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Post by Nolza on Jul 14, 2015 4:54:27 GMT
At the boy's response, Rajat raised an eyebrow almost incredulously. Odd, considering I have yet to extend said 'offer,' Raj thought, making Nin snort. But duly noted, Nazanin added onto Raj's thought like the true twin she was. Rajat nodded to the boy, noncommittally. The boy had conviction, which Raj couldn't complain about, considering what he was about to ask them.
Rajat then turned to the woman, who so far remained silent. Her careful response both annoyed and begrudgingly impressed him. Anger flickered in his eyes, but Raj now knew better than to act on his anger, not when he, without Nin, was the one who needed something from the humans. What an odd position for him to be in. Regardless, he did step closer, his step as much a warning as it was almost subconscious.
Just barely managing to keep the growl from his voice, Raj replied lowly, "Your knowledge of my ultimate purpose is unnecessary at this point." He almost stopped there, preferring to leave the waterless, troublesome humans behind. But Nin mentally nudged him and without words convinced him to stay. Such was their connection. "My requirements, however, are simple," he spoke quickly, tension mostly lost. "I need an intimate knowledge of the city, a master of subtlety, and," he paused, searching for a sufficient euphemism, "resilience."
You're forgetting something, twin . . . Nin whispered with mock long-suffering while Raj listed his "requirements."
"Oh," Rajat added after only the smallest of pauses, "the pay, of course, is good, if you are up for a challenge."
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Zanzhro
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Post by Zanzhro on Jul 14, 2015 19:35:50 GMT
"Your knowledge of my ultimate purpose is unnecessary at this point."
I'm going to have to kill someone. Sorek thought to himself. And if I am, I need rest and food. "I need intimate knowledge of the city-" I know that city inside out- "-a master of subtlety-" I am, if well rested- "And resilience." Now that could be a problem. Sorek gazed at the man. "I have two of the three." Sorek said flatly. "Will that suffice?"
Sorek gazed at the man, trying to decipher what he read on his face. This man, he has something up his sleeve. There must be a twist to this. He thought. He can't just want me to assassinate someone, can he? With his shape-shifting and ability to turn into smoke, it must be easy to kill someone. Sorek took a deep breath and sighed. "Can I at least sleep somewhere before doing this? I don't have much resilience." Sorek dropped himself to the ground and laid down.
I'm tired.
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Post by skender on Jul 17, 2015 3:11:49 GMT
The Djinni stepped forward. Shit, thought Tamsin, fear washing through her chest, though not nearly as powerfully as before. Perhaps she had spoken too boldly.
"Your knowledge of my ultimate purpose is unnecessary at this point," said the Djinni, voice low.
Yes, too boldly, thought Tamsin, carefully maintaining her composure. That, or I'm dealing with a particularly foul-tempered Wish Waker. She held her breath, staring at the Djinni's face as she waited for him to go on.
Finally, he continued. "My requirements, however, are simple," he said. Tamsin sighed with relief at his now-softened tone. "I need an intimate knowledge of the city, a master of subtlety, and..." He paused. "...Resilience."
"Oh," the Djinni added. "The pay, of course, is good, if you are up for a challenge."
"I have two of the three," said the blonde boy, suddenly. Tamsin glanced at him. "Will that suffice?"
Curious to hear the Djinni's response, Tamsin turned back to face him. But before the Wish Waker could utter a word, the boy was speaking again. "Can I at least sleep somewhere before doing this?" he said. "I don't have much resilience."
Flump. Tamsin's brow furrowed at the unexpected sound. She turned toward it, and a smile erupted over her face. The boy had flopped down onto the sand, and was now trying to take a nap.
A light laugh bubbled up from Tamsin's chest. "Well," she said to the Djinni, beaming, "whatever 'resilience' the boy lacks, you'll find in me. But perhaps it would be wise to continue this discussion with a roof over our heads. The open desert is a dangerous place."
For us humans, anyway, she thought, smiling gently.
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Post by Nolza on Jul 18, 2015 2:19:32 GMT
Raj stared down at the boy with incredulous disbelief. "No kidding," Raj murmured as the woman laughed pleasantly. She turned back to face Raj, a smile much more suited to her pretty face than fear. Disturbingly, Raj found he preferred it that way. He shuddered at the thought. I'm getting soft, he rumbled inwardly.
"Well, whatever 'resilience' the boy lacks, you'll find in me. But perhaps it would be wise to continue this discussion with a roof over our heads. The open desert is a dangerous place," the woman suggested.
Ah, the frailty of humans. So fun to exploit, Nin sighed longingly. She had always been the twin that preferred playing with humans rather than her own race. It really was horrible luck--or fate--that she had been the one stuck pleasing and spying on djinni dignitaries, since Raj had always been the better of the two when it came to dealing with djinni. Come on, Raj, just play with them a little, she pleaded coyly, You know, push the boy's resilience. Give him a little urging or incentive--some flirting could go a long way, then you--
"No, I'm not doing that," Raj growled unwittingly aloud. Nin cackled at his response, particularly once he realized he had spoken that bit aloud. Rajat briefly paused to close his eyes impatiently. Dammit Nin, he sighed.
"I, uh, wasn't talking to you," he told the humans quickly, eyes still closed. "Just . . . follow me," he added, not waiting to see if they would actually follow.
You really should be nicer, even if you don't flirt, Nin told him after her cackling had abated. Don't you dare-- he began, but Nin interrupted him. Because now they definitely think you a nutcase, and who wants a nutcase for an employer? she giggled incorrigibly. Raj sighed as he walked, checking behind him to see if the two humans were indeed following him.
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Zanzhro
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Post by Zanzhro on Jul 18, 2015 21:12:21 GMT
"Just... Follow me."
Sorek lifted his head out of the sand and spit, regretting falling face down instead of onto his back. Do I have to? He thought to himself. He dropped his head back down and went to sigh, then stopped himself. He pushed himself to his feet, then sighed. I guess a bed is more comfortable than sand. But if I have to sleep on a floor, I'm coming back here. Sorek relucantly started after the dark-skinned man, all the while questioning why he stood up in the first place.
Then, he turned serious again. What kind of job would require intimate knowledge of the Citadel, as well as resilience and stealth? Thievery? Maybe, but what kind of heist goes on for several days at a time? He gazed up at the sky while walking, trying to forget how much effort walking took. It could be a while before we discuss this again. Sorek lowered his head and caught up with the man. "What kind of task is it?"
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Post by skender on Jul 18, 2015 23:27:06 GMT
"No, I'm not doing that."
Tamsin raised an eyebrow. It was only a suggestion, she thought, crossing her arms over her chest. She opened her mouth to ask where the Djinni suggested they find shelter--night was coming on--but before she could say a word, he sighed.
"I, uh, wasn't talking to you," he said, eyes closed.
Tamsin frowned. Then who--
"Just..." The Djinni turned on his heel and began to walk. "Follow me."
Tamsin blinked, lips parting slightly. Foul-tempered and insane, are we? she thought. This sun brain can't honestly expect us to walk to the nearest watering inn, can he? We'd be trudging through emperor cobra territory all night.
A cool breeze tugged at Tamsin's cloak--she shivered, glancing at the horizon. The sun was nearly gone.
Perhaps he knows something I don't, she thought, starting forward. After all, what choice did she have but to go with him?
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Post by Nolza on Jul 20, 2015 4:21:39 GMT
As he glanced behind him, the boy--sand still stuck to his face and hair--jogged up to him. The woman, still behind, looked a bit disgruntled and cold, but followed nonetheless. Despite himself, he felt relief. These two seemed to be good candidates to help him in this nearly impossible task--impossible for Raj alone, that is. If they truly were as promising as they seemed, Raj was glad they still followed, human or not.
"It's . . ." Raj paused, trying to answer the boy's question. "something like a very complicated retrieval. We'll discuss it in more detail privately. She is right," Raj glanced at the woman, just realizing he did not know either of the humans' names, "the open desert is a dangerous place. You never know who may be listening." He tilted his head, shooting them both a meaningful glance. He would not discuss it further above ground.
With that, Raj stopped, studying his surroundings with more than his tactile senses. Over the centuries, humans tended to leave store houses, caches, even treasure stores far under the sands, hoping their obscurity would keep their belongings safe. But nothing was ever truly safe in the Silver Sands. Not unless you know where to look . . . In truth, the desert was now littered with such caches, but few remembered their locations. On the run as Raj was, however, he had become rather acquainted with the desert's forgotten and hidden litter.
"There." Raj said, mostly to himself. He had found one--he felt the buried gold's pull, more specifically. "Just over those sand dunes," he pointed forward for the benefit of the two with him. "Not far." He began to walk toward the located cache. "You can call me Rajat," he added nonchalantly over his shoulder, not particularly expecting a response.
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Zanzhro
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FLYING MONKEYS OF LIFE
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Post by Zanzhro on Jul 20, 2015 14:48:22 GMT
It's... something like a very complicated retrieval. We'll discuss it in more detail privately. She is right."
Very complicated retrieval? Interesting. The man then stopped suddenly. On instinct, Sorek put his hand on the hilt of his blade, scanning his surroundings. Is someone there? Is there something here that I can't see? Sorek thought to himself. "There. Just over those sand dunes. Not far." The man said. What is he talking about? There is no sign of civilization. No noise, no signs of crops, nothing a village in a desert would have. Well, maybe not the noise part.
Sorek started after the man again, this time more cautious, though. Whatever is out there, it may be guarded or hard to find. It would do me well if I could learn how to see the desert as he does. "You can call me Rajat." Rajat said. Sorek stopped for a second, wondering how someone could just introduce himself non-nonchalantly. "Sorek. My name is Sorek."
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Post by skender on Jul 26, 2015 3:52:30 GMT
"It's... something like a very complicated retrieval," said the Djinni. Tamsin lifted her hood over her hair, listening. "We'll discuss it in more detail privately. She is right."
As I so often am, Tam thought, jokingly. She slipped a small vial from her belt as they walked, patting a few drops of the sour-smelling liquid on her neck. Fox urine would keep the cobras away for a while, but not all night. Where in the names of the gods were they going?
"There." The Djinni stopped abruptly. "Just over those sand dunes. Not far."
Tamsin stopped too, squinting at the darkening desert. What was she supposed to be seeing? She considered warning the Djinni about the... unnaturally powerful mirages that often plagued weary travelers. But something made her think he already knew.
The Djinni resumed his walking. "You can call me Rajat," he said over his shoulder.
"Rajat," Tamsin whispered appreciatively. Courage. A good name. Time would tell whether or not it suited him.
After a moment's silence, the boy responded. "Sorek," he said, less casually than the Djinni. "My name is Sorek."
Sorek. Tamsin had never heard such a name before. Where does this boy hail from?
Another pause. Tamsin realized her companions would want her name. "Shiva," she said, replacing her vial in its pouch. The name meant "wise." I pray it suits me well, Tamsin thought, glancing at the sky.
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Post by Nolza on Jul 27, 2015 3:12:05 GMT
Sorek and Shiva . . . Raj turned to eye the two, his eyebrow raising as his gaze fell upon Shiva. Interesting names, to say the least . . . "Hmm," Raj mused to himself, noticing the vial Shiva returned to her pouch. He shot her a perplexed look, then sniffed, catching a whiff of a peculiar odor. Raj shrugged one shoulder, chalking it up to odd human behavior, then stopped at the peak of the sand dune nearest to the hidden cache. Looking down, he estimated the entrance's location, hidden deep under the sand.
"Stay here a moment," he instructed, shooting them a stern look. Nin badgered him as he slid purposefully down the dune, but he steadily, stubbornly ignored her. Landing easily near the bottom, Rajat stooped, coming face to face with an occupied Silver Lizard's nest right over his access to the cache. Too busy shutting out his annoying twin from his mind, Raj had forgotten the desert's way of guarding its claimed treasure. At least this cache wasn't as heavily guarded as some. His first encounter with the desert's natural bouncers had been on a much grander, more poisonous scale. These lizards, peculiar for their oddly familial nesting habits, were by comparison much less problematic. As the rather large, spindly mother lizard hissed at him, Raj chuckled exasperatedly. "Hah, well no time like the present . . ." he muttered, perversely gleeful.
"Catch!" Rajat yelled up to the humans, barely caring if they had obeyed his instructions to stay or not. "Dinner," he explained, grinning gregariously as he commanded euphoric wind to slingshot the hissing, bloodthirsty lizard at the nearest of the two. The three hatchling lizards, almost old enough to leave the nest, stepped threateningly toward Raj, and then they, too, shot up through the air. Rajat laughed as he aimed them toward the other human, then he turned to the only remaining lizard in the nest.
The male lizard, poisonous spindles flaring around its neck, flung itself at Rajat. A smirk lifted one corner of his mouth as Rajat pushed a dense mass of air, meeting the lizard's velocity exponentially. It was more than enough to snap the lizard's neck on impact. Sand sprayed in all directions as the limp lizard collided with the sand dune opposite Rajat. Rajat jumped back, carried by unnatural wind, looking up to see how the humans fared.
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Zanzhro
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Post by Zanzhro on Jul 31, 2015 16:47:21 GMT
"Catch. Dinner."
One of the lizards in the nest was flung toward Sorek. He quickly drew his blade and sliced the soft underbelly of the lizard as it thrashed and flailed in the air. It landed with a thud, and, by where Sorek had cut it, it could barely breath, much less move.
He crouched down beside it and looked at its pained face. Such a sad way to go. He thought. Decapitated by one much larger than him. With a swift flick of his blade, he lopped off its head, then turned his attention to the three smaller lizards being flung at Shiva. How does this woman actually fight? He thought. Three hatch-ling lizards hardly seem like a formidable foe, but still, I may be able to draw something from the way she kills them. If she kills them or decides to do anything to them.
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Post by skender on Aug 3, 2015 3:31:57 GMT
"Catch!" shouted Rajat, grinning at the bottom of the dune. That smile, Tamsin thought, smirking lightly in response.
An unnatural wind stirred the sand. "Dinner," Tamsin heard, and suddenly several lizards--one large, three small--flew into the air, shrieking and hissing and flailing in confusion.
Ah, dinner! Tamsin thought, grinning. She stepped back, studying the trajectory of the three hatchings as she reached into her cloak.
Steel sang. Three small thumps, and the hatchlings stopped flailing, falling to the sand near the crest of the dune. Tamsin's smile widened.
Testing us, Djinni? she wondered, jogging forward to retrieve her throwing knives. Looked like both she and the boy--Sorek, was it?--had passed.
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Post by Nolza on Aug 4, 2015 3:18:14 GMT
The humans were quick, Rajat'd give them that. In fact, he felt surprisingly pleased with their efficiency, particularly Shiva's efficiency. Her blade was honed, practiced, smooth. The boy was younger, and it showed, but his blade was certainly not lacking. Granted, a few Silver Lizards were nothing compared to paranoid fugitives and angry djinni. Still, Raj's burden eased up just a bit.
Rajat said nothing yet, but a smirk remained on his face. He nodded to them both, then extended his hand, palm parallel to the slight incline of the buried entrance. His own dead lizard lay forgotten at the bottom of the sand dune. With a flick of his wrist and an easy command of air, Rajat flung the lizard toward the boy, Sorek. He then returned his attention to the hidden cache.
Gusts of wind snaked their way to his palm, twisting playfully around him, then spiraling toward the base of the sand dune Sorek and Shiva were still standing on. Strong wind pulled at grains of sand, inviting them away from the hidden hatch door. As sand spiraled away, solid streams of air took the sand's place, creating a windy, sandy path to the door.
Raj's brow furrowed with concentration as his manipulation of air worked. Only rarely had he needed such an elaborate use of wind, but since the humans could not shape shift and follow his usual path to such caches, and since he wanted to avoid using wishes to grant him power beyond his capabilities, he saw little choice. As the door began to resurface at the end of the windy tunnel, Rajat beckoned to Sorek and Shiva with two fingers, a tight smile again finding its way to his face.
"After you," he yelled over the wind and sand, nodding to the heavy wooden door.
Hey there, twin. You're not too shabby without me, now are you? Nin sniffed, almost offended. Rajat mentally gave her a mocking, consoling pat on the head, to which she pushed back with an affronted laugh.
Love you, mean it. Rajat privately joked with a mental wink, a hint of a laugh showing on his face.
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Zanzhro
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Post by Zanzhro on Aug 7, 2015 13:48:00 GMT
"After you!" Rajat shouted
Sorek gazed down at the now revealed hatch. Moments before, the sands had started shifting and stirring to reveal a hatch. Rajat's lizard had also been thrown at Sorek, which he didn't see, so it hit him in the face and fell into the sands. He played off by sheathing his sword and doing an acrobatic move toward Rajat and grabbing the lizard in the process.
Laying the two lizards beside him, Sorek yanked on the small metal lever on the hatch, opening it. He looked down into it, seeing only a ladder and a dusty stone floor. Attempting to stand up, Sorek had intentions of letting Shiva go first, just in case. But his foot slipped on some sand, sending him into the hole. He landed on his back, head at the base of the ladder.
He lifted his head slightly to see what was ahead of him, but all he saw was darkness. "It looks safe." Sorek called up to Rajat and Shiva, neither of which he could see. "I'm just going to lie here for a while. Plotting my revenge on the sand."
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Post by skender on Aug 25, 2015 2:48:56 GMT
Tamsin's wonder at Rajat's windy power shattered when the boy--Sorek the Gravity Impaired--fell once again, this time straight into the uncovered cache. He hit the floor with a muffled thump, sending up a cloud of dust. "Gods," whispered Tamsin, wincing to disguise her smile as she peered into the hole.
No one said anything for a moment. Finally, Sorek spoke. "It looks safe," he said, staring up at her with shiny, green saucers. He lay perfectly still.
Tamsin threw her head back and laughed, guffawing until her entire body shook. She nearly choked on the twisting, sandy wind, but that didn't stop her; she hadn't laughed like this in a very long time. "Gods be good!" she finally managed, still beaming as she leaped into the cache. She twisted as she fell, landing in a hard crouch to Sorek's left, smiling in his face.
"I like you," she said, reaching out to help him up. "You and I are going to be friends."
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