Private Tales Robbing the...Rich?

[Val]

"My father does not want me dead." Val said confidently. "I am his only son, only child in fact."

Without him, the entire family would collapse upon the old man's death. That was a fact that had been stressed many times when Val had taken one dangerous action or another. His father wanted him alive as much as possible.

"I've staved off more than a few assassinations on my own." Just fine.

"And usually when they come, my father already knows about it." Information was important in Oban, more so than gold. "Which means this one is...special, probably someone my father doesn't know about or..."

Someone very close to him.

The thought made him frown a moment. "You seem to think like danger lurks around every corner. I've staved off assasinations, but they're not exactly an every day thing."

He told her.

"Normally I'd be spending two weeks here alone bored out of my mind." A chuckle escaped him as he placed the last stitch in her flesh. "This is almost a welcome distraction."

 

[Rania]

“His only child?” The thief slid back and forth on her chair. A sigh escaped her lips, she shook her head in disbelief and looked at the door, then back at him. He was worth plenty then, the woman was sure of it.

Once Val’s assassin had been put to rest, the rogue would happily take over their position and finish the job. Not to kill him, but to demand a reward of some sort at least – she could really use the money.

“His lack of foresight cost you dearly tonight.” When he finished stitching up her leg, she pulled it back and inspected it carefully. It hurt like hell, but would heal soon enough. He had done a decent job, she had to give him that.

“Danger does lurk in every corner, you are just luckier than you think.” Or right in front of him, but she didn’t want to provoke him after he had so kindly helped her. Rania arched a brow at his chuckle. “You either have a morbid sense of humor, or you are easily distracted.” She stood, and then walked to the door.

“Show me the body, then fetch my weapons. I’ll be getting dressed afterwards.”

 

[Val]

"Cost me more than once." He said dryly as he let go of her leg so that she could inspect the sowing up of her wound.

Val wasn't anywhere near as good as John had been, but the man had taught him a thing or two. He hadn't known anything about his...side job, but he'd always wanted to make sure that Val could help someone who was injured.

When Rania drew herself up and walked over towards the door issuing commands Val let out a loud laugh.

"Wow." He said with a shake of his head. "Love, You're beautiful, but there's no one on this fucking continent who can order me around like that."

His hand ran through his hair. "How about you try asking nicely."

Val gestured.

"Otherwise I'm sure whatever assassin is after me would be happy to slit your throat too." The nobling shrugged with a smile.

 

[Rania]

She stifled a laugh. “Except Daddy, remember?” With no shy amount of mockery in her words, the thief pushed a long curl of black hair over her shoulder and gave him a dismissive look. “Alive and thriving by the grace of someone else.” He really was a pity.

The hallway was empty and although nothing could be felt, there were still plenty of things amiss. It was quiet in the realm and even though the sun had risen, she could hear no birds chirping and the silence felt suffocating.

“I was a slave for fifteen years.” She gave him a long look. “One measly assassin means nothing to me.” Val on the other hand probably found himself in a dire situation at this point. He had no allies here, he was alone. The woman breathed a sigh and merely shrugged.

“Besides, it’s impossible to sneak up on me, unless you can fly or float. So I suggest that if you want to live, you stay close.” And with that, she walked out of the door and back to her chambers. Rania had nothing in particular in mind, although she was looking to get dressed before inspecting the body and then the rest of the manor.

The room was across the hallway and up the stairs. It was quite the walk, but nothing Rania couldn’t manage. Her leg hurt, but at least she no longer had to worry about bleeding to death. When she walked through the door, however, the rogue was immediately overcome by something that could only be described as a bad gut feeling.

But still, there was no one there.

Rania changed into the attire from the previous day and immediately looked much more suited for the job. As she went to retrieve the precious hair brush she had hidden underneath her pillows, however, it was gone.

“Valren?” A lump formed in her throat. “Valren??” She called out louder this time and headed back to the hallway.

 

[Val]

Val didn't move from his perch at the table. She could sass and argue all that she wanted, but he was known for being a stubborn idiot and he wasn't about to move at her beck and call unless she actually treated him with some respect.

It may not have been the smartest decision to make, but well he made it anyway.

Rania didn't know the half of who he truly was, and any assassin who crept up on him would have more problems than they bargained for. At least that was his reasoning as she wandered back to her room and Valren remained picking at what was left of his own breakfast.

He mused quietly, trying to think of a list of names who would want him dead. He was waiting for Rania to return, to offer him an indignant insult or jest of some sort, but that never came.

Instead her voice echoed out in the estate.

It was not a shrill yell of demand or a cry of panic, but there was a hint to it that told a story. His lips thinned, and quickly he pulled himself from the table and rushed out of the Kitchen. He moved quickly, dashing up the stairs when suddenly he spotted something out of the corner of his eye.

Head snapped to the side, and he caught the traces of a shadow beneath one of the windows. Lips thinned, gaze focusing upon the light there. Nothing stuck out to him, but he could have sworn...

His fingers tightened on the railing for a moment, and then he slowly continued up towards Rania's room. He met her in the hallway, nearly crashing into her and only stopping himself from doing so by gently grasping her upper arms. "What?"

Val asked, still half focused on what he'd seen.

 

[Rania]

“Oh, so you do know how to come when called.”

The thief gave him a triumphant smile along with a pat on the chest. “Good boy, now fetch me my weapons.” She had felt him coming upstairs; not running yet, but that would hopefully change shortly. Rania switched into a poker face the moment she confirmed he was alive and well and decided that she would, at least on the outside, remain level-headed.

“Please. We are on the same side now, remember?” The thief needed him to cooperate, at least for the time being. Then, once the competition had been eliminated, she would find a way to make the most money off of him. Of course she could simply ask for a reward, but she suspected that things weren’t that easy, nor he that willing.

“Show me around and then I suppose we can begin our little game?” It was a suggestion more than a question, really and the more time was spent with idle chatter and standing around, the more worried she became about the invisible threat.

 

[Val]

Val considered, not for the first time, just gagging Rania and cutting off any sort of conversation the two could have.

If he moved fast enough he could probably knock her unconscious and tie her up again...more securely this time, and then just take her back to Oban and claim she'd killed John. It would have been satisfying in some way, but it would have made him a liar and no better than any of the other Nobles he stole from.

Lips thinned for a moment, and he considered at least smacking her in the ass or something in vengeance of his own indignation. Eventually he sighed, remembering that he was supposed to be playing a part.

"I'll show you a game we can play." Val grumbled under his breath as he moved passed her and headed towards his own rooms.

He didn't particularly care if she followed him or not, though as he stepped through the door Val froze. His lips thinned in an instant, and fingers tightened as he closed his eyes and took a breath.

If Rania stepped behind him she would see what he did, a massive message scrawled on the opposite wall in blood.

"13 YEARS"

The room had also been utterly torn apart. Clothes, papers, and everything else strewn apart. Val looked at the writing and sighed. "I'm going to have to clean that up."

He said, pinching the bridge of his nose and apparently not as concerned as he should have been.

With a few steps he wandered over to a corner of the room, pushing in a panel of the wall and sliding it to the side. Within the hidden space was an assortment of weapons, including Tania's daggers.

"Here." Val said as he offered the weapons to her.

 

[Rania]

Of course Rania followed after him. She was getting under his skin or so it seemed and satisfied with the results of her work, the thief happily tiptoed around behind her companion until they arrived at his chambers.

Once there, Rania stood on her toes to look over his shoulder and arched both brows in surprise when she saw the poorly painted threat on the wall. “Charming,” the woman uttered and flipped her long braid over her shoulder.

The room itself was in shambles; his belongings had been thrown around, torn apart and the place was a complete mess. “I’m gonna have to charge extra for this,” she said quietly to herself and shook her head. At this point there was no denying it: this was personal – and it made the unknown attacker all the more dangerous.

“Finally.” She took her daggers and inspected both carefully. They were fine. Then, she snuck behind him and once more looked over his shoulder, creeping close enough to make him uncomfortable – if he was like that. “More goodies? For me? You shouldn’t have!” She was wondering what sort of use a pretty boy like him would have for a stash of hidden weapons, but she figured there were more important questions to ask at this moment.

“I take it you don’t know what this message means? By the looks of it, I wouldn’t say it’s for you, but for your father.” Val looked to be around the same age as herself, give or take a few years. Thirteen years ago he would have been but a child, and she doubted that he held enough power back then to piss anyone off to this degree.

But she could be wrong.

 

[Val]

"Maybe if you'd asked more nicely I would have shared." Val commented quietly as he pulled out a strange looking bow from the the hidden compartment, followed closely by a string and set of arrows s well as an odd long knife.

With one smooth motion Val bent the bow backwards and placed the string upon it, the strange bow flexing as though it were about to break but then settling into place. Strangely the weapon did not seem to be made of wood, but instead some sort of bone.

Val turned the weapon in his palm and then slipped the flat quiver onto his back. "It's for my father."

The noble confirmed with a nod.

"I assume anyway. I was a kid thirteen years ago." He hadn't done much to offend anyone yet. "Something must have happened thirteen years ago but…"

He chewed his lip. "Thirteen years doesn't narrow it down. My father's served the King for twenty and in that time…"

A scowl pulled on his lips. In that time his father had destroyed more lives than he could count.

 

[Rania]

“Fine, I’ll do that next time.” The thief replied with a defeated look on her face. He probably wasn’t a bad guy and seeing how he was still putting up with her, Rania couldn’t help but feel a little guilty.

He had left her alive after injuring her, when she had tried to rob his cart and shot his driver. Val had also helped her with her wound and even though she was defenseless at some point, not attempted anything at all. For that, she was grateful.

Maybe he didn’t deserve all the shit she was giving him.

Her eyes immediately fell on the bow and a sparkle lit up those emerald orbs when she set sight on a new target. “That’s a pretty bow,” she said without hesitation and leaned against him, reaching for the weapon. “Can I see? Let me see!” Rania was a sucker for weapons, especially the rare and expensive ones and this bow in particular simply looked...different.

“What’s it made of?” She asked, and if he’d let her snatch it she would bite down on the material. It was hard, and kinda crunchy? “Can I try? Please?” The doe-eyed maiden begged.

 

[Val]

Val didn't quite let Rania snatch the weapon away from him, still holding the weapon tight in his grasp, but she did manage to wrangle it just enough to bite down on it. "Wha-HEY!"

The Noble said as he gently swatted at her nose as though she were a puppy that just got into the trash.

"Stop that." Val insisted, pulling the bow away from her so that she couldn't continue to try and leave teeth marks all over it. "It's made of Basilisk bone."

He told her, still trying to get her far enough away so that she couldn't pull the weapon out of his hand. He had made it himself. It was one of the few things in his life that was actually his and not his fathers. The bone had been given to him by the mayor of a village he had saved from a Mining conglomerate, and from there had had turned it into composite bow.

The bone was stronger than any wood could ever be, and the force of an arrow from this particular weapon could easily punch through plate.

Though it also took someone of enormous strength and practice to even draw it. "You can try it if we survive this."

He told her, frowning for a moment before adding.

"Because you asked nice." Val had to make that clear.

 

[Rania]

“Basilisk bone.” She sucked in a breath. Most things could be bought with money and clearly he had enough of it. Still, certain items such as this were a rarity and hard to find, even with the right amount of funds available.

“How did you go about obtaining this?” The thief’s eyes hadn’t lost their sparkle, but she squealed and bit into his hand when he swatted her away.

Clearly he wasn’t going to share for now, but when he agreed on letting her play once business was done, Rania was satisfied. He seemed attached to the weapon, which made it all the more desirable.

“Why is being nice so important to you? It’s all just a façade anyways, isn’t it?” She asked, curious about why he was the way he was. Rania was of course referring to the nobles in general and not Val in particular. Their fake smiles and insincere words were something she had witnessed many times and grown to dislike.

 

[Val]

Val hesitated for a moment, as if he were trying to play through his mind just what she meant.

Did she know? Had she guessed? Fingers tightened on the bow involuntarily and he couldn't help but hold his breath as he thought about just what to do. "N-No?"

The Noble said slowly, swallowing.

"I am who I am." Val cleared his throat. He was usually better at lying than this. Hell this entire time he had done an amazing time acting, at least he was pretty sure he had, but there was a way to her that he...couldn't quite guess at. "Decorum is just what I was taught."

Val said as he cleared his throat. "I got the bone in a nearby village. Heirloom."

Half truths were always best.

"Paid them a King's Ransom for it, had a fletcher do the rest." That was the lie. He had done it all himself. A fact he was rather proud of. "But uh...lets find this killer, yeah?'

Val said as he scooted away from Rania.

 

[Rania]

Valren stuttered.

Stumbled over his own words, if only for a split second. Bright, emerald eyes widened with growing curiosity and Rania’s gaze slipped back and forth from his ever-changing face to his unique weapon – and the intensity in her look grew more apparent by the minute.

What are you hiding, little prince, she thought and gave him a bleak smile.

"It's never that simple," Rania merely gave back with a shrug. Everyone had more than one face, there was simply no denying that. She didn't fault him for not showing more of his though, of course. It was only natural that he didn't.

"How unusual for people to sell their family heirlooms to random nobles," she remarked with a sneer. The story he had for the bow sounded lame, but the thief didn't seem to care. He said he would let her have a go with it once this was over, and suddenly she had been motivated to work for something.

"Right, lets get going." With her weapons equipped, and he having his, Rania was assuming that this would be over pretty quickly. Then, they could get back to normal. "Do you want to bury the body first, or do you have to take it back to wherever you guys live?"

 

[Val]

"Well you know peasants, terrible with money and all." Val had to fight not to cringe when he said the words.

Shifting his weight and pulling the bow back in his grip slightly the Nobling let out a sigh as Rania asked her next question. Fingers tightened for a moment, his eyes closing as he thought about John and all the things he'd done for him over the years.

The man had deserved better.

"I'll take him back." He said quietly. "His family deserves to choose where he was buried."

Slowly Val chewed his lip, looking at the ground before shaking his head and deciding already in his head that whoever had done this would pay in the same way that his friend had. Fingers tightened and he drew himself back.

"We need a plan." He told Rania.

"Whoever is doing this is trying to fuck with me." That much was obvious. "We need to be smart."

 

[Rania]

“Now you almost sound like you deserve this,” the woman said with no small amount of disdain in her voice for his dismissive comment. “Must be nice to be able to simply buy everything you want, from anyone who has it.” Her eyes darted around the room, clearly avoiding Valren as she shrugged her shoulders and walked off.

When Val announced his plans for John’s body, Rania merely arched a brow. “I don’t suppose you guys keep coffins in this place? A morgue in the basement, perhaps?” Rania didn't think so, but you never knew with rich people: especially in a place like this, far away from all nearby towns, it wouldn’t surprise her if they actually did have those things.

When he suggested a plan, Rania couldn’t help herself and laughed out loud. “Have you and your father tried being less of an ass to everyone once in a while? So that maybe others didn’t have to constantly suffer the consequences of your poor behavior?” The thief didn’t feel sorry for herself for ending up in this situation – it was very much her own fault after all – but she didn’t want Valren to think that this somehow made them allies.

Because it didn’t.

They were too different and nothing about him aligned with what she stood for. “Just let me scout the damn place and unless we’re being haunted by a ghost I’ll find them eventually,” she said and gave him a long look.

“Anyways, the body?”

 

[Val]

"Well maybe if Others didn't try to rob me they wouldn't end up in this situation would they." Val countered with a simple shrug.

Of course, he didn't actually disagree with Rania even a little bit. He did think that most of his families woes were brought on...well by their own accord. There wasn't really anything else that brought them trouble except their own actions, but he couldn't admit that to her.

Not if he wanted to save any amount of face.

Stretching slightly he shifted his weight and shrugged, deciding that it was best to still keep up the little game that he was playing. "This way."

He told her.

"We won't be spending another night." Not if they could help it. "Fuck that."

Whoever was after him would likely take any opportunity that they could, and Val wasn't going to make it any easier.

 

[Rania]

I shouldn’t have settled with just robbing you, the girl thought, lips pressed together in a thin line. He was insufferable, yes, but at this moment Rania didn’t think that pushing Valren further would do either of them any good.

Still, she thought his ability to switch between frustrated and angry to casual and calm was unnerving and decided to keep her guard up at all times. This stranger hiding in the halls of his home wasn’t their common enemy, it was his enemy – and his alone.

And Rania no longer knew if any potential reward was worth the danger.

“Returning home after just a few days, with a dead body and a thief in tow,” she thought out loud and side-eyed the young man. “I think daddy’s gonna hate that.” Back to mocking him, or so it seemed.

Rania had no plans of going with Valren, but at the same time the girl did not know where else to go.

 

[Val]

"You'd be surprised." His father wouldn't mourn John for a second.

To the old man, people like John were little less than servant's in his eyes. They might as well have been slaves with how he treated them, sometimes even less than Slaves. It was a disgusting thing, and probably what Rania had expected of him.

Not that he could truly blame her for that. "Might get me out of house arrest."

Valren grumbled as he turned down the hall and motioned for her to follow.

A few doors were passed, and then he found his way to John's room. He unwound a piece of chain he had wrapped around the handle along with a lock, pulling it free and letting it fall to the ground before opening the door.

He half expected to see poor John not there, but he thankfully found his friend just as he had been this morning. His corpse still rested on a small twin bed, body mutilated, but mostly in tact. Blood, now dried, lay on the floor.

 

[Rania]

„You‘re grown,“ said the woman with a dry tone. „You can leave when you want to. It‘s not like anyone‘s going to stop you, now that John‘s gone.“ Of course Rania knew things weren‘t quite that simple, but the thief firmly believed that they could be – if that‘s what Val wanted.

In the end, the black-haired doubted that her companion could give up on any of the luxuries he had enjoyed throughout his life completely and therefore nothing would ever change. Not for him, at least.

He motioned for her to follow and Rania did so without question. Her bare feet were quiet against the marble floors and with every step, the silence grew more eerie. There was something foul in the air, and it wasn‘t just the stench of the corpse he‘d left lying around in one of the bedrooms.

„Oh goodness, gracious me.“ The woman moaned and resisted the urge to turn her face away. Instead, she grimaced at the bloody sight and quickly – and quietly – paid her respects to the deceased.

„Poor John.“ Rania said and for once there was no hint of sarcasm in her voice.

„I‘m not keen on spending the night in the same house as whatever psycho did that,“ she quickly added and gestured towards the body.

„I suppose now‘s a good time for you to tell me about the things you‘re good and bad at, so we don‘t stand in each other‘s way when it comes down to it.“

She really hoped that his aim with a bow wasn‘t all there was to him. It was a good skill to have, yes, but they were still inside a building – and Rania was a melee combatant by all means.

 

[Val]

Val looked at John's body as one might the grave of a fallen loved one. His lips were thin, his grip on the bow were tight, but he said nothing at Rania's first taunting words.

He found his mouth parched of words, his tongue silent. He offered no barb towards the Thief, either not quite sure what to say or simply unwilling to give her a response. A breath filled his lungs, and for a second he closed his eyes. I'm sorry my friend.

The nobling thought for a brief moment before he slowly let his eyes open and look towards Rania.

"I'm good at e-" Before Val could finish his sentence there was a sudden thud that seemed to ring out throughout the entire building.

The entire building seemed to shake, shudder. A column within the room shivered before a crack formed throughout the middle of it. Val looked up, then to Rania, letting out a curse as he suddenly jumped and tackled the thief to the side.

Just as he did so the ceiling collapsed, marble, dust, and debris clattering down into the room in a giant wave of chaos.

 

[Rania]

Although Rania felt his grief, the thief remained unresponsive when she noted the look on his face. It was an unfortunate circumstance to be born so wealthy and generally disliked, all of which put a target on Valren’s back.

But then again, the only fair thing about life was that it’s unfair to all of them. To some more than others, of course, and although the former slave did not revell in the noble’s misery, there was little empathy for him; instead, her thoughts and prayers went out to the carriage driver, who no longer had the pleasure of receiving them.

Her gaze met his without hesitation and there was something piecing about the emerald colour of her eyes that his own couldn’t match. Or so she thought. When Val opened his mouth to give yet another witty response, her face turned away and she rolled her eyes into the back her head before he could finish.

Then, the building rumbled. The thief sucked in a sharp breath, her head quickly spinning to the side and then upwards, where she noticed a crack in the ceiling the same moment Val did. Where is it coming fr–, she thought, but was unable to follow up the source of the chaos as the young man nobly threw her aside and saved her from the falling bricks.

Buried beneath falling debris, Rania coughed as dust filled the air. Dauntlessly, the girl grabbed her companion and pulled him back onto his feet. “We can’t stay still anymore,” she exclaimed and dragged him along, out of the room where the air was more clear.

“We are wasting time, let’s go.” And then, she ran towards the stairs to head to the upper floor.

 

[Val]

There was no argument this time.

Val moved with Rania as though he were right in step. He shifted his movements quickly, following after her into the hall and heading towards the staircase when suddenly a loud thunk rang out within the empty marble Hall.

His head immediately whirled, eyes fixing on a knife that had just buried itself within one of the doorways just a step ahead of them. "Fuck."

Val cursed as he shot his gaze back towards where the blade had flown from.

Standing there was a man, clad in black and holding a sword in one hand while the other slipped free a knife from an odd belt across his chest. There was a mask adorning covering his face, and the only marking Val could see on him was a strangely familiar tattoo on his neck.

In an instant the noble pulled away from Rania, his hand pulling free an arrow from his quiver and loosing it within the blink of an eye.

The strangers sword flickered upward, batting the arrow to the side and doing the same again as Val let two more fly.

"Fuck." Val repeated, glancing towards his companion.

 

[Rania]

The tingle clung to the sole of her feet and rapidly slithered up her spine, the location manifesting inside her conscious. Without turning, the thief rushed up the stairs and reached for the knife that had buried itself into one of the doorways. Val cursed, and she almost laughed at his reaction.

“Friend of yours?”

Val was quick to react, but his arrows were easily dodged by the stranger. It was a good thing, or so Rania supposed, because they were left with no better option than to enter melee combat – and that meant it was two against one.

She flung the blade up and bit down on its grip while pulling out her own weapons at once. There was no hesitation in her actions and her usually fluid movements had become sharp.

Just don't shoot me please, were her last thoughts before she dashed at the enemy. Rania was quick on her feet, despite the injury, and rightfully so. She was well-trained, nimble and used to fighting for her life. Her eyes sucked in the appearance of the enemy, but there was nothing familiar about them. They only met by chance after all. Val would be able to answer questions later, or so she hoped.

 

[Val]

Rania was trained. She was skilled, and Val had seen first hand how she could move even when injured.

Yet the man in front of them seemed to respond with an almost unnatural speed. He was like a viper. As soon as the thief rushed him the man seemed to counter in kind. His weapon flashed forward, the blade striking out at first towards Rania's torso, and then suddenly to her leg.

He moved like nothing Val had ever seen before, as if urged on by some unseen and unnatural force. His blade sliced low, and yet at the same time he seemed to sidestep passed her and rushed Val himself.

One cut of his blade slowed towards Rania, and then suddenly a knife was whipped towards Val.

It seemed to appear from their enemies sleeve, summoned by some unseen force and thrown without any effort at all. The blade spun through the air, whipped with the speed of a buzzing mosquito. Another curse echoed the nobles lips, his bow coming up to bat the blade aside.

Yet by the time it flew away the man had made it passed Rania, the slice of his blade utterly forgotten as he charged Val and tackled him to the ground.

"THIS IS FOR WHAT HE DID! LET HIM KNOW THE PAIN OF A SONS DEATH!"​

The stranger roared as his fists came down and bashed Val in the face.