Fate - First Reply Mist, Muck, and Mire.

[Erren Serris]

It was very rare indeed that a trip to the Shallows of Alliria was something that appealed to Erren Serris. Most of the folk living amongst the swampy docks and mist covered boardwalks distrusted him. Serris wasn't the 'Tower Folk' from the west side of the city that they frowned upon so often, but it wasn't difficult to discern where he'd come from just by looking at his outfit and listening to his voice. In their eyes, a mage from Elbion had even less reason to be here than the Tower Folk.

So, when a celebration of a successful year of profit at port took place in a section of Alliria usually quite closed off to outsiders, it was an excellent chance for Erren to indulge himself. Happiness wasn't something that was particularly in excess in the life of the former Maester of the great College. Reduced to wandering city to city to investigate magical crimes and scooping up dangerous artifacts like a glorified street sweeper, his days of teaching the fine arts of the arcane were long gone.

It was lonely, sitting at the bottom and looking up at the top where you'd once been. He'd nothing to show for it but money, and hardly anything he wished to spend it on, caught as he was under the thumb of his overseers.

That loneliness could be forgotten underneath a bottle of ale though, even if only temporarily, and the warmth that crashed down his throat was exquisite as he took a swig from the bottle he'd bought from a rather impressive collection displayed on a cart parked at the side of one of the quickly busying streets. Sure, he was still getting looks for his expensive clothes and the somewhat scruffy face that contrasted them, but most people were far too busy laughing, dancing, and drinking to care a bit, the bright fabrics the Shallows were known best for hanging overhead like festive tapestries.

Erren walked the wooden planks with them, filling a few empty cups with his bottle as they passed him, nodding and smiling at the thanks he received. In another life, he would have adored this kind of existence, living for tomorrow, reveling in the simple. Tonight, he would enjoy himself as though he'd been here his entire life.

At least for a while.

The truth was, as with any trip Erren took, it was on a leash. Elbion's Foard kept him on a ball and chain, only allowing him to go where he absolutely must. He was property; a tool to be used by them for their needs. Right now, they needed somebody to hunt down a ring of Allirians smuggling valuable artifacts out of Elbion and selling it for high profit overseas, presumably from this very section of the city, out through the Eastern docks.

Technically, by perusing the wares being peddled to the partying masses, he was just doing his job. If his job got him a bit tipsy? Well, they couldn't blame him.

 

[Nadia Stone]

Nadia took frequent trips to The Shallows, usually to meet with fences who would buy any stolen goods she'd picked up with her sticky fingers that weren't for a job. She'd finished selling off a few things she'd been hanging on to for a little too long, and had resorted to wandering the streets to watch people celebrate their good fortune. It almost put a smile on her face, seeing people drinking and dancing and having a good time. It was wonderful to see how much happiness money could bring people.

From the shadows, she'd noticed him. Someone who didn't seem to fit in with the rest of the crowd. His clothes looked expensive. She wasn't the only one who'd noticed him, but she was the only one who seemed to be paying him any mind for longer than a minute or so of judgmental starting. She stayed back, the hood of her black cloak pulled over her head, following him at a distance as she moved from stall to stall, group to group. If he had anything of value on him, she might be able to follow him until he left The Shallows and swipe it from him. Worst came to worst, if he didn't have anything good on him, he might lead her to someone who did. Jobs had been coming in slow lately and a little extra money never hurt.

She watched him pour his drink into the empty cups of strangers and tilted her head in observation. Her eyes stayed on his hands, waiting to see if he'd move to check some possibly important or expensive cargo tucked inside a pocket. She'd gotten a little closer than she normally would've been comfortable being when tailing someone, thinking that the extra cover from the celebrating folks around her would keep him from noticing her.

 

[Erren Serris]

Normally, Erren would have noticed somebody tailing him fairly quickly. In his line of work, a moment of inattention could easily mean one's own death. The spirits in his gut had loosened him up a bit, however. His hidden shadow went unnoticed for some time indeed. Even if he had seen the white-haired woman closely following his every move, he wouldn't have bemoaned her; He was, after all, dressed quite unlike most in the shadows, in expensive clothes worn by mages and professors of the arcane.

Eventually though, the bottle in his hand ran dry, and with it did Serris' means of distracting himself. Upon pouring the last drop into his own mouth, the once proud Maester looked upon the bottle with eyes still far too sober, and a sad smile crossed his face. "Ah, well..." He muttered to himself. Best go find a room for the evening and try to find something he could bring back to his superiors, lest they find reason to punish him by sending him on an even more suicidal task.

It was now that his assailant's luck would run out, as her mark would turn on his heel and walk almost straight into her. Now that he was no longer handing out drinks, the crowd around him had dissipated considerably, and she stuck out like a sore thumb.

Erren stopped just short of colliding with the stranger, stepping back and raising a suspicious brow at just how close she'd been without his notice. If he did suspect anything, he did a well enough job of not showing it, however. The confusion on his face quickly gave way to an apologetic smile, and Erren bowed his head.

"A thousand apologies, Miss. I hope I didn't startle you too badly..."

 

[Nadia Stone]

As Nadia had been watching him drink, she'd wondered how drunk he was getting. He wasn't stumbling too badly, and he definitely wasn't belligerently drunk. The more he drank, the easier he'd be to follow. Maybe that thought let her get a little too loose and comfortable, because she was following him at a much closer distance than she usually would have. Her cover disappeared before she had time to do anything about it and before she knew it, she was out in the open.

When he turned around, she stopped dead in her tracks, trying to avoid the collision and think of an escape plan at the same time. Depending on how important he was, he could get her into serious trouble without even putting himself out much by it. She cursed herself in her head. This had been a bad idea, a reckless one, and she had never even known if anything useful would come out of it.

"I should be the one apologizing," She softened the tone of her voice significantly and pulled the hood of her cloak further over her head, attempting to cover as much of her face as possible. Nadia placed her hand delicately on her chest. If she could play it right, maybe he wouldn't find her out immediately. He had startled her quite badly, but not for the reasons he may have been assuming. The last time she'd gotten caught, she'd almost had a finger chopped off, and she didn't want to repeat that.

"I was trying to cut through the crowd, and I hadn't expected you to change directions so quickly," It was only a half lie. She'd learned a long time ago that lying was easier and much more believable if she sprinkled truths in with them. "Forgive me for asking, sir, but are you lost? I may be able to point you in the right direction."

 

[Erren Serris]

She wasn't the first to have tailed Erren like this, seeking to prey on a man who stuck out in a crowd like a sheep in a wolf pack. Most of his other 'interlopers' didn't have the benefit of Serris being a few drinks in, however. The brief embers of suspicion that flickered in his eyes passed quickly enough as she apologized, seemingly satisfied with her story.

After all, he wore the clothes of a mage tonight; Most people in the shallows were quite wary of magic. More specifically being targeted by it. It's probably the only reason they tolerated Erren's presence here in the first place. That being the case, the raven-haired gentleman was perhaps a degree more forgiving of odd behavior than usual. "Perish the thought, Miss. It's not a night for regrets and apologies, it's a night for revelry."

Even so, there was something about the girl that gave him pause, the way she tightened her hood around the white flowing hair that spilled from her head, or the fact she apologized with care taken not to look him directly in the eyes, as if she were hiding. It wasn't any of his business, but she looked atypical amongst those of the Shallows herself, almost as much as he.

So, when she pushed further, asking if he was lost, Erren crossed his arms and raised a brow, the slightest hint of a smirk crossing his face.

"I'd venture to guess that we're both not exactly where we belong, wouldn't you say?"

Nadia Stone