Rivalries Among Thieves

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He was suddenly grateful for the hood and mask covering his features, because the hot glare he shot at her was enough to wither plants. "Ain't goin' to break it."

He didn't like being told what to do. It came with traveling for so long on his own.

Setting the key on the beside table, gently so she wouldn't feel any need to speak again, Tace wandered to the window. It was too dark to see anything outside the rings of light from the torches, but he still looked out all the same. "Ya can have the bed," he said, not bothering to look at her. It wasn't a courteous gesture; he wasn't doing it for her sake or because she was a woman. He did it because he hated the soft, downy feelings of feathered beds underneath him. Too used to having hard ground underneath him, he had come to the conclusion that beds were no longer suitable to sleep on.

Something was nagging at him, but this time, he didn't let it show. He didn't know who she was, but he felt like he should have. Thieves as good as him were rare, because he thought of himself as the only one. However, this one had gotten the drop on him, even if he had caught up to her. However, he didn't want to be the one to stoop and ask for her name. He was widely known and regarded as a dangerous thief, despite how often he didn't kill people, but no one knew what he looked like. People said he came with the shadows and melted into them, which would have been nice, outside of the fact that it wasn't true and he secretly hated magic. But no one had to know that, not even his new traveling companion. He would be feared and respected for his skill, and he would enjoy it, because it was his life's goal. And he would do it all without anyone discovering his identity.

If that meant going the entire trip without uttering a single name, then so be it. He was willing to take on that challenge.

((Well, those video game characters should stop looking so damn good and being awesome. And haha, you're welcome. I would love to look up Chrom fanart, but I haven't beaten the new Fire Emblem game, and spoilers are the death of me.))
 
(( Yes, it's such a terrible thing. So many good looking video game characters, only so much room in my heart.
I'm....weird when it comes to spoilers. Like, I can read all about the plot of a thing (book, movie, etc) before hand. Know every single detail, every single tiny little thing that's going to happen. Still act like I had no spoilers whatsoever when I get to that part. o.o It's happened multiple times. Multiple! ))
"It was sarcasm," she responded, glaring icily at the back of his head as they entered the room.
This was already turning out to be lovely. And the night ahead was only going to get better.
Roana almost wished she'd just slit his throat. Now, dammit, she was commited, and she would uphold her end.
That meant no sneaking off with the pony or the gem, no attacking him while he slept, and definitely keeping an eye on him at all times.
Didn't mean she couldn't annoy him a bit.
"So," she began, taking a seat on the bed. "You have a name? A face, maybe?"
 
Of course she wants to know.

He didn't know how comfortable he was relaying information like that to her. His name, maybe, but only because he was so far known. His face... not so much. Very few knew what he looked like, and all of those people were dead. With the morbid thoughts running through his mind, he turned and lit the candle on the bedside table. The light wasn't nearly enough to put a glow in the entire room, but it was enough. Reluctantly, he pulled the mask away from his face, but that only revealed the lower half of his head. No facial hair decorated his features, and he was lightly tanned. It didn't make sense considering how often he had his mask on, but it was natural.

There was a hint of a grin on his face, almost like he enjoyed telling her his name. He liked people to be surprised if he told them. It was mostly guards and people he was forced to kill while in the process of stealing.

"I am Tace Alveron. Perhaps ya have heard of me." She was in a temporary alliance with a master thief, but she was good in her own right. He could give her that, as it was the only thing he felt like she deserved. After all, the jewel was his. Least he thought so.

((Haha, I wish I had that problem. I have to avoid all spoilers, because even one little thing totally ruins it for me. Like, I got Dishonored spoiled for me, I spoiled Bioshock Infinite for myself, and part of Game of Thrones got spoiled as well. It totally sucks. xD))
 
(( Oh, no! D:
You know, I need to get into Game of Thrones more. :/ Good show?
Sorry for the delay, been a pretty busy day. ))
"Maybe I have," Roana replied, crossing her arms. In her opinion, a well known thief was a well dead one, but he clearly had the opposite viewpoint.
Tace Alveron...Yes, she knew the name.
He was supposed to be a wizard of some kind, maybe even a creature from the shadows themselves. He could strike, take what he pleased, and disappear back into the darkness before anyone was even aware of his presence. No one knew what he looked like, thanks to the mask, so the stories she'd heard from civilians always included some crazy tale of why he wore it. She'd heard that he'd been horribly scarred by a childhood accent, that he was a demon and took the mask off only to eat the souls of his victims, and that he was a creature of shadow and had no face at all.
The more likely reason, now that she'd met him, was to inspire that air of mysticism.
Roana was far more comfortable with having no reputation. She was one of the best, but not one of the most famous, and that suited her just fine.
"Roana Moyaux," she replied, offering her hand.
 
Tace's grin got just a little wider at her words. She couldn't have not known him, because he was known everywhere.

However, he backed off with the offering of a hand shake. He didn't like coming into contact with people if he didn't have to. The only reason he'd gotten near her during the chase was because... well, it was a chase, and he'd wanted the gem. He turned back to the window, leaving her hanging. He wasn't going to touch her if he didn't have to. He'd not heard of her, but he would, if he stuck with her.

Maybe she believed in the legends about him too. No one knew what he really looked like, but he had shown her part of his face. He was just an ordinary man who happened to be very good at what he did. There was nothing else to it.

He flipped back around, his mask back around his face. "So, Roana," he said, taking a seat down at the table and propping his feet up, "what brought ya to Gemspire?"

((I love the books and I think the show does them justice. Just don't get emotionally attached to anyone, because chances are, they'll probably die. xD and it's no worry. I'm going to be busy in the next few weeks.))
 
(( From what I've seen of the show, that's probably good advice...Need to read the books, though. What's the first one called? ))
"Rumor. Intrigue. A little bit of curiosity."
It was actually an old drunk in a bar, spouting off stories of the magical tower he'd seen while traveling. She'd called it bullshit, at first, but then asked around. She didn't have a fancy map or nothing, but boiled down rumors and mercenary's tales worked just as well.
Frankly, she'd been amazed when she saw the top of the tower, even as broken as it was.
The whole investigation was just something to do. Something to occupy her time until she found something worth taking. But when she found it...
Now she had saw that gem. And it was hers. In her opinion, of course.
"So," Roana began, lifting her eyebrows. "Are you a magician, then? A shadow creature? Perhaps a demon? The people who tell stories of you seem to think so." May as well find out what he thought about the tales she heard. Might be amusing.
 
Eh, good enough for him. That's what often spurred his random trips to different kingdoms to steal. Everyone had something worth taking. Fortunately for him, those things were often small enough to carry in the pouches on his belt.

The invisible face under his hood chuckled at her question. The grin was evident in his voice as he said, "Pah. None of 'em are true. Ain't some mystical bein'." They were incredibly farfetched, and that's why he loved them. They weren't true, but he loved when people thought of him as something great. However, they all detailed him as being something otherworldly or magical. That was something he didn't like, being someone who feared magic beyond all things. But Roana didn't need to know that. No one did.

"As much as everyone says 'bout me, I'm just a normal man. I happen to be just that good." He almost threw off his hood to prove it, but he didn't. That would have been going too far. His pride often took over his logic, causing interesting problems throughout his profession as a master thief.

He shook his mind of his thoughts before he peered at her. "Don't look like ya got too many stories goin' 'bout ya. Don't like people talkin' 'bout ya?"

((First book is just Game of Thrones. Second book on, that's when they get more specific names. I refuse to watch the show until I read and finish each book. xD))
 
(( I'm definitely going to have to read them. How many books are there? ))
"No, I don't. No tales about me." The reasoning for why wasn't something she cared to touch on. Tace seemed to be a prideful thief, and she assumed explaining why she was the opposite would take far more patience than she possessed.
Then, something popped into her head. A question. She decided to ask it, although there hadn't been much deciding involved. It was a random whim, of the kind she usually fell prey to, although this one was hopefully not a foolish one.
"Do you ever remove the mask?" she asked, then paused and clarified. "Do you ever remove it to blend into the common populace, to listen to tales of your exploits?"
 
It was a tempting idea. To dress up like a normal commoner and walk around, listening to grandiose tales of his mystical powers or the way he blended with the shadows. He couldn't believe he hadn't thought of it before. He only took the mask off when he had to, which was almost never, or when it was forced from him. He'd only let that happen once, and since then, he'd been more careful.

"Nah... ain't a half bad idea, I s'pose. But I just prefer to sit back and listen in the dark. People always are talkin' 'bout me. How I ain't ever been caught or anythin'. Or how I stole some of the greatest treasure in all the land... and lived to tell no one 'bout it." There was a smugness to his tone, something akin to confidence. He might have been overly confident, but he knew he could trust his own abilities and skills to do what he did. No magic powers needed.

"I don't like people knowin' what I look like, even if they don't know me. Ain't exactly good for me."

((Five currently, soon to be six. Pretty sure that means six seasons of the show, since they do a good job of condensing one book into I believe 10 episodes.))
 
(( Ten episodes a book? Yeah, should be enough to decently cover the important things. ))
"That is the reason why I appreciate looking like no woman in particular. Such a plain, common description makes me hard to pin down."
Roana smiled, genuine pride in her voice. She could blend in anywhere thanks to her looks. From servant to mercenary to bar maid to noble woman, she could figure out some way to make it work. The downside was having no definite identity of her own, nothing to return to when she wasn't disguise. She kept a few things, of course, like her dislike for the spotlight, but those weren't whole personalities in and of themselves. Even now, she was acting the part of a confident noble woman she'd played a few days before picking up the rumors of Gemspire.
"So, do you always wear it? The mask?"
 
"Well, I wouldn't be no scary shadow thief if I didn't wear it all the time, right?" he countered, lacing his fingers together behind his head. His hood twitched as he looked around, but even he couldn't see that well in the dark. It was clear that it was time to sleep.

"We'll be goin' back down to Falthorn within the next few days. We can sell the thin' and be on our way." Separate ways, he had to remind himself. Not that it was terribly hard to forget that he was in the same room as another thief who was just as good as him. Still, he was better, and she wouldn't be a part of his life after a few days.

"Oughta get some sleep," he added, crossing his arms over his chest and settling farther back into the chair. He kept his feet propped and his hood up, falling asleep within a few minutes. Running was hard work; chasing someone was even worse.

~

The next morning was too bright and lively for his taste. A groan of frustrated tiredness escaped him as he bent his back and set his feet on the ground. He pulled the mask away from his face and rubbed his eyes, locks of black hair with mismatched lengths brushing over his equally dark gloves. The chair hadn't been uncomfortable. It was the thought of waking up to find someone else even remotely near him that was unsettling. Still, he got sleep and that was what mattered.

Hefting himself out of the chair, he straightened his wrinkled cloak and brushed his hands off, finding dust puffing out from his gloves due to the state of Gemspire. He couldn't tell if Roana was awake or not, and he didn't want to test it. So, he sat back down, hands locked together as his half-exposed face rested on the tops of his fingers.


((Yeah, it is. They do things a little different, but it's not much you wouldn't expect from a book-to-screen transition.))
 
(( I am so sorry...completely spaced this roleplay. O.O I feel like a meanie head. ))
She stretched slowly, ignoring the protests from her stiff, sore muscles. Her chest was definitely bruised thanks to the tumble she'd taken the day before, but dammit if she was going to show Tace that. The bed was fairly uncomfortable, and in hindsight, she should have just slept on the ground. She cursed herself silently for not realizing it last night.
"Morning," she said, directing the word at her temporary traveling companion. She sounded surly, which wasn't unusual for her in the morning. Roana had also omitted the 'good', as she didn't view mornings-any morning-as such. Of course, he couldn't know that. "I'm going to get some breakfast. Then we leave."
 
As she spoke, Tace snapped the mask over his face again and stood up. Her husky voice wasn't something he hadn't heard before; he'd woken up next to plenty of girls with a morning voice. Still, he only nodded at her for her words. His chest burned with every breath he took, but he tried to ignore the pain. Maybe trying to catch her wasn't such a good idea, but now he was stuck with her for the time being.

He stretched his arms out, trying not to hurt himself in the process. Clearing his throat, he said, "I'm goin' to check on the horse. I ain't runnin' away or anythin'. I just wanna make sure he's alright and that everythin' is in its place." He picked up the key and twirled it around his finger before he opened the door. He left it hanging as he stepped out and surveyed the empty tavern. There was a single old man sitting at the counter, eating some sort of meat and bread.

"My travelin' companion wants somethin' to eat. See that she gets it," he said, tossing another coin to the inn keeper. He nodded once before Tace left, circling around the building to find the stable. His horse was the only one left standing in his stall, tapping his hooves around as he shuffled. The saddle had been removed but the bags were still there. A quick inspection revealed the rose jewel in the exact spot Roana had left it, still gleaming brightly. Even being taken away from Gemspire didn't stop the shining of the jewel.

((It's no problem. :3 I'm getting busy. Also, I kinda want this gem to break and do something to them. xD))
 
(( That sounds like a fantastic idea! What should we do to our characters...Magical curse? Ooh, it could be something they have to go on a quest to reverse.
Sorry it's short, parents are nagging me. ))

Well, he didn't insist that she didn't need breakfast. That was good, she wouldn't be a banshee for the rest of the day. Sitting down, she dug into the food that the innkeeper brought her. It wasn't too bad, but it was no fantastic fare worthy of the gods.
After finishing the plate, she walked out to the horse, still scowling. "Are we ready to go?" she asked, crossing her arms.
 
Tace was holding the jewel in the minimal amount of light in the stable, trying to figure out why it was still shimmering. It cast a glow reaching out and it almost touched his face. For once, it chased the shadows from under his hood and showed a pair of blue eyes rivaling the color of the rose jewel. Or maybe it was just the glistening light of the gem, for when she spoke, he pulled it down and threw it back into the saddle bag. "Yeah. Damn thin' is still shinin'. Dunno why... Dunno if it's a good thin' or not."

He tied the bag back onto the saddle before he cinched the saddle onto the horse and fixed the stirrups. He unlocked the stable door and led the horse out, passing by Roana with hardly a glance in her direction. He didn't have a map, but he knew where he was going. Maps were troublesome parchments and he hated them. Gemspire had seen to that. "It'll be takin' us 'bout three days to get back to Falthorn. And then we sell the thin' and be on our way." It was like he had to remind himself so he didn't have to think about having a woman thief traveling with him.

((I love your kitties. They are so cute. @-@ and yeah, what I had in mind for the curse was something where they can't go really far from each other otherwise it's a ton of pain/death, so they can't do mostly anything without the other's consent. Or something. xD
Or maybe a curse that consistently compels them to race/compete to do things, which would further the rivalry between them. Or we can mix those together. xD))
 
(( Thanks! c: They're lovely little hyperactive bundles of adorable.
I like the first part...How would we go about combining the two? ))

"It's magical. It likely contains energy. Also magical. So, it glows," she told him, saying the sentences like they were the most obvious things in the entire world, and that he should feel like an idiot for not knowing them. Roana was still grumpy, obviously, and she likely would be for a good while. Mornings were really not her thing. Combine that with her distaste for traveling with another person, any person, and she was in a fairly nasty mood.
Three days? Not the shortest, but it was better than going to Alterous. "Good. The faster, the better." She crossed her arms, then stared at him. "After you, precious."
 
He wanted her to see the glare written in his eyes, but he refused to remove the mask covering his features. He tugged on the reins for his horse, passing by her as he left the stables. He ignored her comment, since there was nothing he could say to get back at her. Plus it was too early in the morning to really think of any smooth rebuttal.

The horse nickered as he slowed for the people outside. It was a nice day, but it was one of the last. Winter was drawing near, and sunlight was dwindling each day, being replaced with dark clouds and rain. He wanted to hurry and get to Falthorn so he could leave the horse--and Roana--behind.

When there was a lull in the crowd, Tace pushed himself through, people letting the two thieves and the horse pass before they walked through the gate, freeing themselves of Capsin for the time being. He fell back into silence as they started their journey to Falthorn. He still wasn't interested in anything she had to say.

((Well, it starts off as their compulsion to race/compete, but then when either one of them lags/goes another way, they discover they can't go super far from each other. So then it's not just a race to get whatever they're going to, it's to stop the pain/death/stuff they feel.
If not, I like the first part too. XD))
 
(( That sounds interesting, although a bit taxing.
Let's stick with just the "stay close together or DIE" bit, and we can add in the second part if we're feeling in a particularly evil mood one day. c:
I could totally do the gem explody thing, by the way. ))
 
((Go for it. :3 And that's fine. I'm all for going simple on stuff, but I do love being evil to my characters. xD))
 
(( Well, without being evil to your characters, how do you improve your writing and/or make roleplays exciting? ))
The light from the gem suddenly began to shine through the pack, gaining intensity by the second.
"What did you do to it?" Roana said, automatically accusing Tace of causing the problem, mostly out of fear. It was her go-to reaction for stressful moments. Blaming others was easier than anything else, in her opinion, and now was one of the opportunities she had to fully make use of it.
She walked over to it and opened the flap, unleashing the light in even more intensity.
 
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