Private Tales Horns and Halls

A private roleplay only for those invited by the first writer

Kala

The Other Gutter Rat
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Vel Anir - House Melli Palace
Kasimir

There was a rule about Vel Anir, well, not so much a rule but a general policy that most people voluntarily chose to follow.

No one touched the Great Houses.

As a thief the most important thing in the world was your backside. No matter what, you wanted to keep that intact. Every thief Kala had ever met was selfish as could be. Backstabbing, betrayal, all of it was about as common as you could get in the Underground. There were dozens of rules, policies, and everything in between to keep your skin on.

Not touching the Great Houses was one of them. Stealing from one of those was like signing your own death warrant. Didn't matter which one of the seven it was, you just didn't touch em if you wanted to live long.

Thankfully that rule didn't apply to Minor Houses.

Kala didn't really understand it, mostly because she'd never taken the time to, but Minor Nobles didn't have the same privelages as their cousins. They couldn't send an army of Dreadlords after you, they couldn't call up an entire regiment. Thus they made for perfect targets. House Melli happened to be her latest, and the Palace she found herself in now was ripe for the taking.

"Idiots." The Tiefling said to herself with a smirk as she stood in the Master bedroom, depositing a large jeweled necklace into her bag.

There was a party going on downstairs in the main ballroom, and that just so happened to be the perfect distraction. Now she just had to find the room for the lady of the House.
 
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The Forsaken were never told why they were to do something, but nobody had explicitly told them not to wonder. It was a game liked to play on occasions such as this as he waited in Lady Melli's bedchamber for his target to arrive back from her Suarez downstairs.

Perhaps she had slandered a woman of one of the Seven Houses; he had once killed a baby in its crib because it was the child created on the wrong side of the bed so he didn't think it was past any of them to do such a thing to a woman who had caused insult. Or, Kasimir thought as he twirled the shadowy blade in his fingers idly, it was worse than that and she had slept with one of their men. Another thing he had discovered the nobility were particularly concerned with; even if she didn't want to bed her husband, nobody else could.

It could, of course, be nothing to do with her. Perhaps the Lady was merely the pawn in the game and the message was for someone else. Like her husband. Kasimir didn't know much about the family; it wasn't in their interest to know things. But it wouldn't be the first time someone tried to climb the ladder and discovered it was actually a greasy pole.

The blade danced across his fingers again and he ran his other hand down the stubble on his jaw. So many possibilities.

There was a movement at the door and Kasimir stepped back through the 'door' of the shadows so that he was out of sight from the person who entered.
 
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Kala fiddled with the lock to door. Why in the fuck would you lock your door in your own palace? Nobles.

The Tiefling thought to herself with a roll of her eyes.

The lockpick twisted finally, and there was a muted quick as the door gave way and popped open. She let out a pleased chirp, then quickly withdrew the lockpick from the door and slipped it back into her belt. A hand passed over her belt for a moment, unconsciously checking she still had the deck of cards she'd prepared.

With a gentle push she then opened the door.

Kala didn't immediately follow through, instead allowing it to swing all the way through encase someone was hiding behind it.

An old thieves trick.
 
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The dagger froze in his hands and then slowly the handle slid into his hand proper. His fingers curled around the hilt then he brought it up and along the length of his forearm. Kasimir didn't like to cause pain if he didn't have to, and a quicker and quieter death was much better than a startled messy one.

It was for that reason he didn't move straight away but rather he leaned against the wall and watched with piqued curiosity. A Lady would never hesitate to walk through the door and yet there appeared to be nobody in the doorway from his vantage point. Curious.

His head canted to the side as he waited. Then, when she entered he froze.

He had never seen another tiefling.
 
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Kala wasn't an assassin, she wasn't a soldier or someone trained to kill. But she wasn't a fool either.

The moment she stepped into the room she could feel a pair of eyes on herself. At first she thought it might have been the lady of the house, but no scream came. Then she thought it a soldier or guard, but no call for her arrest echoed out into the room.

I'm fact no voice came at all, not the sound of a footstep or anything at all. A curious expression crossed her features, the feather in her hair dancing slightly as she half took another step and then stopped.

Her off-hand gently floated behind the small of her back as she suddenly twirled on her heel.

"Well." Kala began with a click of her teeth. "Hello there."

Behind her back she slipped an index into the small canvas bag at her belt, pinching a single card as she readied to defend herself just in
 
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Kasimir could only watch in equal mixes of wonder and curiosity. Of course he knew there were other tieflings out there, there had to be or he wouldn't exist. But he hadn't thought one would ever come near Vel Anir. From what he had heard of his mother, his father had met her when he was away on business in Oban. Did this one have a death wish? Non humans were not exactly welcomed with open arms and on top of that she sought to... to do something here. Steal? Kill? Whoever she was she was brave for daring to do it.

He realised after a moment he had been staring from the shadows. It was... rude. To stare. Especially when she couldn't see that he was doing it.

After a moment he stepped from his shadowy domain and the blade disappeared in a swirl of black.

"You," he said very slowly as his hands slid into his pockets and he leaned against a pillar. "Should not be here."
 
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"Me?" She perked an eyebrow. "What makes you say that?"

A smirk touched her lips for a brief moment.

Was he another thief? The idea wasn't exactly impossible, though she'd not heard of another Tiefling operating in this area. Perhaps Drytail had missed someone, though the old Rous generally tended to be better informed.

Maybe this was something else. "I'm just poking around."

Her finger stilled pinched the card within the satchel, not drawing it just yet but instead letting it linger there.

"You know, these humans have such...strange style. Something to marvel at." She gave him her most charming smile.
 
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Kasimir merely stared at her in answer to her first question, giving her nothing. No hint of a smile, nor curiosity, nor interest. It was a blank look of boredom marred with a dash of irritation as if she had interrupted what he was doing. Which was a truth. That mask shifted a little when she actually provided him with a semi answer to what she was doing here. Poking around. So a thief. A common criminal. Truly, it was not this families night. He wondered briefly if she had already pilfered things from other rooms, his eyes slowly running down her form for any places that she might have stashed things.

Not that it really concerned him.

Her charming smile won her a flicker of emotion. Amusement? Maybe. He still hadn't moved from his position against the wall though.

"You get used to it. I would advice you to go and poke around elsewhere."
 
Ah a nice little clue about the origin of her new friend.

Her finger danced over the card in her satchel for a moment more, and then slowly she pulled it free as she made a decision. Her smile only grew a little brighter. "Used to it are you?"

Kala clicked her teeth.

"Sounds like you've been hanging around these no-horns for a little too long then, love." Both of her hands came up in a manner that showed she held absolutely nothing, then she took a slow step forward. "What brings you here?"

The Tiefling looked her counterpart up and down. "Body guard? Stable boy?"

Her lips pursed.

"Lady in Waiting?" Another step forward.
 
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Non-horns. Was that the term his mothers kind used? He had so many questions burning in his mind but he said nothing, kept it all hidden inside.

What he couldn't stop was the slight look of discomfort as she crossed the room to get into his personal space. Kas's eyes never left her form, taking in every little twitch of the hand or movement in case she suddenly pulled a knife or tried some form of magic. He was almost certain she was not here to kill but assassins took many forms. As a member of the Forsaken he should know.

As she stepped closer still he met her gaze levelly and calmly.

"How about, escort to the door?"
 
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"An escort huh?" She'd already stolen more than an entire years wages of the average Anirian. it would be enough to pay Drytails cut and let herself have a good time somewhere in the Underdark.

Yet the jewels in this room called to her.

She could practically hear them like a siren song. They wanted to be taken. These Anirians didn't know how to appreciate what they had. Not until it was gone anyway.

Kala lingered for a moment, casting a glance back towards the other end of the room. "Why the door?"

She asked.

"There's a perfectly good bed right here." It was a bit of a hail Susan, but she needed a distraction. If he faltered even a little it would be enough.
 
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"Because," Kasim finally moved, standing up to his full height now rather than leaning casually against the pillar. "You are getting in the way of my job," he motioned to the door once again. The invitation of the bed made him uncomfortable to say the least. He had already had enough of his time tumbling in sheets with women, having just recently returned from his mission in the so called Empire to the West. He had no intentions of being dragged into them again.

A thought.

"If you want to take the jewels then take them, but you need to leave in the next minute or so," because the carriages would be pulling up for the guests soon and her Ladyship liked to retired before everyone else left in order to avoid the long and pointless goodbyes. She had a sore hip and by this point in the evening after one to many dances she would also be in pain.
 
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Kala practically beamed at the invitation.

She did not need anymore prodding or poking, and with an almost delighted skip she hopped over towards the jewelry case on the far bureau. In her mirth she nearly forgot all about Kasimir, throwing open the case and grabbing half a dozen jewels and necklaces.

As she plucked the sixth one she stopped, admiring it in the moonlight for a second before she glanced back towards her kinfolk. "Oh dear."

A realization struck her.

"You're here to kill the fool of a woman are you?" What else could he have meant by his words? There was only one other job that required hiding in the shadows.

Her head shook.

"Darling." Kala scolded him. "That's not a job for the likes of us."
 
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The rune seared in the back of his neck as the question was spoken. It was forbidden to talk about the mission. This one he worked alone, there was no need to discuss it with anyone and so his Commands had been given thus, to speak of it not at all. He subconsciously brought his hand up to rub at the growing pressure though it would do nothing to relieve it. Nothing would until the woman was dead.

"Our kind do worse things," The likes of Norris had told him of the sorts of things their 'kin' did. "My job should matter as little to you as yours does to me," it was blunt and he didn't even spare her a look. After a moment or two he slid the shadowy dagger back into his hands and began to play it across his fingers once more. "You have perhaps two more minutes left to leave via the door."
 
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She watched him carefully now, placing the last necklace into her satchel and pursing her lips as he summoned a dagger into his hand.

Magic was not uncommon among their people, Kala even had her own tricks up her sleeve. It seemed however that he held something else back. She had never met a Tiefling that simply volunteered anything, so that wasn't unusual, yet he seemed to jump through emotions like she did decks of cards.

One moment he was captivated, the next eager to end the conversation.

There was something...off about all of this. "Are you so eager to get rid of me?"

Kala purred as she stepped away from the cabinet, deciding that what she had taken would be more than enough for this job.

"It seems a long time since you've had some proper companionship." Kala spoke as she began to pace across the room, now more than a little curious.
 
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No, he didn't want her to go.

The burning intensified.

But she needed to go. Kasimir gave her a bland look as if she were a mere annoyance.

"Have you got all you wanted? You have about a minute left," the shadows around him began to deepen and stretch along the wall in preparation to step back into them and conceal himself. As soon as the woman was in the door he would strike quickly and quietly. It was not his usual style but the rune was growing to become a problem and distraction now.
 
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Kala clicked her tongue again. "Really rather insistent huh?"

There was something odd about this man. He was clearly interested in her, at least...in looking at her, but the urgency around him was more than visible. Reading people was part of her job, telling when someone was pushed to the edge could keep you alive as a Thief.

Her eyes narrowed as the shadows behind Kasimir extended.

She had to resit the urge to reach back into her satchel, having to tell herself that whatever he was doing would not be for her. "What's the matter?"

Kala asked. "Human got your tail?"
 
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Kasimir itched the back of his neck again for what little good it would do him and sighed. He was not usually one to get blustered on a mission; the assassin in the dark had been his calling card since he was a young child and they had figured out what his talents were. The Bogeyman. This woman was a distraction and he needed her either out of the way or gone. His blade twirled in his hand. He knew what those who yanked on his leash would tell him to do in this situation. She was a risk to the mission. An obstacle to be removed.

"You make a living your way, I make a living my way. I let you do yours now can you please let me do mine?" there were footsteps in the hallway now and with a soft curse Kasimir took a hold of her wrist and pulled her close, stepping them both back into the shadows. It was like seeing the room through a smudged mirror and it was colder in the shadows than in the world beyond. A woman appeared in the doorway and moved to sit beside her table to begin the process of taking off her jewellery for the night.

"Keep. Quiet," it was a low growl of an order.
 
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Kala stifled a muted screech as she suddenly found herself getting yanked into a shadow. Her free hand waves slightly as she slipped into Kasimir's magic, her lips turning to a frown as she felt a wave of cold suddenly rush over her.

She had never liked the cold. There was something utterly discomforting about it that reminded her of her days on the street. Her head turned slightly, glancing around the shadow as Kasimir growled for her to keep quiet.

Her mouth was about to open in protest, but then she spotted the Lady of the House.

The woman's hands were reaching behind her neck, unclasping a large gold chain. In the mirror Kala could see a massive sapphire bound in platinum and allum. The Tieflings ears flicked involuntarily, and the size of the jewel nearly made her knees buckle. "She's about to notice someone took her things, big boy."

Kala whispered quietly.
 
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Kasimir suppressed the urge to roll his eyes at her comment and focused instead on the job at hand. Once she was dead then he could focus on the problem of her. In fact, perhaps he could use her. If there was sign of a struggle and then missing jewels people would think the death had been caused by a thief which would do well to cover any traces back to whoever it was that had taken the hit out on the woman in question. She was right that he would have to move quickly if he wanted to do it before she alerted anyone to the missing treasures.

"Stay here," it was hard to wander the shadows without a guide and he couldn't afford to have his attention split. He slid from his realm into the real one. His dark clothing allowed him a few moments in the shadowy room to not be seen straight away at least. By the time the woman had glanced back into the mirror Kasimir was beside her. His hand came around to cover her mouth to muffle the scream before he carefully slid the blade across her throat. He held her until she stopped spasming then pulled her from the chair to lay her on the ground, shifting the chair so that it lay strew across the ground. It would look to most people as if she had seen something in the mirror, struggle with her assailant, before having her throat slit. He quietly turned a few other bits of furniture over before returning to the shadow and pulling her from it.

The rune stopped burning and he sighed in relief.

"Well, this was fun," his voice dripped with sarcasm and then he made for the door.
 
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The moment Kasimir turned he would find Kala standing right in front of him. Both of her hands came up against his chest, a now blank card pinched between her index and middle finger. A bright smile touched her face.

Just how she had suddenly appeared there was a question in it of itself.

"Woah there, Red." She said with a smirk as she gently pushed him back. "Buy me dinner first."

As Kala spoke her tail slowly wiggled it's way around the taller Tiefling, it's point slowly reaching around the necklace that had dropped on the floor and drawing it back towards her. "Or do the people clutching your tail not pay you?"

She probed further, seemingly not caring about the corpse now resting on the floor.
 
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Surprise marred his face when he found her right behind him, his gaze flicking from her to the shadows and back very briefly. Was she like him? A Shadowwalker? Was this a skill all Tieflings possessed? He frowned a little at her question. The Forsaken were not paid in a sense, given money for things like clothes and such. Necessities. Of course if you didn't use it you could save some of it up for something a little more special but he wasn't paid in the sense she probably was asking.

"Red," he repeated the nickname. He hadn't been given a nickname before that wasn't meant to hurt him. His gaze flicked to the necklace that she was drawing towards him, his own tail curling round it and pulling it up to their eyeline. "I think if anyone is buying someone dinner, it should be you. Thievery pays better than assassin it seems."
 
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"It helps if you're paid at all." Her hand came up and snatched the jewel away from him, slipping it into her satchel before he could object and letting the blank card fall onto the floor.

The Necklace was the something extra she hadn't exactly planned to take. The jewel was a famous one, titled by most as the Heart of Trill. Apparently the House had fought a minor war for it at one point, though Kala didn't really care about that.

Taking it before would have been too dangerous, but now that the woman was dead? Well opportunity was opportunity.

She pursed her lips. "Well perhaps I can be persuaded. If you show me around a little."

Briefly Kala glanced at the corpse on the floor, then back at him.

"Provided I don't end up like her." Not that she was particularly worried about it.
 
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Kasimir made no comment about the issue of payment once again and let the necklace go with little resistance. His eyes were more focused on the card that had dropped from her person on to the floor. Clearly she cared not for it for she made no move to pick it up and he couldn't see what was so special about it.

"Show you around?" his attention was taken from the card and returned instead to her. Kas canted his head to one side and raised an eyebrow. Has she not heard about Vel Anir and this dislike of anything other than human or did she just not care? Her attitude suggested the latter.

"Vel Anir is not a place for you," his lips pressed in to a thin line. People like her being here resulted in people like him being born and doomed to a life of the Forsaken. "You should go home," he moved for the door once again.
 
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He clicked her teeth. "Is it not?"

With an almost child like glee she skipped after him, letting Kasimir reach the door and following directly in his steps.

"I beg to differ with what I've taken from this place." She of course knew exactly what Kasimir was talking about. Vel Anir was about as welcoming to Tieflings as bakers were to rats. She had never dared to walk the streets here.

She knew better than to taunt the racists and simpletons with the very sight of her.

"Besides, Red." Kala offered with a smile. "Home is so very far away."

In the distance she could hear voices, the empty halls of the Palace echoing.