Hidden Shadows [Rogue Plot Thread]

[Damien]

Damien awoke to find the sky still dark, and the nearly full moon cast an eerie light on the city of Corus. His head felt stuffy, and even with a window open to the night air, the fog in his mind would not seem to lift. A walk, he decided, would be a way to help make him feel better. Wearily, he stood and found his shirt in the dark. As he pulled it on, his mind began warning him that it might not be the best idea to roam the city at night . . . especially when there was something vicious brewing in the Inner City. A dull ache in the back of his head reminded him that fresh air would help him stay more alert; and so he decided to go out.

Of course, he wouldn't go out onto the streets at night unarmed. A cache of knives, hidden underneath a loose floorboard, provided him with the weapons he would need in case of a surprise attack. He tucked one in each of his boots after pulling them on his feet, one knife was hidden in each sleeve, and two more were sheathed at his back, but hidden by a coat he would wear. A sigh escaped his lips, and he tied a dagger onto his belt for further protection. Glancing around the room with eyes adjusted to the dark, he found his light, black coat hanging over the side of a chair. He walked quietly over to it and put it on. Deeming himself ready for any attack, he padded to the door and exited his rented room. It was little time before he was out on the street, taking in the crisp night air through deep breaths.

Damien began walking, staying near the center of the cobblestone street, making sure he would be out of range from any attack from the alleys . . .

He cursed under his breath and shook his head. He had come here to clear his mind, not to worry about attacks! A half-smile turned the corners of his lips upward as he thought about a friend he had. She had become closer to him recently, and he had welcomed the change openly. Thoughts of her made him unaware of his surroundings, and he did not see a figure moving about in the shadows to his left.

A sharp blow landed on his left cheek, making Damien almost fall to the ground. He reacted quickly, his mind working faster than it ever had before. The pain in his cheek was ignored as he unsheathed his dagger and spun to face his attacker. The young man was one he recognized; one of the malcontents that wished to overthrow the Rogue. He gave the boy a wry smile. "So, you can only attack a man in the dark, eh?"

[Riana]

Riana walked quickly through the dark streets of the city, her eyes to the sky as she contemplated whether sneaking away from the Queen's Rider dormitories was the best idea. On this particular night, sleep hadn't come, and her restless mind had suggested that a walk would help. She had meant to stay on the palace grounds, but the walls made her feel trapped; and now she was out and about in the city. A dagger was hidden beneath her light coat, as the night air was a bit chilly.

As she rounded a corner, Riana saw a familiar figure of a man walking down the street. She smiled and began to walk faster, trying to catch up with him. Damien, one of her first friends upon arrival to Corus, was easily identifiable by his style of walking and his taller stature. Her eyes were adjusted to the bright moonlight, and she could see his wavy hair as she continued to approach him. A figure leaped form the shadows to the left, startling Riana. She stopped abruptly, staring as the strange man hit Damien on the side of his face.

Her brows furrowed, Riana unsheathed her dagger. The sound of Damien's voice reached her ears and she ran to help him fend off the stranger. "Don't you ever keep out of trouble?" she asked him when she was had reached his side.

[Damien]

Damien heard the sound of fast footfall behind him and spun so he could see both his attacker and the newcomer. He felt slightly relieved to see the runner from behind was only his friend Riana. Immediately forgetting the questions he wanted to ask her (for instance, why she was out this late at night), he stepped closer to her side. "I'm sorry milady, but trouble has a way of finding me."

The renegade Rogue seemed confused, but he quickly overcame it and lunged for Damien, a knife in each hand. In Damien side-stepped the attack and swung his arm underneath both of the other man's arms, making the malcontent temporarily unable to use his arms. An unseen kick sent Damien stumbling backwards, trying to keep himself upright.

Damien's eyes found Riana's, and he waved his arm frantically in the direction of the Palace. "Get out of here!" His voice was almost a yell, and his tone was one not to be argued with. "Go!"

[Kirra]

As dark approached and Jasl and his cronies went back to their inn, there arose the problem of following them. For Jasl had been in a weird mood today and Nadia wouldn't put it past him to go out searching for some poor soul to torment. She bid goodbye to them, and, flicking her curls out of the way, started to go back to the Dancing Dove, where she rented a room. However, as soon as she turned the corner she turned around and followed Jasl, Kyran and the others to where they lived, and in which room. Making sure she was correct, Nadia made her way back to the Dancing Dove, where she changed from a day dress into a black suit, with a light dress over top, and fitted her many daggers where she liked them, where she could reach them in a hurry. That done, she made her way out, using a little known (except among the Rogues) back entrance, and made her way once more to the inn where Jasl was staying.

She was staying in the shadows, shivering slightly, when Jasl appeared out of the inn. Nadia almost smirked. Thought so. Now she would just have to stop him from hurting anyone.

Keeping to the shadows, Nadia easily followed him. He was too smug, really, to think that someone would be following him, and as such didn't bother to look around. Nadia could have easily slunk into the shadows if he had, but he was making her job so much easier.

It was then that she saw Damien walking, as if he couldn't sleep. Nadia cursed silently in her head, why did it have to be one of her friends? This would complicate matters. Biting her lip, she watched Jasl knock Damien hard on his face. Nadia tensed her muscles, and got ready to pull out daggers from her sleeves. She was sure that Damien could handle this on his own, but one could never be too sure. One couldn't afford to make mistakes in the Rogue.

"So, you can only attack a man in the dark, eh?"
"Well, of course." Jasl drawled. "Not like I could get at you in plain daylight with your cronies," he spat out the word, "protecting you. We'll see how well ya do out here, in the dark, all alone with no one with you." He looked at Riana with disdain in his eyes, "Well, except for her, but I doubt she can do much."

Nadia frowned, why did Riana have to show up as well? How many people were on late night jaunts?

[Rhianna Kiandra]

Kiandra, having stayed at her mother's house with Damien, didn't realize he was gone until she'd needed the privy and checked his room on the way back to hers. A worried frown started between her brows as she got dressed hurriedly and sheathed most of her knives on her person. Walking the streets of Corus after dark wasn't usually as dangerous a pasttime as it was now.

Slipping through the shadows, the young woman spotted a fight. Cursing under her breath when she recognized its participants, she leapt towards the light shed by the moon, freeing a blade from her wrist sheath.

[Avelia]

There wasn't any need for disguise any more. The Rogue Queen leaned against a second storey windowsill, face upturned to the moon that shone so far above. Her eyes closed, and for a second, she looked like just another commoner girl. Not even out of her teens, dressed in breeches, and with delicacy written all over her features. It was times like this that Avelia realised that despite being constantly surrounded by so many people, she was alone. The only time she wasn't was when she took on a disguise, she pretended to be anyone else but the Rogue Queen and cold-blooded murderer. And that she didn't mind it that way. Because she had long since resigned herself to a life in semi-solitude. She'd been heading for it her whole life. Avelia stood at her window for a few more seconds, before her Rogue sense caused a shiver to course through her body. Before she'd had the time to blink, her boots were strapped on. It was only few breaths later that she was out their front door. Two shadowy figures, the just-turned-morning moonlight sufficient only to brighten their bodies a little against the darkness of their stone and mortar surroundings, stood at the top of the alley. Muffled voices...the metallic screech of metal...picked up by experience-honed hearing. And what was two soon became five. Soon to be six.

Because she could recognise them as she drew closer, every single one. They were her Rogues. Her court. In Avelia's mind they would forever be thought of as her Rogues, as if her duty in life was to protect the court, even if they didn't need protecting. And despite the fact that Avelia generally protected nothing but her income. It was the sentiment that mattered, in this case. And loyal Rogues were rewarded by a Queen that looked after their incomes and well-being, even if their Queen wouldn't consciously accept that she did.

Damien. Nadia. Kiandra. And their Rider friend, Riana.

Jasl. If Avelia had been one to do so, her lip would have curled in condescension. As it was, she knew that allowing herself to do so, even mentally, gave her a disadvantage in a fight. Never underestimate your opponent, or let emotions rule your actions. It hadn't taken the Rogue Queen too long to sort out the basics of what was happening. Because even if she didn't trust anyone else, she still had loyal informants, in addition to her own eyes and ears, which were preferable over that of others. And every Rogue had to keep tabs on everyone else, because there was always some sort of betrayal plot in the making.

"Well, of course. Not like I could get at you in plain daylight with your cronies, protecting you. We'll see how well ya do out here, in the dark, all alone with no one with you." He looked at Riana with disdain in his eyes, "Well, except for her, but I doubt she can do much."

"Maybe she can, maybe she can't," Avelia said softly. "But I certainly could if I wanted to. Arrogance doesn't get you places, Jasl." She moved into the light, letting the moon illuminate her features for a second. Avelia wanted Jasl to know who he was dealing with.

[Rhianna Kiandra]

Unconciously, a manic grin appeared across Kiandra's face. So the Rogue Queen had arrived. This promised to be fun. Stepping forward, towards the fighters, Kiandra had the split second of her Sight to realize who was coming down the opposite alley before she leapt at the young man.

Tamas yowled angrily as Kiandra bowled into him, two knives unsheathed. "Damn fool!" she shouted angrily in his face. He gave a wordless hiss, unsheathing his own blades and jabbed one in at her chest. Kiandra blocked it easily, but hadn't seen the second blade coming for her shoulder; leaning away at the wrong moment allowed Tamas's dagger to pierce her left arm.

Kiandra couldn't stop a pained yelp from exiting her lips, but she delved back into the fight, blue eyes hard. She scored a groove across the younger man's chest, moving fast as lightning to shear of a lock of his hair. Tam growled and threw himself at her in Kiandra's one moment of not completely perfect balance.

[Damien]

Damien was about to begin yelling at Riana to leave when an uncannily familiar voice rang out in the night. He turned his gaze to the new speaker, trying to ignore the throb in his cheek. A another woman had joined the possible fray, and he could only guess her identity at this point. The woman's voice was soft, but anyone could sense a threat in the tone. She held herself up with an air of command . . . A queen looking out over her loyal -- and not so loyal -- subjects.

"Maybe she can, maybe she can't," Avelia said softly. "But I certainly could if I wanted to. Arrogance doesn't get you places, Jasl."

Kiandra came up beside him, and his heart began racing faster as thoughts flew through his head. Why had she come? She had been asleep when he'd left, why had she awaken? A strong urge to start yelling at Kiandra came over him, but he controlled it just in time. One could see the efforts he made to try and slow his hard breathing. A fist clenched around a dagger, he watched in horror as Kiandra jumped at an unseen attacker from a side alley.

"Damn fool!"

For some reason he couldn't percieve, Damien stood motionless, watching Kiandra and Tamas tear at each other with live blades. Aware of that it was the perfect moment to catch Jasl off guard, he knocked the smaller man to the ground with a blow from his fist.

[Riana]

"Well, of course." Jasl drawled. "Not like I could get at you in plain daylight with your cronies," he spat out the word, "protecting you. We'll see how well ya do out here, in the dark, all alone with no one with you." He looked at Riana with disdain in his eyes, "Well, except for her, but I doubt she can do much."

Riana eyes narrowed as she fought to hold her tongue. If only this man knew she was training to be a Queen's Rider, and if he knew her skill with a dagger, he might've thought twice about verbally attacking her. Already knowing that he didn't deserve any respect, she lashed out at him with her words. "I'll have you know that I can do much more than your tiny mind can possibly perceive. Unless you're looking to defend your words against me, I suggest you keep the petty insults to yourself."

She crossed her arms and straightened her spine in an attempt to make herself appear more intimidating, although her short stature hardly made it seem that way. Her attention was focused on Damien and the other man who'd insulted her, and she had hardly noticed the newcomers joining them. A young woman's shout distracted her attention from Damien, and Riana looked to see the woman leap into an alley where another man (whom she suspected was allied with the assailant who'd attacked Damien)had appeared. The sound of a fight made her look back to Damien, who had apparently hit Jasl and made him fall to the ground.

[Avelia]

Satisfied that Damien had sufficiently winded Jasl, Avelia decided it was now time to make her move. Silently she reappeared at the side of the fallen malcontent, firmly placing one booted foot on his chest, with enough pressure to make him very uncomfortable but not enough to wind him. Being a fairly diminutive woman, she possessed little in the way of bodily weight to hold him down, but what she lacked in body mass, she more than made up for with strength. Her boots also had a rather sharp heel which was currently implanted in Jasl's solar plexus, and they were purposefully made with hard leather to protect her Achille's tendon from being severed with a dagger.

"Tell me what you wish to accomplish, dear Rogue," she commanded. Avelia had fully transformed into her Queen mode, holding herself proud and erect, as intimidating a figure as she could possibly be. It was now time for straight answers from him, unsullied by opinions and manipulation from Rogues, spies and other more dubious sources. She waited patiently for his answer. Why not? She had all the time in the world, whilst his days would be numbered if he failed to please her. It was seeming quite likely that this would be the case.

Either way, it didn't particularly matter to her. Another man's blood on her blade was insignificant when the same blade had spilt the life's blood of so many others. What was another kill to a seasoned assassin? She was still young, yes, but then people in her line of work rarely lived long in any case.

[Rhianna Kiandra]

((*sigh* and no one has saved Kiandra yet...she's so forgotten. C'mon Dam! She's your girl!))

Kiandra couldn't stop a gasp of pain and shock escaping her as the youth leapt at her and knocked her down, jarring her injured arm. Fighting tooth and nail soon became her only option as Tamas sent it flying, an ugly snarl never leaving his face. "Gerroff, bastard!" she shouted wildly, aiming a punch for his head. UNfortunately, the 16-year-old caught her hand and her other one was beneath her body. He breathed mustily into her face, eyes glittering madly. "You're mine, pretty girl. We'll see how your friends like us now!"

[Damien]

Damien was breathing heavily as he watched Avelia place her boot on Jasl's chest. For a moment he stood there, hesitant about what to do next, and then he remembered Kiandra. He turned his whole body in her direction, and saw Tamas knock her to the ground. A sudden rush of adrenaline began racing through his veins, and he strode over to the fighting pair in what seemed like a few steps.

"Gerroff, bastard!"

Tamas simply didn't listen to her, and Damien could only guess what he planned to do. He grabbed the youths clothes and yanked him off Kiandra. Using the momentum and motion from the pull, he easily threw the boy against the wall and advanced on him. Without much thought at all, Damien's fist made rough contact with Tamas's skull multiple times. The only thoughts that seemed to race through his mind were ones of protecting Kiandra. No one was allowed to harm her, unless they wanted to deal with Damien.

After administering a number of blows and kicks, Damien grabbed the youth's shirt collar in both of his hands, bringing his face menacingly close to Tamas's bloody one. "I hope you know well enough now to leave us well enough alone." He threw the boy into the alley, watching as he ran into the darkness.

[Kirra]

JASL:
" Maybe she can, maybe she can't, but I certainly could if I wanted to. Arrogance doesn't get you places, Jasl."

Jasl sneered as he heard Avelia's soft voice. So she was here now. The deed would be done. He looked at her as the moonlight illuminated her features for a second and muttered coldly, "So you finally showed up." He wasn't even sure if he heard him, but he didn't care.

Louder, he spoke again, all but ignoring what she said. "Are you here to protect your precious rouge." He almost snorted. "As if they've been loyal to you." Focusing his icy gaze on the Rogue Queen, he heard behind him a fight. Tamas, it sounded like him. His lip curled. Why was he here? Jasl would be the one to be King.

From around his side, he heard the girl speak. "I'll have you know that I can do much more than your tiny mind can possibly perceive. Unless you're looking to defend your words against me, I suggest you keep the petty insults to yourself."

Turning his head towards her, he looked down his nose. "Well, perhaps later I'll find the time.." he drawled. Turning back to Avelia, he felt a hard object, a fist, knock him down to the ground. How did he forget to pay attention to everyone else. On the dirty cobblestones, the very place he shouldn't be, Jasl had his breath knocked out. Catching it, he was about to jump up again when a hard, booted foot was placed on his chest. Looking up, he placed its owner as the Rogue Queen.

D*mnit.

Her heel dug into his solar plexus as he struggled to get up, and he noticed that the boots were made with hard leather to protect her Achilles' tendon. There was that opportunity gone.

"Tell me what you wish to accomplish, dear Rogue."Avelia looked Queenly now, majestic and all too intimidating. Now was the time for a different approach.

"Majesty," he gasped, "I was trying to stop these others from betraying you and trying to take your throne."

((In case you were wondering, I'll reply as Nadia tomorrow... I have to go to bed ))

[Avelia]

"Are you here to protect your precious rouge. As if they've been loyal to you."

"Do they look like they need protection to you?" Avelia said softly, almost rhetorically, not bothering to look behind her. Rogues took care of themselves, otherwise they wouldn't be selected for what she liked to think of as an exclusive group. Certainly far more exclusive than say trainee pages or even the Riders or the King's Own. Everybody and their uncle wanted to be a Rogue, so it wasn't as if she was pressed for choice. She could afford to be fussy about who she chose to be her subjects, although she had inherited a lot of less than agreeable Rogues from the previous holder of her position. "Nevertheless, Queens must look out for their own. That's a notion of responsibility I don't expect you to understand at this point of time."

It had been difficult enough for her to adjust to being responsible for a whole lot of loudly independent criminals who were surprisingly far more dependent than they appeared to be. When one was Queen, one was presented with a whole lot of trivial problems that just could not be solved without her advice- usually a harsh 'Get over yourselves before I stick this through you,' if it was particularly inconsequential. Yet come with a true problem, or something that evoked her curiosity, and Avelia was the best of problem solvers. Was it compassion? She doubted it. Just a strange feeling, that the Court was her own and to be retained at all costs.

"Majesty. I was trying to stop these others from betraying you and trying to take your throne."

"Betrayal, you say? Now that's interesting. Very interesting. Would you be caring to explain?" It wasn't a question, rather an elegantly phrased command. The tone was sweet, full of trust that wasn't usually there. "I'm sure you, as the fine example of a Rogue I've no doubt you are, are aware of just how much I prize loyalty, and what I do to traitors. Do you mean to say those others are betraying my trust?"

[Riana]

"Well, perhaps later I'll find the time.." he drawled.

Riana's brows snapped together. True, the boy didn't know of her weapons training as a Queen's Rider, but she didn't think he would so quickly accept a challenge. He's a Rogue, the cool part of her mind reminded her, he'll accept any challenge as long as there's some sort of benefit for him. Although she desperately wanted to verbally retaliate, her instincts told her to keep quiet as the female Rogue spoke. For a moment she listened, the other woman's words snaking around Jasl. The woman seemed so calm for having such a large threat looming around her. In that moment, time almost seemed to slow....

Damien's figure crossed Riana's vision, bringing her out of the trance-like state that she was in. Her eyes followed him as he went to the alley fight. There he took out the man who had been fighting a young woman. Riana's eyes drifted back to Jasl and the other woman. "Majesty. I was trying to stop these others from betraying you and trying to take your throne."

She almost scoffed at this. The young rogue had been so bent on rebelling a moment ago, why had he suddenly changed his view completely? He's a Rogue, she remembered...yet again. It's just the way they do things, and not the way you do them, she thought to herself. And now that she thought on it for a moment, she wondered why she was even meddling in the Rogues' business.

Riana waited a moment, until she was sure no one would notice her absence. She then backed slowly away from the Rogues and took of running down the nearest alley in the direction of the palace. She ran for a few minutes, her boots thudding loudly in the dirt of the alleys. The palace towers slowly came into view, and her pace slowed to a walk. Sweat was slowly dripping down her face, running into her eyes. Cursing, she wiped it away, not seeing the figures moving swiftly toward her in the dark.

A rough hand was clamped over her mouth just as another encircled her arms. Instictlively, Riana began lashing out with her legs, trying to escape from her captor's grasp. "Calm down, missy," came the man's gruff voice. Until then, her eyes had been closed. She now opened them and saw roughly ten young men all watching her with disdain in their eyes. "Now, tell me where the young Rogue Queen is, and we'll spare your life."