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Unsightly ash fell from the chimney from a nearby factory in the industrial town of Balk. It took several tries for the pale witch to remove the dark smudges from her cheek. She grunted in disgust and took a cobblestone path into the main market area. There were mostly men about, working men who paid no mind to whom was around them. The witch glanced about the area in search for someone or several someones. She wasn't exactly sure if anyone saw her flyer post in all the major towns, but she stood directly in sight of the meeting place she indicated. It was noon on the third working day of the week. She was dressed in her dark hunting outfit, a modest cotton blouse dyed black and black slacks. She wore no jewelry or glamorous trinkets. She only looked like an alien-eyed shadow clad woman staring off into the horizon. Would anyone answer her request? Were people going to help her invade the the notorious fortress of the region and retrieve a valuable personal item stolen from her? Bandit really didn't want to do this on her own.

(So is this medieval? Or steampunk? Industrial revolution? I'm having a hard time deciding on a character....)

Medieval-ish, however there is flexibility to a degree.

From a connecting street, a feminine figure that was dressed in a simple, long-sleeved green shirt, and darker green pants carried a makeshift picnic basket through the streets. A green bandanna was wrapped about her head, with long locks of red spilling from underneath the head covering. A tanned-furred face was covered in black smears. While her soot covered boots walked along the road, her body drifted between the groups of working citizens. Crossing into another street, likely the meeting zone of some secretly organized party, Tannis placed both hands upon the baskets handle and hauled it upwards, settling it on a stone wall that likely marked somebody's territory. A moment was taken to catch her breath.

Running her fingers through her long hair Bandit continued to scan the crowds of people, until she spotted the form of a feline perfectly on time. The eerie part about this woman was the fact no one could see where her eyes would focus, it was almost as though she appeared blind. Bandit approached the the stone wall where the stranger rested her basket. The witch made sure her footsteps were heard in advance in case of accidentally startling her.

"Excuse me," The witch was hesitant but confident. "Are you here because of a flyer?"

The young Anubite slowly padded down the sooty streets, his face and bare chest seemingly unmarked due to his already black fur. The only way to tell he had been there for a time was because his skirt, which was normally red and white with gold waistband was darkened considerably. He had two sickles attached to a belt on his waist, each marked with the eye of Anubis and hilted with a single ruby.
Nomti was carrying the flyer in his right hand and a canteen of clean water in the other.
He walked up to Bandit and showed her the flyer, "You posted this, correct?"

After being so focused on startling the feline in front of her the witch failed to hear another approach her from behind. She whirled around just after her last words left her lips and stared, startled at the newest member of the group. Forcing herself to blink and exhale, the witch nodded.

"Ah, yes. I am." She was pleased to see that two people had came for her request. It was very important to have a strong group for the quest to be successful.

Tannis was in the process of lifting a leg upwards, while her hands were focused on the wall's edge. Once her balance was achieved, Tannis's arms hauled her upwards and she turned about to idly sway her legs to and fro, the heel of her boots colliding softly against the wall's sturdy surface. The normal hazel eyes of Tannis looked out amongst the workers, idly watching them, until a rather peculiar femme approached her. Some of the locks of red shifted along Tannis's fair face, looking towards the darkly clothed femme. "Flyer? Oh, no, I'm on a picnic." Then Tannis's hazel gaze drifted towards the abrupt fellow, and her right pointer finger pointed his way, "I bet he is though."

Tannis's right hand picked up the picnic basket by its handle and settled it within her lap, one of the flaps opening as Tannis reached in and pulled out a bottle of wine, which had darkly colored glass and a wooden stopper. Lifting the bottle to her lips, the stopper was trapped between surprisingly white teeth and tugged upon, till it was free of the bottle and spat off to the side.

"Thank ya', good sir. Thank ya' for everything. If I'm ever in town again, I'll be sure ta' stop by and see if you need a hired hand for a day or two." Shouldering his belongings, all of which were either concealed on his person or stashed in the bag slung over his shoulder, he flipped up the hood of his cloak to hide his face as equally as it hid the rest of his rather average sized form. Turning, he strolled away from one of the resident blacksmith's forges with his pay for the last few days in his pockets and hot food in his stomach.

Humming as he walked along the street, he recalled what the smith had told him about odd jobs and those seeking work. Just that day, in fact, he'd heard talk of someone looking to hire some adventurers in that very city! Not one to miss out on a good time, he made the rather commonplace impulse decision to ask around. As good fortune would have it, he entered the main square in time to see a lady with a basket pulling the cork from a bottle of some kind. Humming, a few sets of thoughts crossed him. Chiefly among them, that the lady did not look particularly in with the crowd. The best people to ask were always those that seemed out of place.

He strolled towards the woman, only noticing the other two present as he came closer. He first, a male, also looked rather out of place, and perhaps even a bit moreso than the first, so it raised his confidence in his original suspicions. The second another woman, and, to his utter surprise, one he recognized! As he came within a few paces of the trio and stopped, he spoke in a voice thickly accented with something that was...quite different from that of his usual tone, and between that and his current appearance, or rather lack thereof given the concealed state of his body, he wondered and hoped even that he wouldn't be recognized. Just for giggles, and he doubted the facade would last long if at all, but it might.

"Hm...Excuse me, strangers. I've heard tell of work to be found here. Somebody looking to hire adventurers, or something of the sort? Perhaps, if you are not they, then I might ask if you know where to find them?" The words were aimed at all three and apparently hoping for an answer from any, and he spoke as if not assuing that they were actually together.

Tannis's hand wrapped its grasp around the bottle's neck, lifting it to her lips and closing her hazel eyes. A few hearty gulps had some of the off-red liquid slide down in small trickles down the sides of her mouth, carrying some of the grime of her fur with it. A certain rosiness flooded Tannis's cheeks and nose, while moving the bottle away from her lips and sauntering it around in the air, "Ah~"

Tannis's hazel gaze soon drifted upwards, her body threatening to fall off of the wall, but catching itself. Two peculiar lumps in the bandanna's fabric move with a slight twinge, and Tannis's hazel gaze roamed the crowds, until it stops upon a male who was looking back at her. Tannis's curved lips curl into a smile, and her fair face turns back to glance at her basket.

A male's voice brings Tannis's gaze towards him, and the Tannis's left hand rose to press its pointer finger upon the top corner of her lip, "I think I've heard about this as well. Quite recently, in fact!" The hand that held the bottle pointed downwards, twice, at the darkly clothed femme, "She's the one you want, I believe."

Her lips were pressed together in thought. With only one other person, with unknown strength would it even be a successful task? She couldn't be sure so worried lined her face a little. There was still the business of paying those she hired and figuring out who all would come in the first place. The witch blinked and noticed a new presence. She turned from the male who had shown her the flyer and faced the stranger addressing them. When the feline indicated that Bandit was the one the stranger was looking for she smiled. So there would be others after all.

"Thank you for coming! I was worried that my quest would not gain enough support." The witch turned back to the female feline and apologized for interrupting her picnic. However, the witch wondered why anyone would openly eat outdoors with all this pollution. To each their own, the witch thought to herself. She glanced back to the newcomer and tried to study him but it was difficult. She was distracted with thoughts and she couldn't get an honest look at him.

This region was somewhat new to the witch and so the fact that she was bested so easily irritated her. New lands had their challenges but she never thought anyone would be foolish enough to steal something precious from her. The thief had no idea what that item meant to her. He would die for his foolishness.

"Alright then. I am known as Bandit in my home regions and I am a witch. Something very valuable was stolen from me. I cannot discuss all the matters while we are still in city limits but if you join me and we are caught we all will be executed for treason. However, very rarely do any of my quests fail." Her eyes glinted dangerously.

He turned his head from the drinking woman to give the one identified as Bandit another once-over from the protective shadows of his cloak's hood. A face he knew well, and one that needed no study...but she had a pretty enough face that he surely wasn't going to pass up a chance to stare. Turning back to the drinker for a moment, he gave a little bow of thanks, and turned his body for a more neutral position, facing the entire group at once.

"Heh...For a full pocket and a fun time, there's nothing I won't do. And adventures always sound like fun." The hood of his cloak shifted, presumably to show that he was nodding. As Bandit continued to speak, he listened quietly. Seemed as though the cause was respectable enough, and he knew the woman well enough to trust her word.

"Executed for treason? Why, I was always under the impression that risk made things more fun. What's a good adventure without the threat of death looming over your head?" The laugh that followed his words might sound more than a little familiar to Bandit, though he doubted it alone could crack his admittedly thin disguise. Well, it wasn't as though he'd lose anything if it was broken. Still, the longer he could hold it out, the more priceless the look on the woman's face would be when his identity was revealed.

Tannis's hazel eyes drifted towards the darkly clothed femme, her right hand's fingers twiddling in the air at her, "Tis' not a problem dear." Tannis's left hand lifts the wine bottle to her lips, her body leaning into the right hand that moved to brace itself against the wall, and just before the wine was poured down her throat, the curved lips upon Tannis's face curl into a smile when the disguised male bowed to her.

Just as the red liquid fell upon her tongue, the lumps underneath the green bandana moved ever so slightly, and Tannis's form lurches foreword, spewing red wine outwards, the red droplets splattering against the dirty cobblestones. "Execution? For treason?! What if somebody overheard you and called for the guards? That would be a shame, wouldn't it?" One of the green sleeves (which were my delight), wiped Tannis's smeared face, and her curved lips curling into a smile.

The hand that held the wine bottle tossed it over Tannis's shoulder, the bottle smashing itself into the building behind her. Some of the workers outside came to inspect the sudden noise, talking amongst themselves. Tannis's hands rubbed together, her hazel eyes drifting from face to face of the small, treason-guilty group, "But I can be kept quiet, if you'll allow me to join you."

The witch smiled at the reaction over her words. Hers darted to the smashing of the bottle and the smile did not leave her face. She supposed she did kind of make a mistake in mentioning treason within city limits but she wasn’t perfect and didn’t bother thinking of it anymore. Her eyes rested upon the feline for awhile. Her mild threat didn't anger Bandit but it was slightly irksome.

"It doesn't matter to me whether to join or not. However, please do not think of me as a saint. Anyone who jeopardizes my quest would be eliminated, even guards. I would rather avoid violence, so by all means join me."

Turning away from the feline, Bandit gazes out in the direction of route. There are not many trees nearby but off in the distance the beginnings of forest can be seen. That is where they must go and once darkness hits the sinewy monsters will come out to play. They even gave the witch the chills. Bandit then turns around to face both companions, but stops. Her eye sight dipped into the face inside the hood. She got a full look at the man for the first time since meeting. How could she not recognize that face? Hell, normally Bandit could have recognized him just by scent by of tricky that the city's pollution hid him. Why was he here? More importantly, did he just pull one big trick on her?

Bandit lunged at the man at a startling speed and grabbed both sides of the hood to violently pull him close to her face. She looked very angry, but very fooled. Mostly she couldn't believe she didn't notice him at once. Damn that man.

"Vahn, you little trickster!" At the same time it was amusing.This man had helped her in many adventures past, and somehow she grew fond of him. Her face just looked angry though.

He was still listening, of course. However, as the two women seemed to have been talking to each other, and he'd long ago given up the possibility of ever understanding women, he wasn't, perhaps, paying quite as much attention to his surroundings as he should've been. As such, it came as quite the surprise to him when he was taken quite violently by the hood of his cloak.

Blinking, he stared at the face that had come suddenly closer in less time than he cared to think about. Considering who it was, though, he doubted himself in any real danger, so other than a slight instinctual step back, he simply returned her gaze. That ever-present and sometimes infuriatingly cheerful look on his face morphed from a happy-go-lucky smile into a mischievious happy-go-lucky grin.

"Ahh~ I's was thinkin' about hidin' meself a lil' longer, but I's guess ya' done caught me, eh? Long time no see~" From his mouth, the tip of his tongue could be seen sticking out at the woman, perhaps both if the other was viewing from the right angle. His chuckle was that of a man who knew he was in trouble but held no regret for what he did. In his case, mostly because it was fun. If not entirely. It was then that his attention turned to the other woman, his concern for Bandit apparently brushed to the side.

"As me finnicky n' furious frien' here jes' went n' spoiled, m'names Vahn. Vahn Trisenth, though jes' Vahn'll get tha' job done. Pleasure ta' meet'cha~!" He held out a hand in the woman's direction as if for shaking, despite the fact that he was still being throttled by an angry Bandit. Well...If it wasn't yet obvious, his cares for his own safety were few and far between, if he was getting a good time out of it.

It was worth noting, however, that he held out his left hand to the woman, leaving his right arm to remain concealed. If indeed he had one, as it hadn't been seen yet, and the space left by the opening of his cloak revealed little.

Tannis's hands were placed upon the wall, her legs swinging idly to and fro. Oh, how the femme stared at her. Tannis's right eyebrow gives a quirk, and her curved lips curl into a smile, showing her white teeth, "Oh good." Then her curved lips part and a hearty laugh escaped her throat, "A saint, you say? You don't need to worry about that dear, I've simply always wanted to have a picnic in the fort. But they don't let in folks like me, I'm afraid. Or, that's what they keep telling me."

Pushing herself off of the wall and landing with a soft thump, Tannis's form turns about and grabs the basket's handle, hoisting the basket over her left shoulder, settling the handle just over the shoulder's rise, "Goodness, that is a long name. Is it real?" Tannis's then shook her head, "No, no, I don't need to know." With her free hand, Tannis took the male's hand and shook it, "You may call me Tannis." Those curved lips formed a softer smile.

A bubble of relaxation popped in the logic portion of Bandit’s brain. Her intense eyes cooled and her grip slackened so that when the other two greeted each other her arms fell back to her sides. She bit her lip slightly. Once again she let her emotions flare up, and its quite uncontrollable around the bastard. She sighed and swung up her legs to sit along the stone wall. Legs crossed and a serious expression properly returned to her face, the witch withdrew a baggy of gold for the two. She tossed one at each of them. Gold didn’t mean much to her, but it did make others feel compensated. She had some leftover gold anyways from a previous hunt for a job.

“I highly doubt the fortress ever has company.” The things the witch heard about the place was extremely unpleasant and even that was just from the little bit of information people where very reluctant to give. Bandit brushed her hair from her face and sighed. She looked at the female for a few moments.

“How do you protect yourself?” Bandit didn’t worry about Vahn. He always could manage in a fight when necessary, and so could she…ah shit. She glanced over at Vahn briefly. She would have to be careful not overexpose him to her magic on this quest. That could be a problem. However, she let the concern disappear for the moment. Once she was sure everyone was prepared they could head out.

As Bandit stepped away and unhanded him, he released the hand being shook and brought that hand up to catch the flying bag. Eying it curiously a moment, he hummed before it dissapeared into the folds of his cloak. If she didn't know by then that she didn't need to pay him for their little adventures...Well, he certainly wasn't going to be refuse payment. That would just be silly.

"Tannis, eh? I's gon' be sure ta' be keeping that in mind, I shall. Probably. I doubt I'd be goin' n' forgettin' somethin' that simple too quickly." Presumably he'd latched the bag to his belt or something of the sort, because his left arm came bak out from the folds of his cloak to scratch at the side of his head idly while he chuckled.

If he caught the look from Bandit or had any inkling of the thoughts behind the look, he gave no indication. Though he did indeed hear the woman's question, and that was something of note. He doubted his circumstances would do too much to deter them, as the woman who could be called Tannis didn't seem to be the magic flinging sort. Though he'd never been the best judge of first impressions either, so who knew? Well...He had taken precautions against such things in the past, and was always trying new ways to mitigate the effects of his unique physiology. Some of which he was most certain to have in store for later, should the need arise.

Tannis's hazel eyes left the male and turned to look at the darkly clothed femme, who sat upon the spot that Tannis just left! Peculiar. Tannis's left shoulder shifts the picnic basket to be firmly pressed against her shoulder, while Tannis's right hand lifts up and catches the small bag of coin. "Why, thank you." The bag was soon shoved into Tannis's pant pocket.

Her hazel gaze then drifted back to the male, her footing changing to place more pressure on her right foot, "It's easier to do than you think. A lot of simple things can be forgotten very quickly." Tannis's fair, but smudged face turns to set her eyes upon the higher up femme, "I mostly swing my basket and hope I hit things, honestly. But, I think I should look after myself fairly well, considering that I am the closest person that I know."

Bandit gazed at the basket and the corners of her lips turned downwards. She wasn't so confident about a basket wielding feline but then again she hadn't been confident of Vahn when she first met him. That was a long time ago. She shook her head and then gave the two a forced smile with all those creepy teeth of hers.

"Well, assuming the both of you came refreshed and prepared we may head out. We need to exit at the south gate and enter the thick of woods."She said pointing down a long cobblestone street through the center of the industrial town of Balk. Bandit gracefully jumped off the wall and gave them both a stare. We need to be through a few miles of woods before it gets dark or we wont even get close to the fortress."

The monsters all came out at night, creepy spider-like beasts protecting their master. How a man became lord over these beasts Bandit didn't want to know. The thought of what kind of man he must be made her skin crawl. She pushed the thoughts from her mind and began to walk down the street. Men and women with their children couldn't help but stare at her. The witch was an odd looking woman after all.