Open Chronicles The Threat of Dawn

[Phaedra]

As the sun sets,
You shall take your true form...​

Phaedra gave a soft gasp as the fiery feathers of a phoenix gave way to limbs that were far less alien. It wasn't a painful transformation per see but it was a shock to the body to go from something so small as her natural body to that of a phoenix capable of flying vast distances. There was always a moment straight after she turned where she felt disorientated; where the mind couldn't quite work out how to operate these new limbs. She took a step and then fell to her knees. Walking as though she had talons didn't work so well when you were a human. The sensation would fade soon enough though and as she waited it allowed her to watch the last of the sunset. Most cursed beings she had met had the opposite problem to her and they feared the dark of night but for Phaedra the night was her freedom.

Eventually she pushed herself back to her feet and hurriedly dressed herself in a pair of baggy green trousers and a white blouse that fell off her slim shoulders. She roughly threw her wild hair up into a messy bun and used her scarf to keep the main tumble of curls off of her face. She'd learnt early on not to waste her time to make herself look nice; time was far too precious. Tonight more so than most. For once she wasn't using her nights as a human to do tasks for The Collector. Her fingers touched the golden collar about her neck at the thought and she frowned; she might have had the night off but he would still know where she was. With a sigh she shook herself and set off for the Midnight Market.

Phaedra liked to travel on these precious nights to herself. Her family had been merchants who travelled across the continent and the itch had stayed with her despite her new lifestyle. However, the Midnight Market was one place she kept coming back to. Especially at the change of seasons when the residents would throw parties that could last for days. The sound of music hit her ears before the city itself and her footsteps quickened with her eagerness.

 

[Rina the Rose]

Rina slipped the last of her recently bought sweets into her mouth. She set her hands on her cheeks, her eyes shining as she savored the taste. But alas, it ended all too soon. Her happy expression dropped into a pout before she perked back up when she caught the scent of another sweet. She grinned and ran off toward the next table.

This Midnight Market had proved to be a lucky find, so many interesting things, so many interesting people. Such a perfect place for her to roam. She only wished she hadn't had to trade a piece of her precious jewelry collection to get enough coin to enjoy the festival properly. She'd roamed from stall to table for the past hour, earning more than a few stares, people either assuming she was an elf or correctly guessing that she was a fae, but she hadn't given anyone reason to chase her off, yet.

She stopped abruptly when caught sight of a human woman, specifically, the golden choker around her neck. Her eyes widened and her lips parted in awe. "Ooh." She wandered closer, glancing up at the woman's face. She cocked her head and hummed. "You're not a local either, are you? I like your necklace, where'd you get it?"

 

[Gella Rerra]

Gella Rerra relished any opportunity to make himself the center of attention, even if it was counter-productive to his endgame. The Midnight Market, a place he'd been hearing whispers about amongst the men and women under his command for weeks now, was the kind of place a scumbag like him could fit right in without a second glance. Oh for certain it was a festival, but true to it's namesake, you could scarcely walk a few steps without a merchant hawking his wares at you.

Gella certainly looked the part, and even those who knew him from the blossoming criminal enterprise he operated in the nearby Osteriam likely wouldn't be able to recognize him easily. His usually unruly and messy chocolate hair was washed, brushed, and smoothed back against the top of his head. He wore an amber-colored rabbit fur jacket over a deep maroon vest, tight black trousers made of some silken material that served to show off his limber Elven shape.

He'd gone so far as to pierce his ears, glittering silver baubles of all shapes hanging from the pointed ends and draping down the length of his half-elven feature. For all intents and purposes, Gella looked like another wealthy party-goer with money to burn. He even had wares of his own, granted they weren't the kind of wares one would typically be allowed to sell at an event like this.

Because Gella Rerra dealt in death. He dealt in thievery, sex, and blood. Nothing was off the table for the right price. Of course, none of the other men raising their glasses in a toast with him as they stood in front of a small bar set up for the celebration knew any of this. To them, he was just a charismatic half-elf who'd bought them all a round. True, he looked a bit sinister when he smiled, and he had an odd tendency to bite at his own hand at times, but ale was the way to the heart!

"You're all scholars, gentlemen! You know how to make a young foreigner feel welcome here!" He chortled as they all drank. "The night is young! Go make some money, find yourselves a suitable whore, and be merry!" He raised his glass again, and the men responded with revelry, hollering and laughing as they eventually dispersed, leaving the slender fellow in expensive dress leaning alone against the bar, sipping at his drink.

"Animals, the lot of them." He snarled under his breath, his pale eyes scanning the grounds. "Hopefully they're good liars though. Oughtta be a good haul come dawn." Gella's hope was that the idiots would drink themselves to the point of being hopelessly easy to rob. That's when the real fun would begin.

Rina the Rose
Phaedra

 

[Phaedra]

Phaedra was used to there being a lot of people in the Market, of having them shout at you with news of their wares, or press in against you as they bustled their way through the crowd. Tall people, short people, halflings, fae, elves, dwarves, humans drunk under the spell of magic. She didn't think anything here could phase her after her many trips, yet in all that time nobody had ever approached her outright like the woman before her had now. For a moment all Phae could do was stare, stunned, not sure whether to feel incredulous someone had asked her such a personal question in such a place or surprised nobody had done something similar sooner. She kissed her teeth and shook her head in bemusement.

"Ah frend gave it tae meh," she said in her thick islander accent and her fingers stroked over the gold. Friend was not what she would call the Collector who refused to end her curse because it made her a rare pet to add to his halls, but it was forbidden to talk about the truth of the situation. She glanced past the woman to the drinking area she had been bee-lining for, then back to the woman in front of her. "Bu' ift yer wan' one, aye tink aye saw ones o'er der," she motioned to one of the stalls glistening with gold.

"If no' 'e shoul' be able tae make yea one," she gave as a polite a smile as she could manage and inclined her head before moving to step around her and continue on her way to the bar.

 

[Felix Whitbane]

Felix looked around, *tonight’ll be easy* he thought. *just get in, do your job, get out. If amyone accuses you, blame it on someone else* he looked around for his target.

He got out his bow. He shot an arrow at the blonde-bearded dwarf. Then he walked away to go enjoy the night.

He got a large glass of ale and drank it.


OOC: sry, my 1 braincell can’t think of more to write)