Daybreak }{ Open to anyone

[indigo]

The sky was lightening in shades of gray, but the sun had not yet shown it's face. A young woman, rugged in appearance yet also distinctly feminine, knelt beside a large, ebony creature that appeared to be some type of big cat. It's feline form was taller than the woman's, kneeling as she was. Two more stood to either side of her, both the same midnight color, but obviously more canine. Each was the same size, if not slightly larger, than the feline. The three gathered around the girl, nudging her in a friendly fashion. She hugged and spoke softly to each of them, then stood and smiled a little sadly. They turned and all three disappeared into the remaining shadows just as the sun peeked over the horizon.

Ravenissa watched her companions and guardians leave, then continued on walking. She watched the sunrise with distaste for the brightness of it. She did not like the sunrise, but the sunset brought her joy. It meant the coming night, and the evening was the time when she would revel in the dying warmth of the sun while anticipating the crisp darkness of night.

Nissa rarely passed through very large cities or villages, but today she did. The road grew gradually more and more crowded, until the bodies pushed against each other in their efforts to get into the city. She detested each and every one of them immediately, breathing a sigh of relief when she was through the gates and was able to step out of the crowd. Nissa watched strangers rushing past from her small bubble of space at the mouth of a narrow alley. This was a city she'd never been to, so she was uncertain of the layout, but eventually she went and walked with the edges of the crowd, letting them push her along but keeping close enough to the outside that she could regain control of her direction quite easily.

[Laughing Man]

The Harlequin hopped neatly off the back of the caravan he was hitching a ride on, much to the disappointment of the kids he was entertaining with the Tale of 'Muzii the Rat Pouncer'

He landed on one foot, bent forward, and thrust his free leg to the side, then flipped in that direction, using his foot like a counterbalance to bring him to a crouch in the middle of the three-way crossroad that led to the city. He smiled at the midday sun and adjusted his mask more firmly on his face than before, doing the same with his backpack of assorted items, and in one smooth motion, began heading toward the town gates. The guards and crowds of civilians eyed him curiously, or just went about their daily routines without even noticing his existence. He took a deep breath of the town air and turned down an alley. While he enjoyed people and daylight, he didn't enjoy crowds when he had somewhere to go.

He had recently picked up a book and was looking for some type of Library around town. After attempting to ask several citizens, he gave up and asked a guard. They often liked to harass him about his Starknives, so he tended to avoid them if possible. And sure enough, this one asked to see his permit for such exotic weapons. With a quick apology, and an exchange of 'Thank you's and 'Your welcome's Minh was, supposedly, headed in the right direction.

He made his way down a few alleys of hunched-together, slummy buildings. Played some ball with a few kids, and tossed his rings around for them a bit, then realized he was lost again. With a slump of his shoulders, he followed his nose to the nearest tavern for some people-watching. Maybe he would read some of the book there.

[indigo]

She had a few coins left over from the her last encounter with someone stupid enough to challenge her, so Nissa cut away from the crowd and entered a dim tavern. On this day she wore leather leggings and a doeskin top, her only current weapons being three hunting blades hidden on her person. Nissa paid a couple of coins for some water and sat in a shadowed corner.

Her gaze constantly swept the room, searching out any signs of aggression. She found none, but there were a great deal of interesting people in the tavern. Some were already drunk, despite the early hour, and it was quite funny to watch them. Others were quieter, but entertaining in their own way. Some were just interesting, different.

[Laughing Man]

Minh had chosen to change into his casual attire. A loose, brightly-colored cotton shirt tucked into the black leather belt that supported his simple, brown leather pants. The boots were the only thing he always wore, being blessed by Desna, they were a crimson-y color, with butterfly patterns to them. They softened his step and make him quieter when stalking or hiding.

He sat in a random location, towards the side, but close to a window, so that he could read the book. The subject seemed to be on flora, or some boring subject. Dry as it was, he struggled to read it. Not that he was a bad reader, he just didn't enjoy the topic. He knew it would pay off at some point. And admittedly, there were some interesting pages such as leaves of a certain plant that would help with sunburns, and cuts. He was certainly going to get rid of the book at first chance he could, but until then, he ordered a simple brew of tea, and sat quietly to himsef, half people watching, half book reading.

The only person that really stood out was the female that seemed to be doing double the amount of people-watching he was. Which made sense, because he was dividing his attention between boring books and boring people. He kept his gaze on her for more than was fair to the book, he was sure it felt left out now, and so he had to return to the book for a short while, promising to give the femal another inspection once the book had it's time. Stupid book. Whining about trivial things like that. What was it, a child?

What was he? Insane? It's a book. It can't feel bad about not getting attention! Or could it? Maybe it was enchanted? Interesting Concept, Minh... But I doubt that. We will see. Indeed we shall.

He caught himself looking at the female again as he shook himself out of talking to himself. He did that when not distracted by talking to other people, or performing. It was happening frequently, and becoming quite troublesome.

[indigo]

A sense of unease crept slowly over her, gaining strength the longer she let it go unnoticed. Her expression didn't change in the slightest, but now she was actually searching for something while she watched the room. She was seeking out whoever was watching her. The honey-gold of her eyes darkened almost imperceptibly with the feeling, and a soft growl stole through the back of her mind. She smiled faintly. Even during the day, Tora's consciousness never quite left, though her body was gone until nightfall.

It took several minutes due to how much some bodies were moving around, but Nissa finally did find him. She took care not to catch his gaze, but now she knew who was watching her. Tora quieted until she was unnoticeable again, and the uneasy feeling almost left. She watched that general area of the room a bit more now, trying to figure out why exactly this particular man found her so interesting. He was intriguing in appearance himself, but Nissa found no reason why anyone should think twice about herself.

[Laughing Man]

Minh wasn't particularly sure why she stood out for him. Perhaps it was just that she was people gazing like he was. She was one of the only people sitting alone, not talking to anyone else, and just gazing around the room. For someone like Minh, who people watches a lot, these types of things would stick out. Especially midday, on such a busy afternoon.

He went back to his book when he noticed she was acting different. He couldn't pin-point what it was, but she seemed to be staring in one direction now, as if she had seen something. He followed her gaze, but found nothing more than an average table of citizens playing a game of poker and harassing the waitresses as they passed by. He let out a slow sigh and shook his head at their antics before going back to his book.

It was terribly boring, and you could tell by the look on his face.

[indigo]

She sighed. It just wasn't Nissa's style to sit around, and the day was becoming quite dull. She finished her drink and left the tavern, casting a brief, curious glance toward Minh. She still found herself suspicious of him, but she payed the same attention to the other strangers around her. Once outside she paused to gather her bearings, then headed in the direction of what she thought might be a market place.

Nissa looked around herself for anything that might liven her day. There didn't appear to be much going on. She extricated herself from the crowd and stepped away, into the temporary shelter of another of the so common alleys. Guards patrolled the city, plenty of them stationed in the marketplace, so there would be no easy pickings. That was fine with Nissa; pickpocketing and thieving were delicate matters that took place within seconds. Not enough time for most to react. She grinned and slipped back into the crowd to find the perfect target.

[Laughing Man]

Minh frowned at the book The last interesting page had been something about a hallucenogenic flower. And that wasn't even what was interesting. What was interesting were the tales of the test subjects. That was twenty pages ago. He looked up again, trying to find the female from before and realized she had left. He cloed his book suddenly, glanced at his neglected cup of tea, and gripped the cup. Grimacing, he downed the cold tea and left a moderate tip. He HAD spent a bit of time doing nothing, so the least he could do was leave a nice tip. Besides, he never concerned himself with money. It was just another tool for people to impose their will on others.

Standing up, he slipped the book into his bag and set off into the city to continue his quest for a librarian of some sort.

[indigo]

She grinned seeing the small leather pouch attached to a man's belt. It was so simple just to reach out and tug it away. The knot came loose without any struggle, and the stranger kept walking. She slipped to the outside edge of the crowd and peered into the pouch. Nissa scowled. There was nothing good in here. A few silver coins, a small marble of some sort. The marble she took and slipped into a pocket sewn into the lining of her leggings. The coins she dropped in an alley for a lucky street urchin to find. The circular bauble was black, with gold veins streaking through it. Perhaps she could sell or trade it.

There were shops and stands galore, but not one drew her. Not until she saw the sign, something about the occult. She entered the shop, looking curiously at candles and pendulums, gemstones and crystal jewelry, and a lot of books. Of course Nissa knew how to read; her parents had made sure of that, but the opportunity was rare. So she snatched a book about the histories of different goddesses, chose a corner, and settled down to read a bit.

[Laughing Man]

Minh wandered around town, as per his usual manner. He attempted to stick to the less crowded areas, but of course was forced into large crowds near the market disctrict. random people complimented his outfit, and he even ran into another Desna devout. They talked for about an hour and exchanged beautiful palces to visit, or shrine locations, along with some dreams they recently had before departing each other's company.

He ended up asking the guards where the library was again and finally stood in front of it a half hour or so later. He stepped in, and the bell that was supported by the pole attached to the doorframe, which hung above the door so that it would be rocked, and ring when opened sounded it's chime, as if welcoming him in. He smiled at it's sound and began wandering a bit, perusing the merchandise before he stepped up to the shop owner and began talking about the book he was trying to get rid of.

He ended up giving it away in exchange for any book on the Goddess Desna he wanted. Minh cheerfully made his way toward the section, where he just so happened to spot the female from the tavern. He pretended not to notice, and began searching through the 'D' section for books.

[indigo]

She was intent on what she was reading, but drew away from the book when she heard the bell to the place ring. At first it was just to be sure no one was going to bother her, but her gaze lingered away from the page a moment longer than planned. It was the stranger from the tavern, the one who had been so intent on her. She frowned slightly, but turned her gaze back to the page.

Unfortunately now Nissa could not concentrate on the book. Not with Tora glaring through her eyes, attempting to direct them to the stranger time and time again. Nissa had learned control over that bond long ago, and so her companion did not manage to succeed. Instead it was Nissa who kept her ears tuned to him, and her eyes who every so often would stray from the book to look at him through a veil of black hair. She wondered if he was following her. She wondered if she should confront him or ignore him.

[Laughing Man]

Minh wandered up and down the aisle. He didn't really think anything more of the woman, just that it was curious she would be here. He found the 'De' section and started pulling books off the shelves. Some he would pile into his left arm, others he would put back. All the books he had placed in his left hand seemed to be on Desna. He always enjoyed reading about her. There was even a book with lists of waysrhines and special places to find them called, The Land of Desna. Another one was Beginner's Guide to Lucid Dreaming. It was full of tips on having lucid dreams. There were still more interesting ones, The Dreamwalker's Guide to Desna, Spherewalkers Through the Ages, Starknives: The Fanciful Killer, and a few more. They were all adorned with a butterfly or moth of some kind and the delightful grin on hs face told anyone watching that he was clearly interested in such topics. Trivial as they may seem to most. He made his way around and ended up next to the female. He couldn't help but glance at what book she was 'reading'. He was about to read over her shoulder when he realized how much he hated when people did that to him, and so stopped himself. He adjusted the necklace at his chest, a moth-shaped charm with symbols on it's wings. On his left wrist, he had a Rose Quartz-carved butterfly hanging from some leather, though the right one seemed to be bare of such adornments. His brightly-colored shirt was filled with blues and greens, with some fiery orange and black outlines, making the shape of a butterfly that wrapped around his hindside. He perused a bit longer, wondering if he shoulder break the silence. At last he did,

"Pardon me, but have I seen you somewhere?" He asked after clearing his throat, "Forgive me, for I don't mean to be rude, but you seem somewhat familiar."

[indigo]

Nissa shook her hair back from her face and looked up from the book. She did notice the presence of butterflies and moths on much of the stranger's person, but that was not surprising to her. She had seen a few others with similar charms in the area. She considered his question for a moment before answering.

"Yes I do believe I have seen you before, today in fact," she did not smile, but her expression wasn't hostile, either. Merely distrusting. Actually Nissa remembered him very clearly, but at the moment she wasn't going to say that.

[Laughing Man]

Minh smirked and closed the copy of Butterfly Collector II: The Revenge of the Monarch. He turned and said casually, "I knew you were watching me.." with a smile on his face and a lightness to his voice. He quickly added, "you and I are alike... We like to watch... content to let the world slide by while we calculate, observe, and reflect before making decisions... Right?"

He was having fun with conversation for the moment, and laid the books on an empty section of the shelf, folding his arms across his chest and shifting weight onto one foot fluidly.

[indigo]

She smiled slightly before answering, closing and setting down the book she held, Legends of Ancient Goddesses.
"I wouldn't say I like to let the world slide by, but I do like to know a fair amount about what's around me," she replied just as lightly.

Nissa remained sitting in her chosen corner, not on the floor but on a sort of carpeted bench set into the corner, like a window sill without the window. After setting the book down beside her she put her hands casually on her lap, leaning back slightly into the wall and looking up at him.