The Worst Luck
- Aerienne ; Alane
-- Evening of Day 1
by Ryoko


It was nighttime in Alane, and the city was alive with sound. Peddlers shouted out their wares to passers-by, who either willingly bought their goods or simply ignored them. Crowds of people milled about, though the bulk of them were found in nearby taverns, getting drunk. Ships were docked in nearby piers, and their cargo were being unloaded. The night was still young, and the smell of mischief was already in the air.

Aerienne was in a bad mood. She hated the noise.

She'd managed to get to Alane without getting lost, for a change. But the town was noisy and the incessant babbling of voices were beginning to grate on her nerves. Definitely not like the quiet and solitude she was used to.

With a little sigh, she passed by a few merchants, who were calling out their wares for those who cared to listen, cursing herself for not getting more information out of those bastards back at Javi. She scowled. The people here didn't even seem to know anything about the Stones, and the first person she had tried to ask mistook it for a gesture of a more intimate nature, with disastrous results for him.

< Now where the hell am I suppose to go? >

Maybe if she went around, she'd find someone who would actually know something about the Stones. the legend of the Stones were mostly legends to some people, and she heard legends were almost universally popular. She started to head towards one of the taverns, then changed her mind. She seemed to be having bad luck with taverns recently, and she wasn't in a mood for a fight. Not yet, anyway.

Probably the best thing to do right now would be to get an adequate room in an inn somewhere, maybe find some work to tide her over for the time she'll be spending here. The Stones regretfully, will have to wait. With that thought in mind, Aerienne randomly picked one of the several inns about, then started to head towards one........

....and quickly jumped back to avoid a collision with a young girl with a shock of purple hair, who was heading in the opposite direction with alarming speed. Aerienne glared at the retreating girl's back, but the latter was too far away to hear the blistering curses that were directed at her.

She turned back towards the inn in mind, stifling the urge to hit something or somebody.

*****

"How much?" Aerienne asked brusquely, an hour or so later.

The man paused, then reluctantly brought out a small bag and set it on the table, coins clinking. She took the bag and weighed it carefully in her hand. "This will do.", she said, carefully tucking it under her cloak.

"I trust you'll be able to do the job without any problems?"

Dark amber eyes stared back at him. "I do what I'm paid to do." Aerienne said coolly.

"Oh. Ah, well then." The man, very obviously a merchant, began to sweat. "He lives in that large mansion, just around the corner. And good luck." he added lamely, as Aerienne turned to leave.

"I don't need luck." was her reply before walking out of the stall.

The merchant leaned back with a sigh of relief. "That was either a very brave lady or a crazy one." he informed his partner, who had been standing beside him.

"True." The other man allowed. "But Kyrr, what made you think to hire a woman to kill Tog? He's one of the most ruthless and cold-blooded people I know. He's murder his own mother if he thought it would make him richer than he already is! Crazy or not, she'll have no chance with him."

"Because she was the only one I could find who was willing to." Kyrr said, shaking his head. "And the way she looked at me with those yellow eyes of hers, you'd think you were dealing with the devil herself."

***

< So far, so good. >

Quietly, Aerienne crept past the corridor of the large house, making her way to where she thought the bedroom was located. It seemed to easy, somehow. After knocking out the first three or so guards, no one else was guarding this Tog she was suppose to kill. She'd heard a little of the rumors, and if Tog is as bloodthirsty as they say he is, then she would be more than happy to kill him.

She stopped outside a heavy wooden door and listened carefully. Silence. Slowly, her hand reached for the doorknob. From across the corridor, another door opened.

She whirled, bloodsharde in hand.

"So my informer was right." Tog said calmly. He was exacty as Kyrr described him: tall and pale with a long red mark on his left cheek. He was surrounded by his henchmen --a dozen or so, Aerienne wasn't quite sure. "Kyrr's been planning to kill me again, now is he? Perhaps I should return the favor. And a girl, even!" He laughed, a harsh,ugly sound. "No hard feelings, lady."

Aerienne smiled. Now this was better. Slowly, she edged forward, closing the distance between her and Tog. "Alright." she said in a low monotone. "Whoever would like to die first, please step forward."

****
Half an hour later.......

Aerienne skidded to a halt in front of the docks, breathing hard. She looked around, then relaxed slightly before starting to swear. Nearby, an old woman stared at her, but she was too angry with herself to care. "Damnit." she muttered. She had been successful, in a way. She'd fought her way past the guards and shoved her bloodsharde into the place where Tog would hurt the most. The look in his face told her he wouldn't be living for too long. 

What she hadn't counted on was the police who had been alerted by the ensuing melee.and were now hot on her heels. Killing people she didn't like was one thing. Being wanted by the law was another.

"There she is!" a voice yelled from behind her.

She ran into the docks, not even bothering to turn around. Heading towards the nearest ship, she hopped onto the deck, not even stopping until she reached the cargo hold. She crouched behind a few empty crates, listening intently. After some minutes, she shifted into a more comfortable position, satisfied that she had evaded them. 

<I'll stay here for an hour or so, just to be safe.>

<Just for an hour or so....>

-------

Ne, Aerienne always did have the worst luck. Guess who the purple haired
girl is, and whose ship Aerienne is hiding out in. *grin* How was that?

Ryoko
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