rain this morning but it did not bode well for her people ... for Tanya. They needed those coins to survive, they had desperate people to feed ... to take care of. If they were found using fake coins it would be down to the gallows for any of them, no questions asked.

Fear and tribulation flickered in her eyes as she devised a desperate plan to get back to the colony. She had to warn them. She had to do something. What, she wasn’t too sure, but something.

As Lara walked down the street, she witnessed another group of the Sheriff’s men ransacking a house in search of tax money that the family obviously did not have. The woman and her husband were thrown out on the street with their three children and Lara watched in horror as they set their home alight. The woman pleaded on her knees and the man stood bravely between his children and the guards, trying to protect them. The guards were sneering and laughing and making fun of them, saying: “This is what happens to people who support Delilah and her kind!”

The words cut to the bone. The fear and anguish in their faces were almost too much to bare. Lara could feel warm tears streaming down her face. This was her fault. It had been her idea to go on this crazy rampage ... but what other option did they have? All these people needed a place to go. The Sheriff did not give a damn about his people or their well-being: He cared about the gold and that was the entire purpose of his existence, to amount as much wealth as he possibly could at the expense of innocent people.

Lara turned and blindly walked towards the city gate, rage and anger burning in her eyes. It was inhumane. It was so heart wrenchingly unfair and there was nothing she or Tanya or anyone could do about it.

As soon as she was out of sight from the guards, Lara stepped into the forest and she ran as fast as her two feet could carry her. She had asked some of the colony members to find the family that faced the night without shelter and to bring them here ... but for now, she had to get to Tanya. She had to warn her, hold her ... she needed to be told that everything was going to be alright.

The sun had set on the horizon when Lara finally reached the colony. The fires shimmered in her red hair, giving it a life of its own as she walked to her and Tanya’s ‘room’. The delicious fragrance of Rebecca’s stew was dripping from the air and the laughter of the children soothed her soul as she stepped onto the lift and was hoisted into the canopy of the trees. Stepping through the door, she stood quietly for a moment, staring at the vision before her.

Tanya.

Her dark hair hung loosely around her small and seemingly fragile shoulders. It framed an angelic face. The night gown caressed her body, accentuating every sensual curve of her gorgeous frame, begging Lara’s hands to push it from her soft skin and to reveal the flawless flesh beneath. She could stare at her for hours ... and hours.

“Tanya,” Lara whispered brokenly. “God, I’ve missed you,” she said as she quickly closed the gap between them and wrapped her in a passionate embrace. She never wanted to let go. Tears were streaming down her cheeks as she found Tanya’s lips and pressed a soft kiss to them, holding her captive for the longest moment ... just soaking up the touch of her, the smell of her skin.

“It has been a lie. The coins we have stolen from Barstow were fake. All the planning ... all the work. For nothing!” Lara said almost hysterically in an ominous whisper. “The Sheriff has doubled his efforts and the people are streaming from the city. No home ... no refuge. It’s our fault Tanya, we should have never dreamed up Delilah. How will we survive? How are we going to help all these people?” She asked desperately.

Her emerald eyes looked translucent in the light of the fire, tears making them overly bright. Lara was clinging to Tanya for support her eyes roaming across Tanya’s beloved features. She wanted to get lost in Tanya’s beautiful eyes, shipwrecked on her gorgeous body ... stranded for all eternity in her warm embrace.